Flash was in his car. He wanted to drive, he just wanted to peel out of this situation and move to another town, far, far away. A town with new girls, a town that didn't know about the women who'd been willing to kill for him. He also wanted to sleep. Sleep, yes. If he had to choose anything he missed about not meeting Inapan it was sleep. He'd alternate between nights without it and horrible nightmares that never seemed to end ever since that first date. Yawning, Flash leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes in hopes t- wait, he had an idea!
Duh, there's tons of alien stuff on this ship, why didn't he just ask Tested if she had anything? Opening his car door and knocking the robotic buddy to the ground, he walked off to the lab, and looking for the other crew members. The hallways of the ship were dark and echoed, but only slightly more-so than before. With each step Flash grew more and more uncomfortable, turning around to see if anyone was following him, to find nobody. Truth be told, as he continued to the lab, and he wasn't quite sure if the options of being followed or not were the best ones. As the automatic doors opened, Flash breathed a sigh of relief, stepping in to the nice, pure, white room.
"Hello?" he called. "Isn't there supposed to be a doctor here?" He asked, actually hoping one of those creepy robots would respond. They didn't. Continuing into the lab, Flash passed vials and flasks of mysterious substances, massive containment tubes filled with unusual and bizarre creatures he could only describe as monsters, and mysterious cabinets too large for files, but too small for bodies. Finally, he approached an automatic door that slowly slid open as he approached, two familiar figures standing in the distance. He heard Inapan talking, giggling, enjoying herself as the other figure remained in silence, as Flash grew closer, he found the figure was... him!
Gasping and trying to back away, he felt the door slam behind him, removing any options he had.
"Oh, Flash!" Came Inapan's happy voice, skipping over to him. "I'm so glad you're here, I need to show you something." She grabbed him by the hand and drug him forward, the second version of him getting clearer and clearer.
It stood before him, unblinking with every step he took, his bride's giggles became less playful and more maniacal, as he felt her hands grip deeper and deeper into his flesh. "Do you like it, Flash? It looks just like you, it thinks just like you, it works just like you... Well, it will, once we put in the brain."
"B-brain?"
"But of COURSE Flash. I looked into it, you only have 80 years left to live, while I have another 962, assuming nothing happens. I can't have my lawfully wedded husband nothing but mush on our Uranium Anniversary. So I built this." She smiled menacingly as she grasped his skull in her gloves. "Don't worry honey, we'll put your body in a jar, so when both of us finally die, we can just be cloned, and continue our never-ending love, forever and ever, and ever..."
Before Flash could say anything he could feel her grasp tightening on his skull, squeezing it to the breaking point as he screamed, screamed, and screamed for mercy.
"This isn't happening!"
"This can't be happening!"
"This! Isn't! Really! Happening!" He screeched as he woke up in his car, gasping and holding his head as Inapan shook him awake.
"Flash, Flash, what's wrong?" Inapan asked, reading his mind.
"Don't touch me! Get off of me! I need to get out of here! I need t-" She cut him off with a kiss, he calming down slowly as their tender embrace was shared. He was still shaken as she gently pet his hair, shushing him.
"You need to relax Flash... I'm here. Now, why don't you tell me what scared you so much?"
He turned and looked her dead in the eyes, flinching. "You w-wanted to put my brain in a robot..."
"Oh Flash, don't be silly. Robots don't work that way." She pat him on the head and walked off, grinning to herself as she collected Flash's thoughts. "Although they might have a few other uses..."
Dash exited the tent, smiling brightly as she approached the group. Applejack was focusing on a branch on the ground, shaking her head.
"I just can't get it." Applejack admitted, shaking her head and getting up, picking it up herself. "I think as hard as I can, but I can't pick it up."
"Interesting" Sunset said, writing down the notes, skimming over to the page on Rainbow.
"How's it going?" Rainbow asked.
"Not too good." The fire-headed girl confessed. "Turns out all these powers have some kinda limit to them, not to mention Twilight's notes read like stereo instructions... look at this: "Geographical and temporal perimeters: Functional perimeters vary from manifestation to manifestation". What on Earth does that mean?"
"What's that got to do with our powers?"
"Oh, nothing, this is the stuff from before she met us, but I figured it might be a good idea to read through the whole thing in case she refers back to something."
"Well, what about what the notes didn't say?"
"As I said before, every power has some kind of limit; Pinkie can't hypnotize animals, Rarity can only change into people she knows personally, Applejack can only sprout arms from living creatures, I can only lift up to... twice my bodyweight, I think? And since I'm as thin as a rod..."
"Better than not having powers at all." Dash said, stretching out her legs.
"...Wait, didn't have a limp before?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Interesting... did you have any scars or gashes you've had for a long time?" Sunset flipped to an empty page and began writing some things down.
"Well I have this really bad scar from this biking accident as a kid..." She moved her arm to show a clear part of skin. "Wait, wha-"
"Amazing! Rainbow, I think we found your power!"
"And that would be...?"
"You can heal yourself!"
"How do we know for sure?" Dash asked, skepticism dripping from her words.
"Well, there's a knife right there." Sunset motioned to the picnic basket.
"WOAH WOAH, let's not get crazy here!"
"Relax, I'm just joking... but still, if you get hurt in any other way, keep us informed, that might prove useful."
"What about Fluttershy?" Rainbow asks. "I don't think you guys told me her power."
"She kinda... well, her power is a blessing and a curse. Mostly a curse. Do you know what a sonic boom is?"
"Yeah...?"
"You ever been to a death metal concert?" Sunset continued, remembering the time she dragged Flash to one.
"I saw one on TV once, yeah."
"Now, put those sounds together and that's Fluttershy's superpower."
"You're kidding me! Fluttershy's superpower is to blow people's eardrums? Sweet!" While the two discussed the fine details of having their heads blown apart by Fluttershy of all people, Rarity and Applejack worked on their powers.
"Nope, that's just Big Mac again." She shook her head and tossed aside a photo of cousin Fiddlesticks as Rarity removed her mask. "I can't believe it. All 457 members of the Apple family and the only ones you can change into are me, Apple Bloom, Big Mac, Granny Smith, and Hayseed Turnip Truck... how did ya meet him, again?"
"Oh, that's a long story." Rarity stopped herself from going into detail. "How about you, anything happening?" The two looked to a rock Applejack had been focusing on and found nothing.
"Of course. Do you have any other ideas?" Applejack asked.
"Oh, I have one!" Rarity held out her hand. "Put it there." Applejack shook it. "I should have been more specific. Put a head in my hand."
"What on Earth will that accomplish?"
"We're experimenting, darling! Just do that thing you do with your hands with your head, like earlier!"
"Fine, but it'll be for research... don't be going all Shakespearean on me." In an instant, another head, identical to Applejack's sprouted in Rarity's hands.
"Oh, OK! That's an odd feeling..." Rarity closed her eyes and put on her mask once more. When she opened them, she looked at the head on her arm and "Voila!" The head on her arm was now Sunset Shimmer's.