//------------------------------// // Chapter 001 - Zim's Arrival // Story: Equestria Invaded // by XX55XX //------------------------------// Equestria Invaded Chapter 001 - Zim's Arrival He was now part of the elite. The tip of the spear. The first to go, and the last to come home. Zim flexed his fingers while peering at the computer console before him, eager to see where his Voot Cruiser's guidance system will take him. The trajectory printed upon the screen pointed to a location on the edge of the galaxy. Everything looks good so far... The trajectory lines up directly with the coordinates indicated on his order sheets. The Almighty Tallest had granted his greatest wish – an opportunity to take part in Operation Impending Doom II as a member of an elite reconnaissance force tasked with gathering intelligence on planets marked for conquest by the Irken Empire. Due to poor intelligence, even the Almighty Tallest were unable to tell Zim the planet's precise name. However, it lay on the far edge of the galaxy – millions of light-years away from even the Irken Empire's most remote outposts. Zim was perplexed at first – why would they send him off to conquer something so seemingly insignificant and lacking in strategic or economic value? But, no, orders should not be questioned. Invaders never shirked from their duty, no matter how irrational the orders may seem. Orders were meant to be executed, and Zim resolved to conquer this mysterious planet – not only for the sake of his duty, but for the greater good of the Irken Empire as a whole. Oh, the prospects of success! He could finally achieve the recognition his name deserves! Zim smashed his fist upon the console in excitement, as his cruiser burrowed further into space. / “Master! We have arrived!” Gir screamed, reaching over and shaking his Zim, who was asleep. “Argh! Gir! Get OFF OF ME!” Zim cried, pushing the robot aside. “COMPUTER!” he bellowed. “Tell me the name of this... planet.” The console gave off a beep. “We have arrived at Equestria, a planet populated by a race of intelligent talking four-legged creatures. Preparing landing coordinates now...” Zim raised his eyebrows. “Hmm. A planet populated by creatures with four legs? With INTELLIGENCE? GIR!” Gir raised his head, his eyes red. He saluted Zim. “Yes sir!” Zim turned to him, turning away from the cockpit. “We have very, very little information on this planet. When we land, I need you to do some brief reconnaissance on our surroundings. And I mean very brief. Report back to me once you catch a glimpse of the planet's inhabitants. Are my orders understood?” Gir's arms relaxed, and his eyes turned blue. He pointed out the cockpit window. “You mean that creature? It's a pony!” Zim turned around and peered at the pilot's console. They were near the planet surface. What appeared to be a small town was on the horizon, and in the town's center was a pink, four-legged creature. Zim panicked, steering the Voot Cruiser away from the town and in the opposite direction. Their cover was possibly blown, but there was no telling whether the native had seen their vessel. “Gir! Why didn't you tell me SOMETHING? WE COULD HAVE BEEN COMPROMISED!” Zim roared as he steered the cruiser into a clearing in the forest. Gir tilted his head in dismay. “Oh, but I was only listening to you, Zim.” He paused. “That pony looked cute. Can we meet it?” Zim waved his fist at Gir. “NO! Gir, we are here to ENSLAVE the natives and take their natural resources. We will be making no friends here, so do not get too attached to these 'ponies' or whatever you call them. It will only compromise the MISSION!” “Aww, Zim. Can't we have some fun?” Gir replied in a small voice. “SILENCE!” Zim bellowed. “We have landed. Get out.” The cruiser's hatch opened, and Zim and Gir fell out into fetal positions on the forest floor, with Gir lying upon Zim's stomach. “ARGHHH!!! My spleen!” Zim cried, tossing Gir aside and grasping his abdomen. He heaved, gasping for several minutes as he collected himself. “Okay, Zim. Remember what you do first when landing on an enemy planet. Disguises...” Zim pressed a button on his wristwatch. A disguise pod appeared. An interactive panel also appeared by the parked cruiser, displaying an array of four-legged disguises. These would have to be enough, at least, until they have more intelligence on the planet. “Aww. We're going to dress up as ponies?” Gir said. Zim turned around. “No, Gir. Only I will disguise myself as one of these 'ponies', as you put it. On the other hand... I think you should be a dog. Get in!” He pushed Gir into the disguise pod by cruiser. After a blinding flash of light, Gir reemerged, this time, as a green dog. “BRILLIANT!” Zim beamed. “Now, my turn.” And with another blinding flash of light inside the disguise pod, Zim reemerged in a pony suit which contorted his body into a crawling stance. Zim looked at himself in dismay and discomfort. “NOOO! This outfit is so constraining! I cannot crawl like this!” Gir gave him a quizzical look. “You don't look anything like a pony, Zim. You look like an alien in a poorly-made pony suit.” Zim stood up. “You are right, Gir. But, with a few adjustments...” He tweaked a few options on the panel and reentered the pod. Emerging from the pod once again, Zim looked more like a pony, or perhaps, an alien with mechanical hind legs, eyes with white pupils, and a horn to top off his green head. “You still don't look like a pony,” Gir noted. “Be quiet, Gir! I need to concentrate on more important matters!” Removing his disguise, Zim rubbed his hands together. “Excellent. This will do. Now we build our home... To WORK!” / Twilight Sparkle awoke to banging on her door. Who could it be? It was only 5AM, according to the clock on the nightstand. The sun wasn't even up yet. She peered over by Spike's bed to see the baby dragon sleeping away, oblivious to the door-banging outside. Twilight went downstairs and opened the door. A wide-eyed Pinkie Pie stood before her. “Pinkie... It's 5AM...” Twilight mumbled groggily, struggling to keep her eyes open. “I know, Twilight. But, I was out in the town square earlier...” Pinkie replied excitedly. “And?” “And there was this BIG spaceship that appeared over Ponyville! Let me see... it was... it was... this big!” Twilight smiled and nodded, trying not to appear annoyed. “I'm sure it was a terrible nightmare, Pinkie, but some us really need to sleep-” Pinkie Pie waved her hoof, interrupting Twilight. “I think... I think... it came from SPACE!” she bellowed. “And as I tried to get a better look at it, it turned around and flew towards the edge of the Everfree Forest!” Twilight began pushing the door. “Yeah, yeah... Listen, we can talk later...” “I am NOT making this up, Twilight! I really saw it! I really, really did-” Twilight closed the door, as Pinkie continued her rant outside. It was too early for this. / “Ah, there were are. Our new home.” Zim took a moment to admire his handiwork. Their new home resembled a small hut that would not seem out of place in such a wild landscape. It had a thatched roof and was mostly constructed out of unpolished wood. Underneath the hut contained all of the communication and security systems which would allow him to operate unhindered on the planet. A storage bay, whose doors were hidden by batches of well-placed hay, housed his Voot Cruiser. “Gir! Get inside! Before the sun RISES!” Zim hurriedly pushed the robot inside the hut, before rushing inside himself and locking the door. Inside, Zim stepped inside a trashcan, which was really an elevator into his lair below the hut. First, he must go to a place where he can learn more about the planet. “Computer!” Zim beckoned. “Please give me a full list of educational institutions in the area from which I learn more about this wretched mothball of a planet they call 'Equestria'.” “Yes sir!” The computer responded. Within a few seconds, Zim was presented with a list of local schools in Ponyville, and instructions on how to register for them... / “Good morning, class. As you may notice today, we have a new filly who is joining us,” Cheerilee said in front of a packed schoolroom. “His name is Zim... and...” She peered over the registration papers on her desk and frowned. Zim's record was nearly blank, and his registration date was just two days ago. “Err... Zim, why don't introduce yourself and say where you're from?” Zim grinned. His disguise was working! The stupid equine oafs at the education office allowed him to register for school, even though he had no birth record and no parents. Zim strode forward before the assembled ponies. “Hello. My name is Zim, and I am a perfectly normal pony wormbaby. I am from a place very, very, very far away from here, and it's so far away, that I don't think any of you would have heard of it, so I am not going to mention it. You have absolutely nothing to fear from me, so just ignore me and everything will be just fine.” “Thank you, Zim,” Cheerilee said. “Please take your seat. Now today, we are going to talk about the history of Equestria-” Zim's false hoof shot up in the air. “Yes?” Cheerilee asked. “Yes... I have a question about this 'Equestria' we live in. Let's say, that an outside invasion force arrives here to conquer the planet – How prepared would you say that this planet's defenses are in case of such an attack?” Cheerilee gave Zim a perplexed stare. “Umm... I'm not sure, but Princess Celestia will undoubtedly protect us in case of such an occurrence-” Zim raised his hoof again, interrupting her. “Um, yes Zim?” Cheerilee replied in an exasperated voice. Zim's brow furrowed. “Who is this Princess Celestia?” “She is the ruler of Equestria... Now, please, Zim, no more questions, we really do have a lesson to get into...” Zim put his hoof down. “Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to ask so many questions here... I'm just new here, that's all...” “That's okay, Zim. Now as I was saying...” Cheerilee walked over by the chalkboard and continued the lecture. “That Zim filly is weird,” Applebloom whispered to Sweetie Belle. “What? What's weird about him?” Sweetie Belle replied. Applebloom's brow furrowed. “He's bigger than nearly everyone in this class and it looks like he still hasn't gotten his cutie mark yet. Like us. And why is his head green and his body brown? And why doesn't he know who Princess Celestia is?” “Applebloom? Sweetie Belle?” Cheerilee said. “Is there something you would like to share with the class?” “Umm, nothing,” Applebloom replied. Cheerilee's eyes narrowed. “You were definitely talking about something. Now, unless you want me to put you in timeout for speaking out of turn...” “Well...” Applebloom began. “Sweetie Belle and I were talking about how some people don't have their cutie marks...” “And?” “I'm going to direct this question at Zim. Zim, you look like you are bigger than a filly. Like, way bigger. Where's your cutie mark?” Applebloom's eyes narrowed into a suspicious glare at Zim. “Or are you even a real pony?” Zim's mind snapped back into focus upon Applebloom's mention of his name. His head twisted fearfully towards the small pony with the red mane. She was there, glaring at him. He was being x-rayed. Had he been discovered? No, probably not. He had meditating all this time, dreaming of the number of ways he could reduce Equestria and its inhabitants to ashes... instead of paying attention to his surroundings. His intelligence for the mission had been quite poor – he didn't know what a 'cutie mark' precisely was. But this was a moment of crisis. He must speak and dispel rumors, lest his true nature become discovered. “Well, my fellow pony wormbabies, the reason why I don't have this 'cutie mark' is because I don't have one yet. I don't know, maybe I might get one, maybe I might not, but it's not an important matter for me or any of you right now-” The schoolbell rang. Cheerilee looked at the clock. “Oh! Would you look at the time? Applebloom, can you see me after class?” she asked. Sweetie Belle mouthed “Good luck” to Applebloom, as she filed out of the room with the rest of the fillies. Zim exhaled. His time under scrutiny was over, at least for now. He rushed quickly out the door, as fast as his mechanical hooves would carry him away from this wretched madhouse of a classroom. Applebloom sighed and walked up to Cheerilee's desk, bracing for a verbal lashing from her teacher. The classroom cleared out, and Cheerilee closed the door. “Applebloom, as we all know, it's not nice to spread rumors about people – even if they don't appear normal.” “I know, but Zim doesn't look like a pony...” Applebloom retorted. “Please, Applebloom. Tomorrow, you will apologize to Zim in front of the class for accusing him for not being a pony.” Applebloom's eyes widened. “But...” Cheerilee gave Applebloom a stern look. “No buts, Applebloom.” With that, Applebloom knew that it was useless to argue any further. / “Ugh...” Zim sighed as he sat in his lair, computer console before him. His cover had nearly been compromised, and it was only the bell which had saved him. He needed a better disguise, complete with those “cutie marks” that that annoying little pony with the red mane kept accusing him of not having. But how? There were limitations to what Irken technology could offer him. But wait... What if he could impersonate one of the local inhabitants? What if he could assume their form and go about the planet without being pestered with questions or awkward stares? “You are a genius, Zim!” he said to himself. But, he needed a live specimen first – a creature he could dissect and reverse engineer. This would require some degree of active surveillance of his surroundings. “Computer,” he ordered, “Keep an eye for any isolated natives who come across within one hundred meters of here.” “Yes sir,” the computer responded, and a map of the local area sprang up on the console, feeding Zim with live information on the movements of ponies around his base of operations. Zim leaned back on his chair. “Now... we wait.” A few moments later, he jumped out of his chair in excitement. A yellow pegasus had walked into his trap! And she is completely alone! “Oh wait! That is the perfect target! Gir, get dressed. We are going to fetch ourselves a LIVE specimen!” Zim's lips curled into an evil smile. Should he be successful, he might even be able to conquer the planet before Impending Doom II is over. / “Gir. On my signal, you shoot the netgun at our target. Is that understood?” Zim whispered furiously at his robot acolyte. Gir nodded, netgun in hand. “Yes.” “Good. Now, don't shoot the netgun at yourself.” Zim peeked through the bushes for a better look. A yellow pegasus came into view, and it looked as if she was talking to a small rodent-like creature on the ground. Who talks to animals that cannot be communicated with? No matter. He will snatch her, reverse engineer her biological structure, engineer a voice box that matches the sound of her voice, and none of the stupid ponies on this planet would know any better as he rains doom down upon them, disguised as one of their own. It was foolproof, Irken planning at its finest. Zim emerged from the bushes and tiptoed right behind the pony. Gir was right behind him, netgun ready... / Fluttershy had come to the edge of the Everfree Forest to help the animals there prepare their nests for the coming winter. At the moment, a small gopher had requested her help to create a nest big enough for him and his family. “Oh, Mr. Gopher, you can't possibly stuff seven gophers in there! You guys need your space. How about I help you dig a larger nest by that tree over there?” The gopher shook his head and crossed his arms. Fluttershy decided not to insist. “Well, if you say so. But if you ever change your mind, I'm here.” Suddenly, all of the birds flew away in unison. The gopher ran away. A nearby squirrel dropped his acorn and fled upwards along a tree trunk. Fluttershy looked at the ground and saw a shadow on it. Someone had startled the animals. Fluttershy turned around and gasped. Whoever was standing behind her was the most ugliest pony she had ever seen, accompanied by an equally hideous green dog. His face was green. Her heart raced, as she struggled to find her voice. “Umm... umm... Hello. I haven't... seen you... before. Is there something I can do for you?” she muttered in a low voice. The pony flashed an evil grin. “NOW GIR! NOW!” he bellowed. Fluttershy froze in place, paralyzed not only by raw fear, but by an utter inability to comprehend what was happening. Before she could react, the pony's accompanying dog fired a netgun at her, rendering her immobile as her entire body became ensnared in a fishnet. Fluttershy struggled and screamed, but she could only squirm helplessly as the mysterious pony and his dog began dragging her away, deeper towards the edge of the forest... / “Oh, cheer up, Applebloom! At least all of you have to do tomorrow is say sorry to Zim,” Sweetie Belle said. The two were walking home from school. Applebloom gave Sweetie Belle a dark look. “I don't know, Sweetie Belle. Whatever Zim is, he's not a pony-” “You mean an alien?” “Yeah... something like that. But do aliens even exist?” Sweetie Belle shrugged. “I dunno. But I think you need to give Zim a chance-” Applebloom's eyes narrowed. “Whatever. He's a not pony, Sweetie Belle.” Sweeite Belle looked away without replying. The two stopped before the Carousel Boutique, where Sweetie Belle lived with her dressmaker sister Rarity. “See you tomorrow, Applebloom!” Sweetie Belle dashed into the shop and disappeared. Applebloom sighed. Why would Sweetie Belle, one of her best friends, refuse to share her views? Why are people across Ponyville so blind? Can't they see that whatever Zim is, that he is not a pony? Applebloom rounded the bend outside of Ponyville and crossed into the woodland which straddled between Sweet Apple Acres and the Everfree Forest. This was the quickest route home. After several minutes on the road, Applebloom saw several figures coming up along the the road from the opposite direction. She dashed into a nearby bush, unsure whether the mysterious figures were friendly or not. She pushed a branch obscuring her vision aside and squinted her eyes. It was a pony of some sort... The figure came into greater focus. It was... Zim, the pony from school. A green dog dashed by the bush, followed by Zim, who was dragging a large net containing something large and yellow... It squirmed inside the net like a trapped animal – no wait, it was an animal. It was Fluttershy! “Our mission today has been a success, Gir,” Zim laughed maniacally as he walked past Applebloom's bush. “This Equestria will fall under the heel of the Irken Armada within days now, not months! Muhahahahaha!” Applebloom gasped. Fluttershy was in danger! And what was this “Irken Armada?” Equestria was in danger from it, whatever it was. Emerging from the bush as Zim, the green dog, and Fluttershy disappeared into the forest, Applebloom sprinted for Sweet Apple Acres as quickly as her legs would carry her.