//------------------------------// // 10: Trapped // Story: Code Lyoko: EG // by Azure Sandora //------------------------------// Theme Song: A World Without Danger 10: Trapped “Alright class, today we're welcoming a new student to Canterlot High,” Cheerilee said to her homeroom class, “Please come in.” When the new student walked into the school everyone who hadn't seen her yet was stunned. With her long light pink hair, her fair skin, and somewhat busty figure. Her clothes were simple yet matched her perfectly, and she wore pink eye shadow and rose colored lipstick. She turned to the class and bowed elegantly. “Hello everyone,” she said in the softest voice, “My name is Fluttershy Sandora. It's a pleasure to meet all of you.” All of the students had varying degrees of admiration for the new student. “Holy shit she's hot...” “This never happens in real life! Transfer students are never the cute and shy type!” “Did you hear her voice? She's so adorable!” “I wonder if her hair is real...” “Geez,” Applejack said rolling her eyes, “They act like they've never seen a transfer student before.” “I think it's great,” Twilight said with a smile, “It means that Fluttershy is going to fit in here.” Fluttershy walked over to her seat behind Applejack, touching Twilight's hand on the way. That of course got the attention of the student body. “Did you see that? She touched Twilight's hand!” “Are Twilight and Fluttershy an item?!” “Damn it! It's always the hot ones! First Rarity, and now Fluttershy...” “Alright class, settle down,” Cheerilee called out, “Wait until after homeroom to gossip about the new student.” “Ha! So much for keeping it a secret,” Rainbow Dash taunted. Twilight sighed, and turned to Fluttershy with an exasperated smile. Fluttershy just waved to Twilight with the sweetest smile, showing that she was either oblivious to what she did to Twilight, or that was her intention from the start. Either way, she was definitely going to be a handful… Not only was Fluttershy extremely beautiful, but she was also incredibly intelligent and talented. In art class, she painted an amazing picture of a vase that looked almost as good as the real thing. She had been put in advanced math along with Twilight and Rarity, and had not only answered a really hard math problem, but even demonstrated a longer one on the board, showing the teacher something he didn't even know. In science class, she partnered up with one of the male students who couldn't stop looking at her beauty. They were only supposed work on part of the formula, but Fluttershy had actually completed the formula without the teacher's input. Needless to say, they got an A. After science class, Fluttershy stepped out and saw Twilight walking off to her next class. “Twilight!” Fluttershy called out. Twilight turned to see Fluttershy running up to her. When the pink haired teen reached Twilight, she grabbed her arm lovingly. “Hey Fluttershy,” Twilight said, “Are you enjoying school?” “Oh yes!” Fluttershy said elated, “I missed you in science though.” “Yeah, its a shame that we don't have more classes together,” Twilight said, “But at least we have the same lunch, ri-” Twilight was pushed up against a locker by Fluttershy, who pressed her lips against Twilight's. Twilight had wanted to lightly push Fluttershy off of her, but the former computer program forced their mouths open and held Twilight's hands above her head. “Fluttershy…” Twilight said when she got the chance, “We shouldn't right now...” “You kissed me back,” Fluttershy said before continuing their make out session. Right when Twilight was about to get lost in the bliss of the moment, a whistle sounded. “No PDA in the halls ladies!” Vice-Principal Luna called out, making the two girls stop kissing immediately. When Luna walked away still eying them, Twilight turned to Fluttershy with an exasperated smile. “Fluttershy, I know you're excited to be here with me, and I'm excited too,” Twilight said, “but we can't do that sort of thing out in the open.” “Why not?” Fluttershy asked, turning her head in genuine confusion. Twilight had forgotten that she was a computer program, so she didn't understand certain human aspects. “Well, some things can only be done in private,” Twilight explained, “Kissing like that is definitely one of them. At least we can't do it in school.” “But I want to show you that I love you,” Fluttershy said with a pout, “Couples do that all the time, don't they?” “Yes they do,” Twilight said putting her hand on Fluttershy's cheek, “And I already know that you love me. Even if we're not together all the time, I won't forget.” Fluttershy looked down somberly, “I'm sorry Twilight. I'm just used to being linked to you at all times. No matter what, I knew you could link your phone to my tower in Lyoko, so it was like we were always together. Now though…” “Oh Fluttershy,” Twilight embraced her, “I promise, even when we're not together, you're always on my mind. This is an adjustment, I know, but we'll make it work.” “Can you stay with me in my room tonight?” Fluttershy asked. “Sure,” Twilight said, “Tonight, I'm yours. You can shower me with love all you want then, okay?” That seemed to appease Fluttershy, who nodded vigorously. Thankfully no one really went into that hallway, because they made quite a scene there. When they arrived in the lunchroom, they saw everyone gathered at the usual table waiting for them. “Well, there's our favorite power couple,” Applejack said. “We thought we'd have to eat lunch without you,” Pinkie Pie said. “I was just explaining to Fluttershy a few things about being human,” Twilight explained sitting down, Fluttershy of course sitting right next to her. “So… she raped you in the hallway, and you had to tell her to save it for the bedroom?” Dash asked with a smirk. Both Twilight and Fluttershy looked down blushing, Twilight in embarrassment, and Fluttershy in shame. “You know,” Pinkie Pie said looking at Rarity in front of her, “These two are going to usurp your position as Canterlot High's power couple.” “Honestly,” Rarity said turning her nose to the air, “For last time, Applejack and I are not couple.” “Exactly,” Applejack added, “We're jus' good friends, nothin more.” “Oh come on,” Rainbow Dash said, “You're not fooling anyone. It's clear that the two of you want each other bad, so why don't you just admit it?” “Wait, they're not official?” Fluttershy asked, “I always thought they were. They work so well together in Lyoko.” “Their avatars are a perfect match together,” Twilight said, “Applejack being mostly long ranged, and Rarity being mostly short ranged. Speaking of which, Rarity, did you know you have a long ranged attack you never use?” “Come on Twilight, this isn't about Rarity's performance in Lyoko,” Dash whined, “This is about her and Applejack finally admitting their feelings for one another.” Both Applejack and Rarity stood up at the same time, “We're not (a)* couple!” They both shouted at the same time. When lunch ended, Applejack took Rarity's hand and pulled her aside. “Listen, about lunch...” Applejack said awkwardly. “Dash needs to mind her own business,” Rarity said folding her arms. “Yeah, her shippin goggles need ta come off real soon,” Applejack said with a sigh, “Ah gotta ask though, um… would ya have been interested in… ya know…?” Rarity started blushing, “Um… well… I suppose I have… thought about us… Why? Are you interested in...” “Uh… Ah wouldn't wanna do anythin that you weren't comfortable with...” Applejack said. The bell rang, catching the attention of the two girls. They laughed and ran in opposite directions, both of them feeling somewhat awkward about their feelings. Were they or weren't they? For the rest of the day, both Applejack and Rarity had their heads in the clouds. Applejack walked right past Luna in the hall and didn't say anything offensive to her. When Luna realized this, she looked at Applejack like she had grown a second head. The walk home with Sweetie Belle was one filled with silence. Usually Rarity couldn't stop talking after school, as someone offended her at some point. This time though, she wasn't fussing or complaining. She just kept walking forward twirling her hair with her finger. “I'm going to Fluttershy's room for the night,” Twilight said after she finished her homework, “You'll cover for me, right?” “Yeah Twilight...” Applejack said lying on her bed looking at the ceiling, “Ah got ya...” Twilight shrugged her shoulders and skipped out of the room. Lately she was in such a better mood. Applejack was happy for her, but she was concerned for herself and Rarity. They hadn't ever said it outright, but Applejack was sure of her feelings. But did Rarity feel the same way? What were her parents talking about? Rarity didn't really know. Her mind was elsewhere. She knew how she felt about Applejack, and it wasn't like Applejack was good at hiding her feelings. The only thing stopping Rarity from going through with things though… /Rarity, is everything okay?/ Rarity's mother asked, /You hardly touched your dinner./ When Rarity heard her mother's voice, something broke within her. She suddenly felt the biggest shame, and broke down in tears. She got up from her seat and ran upstairs into her room, slamming the door shut. In her room, she fell onto her bed and cried for the rest of the night. Her feelings were so strong, and working with Applejack only made said feelings stronger. But how could she face her parents with these feelings? The next day, Applejack was sitting by at breakfast in the cafeteria, which was unusual as she was one of the more social of the group in the mornings. Twilight and Fluttershy walked into the cafeteria hand in hand, stopping when they saw the serious look on her face. “Oh dear...” Fluttershy sighed looking at Applejack. “Yep. I was afraid of this,” Twilight said. They both walked over to Applejack, who was barely touching her breakfast, “Hey Applejack. What's going on?” “Ah… nothin...” Applejack lied, which she was horrible at doing despite being a delinquent. “Does this have to do with what Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie said yesterday?” Fluttershy asked. Applejack sighed, choosing her words before speaking, “Girls, can Ah ask y'all ta be honest with me?” “Sure Applejack,” Twilight said, Fluttershy nodding in agreement. “Y'all know that Ah really like Rarity,” Applejack said, “Like, more than a friend.” “Yeah, I know,” Twilight said, “You told me after XANA infected her with that virus four months ago.” “W-well, truth is… Rarity an' Ah haven't openly talked about our relationship…” “Wait, you haven't?” Fluttershy asked. “That's surprising,” Twilight said, “With how close you two became after that, I was sure you two were officially an item.” “Not… really,” Applejack admitted, “Ah mean, after that she said somethin ta me that might have been a confession of love, but...” “She said it in Russian, didn't she?” Twilight asked. Applejack sighed nodding, “Do you remember what she said? I could put it through my translator program and we could find out.” “No, Ah don't,” Applejack said, “What should Ah do y'all?” Fluttershy looked up thoughtfully, “I think you and Rarity should talk about your relationship.” “Ya do?” Applejack asked. “I agree with Fluttershy,” Twilight said, “I didn't know you guys hadn't defined your relationship. Applejack, that's bad. Not just because it could hurt your performance on Lyoko, but because you and Rarity have been like this for four whole months. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were right.” “What was I right about this time?” Dash asked as she and Pinkie Pie walked up to their table and took their seats. “Rarity and Applejack's relationship,” Twilight said, “They need to discuss what they are.” “We already know what they are,” Pinkie Pie said, “They're totally into each other, right?” Applejack looked away biting her lip. She was silent for the rest of breakfast, which worried her friends. When it was time to head to class, Applejack went to the front of the school where she usually waited for Rarity. At the usual time, Rarity and Sweetie Belle turned the corner. When she saw Applejack, Rarity froze for a second. She said something to Sweetie Belle who then skipped off, and walked toward Applejack. “Rares, can we talk before-” “Late,” Rarity said pushing past Applejack and going right inside without a word. Applejack was really taken aback by that, as Rarity always made time for her. It didn't end there sadly. All throughout the day Applejack tried to approach Rarity at their usual spots, but Rarity was clearly ducking out avoiding her. It was in their fencing class that things began to really hit a head as Applejack walked over to her. “Hey, ya ready?” Applejack asked. “I'm not sparring with you today,” Rarity said curtly, surprising Applejack. “Ah'm sorry, what?” Applejack asked. “We always spar each other,” Rarity said folding her arms, “I think I want to see how other students spar. I'm allowed right?” That confirmed it. Rarity was avoiding Applejack. “Yeah, Ah guess,” Applejack said with a sigh. Rarity quickly turned and walked over to Snails, who visibly paled when she said what her intention was. Twilight and Fluttershy, who were watching in the stands looked really worried. This was getting really bad. After class ended, Rarity quickly walked into the locker room to get changed instead of staying behind like usual. Applejack stormed after her. When she tracked her down, she was in front of her locker getting dressed, already in her skirt and purple bra. “Ya ain't stayin after?” Applejack asked. “Can't,” Rarity said looking in her bag, “Lots of homework. Need to study.” When she stood up, Applejack backed her up against a locker and glared at her. “Now look, you've been avoidin me all day, an' Ah'm startin ta get sick of it,” Applejack said sternly, “What's goin on with ya?” “Go away...” Rarity said softly, trembling. “Rares, we're best friends,” Applejack said, “If there's somethin botherin ya-” “GO AWAY!!!” Rarity screamed, shocking Applejack, “Right now, you bother me! I… I can't talk now!” Rarity fussed, tearing up, “Just leave me alone, please!” Applejack frowned, “If that's what ya want, fine. Ah think Ah got my answer anyway.” Applejack stormed out of the locker room pushing past Twilight and Fluttershy, who were already on their way to the locker room. “Applejack!” Twilight called out, but she didn't stop, “Fluttershy, I'll check on her. Could you see Rarity?” Fluttershy nodded, and Twilight ran after Applejack. When Fluttershy went into the locker room, she saw Rarity sitting on the floor in front of her locker crying. Fluttershy ran over to Rarity and knelt down next to her embracing her. “Oh Rarity,” Fluttershy said, “What's wrong sweetie?” “I can't…” Rarity sobbed, “Want to… but can't… I...” she was sobbing so hard that she could barely speak. Fluttershy tightened her embrace softly shushing the crying teen. “Shh… just let it out,” Fluttershy said softly, “I'll be right here for you.” Twilight looked around for Applejack, stopping when she heard a loud slam. She followed it to a hallway, where she saw Applejack leaning against a wall pounding it. Twilight had never seen her like this before. She was actually crying. Twilight just calmly walked over to Applejack and wrapped her arms around her from behind. Applejack collapsed and broke down. “She said ta leave her alone...” Applejack sobbed. “Maybe she's just going through something,” Twilight said, “This was just bad timing.” “She confirmed it, Twilight!” Applejack cried, “She doesn't love me!” “Oh Applejack...” Twilight knew there was more to this. Right now though, Applejack needed some comfort. They'd tackle this issue later. The next day things were even worse between them. Applejack didn't say anything to anyone in the morning, and Rarity was in such a bad mood that everyone avoided her. It was lunch time, and only Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were sitting at the usual table. Applejack was on one end of the cafeteria while Rarity was sitting at the other end. “I'm getting worried about those two,” Pinkie Pie said, “They won't even talk to each other.” “This is getting stupid,” Rainbow Dash said, “They're both blowing this way out of proportion.” “It's a lot more complicated than you think,” Fluttershy said softly, catching everyone's attention. “What do you mean?” Dash asked. “It's not my place to say,” Fluttershy said, “But Rarity is afraid of something...” “If that's the case, then she needs to talk to Applejack about it,” Dash said sitting back in her seat, “Not run away and scream at her. Seriously, Rarity does that stuff all the time.” “She does have a bit of a temper,” Twilight said, “But I don't think this is her usual raging moment. She seems really upset about something.” They heard an odd alarm nearby, and everyone except for Twilight was shocked by it. Twilight reached into her backpack and pulled out her laptop. “What the hell was that?!” Rainbow Dash asked. “It's XANA,” Twilight said opening her computer and turning on the super scan. TOWER ACTIVATED LOCATION: FOREST SECTOR 32 LAT, 16 LONG “Wow...” Pinkie Pie said looking over Twilight's shoulder, “Since when has the super scan been so precise?” “Since Fluttershy is living here now, I upgraded the super scan,” Twilight explained, “Now it alerts us the second XANA activates a tower, and gives us the location. I'll head to the factory after telling Luna to cover for us. Can you guys get Applejack and Rarity?” “I got Applejack,” Dash said getting up. “Come on Fluttershy,” Pinkie Pie said getting up, “We'll talk to Rarity.” “Okay,” Fluttershy said turning to Twilight, “Be careful Twilight.” “I will,” Twilight said packing up her backpack and running to track down the Vice-Principal. “Hey,” Dash said lightly kicking Applejack's table, “Go time.” “XANA's actin up?” Applejack asked getting up. Dash nodded, but took Applejack's arm stopping her, “You good for this?” “Why wouldn't Ah be?” Applejack asked. “You know why,” Dash said seriously, “This whole thing between you and Rarity.” “Trust me, right now XANA's doin me a favor,” Applejack said, “Ah need ta shoot somethin, badly.” Dash sighed and shrugged her shoulders, “Alright. Let's go.” As Applejack ran off, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy reached Rarity's seat. “XANA?” Rarity asked, not looking up at them. “Y-yes,” Fluttershy said, a little afraid of the air Rarity was giving off, “We need to head to the factory.” “Dah,” Rarity said standing up, “Let's go.” She walked ahead, but Pinkie Pie ran up to her, “Hey, are you sure you can do this? Dash and I can protect Fluttershy if you're not up for it.” “Nyet,” Rarity said, “I need to be with team today.” Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy looked at each other, and then ran after Rarity. The three of them took the secret passage while Applejack and Rainbow Dash ran/skated above ground. After telling Luna about XANA activating, she ran to the factory above ground herself. Luna walked up to Celestia's office and knocked on the door to get her attention. “Twilight and her friends are going to miss the rest of their classes,” Luna explained, “It's because of that workshop I told you about.” “Ahh, yes,” Celestia said, “Thank you Luna.” “Of course sister,” Luna said. She turned to leave, giving Celestia an uncertain look before walking out. Celestia sighed to herself once she was alone. “You're a terrible liar, Luna,” Celestia said. She knew exactly what was going on, and on one hand she was a little peeved with Luna for lying to her, but on the other hand she understood why she did it. Still, something was off about this attack. Why hadn't anything happened yet? Twilight knew she'd be the last one to make it to the factory. She didn't take the secret passage as she'd have to go out of her way to reach it, and she couldn't move nearly as fast as Applejack and Rainbow Dash. She was right across the street from the factory, so she decided to just make a break for it. She ran across the street, stopping when she heard a screeching noise, which turned out to be a motorcycle that almost hit her. The rider was wearing a black leather jacket, matching leather pants, boots, and a black and orange helmet that completely covered their face. “Sorry!” Twilight said, “I didn't mean to get in the way. I um… I'm just in a hurry, so… I'm just going to go, okay? Bye!” As Twilight ran off, the cyclist never took their eyes off of Twilight. They shrugged their shoulders and rode off. Twilight swung down to the elevator, and went into the computer room, where of course everyone was waiting for her. “Sorry I took so long,” Twilight said walking over to the computer, where Dash was waiting for her, “How are they?” “Same as earlier,” Rainbow Dash said pointing to Applejack and Rarity, who were still at opposite ends of the room. Applejack looked mad about something while Rarity looked like she was on the verge of tears. This was really going to hurt their performance, she could tell. “Alright, for some reason nothing is happening in the real world,” Twilight said to everyone taking her seat at the computer. “Maybe we don't need to go in then,” Pinkie Pie said, “Think this tower is a dud?” “Not likely,” Fluttershy said, “If we don't take action soon, XANA might sneak up on us. It's better we deal with this tower now before it takes effect.” “Right,” Twilight said setting up the transfer, “I'll send you right in front of the tower. Head to the scanner room and I'll transfer you when you're ready.” “Rarity stays here,” Applejack said suddenly, shocking everyone. “Excuse me?” Rarity asked, “You need me, remember?” “Ah don't “need” anyone,” Applejack said seriously, “What Ah “need” is fer you ta stay out here an' guard Twilight jus' in case XANA attacks her while we're in.” “Are you sure that's only reason for leaving me out?” Rarity asked, sounding hurt. “Ah don't see what the big deal is,” Applejack said, “You were pretty keen on avoidin me yesterday, Ah figured since Ah plan on goin in anyway, ya'd want ta be as far away from me as possible.” “I am your partner,” Rarity said walking up to Applejack, “Just in case XANA's new monsters show up-” “Well maybe Ah don't wanna be partners with you anymore,” Applejack said darkly. Rarity stepped back from Applejack, now visibly hurt. After a second, Rarity slapped Applejack and walked off to the back of the room sitting down by herself. Everyone was silent and awkward by what just happened. They were always sort of violent with each other and always argued, but this time felt different. Pinkie Pie slowly walked over to Applejack. “Applejack? Are you...” “Let's go y'all,” Applejack said walking into the elevator. When no one followed her she stomped her foot, “Now!” Dash sighed shaking her head and walked into the elevator, Pinkie Pie following after her closely. Fluttershy on the other hand stood there looking at Rarity, who was hugging her knees clearly crying. “Ya comin?” Applejack asked, “We kinda need ya if we're gonna deactivate this tower.” “R-right,” Fluttersy said with a sigh, “I'm coming.” She walked into the elevator, meeting eyes with Twilight, who nodded to her. When they reached the scanner room, Applejack texted Twilight letting her know that they were ready. Twilight took a deep breath and got to work. “Transfer Applejack! Transfer Rainbow Dash! Transfer Pinkie Pie! Transfer Fluttershy!” Once that was done, she briefly turned to Rarity, who looked up at Twilight with tears streaming from her eyes. Twilight held up a finger saying “one second” and continued. “Scanner Applejack! Scanner Rainbow Dash! Scanner Pinkie Pie! Scanner Fluttershy! Virtualization!” She pressed the enter key, and then walked over to Rarity kneeling down next to her, “Applejack is just upset. She'll cool down soon.” “No she won't...” Rarity sobbed, “She hates me now… Applejack is my hero… and now...” she broke down completely. Twilight didn't know what to do. She was devastated. Clearly she loved Applejack, so what was she doing? An alarm went off on the computer, catching Twilight's attention. She ran back to the screen and saw something she did not want to see. Applejack: ERROR Rainbow Dash: ERROR Pinkie Pie: ERROR Devirtualization program: ERROR Transfer: ERROR “What the hell?” Twilight asked, “The entire system is bugged!” “Bugged?” Rarity asked getting up and running to Twilight, “What sort of bug?” “I don't know. Girls, can you hear me?” Twilight asked. Rainbow Dash took form in Lyoko, but when she landed and looked around she was confused. “Hey Twilight, I think you goofed the transfer,” Dash said looking around the Ice Sector, “I'm supposed to be in the Forest Sector, remember?” When Pinkie Pie landed, she found herself in the Mountain Sector. “Where are everyone else?” Pinkie Pie asked, suddenly getting really worried, “Dashie? Where are you?” Applejack virtualized and landed in the Desert Sector. When she realized that she was alone, she pulled out her shotgun and looked around. “Damn it XANA,” Applejack said looking around, “What are ya plannin?” “All of you are scattered?” Twilight said typing on her computer, “This is terrible!” “Is anyone in the Forest Sector?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Fluttershy is,” Twilight said, “But she's the only one. Fluttershy, can you hear me?” “Yes Twilight, but we have a problem,” Fluttershy said. Fluttershy looked around to see that she was smack dab in the middle of the Forest Sector, kankrelats gathering around her. “I'm trapped, and I can't find a tower anywhere,” Fluttershy said. “Damn it,” Twilight said, “Alright, everyone try and get to a tower. A few other bugs came up in the system, and I need to check them out.” Fluttershy looked ahead and saw her old home tower nearby. It was a way tower, so if they were all scattered it was the perfect place for her to be. Right as the kankrelats fired at her, she bolted forward as fast as she could toward the tower. The kankrelats ran after her and fired at her, one shot actually hitting her in the back and knocking her to the ground. Fluttershy: 80 HP “Fluttershy!” Twilight screamed. “Twilight, send me in!” Rarity requested, “I'll go and protect Fluttershy!” “I can't promise that I'll be able to send you there properly!” Twilight said, “If XANA has messed with the transfer procedure, you could end up anywhere!” “We have to take chance!” Rarity said, “I don't care if Applejack ordered me to stay! She is not boss of me!” A-alright,” Twilight stuttered as Rarity ran to the elevator, “I'll try to send you to the Forest Sector, but don't hate me if this turns out badly.” “Worst case scenario I end up in Desert, Ice, or Mountain Sector,” Rarity said, “I'll find way tower and transfer to Forest Sector if I have to.” The elevator closed, and Rarity went to the scanner room. Once she chose a scanner (the one Applejack had used ironically) she sent Twilight a text. “Transfer Rarity!” Twilight said as Rarity stepped into the scanner. “Scanner Rarity!” Twilight continued, matching Rarity with her Lyoko avatar, “Virtualization!” Twilight pressed the enter key, and instantly wished she hadn't. Rarity: ERROR Devirtualization program: ERROR Transfer: ERROR “Oh God...” Twilight said looking on the radar. She checked all the sectors looking around for Rarity, but was horrified. She wasn't on Lyoko. “Hey, what's wrong out there?” Dash asked. “Talk ta me, Twilight,” Applejack urged. “We have a problem...” Twilight said nervously, “A big problem.” “Aw, did the game freeze? Damn it, I didn't get to save my data!” Pinkie Pie whined jokingly. “Wha-” Twilight shook her head, “This is serious! I lost Rarity!” Applejack fired her shotgun at an incoming hornet killing it, and looked serious, “What do ya mean ya lost Rarity?” Applejack asked harshly. “She wanted to be transferred in to protect Fluttershy, but when I finished the virtualization process she didn't appear on any sector!” Rainbow Dash did a series of back flips away from two krabs as they fired at her. “That's impossible! She has to be in at least one of the sectors!” Dash said throwing a kunai at the krab on her right killing it. “Well she's not!” Twilight said, “I've searched everywhere for her, but I can't find her anywhere!” Pinkie Pie did her Homing Attack on a blok killing it and landed on all fours, “You don't think she fell into the Digital Sea, do you?” “If she did she wouldn't appear on screen at all,” Twilight said, “Her information is loaded up, but for some reason her avatar is showing up anywhere. It's like she ended up someplace not registered in Lyoko.” Fluttershy forced herself to her feet and looked at the tower, “Twilight, I'll help you search for her,” she said, “I'm near my old way tower, so I can work from here.” “Alright. Everyone else, try and get to the nearest tower and stay there until we figure this out,” Twilight said. Fluttershy ran to her tower and fazed into it right as the kankrelats fired at her again. “Please be okay, Rarity,” Twilight said getting to work. She'd let Fluttershy worry about finding Rarity for now. She needed to see exactly what XANA did to the super computer. Something told her that this wasn't the worst it was going to get. Rarity came to in an odd place. It looked like a dome of some sort, with the ceiling and walls moving around rapidly, making her a little dizzy. Thankfully she was in her armor, so wherever she was it was in Lyoko as far as she knew, but the question was where in Lyoko. “Hello?” Rarity called out, “Twilight? Are you there? Can you hear me?” Rarity looked around, and then looked down, shocked when she saw a giant XANA symbol on the floor. She had seen that pretty much everywhere related to Lyoko, but something about seeing it like this really made her feel uneasy. When the ceiling stopped moving, two passageways opened up, one in front of her and one behind her. Above her she saw two white arrows pointing in the directions of the passageways. One arrow said “Core Section” and the other one said “Security Section”. “Kakogo cherta?**” Rarity asked no one in particular. She was curious, so she decided to head in the direction of the “security section” first. Maybe she'd find something important related to Fluttershy there. Might as well kill two birds with one stone while she waited to hear from Twilight. Back in the real world, Twilight had just finished checking the computer for bugs. She sighed gravely after what she saw. “Uh oh,” Pinkie Pie said, “I really don't like it when Twilight does that.” “XANA's using his tower to infect the super computer,” Twilight said, “He basically bugged the whole transfer process. Not only can I not control where you end up in Lyoko, but I can't pull you out either.” “We can just devirtualize normally though, right?” Dash asked. “Afraid not,” Twilight said, “The scanners themselves have been bugged, so instead of saving your human DNA, they transferred that into Lyoko too.” “Does that mean if we die in the game… we die in real life too?” Pinkie Pie asked. Twilight sighed rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Pretty much, Pinkie Pie,” Twilight groaned, “XANA got us,” she kicked forward in frustration, “Damn it! It was a trap and we fell right for it!” “What about Rares?!” Applejack asked, clearly getting worked up now. “Well, I can confirm that she's is still on Lyoko,” Fluttershy said, “But she's not showing up anywhere within the known sectors. Rather, she seems to be stuck somewhere in between the sectors.” “Wait… in between the sectors?” Rainbow Dash asked, “How does that work?” “There's a part in the middle of Lyoko that we can't analyze,” Fluttershy explained, “The security there is tight, but I think XANA may have pulled her there. I'm getting her signal there, but its really small.” “Small, but not weak, right?” Twilight asked. “Right,” Fluttershy said, everyone breathing out in relief, “I think that space is a concentrated network, so the data is compressed into a smaller bit size as to not take up room in the super computer.” “Um… what does that mean in English?” Pinkie Pie asked. “I think what she's trying to say is that its bigger inside than outside, right?” Dash asked. Twilight blinked in shock. “Yes actually. That's exactly what it means,” she said in somewhat disbelief. Was Dash secretly a genius herself or something? “So can we take a way tower there or somethin?!” Applejack asked urgently, “Rares could be in danger right now, an' she don't know about the bug yet!” Twilight typed on her computer trying to connect to the closed network, and shook her head, “Negative Applejack. Since XANA was the one that pulled her there, I can't even connect to Rarity to warn her.” In the tower she was hiding in, Applejack dropped her shotgun and fell to her knees in horror. “Rares…” Applejack said, trembling as her eyes watered. She then pounded the ground in frustration, screaming, “THIS CAN'T HAPPEN!!! AH CAN'T LOSE HER!!! NOT LIKE THIS!!! RARITY!!!!” In a dark room, someone was watching all of this play out from their desktop computer, looking right at Applejack on their screen. “Rarity…!” Applejack broke down, crying helplessly, “Ya can't die…! Ah… Ah need ya...” The woman watching thought to herself, and began typing on her computer. They weren't going to get out of this mess unless she stepped in. She had no choice. Twilight and her friends needed her. Twilight saw something appear on her computer. It was an email. “Hold on...” Twilight said, “Someone just sent me a message.” “On the super computer?” Dash asked, “That sounds like a trap.” “Hold on, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, “Send it to me. I'll check it for bugs before we open it.” “Good idea,” Twilight said, “We can't take any chances.” Twilight sent the email to Fluttershy, who looked it over before sending it back to Twilight. “It checks out,” Fluttershy said, “I can't trace it's origins, but I can tell that it isn't from XANA.” “Maybe its a cheat code!” Pinkie Pie said, “Or maybe this is when we get a new power up or something! Open it! Open it!” Twilight shook her head opening the message: Tell Applejack to go to the edge of the Sector. I'll get her to Rarity while you and the others deactivate the tower. “Applejack,” Twilight said reading it over a second time, “Rarity is going to be fine. Someone is helping us. I don't know who, but they need you to go to the edge of the sector.” “Will this… take me ta Rares?” Applejack asked. “I think so,” Twilight said, “I don't know who this is, but I think they're on our side.” Applejack ran out of the tower heading to the edge of the sector. “That's all Ah needed ta hear!” Applejack said, “Ah'll save Rarity!” “While she's doing that,” Twilight said, “The rest of us need to converge at the Forest Sector. Fluttershy, stay where you are and wait for Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash.” “Understood,” Fluttershy said. “Pinkie Pie, Dash, you two need to find the way towers in your sectors and fast,” Twilight said. “I saw mine on the way here,” Dash said. “Me too,” Pinkie Pie said, “We'll get Fluttershy to the activated tower.” “Good,” Twilight said sighing in relief, thinking about the message she just received, “Just who was that anyway?” Any monsters that got in Applejack's way were shot down or whacked away by Applejack's gun. She had to hurry, because each second could have been another second closer to Rarity's death. When she reached the edge of the sector, she put her gun away and looked around. “Is somethin supposed ta happen?” Applejack asked no one in particular, “Where is Rares?!” The woman on her computer pulled up the chariot program and typed in the code: THESEUS Out of the digital sea came a white sphere with XANA's insignia on it. It flew around Applejack and opened up, scooping her right up inside it and flying off to the center of the Desert Sector. On the computer, Twilight saw another file be sent to her by the same person. She opened it, and saw a new program activate. HOLOSPHERE SYSTEM ACTIVATED “Holosphere system…?” Twilight said, seeing the hologram of Lyoko be switched out with something else. It looked like a sphere of some sort with four openings going outward. She saw on the main screen of the computer a new tab open up, allowing her to still see what was going on in Lyoko, but also in this new environment. “Is this… a new sector in Lyoko?” Twilight asked. The sphere landed in the middle of some sort of silver and blue dome. It opened up, letting Applejack free. She looked around at the odd room, feeling odd. It felt like she was being watched or something. “Twilight, ya there?” Applejack asked. “Yeah Applejack, I'm here,” Twilight said, “This is amazing! We're in the inner workings of Lyoko!” “Inner workings?” Applejack asked. “Essentially the foundation that Lyoko was build on,” Twilight said, “All the most important files of Lyoko are stored here!” “Think even Fluttershy's memories?” Applejack asked. “Maybe, but that's for another time,” Twilight said, “We have to find Rarity.” “Ah think our “friend” is watchin this,” Applejack said, “You focus on helpin the others. Ah'll manage.” Twilight thought hard about that, “Alright, but be careful,” Twilight said, apparently switching to another channel. Applejack stepped forward, about to go to the core section, when a terrified scream caught her attention. “RARES!!!” Applejack called out, running in the opposite direction. If that sound she heard was true, Rarity might have been in a lot of trouble. She couldn't lose Rarity. Not like this. It was mostly her fault Rarity was in this situation to begin with. Fluttershy turned around from her terminal to see Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie rising up from the abyss to land on the platform. “Fluttershy, I'm scared,” Pinkie Pie admitted, “I don't want to die.” “You won't,” Fluttershy said putting her hands on Pinkie Pie's shoulders, “I'll make sure of it.” “So where's this tower,” Rainbow Dash asked. “It's north of the home tower,” Twilight said, “There are a few monsters standing in your way though.” “Piece of cake,” Dash said pulling out her kunai. “Remember, you can't be reckless,” Fluttershy said taking Dash's hands, “You're like me now. If you lose your hit points today, you'll die.” If there was a word for the look on Rainbow Dash's face, it was humbled. She looked down at herself, taking in what Fluttershy just told her. She then walked over to Pinkie Pie, who also seemed a little less enthusiastic about what they had to do. “Hey, I'm sorry for being so pig headed,” Dash said, “It's easy to forget how real this is. Before, when we died, we just returned to the real world. This time though, if we die here on Lyoko, that's it.” Rainbow Dash stepped forward to the entrance of the tower, spinning her kunai on her fingers, “Leave it to me guys. You both stay behind me.” Dash stepped out of the tower into the open field, where she saw a swarm of hornets flying in front of her. She took a deep breath and got in a fighting stance, stopping when she saw Pinkie Pie run out of the tower and get next to her, hunched forward in her fighting stance. “I'm not leaving you alone, Dashie,” Pinkie Pie said, “You always protect me in the real world, but here in Lyoko, I have power too. I'm fighting, Dashie.” “Pinkie Pie...” Dash said, looking at her best friend with a smile. The two girls charged toward their enemies, determined to defeat these monsters and get Fluttershy to the tower safely. Together, they were unbeatable. Applejack ran deeper into the unknown world, which was built like a labyrinth of some sort. Thankfully the pathway was straight forward, because she had to make a lot of odd turns. In her way she saw two odd looking monsters. They were pretty large, and had brown skin and big mouths with lasers in them. They were held up only by their arms, which were really thin like pins. “Y'all need ta get outta my way!” Applejack said pulling out her shotgun and loading it, “Ah came ta pick someone up, an' Ah ain't leavin without her!” Applejack VS Creepers X2 The creepers fired at Applejack, who moved to the side out of the way and fired at the one on the left. The attack killed it, but the other one fired right at her chest knocking her back. Applejack: 60 HP “Damn it...” Applejack said getting up, “These guys ain't like XANA's other goons.” She fired at the last one, killing it, and ran forward, eventually hitting a large open room. In the middle she saw what looked like a large red and blue jellyfish monster with a bunch of really long tentacles. Tentacles that were currently binding and holding up Rarity.*** While most of the tentacles were wrapped around Rarity in a somewhat suggestive manner, two of them were held at her head and glowing red. Rarity had a blank expression on her face, as if she were in a trance of some sort. “Let her go XANA!!!!” Applejack screamed firing her shotgun at the jellyfish monster. It turned to apparently look at her as she reloaded and fired again. She continued to do this walking forward until the strange monster dropped Rarity and flew off. Applejack dropped her shotgun and ran over to Rarity. “RARITY!!!” Applejack screamed desperately. She knelt down next to her and picked her up shaking her, “Rarity! Rarity, please open yer eyes! No… you can't do this ta me! Ya can't!” Applejack held Rarity close to her crying, “Don't die Rarity! Please don't die! Ah need ya! Yer my sparrin partner, my best friend, my partner in Lyoko, an' the one Ah can't live without! Please Rarity, wake up!” After a second, Rarity twitched and slowly wrapped her arms around Applejack. “You… mean that…?” Rarity asked softly, “You… need me…?” “YES!!!” Applejack said looking into Rarity's eyes, “Ah'm sorry Ah said that ta you earlier! Ah was upset, an' that don't make it right, but-” Rarity placed an armored finger to Applejack's lips, “No Applejack, I am sorry. Truth is, I was avoiding you, but that was wrong. I was being coward… instead of facing problem, I ran from problem. Applejack… I am scared of feelings… for you.” “Scared?” Applejack asked helping Rarity up. “In Russia, homosexuality is frowned on. I'm afraid that if parents find out that I'm in love… with girl… they'll shun me...” “Oh Rarity...” Applejack suddenly felt really guilty, “Ah didn't know you were so afraid of us...” “But… I heard you...” Rarity continued caressing Applejack's cheek, “When you cried out to me just now, I heard you. I felt your love for me. That's when I remembered… why you are my hero… Applejack, I…” Applejack helped Rarity up, and looked into her eyes. They stayed like that for a few seconds, and then slowly got closer to each other. Their eyes closed, they closed in, mere inches away from- Red lasers began firing at them, alerting them that they weren't alone anymore. Applejack looked around and saw creepers approaching them from all around. One blast was about to hit Applejack, but Rarity blocked the attack with her sword. “We need to find exit!” Rarity said. “Ah know!” Applejack said firing at the creepers while Rarity blocked their attacks, “If ya know where ta start lookin, then lead the way!” Still watching on her computer, she began typing another program, this time sending it right to Applejack and Rarity. Next to Applejack appeared what looked like a motorcycle of sorts. It was really long, which meant Applejack would have to lean forward to reach the handlebars. It was red and black, had two really large spheres for wheels, and an overall sleek and aerodynamic design. “What's this?” Rarity asked. “Our ride,” Applejack said getting on the motorcycle, “Hold on tight, Rares!” Rarity sat down behind Applejack and wrapped her arms around her waist. Applejack started up the motorcycle and rode off, the machine leaving a red stream of light behind it as they rode forward. Maybe if they continued forward they'd find an exit. It sure beat staying there. Rainbow Dash: 50 HP Pinkie Pie: 40 HP They had taken a bit of damage, but with Twilight's support from the real world they were able to defeat all the monsters that were surrounding them. Fluttershy ran out of the tower as Rainbow Dash put her kunai away and Pinkie Pie fell to her knees in exhaustion. “Are you two okay?” Fluttershy asked. “We lost about half of our hit points,” Dash said, “But we're okay for the most part.” “You realize that you just defeated thirty hornets, right?” Twilight said clearly impressed. “I didn't do it alone,” Dash said walking over to Pinkie Pie and scratching the back of her ears, “I had the best partner in the whole world.” “Nya...” Pinkie Pie said, closing her eyes in pure bliss and actually purring, just like a real cat. Dash didn't know if that was because of her Lyoko form or if she actually knew how to purr. “The tower is just ahead,” Fluttershy said stepping forward, “Let's end this so all of you can get home.” “What about Applejack and Rarity?” Pinkie Pie asked standing up, “Are they okay?” “I'm looking on the holosphere map, and it looks like Applejack and Rarity are together,” Twilight said, “But they're moving way too fast.” “What, like my kind of speed?” Dash asked. “Yeah actually,” Twilight said, “I don't know what happened, but they seem to be getting close to the exit.” “Good,” Dash said, “Come on guys. We still got a tower to deactivate!” Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy ran forward to the tower, which was guarded by two tarantulas. The second they saw the girls they pointed their blasters forward and started firing. Dash did a cartwheel to the right while Pinkie Pie pushed Fluttershy to the left. “Shoot! I can't get close!” Dash said, “Pinkie Pie, can you get over there?” Pinkie Pie poked her head out, but then quickly hid again to dodge incoming fire, “I can't Dashie,” Pinkie Pie said, “They're firing too much. If I take one hit from them I'm dead.” Applejack and Rarity rode onward, now being pursued by monsters that looked like robotic cyclists riding the same sort of motorcycles as Applejack. The pathway changed too, now looking more like a holographic highway as opposed to a labyrinth or arena. “AJ, get in front of one of them!” Rarity requested. Applejack did as was told and moved a bit in front of one of the motorcycle riding monsters. Rarity charged up energy into her sword, and slashed at the air sending a sharp shock wave through the monster killing it. “Since when could ya do that?” Applejack asked. “Twilight said I have long range attack that I never use,” Rarity said, “I thought I'd test it out.” Applejack laughed, “Now we really are the perfect combo.” “We are,” Rarity said smiling lovingly. She wrapped her arms around Applejack and rested her head on her back, “When we get out of here, let's talk about future relationship.” “Ah'd… like that a lot Rares,” Applejack said with a warm smile. Ahead the two of them saw what looked like another rode going through a tube that sort of looked like the interior of a tower, “Hey, Ah think Ah found the exit!” “Then let's get out of here!” Rarity said. Applejack did a wheelie on her new bike, and then rode into the tunnel. They felt like they were flying almost, and when they reached the top, sure enough they were inside a tower. Applejack wasted no time, simply riding the motorcycle right out of the tower. Thankfully they were in the Forest Sector, and they emerged from Fluttershy's home tower. “Oh my God!” Twilight cried out, “Applejack?!” “Where?!” Dash asked looking around. “She's coming up from behind you at high speed!” Twilight said. The three girls turned to see Applejack and Rarity riding on something straight out of Tron. The tarantulas fired at the bike, but Applejack showed no fear riding into one of the monsters and tackling it off the ledge and into the Digital Sea. “Holy shit...” Dash said in shock. “I waaaannnnnnnnt ooooooonnnneeee…” Pinkie Pie whispered eagerly. Rarity jumped off the motorcycle stabbing her sword into the head of the remaining tarantula. She landed and turned to Fluttershy. “I think next part is your turn,” Rarity said. Fluttershy nodded and ran to the tower, fazing into it. Fluttershy ran to the center of the tower, and allowed herself to be lifted to the top platform. When she elegantly landed on the platform, she calmly walked over to the holographic keyboard, where she began hacking her way into its security. Once that was done, and the touch screen appeared, Fluttershy placed her hand on it. FLUTTERSHY CODE LYOKO “Tower deactivated,” Fluttershy sighed in relief, looking down into the abyss as the code on the walls fell into the darkness. As the issue was self contained, there was no need to use Return to the Past, so Fluttershy simply emerged from the tower to meet up with everyone. She was pleased to see Applejack and Rarity holding hands. “So, you two made up?” Fluttershy asked. “Yeah,” Applejack said, “When we get home, we're gonna head ta our special spot an' talk.” “There is much to talk about,” Rarity said. “Speaking of going home,” Pinkie Pie said, “Can we log out now?” “Well, everything seems to check out,” Twilight said, “But we need to test it.” “Try me first,” Dash said, “I'm sort of the one we test programs on anyway, so it should be me.” “Since when were ya so responsible, Dash?” Applejack taunted. “Let's just say that this whole day's been a bit of a wake up call for me too,” Dash said folding her arms. “Alright, you ready Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked. “Ready,” Dash said with a nod. “Devirtualization!” Twilight said. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes tightly as her Lyoko body was broken up and vanished. Back in the real world, Dash's scanner opened up and Dash stepped out. She looked herself up and down, and then sat down relieved, pulling out her cellphone. “Made it Twilight,” Dash said. Twilight sat back in her chair relieved. “Good. Okay guys, let's bring you all home,” Twilight said. As she brought her friends back, she thought back to the person who came to their aid. She had wanted to thank them, but they had logged off from wherever they were. Could that have been…? It was dark when they got to their special place. Applejack was concerned about Rarity's parents, but she sent them a message letting them know she'd be coming in late, so there wasn't a problem. The moon was full, and it reflected beautifully on the water. The two girls sat down on the grass looking up at the moon, taking in the peace around them. “So… about what happened taday on Lyoko...” Applejack said. “You mean when we almost...” Rarity trailed off. “Y-yeah...” Applejack said, “What did you think about that?” “Well, I was rather annoyed that we were interrupted,” Rarity huffed, before catching what she had just said, “Um… I mean… well...” “It's alright,” Applejack said, “Ah think it's pretty obvious that we like each other.” “Dah...” Rarity sighed, “I have had crush on you… since first day of school...” “Ah couldn't tell,” Applejack said, “Seriously, Ah thought ya were tryin ta kill me.” “I didn't know what I was feeling,” Rarity admitted, “But I felt something strong for you. Maybe I attacked then because…” “Because you were scared?” Applejack asked. Rarity took a deep breath before she spoke again. “D-dah...” Rarity said, apparently admitting something she was embarrassed by, “I still am, sadly… I love parents, so I don't want them to shun me, but I can't ignore how I feel about you. Applejack, I…” Applejack turned to Rarity, and did the one thing she had wanted to do for ages. She kissed her, softly on the lips. They had only ever officially kissed once, and that was months ago. Every other time they were interrupted. Not this time though. “What do ya wanna do?” Applejack asked Rarity. “Well, what do you want to do?” Rarity asked. “That should be obvious,” Applejack said with a smile, “Ah wanna be yer girlfriend, officially this time.” “I… want to be your girlfriend… too,” Rarity said slowly, “I don't think I can tell parents yet, but I might be ready to… try being in relationship.” “We don't have ta do anythin special,” Applejack said, “We're not gonna change or anythin. Ah jus' wanna be closer to ya, is all. Ah wanna be able ta hold ya hand, hug ya, an' kiss ya anytime Ah want.” “That sounds nice,” Rarity said smiling, “Let's start there.” “An' whatever happens, we tackle it tagether,” Applejack said. “Dah, together,” Rarity replied. The two girls looked into each others eyes, and then kissed a second time, both of them feeling like a weight was lifted. “So, who do you think that person was?” Fluttershy asked as she and Twilight walked to their dorm rooms. “I don't know,” Twilight said, “I saved the information on that bike Applejack was riding on. I should be able to replicate it and make at least three more.” “Do you think we'll need them?” Fluttershy asked. “Based off what Applejack told us about that weird place in Lyoko, we'll need them if we're going to explore that place,” Twilight said, “I'm going to look at a few things before going to bed.” “Alright,” Fluttershy yawned, “I'm probably going right to sleep. Today was exhausting.” “You deserve a good night's rest,” Twilight embraced Fluttershy and kissed her, “Good night Fluttershy.” “Good night Twilight,” Fluttershy said, “I love you.” “I love you too,” Twilight said. She and Fluttershy kissed a second time, and then went to their separate rooms. Twilight immediately turned on her computer and got to work on the new programs. Right as she was really getting into it, her phone rang. The caller ID just showed “unknown caller”. Twilight slowly answered her phone, her heart racing. “Hello?” Twilight asked. “You need to be more careful, Twilight. Next time, I might not be able to come to your aid.” Whoever it was, they were using a voice synthesizer to hide their identity, but Twilight could tell immediately this was the person who rescued them earlier. “You're the one from before,” Twilight said, “The one who helped us on Lyoko. W-who are you?” “For safety reasons I can't tell you my real name,” the person said, “But I can at least tell you that I am one of the people responsible for the machine you and your friends are using.” “One of the Architects of Lyoko...” Twilight said beginning to realize who this was, “Does that mean...” “Yes Twilight Sparkle, I am the head Architect,” the person said, “For now, you may call me… Eos.” Ending Theme: Can't Fight the Moonlight