//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 - A Taste of Nefarious' Power // Story: A Nefarious Invasion // by Actbat12 //------------------------------// 3:00 AM. It was 3:00 AM when her phone just went crazy. At first Sunset wasn't really paying attention to the words being said to her. That is until she realized it was Fluttershy calling and she did not sound good. She kept jumbling over her words as she spoke and overall sounded like she was panicking. When she dropped the bombshell that a limping Sonata was at her place and that the Dazzlings were in trouble, Sunset sprung out of bed. Oh no. Just what in the world was going on? By the sounds of it something big. She's attempting to put on some better clothes as she listens and tries to calm Fluttershy down. "I'll be over there as fast as I can, okay? Call the other girls too. Tell them we'll all meet up at your place." Sunset lets out a troubled sigh as she grabs her necklace and keys. She's got a feeling she's going to need that. Sunset attempted to ignore the desire to close her eyes for a moment of sleep as she ran her way down the empty sidewalk and pass the buildings. It'd take her a couple of minutes to reach Fluttershy's place. By then all the girls should be arriving around the same time. Just as Sunset was about to go out onto the street to cross, the sound of an approaching vehicle alerted her. Sunset had just enough time to back up as the speeding van barreled through and made a sharp left. "Hey--!!" Wait a minute. Her head snapped in its direction and Sunset could have sworn it...it looked like the Dazzlings van. It had gone by so quickly though that she couldn't be sure. The girl rubbed at her temples and let out a groan. She would have to worry about that later. Right now she needed to make it to Fluttershy's home. Her timing couldn't have been any better. By the time she reached the house so were the others. Pinkie, Rarity, Applejack, Twilight, and Rainbow all looked tired themselves. All of them understood something was wrong however and quietly entered the home together. "Fluttershy, we're here." Sunset spoke as she made her way towards the living room. The lights were on in there along with the kitchen. Upon entering, the girls were shocked to see Fluttershy bandaging up Sonata. The siren looked just as tired as the rest did. "Heeeeey there. Hah. Glad you all could make it. Th...Thanks." She winced ever so slightly as Fluttershy applied a bit of pressure. "Sorry." Fluttershy would quietly remark. The girls would gather around as Sunset took the lead. "Sonata, what is going on?" The blue siren closed her eyes for a moment as she tried to think of the best way to explain this whole situation. "I...me and my sisters were out watching the comets go by earlier in the night. Well, moreso just me. I saw one of them coming from the opposite direction and it even landed nearby! I wanted to go check it out because I knew were all bored and that's what we did! But...um...when we got closer it...it wasn't a comet. I-It was..it was some kind of monster! A monster made out of metal! It was huge too! Waaaay taller than any of us! It...It looked so broken and glitchy and it was limping towards me like a real-life zombie! It...grabbed my leg and burned it just by touch. Then it just kind of...died." Everyone had their attention on Sonata now. Most of them figured it had to have been something magical but...but this didn't sound like that at all. "We managed to make it back to the van and me and Aria wanted to run but..." Sonata paused. "Adagio got an idea in her head to sell it because we all thought it was super dead! It looked super dead! When me and Aria started to move it the whole bottom half just fell off!" She couldn't hold back the frown forming onto her face. Sunset huffed lightly in response. "Yeah, that sounds like Adagio alright. Willing to capitalize on anything if it gets her something." Sonata could only quietly nod her head in agreement. "After we dragged it closer to the van, we all went to sleep. Too tuckered out to do anything else. Then....Aria's screaming woke us up. I don't...I don't know what it did but that metal monster was alive and commanding Aria! It even gave her a gun and she threatened us with it!" A series of gasps and small murmurs came from the group. This was quickly going from bad to worse with each passing second. "And you managed to escape?" Sunset asked. Sonata gave a sorrowful nod. "I did. I...I ran away when Adagio tried to wrestle for the weapon. I-I panicked! My body just told me to run and I listened! I didn't...I..." A comforting hand is place upon Sonata's shoulder by Fluttershy and the blue siren sighs. "I knew the only thing I could do was find you all. You girls can handle this!" A few questionable glances were thrown around at each other. "I'm...not sure about that, Sonata." Twilight would speak up. "If what you say is true then what we're dealing with here is something we've never seen before! A metal monster? It's taken all this time just to get used to magical mishaps and transformations!" Sonata didn't say anything but she did agree with that. Clearly, the Dazzlings themselves didn't know what they had dealt with either considering the state they were in. "Before everything went bad, Adagio said it couldn't have been made by a human. It was too advanced looking. Which kind of makes sense considering it seemingly survived falling down from orbit." That got both Twilight and Sunset's eyes to widen. Both glance towards each other. Extraterrestrial in origin? This was going to be one heck of a night. Or morning soon to be exact. Sunset takes a deep breath before speaking up. "Alright girls, we've got quite a dilemma on our hands. We need to figure this all out and come up with a plan to stop this metallic being and...save Adagio and Aria. If we don't do it, no one else will." All the girls quietly nod in agreement. Twilight is next to speak up. "Well, if this metallic creation is in a broken state then I'd imagine it would want to repair itself quickly." Rarity has her hand against her chin as she ponders as well. Soon enough she speaks up. "Not to mention without any legs it would need someone to do a lot of the hefty lifting. Which might explain why it was trying to threaten you two. Did it ever fire the gun, darling?" Rarity turned towards Sonata. The blue siren shakes her head. "No." Now the gears in her brain are starting to move as well. "I didn't hear any shots either when I was fleeing. I guess...it was going to use us to help it travel around?" That was the most logical idea that the others could agree upon. "In fact, when I was making my way towards Fluttershy's house a van sped by me at an alarming rate. It went by so fast that I couldn't see if it was your van or not but..." Sunset said as she turned towards her friends. "There's no buts about it! That's gotta be Adagio!" Rainbow would speak up. "Whatever this thing is, it must be forcin' Adagio to go around the city." Applejack would comment as Sunset started to pace around the room. "Did any of you girls bring your necklaces with you?" Each one would nod their head before showcasing them. Sunset grinned in response. Dealing with so many magical events has taught them well. They don't leave without it just like Sunset herself. "Then we need to act fast while we can." Her gaze surveyed over the room, trying to figure out which power would be needed for this. Eventually she came to her conclusion. "Rarity, Pinkie, and Twilight I want you three to go out there and see if you can find that van. Rainbow, I want you to be out there too but to wait on for the right time. Pinkie can use her powers to pop the van's tires and with that happening they'll have no choice but to stop. With your speed you'll be able to swoop in faster than anyone to snag Adagio and Aria away from this metal being's clutches." All the girls looked at each other and quietly conversed before agreeing on the idea. "We'll take my car, darlings! I have it parked just outside." Fluttershy would quietly tap on Sunset's shoulder to get her attention. "W-What about us?" In return Sunset places a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder. "You and me are going to stay here and take care of Sonata. Make sure her damages aren't too bad or if she needs to go to the hospital. Applejack, I want you to stay with us just in case those three come knocking. Knowing that siren, it wouldn't surprise me if she used her silver tongue to try and weave this crisis into her favor. And well..." Does she say it? "...She might want some revenge after being ditched and all." Sonata tensed up as her gaze fell upon Sunset. The blue siren would gulp before quietly clutching the nearby pillow. "Y-Yeah, that does sound like something Adagio would do." Applejack nods her head to the idea however and moves over to join Sunset and Fluttershy. "Anyone got their phone on them? Just in case any of you need to get in touch with us?" Sunset asked. Only Rarity did as she pulled it out from her pocket. "Good. I've got mine up and ready in case you need us. Be safe out there." With determination on their side, the three girls went off. Rainbow Dash waited for a moment or two before running off herself. They were going to solve this problem before it got way too big. /////// The doctor grunted and groaned as he hastily made repairs to himself and applied more energy into his core to keep himself functioning. It was a bumpy drive given how fast Adagio was being ordered to go from place to place in search of the necessary items for the quick fix he needed. He wouldn't be able to fix his glass dome or eye for quite a while but at least he could repair the damages around his arm, torso, and throat. The rest of him wouldn't be falling apart anytime soon. Countless battery packs were scattered around the back of the van along with various pieces of junk. The batteries were overall pretty weak power sources to absorb but having so many of them was at least giving the doctor further extension time. By now he was up to at least eight hours of continued activity. That should give him plenty of time to really get things into gear and situate himself here. "POTS!" Nefarious yelled, it'd be a while before he could study and pick up the language of this world. Adagio slammed her foot on the break and took a moment to breath. She was feeling so exhausted. Going here and there, forced to help this thing rebuild itself. Argh! If she had her magic right now she would have crushed that thing into nothingness. Alas, all she could do right now is obey as the controlled Aria keeps the gun to her side. It's within her best interest to do so considering she's now seen what that weapon can do. Adagio rolls down the passenger side window and the doctor soon orders Aria to fire at the building. She complies and a beam of black and red energy shoots from it, melting the front of the building like it was literally made of nothing. Yeah, it was a good thing she was obeying. Adagio did not want to end up as a melted puddle of flesh and bone. The two exited the van once commanded too and entered the shop, grabbing the items that were needed before throwing them into the back. It was a cluttered mess back there at this point. Just as she closed the door and Aria was instructed to move back to her seat, the sound of an approaching vehicle came to Adagio's attention. Turning around and trying to get a good look at it, she would soon let out a gasp. It was them! Those rotten little humans who had stopped her and her sisters some time ago! They were approaching quickly too. How did they...? Sonata. She must have gone to them after escaping out of the woods. The siren was both relieved and terrified at the same time. No doubt they were coming to stop this metallic being but....she already knows this is far different from what they're used too. She can't flee either since Aria will just be instructed to kill her and that...that would an easy feat to accomplish. The siren curses under her breath before going back to the driver's seat, blaring the engine, and speeding off. "We have company." Adagio would gesture towards the back. While Nefarious couldn't understand what she said, he did hear the sound of another car engine and dragged himself to the back to look out the window. He growled in response. "Hewn hety teg losce, LILK HETM!" The doctor ordered as he went back to his repairs. The two cars sped down the street and Rarity applied more pressure down on her feet in an attempt to speed up and catch them. Pinkie was in the passenger's seat and ready for her moment when its presented to her. She just has to make sure she doesn't accidentally explode anything else but the tires. A little easier said than done sometimes. However upon approaching close enough, Aria would stick herself out the window and start taking a few shots at their opponents. The girls would let out a scream as they attempted to dodge the black and red blasts, the heat passing by them feeling unlike anything they've known before. Parts of concrete and road were melted with easy and left nothing but gooey puddles behind. "Goodness gracious me! Aaaaaaah!" Rarity swerved out of the way from the falling lightpost and ducked her head as Aria shot another blast from the gun. All of the girls hunkered down as the controlled siren did not seem intent to stop anytime soon. Twilight took a moment to glance back in a mix of fear and awe upon seeing the sheer amount of damage that had been done to the block. It would take weeks just to fix it all. "Rarity, be careful!" "That's a little hard when we've got a car-melting gun being pointed at us!" Rarity snapped back before swerving once more while trying to keep up with the Dazzlings van. "Just get me a little bit closer, Rarity! Just a little more!" Pinkie would call out as she was ready with her hands. Her eyes were focused on the back of the tires, maybe a little too much. "EEK!!" Pinkie cried out when Twilight shoved her head down so the blast of the gun didn't smack her straight in the face. "And you need not get your face melted off!" Twilight said as she kept the girl down for a few more seconds. "Come on, come on..." Rarity's fingers gripped around the steering wheel as she floored it as much as she could. They were getting closer and closer but that also directly put them in far more danger. Pinkie had no choice but to stick herself further out of the window in order to get a clear view of the back tires. The pink energy pulsed through her fingers as she prepared to launch one. She threw just as Aria fired off another blast of the gun and with fast reaction time, Twilight pulled Pinkie back in before it could make contact with her body. Instead the road behind them had burst into chunks from the impact of the blast. "Thanks, Twilight!!" The sound of the Dazzlings van screeching as it drove forward and the backtire producing sparks told them that Pinkie's initial hit was a success! The van was becoming increasingly slower given how much harder it was to control. Even better the sudden jerkish movement was enough to throw Aria around for a moment. If they wanted to pop that second tire then now was their perfect chance. That's exactly what Pinkie did too! One good shot and BAM! Both back tires were gone. It was going to be a nightmare turning and driving that van now. In fact it looked like Adagio was going to crash it here in just a moment. "Dashie! You're up!" Pinkie Pie bellowed as loud as she could. Not too far off had Rainbow kept up with the trio. She didn't waste any time in activating her magic and zipping towards them. Whatever this mechanical being was it'd no doubt would be too disoriented to stop her from getting Adagio and Aria away from him. The magically fast speeder zipped by her three friends as they cheered and was soon approaching the van. The mad doctor viciously punched the back door open with his only arm to understand just what in the galaxy was going on. The van was jittering and zagging all over the place! His enraged red eye spotted the approaching Rainbow Dash as she ran at him with alarming speed. He needed to act fast or he'd be done for! Nefarious' single eye glared towards the group as he prepared to launch the single functioning weapon he had left on him. His hand started to glow a mix of black and red as he prepared to launch his dark matter bomb towards Rainbow. The glowing mass made contact with the road and just as Rainbow started to reach it, the explosion erupted. Rainbow was sent back with a scream as ginormous chunks of road shot up high into the air and the surrounding buildings shook and started falling apart from the sheer force of the explosion. The young girl collided against a nearby brick wall with great force and quickly slumped down onto the ground, knocked completely out. All three girls screeched as the debris flew everywhere and Rarity slammed her foot down onto the brakes. Pinkie clung to her friends where as Twilight used her magic to levitate some of the coming debris from falling onto the three of them. They all sat there in complete silence for a few seconds as they looked onto the complete devastation that was the city block. Road, buildings, all of it completely damaged from a single attack. Just barely could they hear the glitching laughter echo from the robotic being as the van frantically sped off into the distance. Home lights were being turned on as dozens of people freaked out and stumbled about in the dark of the night. A gasp would soon part from Pinkie's lips as she caught sight of her fallen friend. "DASHIE!!" All three of the girls had clambered out of the car and rushed over to Rainbow Dash, desperately seeking to see if she was okay or what kind of injuries she might have. "Dash, Dash!! Wake up!!" But it was clear as day that the poor runner was completely out of it. Twilight would press her ear up against her chest to hear her heartbeat. "She's breathing but we need to get her to a hospital right now! Pinkie, help me bring her into the car. Rarity, call the others." None of them waste any time in picking up Rainbow and alerting the rest of the group of what happened. Not even three minutes had passed before Rarity hit it in reverse and sped off towards the nearest hospital.