Chapter 1: The Best Match Begins
It all started in a quiet night in the countryside. Free from the hustle and bustle of the city. Daylight faded away as blackness overtook the heavens above. One by one, stars littered the dark sky, completely visible from the lack of light pollution.
Everything seemed so serene and still….until a bright light streaked across the night. Normally, one would associate this phenomenon with a shooting star…until the light changed direction mid-flight and crash landed in a clearing not too far from the dirt road.
The impact alerted everyone within the blast radius, which just so happened to be a single man on his drive back home. Curious about the noise, and being the adventurous youth he was, he turned towards the source to investigate.
When he reached the crash site, he noticed a large amount of gas-like substance was released from the object in the crater, but eventually chalked it up as dust being kicked up from the impact and steam from the cooling celestial body.
He approached the fallen object, noting in surprise that said object wasn’t a meteorite at all. It was too cubical in appearance.
Just as he initially suspected, the object was cubical in shape. Almost like a box. But what intrigued him was that it looked futuristic. The octagonal plates that made up the box’s walls had strange, circuit-like patterns and markings. It was hard to tell due to the lack of proper light, but it seemed to be a stone-like gray to him.
Curiosity and excitement overwhelmed his apprehension of the mysterious box. He whipped out his cell phone and made a reported his finding to the Canterlot Research Center.
Hours later, a series of vehicles, suited men, and researchers littered the crash site. The box was properly retrieved and secured as the man was interviewed by the government officials on what he found.
However, no one could’ve ever foreseen how the secrets sealed in this little box of mysteries would change the world.
18 years later…
The last class of the day had just finished for the students of Canterlot High School. A steady stream of teenagers poured out from the campus front doors. Each and every one of them was eager for whatever after school activity they had, such as homework, clubs, or heading to their favorite hangouts.
However, for three certain individuals, other plans were in store.
The first of the trio was a tall male with a strong build. His long green hair was tucked under a black beanie, and was garbed in a pair of jeans, a red t-shirt, a brown vest, and a pair of black wristbands. On his vest was a button of the recycling symbol.
The second of the group was a shorter boy with a medium build, similarly light complexion, and spiky blue hair. He wore a pair of jeans, a white shirt, a black hoodie, and a pair of sneakers with lightning bolts on the sides. An emblem resembling a blue shield with a yellow lightning bolt was on his sleeve. In his hands was a black guitar case.
The final member of the group was the shortest of the three. He had short grayish hair and a pale violet skin tone. He was dressed in a pair of slacks, white suspenders, and a yellow sweater. A dark badge depicting an atomic symbol was pinned over his left pectoral. His black eyes were hidden by a pair of taped, black glasses.
However, the last member of the trio was also the most noticeably depressed. The other two tried their best to cheer him up.
“So you guys wanna head over to Sugar Cube Corner? I heard that the Cakes are giving out a limited time milkshake flavor.” The spiky haired teen, Flash Sentry offered.
“Or maybe we can head to the arcade. I think they just got a new fighter game.” The green haired, Sandalwood Forests added.
“I appreciate the offer guys, but I’d rather just go home and get started on the assignment.” Micro Chips politely refused.
“But Mr. Doodle said that the assignment isn’t due until Friday. And today’s only Tuesday.”
“I know, I just want to get it done and…do other stuff later…”
Flash and Sandal looked at one another before turning to their friend. “…You’re still upset about what happened, aren’t you?”
Micro stopped walking. After a moment, he sighed. “…Of course I am. It’s been six months and we still haven’t heard anything.”
Six months. This exchange had been a common occurrence for the past six months. No matter how much his friends tried to help him, he just couldn’t move on.
The reason? It had been six months since his older brother, a renowned scientist and genius, Gizmo Poindexter, had gone missing.
The worst part? At the same time his disappearance had been reported, a dead body had been found in his apartment.
It had been the most prominent news story of the month. The media would not keep quiet about it. How could they not? Acclaimed scientist goes missing just as a dead body is found in his place of residence? A scoop of the century.
But Micro refused to believe a single word of what the media spewed. His brother was no murderer. Admittedly, he did get a bit eccentric regarding his experiments and inventions. But he was a kind and caring individual. The thought of him taking a life was absolutely absurd!
His family had been going through tough time due to the shocking revelation. The media would keep hounding on him and his parents for explanations and answers. They had all been emotionally exhausted from the ordeal. Fortunately, like himself, his parents refused to believe Gizmo being the culprit.
It was only recently that things had gotten back to normal. Due to the lack of follow up from the event, the media backed off and things slowly died down. His life at Canterlot High had gone back to normal.
…well, as normal as things can get when Equestrian Magic was involved.
In fact, just a few weeks ago at Camp Everfree, a certain group of students defeated the Camp’s Director who had been corrupted by said magic and turned into a force of nature named Gaea Everfree. Since then, the Rainbooms had obtained a set of geodes that enabled them to perform magical feats, such as animal communication, super strength, diamond shields, mind reading, telekinesis, super speed, even turning sugary confections into explosives.
…knowing a particular party planner, it was best not to question that last power.
The excitement from back then had made him forgot about the incident. But since today marked exactly six months since it happened….the feelings were back again.
He just wanted answers. What truly happened back then, and where his brother was now. Something just wasn’t sitting right with him.
Before he could ponder further, a steady hand rested on his shoulder. “Micro, buddy.” Sandalwood looked him in the eye. “We get that you’re still hurting from what happened. But you need to move on. Otherwise you’ll be plagued with bad vibes for the rest of your life.”
“I’m sorry. But…I…I just can’t let this go! I don’t even know what happened to Gizmo! I know my brother, and he’s no murderer! The media has got it all wrong.”
“And we believe you.” Flash interjected. “But as you said, we don’t know anything else about what happened. There has been no follow up about the incident. If there was a trail, then it’s probably gone cold by now.”
“But that’s just it. Usually, stories like these have circulation that lasts for months, maybe a year, especially in a town like ours. But it stopped just a couple months ago. There’s gotta be something more to this.”
“Maybe there is. But it’s not like we can do anything. We’re just high school students,” Micro opened his mouth, but Flash quickly added. “…despite the fact that our school has been the center point of multiple magical events. Besides, we don’t have any magic ourselves. That’s Sunset and the girls’ jurisdiction, so we can’t really do anything.”
“…Fair point…” Micro sighed.
“Sorry bud. Trust me, Sandalwood and I wish we can help, but we don’t have any clue where or how to start.”
“It’s fine.” The shorter teen shook his head. As much as it frustrated him, there was no use getting worked up over something beyond their capabilities.
“…Well, I should probably get going. I wasn’t kidding about the homework. The sooner I finish, the sooner I can do something else. Like maybe get started on that new game I got.”
“Then do you mind if Sandalwood and I join you? I kind of need some help on that calculus assignment we have.” The musician questioned. “I’m still having trouble with integration.”
“Sure.”
“Then let’s hop into my truck and go.” The eco-teen smiled as he pulled out his keys. Even if it was only for a brief moment, at least they managed to divert Micro from the incident.
Eventually, the three made it to Micro Chips’ home. It was an average, two story building with no prominent features aside from the satellite dish on the roof, a series of inventions seen through the second floor window, and the package outside the front door…..wait….
“Looks like you got mail.” Flash noted as they got off the truck.
“But I haven’t ordered anything. And I’m sure my parents’ weren’t expecting anything either…” Micro picked up the box and inspected it. The weight in his hands felt familiar for some reason. Since his parents were at work around this time, it was up to him to pick up any packages they may have gotten.
“Maybe someone sent you a gift or something?” Sandalwood asked.
“I don’t think so. If they did, then there would’ve been an address.” True to his word, there was no return address on the box. That in itself seemed suspicious. “Should we even open this?” Micro wondered.
“I don’t know. It’s up to you since it’s your package.” Flash said as he now held the box in his hands. “But I am curious about what it is. Feels about the same weight as my laptop at home.”
“But as I said before, my parents and I didn’t order anything. And I’m pretty sure I would remember ordering a laptop.”
“Well, this has got me curious. Let’s just see what’s inside instead of speculating.” The green haired teen offered. “Better that than just standing around.”
“…alright then.” The three made their way inside and passed a series of pictures of Micro’s family moments. One of them had an image of a person standing next to a younger Micro Chips. He was a tall and lanky fellow with a pale complexion, dressed in a plaid shirt, slacks, a green bow tie, and suspenders. His dark brown hair was slicked back and had a pair of round glasses over his blue eyes. His face ad acne and facial hair on his upper lip.
This was Micro’s older brother, Gizmo Poindexter.
The three teens moved to the table, where Micro got a pair of scissors and cut the tape that sealed the flaps shut.
After opening the box and going through several layers of bubble wrap (which, admittedly, the three took time in popping), Micro’s eyes widened upon seeing its contents.
It was a black laptop with a sticker decal of a blue robot. A symbol that was associated with his older brother.
“This….this is my brother’s laptop!” Micro exclaimed as he held it carefully in his hands.
“Whoa, you’re serious?” Flash and Sandalwood were equally surprised. After six months of inactivity, Gizmo Chip’s laptop turns up?
“I am.” Micro nodded. He opened the device and booted it up. “I recognize that logo anywhere. Plus, he always had this laptop with him, even when he visited home. It’s definitely his.”
“But…why was it delivered to your house?”
“I don’t know….but maybe this has some answers.” As the laptop finished booting up, a certain screen pops up.
“Man, its password protected.” Flash groaned. “How are we going to crack this?”
“I can do it.” Micro said confidently. “If I know my brother, and I hope I do well, then I know what it is.” He typed in a quick string of keys and hit enter. Immediately, the homepage opened up. “Got it!”
“That was fast.” Sandalwood remarked. “What did you type in?”
“Sorry. But it’s a personal matter for only my brother and I.” The intellectual said as he immediately went through the files stored. As he went through them, all Micro saw were the same old apps and programs his brother used without anything out of the ordinary. That is, until he found a new file located at the end of the list. Based on the date, it was saved recently. About one week ago.
He clicked on it, and a satellite image map appeared, as well as an address; an address that Micro knew well.
“That’s….that’s my brother’s Tech store! But….it’s been closed down since the incident.”
“Why would someone put a file of a place you knew about?” Flash asked.
“I…I don’t think it’s just anyone who put this file in.” Micro said, confusing the two. “Didn’t you see? The password I used worked. It was the password my brother used. No one else would’ve been able to access it without setting off the firewalls and securities on this thing. So it must be him!”
“So you think he’s trying to tell you something? Like a clue?”
“Maybe. And look here, there was a note inside the box.” The three leaned toward the unfolded piece of paper and saw a single line of typed text:
“Come to the place where it all begins. All will be revealed.”
“…Huh. That was kind of…cryptic.” Flash mused.
“Yeah, but it looks like we got a lead to what happened” Sandal nodded, before suggesting “….wanna check it out?”
“Heck yes! This is the first news I have of my brother in months! Let’s go!” Micro closed the computer, stored it in his backpack, and left for Sandal’s car.
“So much for working on Calculus.”
“But at least he’s smiling again.” With that, the two followed their friend and drove over to the technology shop of Gizmo Chips….completely unaware of what would transpire within the next two hours.
While the three friends investigated this mystery, in another part of town, a particular group of seven girls hung out at the Canterlot Mall.
They known throughout town as the Rainbooms, a rock band that was taking the town by storm, one gig at a time. They were seated at the food court, having their favorite drinks as they conversed.
The first girl lightly sipped her smoothie. She had pale, yellow skin, and bluish-green colored eyes with pale pink eye shadow. She also had long, elegant-looking pink hair with a butterfly-shaped barrette worn off to the side. Her sleeveless dress was white on the top, while the skirt portion was colored a light green, with pink and white frills on the bottom of it, and a picture of three butterflies printed towards the front. Her boots were also colored green, with white soles on the bottom, and white frills at the top. She also had on a pair of pink socks with white polka-dots. Her name was Fluttershy: A kind animal caretaker and friend and the tambourine player of the Rainbooms.
The girl next to her was a cyan-skinned girl with magenta-colored eyes, and scruffy, rainbow-colored hair. She wore a white shirt with a rainbow-colored lightning bolt printed on it, with a cobalt blue shirt overtop of it. She had on a pink skirt with white stripes (with black shorts worn underneath), two rainbow-colored wristbands on her wrists, and large blue shoes that seemed to be a cross between boots and sneakers, based on their appearance. She was Rainbow Dash: A loyal friend, awesome athlete, and the Rainboom’s lead guitarist and vocalist.
Following her was a girl that had yellow skin, swirly red and yellow hair, and aqua green-colored eyes. She wore a leather jacket with a red and yellow sun on the back over a light blue blouse, a pair of jeans, and a pair of long, black boots, each with a purple flame pattern on them. Her name was Sunset Shimmer, the Rainbooms’ rhythm guitarist and backup vocalist.
On the next table was a girl with orange-colored skin and yellow freckles under her bright green eyes. She had long blond hair, tied up into a ponytail, underneath her brown cowgirl hat. She wore a white shirt with green towards the top of it, a blue jean skirt held up with a brown belt with an apple-shaped buckle, and a pair of brown cowgirl boots that each had a picture of three apples on them, arranged together in a triangle pattern. Her name was Applejack: an honest, hardworking farmer and the Rainbooms’ bass guitarist.
Sitting next to her, slurping on two different milkshakes at once, was a pink-skinned girl with poofy hair that was colored in a darker pink color, and had bright, baby-blue eyes. She wore a dress that was white on the top and magenta on the bottom; the top of the dress had a pink heart shape printed upon it, while the skirt portion had a picture of three balloons (two blue and one yellow). The dress was held together with a purple band around the waist, and overtop of it, the girl wore a small blue shirt. The rest of the ensemble consisted of two blue bracelets and a pair of blue boots, the latter of which were tied with a pink ribbon on each. She was Pinkie Pie: Party planner, a bundle of smiles and laughter, and the Rainbooms’ drummer.
Next to her, sipping her chai latte in a more dignified manner, was a girl with pure white skin and dark blue eyes, topped with blue eye shadow and large eyelashes. She had long, swirly hair that was violet in color, with a jeweled barrette worn on top. Her dress was light blue on top, and the skirt was of a similar violet color to her hair, with a picture of three, four-sided diamonds printed upon it. The dress was held together with a purple belt with a blue buckle, she wore a pair of gold bracelets on her wrists, and she wore a pair of purple boots, each one emblazoned with a shiny, blue gem on the top. Her name was Rarity: the generous, fashionista extraordinaire and keytar player.
And the last, but certainly not least, girl of the group wore thick rimmed glasses that hid her purple eyes. Her back length hair was tied in a ponytail and was a dark, indigo-blue color with a mulberry stripe and a pink stripe running through it. She was dressed in a simple blue and white short sleeved blouse with a pink ribbon at the collar, and a purple skirt with pink, six pointed stars that seemed to sparkle. Her name was Twilight Sparkle. Like Sunset Shimmer, she was also a back up vocalist for the Rainbooms.
A common accessory that they all shared was a geode necklace that they wore around their necks.
They usually hung out at the mall after school when they weren’t at work….which was somewhat ironic since they had part time jobs right here in the mall. Right now, their conversation pertained to recent events.
“Y’kno, Ah still can’t believe tha’ music video we made is still popular like this.” Applejack commented, gesturing to said video playing on the televisions of a nearby electronics store.
“Well, what did you expect? We did awesome!” Rainbow Dash smiled as she slurped her smoothie.
“Yeah! It was sooo much fun!” Pinkie Pie cheered as she slurped on a different flavored milkshake.
“I still can’t believe we actually pulled it off.” Fluttershy commented.
“Come now, darling.” Rarity assured her. “It was obvious that we would win that contest.”
“Says the one who had panic attacks of the music video not working out, and then had us team up with students from our rival school.” Rainbow Dash reminded with a half-lidded stare.
“…Can we please just forget about that?” The fashionista kindly begged to move past that moment. It honestly was not her best.
“Considering what we went through….not happening.” The athlete replied, much to her chagrin.
“Well, I say all’s well that ends well. Because we won, we were able to raise the money to save Camp Everfree.” Twilight smiled. Despite their rocky start, the music video turned out pretty well, allowing them to win first place and the cash prize. All their hard work paid off in the end, even if it ended up becoming an all or nothing gamble with the contest.
As they conversed, only Sunset remained quiet. She kept sipping her smoothie idly as she stared at the ground, her mind lost in thought. She was broken out of her reverie as Rainbow Dash nudged her.
“Hello? Earth to Sunset Shimmer? You doing okay?”
“H-huh? What? What were we talking about?”
“We’re talkin’ ‘bout the music video, sugarcube.” Applejack replied. “You doin’ okay? You haven’t said a word since we got here.”
“Y-yeah…I’m fine…” Sunset said, but Applejack immediately saw through her lie.
“Uh-uh. Try again, Sunset. You’re obviously not alright…”
“Is there something the matter?” Flutterhy asked in concern.
“No, no….it’s just…I don’t know. I’ve just been having this….weird feeling lately.”
“Weird? In what way, darling?” Rarity set down her drink.
“It’s just that…it seems too quiet lately.” Sunset admitted.
“What do you mean? Isn’t that a good thing?” Twilight asked.
“Usually, yeah. But I can’t help but shake this feeling that something….anything…could happen at anytime…and I don’t exactly have good feelings about it.”
“Oh come on, Sunset! You’re just worrying too much! I mean, sure the last incident we had involved a Camp Director who went loco in the coco from Equestrian magic and turned her into an evil Mother Nature bent on making everyone stay at a campsite forever until we all ponied up and shot a Rainbow laser of friendship at her and turned everything to normal.
But it’s been weeks since Camp Everfree, and there hasn’t been any sort of magical incidents since then! Well, aside from us learning to use our geodes. But it’s just a simple Tuesday afternoon. So what could possibly go wrong?” Pinkie questioned all in a single breath with a smile.
As if to respond, cries of terror broke the quiet air.
“GYAAAAAAGH!!!!”
“…What the hay was THAT?!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Her question was answered as a mob of people that ran past the group, fleeing something from around the corner. More people came through, but immediately spasmed and collapsed as if they were electrocuted by something.
The cause was revealed soon enough. Appearing from the intersection was a group of what appeared to be soldiers of some sort. They were covered in black, futuristic-looking body armor and helmets that hid their faces. But what were most alarming were the guns in their hands.
“What the?! Are those supposed ta be soldiers?!” Said troops then took notice of the girls and aimed their rifles at them.
“Forget that! Duck!” Rainbow Dash quickly kicked over the table, acting as a makeshift shield. She pulled Fluttershy and Sunset down with her behind the barricade. Applejack did the same with her own table and pulled Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight to safety.
And not a moment too soon, as the girls felt projectiles ricochet off the table surface.
“Why are they shooting at us?! Rarity exclaimed in shock.
“And why are they dragging those unconscious people with them?!” Pinkie shouted. The girls looked at her in confusion before the party planner pointed to what she was referring to. Surprisingly, the people that the soldiers shot weren’t actually killed, but seemed to be paralyzed by whatever they were shot with. They dragged the incapacitated people away while the others kept shooting others down to drag back later.
“Are they….kidnapping people?!” Fluttershy gasped in shock. It was a terrifying concept. These troops were stunning people just to cart them off to who knows where.
“Seems that way! But why the hay is this even happening in broad daylight?!” Sunset questioned. On that note, why were they marching in a group, being loud and obvious as possible and even use guns of all things?! It’s like they want to bring attention to themselves! But it just made no logical sense!
“I don’t know….But….but we can’t let this happen!” Rainbow Dash cried.
“What?! You can’t seriously be thinkin’…”
“I am! Look! We’re not defenseless; we have magic and our geodes! We have powers, so why are we just sitting here and twiddling our thumbs?!”
The girls looked at one another in reluctance, unsure if they absolutely had to get involved instead of calling the police and let them handle it. However, any and all hesitation soon shattered when a familiar cry rang out. Rarity whipped her head around so fast that one could’ve gotten whiplash.
It was a trio of young girls that seemed to be younger than the Rainbooms based on their body size. One was on the ground while the other two tried to help her up. The one on the left had orange skin, short, magenta hair, and purple eyes. She wore a dark-grey hoodie with a blue shirt underneath. She had on a pair of green shorts and a pair of dark-grey boots with blue socks.
The one on the right had yellow skin and long, red hair tied up in a big bow. She was dressed in a pair of jeans rolled up above her knees, a pair of light boots, and a green blouse. Like the girl next to her, her expression was one of fear.
The girl on the ground with a scrapped knee was a girl with the same skin tone as Rarity, with long, curly hair colored pink and lavender with a red hair band in it. She had bright green eyes that were currently wide with panic. She wore a dress with the skirt portion being yellow while the top was pink and white striped. She had a short sleeved, magenta jacket with a belt over it and a pair of knee high boots of the same color.
These three girls were known as the CMC(Canterlot Movie Club). They were also the little sisters of Rainbow Dash(unofficially), Applejack, and Rarity, respectively.
And standing above them was one of the troopers, aiming their weapon at them. Suffice to say, protective sister instincts kicked in when they saw the girls in danger.
“SWEETIE BELLE!”
“APPLEBLOOM!”
“SCOOTALOO!”
The three girls immediately went into action. Rarity conjured a shield that protected the girls from the bullets while Rainbow Dash sped up and carried them to safety. While they were in the clear, Applejack, fueled with rage at the thing for trying to hurt her family and friends, punched it. The metal caved in beneath her strike as sparks flew. The body flew before it crashed in a crumpled heap, motionless. It sparked before exploding.
“What the….they were robots?!” Twilight questioned in awe.
“Worry about that later! Come on!” Sunset went after their friends while Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Twilight followed her.
“Are you girls alright?!” Applejack fretted over her sister, checking for any injuries.
“We-we’re fine…but Sweetie Belle tripped while we were running!” Scootaloo answered as she was checked out by Rainbow Dash.
“Let me see!” Rarity said as she looked over her sister. As they said, Sweetie Belle’s knees were scrapped up from a nasty fall. They were still bleeding, but the girl did her best to remain strong, despite the stinging sensation. Without hesitation, she tore off the sleeve of her shirt and used the material to make a makeshift bandage for her sister’s injury.
“R-Rarity! You’re shirt!”
“Clothes can be replaced. You can’t. I just want you and your friends to get to safety.” She turned to Sunset and Fluttershy. “Can you two do that?”
“As long as you guys can cover us, then of course.” The two nodded as they proceeded to lead the CMC away from the food court. During this time, Pinkie entered the fray and threw whatever discarded desert or sweet treat that was scattered amongst the chaos at the robots.
The sweets immediately blew them up as if they were grenades. During this ordeal, Pinkie did not smile. “Take that you kidnappers!”
Twilight helped by telekinetically removing the robots’ firearms and removed as many captured individuals from their grasp as she could before levitating them off to Sunset and Fluttershy.
For the three older sisters though? They did not show any mercy. Rainbow, who picked up a discarded pipe, zoomed all around the area and whacked whatever robot was in her path. Applejack used her enhanced strength to smash them to bits or throw them into the air and let gravity do the rest. Rarity was a bit more versatile in using her powers. She would use her shields to box the robots in for her friends to take down. But she also used the edge of her shields as makeshift blades to bisect the robots.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Or in this case, three protective sisters.
“…So….this is the place?” Sandalwood questioned as the trio stepped out of the truck. What stood before them was an abandoned, single story building with boarded up windows and closed doors. It was also surprisingly located in a clearing without any other buildings nearby for at least a couple blocks. Yet the sign above the door read:
Gizmo’s Revolutionary Tech: Home to all electronics and technology.
“Looks like….and is it just me, but do you guys get the feeling that we’re missing something pretty awesome yet terrifying at the same time right now?” Flash inquired.
“How could we be missing something ‘awesome yet terrifying’ if we’re tracking a lead on what happened to Gizmo right now?” Micro questioned back as he double checked the image. “And this is definitely the place.”
“I’m surprised it’s still standing, especially after the incident.” Flash noted. “Either your brother has the rent paid in advance, or he has the worse landowner of all time. Would’ve thought the place would be condemned after so long...”
“Ordinarily, that would definitely be the case. But the fact that it’s still standing without a condemned sign is strange.” Micro adjusted his glasses.
“Well, how do you suppose we get in? If your brother’s been gone for so long, I doubt we can just walk in the front door.” Sandalwood commented and even pulled on the handle of the supposed-to-be locked door to prove his point.
But to their shock, the door opened without resistance. It wasn’t even locked.
“…okay, this is definitely freaky.” Flash said. Nevertheless, he and Micro joined Sandal inside the building. Despite the poor lighting, there didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary with the store. It looked just like an everyday electronics shop. Despite the thick layer of dust on just about every surface, nothing seemed disturbed or untouched.
“It doesn’t seem like anyone’s been here for a while.” Sandal ran a finger on the counter and scooped up a large amount of dust. “Everything seems untouched.”
“But if that’s the case, then why was the door unlocked?” Flash inquired.
“Maybe he forgot to lock it before he went missing?”
“If he did, then it’s gotta be some miracle that the place hasn’t been ransacked. Either that or it was visited by the worst thieves in the world.”
“Good point.” Sandal nodded as he inspected an old game console on the shelf. “Then I guess the only explanation is that this door has been unlocked recently.”
“But why though?”
“That’s what we need to learn.” Micro spoke. “Let’s search around. Maybe we can find something.” The three then broke off and inspected different parts of the store. Flash was in the music section, perusing through the different music players and devices that were in stock. But there was nothing out of the ordinary.
Micro searched through the media device section of the store. The selection ranged from smartphones, to computers, to tablets. But like Flash, nothing unusual was found.
Sandalwood remained by the counter area. He just moved behind the counter, and immediately stopped. Despite the A/C being off in the store…he felt a draft by the wall. Searched for anything out of the ordinary with the wall, and noticed a section where the layer of dust seemed to have been disturbed. He called over Flash and Micro to see what he found.
“So you think there may be some sort of hidden door?” Flash questioned Sandalwood’s hypothesis.
“I do.” He explained his reasoning with the slight draft despite the stagnant air in the room, and the disturbed dust layer.
“If that’s the case, then the door must be here.” Micro stood in front of the blank section of the wall. “But how do we access it?”
“Not sure. For all we know, it could be a secret panel that we can press to type in a code, like in the movies.” Flash joked as he leaned on the wall. He felt something cave beneath his weight. Almost immediately, a keypad panel slid out from the wood work. Sandalwood and Micro gaped in awe before turning to Flash, who was equally amazed. “...okay, don’t look at me. That was purely coincidental. I was actually kidding!”
“Either way, we can finally see what’s being kept secret.” Micro examined the keypad. Based on the input screen, it seemed to require a six digit code. Knowing his brother, the intellectual punched in the numbers.
The screen lit green as the password was accepted. The wall slid away to reveal a staircase that led to an underground floor.
“Whoa! How did you figure the code on the first try?” Flash questioned as he looked at his friend in amazement.
“It was easy. The code was my birthday.” As he finished speaking, Micro advanced down the steps, determined to get to the bottom of this mystery. His friends followed suit.
“Okay, I think that’s the last of them…” Rainbow announced as she tossed the pipe aside. She and the other girls panted heavily. It took quite a bit of time, but they managed to take out all of the kidnapping robots. They managed to evacuate the civilians and rescued as many people as they could. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to save some of them as they were taken before they fought back.
“Is everyone okay?” Sunset asked as she and Fluttershy returned.
“We’re fine! A little tired and sore, but fine!” Pinkie assured them. Despite her words, she still looked like she had energy to spare.
“Just…what the hay were those things?” Applejack questioned.
“I don’t know…” Twlight answered as she examined the remains of their foes. “But they’re definitely robots. More advanced than anything I’ve ever seen.”
“But why were they abducting innocent people?” Rarity questioned as she did her best to fix her disheveled appearance from the fight.
“Ooh! Maybe they’re the robot grunts of some super secret organization that wants to kidnap people to perform experiments on them to turn them into some sort of super soldiers for world domination!” Pinkie suggested.
“That….was oddly specific…” Sunset commented, wondering how her friend came to THAT conclusion.
“What? I’m just guessing.” Before the girls could speculate further, something interrupts with a loud roar.
“GRAAAGH!!!”
“…Oh what now?!” Rainbow yelled in frustration.
She was answered with pieces of the mall fountain being thrown into their line of sight. Following the debris was a large, hulking, monstrous figure.
It seemed humanoid in appearance and stood a good head taller than the robot soldiers from before. Its legs were plated in gray armor. Its upper body seemed to be a fusion of a head and torso. The upper half was mainly orange save for the three blue plates that seemed to be where the head was supposed to be, and bulky, muscular, blue arms.
“…What on Earth IS that monstrosity?!” Rarity exclaimed as she and the girls regrouped away from the rampaging creature.
“I have no idea!” Sunset exclaimed as they ducked beneath and airborne trash can. The creature didn’t even seem to notice them. It was just going berserk, tossing or breaking anything it got its hands on.
“Well, whatever it is…” Rainbow Dash picked up her discarded pipe. “It’s going down like the others! Back me up Applejack!” The farm girl nodded as she athlete charged in first. She swung the pipe with all her strength and added force from her accelerated movement. However, her body jerked back from the solid hit. She stopped and saw that her attack had actually bent the pipe out of shape! The creature stopped its movements and turned to the one who just struck it.
“…Uh…hehe…whoops?” The girl said sheepishly.
The monster roared and swung a fist at her. Fortunately, Rainbow reacted quickly enough to dodge it and set some space between them. However, that did not last long as it gave chase.
“Hold it right there, partner!” It then turned to whoever spoke and was greeted with a firm fist to the face.
Unfortunately for Applejack, while her attack did land directly, it didn’t have much effect. In fact, she felt a sharp pain shoot up her arm.
“Gah!” She retracted her limb and held her throbbing hand. “Just what is this guy made out of?” The monster used this opening to knock her away. Applejack was airborne until she was enveloped in a familiar lavender aura courtesy of Twilight.
“Are you okay?” Her friends gathered to see if she was alright.
“Ah’m fine…arm’s a bit sore, but in one piece.”
“Take a rest, darling.” Rarity told her as she and Pinkie stepped up, the latter holding a fistful of gumdrops. “We’ll handle it from here.”
“Whatever you guys are doing, do it fast!” Rainbow Dash cried as she continued to zoom away from the rampaging monster. Realizing she couldn’t beat it in a fight, she decided to use hit and run tactics. While they didn’t seem to faze it, it was enough to keep its attention off the rest of her friends.
“Don’t worry, Dashie! We’re on it!” Pinkie wound up her arm several times before she chucked the pieces of squishy sugar and artificial flavor at the juggernaut. The gooey confections stuck on its armor before they glowed and exploded. The kinetic energy was enough to make it stumble. However, it failed to deal significant damage. In fact, it only made it angrier.
Rarity followed up by tossing one of her shields at it to force it back. The creature raised its fist and punched the floating crystalline structure away. She tried again by launching it like a discus.
The beast merely raised its arms to block it. While the edge of the diamond shield had proven to be sharp, added with the force it was thrown at, it failed to indent, let alone cut, the armor plating on the creature’s arms. It threw its arms up and forced the disc away.
The fashionista tried one more time and used her shields to box the creature in. “Now Pinkie!”
The party planner nodded and tossed a large jawbreaker that she pulled out of her hair into the opening between the shields, which Rarity then closed with another crystalline structure. A bright light glowed from the gaps before an explosion, much larger than the ones previously went off and kicked up a large mass of dirt and dust into the air.
Rarity made another shield to protect them all from the billowing dust as it gradually settled down.
“Did we get it?” Twilight asked. But to their dismay, the creature stood its ground, looking no worse for wear.
“Nothing’s working!” Rainbow cried out in frustration.
“Now what do we do?” Fluttershy asked worriedly.
“There’s no other option! We need pony up and stop that thing!” Sunset declared.
“Then what are we waiting for?!” The girls’ geodes glowed in unison before they were each enveloped in their radiance. Their hair grew longer as they all gained a set of pony ears on their heads. In the cases of Rainbow, Twilight, and Fluttershy, they sprouted crystal wings from their backs.
Their attire changed as well, each one sporting what seemed to be a series of combat dresses and leggings, each one modeled to fit their respective wearer.
Applejack’s was turquoise with gold buttons and plating around her waist and hemline. She wore brown leggings and golden boots adorned with green gemstones. She also wore a pair of brown, leather gloves with similar gemstones on the back of the hand. Her hair was tied up in a braid and had a hair band of what seemed to be green, jeweled apples on it.
Fluttershy’s had a lime green outer layer with a light blue under layer and pink edging. She wore white leggings with pink, heeled boots. Her wrists were covered by purple, metallic bands and her shoulders had ornaments that resembled butterfly wings. Her hair was tied in a low pony tail and adorned with a purple, crystalline butterfly pin.
Rarity’s was a multi-layer suit of various shades of blue with glittering sequences. She wore dark indigo leggings with purple boots adorned with light blue diamonds and purple, metal wristbands. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail with what appeared to be a crystal, crown-like ornament.
Sunset’s was a fiery red and yellow dress with an orange and yellow sun ornament on her midriff and gold shoulder pads adorned in diamonds. She wore black leggingsand gold and orange boots. Her hair was also tied in a pony tail with a sun ornament in her hair.
Pinkie’s was a long sleeved, magenta and light yellow dress with frills on the skirt portion and dark magenta shoulder pads adorned with diamonds. She wore magenta gloves also decorated with diamonds, purple leggings that stopped below the knee, and pink shoes with diamonds in the shape of balloons. Her hair was tied in two, poofy pig tails and a purple hair band.
Rainbow’s outfit consisted of a red, sleeveless top with a blue diagonal stripe, gold shoulder pads, a metallic orange sash with lightning bolt attachments, and blue leggings with orange stripes on the side. She wore orange and blue sneakers with wing ornaments on the side. Her hair was tied up in a spiky ponytail.
Finally, Twilight’s outfit consisted of a sparkling blue dress with a purple skirt and collar, and a white V design on the front. She wore purple gloves with blue wristbands that covered her arms from fingertip to elbow. She wore dark blue leggings with light blue boots with pink, six pointed stars on the knees. Her glasses were replaced with a pink, tinted visor. Her hair was in a ponytail as it had been previously, with a pink band at the lower part of her hair. In her hair was a tiara composed of five, star-like patterns.
Their bodies shone brightly into a spectrum of color, bright enough to temporarily blind the creature.
The girls floated in the air, energy radiating off their forms.
“Let’s light ‘em up, ladies!” Pinkie Pie cheered as the girls gathered their energy and fired a massive, spectral beam of friendship and magic. The creature was swallowed by the blast and the area around it exploded. Dust and debris was kicked up everywhere. Believing that the monster was defeated, the girls floated back to the ground.
“We got it!” Pinkie Pie cheered as she jumped up and down. The Rainbooms breathed a sigh of relief. Their attack was a direct hit and everything should calm down now…
However, when the dust cleared, to their shock and horror, the monster remained standing. It didn’t even have a single scratch! In fact…it only seemed even angrier than before, evident by it striking the air around it in a frenzy before setting its sights on the girls.
“….uh…wasn’t this supposed to be the part when we win?” Pinkie Pie questioned as she paused her jump mid air. “Because I’m still seeing the smashy monster all monster-like.
The monster simply snarled and rushed at the group. Quickly, Rarity erected another diamond shield to block it. But to their surprise, the creature grabbed the shield by the edges and tossed it away, continuing its advance. Rarity tried to create another one, but the monster slammed its fist into her solar plexus, knocking the wind out of her. It then followed up with a heavy swing that launched her into the air until she smacked against a nearby wall.
“Rarity!” Rainbow Dash and Applejack tried to blindside it, but the creature flailed both of its arms and struck both of them. Rainbow failed to see the fist coming as it sent her flying and crashed through a table.
The farmer was still disoriented. The monster took this chance to rain down a flurry of fast, heavy blows that left her no reprieve.
In a final move, it smashed Applejack into the ground and knocked her unconscious. It then slowly turned to Pinkie Pie and the others.
“….oh Sugar Honey Iced Tea…” Pinkie Pie lamented.
“Whoa….” The three boys said in amazement as they entered a new room. The room was extremely spacious. It was probably even larger than the store above them.
At the far end of the room stood a large device the size of a refrigerator. It stood on an elevated platform. The left side had a steel door of some sort, large enough to fit a person. The right side of the system was the same height, yet had a small windowed door that resembled one from a microwave.
To the right of it was a series of desks littered with all sorts of miscellaneous gadgets and devices. It also bore a large black board filled with mathematical formulas and equations.
On the other side of the room was a large, advanced computer.
“Is this really your brother’s workshop? It looks like a Sci-Fi film laboratory…”
“He even has a microwave oven in here.” The eco-teen pointed out. “At least I think it’s one…”
“What was your brother even doing in here?” The musician scratched his head as his eyes locked onto the formulas on the board, his brain already hurting from trying to process them. “It looks like rocket science…I think…”
“I don’t know, but just look at all of this…!” Micro stated in awe. On the desk were several workshop tools. Such as spools of wire, soldering irons, circuit boards, programming software, there were simply too many to list. Next to them were strange devices of unknown origin.
One of them was definitely something he never saw before. It was black with silver tubes running across the front and had two slots on the front next to a large gear-like piece. It also had a big, red crank coming off on the side. He picked it up and examined it. “I knew my brother is an avid scientist and inventor, but I have no clue what this even is…” He then took note of the five, small bottles of various colors.
“Hey guys!” Sandalwood called out as he stood at a different desk and held up what he found. “I think I found something. Your brother must’ve left his phone here!” While the device in the eco-club member’s hand was definitely a smartphone, it seemed different than the standard store models. While it had the touchscreen, the casing was rather bulky and oddly designed. There was even a wheel on the top of it.
“That’s…not my brother’s phone, Sandalwood.” Micro shook his head. “He actually just uses a standard flip phone. I have no idea what that is.”
“Oh…” Sandalwood took another look at the phone in hand, now wondering what it was. Then he noticed a small, circular slot in the side of it. He also took note of the small bottle that was next to it on the table. It was a translucent yellow with black rims. The design of the case resembled a lion’s head. The top had an oddly designed twist cap with the letters LS printed on them.
He looked back and both between the phone and the bottle, slowly realizing how they might be connected.
“So aside from all of this, have we found anything that might explain his disappearance?” Flash asked as he turned away from the board. If he stared at it any longer, he might go crazy.
“Nothing on the tables so far…aside from these odd devices…” Micro set the items down. He then turned to the computer on the other side of the room. “…Maybe he has something in there.”
“Worth a try.” Micro got to work and booted up the system. However, when it booted up, a panel slid open to reveal a rectangular slot that required a device to be hooked up. He examined the slot and the attachment pieces, finding them to be familiar. He gasped in realization as he pulled out his brother’s laptop. He hooked it up to the computer and the device flared to life.
The screen was littered with various programs of known origin. But one of them stood out: Project Build.
“Project…Build?”
“Maybe it was something your brother worked on? Like a government secret project?”
“I don’t know. But let’s find out.” Before he could click on it, however, Sandalwood got their attention.
“Hey guys! I think I figured something out.” They turned to their friend, who was fiddling with the smartphone and the yellow bottle in hand. “I noticed how this phone had a hole in the back, just about the size of this bottle. Maybe it’s some sort of custom hard drive that has secret files.”
“I don’t know, Sandalwood. Maybe we should hold off on that until we know for sure what it is. And I think my brother would have said files on this computer.”
“Well, maybe we can still get answers from it.” He twisted the cap open and plugged it into the phone. However, instead of booting up, the Phone shot out his hands.
"BUILD CHANGE!"
To their shock, the devices defied the laws of conservation of mass and unfolded and enlarged into a motorcycle, specifically, a Red Honda XR 230 model.
The trio stared gobsmacked at what just happened. Flash and Micro slowly turned to Sandalwood, who fell on his butt and stunned. He then gathered his senses and pulled himself up. “….okay, I was wrong. So…you were saying about a secret file?”
The three stood at the computer as Micro opened the file up. Like the laptop, it was password protected. Just he cracked it easily. It opened up to reveal a long series of videos.
“What do you think these are?”
“If I know my brother, I assume that they are science logs. They’re kinda like journals scientists use to document their findings.”
“Why would they do that instead of writing stuff down?”
“They do it in order to get video evidence of their findings to legitimize their experiments. It also helps with added documentation.”
“So you think we may find something worthwhile here?”
“It’s the only place left that we can find. It’s got to be here.” Without further discussion, Micro clicked on the first video.
The screened panned out to reveal a video recording of the very room they were in. Next came a voice that the bespectacled teen hasn’t heard in six months.
“Testing, testing…Okay, audio is good. So are visuals. Let’s get started.” From outside the frame entered Gizmo Poindexter. “Hello all you members of the scientific community! My name is Gizmo Poindexter. This is is the first video entry log for my latest project: Project Build. And I will explain more about it further on, but let me just say….that what you shall learn here…will change the world…!”
“You’re brother seems to like adding a bit of dramatic flair.”Flash commented.
“Yeah…he always does that to build hype.”
“But first, let me explain. Project Build is a system like you have never seen before. You see, it utilizes a substance known as Nebula Gas.”
“Nebula Gas? What’s that?” Sandalwood questioned.
“No clue. This the first time I’m hearing of it…”
“Now, you may be questioning yourself, what is Nebula Gas? You see, believe it or not, this particular substance originates from outer space!
“Are you serious?! He’s not kidding, is he?”
“I kid you not!” Gizmo coincidentally answered Flash’s question. “And don’t worry, I was skeptical at first as well. Until I had seen and studied the source sample of this mysterious substance. You see, 18 years ago, a meteorite had fallen out in the countryside just outside Canterlot City. The City Research Center spent years trying to study its peculiarity, to no avail. That is…until they recruited me to study it!” He proudly pointed a thumb at himself.
“Heh. You’re brother’s definitely humble…”
“He usually is. Unless it involves some big discovery or accomplishment that involves him. Then he tends to brag a bit.”
“After studying the gas generated from this celestial object, I have come to conclude that it can only be found in space or other celestial bodies, as it contains substances that cannot be found on Earth. But I think that’s enough rambling on exposition for now. In short, Nebula Gas is a substance found in outer space,” His expression then grew somber. “…and I have also learned that it has drastic side effects on people…”
“THAT doesn’t sound ominous at all…” Flash commented. In the video, Gizmo pulled down a diagram revealing said, malformed creature, much to the surprise of the three.
“You see, exposure to the gas can cause…transformations. Believe it or not, the gas seems to cause mutations in the human body, drastically changing their forms and mental states, as well as bolstering their physical capabilities. This is likely due to the rapid cell division the gas causes upon direct exposure. The subject’s mental state becomes reduced to that of a simple beast while their strength skyrockets to superhuman levels. When we first learned of this, we had no way of turning them back to normal. In fact, when we tried to suppress them from going out of control, we learned that conventional weapons have little to no effect. It took a while, but we finally managed a way to remove the gas from their bodies. However, the subjects who returned to normal suffered short term memory loss, having no recollection of the incident. Unfortunately…not everyone had enough of a resistance against the gas...”
Gizmo shook his head and removed his glasses, sliding a hand down his face. The implications were not lost on the boys.
“Those who had a weak constitution…could not withstand the rapid cell division caused by the gas. As a result…their bodies gradually broke down until…” He couldn’t bring himself to say it.
“….this just got dark really quickly.” Flash stated with wide eyes. His friends nodded in agreement.
“You see, during these experiments and research, I discovered how each person varies in resistance against the Nebula gas. I have classified the term to be Hazard Levels with different tiers, which is red through this scanner,” He brandished said handheld device before the camera. It was the same device that Micro saw next to the driver earlier. “For instance, a Hazard Level of 0 means that a person would have a lesser chance of withstanding the gas’ effects and have a greater chance of dying. A Hazard Level of 1 would immediately be converted into a Smash upon exposure. Fortunately, people with a hazard level of 2 are able to resist the transformation and retain human form. And finally, despite being rare cases, there are people with a Hazard level of 3, which goes a step further.”
“Well, at least there’s some good news…”
“Yeah, but what does he mean by 3 being more special than 2? Isn’t that just added resistance?”
“Let’s just wait and watch more. There’s still some time on the video left.”
The scientist then glared at the camera in determination. “And that is precisely why I have devised Project Build. You see…” He stepped out of the frame and gestured to the large, white machine the guys saw when walking in. “I have devised a machine that is capable of purifying Nebula Gas. It taps into the human brain to initiate the purification procedure. It is a mentally exhausting process, but safe as it prevents direct exposure to the gas. And you may be asking yourselves, “Why would I want to purify the gas if it’s so dangerous?””
“That’s what we want to know…”
“It is all so I can initiate the true purpose of Project Build…This!” He held up the crank handle machine that Micro had examined before. “You see, my colleagues, this is no ordinary machine. It allows a person with the minimum Hazard Level of 3.0 to tap into the power housed within the purified gas, which is contained within these Fullbottles, which the previous machine produces. I give you….the Build Driver!” He then held up the five differently colored bottles in hand.
“THAT’s what those were for?” Micro questioned.
“I guess. But what are they supposed to do?”
“Allow me to demonstrate.” He set all but two bottles, one red with the image of a rabbit, and one blue with the image of a tank, on the table and placed the machine on his waist. To their surprise, a belt shot out and wrapped itself around his midsection. Gizmo then shook both of the bottles. “Please note, that when utilizing the driver, you can only use two Fullbottles at a time. You can also only pair up an Organic Bottle, like Rabbit, with an Inorganic bottle, like Tank. What you shall witness next is a revolutionary moment in scientific history. I present to you, the Build System!” He twisted the caps on the bottles and plugged the red one into the slot closest to the crank.
“RABBIT”
The machine said with clarity. Then he plugged the blue bottle into the remaining slot.
“TANK!”
“BEST MATCH!”
Gizmo then turned the crank on the newly formed belt as two constructs manifested in front of and behind the man.
“…they look like plastic sprues from a model kit.” Flash commented. The constructs appeared as he said, with pieces of armor in red and blue.
“ARE YOU READY?”
Gizmo stood proudly in the center. “Now, to complete the process, the activation code is needed. It is the neighponese translation for the word transform. Allow me to demonstrate…”
He took a pose and shouted, “Henshin!”
The constructs slammed into him, donning him in a suit of armor.
“FULLMETAL MOONSAULT, RABBIT-TANK!!!”
“YEAH!”
The armor Gizmo now wore was made up of segments of red and blue with black in between. On his left leg was a large spring and his right foot had tank treads. His helmet had two eye plates, one shaped like a rabbit and the other like a tank.
The man put one hand on his hip, and the other one moved along the barrel of the tank eye plate before performing a flick. "The jumping ability of a rabbit, the power of a tank. This is a winning combo," he said as he posed.
“…” The three boys stared at what they had just seen with stupefied expressions. Flash was the one who broke it. “
“…why would your brother make the activation code in Neighponese?”
“…Would you believe me if I said that he is a huge fan of Neighpon culture?”
Before they could speak further, Gizmo continued.
“Now…before we move on, let me give you a fair warning on another device of mine that is meant to work with the Build System.” He pulled out the smart phone device that Sandal fiddled with earlier. “This here, is the Build Phone.” Gizmo then went into an explanation of how it functioned as a smart phone and more. For instance, the screen can repair itself if dropped or cracked and extremely durable, something Flash said they needed for every smart phone. Then he explained how it used the Fullbottles to transform into a bike.
“And friendly reminder, please don’t use the Machine Builder indoors. Wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt.”
“A little late for that…” Flash stared at the motorcycle in the middle of the room.
Well then, that’s all the time I have for now. See you all again in the next log.” The video ended. The three simply stood there, trying to process what they had just seen. In the past few minutes, they learned that the celestial object housed within the Canterlot Research Center from 18 years ago produced a gas that turned people into monsters, and Gizmo had created a device to not only purify the gas, but use its power to combat those turned into Smash’s?
“…this is just like the plot of some sci-fi, live action TV show…” The musician said as he plopped down into one of the chairs.
“Yeah…but this is definitely real.” Micro said as he now examined the Build driver with more rapt detail. He was curious how his brother even made such a thing.
“Still…I can’t believe it. All this time, there was some weird, dangerous space gas that can turn people into Monsters?” Sandalwood wondered as he finally figured out how to turn the Machine Builder back into a phone. “That’s definitely unsettling.”
“I know. I mean, if this all existed for months, why haven’t we heard anything about them until now?”
As if to answer Flash’s question, alarms blared throughout the room as the computer monitor displayed the words of SMASH DETECTED alongside a pin-pointed map of its supposed location.
“What the heck is that?!” Flash jumped to his feet while Micro rushed over to the computer.
“I think it’s some Smash detection program my brother made! I think he did it to alert him where a Smash was so he could use the system to stop it!”
“Well, where is it now?!”
Micro tapped a few keys. “It seems to be in the Canterlot Mall….give me a sec.” he typed a few more keys and accessed the Mall’s security system, giving them access to their video feed.
“Dude, did you just hack into Mall security?!” Sandalwood questioned.
“This is an emergency! If a Smash is involved, we need to know what we’re dealing with!”
“Wait, what?! What do you mean, “We”?! Why aren’t we leaving this to the police?!” Flash questioned.
“You saw the video log! Normal humans and weapons can’t hurt a Smash! Only the Build System can fight them!” Micro countered.
“Uh, guys…”
“But we’re not heroes! We’re not like Sunset and the others! We’re just normal, high school students that have no magic whatsoever!”
“But if we do nothing, lots of innocent people are going to get hurt! Are we really going to let this happen, while we have the means to stop them?!”
“Guys….”
“Why are you so persistent in this Micro?! We were just trying to find out what happened to Gizmo! None of us signed up to be super heroes!”
“It’s because this is the only lead we have to finding my brother!”
“GUYS!”
“WHAT?!” The two whirled around to face their friend. Sandalwood just pointed on screen. Micro and Flash followed where he pointed and blanched in shock.
A large Smash with a bulky torso and arms was fighting the Rainbooms. And based on what they saw, they were losing. Badly.
Seeing their friends in danger, some sort of instinct spurred Flash into grabbing the Build Driver. “So this thing can fight them, right?” he then grabbed five scattered Fullbottles. “Then let’s do this!”
“WAIT!” Micro stopped him from using it, silently happy that his friend changed his mind. “What if we don’t have the needed Hazard Level?! We could end up turning into a Smash if we used it…or worst!”
“Then what do you suppose we do? The girls are getting creamed out there!” Flash rebutted. Micro answered by holding up the scanner.
“We need to see what our Hazard Levels are, to make sure we’re not in danger from the gas.” He activated it and scanned himself first. The read out was a 2.1.
“But…what will we do if none of us has the required level?” Micro scanned Sandalwood, and read his level was a 2.2.
“…We’ll cross the bridge when we get to it.” Micro scanned Flash. The three waited with held breaths as the scanner read his bio signature.
It beeped and showed that his level was 3.0. The minimum requirement to use the Build system.
“Well, that settles it.” Flash said as he pocketed the Driver and bottles. “I need to get over there….wait…HOW am I going to get over there as soon as possible?! Sandal’s car isn’t fast enough and there’s traffic at this time!”
“Ahem…” Sandalwood coughed, dangling the Build Phone in his face.
“….But I don’t know how to ride a motorcycle…”
“HOW AM I RIDING A MOTORCYCLE?!” Flash screamed as he held onto the handlebars of the Machine Builder tight. He wasn’t even doing anything as the bike zoomed through the streets on its own, as if it were on auto pilot.
“Apparently, in the other video logs, my brother said the Machine Builder has installed auto-pilot for new riders, as well as a tutorial program for them to learn later.” Micro’s voice crackled through the radio system in his motorcycle helmet. They had discovered this interesting feature a few moments after Flash took off on the Machine Builder. It was definitely needed as the musician had no idea what he was doing.
Fortunately, Micro gave him instructions after learning from the additional video logs. And he was making great time. In mere moments, he was a few blocks away from the mall. As soon as it came into sight, he saw that a crowd of people and the police have blocked the entrance, no doubt because of what happened in the food court. They saw him coming and tried to stop him.
He tried to stop as well, but the bike refused to obey. Instead, it took him to a new direction: up.
The Machine Builder managed to defy gravity by manifesting gripping spikes on the wheels and drove up the walls and crashed through the window. Flash felt his stomach drop, literally and figuratively. Good thing he was wearing a helmet. If anyone found out it was him driving this crazy machine, forget being grounded for life, he’d be arrested for reckless driving without a license and property damage!
…wait, did he even need a license to drive a smart phone?
He was jerked out of his musings as the motorcycle slowed to a stop in the food court, allowing him to see the state of damage and felt the dread set in.
The food court was in ruins: smashed tables and chairs, remains of what appeared to be robots, and the Rainbooms, all beaten and unconscious. At the center of it all was the Smash, a fist raised to deliver the final blow to one unconscious Twilight Sparkle.
“NO!” Flash charged forward without hesitation and tackled the Smash, forcing it away from his friend. The two tumbled on the floor before they scrambled up to stand. Still feeling incensed about what the monster tried to do, Flash, momentarily forgetting about the Driver and Fullbottles in his pocket, rushed in and punched the Smash….only to feel a sharp pain.
“Ow!’ Flash grunted in pain as he nursed his hand. “Just what are you made out of? Rocks?!”
The monster answered by punching him away. He crashed on the ground and the Driver clattered next to him. Flash grabbed the device before he scrambled away to put distance between them. He slammed the device on his waist and formed the belt. He then took out the Rabbit and Tank Fullbottles from his jacket pocket.
Steeling himself, he shook them. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, math equations fly into existence around him. “What the…what is this?!” Flash had no idea what was going on! This never happened in Gizmo’s demonstration. However, he refused to let this strange occurrence overwhelm him. He stopped shaking the bottles and stared at them. With a determined expression, he stared at the approaching Smash.
“Well…let’s begin the experiment!” He inserted the Fullbottles into the Build Driver.
“RABBIT!”
“TANK!”
“BEST MATCH!”
He turned the crank and the same set up from Gizmo’s video manifest around him. He was hesitant about doing this. But he was determined to act in spite of his fear.
“ARE YOU READY?”
“H-Henshin?” He hoped he pronounced that right.
Like in the video, the constructs slammed into him and donned him in the Build armor.
“FULLMETAL MOONSAULT, RABBIT-TANK!!!”
“YEAH!”
Flash gazed at his hands in amazement.
“Whoa! I-I really did transform! And it smells like a new car in here! And wait, did my voice change? I sound so different and awesome-!”
He was interrupted by the Smash swinging its arm at his head. He ducked below it and side stepped another swing. As the third came for his head, he raised an arm to block it instinctively. He was surprised, however, that the attack felt much weaker than it should’ve been. Granted, it still carried some force, but not enough to the point his arm would break. In fact, it didn’t even hurt that much.
Flash saw an opening and threw a quick punch with its free arm. A burst of energy exploded from contact and caused the Smash to stumble, freeing his left arm. Realizing that the Build System now gave him the strength to fight this thing, he punched it again with more force.
The strike sent it tumbling as Flash stared at his hands in amazement. “This…this is awesome! I can fight it!” Then from inside his helmet, he just noticed a string of words that spelled out a sentence. “Huh? ‘The law of victory is set’? What is that? A catchphrase?...Sounds pretty cool.”
Then the then the teen heard a crackling sound in his helmet like before. “Flash? Flash, can you hear me?”
“Micro? Is that you? Does this suit have a radio too?”
“It does, and I have some news for you! Sandalwood and I have been skimming through my brother’s logs, and I think we know how the Build System can deal with the Smashes.”
“That’s great! Because I had no idea how I would beat this thing aside from kicking and punching. So tell me what to do!” Flash requested as he ducked below another swing and delivered an uppercut to its massive torso.
As Micro Chips relayed the information to the new warrior, Flash failed to notice Twilight stirring from unconsciousness.
It hurt.
Everything hurt.
Her head felt like someone stuffed it with cotton. Her limbs felt heavy. Her mind buzzed and her ears rung.
But amidst the dulled sensations, Twilight was able to briefly pick up strange sounds. She couldn’t properly discern them, but just hearing them was enough. She had to know what was going on. The last thing she remembered was their Rainbow Laser failing, the monster advancing, and then blackness.
She needed to know. She had to make sure her friends were alright…
Struggling, she pulled herself out of her semi-conscious state and pried her eyelids open. She stared at the sky above her and noticed how blurry everything was. Then she realized that her transformation must’ve come undone when she passed out. Fortunately, with a turn of her head, she found her glasses. She reached out and put them on, her world becoming much clearer.
Twilight then immediately noticed a new figure fighting the monster she and her friends failed to beat… and seemed to be winning!
The attire was rather strange though. It was a suit of armor that covered the male figure from head to toe. The armor itself was made up of segments of red and blue with black in between. On the left leg was a large spring and the right foot had tank treads. The helmet had two eye plates, one shaped like a rabbit and the other like a tank.
She was intrigued by its design how well it let the user fight. Each hit was enough to send the monster staggering, something even her friends failed to do.
Then Twilight finally remembered. Her friends! Panic fueled her as she tried to look for where her friends were. They were scattered around the court, but fortunately did not seem to be fatally injured. She pushed herself off the ground, despite her protesting limbs, and limped over to where Pinkie Pie was face planted on the ground.
The monster noticed that she had gotten up and tried to rush her. But the armored figure refused to let it as it kicked it in the face. Twilight used this opportunity to reach her pink friend and gently roused her awake.
“Pinkie, are you alright? If you can hear me, please wake up!” The party planner’s eyes fluttered open.
“S-Sci-Twi…?” Pinkie Pie uncharacteristically groaned as she pulled herself up. “Owie…it feels like someone had a crazy party in my head and turned up the music too loud…”
“I’m just glad you’re alright…We need to wake up the others if we can and get out of here…”
“But…what about the monster? The one who flattened us into pancakes?” Pinkie inquired.
“He’s…occupied right now.” Twilight gestured to the colorfully armored man who was fighting the creature…and winning! Each strike delivered more damage than anything they tried before.
“Wowza…Who is that guy?! Is he superhero who just recently learned about this monster and went to fight it to protect people?”
“I don’t know for sure…but it seems like he’s on our side, and that’s good enough for me. But it’s too dangerous to stick around! We need to grab the others and get out of here!”
“Righty-o!” Pinkie Pie saluted as she stood at attention before she zipped off and went to wake up her friends, or move them away if they were too out of it.
Twilight turned and went over to where Sunset and Fluttershy were knocked out, another thought running through her head.
Who was that man?
“So that’s what I need to do?”
“That’s right! And when you defeat it, be sure to grab an empty bottle that’s stored in the Machine Builder. It should be used to siphon off the Nebula Gas and return the Smash to normal.”
“Got it!” Flash answered as he delivered another punch to the mutated creature. Throughout the fight, it tried to escape and attack his friends. But he refused to let it happen and kept it off their backs. TO his relief, one by one, the girls regained consciousness as they were roused by their friends, starting with Twilight, then Pinkie, then the two, and so forth. They were alive. Bruised, but alive. And that set him at ease.
He was even more surprised as the fight went on. While he did take martial arts classes when he was younger he fell out of practice as he focused on his band and music career. But as he fought, it felt as if he knew what to do: when to punch or kick, when and how to block a certain strike, it was like his body was on autopilot.
Could this be another feature of the suit? If so, then Gizmo definitely went all out in designing it.
The Smash definitely had powerful strikes, evident by the craters in the ground, but it was slower than Flash with the suit. He blocked each hit with ease before countering with one of his own. Each attack set off a burst of energy that injured the mutated human, but he made sure to pull his punches a bit. Despite their berserk behavior and inhuman appearance, these Smashes were still human.
He heard the radio crackle to life once more. Instead of Micro, it was Sandalwood instead.
“Hey Flash! We found something else in the video logs! Apparently, you can also use bottles outside of Best Matches! Like, you can make different combos for different effects!”
“What do you mean?”
"Dude, that thing’s super slow so using rabbit's kinda pointless. Up your power, instead!"
"Power?" Flash pulled out the only organic bottle he had left, since Lion was being used with the Machine Builder. "Alright," he took out his rabbit bottle, "here goes." He inserted the white bottle.
“HEDGEHOG!”
He turned the crank again, the energy of the white bottle mixing inside the Driver.
“ARE YOU READY?!”
Flash nodded as he saw another string of words inside the helmet. He then repeated them. “Build up!”
Once he finished cranking, the rabbit side of the suit was replaced with something else. The colors of the armor segments were white, now having a spiked shoulder pad and spiked ball glove. The rabbit motif on his visor was also replaced by a spiky hedgehog one.
“Whoa! I transformed again! Well, let’s see how powerful this combo is!” He charged in and threw another punch at the Smash. Unlike before, it flew into the air before crashing on the ground. Excited by this discovery, he rushed in again and punched it again and again with the spiked glove.
He never felt so much power. It was rather invigorating. After several more hits, he decided it was time to end this fight.
He just needed to beat the Smash and turn them to normal. Which was a good thing Micro had told him how to do so. He needed to perform one final hit to take it down. He wasn’t able to do so before out of fear of hitting his friends accidentally. But now, they were out of the battle zone and he had free reign.
The Smash struggled to remain standing, signifying it was on its last legs.
“…Time to end this!” He replaced the Hedgehog bottle with Rabbit once more, returning to his Best Match form. As informed by Micro, as far as they knew, the finisher can only be used with a Best match combination. He then followed the intellectual’s prior instructions and cranked the handle on the Build Driver again.
“READY?! GO!”
“VOLTECH FINISH!”
“YEAH!”
Red and blue energy covered Flash's body as the spring on his leg compressed. He jumped up high into the air before flying forward. He extended his right leg and got into position for a kick. The attack connected as the treads on his shoe spun and grinded against the Smash’s body. It then blasted across the food court until it crashed into the far wall.
Flash landed on his feet and quickly went to the Machine Builder. He pulled out an empty, clear bottle from the storage compartment and twisted the top. He pointed it at the Smash’s unmoving body and watched as particles flew off the monster and into the bottle, returning the Smash into a human form. Once the process was completed, he closed the bottle and stored it away. He needed to get it back to Micro and Sandalwood so they could try and purify it.
He got back onto the motor bike and started it up. But before he could leave….
“WAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIT!!!!” Pinkie Pie’s scream stopped him in his tracks. The constantly cheerful girl, followed by her friends, rushed up to the suited Flash with varying expressions: Gratitude, curiosity, excitement, suspicion, questioning, etc.
Several questions flew from their mouths at once. Who was he? What was that monster? What did he just do? Why did it turn into a human? How did he learn to fight like that? What was his equipment? Etc.
Flash was unable to answer and couldn’t keep up with the questions. So he decided to end it
“I’m sorry, but I can’t stay for much longer. I really need to get going!” His tone left no room for argument.
“Can you at least tell us your name?!” Rainbow Dash questioned. After all they went through; they should at least learn the name of the person who saved him.
Flash hesitated for a second. He thought about giving his name, but immediately decided against it. If they knew it was Flash Sentry under this armor, then he would end up dragging them into their own matters, putting them in danger. It was already determined that these Smashes were unaffected by Equestrian Magic. They wouldn’t be able to last in a fight against them.
Ultimately, he gave his response.
“….Build.”
“Huh? Build? What kind of a name is that?” He didn’t answer. He revved up his bike and drove away before they could ask more.
“Hey, wait!” Rainbow hollered out. She was tempted to chase after him, but her twisted ankle strongly disagreed with that attempt.
“Well, that was a bit rude. He could at least stay and answer our questions instead of leaving us in the dark.” Rarity huffed.
“Ah don’t know. He seemed to be in a mighty hurry…” Applejack shrugged, but winced as she held her shoulder.
“Do you think we’ll see him again?” Fluttershy wondered aloud.
“I don’t know Flutters. Maybe. But if not, I already took some pictures and recorded the fight!” Pinkie Pie said, holding up her smart phone.
“What? How did you…?” Sunset started before shaking her head. When something unbelievable concerns Pinkie Pie…it was best not to question.
Twilight simply stared at the retreating fighter in silence, curiosity plaguing her mind.
Elsewhere…
On the monitors that illuminated the dark room was footage of the armored Flash Sentry fighting the Strong Smash.
The sole occupant of the room sat in the chair that faced the screens. The figure was clad in black armor, with a silver chest plate and shoulder pads. Curved pipes protruded from the silver armor pieces, two on each shoulder and one on either side of the collar. On said chest plate was a bright yellow bat symbol. The helmet also bore a bright yellow bat motif that seemed to glow in the darkness. On its forehead was a flat horn.
The figure lounged in the chair as it observed Flash defeat the Smash with a Voltech Finish before driving away. From beneath his visor, the figure smirked.
“….and so it begins…”
To be Continued…
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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
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This was a pretty good first chapter. Lots of info was thrown at us right from the start but I think it was handled pretty good. The big fight scene was my favorite part. I’m interested to see where this goes. I want to see what Flash and his friends will do next. Also, looks like Twilight has an interest in the new hero, so I want to see how that turns out. Can’t wait for more.
Good start here. Can’t wIt to see what’s next
Sounds a lot like Halo and those gas bag creatures.
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im afraid ur quite a bit off on Halo, i havnt even read the story as i write this, and i already know what it entails...i might still give it a read though, see if it features any Showa Era Riders...oh well, Build Up!
Oh, this looks like it'll be fun! I wonder who are going to be the other Kamen Riders in this story like Cross-Z, Grease, and Rogue? I'm looking forward to reading more of this story!
I'm not sure if you have it planned already, but I think that Sunset Shimmer could take the role of Cross-Z in this fic. Maybe even use alternate forms that Build used only a few times in the original show. Phoenix could easily be one of Sunset's favorites, but I still see her using the Dragon equipment as well as the Magma form.
Sadly, I can't really take much of an interest in this story. The thing is, the original Build was a genius -hell his Final Form was labeled that- and as much as I like Flash Sentry, I can't see him being a MENSA candidate like Sento was. If anything, Flash would fill more of the Ryuga Banjo role than anything else.
9611117 Don't worry, Snow Fire and I have plans for that.
What happened to the cover art?
Edit: I was using mobile when I wrote this comment originally. The cover art wasn't there, but now that I'm using my laptop, the image is present.
9611345
I apologize for that. I was a bit indecisive on how I should make the cover image, and took it down to rethink about it. That and Banshee531 and I left it off to leave a little mystery for the story until after the first chapter has been up for a bit. I ended up sticking with the Build image since this is a Build Story.
alright I'm intrigued let's see how this plays out
This could just be the exposure to too many crime shows talking, but THAT COULD BE A BOMB!
Oooh, hmm, I see that Flash is a little more fearful and unsure than he is in most Flash Sentry hero stories, but he's still got the heart of a true hero underneath.
Oh gosh, just how is all this connected with Gizmo's disappearance?
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Brilliant idea, let's examine the falling space thingy. hey, if you get probed by aliens don't come back whining to me.
Uhm... What? That's a weird way of putting that. I get what you want to set up, I really do, but "steaming" would have probably done it.
Yeah, probably more happened that night you won't tell us just yet.
Stop noticing double meaning where there is none brain! I need that for another fic!
Huh, so he is our Devils Scientist or something like that I assume.
I... I don't think that's something that would remain in public concourse that much, a celebrity death would probably sweep it away rather quickly.
I think she can just make things explode, but we can go with that.
I mean, it doesn't have to be a laptop only because it ways that much.
I thought his name was Gizmo Poindexter, not Gizmo Chip?
He, that's funny.
Huh, Guardians...
You missed a " here
Was thinking the exact same thing actually.
Oh boy...
Awww, that's a nice idea.
Pinkie, just never change.
Well, that is an interesting idea.
Ok, this is a bit excessive. Most people know how they look and even then, this is way too much.
Forgot the " again.
The key to the future.
Welcome to the insanity.
This entire thing is delightfull.
Ey! It's my job to snark on this, not yours Flash!
You know he had to find this out some way... Let that sink in...
Ok, first, that pretty much confirms a completely EQG world without any human influence, nice, second, why the Henshin, that one interests me the most.
I personally prefer "Winning formula," but I can manage.
Ok, I can roll with that.
Ok, you sure this is Flash and not Pinkie in a Flash suit? He is extremely witty. But to be fair, Flash is pretty much a blank canves just as much as the Shadowbolts, so go wild.
Convenient.
Ok, I dig this version of Flash.
Gee, surprised this didn't work.
Oh, I see where this is going.
Ok, that's cute.
That gag never gets old.
Huh, so no graph?
One of the most important laws of the universe.
I really hope this is true, I don't want to see Build just slightly different. If it ends with the same bad guy I can accept that, but at least the journey should be distinctly different, since no Skywall, divided country and another hero. All in all, good start, wonder where this goes.
9887529
Thank you very much for your comments and criticisms. Admittedly, I didn't have much solid idea what to do since this is my first EQG fic on the site and was a little rusty. I hope I did it well. And don't worry, things will definitely be different later on. Banshee and I have some crazy ideas in store.
nice meta commentary
Oh? Nice AR World of Build... would be nice to find it cross with the AR World of Double with Sunset Shimmer as the Lead
9609919
9609936
Goodness gracious no! Shimmy has already her own AR World, she was more than acknowledged by the Destroyer and many other Main riders... let someone else have the spotlight...
Can you make a reaction story the MLP gang and there parents are taken to a theater to see what happened in there world and watch flsh as he becomes kamen rider build
11218096
I never planned on it. And not good at reaction stories, anyway.
Ok love the starting and love to see more and also hope to see shinning armor revival and grease big scene and also want to see who he is also in love with and also who will be the three crows will Fluttershy brother be one aswell and when in blood movie if flash is being chased and when timber try to get him make flash punch him that will be funny and heisei generation forever what will that be the fanfiction or the movie
It's was up to four students to find the truth and those four are
Flash sentry
Micro chips
Sandalwood forest
Sol burner
Together they are the hope for humanity they are TEAM BUILD
HEY! Language young lady!
Hey. So am I man