Flash turned his head up to see a boy a bit younger than him with green skin and a button-up shirt that was covered in a sea turtle pattern. “...What’re you…?”
Lucide stood upright and cracked her neck. “...so one of the boys does have some fight in him. I’m surprised. Just who are you, anyway?”
“I’m the Man…the Man of the Sand, yo!” Sandbar shouted back with his fists covered in a layer of sandy particles.
“What the--he can use magic?!” While the sight initially caused her eyes to widen, she attempted to laugh it off. “Seriously? You know that puns are the lowest form of comedy?”
“Oh really?” he replied with his usual, half-lidded expression of mellowness, “I thought sarcasm was, yo.”
“Ohhhh then it must be true,” the woman hissed in return, “because you’re the greatest genius ever to walk the earth!” With another flash of green magic, her body transformed--taking on a more muscular appearance as she became an anthropomorphic horse-like creature with a unicorn-like horn. Then, the horn lit up…
POOF!
With a spark of green magic, everything around Sandbar became dark, as if he was being transported away from the daylight and time itself seemed to move slower.
“Wait a sec, yo…am I dreaming? No…I can’t be…”
“Even now, your soul is being absorbed by my power,” Lucide’s voice called out to him from beyond. “Don’t struggle against your fate, human. Now let’s see what’s in that little head of yours…”
Sandbar fell to his knees as he began to clutch the sides of his head. The changeling’s magic had started to work its way into his mind, causing him to cry out in pain as he grit his teeth. “Ghhhgh! What the hell is your problem, man?! We didn’t do nothin’ to you!”
The disembodied voice of Lucide continued, “Maybe not to me specifically, but rather, your very existence is a sin within itself. You humans have no right to exist the way you do now!”
“Aggh! The hell do you have against humans, yo?!”
“It’s simple: In Equestria, we all have to follow the rules of the ponies and their pretty little princeeeees ruler!” she lamented in a mocking, high-pitched tone, “Oh how perfect they all are, forcing other creatures to conform to their ideas of friendship and harmony!”
Through the darkness, images of Princess Twilight Sparkle, and her friends--the Elements of Harmony could be seen defeating various enemies. Nightmare Moon, Discord, Queen Chrysalis, Tirek, Starlight Glimmer, and so on…
Sandbar opened one of his eyes and questioned her intent as he watched what was essentially a playback of the ponies’ highest moments. “Ugh…I don’t see what this has to do with us, yo. Woah, is that my pony self? He looks gooooood,” he muttered as he watched his pony counterpart through some of the flashbacks.
“I’m getting there,” her voice resumed, “Now where was I--yes. So anyway, my master and I were both banished here simply because we refused to comply with the ponies and their shackling methods of love and tolerance. But now…”
The flashbacks changed to that of various, black-skinned changelings being zapped into another world by Starswirl the Bearded…
And those changelings would become humans. With Lucide among them.
“I have free reign here!” she went on with a hysteric tone, “Humans don’t have to follow one singular entity! They make up their own rules! But even so…I watch as various wars take place all over the world. You humans waste your precious time and resources killing each other…”
Despite her…insane methods, Sandbar couldn’t exactly disagree with her. “Yeah, bro. War sucks. Can’t exactly do anything about those in power who make the decisions for the people…so what’re you even tryin’a do here?”
“I’m going to take the best aspects of this world and re-recate them under my own banner,” she explained, “A single-power rule that can’t be toppled, all run by my own rules in a place where I won’t be put in a box by some miniature equines!”
“Dammit, yo…” While Sandbar understood her angle, he couldn’t agree with the idea of wiping out all life just to try and mold a better planet. “Even if that’s true, erasin’ all of what’s here ain’t gon’ help nothin’.”
However, what he didn’t realize was that the changeling had already tapped into his mind. Lucide had access to all of his deepest emotions and intended to use them against him.
“Oh you feeble-minded creature…” she mocked him once more, “Afraid that your little sister might get hurt? Don’t worry. In the end, she’ll have a better life too…”
The next thing he saw was a display of his little sister, Coral Currents--who was busy typing at a computer in her elementary school’s tech class…
For the first time since the interaction began, Sandbar’s eyes opened up completely. He moved his hair out of the way as he fiercely stared into the void with a fiery expression of hatred. “Don’t you dare start talkin’ shit about my sister, yo. She don’t need you or none’a your bullshit! You hear me?!”
Lucide chuckled in response. “Well now. Did I touch a nerve with that one? Don’t you realize that your own stubborn nature as a human is what’s holding you all back? Even now, all the girls at your school are succumbing to the effects of my toxin. Once my master gets her power back, we’ll be able to move on with our plan to improve this pathetic world.”
“I…” Sandbar slowly forced himself to stand upright--despite the draining effects of the changeling’s magic, he still managed to rise. Albeit weakly--his knees were shaking with every step he took.
“Hm? What’s that?” she asked, “Speak up, loser.”
Sandbar clenched his fists…with the particles of sand returning upon them.
“I. Don’t. CARE!”
BLAM!
With a hard strike, he punched the ground beneath his feet, causing an eruption of sand that would pierce through and cut the illusion, bringing him back to reality. “Where are you?! Come on out and face me, yo!”
…And Lucide was standing at the end of the next street corner, cowering next to one of the bushes. “...Dammit. That was not what I was expecting.”
“...Luci. Fall back. Now. My power is returning as we speak. Don’t waste your time on that impotent boy.”
“...Good call. Can't believe a stupid boy is making me run away though...”
In a flash of magic, she disappeared, leaving Sandbar alone.
Since he couldn’t find her, he had to focus on his injured friend. “Dammit, man, damn!” he cursed to himself as he looked at the now-unconscious Flash Sentry. “Don’t worry, bro. I got you. Guess we’ll have to deal with her later…”
Moments later, Micro Chips ran out to greet them--sweating and visibly out of breath with his clothes in tatters and various scratch marks on his face and mid-section. “Agh…I am not built for running.”
“Mikey, what’s wrong?” Sandbar called out to him as he picked up Flash’s body.
“...The girls have gone insane!”