SOMEWHERE, IN A HOT AIR BALLOON...! The Scout Team has set up their base. The baskets ends have telescopes on them, even one sticking in a small, wide, circular hole in the center of its floor.
"All teams report in!" Twilight barks through her walkie-talkie.
"Round-Up Team, ready to roll" said Hay Flower.
"Protection Team, everything's fine here" added Fizz.
"Collection Team, on our way to the first ingredient" claimed Apple Slicer.
"Good, we'll keep you posted incase anything comes up around your area. Also, when you can, please give me an update on your jobs. Good Luck, everypony"
"Twilight, calm yourself" Rarity reassured our seemingly tense heroine as Pinkie is setting up a board game, "There's nothing going on right now. Stress isn't good for complexion, darling" Twilight ignores her just focusing on the task at hoof. "Perhaps if you eat something, you'll be a little more calm"
"I would" said Twilight finally, "But I have first watch"
"Then I call first ROLL!" Pinkie says grabbing the dice.
Rarity rolls her eyes and takes a bite out of her sandwich. Meanwhile back at Fluttershy's cottage, the Protection Team is patrolling the area while their protectees are sitting round as Fluttershy comes in with some tea and places it on the table.
"Would anypony care for some tea?" she asked.
"I'm BORED!" whined Sweetie Belle laying on her back.
"I'm thirsty" said Scootaloo in a corner reading a book.
"I'M thirsty AND bored!" complained Apple Bloom on an antsy Crash's head.
"ME TOO!" shouted Crash leaping to his feet from the chair, "AND MAYBE A LITTLE HUNGRY!"
"Oh my, I could make you a sandwich if you want" the timid Pegasus offered.
"I CAN'T HOLD IT IN! I NEED TO DO STUFF!" Crash cried as he loses controle of his powers taking Apple Bloom with him. "UAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"
"WHAT IN THE HOOF IS GOIN' ON!?" shouted AB as she and Crash go through the roof as he reaches his maximum hight.
The Protection Team looks on the spectacle with worry. As the Present Twins cry like crazy, the others exit to see if Apple Bloom is okay while Cup Cake tends to the twins.
"Goodness!" claimed Fluttershy, "You should have taken that outside!"
"I CAN'T HELP IT!" whined Crash, "I DO THIS WHEN I'M UPSET!"
"APPLE BLOOM'S UP THERE!" shouted Sweetie Belle.
"Everypony calmdown!" said Fizz in a clam voice "Now what happened?"
"I don't know" said Fluttershy still shook up from the fiasco, "Crash grew again"
"Well to be honest" started Fireball, "They HAVE been cooped up in there for hours. Maybe we can try it this way" Fireball grabs a stick and draws out a plan in the ground. "Okay, here's the plan, two of us will serve as protectors of those who need to do stuff around town. The thrid pony in our team will stay behind to look after who's left. Once whoever they protect is done with what they set out to do, whoever comes back first will alternate with the one who stays depending if anypony else needs to do anything. In the event that EVERYpony needs to go out, THAT should be self-explanatory"
"...Huh" said Fizz, "So...I guess we'll have to ask what's on everypony's agenda"
"In that case" started Scootaloo as Sweetie Belle unfurls a list spanning from where she's holding it to Fireball's hooves, "We have a list of crusades we would like to tackle by the end of the day"
"And I'M sure nopony told our parents about this crazy time-and-space history-altering hullabaloo!" added Sweetie Belle spitting out her side of the list.
"I probably should head back to my place for a sec and pick up some things for the twins" said Mr. Cake
"I think maybe we should migrate to the library" Spike suggested.
Hesitating to add to the list of to-dos, Fluttershy says, "Um, if it's not any trouble I need to find somepony to fix my roof"
"SORRY!" shouted Crash who apparently hasn't calmed down yet.
"I NEED SOMEPONY TO GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!" Cried Apple Bloom miraculously hearing the conversation from atop the currently giant Crash's head. Fireball flies up to get her.
Meanwhile, with the Round-Up Team, SOMEWHERE, IN THE ORCHARDS OF SWEET APPlE ACRES WHILE PRESENT JIMMY IS BEING YELLED AT BY GRANNY SMITH...! Present Ricky and Present EagleBones are in the Battletram's kitchen with the Future Cake Twins. Future Pound is looking around in the cupboards.
"...And despite the circumstances, she's still very optimistic...Just a little more mellow" Future Pumpkin said finishing an explaination about Future Pinkie Pie.
"Anything to eat around here?" asked Future Pound with his stomach grumbling.
As the following conversation carries on, Future Pumpkin starts clicking her teeth until she gets a piece of bubblegum out of her pocket and starts chewing on it.
"We had a chacolate soufflé the other day" started EagleBones, "But one of the guys we're after ate some of it and Present Pinke Pie ate the rest of it"
"...That I buy" replied Future Pumpkin.
"That reminds me" EagleBones started, turning his attention at Ricky, "I thought you swore off sweets in the name of fitness?"
"I did" Ricky answered, "I was making it for you guys to help celebrate our band's anniversary"
"Oh..." EagleBones said, momentarily forgetting the topic. "...Anyway, there's apples outside"
"What, and get my head chewed off!?" shouted Future Pound.
Just then, EagleBones starts thinking about something else...
"Hmm...There's something else..."
Meanwhile, back with the Scout Team, after winning her 20th game of three-way tic-tac-toe against the girls, Pinkie thought of something...Something important.
"Hey girls" Pinkie said, "I just thought of something...Something important"
"What is it, darling?" asked Rarity.
"If it's another game, no right now, we need to focus" said Twi trying to get them back on topic of the situation.
"Oh no, no" Pinkie reassured Twilight as she walked toward her. "I was just thinking" She continued neither her nor Twilight noticing Carl warping his way into the balloon, "If they WERE planning to bring this Space Monster M. guy to our world, what would they need?"
Rarity whimpers trying to get their attention fearing they'd give Carl ideas. Carl holds his hand up to his masked ear to listen to their conversation.
"Hold on, Rarity" said Twilight, "Now then...If they were to bring somepony into this dimension asside from the cloud that brung the Aquabats and the first three of their enemies here, they would probably need either a machine that could open a window to another dimension or a magical pendant of some sort"
Rarity, annoyed that they weren't noticing her uses a series of paper and markers to draw arrows to point at Carl. She even rotates them aroud and nothing!
"You mean like the Alicorn Amulet?" asked Pinkie.
"The what?" Twi asked back.
"Something I read about when we got back from your brother's wedding" Pinkie Answered, "Probably nothing we need to worry about, now what you were saying?"
"Giiiirls!" the frightened fashionista whined crinkling a few blank pieces of paper. Carl grabs a piece and a marker to write down what they're saying.
"Please wait your turn, Rarity" Twilight said, "Now then, if they were to know what artifact they need, they would have to check the library"
Pinkie sighs in relief saying, "That's good. At least we can rest assured that they would need a means of knowing where the library is and somepony who knows-"
Rarity yelps finally getting the girls' attention long enough to see that Carl grabbed her.
"MAGIC!" Carl shouted as he teleports away with Rarity.
The two are silent.
"Uh...Oh" That's all that came out of Pinkie's mouth.
All the while, Future Fluttershy and Future Spike are perched on top of a big, nearby cloud listening to the conversation.
"...Of course" Future Fluttershy said with a sinister, yet surprisingly adorable look on her face, "The Pendant of Quantum Cosmo!" She then mounds Future Spike who flies off into the Everfree Forest...DUN, DUN, DUUNN...! Sorry.
Meanwhile, back at Sweet Apple Acres, AJ is seen standing in between Granny Smith and Jimmy.
"NOW GITCHER CON-FANGLED CONTRAPTION AWAY FROM OUR APPLE TREES!" shouted Granny finishing up yelling at the poor, frazzled robot with AJ holding her back. "GO ON, NOW, MOVE YOUR CABOOSE!"
"AND WHERE'S APPLE BLOOM!?" demanded an angry Big Mac shaking his rolled-up hoof at him.
Just then, EagleBones dashes out of the Battletram. "I SUMMON THE- WHOA!" he shouted tripping over Hay Flower who was standing right at the foot of the door looking at the apple tree the Battletram's grill nearly hit. He then gets back up and tries again. "I SUMMON THE DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDE!" he shouted bringing a bird that apparently, only he could see appear on the black glove on his right arm. He then points to Applejack asking, "You see that Orange pony in the hat, Dude?" The bird nods. "Grab her by the shoulders and await further instructions" The Dude does so, lifting AJ up to where her back hooves are just barely over Jimmy's head, making her hat drop to his feet.
"What in tarnation!?" shouted the freaked-out Earth Pony.
"Just get ready to tell her which way the library is" EagleBones told her as he grabbed her hat and took the keys from Jimmy then runs back to the Battletram, "I'll explain on the way, C'MON!"
Everyone complies with this and make their way into the Battletram followed by Granny Smith and Big Mac. Nopony noticed them until EagleBones put the Battletram into flight mode and made it airborne.
"I don't know what all this is about" said Granny Smith resting her front hooves on the dashboard, "But now I'M involved!"
Leaning toward Ricky in the front passenger's seat, Big Mac says, "Just go with it, she won't take 'no' for an answer"
"Are you sure about that?" asked EagleBones.
"Eeyep!" THERE it is.
EagleBones shrugs then readies the loud-speaker to communicate with AJ and the Dude. Speaking of, let's see what they're up to.
"...Yer a girl" started AJ looking at what she percieves is the bird's head, "So why does he call you 'The Dude', iffen you don't mind my askin'?"
The Dude just shrieks at her.
"We're ready over here" said Eaglebones positioning the Battletram toward the two.
"Uh...Alrighty, then" said AJ, "I may need to get my barrings iffen I know where this is goin'...But I'd say...Somewhere over yonder" she said with a gulp, pointing in the direction of the library.
"FLY, DUDE, FLY!" EagleBones shouted.
The Dude takes to the sky going in the direction AJ pointed...Let's see how the Protection Team is doing. Twilight and Pinkie are already at the library in a panic galloping back and fourth in front of the door. Spike manages to calm them both down.
"What are YOU guys doing here?" asked Twilight.
"I take it that it's the same reason YOU'RE here" Fizz answered.
The Collection Team shows up with already almost all the ingredients on the list noticing the other teams assembling.
"Well" Pinkie snickered, "It looks like we were all on the same...PAGE!" she said bursting into laughter. Twilight raised an eyebrow to her. "...You get it? It's a library...And...I was...Using a metaphore about having a common reason for being here...And made it sound like a pun...Books...."
"...Anyway" said a battered and bruised Commander, "I take back what I said earlier about the Collection Team job. By the way, where's your prissy homie?"
"She got abducted by that magician wrestler guy" Answered Twilight, "More improtantly, where are Fireball and Crash?"
"Anypony there?" asked Fireball on the walkie-talkies.
Twi pulls her's out asking, "Fireball, where are you?"
"I don't know what happened, but somehow, we wound up in Manehattan" she answered.
"OH WHAT THE HAY!?" Twilight shouted in a 'Say WHAT!?" maner.
"I don't get it either, but I kinda lost Crash in an abandoned parking garage" Fireball confessed. "He ran off into the lower levels chasing after some monsters and a guy called the...Clock Hose, or whatever temporal gardening tool he called him screaming at him to get him and the other Aquabats out of a time loop they were in back in their dimension. He agreed under the condition that he manages to beat him and his cronies...I wasn't allowed to help him"
"Oh goodness!" said Fluttershy hearing this.
Oh dear, let's see what's going on.
...Huh...Well, back to the library. Twilight looks at the sunset with a yawn just as the Round-Up Team arrived.
"You know what, it's been a long day, let's settle in for the night" said Twilight.
"It doesn't look like the enemy made their move yet anyway" added Fizz, "Nevertheless, somepony has to keep a vigil"
"We'll decide who gets the first watch after a short rest" said Twi opening the door to let everypony in. Present EagleBones returns AJ's hat. "By the way, I know the situation doesn't call for it, but I'm counting this as a slumber party!" she continued with glee, "It'd be my second one!"
"WHAT!?" shouted Pinkie in dismay. "YOU HAD YOUR FIRST SLUMBER PARTY AND I MISSED IT!?"
AJ pops back out with a "What have you DONE!?" look in her eyes.
"Uh...Oops?" That's all she could say.
With a sigh she tells Pinkie, "Iffen it makes you feel any better, sugarcube, it was during a downpour while me and Rarity had a bit of a dispute over our differences...Speakin' of Rarity-"
"Abducted" Twi answered.
"Ah...Well, once everypony's gotten a chance to settle down, we should come up with a plan to get her back" AJ said scooting the down-hearted Pinkie into the the library.
Will Pinkie come out of her funk? Why did Future Fluttershy head into the Everfree Forest? Weren't we supposed to add another knight in this chapter...? Ah, I'll get her into the next one.