//------------------------------// // Chapter 3) The Invasion of Canterlot City // Story: My Little Avengers: Harmony War // by Lucasnike123 //------------------------------// (Continue video from minute 0:45) Twilight ran through the streets, even while giving instructions to the artificial intelligence program in her glasses. "SPIKE, evacuate the people south of 43rd Street and notify the emergency services". "I'm on it" SPIKE replied immediately. Information flowed into her ear, relevant when needed, as she looked toward the invading alien threat, trying to discern what technology she could employ against it. It was anarchy. Although there was no sign of an actual attack yet, the ship was wreaking such destruction just by being there, easily recalling the attack Lightning Dust had unleashed almost six years ago. Not enjoying the strong winds, Star Swirl cast a spell, raising his hands as he did so, sending a great gust of air into the encircling winds. Almost immediately, all the air in the area calmed down. Star Swirl winked at Twilight, smugly. Twilight frowned, but she nodded slightly, acknowledging that the magic was at least efficient. At that moment, there was a flash of light, and a pillar of light descended from the spaceship. As it faded, two figures stood in the middle of the street. Two that Fluttershy recognized instantly. They were Tirek and Cozy Glow. “Hear me and rejoice. All of you are about to die at the hands of the Sons of Grogar…” Cozy Glow spoke in a measured and controlled voice “Be thankful… that your meaningless lives will contribute to…” "Sorry, but today Earth is closed" Twilight interrupted, having heard more than enough "You better pack your things and get out". Not used to being interrupted, Cozy Glow raised an eyebrow and looked at Star Swirl, deducing that he was wearing the Time Stone and therefore only he would deign to answer. "Guardian of the Stone... Does this chatterbox animal speak for you?" Cozy Glow asked, pointing at Twilight. Twilight frowned again, as she disliked that kid more and more by the minute. "Of course not. No one speaks for me” Star Swirl said, as he and Stygian unleashed his magic, summoning glowing rune rings on their hands “You are trespassers in this city and on this planet”. "Meaning get lost, girl!" Twilight added. “How tiresome…” Cozy Glow complained, as Tirek grunted darkly, stamping his massive feet on the ground “Bring me the Stone”. Already thirsty for a fight and eager to obey such an order, Tirek began to advance, ready to smash his four opponents into huge bloodstains on the street. The ground seemed to shake as Tirek moved forward, taking his time. Twilight figured the best way to fight someone like him… was with a creature just as powerful. "Fluttershy, are you in?" she asked, looking at Fluttershy. Trying to hide under her pink mane, Fluttershy shook her head. "No, not really, but…" Fluttershy said, as she took a deep breath, conquering her fears and letting her anger come to light. "When does what I want get done?" "That's true…" Twilight said convincingly, trying to comfort her "Well… it would be nice to have you, friend". "Let me… I have to concentrate for a second..." Fluttershy said, while she continued concentrating her anger to transform into Flutterhulk "Come on, come on, woman". But something strange happened: despite seeing how part of his neck turned green, Fluttershy couldn't transform. "And your friend?" Twilight asked, confused. "I don't know..." Fluttershy replied, not wanting to go into details at this point "We had our stuff". “No time for stuff!” Twilight reminded, before pointing at Tirek “The thing is right there! Come on!". Just as his comment indicated, Tirek brushed aside a chunk of debris as he began to accelerate, grunting darkly. Fluttershy tried to transform back... without success. And Star Swirl gave Twilight a confused look. "You're embarrassing me in front of the wizards..." Twilight whispered to Fluttershy. "I'm sorry..." Fluttershy stammered "Either I can or she doesn't want to..." Quickly, Twilight placed her hand on her terrified companion, pushing her back. "It's okay. Hey, back off...” Twilight said, before looking at Stygian “Can you keep an eye on her? Thank you". “I'll take care of it” Stygian said, as Fluttershy ran after the wizard and Twilight took the lead. Then, as Tirek rushed forward, becoming a charge, Twilight struck the metal plate on his chest. Instantly, purple and white armor spread over her entire body, due to the nanomachines on the plate. In mere moments, Twilight Sparkle had become Iron Girl, Mark L. At that moment, when Tirek threw a punch, Iron Girl materialized a shield with her left arm, blocking the attack. Then, taking advantage of the distraction, Iron Girl materialized two ion cannons in each of her armor's hands, along with four additional cannons coming out of her back, looming on either side of the armor, totaling six cannons With her weapons, Iron Girl fired a powerful beam of blue energy, which sent her opponent flying into the air, towards her little companion. For her part, Cozy Glow barely moved a hand, telekinetically throwing Tirek out of his path, causing him to crash into some cars on the street. When she finished, Iron Girl looked at her companions... especially at a Fluttershy with her mouth open. “Where did THAT come from?” Fluttershy asked, surprised. “It's nanotechnology. You like it?" Iron Girl replied "A little thing that-". But before she could finish, Cozy Glow used her powers to launch Iron Girl up, and then attacked the rest of the team using the rubble and some uprooted trees. Acting quickly, Stygian summoned a shield of magic, blocking the attacks. Star Swirl looked at Fluttershy, who was still trying to transform into Flutterhulk, either because she didn't want to or couldn't. As such, she was nothing more than dead weight… and the Master of the Arcane Arts needed to get her out of there. "Miss Fluttershy, since her green friend isn't joining us..." Star Swirl said, waving her hand, forming a circle in the air. Immediately afterwards, a portal opened under Fluttershy, and she fell into the middle of the nearby park… away from danger. Just then, Iron Girl returns and joins the fight. “Get that Stone out of here!” ordered Iron Girl. "This stays with me" Star Swirl said, setting the record straight. "Exactly. Goodbye". But before she can focus on the battle anymore, Iron Girl is pummeled by Tirek's massive hammer... sending her flying into the park. With the impact, Iron Girl crashed to the ground of the park, near a tree. Seeing that, Fluttershy ran to her friend, worried about the situation. "Twilight, are you okay?" Fluttershy asked. "How are we doing? Good? Wrong?" "Very well, very well…" Iron Girl said, recovering from the impact with the ground "Are you planning to help?" "I'm trying!" Fluttershy proclaimed "She doesn't want to go out!" Just then, Tirek arrives at the park and throws his hammer at Fluttershy. "WATCH OUT!" Iron Girl yelled, pushing Fluttershy out of the way. Then, Iron Girl fires more energy bolts, which are deflected by Tirek's shield, cutting down some trees in the process. Near a fallen tree, Fluttershy crawls under it, cowering in fear. "Come on, Flutterhulk! What are you doing to me?" Fluttershy said to herself, as she slapped her face “Get out! Get out! GET OUT!" "NOOO!" For a brief moment, half of Fluttershy's face was Flutterhulk's, dark green and huge, if a bit monstrous. Long enough to exclaim a single word of challenge. The effort knocked Fluttershy backwards, while she immediately returned to normal, albeit exhausted, out of sorts, and confused beyond measure. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN WITH "NO"!?" Meanwhile, the fight between Iron Girl and Tirek was not going very well. The last hit knocked Iron Girl down and Tirek was about to deliver the killing blow... when two hands belonging to a girl dressed in a red and blue costume, and a spider emblazoned on her chest, blocked the hammer attack effortlessly. (Imagine the suit for a girl) "Hey, dude" Spider-Girl greeted nonchalantly, before glancing over the man, making sure her mentor was okay "What's up, Miss Sparkle?" Instantly recognizing her savior, though surprised that she was here, Twilight gaped behind her visor. "Girl, what are you doing here?" "I was on a visit to-" Spider-Girl began to explain, until Tirek grabbed her with her huge hand and flung her aside, resuming her attack on Iron Girl. Thankfully, those precious seconds had given Twilight time to recover, and she blasted him with another bolt of energy that sent the huge red alien staggering. “What's the problem with this guy, Miss Sparkle?” Spider-Girl asked, as she swayed between attacks. Twilight did her best to sum it up neatly. "Uh, he's from space... and he's here to steal a necklace from a wizard". To Luster's credit... she had heard stranger things. Meanwhile, the fight between Dr. Star Swirl and Stygian against Cozy Glow continued. With his hands, Cozy Glow levitated some bricks from the rubble, then turned them into sharp stone stakes, which hurtled towards the two wizards. But the teamwork of Star Swirl and Stygian was very coordinated: the second opened a portal that absorbed the stakes, while the first opened another… sending the stone stakes in the opposite direction. Quickly, Cozy Glow took a car with her powers to block the projectiles, blocking more than half a dozen… but one flashed past and grazed her left cheek, making her bleed and snarl angrily. A quick flick of his hand and a fire hydrant erupted from the ground, hitting Styigan and knocking him unconscious. Seconds later, Cozy Glow flew into the air at Star Swirl, who caught her in the air, ending up with the two of them hitting the wall of a building. Then, before Star Swirl could respond, Cozy Glow used her powers to immobilize her opponent with the bricks of the wall... exposing the Eye of Agamotto, with the Time Stone inside of it. “Your powers are curious...” Cozy Glow said, in a mocking tone and with a smug air “You must be popular with children”. Cozy Glow tries to grab the Eye of Agamotto, but backs off when it leaves a nasty burn on his left hand. "A simple spell, but difficult to break" said Star Swirl, while it was his turn to be smug. "Then I'll take it off your corpse!" Cozy Glow proclaimed, grabbing Star Swirl and flinging him to the ground. Quickly, before Star Swirl could conjure the Time Stone's power, his arms were restrained by several metal cables springing around different parts of his body, immobilizing him, courtesy of Cozy Glow. One of the wires wrapped around Star Swirl's throat, threatening to snap his neck as he tightened. "You see... removing the spell from a dead person... isn't easy..." Star Swirl said, choking. “You'll just wish you were dead” Cozy Glow promised, glaring at her opponent. The Sorcerer Supreme passed out, unable to breathe, and Cozy Glow levitated a piece of asphalt to carry him. It might have seemed like she was finally in possession of her target, but Star Swirl still had tricks up her sleeve: his wizard suit flexed, loosening the bonds, and then flew off, carrying Star Swirl with ease even though he was still unconscious. "NO!" Cozy Glow growled dangerously, as she chased after her prey like a bat out of hell. Their chase through the skies of Canterlot City did not go unnoticed, as the two flew close to Iron Girl and Spider-Girl's fight against Tirek. “Girl, that's the wizard. Go for him!". "I'm coming!" Spider-Girl replied, shooting another web and chasing after them. Cozy Glow flew by, not even bothering to look back, as you used your powers to throw a billboard at Spider-Girl. "Not cool!" Spider-Girl said, recovering from the attack and resuming the chase. Cozy Glow kept furiously throwing everything at the unconscious mage, knocking over streetlights and tearing up streets, until one of the attacks hit him, causing Star Swirl to fall… just as a spider web grabbed him in midair, saving him from a nasty collision in the streets. "I caught you!" Spider-Girl proclaimed, eager to get as far away from the evil telepathic girl as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, that was not going to be possible. A ray of light descended from the alien ship, at the command of Cozy Glow, who was not going to lose his prize now. Star Swirl was drawn upwards, and unable to find adequate support on any other surface, Spider-Girl was quickly dragged behind him. "Uh... Miss Sparkle...? THEY'RE ABDUCTING ME!" she screamed scared. "Hold on, girl!" Iron Girl yelled, as she fought Tirek, but her huge opponent knocked her down, knocking her to the ground. Grinning, Tirek leaped at her, intending to crush her with her fist… before falling through a portal opened by the Stygian, landing in the frozen wastes of the North Pole. Growling, Tirek turned to the still-open portal and charged toward it... only to have it shut by Stygian seconds before Tirek's hand reached inside. Fluttershy recoiled back…as Tirek's amputated left hand landed perilously close to her feet. “Stygian, you are invited to my wedding!” Iron Girl stated after recovering. Then, she activated the thrusters on her armor... heading towards the alien ship. Iron Girl flies towards the alien ship, but realizes that it is too far away. "Give me power, SPIKE!" Iron Girl ordered. At that moment, Iron Girl's foot thrusters fuse together, transforming into a larger one that gives her more momentum. It didn't take long for her to reach the ship, though they were already beyond the atmosphere, and she could still see Luster clinging to the side of the ship. that would be a problem "SPIKE, free the 17-A!" Iron Girl ordered. At that moment, SPIKE activated a remote control pod, which launched from the new Avengers HQ, hurtling skyward… heading for Spider-Girl. "Luster, let go!" Iron Girl ordered "I'll catch you!" “But you said to save the wizard!” Spider-Girl protested, her voice strained and unable to breathe, pulling off her mask "I can't breathe...!" “We are too high!” Iron Girl exclaimed “You're running out of air!”. "Yeah... It makes sense..." Luster agreed, holding onto the side of the ship with one hand. In an instant, she let go... not so much because she wanted to, but because she literally couldn't take it anymore. At that moment, the pod flew by at full speed, its contents hitting Luster's back. It was then that hundreds of nanomachines wrapped her in a thin layer, until she was covered in a new and improved Spider-Girl suit, one that even had built-in respirators for high altitudes. (Imagine again the suit for a woman) Now able to breathe, Iron Spider lands on the bottom of the ship, heroically pulling herself to her feet. "Wow... Miss Sparkle, this smells like a new car!" she exhaled in amazement, after recovering. "Have a good trip, girl" Iron Girl said, speeding past her armor's thrusters, pausing long enough to wave at her, "SPIKE, send her home". "Yes, boss" SPIKE said. Just then, a large parachute extends from Iron Spider's back, sending her spiraling back to Earth. “OH, COME ON!” Arriving at the ship, Iron Girl fired a concentrated red laser beam to blast a hole in the ship's surface. With the entrance open, Twilight climbs aboard, looking for where Cozy Glow and her captive Star Swirl might be. "Boss, call from Mr. Sentry" SPIKE intervened at that moment. In all the excitement, Twilight had almost completely forgotten about her fiancé (which was kind of awkward). She retracted her visor and blushed softly as she pressed a hand against her ear, trying to hear better. “Twilight? Are you okay?" Flash asked, his voice muffled and slightly static from the interference of the ship or the altitude "What's going on?" "Yeah, I'm fine…" Twilight answered "It's just… our reservation may have to be postponed". "Why?" "Because... I probably won't be able to make it in time..." Twilight said, as she looked around the strange and sinister ship. "Tell me you're not on that spaceship" Flash said, deducing what was going on. "Yeah..." Twilight answered. "Okay, Twilight…" Flash sighed. "Please, just…be careful-". At that point, the transmission cut off. "Flash?" Twilight said "Flash!" "Boss, we lost your connection" SPIKE said, his voice static as well "And mine too..." SPIKE's voice trailed off as well, with Twilight reminding herself that her connection wasn't designed for interplanetary travel. Angry, Twilight turned it off. She was alone now. Unknown to Twilight, it is revealed that the Iron Spider managed to attach itself to the outside of the ship and she crawls into an airlock. "Oh my God!" Iron Spider said, amazed as the ship moved away from Earth "I should have stayed on the bus..." With the airlock closed, the ship jumped at the speed of light, disappearing completely. Meanwhile, in Canterlot City, with the battle over and the enemy ship gone, Fluttershy returned to the wreckage to search for survivors. She found Stygian shaking off an unpleasant headache. But there was no trace of Iron Girl or the Sorcerer Supreme. However, clearing away some debris on the ground, Fluttershy found something that caught her attention: the cell phone that Twilight was going to use to contact Applejack. Looking at Stygian, Fluttershy watched as he entered a portal into the Sancta Santorum. "Where are you going?" Fluttershy asked. “They have the Time Stone” Stygian said “The Sancta Santorum is unprotected. What are you going to do?" A moan formed in her throat, but Fluttershy barely said anything. She didn't want to sound so needy, but she was quickly running out of options, Grogar kept coming to Earth, and without Flutterhulk, she was starting to feel very alone and vulnerable. However, she still had one option left. "I'm going to make a call" Fluttershy replied. Stygian nodded and her portal closed behind him. Finally, Fluttershy pressed the key on Twilight's cell phone to activate the answering machine, timidly putting it to her ear. "Hey, Applejack... it's me..."