Aza waited until all three of its newest victims were brought up to speed on the current situation before making its next move. First, it returned Sandy's tree dome, Samus' gunship, and Wonderland Plaza to their respective universes while making sure to leave behind their occupants. Aza also got rid of the dead bodies of Ridley and Adam the clown; it had mixed feelings about their deaths. On one side, it'd be interesting to see the reactions of anyone watching them when they suddenly drop dead for no discernible reason, while on the other side, Aza couldn't help but feel that maybe it'd overstepped its bounds by allowing their deaths to occur.
Oh well, no point in crying over spilt milk.
Aza's next task was to group together all eight of its victims. It was simple to do as all it required was for the space between them to be shoved aside. Once that was completed, Aza lifted the blackness between them all so they could see each other. All that remained was to import their new home, which Aza knew would be a godsend for two of the group. But before doing that Aza decided to observe the ensuing conversations between the eight of them now that the "tribe", as it saw them, was complete and together.
At first everyone was confused as to what happened. Their relocations were so quick and abrupt that it took all of five seconds before they realized Aza had moved them once again. Looking around revealed they were now back in everyone's company, though the three new arrivals weren't quite so relieved. While Sandy, Samus, and James had indeed been briefed on who else Aza had roped in to participate in its "experiment", they'd yet to properly befriend everyone beyond those who'd located them. Additionally, the three new arrivals had no idea who each other were on account of their rescuers not knowing who else had been brought in alongside them.
Before anything could be said or done to remedy this problem, however, Celestia and SpongeBob beamed upon sighting Twilight and Sandy, respectively. They rushed toward their respective compatriots and wrapped their limbs around them in the tightest possible hugs.
"Twilight!" Celestia exclaimed, right in the poor unicorn's ear. "I'm so happy to see you're alive and well!"
"Can't . . . breathe," Twilight wheezed.
"Sandy!" SpongeBob exclaimed. "Boy, am I glad to see a familiar face in all this craziness."
"Aw shucks, SpongeBob," Sandy said while returning her friend's embrace. "Ah'm jus' happy ta see yer alright." She let go of SpongeBob. "Frank tells me y'all have become sparrin' partners while here; think Ah could get in on da action?"
SpongeBob smiled. "You bet!"
"Ahem."
The four non-humans turned to see James Bond with an impatient look on his face, while Samus Aran held a hand on her hip while she stared at them through her helmet's visor. Yugi and Frank, meanwhile, were turning their heads around as if on lookout for any potential trouble through the surrounding blackness. Celestia let go of her student, who gasped for much needed air, before she cleared her throat.
"Yes, well," she said, "perhaps the three new arrivals should introduce themselves so we're all on the same page. Samus, since you've got a lot to say, how about you go first?"
The bounty hunter nodded, and proceeded to remove her helmet so everyone could hear her clearly. Her blonde hair was done up in its typical ponytail, the red hairband tying up the bulk of it while two stray locks hung freely on either side of her face. It was a hairstyle she herself invented, and anyone who knew Samus personally would say it's the only thing that hints to her being concerned over her appearance. Her blue eyes mixed well with her blonde hair and fiery orange-colored Varia suit.
James quirked an eyebrow at seeing Samus to be a woman, but didn't say/do anything else as she began her introduction to everyone.
"My name is Samus Aran, the only child of Rodney and Virginia Aran. My parents were . . . taken away from me when I was only three years old. My home planet of K-2L was attacked by a group of crustacean-like creatures called the Space Pirates who, fittingly enough, came to raid our colony of supplies. I'd . . . rather not go into some details, but I was the only survivor of the pirates' raid. Soon after, I was found and adopted by the Chozo, a race of wise, bird-like people who had quite the intellectual appetite. They infused my DNA with their own so I could survive on their home planet, with the added effects of increased strength and endurance. This Power Suit that I wear was given by them to aid me in my goal of battling the Space Pirates. I've spent most of my adult life as a bounty hunter employed by the Galactic Federation, a coalition of several races throughout the galaxy that seek to preserve the peace and deal with threats like the Space Pirates, who often send me on missions directly involving them so as to let me exact vengeance against them for taking away everything and everyone I loved."
A small tear came to Samus' eye, which she quickly wiped away before continuing. "Needless to say I'm always elated to offer my services toward a noble cause, and that applies here as well. I promise to have everyone's back in all of this."
Everyone took a few moments to let Samus' words sink in. Looking around, she could see they all wore sorrowful expressions. Samus could only smile wryly in response.
"Well then," James said, breaking the silence, "I suppose I'll give my introduction next; my name is James Bond. Unlike Ms. Aran here I'm a bit more 'down to Earth' as they'd say." He chuckled a bit to which nobody else joined in. He didn't let it faze him and continued talking. "I live in Great Britain working as a member of MI6, the British Secret Intelligence Service, in which my code name is 007. My backstory doesn't concern any of you, suffice it to say nothing in my past beyond a few tomfools plotting world conquest is worth worrying about."
Everyone stared in silence for a few moments, as if expecting James to continue. When he did not, Sandy spoke up.
"Well, Ah reckon y'all know 'nough 'bout me from SpongeBob, so Ah'll pass on da introduction."
"And with that done, it's now time for the next phase of my experiment."
Before the eight of them could respond to Aza, the scenery around them started changing. The blackness began dissolving right before their eyes, immediately being replaced with lush, vibrant colors of various shades and tones. The sudden change of visuals hurt everyone's eyes at first on account of how little color they'd seen since being there. Peeking through their fingers, or in Celestia/Twilight's case around their hooves, everyone's eyes gradually adjusted to the scenery change. Shapes began forming out of the color, and it immediately became clear that a town was forming around them. The ground became grass, a bright blue sky formed above their heads, and buildings of various shapes and designs began materializing on all sides of them.
Watching the setting change before her eyes, Twilight had the strongest gut feeling that she knew this place. Looking over to Celestia, she saw that same look of familiarity in her eyes. Slowly, the pieces fitted themselves together in both their minds, until both ponies realized at once where they were. But while Celestia said nothing, Twilight failed to contain her excitement.
"WE'RE IN PONYVILLE!!!" she exclaimed.
Everyone turned to stare at her in puzzlement as the scenery finished changing, revealing that they were, indeed, in Ponyville. They were positioned in the middle of town square; Twilight could see the Golden Oaks Library off in the distance. Her excitement faltered, however, when she failed to spot anypony else wandering the streets.
"Where is everypony?" she whispered inaudibly to everyone except Aza itself, who immediately responded.
"Twilight, could you honestly say you'd WANT all of your friends to be roped into my experiment?"
Twilight sighed. "No, I wouldn't."
"Anyway, this is your new home, everyone. As you'll see, Twilight and Celestia, I've brought your whole home planet for use here, minus any of its inhabitants, for now anyways."
Celestia narrowed her eyes. "And what are you implying with that, Aza?"
"All will be revealed in due time, Celestia. For now, I have something for all of you."
Something immediately began materializing on the ground in front of everyone. When it finished, they saw it was a set of eight unlit torches bundled together with a piece of twine.
"You each get one torch; these will come into play later tonight. Oh, and by the way, two things to note Celestia/Twilight. One, this isn't your native Equestria, but rather an alternate version with some minor differences. Two, I'll be taking over your typical responsibility of raising/lowering the sun/moon."
Celestia sighed. "Very well."
"And with that settled, good-bye, kinda, sorta."
". . . so," Twilight spoke up, to which everyone returned their gazes onto her, "how about if Celestia and I show you all around; maybe find a place for everyone to sleep?"
Everyone else nodded their agreement, and Twilight proceeded to give them a tour of her hometown. Despite the absence of her friends, being back in Ponyville greatly helped ease Twilight's mounting stress and fears.
"Wow, this sure beats da heck outta mah tree dome," Sandy proclaimed.
It was about mid afternoon. Twilight had finished giving her tour of Ponyville to the group and headed back to Golden Oaks afterward along with Sandy. The two of them decided it was only fitting that they both take up residence in Twilight's tree library seeing as how they both lived in tree homes. With the exception of Celestia, who'd flown off to Canterlot to retrieve a few things, everyone else in the group had taken up residence in one of many houses scattered throughout Ponyville. Twilight said they could do so only if they promised not to wreck anything, as the homes still belonged to all of her friends. They readily agreed, though Twilight was dubious about SpongeBob nonetheless, based on what Sandy said regarding his tendency to get into trouble.
"Is that taking into account the fact that it's likely now a smoldering crisp?" Twilight replied to Sandy's proclamation. "No offense, of course."
"None taken," Sandy answered while they climbed the stairs to Twilight's bedroom, "and no; whoever carved out this beauty easily puts mah pappy ta shame."
Twilight giggled. "So, I take it you'll enjoy staying with me while we're here?"
"Yer darn tootin' Ah will!"
Twilight paused momentarily in response, smiling wryly as she let herself get lost in thought. They were now at the top of the staircase looking into Twilight's bedroom; Sandy was impressed with how well designed and furnished it was. She took notice of the lavender unicorn's silence and turned to face her, seeing a far away look in her eyes.
"Hey, y'all okay there Twilight?"
Twilight snapped back to reality and blushed slightly. "You share accents with one of my best friends, Applejack. Whenever you talk, I can't help but be reminded of her."
Sandy smiled. "Well, ain't that a good thing?"
"It is," Twilight replied sheepishly, "but it feels a little awkward to hear that country talk come out of someone else's mouth."
Sandy frowned. "You miss your friends, huh?"
Twilight nodded. "And it certainly doesn't help that I'm back here in Ponyville and unable to count on them for support."
"Hey, don't fret Twilight." Sandy patted Twilight's back a couple times. "Y'all can count on the rest of us every bit as much as you can your friends back home. We'll get each other through any n' every challenge Aza throws our way, I promise."
Twilight looked up into Sandy's eyes and smiled. "Thanks for the pep talk Sandy; I really needed it."
"Yer welcome," the squirrel replied. "Now, y'all got a spare bed fer me?"
Samus sat atop a hill just outside of Ponyville proper, gazing into the distance at the city of Canterlot nestled alongside the Canterhorn. She was waiting for Celestia to return from her errand to the capital city; the solar princess said she had something that could provide a power increase to her Varia Suit. Samus couldn't even begin to guess what it was, but she readily welcomed anything that could help her survive Aza's sadistic games. Additionally, she was curious as to how well magic in Equestria could work in tandem with her home's advanced technology. If Ridley showed up, especially, she wanted to be armed to the teeth upon facing him.
Samus was interrupted from her thoughts by the sound of approaching footsteps behind her. Turning around, she saw James Bond casually strolling up the hill towards her; hands in his pockets and gazing up towards the sky. She turned to look back at Equestria's capital city as he stepped up next to her.
"So, how goes it?" he asked.
"Fine."
James sat down on the grass next to her. "It's quite beautiful, this place, isn't it?"
Samus sighed. "What do you want, James?"
"Just looking to engage in a friendly conversation with you." He smiled when she briefed a glance over to him. "After all, we have quite a bit in common with each other."
Samus turned to look at him. "You said you're a government agent; I'm a freelance bounty hunter. There's a difference between the two."
James shrugged. "True, but we're driven by the same desire, are we not?" He returned Samus' gaze. "Or am I correct in assuming you act more out of vengeance than justice?"
Samus broke her gaze from him and returned to watching Canterlot. "That's none of your business."
"On the contrary," James replied. "Given our current predicament, everything about all of us is each other's business. Besides, I'd be lying if I said vengeance didn't sometimes appeal to me as well."
Samus briefly quirked an eyebrow in response before spotting the distant silhouette of Celestia flying out of Canterlot back toward Ponyville. She knew it was Celestia because the group of eight were (to their knowledge) the only life forms currently inhabiting the solar princess' home planet. James spotted her too, but continued talking regardless.
"When I said we have a lot in common I wasn't referring to our occupations." Samus returned her gaze to him as he continued. "I too lost my parents at a young age and was subsequently orphaned." He lay back on the grass with his hands under his head. "Perhaps a rephrasing of my choice of words is in order; our lives draw many parallels with each other."
"How'd you lose your parents?" she asked.
James smiled, clearly happy that Samus was returning his interest in her. "They had an accident while mountain climbing; I was eleven when it happened. I lived the rest of my childhood with my aunt; nowhere near as exciting as living with an alien race, I must say."
Samus deadpanned. "At least you still had family; I meant what I said about losing everything to the Space Pirates."
James shifted his gaze back to her. "You're wrong on the latter."
"What?"
James sat back up and looked Samus squarely in the eyes. "Unlike you, I have no one to blame for my parent's deaths. I lost them not at the hands of another life, and not due to anyone's greed, jealousy, or hatred. They just died in one of reality's many unfortunate happenstances. You, on the other hand, lost them precisely due to another's greed, and therefore have something to pin blame on for their deaths. You have a purpose to your killing, Samus; with every Space Pirate that's slaughtered you feel a twinge of happiness saying you're that much closer to avenging your parents' deaths. I, however, have no such scapegoat. I don't feel anything from killing enemies other than pity; they plotted world conquest, I was sent in, we met, I ended his or her life, and that's all there was to it."
Samus fell silent for a moment, trying to process everything she'd just been told. When she finally found her voice, she found herself speaking in a much softer tone than before.
"But you still have purpose, James. With each life you end, your world is that much closer to achieving peace. Is that not worth fighting for?"
James sighed. "It most certainly is, but . . . I didn't become 007 entirely out of my own free will."
"What do you mean?"
"What I mean is, you readily took up the role of intergalactic savior because you have a personal stake in it all. I, however, had little to no choice in the matter. I only became a 00 agent because I never once believed it was possible to make something better out of myself. Believe me when I say being a spy was never my dream job as a lad, and I suppose I'm correct in assuming being a bounty hunter was never your dream job before losing your parents?"
Samus looked downcast. "No, of course it wasn't."
James rested a hand on Samus' shoulder, to which Samus gasped slightly before returning his gaze.
"In case it wasn't obvious already, I'll be blatant in asking you. Would you be willing to ally with me throughout all this? Have my back if I have yours'?"
Samus again processed what she'd been told before answering in a warm tone. "Sure thing, James."
She then proceeded to lightly hug James, a gesture that caught him off guard, but he smiled regardless. It was then that they both heard a heavy flapping sound emanating from above. Looking up, they spotted Celestia descending toward them, finally back from her trip to Canterlot. In her telekinetic aura was a golden box adorned with several jewels, all of which shined brightly in the gleaming sun.
"I'm sorry," she said, "am I interrupting a moment of intimacy here?"
Samus chuckled as she broke away from James. "No Celestia, we were just comparing and contrasting our tragic lives with each other. Would you care to join in? After all, you'd have quite a bit to say."
Celestia cleared her throat sheepishly. "Never mind. Anyway, can we talk in private?"
James laid back down on the grass. "I'll be here napping if you ladies need me."
With a nod, Celestia began walking toward a nearby grove of trees with Samus following close behind. Once they were a sizeable distance from the forest's edge Celestia stopped and sat down on her haunches, gesturing for Samus to do the same.
"So," Samus said as she sat down, "what's in the box?"
Celestia used her magic to open the chest containing five necklaces and a tiara. Each one had a different colored gem embedded in the front, each in the shape of a certain object. While the Elements themselves were familiar, Celestia noted that four of the accompanying gems were different from their respective counterparts back home; Magic and Generosity had the same lavender magic star and purple diamond that she was familiar with, whereas Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness, and Laughter had a blue orb, a yellow arrowhead, a green treble clef, and an orange feather, respectively. Celestia briefly pondered who the elemental bearers of this Equestria might be before answering Samus' question.
"These are the Elements of Harmony," she replied. "As I said before, these are the artifacts used to defeat the greatest of my world's enemies."
Samus picked up the Element of Laughter and examined it. "They're pretty," she mused, "but how are they supposed to power up my suit?"
Celestia traded Laughter for Honesty and sighed. "While I do believe a way can be found to make your suit's technology work in tandem with the elements, there's another reason for why I brought them here."
"Do tell," Samus replied.
"Certainly." Celestia used her magic to fit the Element of Loyalty around her neck, right above the Alicorn Amulet and leaving no more room for anything else. "I can tell you're still hesitant to put absolute trust in me or anyone else here." Samus deadpanned before her eyes widened when Loyalty glowed briefly.
Celestia smiled. "In order for one to wield an Element of Harmony they must possess the required trait to a certain, but very much high, degree. As you can see, Loyalty has accepted me as its bearer."
Samus blinked. Where is she going with this?
"But there's always strength in numbers," Celestia continued as she used her magic to levitate Honesty in front of Samus, "and I have a strong feeling you'll be able to wield Honesty no problem. With these two elements, a perfect trust can be forged between us; do you accept?"
Samus stared at the hovering element in front of her, unsure as to the truth of Celestia's claims. Eventually, she decided no harm could come out of it and nodded her head in agreement.
"Do I just put it on?" she asked.
"Yes, just place it around your neck and Honesty will immediately judge you."
Samus grabbed Honesty and, slightly hesitantly, placed it around her neck just above the neck rim of her Power Suit. Once it was firmly in place, she waited a moment for Honesty's judgment. It took a little bit longer than it had for Celestia, but eventually Honesty radiated the same glow for a moment. Samus looked up to meet Princess Celestia's smiling face.
"I promise to stick by your side no matter what," she proclaimed.
She was telling the truth, no, the complete and utter truth; this is what Samus felt in her heart in response to Celestia's promise. The sensation she felt from Honesty's confirmation was unlike anything she'd ever experienced before. It felt deeper than the sensation which accompanied use of her Power Suit, which was activated whenever she willed it to. Samus couldn't think of anything more basic than willpower that could serve as the medium for Honesty's power, but she decided not to gleam for information on the subject as it just wasn't worth the time and comprehension.
"So, do we have a solid alliance now?" Celestia asked, extending a hoof out.
Samus smiled as she grasped the proffered hoof with her hand and shook it.
"Of course."
C'mon, c'mon, I need this . . . . . . *sigh* maybe I should just stick to the basics. Alright, I can do this . . . . . . YES!!! Now, how well can I control this thing? . . . . . . Looks like I need some practice. Meh, I should still be able to adequately conduct council tonight. Speaking of which . . .
It was now close to dusk. Normally, Twilight would be in her tree home reading a book at this time. While she was indeed in her beloved library, instead of reading a book she was busy showing an ever curious Sandy how unicorn magic worked. Said squirrel was busy taking notes as Twilight demonstrated her telekinesis, all the while asking questions that would normally irritate the lavender unicorn for being common knowledge.
"So, the carbuncle acts as da transmitter and receiver?"
"Eeyup," Twilight replied, channeling Big Macintosh.
"Fascinatin'," Sandy said. "That actually reminds me of somethin' SpongeBob told me he-"
Sandy's sentence was cut off as, in but an instant, the sky outside changed from the orange hue of twilight hour to the pitch black of night. The sensation of transitioning from dusk to night in a second was foreign even to Twilight and Celestia, the latter of which always took care to keep the change gradual so as to not upset the natural order. With no other living creatures occupying Equestria, however, such care wasn't needed.
"Everyone," Aza's "voice" emanated from everywhere at once, "Gather in town square; the next phase of my experiment is about to begin."
Sandy looked to Twilight, who returned her gaze.
"Finish this later?"
"Eeyup."
The two dropped their holdings and proceeded to leave Golden Oaks, a knot forming in both their stomach's all the while in fear of what might happen next.
From inside their chosen house, Yugi and the pharaoh were debating which of them should be in control for the next phase of Aza's experiment. Both had a gut feeling that Aza's plans entailed something different from what had already been thrown at them. The sentient universe had already split them up once for individual challenges, and if it wanted to do something like that again they doubted it would ask them all to congregate first. There was also the matter of the torches Aza had left for them, for what purpose they hadn't a clue to.
. . . Pharaoh, maybe it would be best if you took over for now.
What makes you say that, Yugi?
I've been thinking lately; you haven't gotten to know everyone as well as I have.
. . . I suppose not.
Remember when I forced you to bond with Tea for a day?
Heh heh, yes, I do.
You were quite nervous, if I remember correctly.
I'll admit I was fearful since up to that point I hadn't come out for any reason other than to duel in your place when things got too dangerous. I wasn't sure how your friends would take to me, but I'm thankful you had me forge bonds with all of them.
Think you can do the same now?
Would I have your support?
That goes without saying.
Everyone arrived in town square not long after Aza's announcement. Some came with others in tow, such as Samus, Celestia, and James from Ponyville's town limits, and Twilight and Sandy from Golden Oaks. Frank and SpongeBob were already in town square at the time, sparring, and only stopped once everyone else had arrived. The pharaoh was the only one to arrive alone, in body, at least. As soon as everyone was present, Aza spoke up.
"Now then, let's start this next phase, shall we?"
"Do we have a choice?" Frank asked, sarcasm obvious in his tone.
"No, you don't. For this next phase, you will all need one of the torches I've provided."
Nothing more needed to be said; everyone made for the torches once the bundle was unwrapped. They were all the same in appearance, the generic wicker design seen in Hawaiian-themed restaurants and whatnot. Once everyone had selected a torch, Aza spoke up again.
"Now, I have good news and bad news for all of you. Since I can't give you the bad without also spoiling the good I'll give you the latter first. The good news is that one of you will be released from my experiment and returned to your own world tonight."
The reactions on everyone's faces to its proclamation was exactly what Aza expected. Twilight, SpongeBob, and Sandy perked up and their faces split into grins seemingly wider than should've been possible. Everyone else, especially Celestia and the pharaoh, had mixed reactions that Aza could tell stemmed from the belief that there were strings attached. Not necessarily true, but things never are simple in reality and this phase was no exception.
"What's the bad news?" James asked.
If Aza had a face, it would've smirked at this point. "The bad news is you all have to make the choice as to who leaves."
Immediately, everyone's faces changed to confused expressions.
"What do you mean?" SpongeBob asked.
Again, if Aza had a face it would've smirked. "Allow me to give you all a rundown on tonight's proceedings. First, you all will take some more time to chat amongst yourselves; social-strategy will come into play here. When I give the command, you'll then proceed into the Everfree Forest where we will conduct Tribal Council. I'll explain the proceedings of Tribal once you get there, but I'll tell you now that you'll each cast a single vote for whomever you wish to see leave. Whomever receives the most votes will have their torch snuffed out and be sent home immediately. Know that your decisions at Council will affect what happens later down the line, so be wise in choosing who you vote for; the last thing you'd want is to be left with no supporting allies for future challenges."
Everyone stared blankly for a few seconds before becoming sheepish as their brains processed everything Aza just told them. On one hand/hoof, they all wanted to leave ASAP; on the other hand/hoof, they were afraid of being stuck there without anyone whom they could fully trust. They all looked nervously to each other with eyes that said 'Hey, can you help a friend out and send me packing?' or 'Would now be an inopportune time to ask for an alliance with you?'. All the doubt and distrust being shared by everyone delighted Aza immensely, as this was exactly what it hoped would happen in conducting this phase of its experiment.
"Well, have fun."