//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: Speak of the Devil... // Story: Guardians of the Multiverse // by Draknir //------------------------------// “Attention. PP-073 and SG-948. Report to your immediate supervisor,” boomed the same voice that had previously summoned Pinkie. It shook Twilight out of a sound sleep, startling her enough that she fell out of bed, although she had been quite close to the edge beforehand. As she rubbed her head, Twilight couldn’t help but think that the voice sounded familiar, although she couldn’t quite place it in her groggy state. She did, however, hear some colorful words coming the next room over. After getting off the floor and crawling in bed, Twilight glanced over at the clock that was one of the few things that had been added since she got to the MGH. “Not even one in the morning?” groaned Twilight, before beginning to doze. She had just fallen back to sleep when the door to her room suddenly burst open. “Rise and shine, Twilight. We’ve got work to do,” shouted Pinkie, or at least to Twilight it was shouting, eliciting a very prolonged groan. “Did I sleep that poorly?” yawned Twilight before glancing at the clock again. Fewer than twenty minutes had passed since she last looked, “What?! Why did you get me up this early?!” “Uh, I just said that we have work to do,” replied Pinkie, resulting in Twilight slapping her hoof to her forehead, “I’m sure you woke up to me getting called to PC-001’s office, right?” “I’m fairly certain the dead were awoken,” growled Twilight, glaring at the Pegasus in her doorway, “But, yes. I was.” “Well, aren’t you a salty one this morning? Anyway, you know that thing I was telling you about last night? The Pre-Alphas? Turns out I was kinda tempting fate with that.” “You what?” “Yeah, guess what our job is? Shining Armor and Sunset Shimmer are both waiting for us out there. C’mon,” urged Pinkie before shutting the door again. Twilight grumbled before getting out of her bed and stretching. She yawned as she left her room, her eyes almost half-closed. “Mornin’ sleepyhead,” said Shining Armor as she levitated a glass over to the other Unicorn, “Drink this. You’ll need it.” Twilight obliged, chugging it before her eyes popped open before being squeezed shut and she started gagging. “Ugh, this tastes awful!” sputtered Twilight between gags, “Why did you give me that?” “Basically, that gives you enough energy to make it through our job here,” answered Shining Armor, “Sure, it tastes awful, but it works. Although one of us actually likes the taste of it, somehow.” “I’m sorry that I actually like this stuff,” retorted Sunset Shimmer, “I mean, sure we barely ever have to use it.” “Focus,” said Pinkie, “Here’s the deal, it seems that C-1835’s squad has discovered the presence of a Pre-Alpha in Universe 2784. PC-001 has seen fit to assigns us and SG-948’s squad to assist them in taking it down. PC-001 did not give me exact details. First, we are to go to the armory and suit up and then we need to report to our portal room.” “Armory? We have an armory?” asked Sunset Shimmer, “Why have I never heard of this before?” “The armory is reserved solely for use when dealing with either a Pre-Alpha or, I assume, an Alpha,” explained Pinkie sternly, “This has never come up for the three of you because have never had to deal with a Pre-Alpha. Unless your squad is assigned to deal with one, you cannot even set foot inside to show a new member. Now, let’s move out!” “Wow, Pinkie. I’ve never seen you act this way,” commented Shining Armor, “Have you been taking lessons from PC-001 when we’re asleep or something?” “Serious Pinkie is only reserved for serious situations,” replied Pinkie, “And this is a very serious situation. Now, move out!” The squad left their quarters and went down the hall going in the opposite direction that they normally go, Pinkie leading the way. The hallway curved after a minute, leading to a large room with many doors on each wall. The Pegasus led them to a door directly to the left of the hall, previously unseen until they actually got in the room and turned around. “Open. Authorization PP-073-2784-931,” stated Pinkie, facing directly at the door as she did. The door dissolved instantly, unlike the other doors at the MGH, to reveal a room with hundreds of small lockers. Inside was a pony who looked almost exactly like Shining Armor except for being a stallion and having a lighter shade to his mane and tail, “Hey, GS-4579. Long time, no see.” “Not since you took down, who was it, a Pre-Alpha Nightmare Star?” replied GS-4579, “I see you’ve got your own squad now. Congrats.” “Sorry, but we’ve got an important job, as you can tell. Which ones are ours?” “Give me a second and I’ll highlight them for you,” answered the stallion before his horn began to glow a light blue, and four of the lockers resonated in return, “There you go. Good luck, not that you’ll probably need it.” “You’re that confident in our abilities?” asked Twilight, looking at the Unicorn. “Nah. These suits you’ll be using basically make something like this a cakewalk.” “Let’s gear up. Each of us has a locker with our Universe number on it,” informed Pinkie, “Take what’s inside and press the button. I’m remembering that correctly, right?” “More or less. I’m surprised you actually remember that. I mean, it’s been quite some time since you were last here,” answered GS-4579, “PP-073, yours is here. SA -132, here. SS-222, right here, and TS-314, yours would be right here.” The four glowing lockers lit up brighter as the Unicorn said each one. Each of the four went to the lockers that they were assigned. Pinkie’s was the highest up, though this was not a problem because she could just fly up there. Inside each of these was a small device, able to fit on a hoof with room to spare, that consisted of a single button. Pinkie pressed the button on hers, and in a short burst of light, a suit appeared around her body. This suit was tight fitting, covered her wings, and was the same color as her coat, meaning the only way to tell something had happened was that she was shinier. A helmet the same color as her mane also appeared over her head and a clear visor covered her eyes. The rest of the squad followed suit, the colorations varying for each of them and the helmets being the primary color of their manes. For Twilight and Shining Armor, the helmets covered their horns, basically extending them “What do these even do?” asked Twilight, inspecting the suit that now enveloped her body. It moved with her and she was unable to tug at it physically. “Basically, these suits improve our natural abilities,” explained Pinkie, “We can run faster, hit harder, and, in the case of you and Shining Armor, increases the potency of spells.” “You are also more resistant to damage, both physical and magical,” continued GS-4579, “Setting you on fire would only result in you feeling overheated. Kicking you in the ribs would only feel like a tickle. Of course, if you did it to each other, it’d go as you’d expect. A Pre-Alpha can still do a number on you if you’re not careful. The HUD that will kick in when you go to Universe 2784 will show you how much more your suit can take. Among other things.” “We’ve spent enough time here. C-1835’s and SG-948’s squads are waiting on us. Not to mention the fact that, the longer we take, the more likely it is the Pre-Alpha becomes an Alpha. And that means PC-001 will have our heads if we actually defeat it then,” stated Pinkie, “Let’s go to the portal. Decuple time!” She ran out of the room at a speed greater than any of the other three had seen a pony move at. After a quick glance at each other, they followed suit, though not nearly as fast as their leader had. They reached the portal room in a fraction of the time it took them to get to the armory, “Well, it’s about time!” “You were probably here before we could even react,” retorted Sunset Shimmer, “Do not get on us for being slow.” “Everypony ready?” asked Pinkie, receiving affirmative nods, “Good. Universe 2784, direct visit.” “Error: A squad is already visiting Universe 2784,” said the metallic voice of the computer. “Override. Authorization PP-073-931,” replied Pinkie, now staring directly at the computer. “Override accepted,” stated the computer, “Error: Invalid privileges.” “Commander override. Authorization 978371842,” stated Pinkie, her voice heavy with frustration. “Override accepted. Re-randomizing PP-073 Commander override. Opening portal.” “Why did you need to do two overrides?” asked Shining Armor, voicing the same question that Twilight and Sunset Shimmer were wondering, “And what was that about re-randomizing?” “Explain later. Work now,” grunted Pinkie, “We’ve wasted more than enough time, as I’ve said so many times I’ve lost count. Let’s get going.” Without any further words, the squad entered the portal, which had begun to glow a bright red rather than the normal yellow used for direct visits. They were met with the familiar surroundings of a Universe Core. Four other ponies were standing there and all turned to look at them. “Well, it’s about time our backup showed up,” said a pink mare that looked like a Pegasus, but had many features of bats, such as wings and ears. Her mane and tail were a very light purple and quite long, but were extremely messy. Her Cutie Mark was a light blue heart that looked like it was made of crystal, “It’s been a while, hasn’t it Pinkie? You too, Sunset Shimmer.” “Good to see you again, Cadence,” answered Pinkie, leaving Twilight dumbfounded. “Wait, your name is Cadence?” asked Twilight, “You look almost nothing like the one of my Universe!” The mare let out a laugh. “I should say the same of you. Judging by your voice, you’re a counterpart of Twilight,” replied Cadence with a smile, “There are a lot of differences between my Universe and a majority of others. Such as most ponies being Bat Ponies. And, I guess me being quite different than in many others, hence why you wouldn’t have recognized me. So, Pinkie, this is the pony who replaced Vinyl?” “Eeyup,” affirmed the Pegasus, “And Shining Armor here replaced you after your promotion. Specifically, they are SA-132 and TS-314. So, who’s in your squad?” “Girls, step forward as I say your names,” ordered Cadence, looking at her squad, “First, AJ-997, Applejack.” An orange Unicorn stepped forward. Her mane and tail were a very light tan and both curled at the ends. A golden necklace hung around her neck, though it was quite thin. Her Cutie Mark consisted of three red apples in a triangle shape. “Next, SR-2238, Spoiled Rich,” continued the Bat Pony. An Earth Pony stepped forward as she said her name. She was a grayish-pink with a dark magenta mane that was quite simply styled. Her tail was similar to her mane, except it was braided. Her Cuite Mark was a gold ring with a moderately large diamond on it. “Finally, WF-4413, Wild Fire,” finished Cadence. A light-tan Pegasus stepped forward. Her dark brown mane and tail were short and straight, and her Cutie Mark was a tire that was on fire. “Sorry we’re late!” shouted a voice from behind the eight ponies, “We’d have been here sooner, but some pony had to make a pit stop.” A light pink Earth Pony appeared behind them. Her Cutie Mark consisted of two plumes of dust that were each half one shade of bluish green, and half another, a dark purple diamond with a white x-shape underneath. Her mane was also a dark purple with a very light bluish green stripe that became a pony tail shape after her bangs, though no hair tie was visible. Her tail shared the same coloration and curved slightly at the end. “’Bout time, Starlight,” said Cadence, “Great seeing you again.” “I feel the same way,” said Pinkie, “About both of those things.” “So, did PC-001 plan this or something?” asked Starlight, her full name being Starlight Glimmer, “I mean, you two used to be in the same squad and I used to be in a squad that used the same portal as you.” “Dunno. Maybe?” answered Cadence, “I mean, does any pony understand why PC-001 does what she does?” “Are you here by yourself?” asked Twilight, looking at the Earth Pony, who in turn looked around before sighing. “Would you excuse me for a moment?” She stated the return command and disappeared. Despite no longer being there, what she said came across loud and clear, “WHAT DO YOU IDIOTS THINK YOU’RE DOING?! GET IN THERE NOW!” Silence followed for a few seconds, “SO, YOU JUST ASSUMED THAT I WAS BACK IN THE ROOM WHEN YOU DIDN’T SEE ME HERE?! THAT’S NOT AN EXCUSE! NOW, GET YOUR BUTTS IN THERE BEFORE I DO IT FOR YOU!” Starlight reappeared, this time with three other ponies with her. The one directly to her left was a purple Unicorn, only a few shades darker than Twilight. Her mane was a dark lime green and spiked all over the place, but her tail was a light lime green and straight. The mare’s Cutie Mark was a small green ember. Directly behind Starlight was a snow white Pegasus with what a few scars on her face. Her mane and tail were both cut short and had no hint of styling. The Unicorns Cutie Mark consisted of three light blue diamonds in a triangle shape. She looked rather angry, or at the very least annoyed. To Starlight’s right stood another Earth Pony, this one a bright yellow. Her curly mane and tail were half pink and half indigo. The mare’s Cutie Mark consisted of three wrapped candies in a line with yellow and blue stripes going diagonally. “You’ll have to excuse these three. Evidently, they lack common sense,” said Starlight, receiving an angry grunt from the Pegasus behind her, “To my left, we have B-1073, Barb, behind me, E-9775, Elusive, and to my right we have BB-8000, Bon Bon.” Pinkie then went on to introduce Twilight, Shining Armor, and Sunset Shimmer while Cadence repeated her team’s names so the new squad could learn their names. The three squad captains lined up in one line and the rest of the squad members lined up together directly in front of them. “All right, listen up,” said Cadence, stepping forward slightly, “My squad already knows this, but PP-073’s and SG-948’s squads do not. The Pre-Alpha being we have to deal with is known as Rainbow Blitz, who in this Universe is a Unicorn Prince. He rules alongside of his wife over a portion of Equestria, which in this Universe has split into several different kingdoms. Even before instability within Universe 2784 caused him to become a Pre-Alpha, he was a very skilled wielder of magic. Since becoming a Pre-Alpha, he’s become extremely powerful.” “Before we go to the closest stability point to Rainbow Blitz’s current position, this is how we will act,” stated Pinkie, “The Unicorns will use their magic to help ward off any attacks he may throw at us while also dishing out their own. The Pegasi, Bat or otherwise, shall attack from the sky while the Earth Ponies shall create a pincer maneuver in order to attack him from the sides.” “Once we get him sufficiently weakened, which shall be represented on your HUD once we get near him, PP-073, C-1835, and myself shall use our tools to return him to normal,” continued Starlight, “Now, you may be wondering why it is that we need to weaken Rainbow Blitz before we use these tools. It is simple. So long as he is above a certain point strength-wise, our tools cannot do anything to fix him. Any questions?” Silence followed. “Good. Now, let’s move out!” said Pinkie, “Locate being Rainbow Blitz. Travel to nearest Stability Point.” Starlight and Cadence repeated the last part of what Pinkie had said, and all three squads disappeared.