The time it took to get to Titan's Tower from that point on was only about ten minutes. It helped a bunch that a severely dazed but still conscious Starfire carrying a Cyborg who was the same way arrived back from wherever they had been uppercutted to only two minutes after Raven was thawed out. It also helped that the regiment sized contingent of royal equestrian guards following the two sisters had finally arrived a minute after that, just as Princesses Celestia and Luna started to awake from their brief slumber of exhausation. Finding the missing element of harmony and friend of Princess Sparkle--Rarity if what the royal sisters said was true--on the shore of the pond she had apparently been tossed into was an unusually quick breeze by comparison. Deciding what sub-units of the regiment would be part of the ponies' entourage was a breeze quicker still. After all that, they left for the tower and after four minutes in transit, they finally made it back home.
Following that, everything was honestly kind of a blur to Robin.
Setting up one of the holding cells with an anti-gravity field to keep Antaeus afloat and a pool of non-newtonian fluid for him to fall into in case it failed and in case being in contact with the metal of the floor or walls counted as being 'in contact with the earth' and chucking him in there under watch 24/7 by security cameras and a squad of unicorn guards ready to levitate him at a moment's notice.
Performing an examination of the other Titans to make sure they didn't need any real medical care and could help him set up the gurneys and set on the gurneys the elements, the mayor and his family, and those two mystery stallions, diagnose all of them, and nurse them back to health.
Doing precisely that to the point where all eleven of the ponies were up and some--really the ones called Applejack and Rainbow Dash--were annoyed they still had to stay bedside for an hour and were quite vocal about it.
Catching their medical guests up to speed on things with Princess Celestia's and Luna's aid.
It all just kind of blended together.
He may have been a boy wonder, but even he could only deal with so much happening so fast with any real focus without having an extreme thirst for a gallon of gatorade, hopping onto the couch, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table, and just laying back and relaxing. Kind of like exactly what he just did now after that aforesaid third round of explanations in such short time.
“Another day,” he sighed and took a big gulp of the grape flavored, electrolyte charged goodness, “another yearning for things to be simple, straightforward, and easy.”
“You're telling me!” Beast Boy said from his spot on the couch. “I mean, day one on this crazy, kookie, pony planet, and we get saddled with having to essentially fight a flightless kryptonian without heat vision and all the sensory powers that runs off earth-magic instead of sunlight!? I mean… dude! We're not equipped to deal with that kind of threat on our own without TONS of prep! I mean, seriously!” Beast Boy slapped himself and threw his head and the rest of his body back such that half of his body was draped over the back of the couch like a towel.
“I concur,” Starfire said, before taking a sip out of the mustard bottle she held in her hands with a bendy straw as was custom. “We were most fortunate that this Antaeus seemed to be more playful and less careful at the onset of battle and did not utilize his super-speed to the extent he could have. Otherwise, Raven and I might not have gotten in the critical hits that we did and rendered him unconscious for as long as we had and he might have defeated us all.”
“Yeah, that really is the problem with fighting kryptonian and kryptonian-like enemies in a nutshell,” Cyborg said, in between munching on some crunchy pretzel covered beef jerky. “It's not that they're so strong and hard to hurt that's really the problem. It's that they're so hard to hit in the first place if they know what they're doing--being so fast and all--and that their healing factor lets them recover so quick that even if you do land a hit and it's a good one, they just get right back up like they're a Looney Toon and just keep coming and coming and coming till they tire you out eventually.”
“Like I said before the fight started,” Raven said, levitating indian style off her spot on the couch and meditating with her eyes closed, “a war of attrition with him would've been bad.” She sneezed again from the minor cold the freeze breath had made her contract. She sighed and levitated the cup of herbal tea she had set on the coffee table into her hands and took a sip. She sighed again in warm relief. “But for now, let's just count our blessings that like a lot of kryptonian and kryptonian-like enemies, Antaeus has his own kryptonite. His own Achilles Heel to be more thematically accurate. One that's arguably way easier to exploit and way more devastating than any glowy, green, radioactive rocky fragments of his home world.” She took another sip and let out another relieved sigh. “We should all just relax for the precious little time before we're on the clock again. Which means no more chit-chat. You guys know I have a migraine, so please, stop aggravating it, if you'd be so kind.” She massaged her temples as she finished saying those last few words.
A chorus from the other four Titans expressing the sentiment of 'Alright' in their own unique ways sounded out. Rather annoyingly loudly if Raven's expression immediately after was any indication. But as the ensuing quiet was allowed to reign without any interruption, her face returned to its trademark neutrality.
And so it was for a good minute and half afterward that no one said anything, the only sounds being the Titans eating or enjoying their beverage of choice.
All was peaceful, and Robin felt himself slowly drift off into a well deserved cat-nap to refresh his proverbial batteries.
“HIYA, TITANS!”
But then, as he was just about to hit Snoozeville, the train suddenly diverted to an unexpected detour to Loudton. With a terrible start, and on instinct, he jumped up from the couch and attempted a haymaker to the face of the source of the noisy disruption: a ridiculously pink earthpony somewhere in the recesses of his mind he knew was named Pinkie Pie. A Pinkie Pie that had somehow utterly evaded his detection and had seemingly just… appeared on the couch next to him.
Fortunately for him and Pinkie both, Raven managed to catch Robin's arms in the telekinetic grip of her magic at the last moment and stop the punch from actually connecting.
“Wow! You're really quick on your feet there, Robin!” Pinkie complimented, her smiling undeterred despite the metal lined green gloved fist only an inch away from her muzzle. “Are all humans supposed to be that lightning fast?”
“From what I know, no.”
Robin and the other titans' heads swiveled towards the entrance to the living room to find the sliding doors there parted, Princess Sparkle and the remaining elements of harmony standing there in the threshold.
“Robin here,” Princess Sparkle continued, “seems to fall squarely in what's called the peak human category. Am I right?”
“Uh… yeah,” Robin said, looking between the princess and his fist and Pinkie's face before grimacing, pulling away, putting his hands up placatingly, and panickly saying, “It's not what you think! Pinkie Pie here just startled me and I didn't know what was going on and my muscle memory has a mind of its own when someone gets the drop on me like that and tends to want to attack whoever it assumes is attacking me before they land a hit and--”
“Relax, dude,” the one named Rainbow Dash said. “It's okay. We totally get it.”
“Oh believe you me, Mr. Robin sir, you would not be the first to accidentally strike our darling Pinkie Pie when she just hops in from out of the blue like that,” the one named Rarity said.
“Heh. The quilts we could weave with all the yarns we got in our looms from that there clothing shop,” the one called Applejack said, smiling as she shook her head.
“The important thing to remember is that unlike each of my friends here and myself at one point or another, you had the skill and self-control to stop before you punched her,” Princess Sparkle said.
“Errr… actually, if it wasn't for Raven and her magic, I wouldn't have stopped in time,” Robin said, massaging the back of his neck sheepishly. “Sorry.”
Pinkie wrapped a foreleg around Robin's neck and pressed one side of her face rather annoyingly hard against one side of his face. “Awww, don't be such a worry wort, Rob!” She pulled away for a sec, suddenly looking unsure. “I can call you Rob, right?”
“I… guess? It is sort of my official unofficial nickname after all.”
“Goodie!” Pinkie Pie pressed her side of her face against Robin's again with irksome force. “Anyways, like I was saying: don't sweat it, good chum! Even if you did, it wouldn't have knocked me down for the count or even just really thrown me for a loop! I may look cute and cuddly and giggly--and I totally am by the way--but I assure you I'm way tougher than I look. Like a rubber ducky! Or a bungee cord! Or that piece of gum that gets stuck to your shoe and just won't come off no matter how hard you try and scrape it off! Oh! Oh! Or like--”
“Alright already!” Rainbow interrupted. “I think he gets the picture by now.”
“Huh,” Pinkie said, tapping her chin and looking thoughtful. “You really think so?”
“Yeah, I think I got a pretty firm handle on things,” Robin said, chuckling slightly before suddenly getting more serious. “Speaking of, do you mind if you let me go? I kinda miss my personal space and would like to have it back… ASAP...”
“Only if you say please,” Pinkie said in sing-song.
“Okay. Please let me--”
“Pinkie!” Princess Sparkle scolded. “Behave now!”
Pinkie looked suddenly downcast, like a child being told they had to put their toys away and go to bed. “Oh, alright,” she said exactly as such a child would. “I was just trying to thank him for saving the day in my own super special way.” Like a mexican jumping bean colored pink, she hopped back over to her (pony) friends' side.
“So...” Raven began, “I take it that's why you're here then instead of laying down and recovering? To thank us?”
“Right on the bits there… uhhh...” Rainbow Dash suddenly went wide eyed and blinked, looking and sounding a lot less confident. “C-crow?” she asked hesitantly.
“Raven,” Raven and Princess Sparkle said in stereo.
The eyes of everyone in the room except for Raven's and Princess Sparkle's went wide at that.
“Whoa,” said Beast Boy, cleaning out his ears with his pinkies. “Did you guys just hear that? I couldn't have been the only one. I mean, it was like an echo, but--”
“Without the whole, echoey part,” Pinkie finished.
Rarity gasped suddenly. “It was!”
“Okay, what are you guys talking about?” Raven and Princess Sparkle asked in unison again.
Everyone in the room except Raven and Princess Sparkle plus Robin gasped.
“Now if that ain't what we call an uncanny resemblance in my neck of the woods, I ain't got a clue what is,” Cyborg said.
“You said it, pardner,” said Applejack. “If I didn't know no better, just going off the ole' mark one eardrums, I'd guess they was twins or somethin'!”
“What? That's ridiculous. We sound nothing alike,” Raven and Princess Sparkle spoke at the same time.
“There it is again!” Beast Boy and Pinkie Pie shouted at the same time, the former pointing an index finger at Princess Sparkle and the latter a hoof at Raven.
“I'm scared/I am scared!” the one called Fluttershy and Starfire shouted respectively before the former ducked and hid behind her mane and the latter hid and ducked behind the couch.
“Now this is just plain weird,” Cyborg, Rainbow, and Applejack all said at once.
“Okay, everybody just calm down and BREATHE, okay?/Okay, everypony just calm down and BREATHE, okay?” Raven and Princess Sparkle said in unison respectively.
“I agree,” Robin said quickly, hoping to stop this sudden people talking at the same time spell everyone had suddenly fallen under. “I mean, don't you think you all are overreacting a little too much? So what if their voices are eerily similar? It's not some major catastrophe or even an omen for one.”
“Seriously, I don't know what you all keep talking about! We couldn't sound more night and day!” Raven and Princess Sparkle said at once.
Sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose hard enough to redden the skin there something fierce, Robin decided to spare himself the trouble and save himself the headache by taking the safer route of procession and just changing the subject before things got even crazier… and odder. “Look your majesty, we're honored you and the other elements of harmony came all the way up here to show your appreciation, but don't you think it's a wee bit premature to be so up and about after the fight you just had?”
“Normally I'd say yeah, but those doctor guards watching over us after you and princesses Celestia and Luna filled us in on things just gave the six of us a clean bill of health,” Princess Sparkle said, seemingly overjoyed for the subject change. “Your medical facilities really are top notch!”
Robin rubbed the back of his neck. “Apparently so top notch even I forget how fast they can work their magic sometimes.”
“Which is very rare, let me tell you,” Raven said, also seemingly overeager for the subject change. “Robin here is like an elephant when it comes to technical knowledge.”
At that, not only Princess Sparkle, but the other elements too--now broken out of their prior stupor over what had just happened no doubt thanks to Raven's words--raised their brows up in confusion.
“He has big floppy ears?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“A big ole trunk-nose he can grab things with?” Applejack queried.
“Dazzlingly beautiful, ivory white, ivory tusks?” Rarity inquired.
“He eats clay to supplement his diet with essential vitamins and minerals otherwise not found in the grass and tree leaves he mostly consumes?” asked Fluttershy.
“He speaks mostly in rhymes?” Pinkie Pie asked.
Now it was Robin's turn to raise his brow questioningly. He looked at his fellow Titans to find them mirroring his look.
“Uhhh… no,” Raven said after a couple moments of silence. “It's… an expression, or at least a variant of an expression that goes, An elephant never forgets. I was comparing Robin's memory to that of an elephant's because just like how an elephant never forgets, in the arena of technical knowledge, Robin also tends not to forget.”
“Huh,” Princess Sparkle said, tapping her chin. “An elephant never forgets? Now that's an expression I can't ever remember hearing or reading about before. And that's funny because I suppose I'm like an elephant when it comes to expressions.” The Princess giggled for a bit before tilting her head to the side and looking thoughtful. “I wonder if Zecora knows more? I mean, I knew elephants in this world are considered the wisest race in all Zebrica, but I wonder if there's a similar expression out there that the zebras or someone else has.”
“Wait, wait, wait, hold up!” Beast Boy said, waving his hands around. “Elephants are sapient on this planet? Zebras too?”
“Wait, wait, wait, hold up!” Rainbow Dash said, waving a hoof around. “Are you saying they aren't on your planet?”
“Well, no. On--” Beast Boy began.
“Their world, they're animals,” Princess Sparkle finished for him. “In fact, on their world, earth, humans are the only sapient species and everything else, and I do mean everything, are just animals. Even equines similar to us.”
The other elements and all the titans gasped, though each group did so for differing reasons.
“Now if that ain't just the strangest thing I done heard all day,” Applejack said, eyes wide.
“You said it, darling,” Rarity said, eyes just as wide.
“Okay, quick question: how did you know that about earth if you've never been there and we're supposed to be the first humans, plus tamaranian, ever to set foot on equis?” Beast Boy asked.
“Well, that's the thing. I have been to earth.”
The titans gasped again, though the elements were noticeably silent this time.
“Say what?” asked Cyborg.
“Wait a minute,” Robin said, rubbing his chin in realization. “It all makes sense now! Team, don't you remember that strange question Princess Celestia asked us at Starfield when we first met her and Princess Luna?”
“The one where she inquired if we entered into this world via a statue of a horse rearing up belonging to a high-school named, Canterlot High?” Starfire asked.
“How could we forget? Thought the poor lady must have hit a goose with her head on the flight over when she asked that one,” Cyborg said.
“Well, she didn't,” Princess Sparkle said quickly and more than a little heatedly. “Though I will admit the whole situation was… well… more bizarre than even being Pinkie Pie's friend is.”
Robin, Raven, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire looked between the princess and Pinkie several times before all saying, “You're joking,” or in Starfire's case, “You are jesting.”
“Nah, it's exactly that weird,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Can confirm,” Pinkie Pie said, nodding.
“It's a long story,” began Princess Sparkle with a sigh before her stomach growled like the r-cycle revving up to go. “And in case that didn't give it away, I'm more than a little peckish. We all kind of skipped breakfast to see a play this morning--”
“Twi, what'd I say 'bout remindin' me, girl?” Applejack suddenly asked.
As Rarity grumbled at the applemarked mare, Princess Sparkle finished by saying, “and we didn't get lunch at Starfield since we got there just fifteen minutes before the commencement speech and got in a long conversation with the Mayor and his family that ate up all that time.”
She gave Applejack a look that, though brief in a blink and you'd miss it sort of way, Robin caught, categorized as questioning, and labeled under the potentially signficant heading in his mind's filing cabinet.
Applejack, though, didn't seem to notice and just added onto what Princess Sparkle had just said with, “Plus, that Antaeus feller up and dropped outta the sky like a fallin' piano 'fore my unc got too far into the speech anywho.”
Robin smiled, nodding. “I gotcha. So what you're saying is, you want to eat first before continuing the conversation.”
“I can eat and chat at the same time if you like.”
Rarity shivered in disgust. “Not with your mouth full, I hope, darling.”
Princess Sparkle rolled her eyes. “Rarity, you know my table manners have greatly improved under your tutelage ever since I became a princess.”
“And for that, you have my highest adulations and sincerest gratitude for attaining a greater level of sophistication as a lady of your stature ought well to maintain,” Rarity said, patting the princess on her back like a proud mother would her child. “But darling, amongst friends you must admit you have a nasty tendency to just let your manners up and take flight to the stars above!”
Princess Sparkle let out a long, drawn out sigh before groaning out and saying, “Uhhh… fine.” She looked to Robin, frowning. “On second thought, ignore my suggestion. Yes, I do think I will be eating THEN chatting, just to be sure that EVERYPONY'S HAPPY.”
She beamed, more than a slight twitch to her eyes and tremble of annoyance in her lips.
Beast Boy's spirits were unsullied by this, however, as he threw his hands up in triumph and shouted, “Cool! I finally have someone to share my snacks with! Vegetarians of the world--worlds--unite!”
Suddenly, with the kind of speed Robin usually attributed to speedsters like Kid Flash or just The Flash, Rainbow Dash flew forward and came to a sudden halt with her nose inches away from Beast Boy's. “Wait a minute… are you saying you had snacks this whole time… and you didn't tell me?”
“You… uhhh… kinda… didn't ask?” Beast Boy chuckled nervously as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck.
“Dashie, what do we say?” Pinkie Pie asked, bouncing up next to Rainbow's side.
“Uhhggghhh, fine,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes and throwing her head back. “Please can I have snacks? Pretty please? With raisins and peanut butter and celery on top?”
“Hehheh,” Beast Boy chuckled, scratching one of his temples with his thumb. “You know, funnily enough, I think I got a lot of all those things the last time I went grocery shopping.”
“Really!?” Rainbow exclaimed, mien afire with excitement.
“Neat. That sounds really good,” Princess Sparkle said to a chorus of agreements from her other friends.
“Then it's settled!” Beast Boy leapt onto the top of the couch, puffed his chest out triumphantly with his fists on his hips, and proclaimed heroically, “I, Beast Boy The Great Mac Von de la Magnifico… The First… shall procure snacks for the six of you, miladies!” He took a flourishing bow and then promptly stood back up fully, pointing his index finger high up into the air and then adding, “For the great nation of AMERICA!”
“Actually, the country is called Equestria. It's the continent that's called Amareica,” Princess Sparkle corrected.
Beast Boy looked confused and then looked at Robin, who just shrugged. The other Titans followed after their leader. Coughing into his fist, Beast Boy said, “Ahem. Well then… uhhh… I honestly don't know how to respond to that... so… I'ma just gonna get you all's food now.” He then looked comically austere again and proudly proclaimed, “As patriotically as possible!” He then promptly turned into a majestic and mighty bald eagle and flew for the fridge.
All of a sudden, Pinkie Pie gasped. “I just thought of something! Does this mean we're hanging out!?” She gasped again louder. “Does this count as our first official party together as friends!?”
“Uh, yeah. I guess it does,” said Robin.
Suddenly, he and the other titans minus Beast Boy but plus the other elements of harmony minus Pinkie were all scooped up faster than his highly trained and attuned eyes could see into a massive hug with Pinkie's forelegs wrapping about the lot of them.
“Yay! Teen Titans and Elements of Harmony hanging out and partying together as friends, finally!” Pinkie Pie shouted.
“Ummm… how is she extending her forelegs so far?” Raven asked, her cheeks pressed up against Princess Sparkle's.
“Like I said: just don't question it. Or anything else about her. Just chalk it up to Pinkie being Pinkie and leave it at that. It'll save you the headache. And the succession of increasingly heavy objects barreling down on your head. Trust me,” Princess Sparkle said.
“Exactly!” Pinkie Pie empathically agreed. “Just relax and have fun like good friends should!”
“I'm afraid having fun will have to wait.”
Robin's eyes and the eyes of everyone else in the room turned towards the entrance to find Princesses Celestia and Luna standing there.
“The Mayor and his family have awoken,” Princess Celestia continued, finishing what she just said.
“Wait… do snacks have to wait?” Rainbow Dash asked, pointing her nose at Beast Boy, who had just pulled out the celery sticks, jar of peanut butter, and carton of raisins out the fridge in the form of an octopus.
“Rainbow!” Princess Sparkle chided.
“What? I'm hungry! Like, SUPER hungry! Like, I could eat a horse-apple hungry!”
“Yes,” Princess Luna said, sounding and looking austere. “Snacks will have to wait as well. Now that the mayor has regained consciousness and mobility, we must interrogate the minotaur at once, posthaste.”
“Awww!” Rainbow and Pinkie Pie and even Applejack and Rarity said at once, much to Princess Sparkle's chagrin.
“But it looked so delectable!” Rarity complained.
“Sorry ladies, but duty calls,” Robin said, ignoring the looks he knew all the ponies were giving him over having somehow slipped out of Pinkie's grasp when everyone wasn't looking and placing his bottle of gatorade calmly down on the coffee table. Heading for the door, he said, “Interrogating Antaeus shouldn't take too long. About an hour, hour fifteen at worst, ten minutes bare minimum. Then we can all snack out as much as we want, okay?”
He walked past the royal sisters and nodded and then walked down the hallway towards the conference room they had agreed earlier to hold the interrogation in.
As he walked, he could not help but overhear Princess Sparkle ask, “Uhmmm… how did he just get out of Pinkie's hug without anypony noticing like that?”
Raven's response put a smile on his face.
“Well, just like with all of you and Pinkie, we Titans have learned not to question it over the years and just chalk it up to Robin being Robin.”
*****
A couple minutes later, Robin, the other titans, the elements, the two royal sisters, the Mayor, his wife, and his daughter were all seated within the conference room, the circular conference table emitting a three dimensional image from the hologram projector well built into the center of it that showed Antaeus hanging around in his cell, slumbering like a baby.
“Wow. This technology is… is...” Princess Sparkle muttered, at a loss for words and trying to find some to adequately paint what she was seeing.
“Out of this world? Eh? Eh?” Beast Boy offered, wiggling his eyebrows playfully at the pun.
“Far out,” agreed the mayor's daughter, Babseed, smiling like she was in a candle store. “This is like somethin' straight outta the pulps! The good ones at that!”
“Well, technically, it literally is out of this world--far out--plus it really is just super cool and awesome, so yeah. I guess it fits,” Princess Sparkle said, still marveling and gawking at the projection.
“Certainly beats having to actually be there to talk to him, that's fer sure,” Applejack said.
“And it really is certainly far less dangerous,” Mayor Orange added, still rubbing his aching head, his wife patting him on the shoulder to soothe his nerves.
“Think that's cool?” Cyborg asked before opening the control compartment on his left arm and pressing a few buttons. “Watch this.”
From off-screen and above, a metallic, robotic claw descended into the frame and stopped just in front of Antaeus' face.
“What'll it be, Rob? Should I give him a wake up call with a little hot stuff?”
At the press of a button, a small fire emitted from the center of the claw.
“Something a little more precise?”
At the press of a button, the fire stopped and out from the upper claw tip emerged a small red targeting laser aimed at his upper lip, ready to aid the aim of the far more damaging regular laser that emerged just below it at the center of the claw.
“Or maybe something a bit more shocking?”
At the press of a button, the lasers retracted and the whole claw seemed to spark with electricity dancing across its surface.
“Ummm… don't you think those options seem a teensy, weensy bit extreme, darling?” Rarity asked.
“As well as needlessly painful, particularly since, at best, without his earth-magic coursing through him, he's only a regular minotaur? At the peak of his race's physical condition to be sure, but still,” said Princess Celestia.
“Don't sweat it,” Cyborg said. “They're a lot meaner than they look. I took the information y’all gave me about the local run of minotaurs and adjusted the output energy accordingly. Nothing should do anything more than wake him up. It might sting a little for a bit, but hey, he's a big, tough guy. He can walk it off. Errr… float it off.”
“Be that as it may, 'twould be best if the method of waking did not cause any damage to him at all. We are set to have plenty of diplomatic fallout with Minotauros as is, and we do not need anymore if we can avoid it,” Princess Luna said.
Robin nodded. “Okay then. Cyborg, use the sneeze spra--”
“Ooooo! Ooooo! Ooooo!” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing in her seat and raising her hoof like an excited kindergartener in class. “I know, I know! Pinch his nose! Pinch his nose!”
“Uh, why?” Raven asked.
“Because it'll be funny AND won't really hurt him at the same time, silly! Bust two rocks with one swing!”
“When you say pinch, how much pinchin' we talkin' here?” Cyborg asked, massaging his chin, intrigued.
“Yeah, like just pinching his skin a little bit or like putting a potato chip clip on his nose?” Beast Boy asked, also massaging his chin, also intrigued.
“Like a potato chip clip of course!”
Robin scanned the room, determining if anyone else had any thing to say to that. Finding nothing but shrugs all around and neutral expressions, he then turned to Cyborg and said, “Alright then. Since no one seems to disagree, go ahead. Pinch his nose.”
“Like a potato chip clip, remember!” Pinkie Pie quickly added.
“Yeah… like that.”
Wordlessly, Cyborg nodded and pressed buttons on his on-board panel. The claw then moved towards Antaeus' nose and promptly clamped down around it, pinching it to a much smaller proportion that Robin honestly did find quite comical.
“Nnnngh… nnnngh...” Antaeus muttered, starting to toss and turn in his sleep. In what sounded like the tone of a frightened child rather than the big, booming one he was known for, he said something in minotauran Robin couldn't quite understand, but he could tell that the tongue was cognate with greek. Something else he could gather was that Antaeus' fright wasn't like waking up in the middle of the night because a gust of air from the AC brushed the hairs on your leg the wrong way and you thought a spider was crawling on you. No. The minotaur's fright seemed all too… great. Like, he thought he was in real peril.
Robin looked around the room to see if anyone else had noticed, but all he found were giggles and suppressed giggles and Fluttershy hiding behind her mane, for the most part. The only three people that looked even more skeptically upon the scene than him were Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Raven. Point of fact, they looked downright horrified.
“Hahaha!” Beast Boy laughed, wiping away a tear of mirth. “This is great!”
“Yeah!” Cyborg agreed. “Pinkie here was right! This really is funny! Hearing hulking, strong cats like that reduced to screaming like a baby always slaps a smile on my face!”
Suddenly, Raven turned to Cyborg and said, “Cy, stop it! Stop it now!”
“Aw, come on. Lighten up, Crow,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Yeah, like Pinkie said, it's not like it's really hurtin' the feller,” said Applejack.
“Yes. It IS. Please, stop it!”
“Listen to her,” Princess Celestia said.
“She is right,” Princess Luna added.
Taking this as final confirmation of his initial suspicion being right, Robin turned to Cyborg and said, “Listen to them!”
In between his fits of laughter, Cyborg said, “Oh, alright!” and with a few more button presses, released the claw from the bull's nose and moved it back a little out of his face. “There, happy now?”
Robin nodded. “Leaps and bounds. Thank you.”
“Now THAT was a good rip snorter, would you not agree, dear?” Mrs. Orange asked her husband as both of their giggling fits came to a close.
“Oh yes, yes, yes! Quite right, honey-bunch! Quite right, indeed!” Mayor Orange concurred.
“Funniest thing I seen all day!” Babs jumped in.
“Yes, it was most humorous,” Starfire added.
“Hehhehheh, see?” Pinkie asked. “I told you it'd be comedy gold.”
“Comedy platinum is more like it, darling!” Rarity said.
“Took the words right outta my mouth!” Cyborg said.
“Mine too!” Beast Boy said. “But I mean, could you imagine what it'd be if we actually understood what he was saying? Forget gold or platinum, it'd reach comedy DIAMOND levels of laughs!”
“No. It wouldn't,” Raven said coldly and matter of factly. “Trust me.”
Robin was curious at that and looked to see if the expressions on the two royal sisters mirrored Raven's own. They not only did, but appeared even more distraught. When he looked at Raven for an explanation, she shook her head and silently muttered out, 'Later'. If she of all people was telling him that, he figured Princesses Celestia and Luna would be the same way.
So for now, he decided to drop that particular line of inquiry and switch tracks back to the line they were there about in the first place. Besides, by the way the minotaur was staring into the camera placed--from his position anyways--in the front, top right corner of his cell, Antaeus was awake and ready for questioning.
Pressing a button for the speaker on the table in front of him, Robin said, “Good to see you're finally up, Antaeus. How are you feeling?”
Grumbling and shaking his head, Antaeus answered, “Oh, you know. Fairly well I'd say for being bonked on the old cranium while being simultaneously electrocuted. I can honestly say that though that was but the second time both things have transpired to my person at once, it invoked the lesser of the two agonies.”
“Happy to hear that. As a thank you, mind telling me everything you know about who sent you? I'd REALLY be happy to hear that.”
“Well then, I regret to inform you that ho-hum is all you shall be getting out of me concerning any actionable intelligence or relevance. I am exceeding in sorrow on the inside that I can be of no use to you and the equestrian crown.”
“Yeah, he looks REAL ready to burst into tears any second now,” Rainbow said with a roll of her eyes.
“Why? You might as well talk. I mean, it's not like your employers are going to pay you or anything since you failed to fulfill your contract, and when we find them, and WE WILL find them, they're going to assume you spilled the beans anyways regardless of if you did or not, so you'll probably be on their blacklist, and not just under the 'Do NOT Employ' Section. Likely, they'll also jot down your name in whatever section they put Mayor Orange's too, so why all the loyalty, huh? What have they done for you and what are they going to do to deserve your silence?”
Antaeus sighed tiredly. “Tell me something, Robin, you are supposed to be some self-styled hero, correct? A superhero, even, ripped straight from the pulps or--what do they call them in this country? Comic books? You tell me the value of loyalty, even undeserved loyalty, from both a personal moral and business outlook for a bull who prides himself an upstanding soldier-of-fortune for the most noble of nobles and regal of royalty, hmmm?”
“Loyalty in both forms is one of the highest virtues. Except when it's misplaced.”
“I agree,” beamed Rainbow Dash. “Talking from personal experience here.”
Robin continued. “Look, whoever hired you obviously has no respect for the law or due process considering there was an ongoing investigation by Princess Celestia and Luna themselves to determine what happened. I know you and your clients seem to have it out for the local municipal government, especially since it's involved in all this, but from what I understand the two sisters are world renown for their integrity and impartiality. Even back at Starfield, you showed them a modicum of respect. Sure, you were busy at the time, but I get the feeling that if you weren't on a job that had gone on too long for your liking, you would've showed them more. If anybody would've gotten to the bottom of things and determined wrong doing either way, even if the Mayor was in the wrong, it would've been them. So, if those three toms who stand accused were REALLY innocent, don't you think it would've made much more sense for your clients NOT to hire a foreign mercenary to humiliate and kidnap the Mayor at the grand opening for a stadium literally packed with half of Manehattan's population count in front of his wife and daughter and the elements of harmony, the greatest heroes in the entire country? You really expect me to believe that speaks positively to your and your employers' righteousness?”
Antaeus bristled at the underlying insinuation and shouted, “You are certainly one to talk of respect for due process and the law considering you and your team are textbook vigilantes who stay idle for neither in doing what you do! And from my understanding, the elements are little better save that they are officially government sanctioned vigilantes given they are lead by a mare who was Princess Celestia's pupil and is now a princess herself afforded even more special privileges most are not.”
Princess Sparkle winced at that, as did most of the other elements. Applejack and Rainbow however seemed to seethe at the accusation.
“But that is tangential to the point, that being that out of any of us, it was the Mayor who disrespected the law the most! Tell me, on what grounds did he have to arrest those three toms like that? His word? Last I checked, one required a bit more probable cause than a stallion's word to lock up someone else in jail, let alone three someones. Otherwise, anyone and everyone could lock up anyone and everyone else by just saying so! I thought folk were supposed to be assumed innocent until proven guilty, even if they are third-class subjects! I mean, I understand and respect equestria's right to be the pony nation, as the city states of the League are themselves run by minotaurs for the benefit and protection of minotaurs first and foremost, but even we treat our sojourners better, and we arguably are in far greater enmity with them than equestrian ponies and griffons are with each other!”
At this, Mrs. Orange stood out of her seat and pointed at the hologram. “Now see here you brutish, boisterous buffoon! My husband was well within his right as mayor to--”
“He can't hear you,” Raven interrupted. “Remember, he can only hear whoever is talking through the speaker, and since Robin's seat is the only one with a speaker, that means--”
Before she could finish that sentence, Mrs. Orange practically knocked Robin out of his chair she ran to and pushed him aside so fast. Pressing the button with her hoof, she said, “Listen you cud-crunching boor, as Mayor of Manehattan, it was my husband's prerogative, NEIGH, his DUTY to arrest those gentletoms for the crime they committed and that which they attempted to commit, and he did everything after that by the book as he was supposed to, including calling on the highest authorities in all the land to settle matters, so do not think for a single, solitary second you can get away with impugning on my husband's honor to save face for staining your honor by believing the drivel your clients gave you about theirs being a just cause! It is not just! Not just at all! The very definition of unjust! Those stupid, ugly beak-brains who sent you sought petty vengeance for my husband doing his job to the letter instead of joining them in their corrupt little scheme and sold you a fantasy, knowing you'd be too much of a gullible goof to search this matter out, so enough with your nonsense and just admit your guilt and say you were wro--”
Rather than give in to her command, Antaeus spit into the camera. The loogie was so thick that it actually took the lens a couple seconds to adjust to see through it and bring back the image of Antaeus there, floating upside down in that shell of hardened Gak, again.
“Did… did you just… Spit. At. ME?” Mrs. Orange asked, wide-eyed.
“Not at you, milady, but I did spit,” Antaeus said with a proud, cheeky grin, showing off his glamorous pearly whites.
The response was as immediate as it was explosive, Mrs. Orange screaming at the top of her lungs loud enough that even the hardiest ones in the room felt they had to cover their ears for protection. She then pressed the button again and said, “Prepare yourself, you lumbering lummox! For though you still possess great strength as a peak minotaur, you're not strong enough that my hooves will not leave a lasting imprint upon your miserable face when I come down there and punch and kick you into the next county! Into next week! When I lay my terrible vengeance on you for having the gaul to threaten me and my family and then attempt to SPIT. IN. MY. FACE. AFTER! You--you--!”
“Okay, that's enough,” Raven and Princess Sparkle said in stereo as they each levitated Mrs. Orange away from the speaker and up into the air. The two's eyes both widened and they both looked at one another. “Wow. We really have to stop doing that,” they said in unison again, making them both growl in annoyance and slap their own faces at the same time.
Robin noticed Fluttershy hide behind her mane again and duck behind Rainbow Dash and saw Starfire duck behind him.
“What you REALLY must do is stop holding me in your magic! Let me go so that I may teach that bullying bull what-for for his insolence!” Mrs. Orange shouted, trying in vain to fight against the telekinetic grip of the two spell-slingers.
“Yeah, how about no?” said Robin. Looking over at the Mayor, he said to him, “Mr. Mayor, since your wife is clearly hysterical, would you mind if she sat the rest of the interrogation out?”
Poor Mayor Orange sweated profusely, loosening the grip of his suit's collar with a hoof, looking at everyone and everywhere in the room except in Robin's and his wife's general direction. He was the picture perfect portrait of a pony politician pelted with perplexity.
“Dear,” Mrs. Orange began slowly, deliberately, and a little TOO calmly, “do not dare listen to hi--”
“No,” the Mayor finally mustered up the courage to speak. “No, I—I… would not mind.”
Again, the effect was immediate and explosive, Mrs. Orange screaming like a heavy metal vocalist, though this time things were so loud that much of the glass inside the room, including the lightbulbs, cracked or in some cases, shattered.
“Luna, quick! Call the guards!” cried Princess Celestia.
“Guards, come quick!” Princess Luna managed to shout out over Mrs. Orange's yelling via the aid of screaming louder than her somehow, though only just. “Escort Mrs. Orange far enough away where we cannot hear her and do your best to calm her down until the interrogation has concluded!”
The door slid open and in walked two unicorn guards in their ubiquitous golden armor, gritting from the sonorous strain, but nevertheless nodding at Princess Luna and then adding their magical glow to Raven's and Princess Sparkle's own, who then promptly stopped holding her altogether, leaving it to the guards from there on out.
As the guards turned to leave, levitating Mrs. Orange away with them, she looked at the hologram of Antaeus one last time and said, “This is not over, minotaur trash! This is not over! Do you hear m--”
The sliding door shut closed as she floated past the threshold, muffling her to the point she sounded like she was shouting ten feet under water, and then soon enough, she was heard no more.
“Wow. You guys have some really good sound proofing. Like, REALLY good,” Princess Sparkle said as she massaged her ears back to full health.
“Comes with having to live in a tower with a bunch of metal heads and a guy with sonic arm cannons,” Raven beamed, doing much the same to her ears.
“But boy was moms boilin'! And I thought I made her mad,” Babs said. “Now I'm glad ten times over I get to stay here surrounded by all this protection instead of having to go back home with her. Otherwise, I'd have to be on my super best behavior to avoid setting her off, and I can't manage that on a good day!”
“Oh, the horror,” Raven said with a roll of her eyes.
“No, no. My daughter is right. That actually is a fairly frightening prospect,” the Mayor said. He clutched his head in his hooves and said, “Oh, this is a disaster! An absolute, unmitigated catastrophe! THE! WORST! POSSIBLE! THING!”
“Hey now, unc,” Applejack said, getting out of her seat, walking up to him, and patting him comfortably on the shoulder. “Don't go talkin' again like Rarity when she gets a wee bit too excited on us now.”
“Why ever not? He is right, after all,” said Rarity.
“What? Girl, no he ain't,” said Cyborg. “He'd only be right if it turned out Antaeus heard everything that happened.”
“Actually, I did.”
Robin's eyes and the eyes of everyone in the room widened at that. Quickly, his look darted over to the button for the speaker to find that Mrs. Orange had mashed down on it so hard that the button was stuck in the on position, the casing around it cracked.
“And let me just say,” Antaeus continued, “that after such amusing entertainment, I do believe I shall renege just a smidge on my prior promise and provide to you but one single, solitary hint as to who my employers are.” He smirked. “Are you listening there, wherever it is in this 'Titan's Tower' of yours your voices originate? Are my words clear enough?”
“Crystal,” Robin said through gritted teeth.
“Bully. Now then, my hint is rendered thus: my employers are not the kind to give up so easily. You lot WILL be hearing from them again, sooner rather than later, until the mayor is just as locked up as those innocent toms and I myself am. If they do not already know where you live, they will soon, and not a one of you knows where they are, which gives them the supreme tactical advantage of initiative. Oh, and they have VERY deep pockets. So deep, I was offered a king's ransom for this job before lowering it to my usual fee after hearing how just the cause was.
“To compound how bleak your future portends further, doubtlessly as you are all aware by now, I am not the only demifysiko soldier of fortune out there, nor even the most noble, though by far I would say I am practically royalty in terms of power. They will find others, demifysikos or no, and they will inevitably succeed, even if they have to try, try, and try again. My employers are VERY persistent in their stubbornness. Like me. I suppose that is one of the prime reasons I like them so much. Kindred spirits and all that.” Antaeus' expression suddenly grew tired. “Now, if you would excuse me, I have some much needed beauty sleep to catch up on. A face as handsome as this simply does not grow on trees, you understand, but must be carefully maintained like a well manicured lawn or hedgerow. If you wish to poke and prod at me with any of the innumerable gadgets and gizmos you no doubt have in your inventory, by all means, feel free. But know ye this: I will yield ye nought but nil.”
Robin narrowed his eyes dangerously. “Cut the feed.”
With the press of a few buttons, Cyborg caused the hologram, and Antaeus' form with it, to peter out into the aether.
Robin managed to get the talk button on the table unstuck with a little finagling and asked, “Can he still hear us now?”
“He shouldn't,” Cyborg said. “Everything I'm reading says that the speaker's turned off now.”
“Good.”
“Well, at least we have some good news,” Princess Sparkle said, meeting her face with a hoof. “That whole thing, literally that whole thing, from nearly start to finish was just… just… awful! Just awful!”
A chorus of agreements sounded from the elements and the Mayor and his daughter.
“Actually, to tell you all the truth, that went about as well as could be expected. Certainly about as well as I expected before we began.”
A chorus that was a mixture of gasps and 'whats' resounded from the equine portion of the room save the two sisters.
“You mean to tell me you knew going in that we'd get zippidy doo-da for info!?” Applejack asked, hooves thrown up into the air.
“Well then why did we even bother with an interrogation then!?” Rainbow Dash asked, pulling her face down with her hooves in exasperation.
“One: yes, though we didn't get zippidy doo-da. Two: because I'm a man who prefers everything to be tested and verified as much as possible. I don't like leaving anything to chance if I can help it, generally, even things I'm pretty sure of or think I'm pretty sure of. My assumptions have been proven wrong on occasion. Not frequently, but frequently enough that I use as many safety nets as I can.”
“Okay then,” Princess Sparkle said, massaging her aching temples. “So what exactly did all that tell us that we didn't already know or thought we knew?”
“Nothing.”
The elements and oranges all went, “Huh?”
“Okay, this has officially left Sense City and has now entered Crazy Town,” said Pinkie Pie.
“And comin' from you, Pinks, that's sayin' something'!” said Babs.
“I know, right!?” Pinkie Pie replied.
“Look here, ya'll,” Cyborg began, “interrogations like this usually ain't meant to get any new information since generally the bad guy is still so sore after gettin' whooped not too long ago a train could fall on him and he wouldn't crack and give us more to go on.”
“Rather, such interrogations are meant to either reinforce or sunder what we are aware of or suspect,” Starfire said.
“And I'd say the dude reinforced plenty,” Beast Boy said, crossing his arms over his chest, putting his feet up on the conference table.
Another chorus of, “Huh?” sounded through the equine section sans Princesses Celestia and Luna.
“Beast Boy's right… for once,” said Raven.
“Yeah, I--hey!”
Before he could say more to the barb, Raven quickly continued. “We just managed to confirm that whoever's behind this can somehow inspire a sense of loyalty and righteousness in its agents, even the noblest--or those with pretensions of being the noblest--to a degree extreme enough that even while imprisoned with no chance of compensation for their work, they will not crack.”
“And that they got the money and resources to hire high-priced, super-powered mercenaries from around the world, meaning they probably have operations and people in key positions in government and industry already. Big ones. And those they don't have on the payroll already, they could just hire as needed,” Cyborg said.
That sent a wave of uncomfortable and nervous glances across the pony part of the room. Not even Princesses Celestia and Luna could keep up their neutral expressions this time.
“And that they're as determined to capture the mayor as I was trying to get my first moped,” said Beast Boy. “Meaning that they'll strike again, and absolutely will not stop till they get him.”
Babs looked especially frightened by this and hugged her slightly--though only just--frightened looking father nearer to her.
“And in all likelihood, since we foiled their schemes, they will attempt to come after us Titans and the Elements of Harmony as well,” Starfire said. “Meaning they may well decide to come after our loved ones also.”
Now it was the elements' turn to look especially frightened.
“And one other thing,” Robin said.
“What!?” cried Rarity. “You mean to say there's more dreadful, dreadful news!?”
“Yes. Probably the worst possible thing of all.”
“Oh no!” Rarity gasped.
Robin reached into a pocket on his utility belt and said, “While we were setting up Antaeus' cell, I found this in his ear.” He threw a small, silver, roughly bean shaped piece of metal onto the conference table for all to see.
“Ooooo...” Pinkie Pie 'ooo'ed in wonder. “What is it? Some sort of steel flavored jelly bean?”
“It looks like a--” Princess Sparkle started, tilting her head to get a better look at it. “Like an… ear-bud.”
“Okay...” Rainbow Dash began. “What's an ear-bud? Some kind of toy friend for your ear so it doesn't get lonely?”
“No, no. An ear-bud is a communications device, usually one-way, though two-way variants do exist, that you put inside your ear to listen to someone on the other end,” said Princess Sparkle.
“Like some sort of mini, portable, telegraph service, darling?” Rarity asked.
“Eh, not really. It's more like a mini, portable, radio.”
“What's a ray-dee-o, sugarcube?” Applejack asked. “Is that like that internet thing you mentioned using in the human world?”
“No, no, no, it's… uhhh!” Princess Sparkle face hoofed in frustration. “Look, the point is that it's human tech and is supposed to be several decades ahead of anything we're supposed to have on equis, which begs the question of how on equis was Antaeus running around with something like that!?”
“Because whoever his employers are, they have access to advanced technology that not only does this world not possess, but that most people on our world couldn't possess even if they tried. Dangerous technology that makes even our skin crawl,” Robin said, as stark serious as he could.
“Okay, now you're just puling our legs, right?” Rainbow Dash asked, incredulous. “I mean, even if this was one of those fancy-shmancy, two-way versions, I mean, so what? It's still just a talky doo-hickey at the end of the day. The worst that'd mean is that Antaeus was gabbin' with his employers and/or that they heard everything up till the point you took it out and turned it off.” Rainbow's eyes widened in realization. “Wait, you did turn it off, didn't you?”
“Yes. It's been disabled since before we finished Antaeus' cell,” Robin nodded.
Rainbow Dash let out a breath. “Good. So really, what's there to be SO worked up over?”
“The fact that it was emitting a low-level sonic pulse at a frequency usually used to influence someone's mind might have a little something to do with it,” Cyborg said.
Once again, gasps went off all around with the ponies, the two sisters once more joining in.
“By 'influencing someone's mind', do you mean like some sort of… mind-control?” Princess Luna asked.
“Exactly like mind-control,” Robin nodded, earning another round of gasps. “While we ran every scan we know to determine if Antaeus himself was being controlled and came up empty, there can be no mistake that whoever his employers can't convince or coerce into their service the old fashioned way, they have a keen interest in garnering the ability to hi-jack.”
“The tech in that ear-bud was pretty rudimentary stuff, so they were probably just trying to test it out more than anything, but still: dangerous stuff that don't portend well,” Cyborg said.
“Which leads me to my final take away from all this,” Robin began. “And that is that Antaeus' employers and whatever threat Larry sent us here to help you with are one in the same, and he was right. You really could use our help on this, because this sort of issue is exactly the kind we're good at fixing.”
Robin looked to Cyborg and nodded. He nodded back. Then with the press of a few more buttons in his arm, he brought up the image of a castle on the hologram projector.
“Hey… wait a second…” Princess Sparkle said. “That looks like… Castle Friendship!”
“That's because it is,” Robin said.
“Okay… why do you have an image of Castle Friendship pulled up?” Princess Sparkle shook her head. “Scratch that: how do you even have an image of Castle Friendship or even know what it is?”
“Because I sent a drone out to scan it over,” Cyborg said simply.
“And because we told them,” Princess Celestia said.
“As well as hoofed them the schematics,” Princess Luna said.
“Okay… why?” Princess Sparkle asked.
“Because while you all were still unconscious, we and the Titans agreed that it would be most sensible for you six to remain here in the tower until such a time as they could gather all of the necessary materials to transform the Castle of Friendship into ostensibly a Titan's Tower MK II so that we can be certain that you will remain safe in Ponyville with this phantom menace running about,” Princess Celestia said.
Six simultaneous 'whats' went off at the same time.
“And when were y'all plannin' on tellin' us this, exactly?” Applejack asked.
“Right now, actually, which is part of the reason we asked all six of you to attend,” said Princess Luna.
“But princess, we can't just upend our levels and stay here until however long this refurbishment takes! We have lives! Families! Occupations!” Rarity complained.
“Yeah! I have to be back by 10:00 AM tomorrow at Sugar Cube Corner or else Mr. and Mrs. Cake are gonna throw a fit! I mean, I made a Pinkie Promise! Do you two even KNOW what happens when you break a Pinkie Promise!?”
“Yes, actually. We do. Back when she wrote friendship reports, Twilight wrote extensively on the subject and I passed the information down to Luna so we could both be aware of the dangers of breaking one.” Princess Celestia looked sympathetic. “And we also know this is all so much so suddenly, so tomorrow, after the six of you have had a good night's rest, as the Titans escort you to retrieve the elements of harmony, you may go to Ponyville to set your usual affairs in order for the next two weeks.”
“Two weeks!?” the elements all shouted.
“Well, more like fifteen days since the nano-laminate fabricator's been on the fritz again lately,” said Cyborg.
“Fifteen days!?” the elements all shouted.
“But… but… what about our friends and family!?” Applejack asked.
“And our animals?” Fluttershy added.
“You needn't worry about that. As we speak, the first division, ten-thousand of this nation's most elite fighting stallions, should be arriving to protect them as well as the rest of the town from any reprisals,” said Princess Celestia.
“And the thirteenth should be arriving here in Manehattan within the hour for much the same purpose,” Princess Luna said. “We even have several miscellanous platoons already protecting your family outside of Ponyville.”
“Rest assured, my little ponies, your loved ones and property and jobs shall remain safe and secure. Trust me,” Princess Celestia said, smiling reassuringly.
The elements still looked uneasy for a moment, but after a bit of thinking on their parts, Robin figured they came to the conclusion he had that the plan really did make the most sense with everything going on, as they all nodded at each other and then at the two sisters.
“Okay, Princesses,” Princess Sparkle said. “We trust your judgment.”
“Though being honest, I think I can safely speak for myself and quite a few others in saying that we don't get why you trust THEIR judgment so much.” Rainbow gestured to the Titans. “I mean, come on! How are they not SUPER suspect? I mean, aside from how crazy their story is, don't you think it's a little suspicious how they just came out of the blue to save the day like that?”
“We thought the same thing, actually,” Raven said.
“So as a show of good faith and to prove we're here to help, we agreed to hand over the schematics for the remodeled Castle Friendship to the princesses here.” Cyborg chuckled nervously and looked nervous, rubbing the back of his head. “They contain some pretty advanced tech, so some of us… mainly me… were more than a little hesitant to part with them, but in the end, the princesses managed to convince me to chill. They seem like nice ladies.”
“And you a fine fellow, Cyborg,” Princess Celestia and Luna said, nodding to him.
Princess Sparkle gasped suddenly. “Advanced technology!?” Her eyes widened. “Can I look them over and study them!?”
“I don't see why not,” Princess Celestia said, shrugging.
“You are a princess of the land and leader of its greatest band of champions, after all,” said Princess Luna.
Princess Sparkle squee'ed and clapped her hooves together excitedly. “Yay!” She then rushed at great speed towards the two sisters, wrapped them both up in a great big hug, lifted them both off the ground, and repeatedly shouted, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” over and again.
She only stopped when Princess Celestia pointed out through labored breath, “Don't thank us, Twilight. After all, it was The Titans who so generously donated their secrets to us.”
“You're right!”
Princess Sparkle promptly dropped the two sisters unceremoniously to the floor and somehow extended her forelegs wide enough to encompass all the titans in a hug before once again shouting, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” repeatedly.
“Wow, Twilight. Your big group hug technique has really improved. It's almost as good as mine now!” Pinkie remarked.
“We can see!” Starfire beamed through the excruciating pain she and the titans were experiencing.
“There's just one more thing we have to get out of the way though before we finalize the agreement,” Robin said, returning to his seat, having slipped out of Princess Sparkle's grip while she and everyone else weren't looking.
“Now how on equis did he--” Mayor Orange began.
“Don't ask,” the other titans and elements interrupted.
Jumping back into his chair, Robin swiveled toward the Mayor and channeled his famed former mentor into looking as austere as possible. “I want you to answer me something, Mr. Mayor, and I want you to do so truthfully.”
The mayor looked confused, but answered, “Yes, young Robin. Whatever is it?”
“Did you set up those three toms?”
“Now lookie here, Mister,” Applejack started, “I'm gettin' real sick and tired of folk goin' 'round accusin' my unc of wrongdoin' now, ya hear!?”
“You said it, cuz!” Babs agreed. “Leave my Pops alone!”
Ignoring them, Robin asked again. “I'll repeat: did you set up those three toms? Are Antaeus and his employers right about that much?”
Applejack and Babs continued to vocalize their objections, but Robin paid little heed to them. His attention was focused squarely on the well dressed, top hatted pony before him. He scanned his face for any hint. Any of the tell-tale signs he was preparing to lie. He was certainly nervous, that much Robin could tell for sure, but that could easily be, and often was, from any number of other factors. Honestly, if he was in the Mayor's horseshoes, he'd probably be sweating bullets just like he was.
The Mayor took out a handkerchief from his chest pocket and wiped the sweat away. He took a deep breath. He looked Robin square in the eye and said, “No, sir. I did not. Those toms truly did try to bribe me, and no matter how much they or Antaeus or his employers try to change reality, facts are facts, and it is the zenith of falsity to claim their version of events as anything else but a mad revision of history.”
Robin searched for anything, anything at all to indicate even a trace of deceit in his words, anything to paint him as any of the superstitious, cowardly lot he had been head to head and hand to hand and mind to mind against since he was a much younger boy wonder.
He found naught but an honest man--stallion--that had merely been doing his civic duty to the letter and was just an unfortunate victim of circumstance because he would not betray his people for something so petty as money.
It was Robin's turn to take a breath. “Alright. I believe you.” He pulled a holo-disk from his utility belt and walked around over to the two sisters. “Here are the schematics, your majesties.”
“You are most kind, Robin,” Celestia said, grabbing the disk with her hoof and placing it inside her ethereal mane where, to the amazement of Robin and the other Titans, it stayed despite her hair's billowing motions. “Thank you.”
“No, Princess. Thank you.” He looked at all the ponies in the room. “Thank you all for giving us a shot to prove we're the real deal. I know it might not mean much to some of you right now, but I promise, The Teen Titans won't stop till we get to the bottom of this and this threat to your world is taken down.” He bowed politely. “You have my word.”
“And mine too,” Raven said, nodding.
“And mine as well,” Starfire said, nodding.
“And mine four,” Cyborg said, nodding.
“And mine makes six… no wait! Seven! No wait!” Beast Boy counted his fingers meticulously until he sheepishly grinned and rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry. I meant five. I, uh, sorta lost count. Hehhehheh.”
“And we promise that we won't stop either, princesses!” Princess Sparkle said.
“Yeah! The Elements of Harmony never leave equestria hanging!” said Rainbow Dash.
“Then it's settled,” Princess Celestia said, extending her hoof towards Robin. “Let's shake on it.”
“With gusto.”
Robin took Princess Celestia's hoof and shook it. Then he did the same with Princess Luna. By that point, all the Titans had begun to shake hands and hooves with all the ponies in the room.
When he got to Princess Sparkle, she smiled and said, “You know something? I think this could be the start of a beautiful partnership, Mr. Superhero.”
Robin smiled himself. “You know something else?” he said, looking around at all the other smiles and hand/hoof shakes going on. “I think you're right, Ms. Pretty Pony Princess.”
“Please, just call me Twilight. It's what my friends do, and you're one of them, after all.”
“Alright, Twilight.” Robin chuckled. “Will do.”