//------------------------------//
// 09: False Hope 
// Story: Code Lyoko: EG 
// by Azure Sandora 
//------------------------------//

Theme Song: A World Without Danger

09: False Hope

“Virtualization!”

There was a white flash, and Luna felt herself be pulled into Lyoko, appearing in the Ice Sector, now wearing a blue general's uniform with a long black cape.  At her side was a rapier.

“The source codes are in my sector,” Celestia's voice was heard from the real world, “Jon's still hurt, and with Sombra...”

“Tia, you need to guide me to Sector 5,” Luna said.

“R-right,” Celestia said, clearly trying to hold in her tears, “The transport is up ahead.  I'll type in the code when you get there.”

Luna ran ahead, unaware of the monster that was creeping up behind her.  Right when she reached the edge of the sector, she was hit in the back by a krab's shot.

Luna: 80 HP

She fell to one knee, but quickly turned around and pulled out her rapier.

“Luna, we don't have time for this,” Celestia said, “You need to continue to the edge of the sector.”

“Come now, dear sister, I have time to entertain a single guest,” Luna said with a confident smirk, “I have never run away from a fight before, and I won't start now.”

“Luna!”

Luna ran over to the krab, her long black cape billowing behind her.  The krab continued to shoot at her, but she simply used her rapier to deflect the shots.  Luna then jumped into the air over the krab, wrapped her cape around herself turning into a black drill, and shot through the krab killing it.

“You will not defeat me, XANA!” Luna proclaimed, “My might is far greater than-” a shot behind her caught her attention.  Luna turned around and saw three more krabs running up to her, joined by a swarm of hornets.

Luna ran back away from the monsters as someone virtualized above her.  They were a voluptuously built woman with really long and full green hair, wearing a tattered and revealing black dress, fishnet stockings, black high heels, and green bug wings on her back.

When she landed, she flew over to one of the krabs and latched onto its leg biting into it, seeming to suck some sort of energy from it.  When she finished, she flew back and was engulfed in green energy, turning into a krab herself.

In her new form, she fired at the other krabs killing them before running after Luna.  Luna pulled out her rapier about to strike, but the krab motioned in a way that said no and shifted back into the woman.

“It's me, Auntie!” the young woman said.

“Sorry Chrysie,” Luna said, “You're so convincing when you do that.”

“I asked Chrysalis to help us too, since XANA is much stronger in Sector 5,” Celestia explained.

“What?  Don't think I can handle it on my own?” Luna asked folding her arms.

“Auntie, I don't think it's like that,” Chrysalis said, “Aunt Tia just wants to make sure XANA doesn't get a one up on us.”

Luna sighed and ran on ahead.  She hated how little faith Celestia had in her.  She was the best fighter on Lyoko, so she should have known how strong she really was.



It took them a little while, but they eventually made it to Sector 5, also known as Agartha.  When they landed, they ran to the main section, where they were ambushed by an army of creepers.

“There's too many of them!” Chrysalis said holding out her hand creating a green energy shield, “We can't get through!”

“You can't get through!” Luna said pulling out her rapier, “I'll be just fine!”

“Auntie, no!” Chrysalis called out as Luna charged into the army of monsters.  She had no choice now.  She had to cover her.  She shifted back into her krab form and began firing at the creepers that Luna missed.

“Chrysalis, we need to break the security.  Find the switch,” Celestia commanded.  Chrysalis hated leaving her aunt, but she had no choice at this point.  She changed back and flew around the ever changing room to find the switch while Luna continued to plow through the monsters around her.

Chrysalis found the switch right above the exit on a platform.  She pushed the switch, unaware of how close the ceiling was to slamming down on her.

“I pushed the switch.  We should-” Chrysalis was suddenly crushed by a lowered section of the ceiling.

Chrysalis: 0 HP

Now that Luna was alone, the creepers continued to come out around her endlessly.

“Luna, you have to get out of there!” Celestia cried.

“I can't!” Luna cried in response, “There's too many of them!  XANA is-” she stopped when she saw something approaching her from behind.  It was a large jellyfish like monster.  She screamed as the tentacles of the creature wrapped around her trapping her.

“Luna?!  LUNA!!!!!”



Luna woke up with a start.  It was the middle of the night, and she was still in her bedroom.

“What's happening to me?” Luna asked, lying back in her bed covering herself with the sheets completely, “Celestia… help me...”



The elevator door opened, and Luna walked into the super computer room.  Everyone was already there.

“Glad ya could join us,” Applejack said with a smirk, “We didn't think you'd come.”

“Well, I'm apparently a part of your group now,” Luna said, “If we're going to turn the computer off, I feel I should be here as well.”

“You picked one hell of a time to join though,” Pinkie Pie said, “We're pretty much done now.  Speaking of which,” Pinkie Pie turned to the newly materialized Fluttershy, “How did you sleep?”

“Oh, it was wonderful,” Fluttershy said, “I never knew sleeping was so relaxing.”

“Ya should have seen those two,” Applejack said with a laugh, “Ah woke up, an' saw Fluttershy an' Twilight snuggled up tagether with their arms wrapped around each other.  Truly adorable.”

“Did you take a picture?” Dash asked.

“Sure did,” Applejack pulled out her phone as Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Luna all gathered around to look at it.

“Aww...” everyone said in unison.  Fluttershy was blushing madly trying to hide behind her hair, and Twilight refused to turn around from the computer.

“Ahem!” Twilight cleared her throat catching everyone's attention, “Need I remind you that there's still something we need to do?  XANA is still alive.”

“Right, right,” Applejack said putting her phone away, “Let's get to it.”

As everyone walked to the elevator, Rarity walked next to Fluttershy, “Do you miss Lyoko at all?”

“Maybe a little,” Fluttershy said, “But I've lived there for as long as I can remember.  I'm sure I'll get used to life here in the real world.”

“I'll help you any way I can,” Rarity said, “Think of me as older sister.”

“Thank you so much Rarity,” Fluttershy said, “You're really nice.”

“Ahh, give it a day an' you'll see how much of a she-devil she really is,” Applejack said playfully.  Rarity hit Applejack's arm when they made it to the elevator, which was a lot fuller than usual.

The ride was a lot longer, as they were going past the scanner room and into the bottom most section of the factory.  Inside they saw a large white room, with a black and gold machine slowly rising out of what looked like liquid nitrogen.

“My God...” Luna said, “Is this… XANA?”

“In a way, yeah,” Twilight said, “This is the main super computer.”

“XANA's body was under us the entire time...” Dash said, “That's unsettling.”

The seven of them walked over to the machine, all with different expressions and different thoughts.  Both Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie thought back to when XANA had blinded Pinkie Pie, Dash balling up her fists with Pinkie Pie holding Dash's arm in defense.

Applejack looked at Rarity for a second, remembering when she was infected with that anxiety bug and almost died.  She then turned back to the machine and gritted her teeth glaring at it.

Rarity wasn't even looking at the machine.  She looked down, trembling in controlled rage.  All she could think about was the time when XANA had almost killed her little sister.  She swore then that she was going to kill XANA.  She had wanted to do it herself, but this was just as satisfying.

Luna looked up at the machine in awe and fear.  She had no memories of what this thing did thanks to all of the return trips to the past, but she felt a sense of dread looking at this machine.  Something told her that she lost something thanks to it.  She wanted to run so badly, but she couldn't bring herself to.

Fluttershy hid behind Twilight, trembling in fear looking at the machine before her.  Not just because she was looking at XANA incarnate, but also from something deep inside of her.  Something bad was getting ready to happen, she could tell.

Twilight was looking at the machine intently, taking in that she was looking at XANA himself.  He couldn't move, he couldn't talk, he couldn't defend himself right now.  She had all the control, and all the power.  All she had to do was pull a single switch, and it would be over for good.

“Can you see us, XANA?” Twilight asked, “Can you hear me?  Look at who's behind me right now.  I have Fluttershy, and you don't.  You said that she was your slave forever, but we set her free.  Now there's nothing you can do to stop me from turning you off.

“I do have to thank you though.  It's because of you that I met Fluttershy, and that I became friends with Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity.  I even got closer to Vice-Principal Luna, who's always been sort of like an aunt to me.  You existing was what made all of that happen, so I can't ignore that, but I can't forgive you for everything you did to me, to my friends, or to Fluttershy!”

Twilight walked forward to the machine and put her hand on the switch, “This is the end, XANA.  You lose, and we win.  Good bye forever, XANA!” Twilight pulled the switch down.  The machine, the room, everything shut down.

At the same time, Fluttershy's expression went blank, and she fell to the floor limp, as if she were dead.

Pinkie Pie saw that and gasped loudly, “TWILIGHT!!!”

Twilight turned around and saw Fluttershy lying on the floor and instantly ran over to her, “Fluttershy?!  Fluttershy, what's wrong?!  Answer me!!!”

Everyone crowded around them worried.

“Hey!  Why'd she faint?!” Dash asked.

“I don't know!  She's not moving at all!” Twilight checked her pulse, and went pale, “No… she doesn't have a pulse!”

Rarity looked at the super computer, and ran over to it.

“Rares, what are ya doin?!” Applejack asked.

“Saving Fluttershy!” Rarity said turning the machine back on.  Immediately Fluttershy took in a sudden breath of air and sat up, breathing heavily.

“W-what happened to me?” Fluttershy asked, looking at Twilight who was trembling, “Twilight, did I… die?”

“Oh Fluttershy!” Twilight broke down holding Fluttershy, “I'm sorry… I'm so sorry...”

Luna put her hand on Twilight's shoulder, “Twilight, we need to figure out what happened.”

“Y-you're right,” Twilight said wiping her eyes, “Come on.  We'll scan Fluttershy and figure out what XANA did to her.”

Everyone got up and walked over to the elevator, except for Rarity.

“Rarity, you coming?” Dash asked.

“I'll join you in second,” Rarity said, “Need time… alone...”

The elevator closed going up.  When she was sure she was alone, Rarity balled up her fists looking down growling in anger.  She then looked up at the machine, tears of anger streaming from her eyes.  After a second, she ran over to the machine and began pounding it, screaming in rage.  She knew that it wasn't hurting XANA at all, but she wanted XANA to know exactly how much she hated him.

After a few seconds, she fell to her knees sobbing uncontrollably.  She hated XANA for what he forced her to do just now, she hated herself for doing it, and also for partially regretting it.  She just saved Fluttershy, and XANA.

“Ya nenavizhu tebya… XANA...*” she sobbed.



Fluttershy was put back in the scanner, not to go back into Lyoko, though.  That was the last place they wanted Fluttershy to go.  Twilight put her in so they could scan her DNA to see what was wrong.

Luna had theorized that since she came from Lyoko she was an intimate part of its programming, but Twilight told her that wouldn't be the case.  The program was designed to separate her from the program that was Lyoko so she could exist independently of it.  This shouldn't have happened.

After she was done being scanned, Fluttershy came back up to the computer room to help Twilight with the analysis.  They seemed to work well together even in the real world, Fluttershy standing over Twilight's shoulder looking at her data along with Twilight.

As they were the only ones who were useful, everyone else just scattered in the computer room doing their own thing.  Pinkie Pie sat off in a corner playing some sort of Mega Man game on her 3DS, Rainbow Dash was on another side stretching, Rarity had come up a little while ago and needed comforting, so she and Applejack went off to the back of the room to talk, and as Luna felt a little out of place, she had opted to stay toward the back too, so she heard their conversation.

“I hate myself...” Rarity said.

“Rares, don't do that ta yerself,” Applejack said embracing her from behind.

“I save XANA… I must be XANA's favorite person now…” Rarity fussed.

“Rares, listen to yerself,” Applejack said, “Yer treatin yerself like yer our enemy now.”

“Aren't I?” Rarity asked turning to Applejack, “XANA is alive, because I pulled on switch!”

“If I may interject,” Luna said walking up to them, “I feel that you were the bravest one there, Miss Dostoevskaia.”

“Brave?  Me?” Rarity asked.

“You didn't save XANA,” Luna said, “You saved Fluttershy.  XANA coming back to life was a side effect.  Unfortunate, but necessary in order to save her.”

“So… I did right thing?” Rarity asked.

“Tell me, do you regret saving your friend?” Luna asked.

“Nyet!” Rarity said shaking her head.

“Had there been another way, would you have taken it?” Luna asked.

“Dah!  Dah!” Rarity said nodding.

“Then there's nothing to be upset over,” Luna said, “XANA might be happy, but Fluttershy is alive.  That's what's important.”

Rarity closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then nodded, “You're right, Vice-Principal.  Spasibo,” Rarity said with a bow.  Luna raised an eyebrow, making Applejack laugh a bit.

“She said thank you,” Applejack said.  Luna nodded.

“Oh, you're welcome, Miss Dostoevskaia,” Luna said walking off.

“She's actually nicer than I thought,” Rarity said.

“She's still a cunt though,” Applejack said.  Rarity giggled and kissed Applejack on the cheek.

“Spasibo, Applejack.  You help me feel better too.”

“Aw, yer welcome, Rares,” Applejack said rubbing the back of her head blushing.

Luna sat down next to Pinkie Pie instinctively, who was really into her game it seemed.  After a second, she turned to Luna and held her game out to her.

“Wanna give it a try?” Pinkie Pie asked out of nowhere.  Luna looked surprised, and seemed to consider her answer.

“Well… um… I don't…” she turned to Pinkie Pie, who was smiling, “Gimme the game.”

Pinkie Pie handed her the 3DS, and Luna began playing.  She seemed to be having trouble in the beginning, but Pinkie Pie helped her with a few of the controls.  After a second, she was just as into it as Pinkie Pie.

After a few more minutes, both Twilight and Fluttershy gave the same grave sigh at the same time, catching everyone except for Luna's attention.

“YES!!!” Luna shouted pumping her fist.  When everyone turned to look at her, she pointed to the 3DS, and then looked down in shame sitting back down.

Applejack rolled her eyes and put her attention back to Twilight and Fluttershy, “What did y'all see?”

“Well, we know what XANA did to Fluttershy,” Twilight said sitting back in her seat.  Fluttershy walked off from everyone and leaned against a wall looking down, her eyes covered by her hair.

“Okay, so what did he do?” Dash asked, “And how do we fix it so we can turn the computer off?”

Twilight sighed turning her chair around to look at everyone, “We can't turn it off.  Fluttershy is missing vital data.”

“Vital data?” Pinkie Pie asked, “What sort of data?”

“I don't know,” Twilight said, “But that data is most likely within Lyoko, and probably stolen by XANA himself.”

“Oh Fluttershy...” Rarity said looking at the quiet teen in question, her expression unreadable.

“So until you find this missing data…” Luna said, letting someone finish.

“I'm… still connected to Lyoko… and XANA...” Fluttershy said somberly.  Everyone was silent hearing this.  They had worked so hard to rescue Fluttershy, and XANA had gotten the one up on them.  Now he was using Fluttershy as a hostage in order to keep himself alive.

XANA probably had this planned from the beginning, allowing them to think they had him beat.

Twilight stood up from her chair and walked to the elevator, leaving the computer room without a word.  Luna watched Twilight as she left while everyone else went over to Fluttershy.

“I'll follow Twilight,” Luna said taking the ladder up.

“Fluttershy...” Pinkie Pie said nuzzling her side like a cat almost.

“Talk to us,” Rainbow Dash said, “How are you holding up?”

“I really don't know...” Fluttershy said softly, “I feel this pain in my chest, and everything is darker right now...”

“Sounds like depression ta me,” Applejack said, “Which is understandable.  XANA found a way ta still keep ya prisoner.”

“I'll never escape XANA...” Fluttershy said somberly, “This proves it… no matter what I do… I'll always belong to him...”

“Stop it!” Rarity seethed, catching everyone's attention.  Fluttershy looked at Rarity in shock.

“Rarity?” Fluttershy asked.  Rarity walked over to Fluttershy and held her against the wall, shocking everyone.

“Stop saying that!  We didn't fight for six months just for XANA to laugh at us!  XANA wants us to feel helpless, but we're not going to give him satisfaction!  We're going to figure this out, but you giving up isn't going to do any good!”

Rarity apparently caught herself, because she let Fluttershy go and stepped back, both girls looking at each other in shock.

“Fluttershy, I...”

Fluttershy shook her head, “No, you're right.  I need to become stronger.  All of you are fighting so hard for me, yet here I am collapsing from this one thing XANA has done to me.  Thank you, Rarity.”

Rarity smiled, “You're welcome, Fluttershy.”

“Think Twilight is okay?” Pinkie Pie asked looking I the direction of the elevator.

“Luna's with her,” Applejack said, “Ah'd like ta think that she's in good hands.”

“Even Luna's?” Dash asked.

“Ah may hate the woman's guts, but Ah don't hate her,” Applejack explained, “She's jus' a bitch, an' a cunt.”

“And people say I have dirty mouth,” Rarity said with a raised eyebrow.

“Ah know the stuff ya say when yer angry,” Applejack said, “Yer a freakin sailor when pissed off.”

“But I curse in Russian, so it doesn't count,” Rarity said turning her nose to the air.  That got a laugh out of Fluttershy, something that made everyone relieved.  They had gone too long without hearing that sound today.

All was right in the world now.



Twilight went outside the factory and leaned on the railing of the bridge, where she let her tears flow freely.  She felt like she failed Fluttershy. She could just hear XANA taunting her.

I told you, didn't I?

Fluttershy belongs to me.

She's my slave now and forever.

“Damn you XANA...” Twilight sobbed, “Damn you...” she felt someone stand next to her, and looked to see Luna leaning against the rail right next to her, “Luna...”

“Seems this XANA has been toying with everyone,” Luna said, “First Rarity, then Fluttershy, and now you.”

“XANA told me this would happen,” Twilight said, “He said right to my face that Fluttershy was his forever, and I denied him like a fool,” she began crying softly, “I thought I could beat XANA, and he had all the cards the entire time.”

“Perhaps a part of you underestimated your enemy?” Luna asked.  Twilight thought about that for a second, sighing when she realized the answer.

“Maybe a little,” Twilight admitted, “We defeated XANA so many times, though.  You don't remember, because we used Return to the Past, but we've been fighting XANA for six months.”

“And what a fight,” Luna wrapped her arms around Twilight, “You should be proud of all you accomplished.”

“What good is it?” Twilight asked, “In the end, we lost.”

“No Twilight, you didn't lose, you just haven't won yet,” Luna said.  Twilight looked up at Luna in surprise.

“We haven't lost?” Twilight asked.

“No,” Luna said as if obvious, “The fight isn't over until you give up.  That, Twilight, is what XANA wants.”

Luna turned Twilight around to face her and put her hands on her shoulders.

“Twilight, you made me so proud yesterday.  How you fought for your friends, and the way you went into Lyoko yourself to save Fluttershy.  Celestia, Discord, you, everyone has been trying to tell me that there's something more important than grades, and after seeing what you were able to accomplish yesterday, I finally understand it.  You have grown into an amazing young woman Twilight, and I'm proud of you.”

Those words.  Most people didn't know this, but Twilight had always looked up to Luna and wanted her to be truly proud of her.  When she said that, she embraced the older woman.  They stayed like that for a few seconds, until Twilight saw Fluttershy walk out of the factory toward them.

“Fluttershy?” Twilight asked.  Luna turned to Fluttershy smiling, and then leaned in close to Twilight's ear.

“I think I'll leave you two alone now,” Luna said walking back into the factory.  Fluttershy stood next to Twilight leaning against the railing looking up at the sky.

“The sky is nicer here than in Lyoko,” Fluttershy said after a second.

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

“Well, it changes,” Fluttershy explained, “Each sector in Lyoko is just static, but here the sun rises and sets at regular intervals, sometimes its cloudy, water even falls from the sky.  I would love to see that,” there was a sudden breeze, and Fluttershy closed her eyes, “Mmm, the wind feels really nice.  I love your world, Twilight.”

“Fluttershy, I...” Twilight looked down, “I'm so sorry.  I promised that I would save you from XANA, yet you're still connected to him.  Even though you're here in the real world, XANA is still going to-”

Fluttershy suddenly turned Twilight around and kissed her.  It was deep, and full of love and passion.  She even locked her fingers around Twilight's.  Twilight was shocked at first, but soon fell into the bliss of the kiss.

When their lips parted, Fluttershy looked deep in Twilight eyes.

“I've wanted to do that for the longest, Twilight,” Fluttershy said.

“Oh… Fluttershy...” Twilight breathed out.

“On Lyoko, I could only see and hear,” Flutteshy admitted, “I wanted to have a human body when I kissed you, so I could feel what you felt.”

“How… did it feel?” Twilight asked, feeling incredibly flushed.

“Mmm… I loved it,” Fluttershy asked, “What I want to know though, is what you thought of it?”

“What… I...” Twilight's breathing picked up.  Holy cow Fluttershy was hot right now.

“Well, it was your dream, right?” Fluttershy got really close to Twilight, “Was it what you were hoping it would be, kissing me?”

“Oh… yes...” Twilight breathed out, “It… was...”

“You want to kiss again?” Fluttershy asked.

“Please?” Twilight asked.  Fluttershy instantly pressed her lips against Twilight's again.  There was no question what Fluttershy felt for Twilight.  She was in love with her.  Standing on the bridge, lip locked with this angel, made it real to Twilight.  Fluttershy was here.  She was actually here in the real world.

“Why are you doing this?” Twilight asked once they parted again, “Not that I mind, but-”

“Because XANA is probably watching,” Fluttershy said, “I'm not going to let XANA ruin this time for us.  We're together now, and I want to enjoy this as much as possible.  I want you to teach me about your world, Twilight.”

“Fluttershy… are we, um… you know...”

“I don't know, do you want to be… you know?”

God this girl was incredibly hot.  Twilight hadn't ever figured out if she was a lesbian or not, but if she wasn't, Fluttershy here converted her.

To answer her question, Twilight kissed Fluttershy, this time the two of them opening their mouths and letting their tongues meet for the first time.  This moment felt almost like a victory in of itself.

Take a good look, XANA, Twilight and Fluttershy thought.



Everyone decided to give Twilight and Fluttershy space for the rest of the day to themselves.  The two girls went all over Canterlot, Twilight showing Fluttershy many different sights.  They went to the arcade, where Twilight taught Fluttershy how to play laser tag.  They went to a movie, which Fluttershy really enjoyed.  Finally, Twilight took Fluttershy to a pizza shop, where Fluttershy tasted pizza for the first time.

At the end of the day, Twilight took Fluttershy back to her room, where they spent the rest of the night together.  After tomorrow Fluttershy would have her own room in the dorms, so they decided to enjoy sharing a bed for a little while longer.

When Applejack returned to her and Twilight's room, she saw Fluttershy and Twilight lying in Twilight's bed together, in a manner that told Applejack exactly what their relationship was.  She couldn't help but smile seeing them together.

“Y'all 're even further along than Rares an' Ah...” Applejack said softly.  She slowly closed the door, going to Dash and Pinkie Pie's room to get ready for bed as to not disturb the two sleeping lovebirds.



The next day, Fluttershy went to Celestia's office to be enrolled into Canterlot High.  The plan was that she'd be presented as an orphan, and the letter of recommendation was from one of the “nuns”, stating that Fluttershy was fifteen years old, shy, but brilliant.

She went early in the morning.  Luna opted to escort her to her sister's office.

“Thank you for helping us,” Fluttershy said.

“Twilight is like a niece to me,” Luna said, “I want to support her.  Mind you, I have no intention of going easy on you just because I'm a part of your group, and I'm only joining as your adult contact.”

“Oh, I realize,” Fluttershy said, “I didn't think you'd be going into Lyoko.  I would advice we scan you into the computer though, just in case we still have to use Return to the Past.”

“Will I have to...” Luna asked.

“Oh no, you don't have to go into Lyoko for that,” Fluttershy said, “We just have to give the computer your information.  I can sort of tell that you're afraid of the computer.”

“Y-yes...” Luna said looking away, “Ahh, here we are.”

Luna opened the door escorting Fluttershy into Celestia's office.

“Sister, the new student arrived,” Luna said.  Celestia looked up at Fluttershy while drinking her coffee, and actually choked in shock for some reason.

“Y-you!” Celestia cried out.

“Um… I'm sorry miss, do I know you?” Fluttershy asked.  Celestia was silent for a few seconds before composing herself.

“Sorry honey, I thought you were someone else,” Celestia said, “You have your letter of recommendation?”

“Yes,” Fluttershy said handing Celestia the letter.  Celestia looked the letter over, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.  Fluttershy's heart was racing, and Luna looked a little tense as well.

“Well, everything checks out,” Celestia said, “Since this is such short notice, you'll have the day off today.  Um, what did you say your full name was?”

Oh boy.  What was the name Twilight told her to use?

“Fluttershy Sandora,” Fluttershy said.

“Sandora… that's a unique last name,” Celestia said, “Where are you from?”

“I don't know...” Fluttershy said looking away slightly, “I was left at the orphanage when I was a baby.  The only thing I had was my full name and birth certificate.”

“I see...” Celestia said with a sigh, “Well, I'll have Luna show you to your room.  You're free to explore the campus for today, as long as you stay out of the classrooms.”

“Thank you Principal Celestia,” Fluttershy said with a bow.  She left the office in a hurry, as to get away from that woman.  Something about the way she looked at her wasn't right.

She acted like she knew her.



“By the Gods...” Celestia said covering her mouth in shock, “You actually did it...”

She didn't know how she did it, but Twilight actually succeeded.  Did this mean it was over?  Was she safe now?  No, there was something wrong.  Fluttershy acted like… she didn't know her.



Unknown to everyone, one of the scanners was activated, and began scanning something.  When it opened, something small and metallic walked out looking around.

A kankrelak…



“So?  Spill it.” Dash said to Twilight at lunch.  This was one of the few periods they all had together.

“There's nothing to spill,” Twilight said biting into her sandwich.

“Please.  Applejack told me how you two looked last night,” Dash said rolling her eyes, “Lying under the covers, holding each other intimately, you guys are more obvious than Rarity and Applejack.”

Rarity threw a pea at Rainbow Dash, and Applejack whacked her in the arm.

“Fluttershy and I are… well I think we're… you know...” Twilight said sheepishly, “She surprised me.  When it comes to expressing her love, she's really seductive.”

“Fluttershy has natural beauty,” Rarity said, “Truth is, with her shy and innocent attitude, she could charm any boy in school.  Only made worse with how gorgeous she is.”

“Tell me about it,” Pinkie Pie said, “If she wasn't already taken, I'd be lesbian for her.”

“Ah thought you were already bi,” Applejack asked raising an eyebrow.

“Nope,” Pinkie Pie said shaking her head, “I'm completely straight.”

Everyone looked at Pinkie Pie like she was an alien.  She had flirted with, groped, licked, nuzzled, kissed every single one of them, and she was straight?!  What was wrong with the world?

“Anyway...” Twilight said trying to ignore that weirdness, suddenly feeling rather glum, “Guys, I'm afraid to enjoy this.”

“Why?” Dash asked.

“You know why,” Twilight said with a sigh, “XANA stealing her data.  She's not even fully here.  XANA is going to activate a tower at some point.  What if she tries to go back to Lyoko?”

“Ya still have Code Earth, right?” Applejack asked.

“I do, and I can still use it,” Twilight answered.

“Then when she does have ta go back ta Lyoko, jus' use Code Earth ta bring her back.  Also, by now if we use Return ta the Past she'll jus' end up somewhere in the real world.  Isn't the limit of that program forty-eight hours?”

“It is, and by now she's been in the real world for longer than that,” Twilight said, “But what if the rules are different for her.  Also, what if that data she's missing is really important, like she starts fading away or something, or she can't live in the real world for too long, or-”

“Twilight, stop,” Pinkie Pie said cutting her off, “Don't do this to yourself.”

“But-”

Pinkie Pie reached across the table and took Twilight's hands, “This is what XANA wants.  Fluttershy is fine, Twilight.  As long as the computer stays on, she'll be okay.”

“And I doubt XANA gonna turn the computer off himself,” Dash said, “That's the one thing we have in common with him.  Right now, we need that computer to stay on.”

“Thanks guys,” Twilight said breathing out in relief, “You're right.  Fluttershy is here, and that's what counts.”

“Speaking of her missing data,” Rarity said, “I have theory of what data might be.”

“Ya do?  Cause Ah'm stumped,” Applejack said.

“What if missing data is Fluttershy's memories,” Rarity asked.

“You think so?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Don't you think it's odd that Fluttershy doesn't remember why she was made?” Rarity asked, “I'd like to think that information would be downloaded within her.”

“That is true,” Twilight said thinking, “I never really thought about it, but Rarity brings up a good point.”

“I just sort of figured that the data just left from being shut down for ten years,” Dash said with a shrug.

“I thought that too,” Twilight said, “But that would mean that the computer itself has bugs in it or something.  The computer, the scanner, XANA unfortunately, they all work just fine.  The only thing that doesn't work properly...”

“Is Fluttershy,” Applejack said thoughtfully, “Also, she knows how the machines work.  She knew about XANA before any of us did, she knows how the scanners work, an' how the various programs like Return ta the Past an' deactivatin towers work.  How come she knows all of the functions of Lyoko...”

“Yet can't remember her own?” Dash asked, “Yeah, that is weird.”

“XANA must have stolen her memory files,” Twilight said, “If we're right though, then he must have taken them sometime before Eos and the other Architects shut down the computer.”

“Do we know anything about the Lyoko Architects yet?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“No more than before,” Twilight said, “Eos, Selene, Thanatos, Proteus, and Chaos are all code names based off Greek Deities.  They were smart keeping their identities a secret.”

“That sucks,” Dash said, “I bet they'd know where to look for Fluttershy's memories.”

“Hey, where is Fluttershy?” Pinkie Pie said looking around, “I haven't seen her all day?”

“Oh, I thought I told you,” Twilight said, “She's with Vice-Principal Luna in the factory.  She's going to scan her in the super computer so she won't lose her memories when we do Return to the Past.”

“So she's really joinin us, huh?” Applejack said somewhat irritated.

“Only as a consultant and out in school contact,” Twilight said, “I had always wanted to get a teacher on our side.  Having the Vice-Principal makes things a lot easier.  She'll be able to cover for us when we have to make factory runs, and help defend the school.”

“Well, Ah ain't changin my tune about her,” Applejack said.

“I doubt she's going to change her tune about you any easier,” Rarity said nudging Applejack.

“She's actually really nice when you get to know her,” Pinkie Pie said, “I'm gonna try and become her friend, so we can play video games together.”

“The Vice-Principal playing video games?” Dash asked, “Sure.  Next you're gonna tell me that the Principal is a computer hacker.”

Everyone laughed at the idea of Celestia being able to hack computers.

“I wonder what XANA's next move is going to be though,” Twilight said to herself, “Now that Fluttershy is in the real world, there's no telling what XANA will try to do.”

“Whatever XANA tries, we'll be ready,” Dash said.

“Yeah, don't worry,” Pinkie Pie added, “We've handled things fine up until now, right?”

“True, but XANA was holding back up until this point,” Twilight said.

“That's scary thought,” Rarity said, “Honestly, we might not be prepared.”

“Ah'm really worried 'bout Fluttershy bein out there on her own,” Applejack said, “Even if she's with Vice-Principal Luna...”



The scanner Luna was in opened after it was finished its job.  She wasn't afraid to admit that she was happy to be out of it.  Something about those things she hated.  She didn't know exactly what though.  Twilight and her friends seemed to be doing just fine with them, right?  So they were safe to use.

Luna took the elevator up, where she saw Fluttershy sitting in the seat that Twilight usually sat in.  She looked oddly at home there.

“So… are we done here?” Luna asked.

“Hold on...” Fluttershy said looking at the computer, “The super computer is picking up odd data from you.”

“Odd data?” Luna asked, getting a little worried.

“For some reason, it can't scan you completely,” Fluttershy said typing on the computer, “Don't worry, you're scanned into the computer for sure, but you won't be able to go into Lyoko.”

“Honestly, I'm not too upset about that,” Luna said rubbing her arm, “This place scares me.”

Flutteshy turned her seat around to Luna, “I understand.  Actually, I'm afraid of being here too.”

“You are?” Luna asked, “But you live here.”

“No, I lived there,” Fluttershy pointed to the hologram, “The computer itself just connects to it.  Seeing my home like this though… it makes me almost feel like its not real.”

“Well, clearly it is real,” Luna said, “Otherwise you wouldn't be here.”

“True,” Fluttershy said getting up, “Come on.  If we don't get back soon the others will wonder what we're doing.”

“Not complaining about that,” Luna said as she and Fluttershy got back in the elevator going up, “By the way, I heard a rumor that you and Twilight had quite an intimate night.”

Fluttershy blushed looking down, “Oh, um… did we do something bad?”

“Not really,” Luna said, “Just… knowing that Twilight did that is… hard for me.”

“I'm sorry,” Fluttershy said looking down, “I've wanted to be close to Twilight for months.  I love her very much.  I merely thought that it was the human thing to do...”

“And you weren't wrong,” Luna said, “It's just… Twilight is only fourteen in this world.  Go easy with her, okay?  Don't push her into anything that she'd be uncomfortable with.”

“Oh, I would never make her uncomfortable,” Fluttershy said, “Besides, she and I have different rooms now, so I'm sure she and I won't be able to...”

“Well, curfew is at nine,” Luna said, “That means whatever room you're in at that time is the room you're staying in for the night,” Fluttershy looked at Luna, who was giving her a knowing smile, “Just something to keep in mind.”

“Luna… I...”

“If you're going to be human, you need to learn how to bend the rules to get what you want.”

“This coming from the woman Applejack calls the queen of discipline?” Fluttershy asked with a laugh.

“I wasn't always the school disciplinarian.  In my youth I was quite the troublemaker myself,” Luna said, almost looking proud.

“Oh really?  You must have been a real hell raiser then, huh?” Fluttershy asked.  Luna blushed madly looking away.

“I'd… um… rather not talk about it...” Luna said awkwardly.

Fluttershy broke out laughing all of a sudden.  She said it.  She actually said it.

When they got outside they stopped as something red shot at their feet.  Fluttershy and Luna looked in front of them and saw the oddest thing in front of them.  A kankrelat.

“Fluttershy, what is that?” Luna asked.

“One of XANA's monsters!” Fluttershy asked, “But what's it doing out here in the real world?!”

The kankrelat charged up and fired at Fluttershy, but Luna pushed her out of the way getting shot in the back as a result.

“Augh!” Luna screamed.

“Luna!” Fluttershy cried out.  The kankrelat scurried over to Luna and Fluttershy poised to fire again, but Luna quickly turned around and kicked the tiny monster back.

“Come!” Luna said grabbing Fluttershy's hand and running back to the school.  She knew that Twilight would know what to do, and that Fluttershy would be safer surrounded by her bodyguards than with her.



One of the students of Canterlot High was outside walking back to the dorms when she saw something odd flying around the school.  It looked sort of like a bug, but it was bigger, and it actually looked like it was searching for something in particular.

When the large bug thing saw the student, it flew into her face making her fall back.  From its stinger, it fired a red laser at the student, who quickly scurried away screaming.

Pinkie Pie happened to be walking outside when she heard the student screaming.  She bumped into the student, who looked really frantic.

“Hey, what's up Bonnie?” Pinkie Pie asked, “You look like you saw a monster.”

“I did!  Look!” Bonnie said pointing behind her.  When Pinkie Pie saw what it was, her usual jovial attitude was replaced with instant action.

“Come with me!  Quick!” Pinkie Pie shouted running back in the school, the flying monster shooting at them the entire time.  As she ran she pulled out her cellphone.

“Dashie, we have a problem!” Pinkie Pie called out.

“What's up?” Dash asked.

“You're not going to believe it, but I'm being chased by a hornet!” Pinkie Pie cried.

“Pinkie Pie, XANA already tried that,” Dash joked.

“No Dashie, I mean a hornet, as in big, flying, fires lasers out of its ass, that kind of hornet!”

“Wait what?!  Hold on, where are you?!”

“I'm with Bonnie!  We're outside near-” Pinkie Pie gasped when she looked up, seeing three more hornets in front of her, “DASHIE!!! HELP ME!!!”



Dash heard something like a laser fire, and then the line went dead.

“Pinkie Pie?!  PINKIE PIE!!!” she hung up her phone, “Shit!” she ran off, ignoring her next class instead going out to search for Pinkie Pie.  If XANA hurt her, he'd wish they had just turned off the computer.

She was going to kill XANA.

On the way, she pulled out her cellphone again calling Rarity.

“Rarity, where are you currently?” Dash asked.

“On my way to English,” Rarity groaned, “Why?”

“Pinkie Pie was attacked by XANA's monsters, in the real world!”



Rarity dropped her books looking horrified.

“WHAT?!”



Pinkie Pie and Bonnie were backed up against a wall as the now five hornets hovered in front of them.  Normally she could handle these things easily, but there were two things different.  Number one, Dash was usually with her, and she could fight them easier.

Number two, she was usually a cat girl when facing these things.

“Hurry Dashie...” Pinkie Pie said trembling, “Find me… please...”

Rainbow Dash and Rarity met up outside and then turned to see Pinkie Pie and Bonnie about to be attacked.

“PINKIE PIE!!!” Dash shouted.  Rarity picked up a nearby crowbar and Dash picked up a rock.  The two girls ran over to the scene, Rainbow Dash throwing a rock at one of the hornets killing it.  When they flew over to them, Rarity spun around slashing two of the hornet killing them.

“I'll lead them away!” Rarity said running off, happy that the hornets were flying after her.  Dash ran over to Pinkie Pie and Bonnie, kneeling in front of Pinkie Pie.

“Pinkie Pie, are you okay?” Dash asked.  Pinkie Pie immediately embraced Dash.

“Oh Dashie, thank you!” Pinkie Pie cried, “I didn't know what to do!  I can't fight hornets in the real world!”

“I know,” Dash said looking into Pinkie Pie's eyes, “We'll get through this.  Let's get Twilight and Applejack, then we can search for Fluttershy and figure out how to fix this.”

Pinkie Pie nodded and got up with Dash, who looked at Bonnie.

“Get inside where it's safe,” Dash ordered, “No matter what, don't leave the school building, okay?”

“Alright,” Bonnie said, watching in shock as Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash ran off.



Rarity was now surrounded by hornets, who kept flying around her firing.  Thankfully she still had her skills from Lyoko, so she was able to block most of their attacks with the crowbar.

It was too bad she didn't have her real sword though, as the crowbar eventually took too much damage and was shot in half.  Rarity was about to react but was then shot in the shoulder.  Immediately she fell to her knees holding her shoulder in pain, as the shot hurt a lot more in the real world.

“Rares!” Rarity heard Applejack call out.  She then saw Applejack skate over to her, being chased by two more hornets and a kankrelat.

“AJ!” Rarity cried out.  She rolled out of the way as all the hornets fired at the same time, and she and Applejack ran into the gym together.  Once the door was secured shut, Applejack went over to Rarity, who fell into a sitting position wincing in pain.

“Damn, this looks bad,” Applejack said looking at the wound, “Can ya move it?”

“Dah...” Rarity nodded, “Where's Twilight?”

“She's back in her room,” Applejack said.  She heard another door open and close, and saw behind them Fluttershy and Luna run into the room.  Luna also looked like she was in pain.

“Fluttershy!  Luna!” Applejack ran over to them, “Are y'all okay?”

“I'm fine,” Fluttershy said, “But Luna was hit in the back by a kankrelat.”

“I'm fine,” Luna groaned, “This is just- AHH!!!” she screamed falling to her knees.  Applejack immediately held her up.

“Hold yer horses,” Applejack said, “Those shots can kill a real person.  Yer lucky it's jus' a flesh wound.  Fluttershy, Ah'll take Luna an' Fluttershy ta the infirmary.  You head ta Twilight's room an' wait fer Dash an' Pinkie Pie.”

Fluttershy nodded and ran off to Twilight's room.  Applejack helped Luna up and then walked over to Rarity, guiding them both to the infirmary.

“I'm impressed with your resolve,” Luna said to Applejack, “Maybe you're not such a spoiled delinquent after all.”

“Oh?” Applejack asked, “If yer thinkin that, then Ah need ta get started on my next prank soon.  Can't have ya thinkin I went soft.”

“God forbid,” Luna said.  Applejack couldn't tell if she were being sarcastic or serious, but she did know one thing.  Luna protected Fluttershy.  Maybe having her on the team wouldn't be so bad after all.



Fluttershy, now alone, fell to her knees hugging them, and broke down crying.  She knew why XANA was doing this.  He was trying to take her back.  He wanted to turn this wonderful thing into something awful, by telling them “I can materialize things into the real world too”.

XANA was going to bring the fight to the real world now, unless Fluttershy returned to Lyoko.  She didn't want to return to Lyoko, but if she didn't, XANA would…

Fluttershy heard running.  She looked up slightly and saw Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie running up to her.

“Fluttershy!” Dash said as she and Pinkie Pie knelt down to her.

“Dash… Pinkie Pie… I'm sorry...” Fluttershy sobbed, “This is my fault...”

“What do you mean?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“XANA is using the materialization program to bring his monsters out into the real world,” Fluttershy explained, “He's doing this because I'm here,” Fluttershy covered her face with her hands, “Even out here, I'm still putting your world in danger!  I'm a horrible person!”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Dash put her hands on Fluttershy's shoulders, “Listen, none of this is your fault.  XANA's just being an asshole, that's all.”

“We'll stop XANA,” Pinkie Pie said, “We always do, right?”

“R-right...” Fluttershy said with a nod.  Dash helped her up, and they continued to make their way to Twilight's room.  Once there, Twilight immediately turned to the door and looked relieved.

“Oh thank God!” Twilight said running up to Fluttershy and hugging her, “I was so worried about you out there!”

“Luna protected me,” Fluttershy said, “She's hurt though.  A kankrelat shot her in the back, and I think Rarity got hurt pretty bad too.”

“Shoot,” Twilight said, “This isn't good.”

“How is XANA doing this?” Pinkie Pie asked, “Is he really just using the materialization program?”

“I'm afraid so,” Twilight said, “Honestly, I didn't know he could make use of Lyoko programs himself.”

Dash thought to herself, “Hey, check the super scan,” she requested.

“Huh?” Pinkie Pie turned to Dash, “Why?”

“I have a theory,” Rainbow Dash said, “Just check it, okay?”

Twilight nodded and went back to her computer.  She immediately opened up the super scan, and an alarm went off, showing a tower activating.

“You were right,” Twilight said amazed, “XANA activated a tower in the Desert Sector.”

“Bingo,” Dash said, “XANA would have to if he planned on using a program in the super computer himself.  He may be all powerful in Lyoko, but he's still a computer program out here.”

“So if we just deactivate the tower, the monsters should go away?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Yep.  If we use Return to the Past too, Luna and Rarity should be okay too,” Dash continued.

“Problem,” Twilight said, “To deactivate the tower, that would mean...”

“I'll do it.”

Everyone turned to Fluttershy, who was looking down trembling.

“Fluttershy, are… you sure?” Twilight asked slowly.

“Yes, I am,” Fluttershy said balling up her fists, “XANA is attacking my friends' home.  If he wants me to come back to Lyoko so badly, then I'll go back to face him.”

Twilight looked down seriously.  This was what she was so afraid of.  XANA wanted Fluttershy to come back to Lyoko, and they were giving her right to him.

“We'll go in with her,” Pinkie Pie said, “Afterwards, just use Return to the Past and Fluttershy should be out here with us, right?”

“In theory, yes,” Twilight said, “It's just...”

“Twilight, please, let me do this,” Fluttershy took Twilight's hands earnestly, “You've worked so hard to protect me.  Now it's my turn to protect you.”

“Fluttershy…” Twilight said, embracing Fluttershy, “You're really brave, you know that?”

“No Twilight, I'm not,” Fluttershy returned the embrace, “I just have something in this world that I wish to protect.”

Pinkie Pie and Dash looked at them smiling somberly.  They really were great together, and here was XANA trying to tear them apart.

“We can take the secret passage,” Twilight said, “Hopefully it'll be clear.”

“If not, it will be in a minute,” Dash said pulling out her cellphone, “Applejack, where are you?  Great.  Yeah, we're heading to Lyoko, but we need you to make sure the secret passage is clear.  Alright, thanks,” she hung up, “Applejack is going to clear a path for us while she searches for other students and faculty.”

“Fantastic,” Twilight said, “Let's get going.”

Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash ran out of the room, but Fluttershy took one last look at the bedroom.  This could have been the last time she ever saw it.

“At least I finally got to kiss you, Twilight,” Fluttershy said somberly before running out of the room after her friends.  XANA wanted her so bad, well he was getting her.  He might not like what happened when she got there though.

She wanted to end this whole thing, today.



Applejack left Rarity and Luna in the infirmary, and then skated over to the secret passage.  Just as she thought, XANA placed a few kankrelats around it to guard it.  Applejack looked around for something to throw or shoot, and saw a water hose hooked up.  She smirked, picked it up, and ran over to the kankrelats.

“Hey, thirsty XANA?” Applejack said shooting the kankrelats with the water.  Thankfully they weren't water proof, because the two she hit began sparking and exploded.  The other two fired at her, but she jumped to the side and stuck her tongue out at them.

The kankrelats ran after her just as Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Fluttershy stepped out of their hiding place.

“Will she be alright?” Fluttershy asked.

“She'll be fine,” Twilight said, “Applejack is really resourceful.  Come on guys.”

They all climbed down the ladder into the sewers.  Pinkie Pie handed Fluttershy the second scooter.

“Here,” she said, “You can use Rarity's scooter.”

Fluttershy nodded and followed her friends down the pathway.  She was surprised by how quickly they reached the factory this way.  No wonder they always seemed to arrive so fast.

They climbed up the ladder, where they saw hornets hovering over the door waiting for them.

“On the count of three, we make a run for it,” Dash said, “One… two… three!”

The four girls ran as fast as they could under the monsters, each one grabbing a rope and swinging down to the elevator.  They saw kankrelats running up from behind them, but they ran into the elevator and Pinkie Pie closed the door right before the monsters tackled it.

Twilight got off the elevator at the computer room and went to the computer to begin the transfer procedure while Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy continued down to the scanner room.

“Okay, it looks like XANA is using one of the scanners to materialize his monsters,” Twilight said, “So I'm shutting that one down until we finish here.”

“Transfer Rainbow Dash!” Twilight said, closing the scanner once Rainbow Dash was inside.

“Transfer Pinkie Pie!” Twilight continued, closing her scanner once Pinkie Pie was in.

“Transfer Fluttershy!” Twilight said, Fluttershy slowly walking into her scanner with a tense expression before it closed.

“Scanner Rainbow Dash!” Twilight said, connecting Dash to her ninja avatar.

“Scanner Pinkie Pie!” Twilight said, now connecting Pinkie Pie to her cat girl avatar.

“Scanner Fluttershy!” Twilight said, connecting Fluttershy to her princess avatar, which felt really odd to her, “Virtualization!”

Twilight pressed the enter key, and the three girls vanished from their scanners, being pulled into Lyoko.



In the Desert Sector, the three girls took form in the air, landing on the ground once they completed rendering.  Poor Fluttershy landed awkwardly and fell back though, making Dash laugh.

“Well, you're officially one of the main attack force now,” Dash said helping her up.

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked.

“It's a requirement,” Pinkie Pie explained, “You have to fall on your butt at least once either climbing down the ladder or during transfer before you're a part of team “Hey it's us”.”

“Well, I'm glad I passed the test I guess...” Fluttershy said dusting her gown off.

“If you're done initiating Fluttershy,” Twilight said.

“Right, right,” Dash said looking around, feeling like something was missing, “Hey, why aren't we near a tower like usual?”

“We did that while Fluttershy was in Lyoko because it was safer than her running around to find us,” Twilight said, “Since she transferred into Lyoko with you, I could drop you off a bit closer to the tower.  You should see it a few kilometers ahead.”

“I see it,” Pinkie Pie said pointing forward.  Guarding it was a megatank and two krabs.

“Yes!  A megatank!” Dash said pulling out her kunai, “My favorite!”

“Shoot, krabs,” Pinkie Pie groaned getting on all fours, “My least favorite.”

“Stay behind us, your highness,” Dash said, “We'll get you into that tower safely.”

“There aren't any other monsters around except for those,” Twilight said, “This isn't like XANA at all.”

“Don't complain,” Dash said, “After the day we've been having, we could use the break.”

As Dash and Pinkie Pie ran off, Fluttershy thought about what Twilight said.  She was right, this was unlike XANA.  He never gave them a break.



Applejack skated through the schoolyard, searching for anyone still around.  She eventually found Discord standing in front of a small group of students holding a broom, whacking three kankrelats away.

Applejack skated over to them and kicked the tiny monsters back.

“Stubborn little buggers, aren't they?” Discord asked Applejack.

“Ya alright Discord?” Applejack asked.

“Nothing this old man isn't used to,” Discord said proudly, “I'm taking these kids to the gym.  Anyone you find you should take them there.”

“Alright,” Applejack said skating off while Discord guided his group.  Applejack was happy he was so calm.  Discord was someone you could always depend on.  He must have been in the army or something in his youth though, since he didn't seem fazed by the monsters in the slightest.



Rainbow Dash reached the megatank first, who opened up and fired at her.  She dodged to the side and threw her kunai at it, but it closed before she could hit it.

“Damn!” Dash said, “You guys are getting smarter.”

Pinkie Pie used her Spin Tackle on one of the krabs knocking it off its feet, and then jumped up to use her Homing Attack on the other.  She was shot before she could hit it though, and fell back.

Pinkie Pie: 60 HP

Pinkie Pie caught herself and ran off a bit on all fours, leading the krabs away.  As Fluttershy watched this, she knelt down and began singing, creating a hole under one of the krabs making it fall into the digital sea.

This gave Pinkie Pie the opening to hit the last krab with her Homing Attack, killing it.

“Thanks Fluttershy!” Pinkie Pie said giving Fluttershy a thumbs up.  Fluttershy smiled in response, but had to take cover as something shot her way.  Pinkie Pie looked and saw something odd walking over to Fluttershy.

It was a new monster.  It was black and white, had four really long legs and a long body.  It was about as big as a krab but didn't come up as high.

“Twilight, something weird is approaching Fluttershy,” Pinkie Pie said, “I've never seen that monster before.”

“Hold on, I'll scan it from here,” Twilight said.



Twilight began typing on her computer, looking at the new creature.  The name “Tarantula” appeared on screen.

“According to this, you're looking at a Tarantula,” Twilight explained, “XANA must have made some new monsters.”

“Think this is why he's sending monsters to the real world?” Dash asked.

“Maybe... huh?” Twilight saw that one of the other scanners just activated on its own.  Twilight looked on the monitor and saw something that had her really worried.

A long red leg came out of the scanner.

“Oh no...” Twilight said, “No no no no no no no!  This is bad!  Very bad!”

“What's bad?” Dash asked.

“XANA just materialized a krab from one of the other scanners!” Twilight shouted, “It's in the scanner room right now, and I think its trying to make its way to where I am!”

“Twilight, run!” Fluttershy urged, “We'll deal with this!”

“Be careful, Fluttershy,” Twilight pleaded.  She set the microphone down and ran to the elevator.  She was about to take it, but stopped when she heard it already turn on going up.  She instead ran to the ladder.

Once she reached the top, the elevator opened and she saw the krab poke its head out looking around, stopping when it saw her.  Twilight screamed and ran off right as the krab fired.  As she ran, her phone buzzed showing a text message, one that terrified her.

I told you, Twilight Sparkle.  Fluttershy is mine forever.

“XANA...” Twilight said, suddenly realizing that the krab chasing her was probably being controlled by XANA directly.  She reached a ladder going up to the rafters and began climbing up, but the krab put its leg on the ladder and shook it, almost making Twilight lose her footing.

“It's you, isn't it XANA?!” Twilight asked, “You're in that krab right now, aren't you?!” her phone buzzed once again.

As inquisitive as always Twilight.  I love these get togethers between us.  Don't you?

The krab, revealed to be XANA, shook the ladder harder, this time actually knocking Twilight off.  She fell to the ground hard.  When she rolled to her back she saw XANA standing over her.  Her phone buzzed with another text.

Fun fact: These are my favorite monsters to use.  Their AI is so advanced.  This one in particular was made specifically for me to use.

“Why did you come here directly?” Twilight asked trembling, “What's so special about me?”

Simple.  I hate you, Twilight.  I want the pleasure of watching the life sucked out of you personally.  No one is allowed to kill you but me, Twilight Sparkle.

XANA raised a bladed leg about to impale Twilight, but she scurried away just in time and ran deeper into the factory.

You can't escape me, Twilight.  My monsters are telling me where you are at all times.  This has been fun, but now the game is over.

“I won't let you, XANA!” Twilight called out, stopping to face the krab that was chasing her, “I'll fight you with every fiber of my being!”

What can you do, Twilight?  You're a measly human being.  Even if you destroy this krab, you won't kill me.  I'm CONNECTED to it.  I'm not IN it.

“I don't care,” Twilight said adamantly, “Somehow, in someway, we will destroy you, XANA!”

Eos and the other Architects weren't able to stop me.  Eos had to turn off the computer because she was so weak and cowardly.  What makes you think you can succeed where Eos before you failed?

“Because unlike Eos, I'm not a coward!” Twilight shouted.  XANA fired at Twilight, who ran off.  Right now, all she could do was hope that her friends could deactivate the tower in time.

Good thing she set up Return to the Past before leaving the computer.



Dash destroyed the megatank and turned to face the tarantula as it walked over to Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.  She threw a kunai at the monster to get its attention.

“Hey, I've got full health,” Dash taunted, “Why don't you try your luck with me?”

The tarantula turned completely to face Rainbow Dash, who pulled out her kunai getting in a fighting stance.


Rainbow Dash VS Tarantula


The tarantula sat up, pointing its front legs forward.  It then began rapid firing laser strikes at Dash, who actually had to put in effort to dodge.

“Whoa!” Dash cried out flipping to the side, “This guy's tougher than XANA's usual flunkies!  Sweet!”

Pinkie Pie took Fluttershy's hand and began leading her to the activated tower, but another tarantula appeared right in front of her.  She pushed Fluttershy out of the way just in time before either of them got hit.

“Pinkie Pie!” Dash cried out, taking two shots at the same time in the back from the tarantula, “AUGH!!!”

Rainbow Dash: 0 HP

“Rainbow Dash, no!” Fluttershy cried out watching her friend get devirtualized.  She had full health, yet one shot from that monster killed her!

What was worse, now she and Pinkie Pie had to deal with two of these new monsters alone.



Rainbow Dash's scanner opened up, and she emerged looking around.  The two scanners that weren't in use at the moment were completely destroyed, which meant that they couldn't send anyone else in.

“Twilight!” Dash shouted, realizing that Twilight was in danger.  She couldn't wait for the elevator.  She'd be too tense.  Instead she took the ladder, praying that Twilight would be okay until she found her.



Pinkie Pie took a deep breath, and then jumped up using her Homing Attack on the tarantula in front of them, actually knocking it back and killing it!

She finally found the monster she was strong against!

“Fluttershy, go to the tower!” Pinkie Pie ordered, “I can take this guy on!”

Pinkie Pie rolled into a ball and dashed away, leading the tarantula away.  Fluttershy ran to the tower, but stopped before she fazed into it.  She couldn't bring herself to go inside and deactivate this tower.  If she did, she would only stop XANA for a day.  They needed a permanent solution, otherwise things would get worse and worse.

She knew what that solution was too.

“Pinkie Pie!” Fluttershy called out turning to the fight, “Let the monster devirtualize you!”

“What?!” Pinkie Pie cried out running around the monster on all fours, “But I just figured out a strategy to beat these things!  I might level up after this!”

“Pinkie Pie, I'm serious!” Fluttershy urged, “You need to go back to the real world and turn the super computer off!”

“Hold on!” Pinkie Pie did a back flip out of the way of the monster's attacks, “You want me to what?!  If I do that I'll kill you!”

“It's better this way!” Fluttershy said, “If you don't then XANA will attack again!  He'll keep attacking, putting you, Applejack, Dash, Rarity, and Twilight in danger!  I don't want that!  I don't want him to keep hurting you!” Fluttershy fell to her knees breaking down, “Getting to see your world has shown me just how wonderful it is!  I don't want XANA to destroy it!  The only way to stop XANA for good is to turn off the computer killing me!  Please Pinkie Pie!  Kill XANA!  Kill me!  Do it to save Twilight!”

Pinkie Pie frowned listening to Fluttershy's plea, and turned to the tarantula.  She ran toward it on all fours, but when it fired…

She jumped over the attack.

Pinkie Pie then used her Homing Attack killing the tarantula and landing a bit in front of Fluttershy, who was on her knees sobbing helplessly.  She walked over to Fluttershy, knelt down to her, and hugged her.

“Why...” Fluttershy asked, “You had a chance to stop all of this...”

“Yeah… I did...” Pinkie Pie said softly.

“Then why didn't you?”

“Because if I did that, I couldn't give you a hug,” Pinkie Pie said tightening the embrace.

“Pinkie Pie...” Fluttershy sobbed.

“If I turned off the computer, XANA would be gone, but Twilight would be sad,” Pinkie Pie explained, “You don't want Twilight to be sad, do you?”

“No… I don't… But I want to protect her… All I can do is deactivate towers… and that just stops XANA for a few days… I can't stop him forever… you're the only ones who can destroy XANA for good...”

“Maybe so, but you're the only one who can save Twilight now.”

Fluttershy looked into Pinkie Pie's eyes in shock.

“Fluttershy, you're worried about stopping XANA once and for all, but don't you see?  Twilight is in danger right this second.  You can save her, by deactivating this tower behind us.  Is it a permanent solution?  No it isn't.  But I'd rather have to fight XANA for a few more months than to lose one of my closest friends forever.  You love Twilight, don't you?”

“I do, I really do!” Fluttershy said, “That's why I-”

“That's why you need to do this.  You may not have to power to stop XANA, but you have the power to save Twilight.  Besides, you don't want to make Twilight cry, do you?  Don't you want to be with Twilight forever?”

“I do...” Fluttershy said looking down.

“Then you know what you have to do,” Pinkie Pie said smiling warmly.  Fluttershy stood up and turned to look at the tower.  If she deactivated this tower, she'd be ensuring that they'd fight XANA again, but she'd also ensure Twilight's safety.

She could save Twilight.

“I'll deactivate this tower,” Fluttershy said, “I'll do it, and save Twilight.”

With that, she fazed into the tower, only thinking about saving the one she loved.  She wasn't going to be helping XANA.  She was doing this for Twilight.



Inside the tower, Fluttershy ran to the center.  She allowed herself to be lifted to the upper platform, where she landed elegantly and calmly walked over to the control panel.



When Dash found Twilight, she was hiding in between two large structures, the krab violently reaching into the small hiding spot.

“Twilight!” Dash shouted, catching the krabs attention.

“Dash!  That krab is being controlled by XANA directly!” Twilight cried.

“Oh really?” Dash said cracking her knuckles, “Perfect, because I've got a few words for XANA.”

Dash ran over to the krab, who turned to her and whacked her aside knocking her into a wall.  Twilight had stepped out and saw that.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight cried, screaming when she heard the krab's leg slam behind her, keeping her from going back in.  She tried to run off, but the krab whacked her knocking her to the floor.  She slowly got to her knees and turned to the krab as it approached her.

“Please no...” she pleaded, tears falling from her eyes.



Fluttershy began typing on the holographic keyboard, breaking through the tower's security.  After a few tense seconds the holographic touch screen appeared.



The krab loomed over Twilight, trapping her.  Her phone buzzed showing one last message from XANA.

Goodbye, my loathsome adversary.

“FLUTTERSHY!!!!!” Twilight screamed as the krab raised its leg, thrusting it forward to-



Fluttershy placed her hand on the touch screen.


FLUTTERSHY



CODE


LYOKO




The krab's leg stopped mere inches away from Twilight's chest.  When she looked up, the krab began fading away like static.  Once it was gone, Twilight ran over to Dash to check on her, relieved when she heard a groan.

“Did I get him?” Dash asked.  Twilight laughed, tears in her eyes.

“You sure did,” Twilight said embracing her friend, thinking about the one who like always, came through just in time, “Fluttershy… thank you...”



“Tower deactivated...” Fluttershy said in relief, watching the coding on the wall fall into the abyss below.  There was a bright light, and a white flash shout out of the tower and out of Lyoko, engulfing everything and returning everyone to where they were only twenty four hours ago.



Twilight found herself opening her eyes in her room, lying on her bed.  She felt a weight on top of her, and when she looked she saw a familiar mane of pink hair close to her face.

Fluttershy was still in the real world.

Twilight smiled warmly, shocked when she felt Fluttershy tremble, something wet hitting her chest.

“Fluttershy?” Twilight whispered.

“I'm so happy...” Fluttershy sobbed, “that you're safe...” Fluttershy looked into Twilight's eyes lovingly, “I was worried I didn't deactivate the tower in time.”

Looking at Fluttershy in the dark like this in the moonlight, lying over her wearing only her white bra, her pink hair almost shielding Twilight as it was so long, she truly looked like an angel.

Twilight smiled and cupped Fluttershy's cheek with her hand, “You were right on time, Fluttershy.”

“Oh Twilight!” Fluttershy and Twilight embraced one another lovingly.

“No matter what,” Twilight said, crying a bit now herself, “Promise that you'll always come back to me.”

“I promise!” Fluttershy said, “I'll protect you, and I'll come home to you always.  I love you so much, Twilight.”

“I love you too, Fluttershy.”

They didn't know, but Applejack was awake right next to them.  She smiled and turned around, happy that they had each other.  They were truly a match made in heaven.



After getting Fluttershy enrolled in class again, Twilight asked everyone to meet her in her room after class.  After class, everyone including Vice-Principal Luna was present.

“Fluttershy and I were talking,” Twilight said after a second, “and she shared with me her concerns about XANA.”

“He won't try that again,” Fluttershy said, “At least not for a while, but we can be sure that his attacks will get more intense as time goes on.”

“XANA's gettin stronger,” Applejack said, “Or maybe he was always this strong, jus' holdin back.”

“We need a permanent solution to deal with him,” Luna said, “You kids have been doing a great job so far, but if that's a mere taste of what XANA is capable of, I don't see us lasting forever.”

“Luna is right,” Rarity said, “Sitting in infirmary I had time to consider our situation.  XANA is dangerous, truly dangerous.”

“Exactly,” Twilight said, “We do need a permanent solution, which is why I've decided,” Twilight took Fluttershy's hand before continuing, “Shutting down the computer isn't enough.  We have to delete XANA.”

Right outside, Discord was sweeping the floors listening to their conversation.

“Delete XANA?” Dash asked, “That's a tall order.”

“But it is possible, right?” Twilight asked, “XANA isn't all of Lyoko.  He's a program within the super computer.  He's a big part of it, but he's still a program, and programs can be deleted.”

“Now we're talking!” Pinkie Pie cheered, catching everyone's attention, “I've wanted to fight XANA directly this entire time.  If we do that, we don't have to worry about the computer.  Hell, if we want we can keep it on at that point.”

“Someone worked hard to make computer,” Rarity said, “It would be shame to just destroy their work.”

“I don't have as much attachment ta the computer as y'all,” Applejack admitted, “But Ah do agree that it would be better ta jus' get rid of XANA.”

“Exactly, I mean, let's assume that we find the missing data for Fluttershy, and shut the computer down,” Twilight said, “What's stopping someone else from finding it and turning it back on?”

“Well, I've got a bone to pick with XANA anyway,” Dash said slamming her fist into her hand, “I got to look that asshole in the eyes yesterday.  He's a smug bastard, like my Dad.  I can't stand people like that!”

“So we're agreed?” Twilight asked, “Our next goal is to destroy XANA once and for all?”

“Damn right I'm in,” Dash said adamantly.

“Dah,” Rarity nodded, “I'm in too.”

“Count me in!” Pinkie Pie said.

“Same,” Applejack said, “We'll stop XANA one way or another.”

“There isn't much I can do,” Luna said, “But I support your fight, and I'll do everything I can from my position to help you.”

“Thank you all so much,” Fluttershy said with a bow, “I feel hopeful.  We can stop XANA.”

Discord raised an eyebrow looking at Fluttershy.  That was a face he didn't think he'd see ever again.  He stepped away from the door and pulled out his cellphone.

“They've decided,” Discord said, “They're going to fight XANA.”



“Also, bad news,” Discord continued on Celestia's cellphone, “Your sister is involved with them.”

“Damn it,” Celestia swore, “If she gets too close she might remember what happened.”

“They already scanned her it seems,” Discord said, “She remembers the previous attack.”

“Well, thankfully my block should remain intact,” Celestia said, “I'm not letting Luna back into Lyoko ever again.”

“But what about Twilight and her friends?  We can't stop them.  Unless you want to tell them the truth.”

“We can't,” Celesta said, “I need some time to think, Jon.”

“I understand,” Discord said, “I'll support you no matter what your decision is.”

Celestia hung up, and leaned forward folding her hands in front of her thoughtfully.  If they were going to go to war against XANA, they might need help.  Either that or they'd die.  She'd feel horrible knowing that Twilight died and she could have stopped it.  With no other choice, she opened her desk and pulled out her laptop and opened a file she hadn't opened in a long time.

Welcome Eos...

Ending Theme: Can't Fight the Moonlight