Ant-Mare and the Wasp

by IndigoMoon

Issue 3 - Or How Fizzy Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Constant Villain Attacks

When the group landed at Canterlot Castle, they saw a small purple and green dragon waiting for them.

“Hi, Spike,” said Tempest. “Is Twilight waiting for us?”

Spike nodded. “Yup. But she’s in her private office, not the throne room. She asked that I escort you there, just so you don’t get lost.”

Tempest laughed. “Alright then. Lead the way,” she said.

As Spike lead them down the halls of the Castle, Fizzy attempted to make small-talk with the white-armored Thestral. “Soooo, what’s your name?”

“Spector. But you can call me Moon Knight,” he replied gruffly.

“Moon Knight?” asked Fizzy.

Spector nodded. “It comes from my position in the Lunar Guard. I am a member of the Knights of the Moon, an elite group of Lunar Guards hoofpicked by Princess Luna. We now serve Princess Twilight. Most of us are stationed here in the castle, serving as the Princess’s primary source of defense during the night. But a couple of our rank, myself included, go on special missions at the behest of the princess.”

Fizzy nodded. “That sounds neat. So, what kind of missions have you been on, other than coming to get me and Shrinky?”

Spector didn’t reply.

“He doesn’t talk much,” said Tempest. “That’s the most I’ve heard him say in a while.”

Fizzy nodded. “Oh, okay.” She noticed that Shrinky was starting to lag behind. She stopped, waiting for Shrinky to catch up. “Hey,” she asked. “You okay?”

Shrinky shrugged. “I think so. I’m just nervous since we’re going to meet with the Princess, my boss, about a potential plot against her, on top of being exhausted from everything else we’ve been through today.”

Fizzy nodded in agreement. “Yeah. In the span of about four, five hours, we’ve been through two villain attacks. That’d drain anypony.”

They continued in silence, following just behind the rest of the group until they reached the door to Princess Twilight’s office. Spike reached up and knocked three times. There was no response. He knocked again. Once more, nothing.

Spike sighed and opened the door, to reveal a purple alicorn in the middle of a giant pile of books and papers. She looked to be in the middle of cleaning.

“Oh! Hi. Sorry. I was just trying to get cleaned up before you got here, but as you can see, that didn’t happen. So, what can I help you with?”

Tempest coughed before stepping forward. “We, uh, brought the scientists from the exploded lab you asked for.” At this, Shrinky and Fizzy stepped forward.

“Oh! Right! Are you two okay? I can call the castle doctor down if you need it.”

“No, your majesty. We’re fine. Thank you though,” said Fizzy, bowing, with Shrinky followed suit. Spike snickered as Twilight looked extremely uncomfortable.

“Oh, uh, bowing. Uh, you guys don’t need to do that. Please.”

Fizzy and Shrinky stood back up. “I imagine you’d like to know what happened?”

Twilight nodded as she moved behind her desk and sat down. “Yes, please. Also, do sit. I imagine you guys are tired.” Her horn sprang to life, and with a bang, four beanbag chairs appeared in front of her desk.

“Hey, where’s my chair?” asked Spike.

Twilight rolled her eyes, and with another bang, a fifth, smaller beanbag appeared behind Spike, who promptly flopped down on it.

Shrinky, Fizzy, and Tempest all sat down in the beanbags, taking a moment to get adjusted. Spector stayed standing.

“Spector, you are allowed to sit too, you know,” said Twilight.

Spector shook his head.

“Fine. If you insist,” said Twilight, in a tone that suggested this wasn’t the first time this had occurred. “Okay,” began Twilight as she pulled over a quill and some parchment. “Tell me everything.”

So Shrinky did just that, with some interjections from Fizzy every once in a while to fill in the bits that Shrinky had missed. Twilight was mostly silent, sparing the occasional “WHAT?” and gasp. She was writing down notes the entire time. When she had finished, Tempest told her everything she had told Shrinky and Fizzy. When Tempest finished, Twilight was silent for a moment.

“Okay…” she began slowly. “So I believe this best course of action here is to deal with this quietly, to avoid widespread panic. Tempest, as someone who knows a lot more about this military-type stuff than me, what do you think?”

“I agree with your assessment, Princess,” she said.

“Great. So, now it's my turn to share some news that I believe may be related. So, you said that the pegasus who attacked your lab was after the shrinking potion you’ve been working on?” she asked Shrinky.

“Yes, your majesty. I also believe that the two ponies who attacked us on the train were after the same thing. It’d be too big a coincidence that the attacks were unrelated,” said Shrinky.

“Agreed. So it’s becoming apparent that whoever our enemies are, they are helping these rogue changelings by gathering up powerful magical artifacts. On that note, we discovered earlier today that Grogar’s Bell is missing.”

“WHAT?!” cried everyone in the room, including Spector.

“How did that happen?” asked Fizzy. “I would’ve thought that after the Legion of Doom, that thing would’ve been under heavy lock and key!”

“That’s just it. It was. It was probably the most heavily guarded thing in the castle, myself included,” said Twilight, tone serious. “I check the Bell twice a day to make sure it’s still there. It seems to have just vanished without a trace. None of the guards on duty remember anyone coming in or going out between when I last checked on the bell and when I found it missing. I even asked Discord, but he says he hasn’t gone near the thing since we turned the Legion to stone. I believe that the ponies who attacked you are either the same ponies who stole the bell or work for the pony who did. It would explain their seemingly enhanced abilities. It’s evident that there is something afoot here in Equestria, and I’d like your help to find out what it is.”

“You want our help?” asked Fizzy, incredulously. “But we’re just scientists!”

“Who invented shrinking suits, and fought off three supervillains. But what I have in mind for you is something a little more relaxing. But I’ll get to that in a moment. First, Tempest and Spector, I have a mission for you.”

“What would that be?” asked Tempest.

“Starting tomorrow, I want you and Spector to try and locate Grogar’s Bell. You may use any resources necessary to find it. I will try and help when I can, however I can.” Tempest stood up.

“We’ll get started right away, your majesty.” She saluted before trotting out of the office with Spector right behind her.

“I said tomorrow!” Twilight called after her. “Go get some rest and she’s gone. Anyways, what I want you to do is much simpler. I imagine you are almost out of your shrinking potion, if not completely out already, correct?”

Shrinky nodded.

“I thought so. Tomorrow, I’m sending you to Ponyville. My friend Zecora can help you make more. She lives in the Everfree Forest, but I can give you a map with directions to there tomorrow. Also, while staying in Ponyville, I’ll arrange for you to stay in my old castle. My old student, Starlight Glimmer, and her friend Sunburst live there, and I’m sure they wouldn’t mind you staying there. It is a big castle. I’ll send her a letter to let her know you’re coming tomorrow. For now, you can spend the night in the guest tower. Spike, would you please take them there?”

Spike stood up, brushing off popcorn he had gotten at some point. “Will do.”

“Thank you, Spike. Have a nice evening you two. Sleep well,” said Twilight.

“Thank you, Princess,” said Shrinky, as both she and Fizzy left the Princess’s office.

As Spike lead them to their rooms, Shrinky walked in thought until Fizzy asked her a question.

“Do you think the missing bell and the attacks are related?”

Shrinky nodded. “It’s too big a coincidence. Besides, no pony but the most powerful unicorns could do what those ponies could do, at the skill they did. It makes sense that they got a power boost from the Bell. I’m just curious as to where the changelings fall into all of this.”

“I doubt they’d work with ponies unless they had no other choice. My guess is that the ponies have something they want, and are coercing the changelings into helping them. Maybe they want the Bell,” theorized Fizzy.

“Then why come after us? Why do they want our potion so badly? It’s not like its super powerful or anything. If they have the Bell, that should be more than enough to get what they want,” said Shrinky.

“Maybe they want the potion because they can use it to their advantage. Stealth missions and whatnot,” suggested Fizzy.

“Why not just use the changeling for that?” countered Shrinky.

“I dunno. I’m just spit-balling here,” said Fizzy. “Changelings can’t just shrink in size without changing species, and changeling infiltrations take a long time, having to kidnap a pony and assimilate into society through their place and all. Maybe they just want something that’ll expedite the process.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were a supervillain yourself,” said Shrinky, looking vaguely disturbed.

Fizzy shrugged. “Hey, I might not be a villain anymore, but a. I used to be, and b. I used to live in the same building as Queen Chrysalis. You picked up a few things living around her.”

Shrinky raised her eyebrow. “Remind me never to make you mad.”

Fizzy smiled. When they reached their room, Spike gave them there key, told them what time he’d be back to collect them the next morning, then left. When they went in, they disrobed from their suits, put them in the saddlebag, which Fizzy shoved under her bed. Fizzy then promptly fell asleep, snoring quietly. Shrinky lay awake under the covers of her bed, her mind racing. But, eventually, she too fell asleep.

---

Fizzy awoke to a knock on the door. She blearily stumbled over to it, stretching her wings as she did so. She opened it to see Spike standing outside, smiling.

“Oh, hey there, dragon guy,” Fizzy said, half-awake. “Can you come back in like… tomorrow?”

Spike laughed. “I’m afraid not. Twilight just wanted me to let you know that you're invited to breakfast in the main dining hall before you leave, and that I’m to bring you there if you’re interested.”

At the word “breakfast”, Fizzy was much more awake. “Breakfast, you say. Give me a minute to wake up Shrinky.”

She closed the door and walked over to Shrinky’s bed. She was fast asleep, blanket pulled over her head. Fizzy smiled, getting a devious idea. She gently placed her hooves on Shrinky’s back, waited a moment, then began violently shaking her. Shrinky jolted awake, whacking Fizzy in the process.

“OW!” Fizzy yelped.

“Sorry!” cried Shrinky. “But… you did kinda deserve it. You startled me.”

Fizzy’s eyes narrowed. “I suppose… anyways, Spike’s outside waiting to bring us to breakfast before we leave.”

Shrinky blinked. “Uh, ok. Tell him we’ll be ready in five minutes.”

Fizzy nodded, and walked back over to the door. She opened it, Spike standing in the same spot as before. “She’ll be ready in five minutes.”

Five minutes later, Shrinky was locking the door to the guest tower, saddlebag strapped to her back. She then followed Fizzy and Spike, who were having an impassioned discussion about Ogres and Oubliettes. Shrinky didn’t really have any interest in the game, being more of a Dragon Pit fan, personally. Their discussion continued all the way into the dining hall, where it ended in favor of conversing with the Princess, over a breakfast of pancakes.

“So, I’ve already got a chariot ready to take you to Ponyville. Once you leave it’ll take about an hour for you to get there,” said Princess Twilight. “Also, another thing. When you get there, I have another task for you. Keep an eye out for suspicious ponies or changelings. I am aware Fizzy Wings can smell them, so I guess keep a nose out too. I only ask because if they are targeting me, they could be targeting my friends too. I’ve already warned them to be vigilant, but not to do anything out of the ordinary. I don’t want to clue them into the fact that I have some idea of their plans. With 12 changelings on the loose, and at least 3 supervillains running around, I don’t want to take any chances.”

“Of course, Princess,” said Fizzy Wings.

“I’ve also sent a message to King Thorax, asking for his advice on what to do should we apprehend them, to keep them from shapeshifting and escaping,” said Twilight.

As Shrinky took a bite of pancakes, she had a thought. “What if there was a way we could track them? Either the changelings or the villains?”

Twilight’s serious expression brightened. “I’m glad you asked! I had almost forgotten, but I have a tracking spell I wanted to give you to pass onto Starlight for that exact use!” She teleported a scroll into the room and floated it over to Shrinky, who took it in her own magic, placing it in the joint-owned saddlebag.

Fizzy leaned back, having finished her pancakes. “Those were some good pancakes, your highness,” she said, patting her stomach contently.

“Thank you! I made them myself, with some help from Spike, as always,” replied the Princess, evidently pleased with herself.

Shrinky finished off her pancakes as well, before standing up. “Thank you, Princess, for being such a gracious host. But we should really be on our way.”

Twilight blinked. “Yes, of course. But Shrinky Dink, you needn’t be so formal. I may be the ruling Princess, but I am the Princess of Friendship. Such formalities aren’t necessary in private. Really, the only time I just let it happen is when dealing with the elite and foreign dignitaries.”

“But you’re also my boss, so the requires professionalism,” said Shrinky.

“True. Then I request that you just call me miss or ma’am, until you feel comfortable dropping the formalities, though I appreciate your respect for professionalism,” said Twilight kindly. Shrinky was mildly taken aback. Despite how scatterbrained she had seemed yesterday, Princess Twilight could be quite wise and composed when she wanted to. ‘Most likely something she picked up from all those years studying under Princess Celestia,’ thought Shrinky.

“As you wish, ma’am,” said Shrinky, lowering her head slightly. “We’ll be heading out now.” They began following Spike to the chariot.

“Be careful, you two. Have Starlight send me a letter if something happens!” Twilight called after them.

Spike led them through the castle to the balcony where the chariot was waiting. As they climbed on board, Spike said, “You’ll be in Ponyville in about an hour. You’ll be landing just outside Twilight’s old castle, where Starlight and Sunburst are waiting for you. Since the school is closed for summer vacation, she’ll be able to help you whenever you need it.”

“Thanks, Spike,” said Fizzy. “See ya later.”

“See ya!” called Spike as the guards pulled the chariot into the air and towards Ponyville.

---

As they touched down near the castle, they were greeted by two unicorns. One was a pink mare, with a purple and teal mane, and the other was an orange stallion, wearing a star-speckled robe and glasses. The mare trotted up to Shrinky and Fizzy as they got off the chariot.

“Hi! I’m Starlight, and this is Sunburst,” she gestured to the stallion, who waved. “Nice to meet you!”

Fizzy waved back while Shrinky introduced themselves. “Also, we have something for you from the Princess,” she said. She lifted the scroll given to her out of the bag.

“What is it?” asked Starlight, taking the scroll in her magic.

“The Princess said it’s a tracking spell, for when we find changelings or supervillains,” answered Fizzy.

Starlight looked over the scroll. “Huh. All right then. I’ll hold onto this. Twilight mentioned in her letter you need to see Zecora?”

“Yes,” said Shrinky. “We were told she can help us make more of our shrinking potion. We’ve only got enough left for a couple more uses.”

As they walked towards the castle, Sunburst glanced back and froze. “Uh, Starlight?”

Starlight looked at Sunburst, then behind her. She then tackled Sunburst as a large boulder landed where he was moments ago. Shrinky and Fizzy whirled around to see two ponies standing behind them. One was a white Earth pony stallion with a poofy pale pink mane. He wore a blue suit with a yellow vest, and had a set of speakers on a collar around his neck. The mare next to him was also an Earth pony. She was wearing a construction pony uniform, with a metal helmet and metal boots. Based on the chunk of rock missing out of the ground next to her, Shrinky safely assumed that she had been the one to try and crush Sunburst. The speakers on the stallion’s neck crackled to life as he spoke. “You two unicorns!” he said, his flamboyant voice blaring out of the speakers as he pointed at Starlight and Sunburst. “Those two are changelings!” He pointed at Shrinky and Fizzy as he said that. Shrinky stared at him.

“What? No, we’re not!” she cried.

“Uh, Shrinky? You might want to tell them that,” said Fizzy, panic creeping into her voice. Shrinky turned to see Starlight and Sunburst glaring at them, eyes subtly glowing. Their horns sprang to life as they prepared to attack.

“Uh-oh,” said Shrinky. As Starlight and Sunburst fired at them, they dodged out of the way, only for Fizzy to be painfully rammed by the armored construction pony. As she skidded across the ground, she clutched her side in pain. She rolled over to see the construction pony break a giant rock out the ground, and lob it at her. Fizzy beat her wings as fast as she could, pushing herself along the ground, narrowly avoiding the rock as it smashed down inches away. She rolled over, and stood up, wincing in pain. Meanwhile, Shrinky was dancing around Starlight and Sunburst, narrowly avoiding getting blasted. The stallion with the speakers kept repeating what he had said earlier.

“Fizzy!” cried Shrinky, yelping as she avoided a bolt of magic lightning, courtesy of Starlight. “It’s the stallion! He’s - hup! - controlling them. Try to shut him up! I’d do it but I can’t - yikes! - stand still long enough to get a shot at him!”

Fizzy nodded. She watched as the construction pony charged again. Fizzy flew up, allowing the mare to pass under her and right into the side of the castle, partially cracking where she had impacted with it. Fizzy had an idea. She landed back down, making sure she was directly between the mare and the stallion. “Hey, blockhead! Missed me! Nanner-nanner-nanner!” Fizzy blew a raspberry at her, as the final touch to her taunting. The mare roared, and charged again. Fizzy turned and ran as fast as she could towards the stallion. The stallion saw her running for him and spoke. “Fly upwards.” She felt herself stop and begin flapping, increasing her altitude against her will. But the stallion had made her plan easier, as she had already planned on flying upwards. As she hoped, the construction pony barreled under her, and unable to slow down in time, collided right into the stallion, destroying the speaker on his right side. The stallion flew through the air and slammed down a few feet away. He stood up, obviously dazed, and then promptly passed out, face planting into the dirt.

Shrinky flopped onto the ground as the barrage of spells finally ceased. Starlight shook her head while Sunburst rubbed his temples. “What happened?” she asked. Shrinky pointed at the unconscious stallion, who the mare was placing on her back. Starlight’s horned flared.

“Hey!” she yelled. “Get back here!” The mare’s head popped up in fright, and carrying the stallion, ran as fast as she could. Starlight fired at them, one of the bolts striking the unconscious stallion’s side. The others missed as they ran into town vanishing.

Fizzy went to go chase after them, but Starlight stopped her. “We need to get after them. Catch them and get them to tell us what they know!” Fizzy protested. Starlight shook her head, smiling. “No need. They’ll lead us to where they want to go. The spell I fired at them was the tracking spell Twilight gave me.”

Shrinky blinked, standing up. “But you only looked at it for a moment. How could you have known what to do?”

Starlight’s smile widened. “Photogenic memory. Plus, the spell is directly linked to the map in the castle, so I can track their progress from there.”

“Oh. Huh,” said Fizzy, impressed.

“I know, right?” said Starlight. “Now, let’s get you to Zecora’s.”

---

As Starlight led them through town, she made sure to point out all the different places she thought important to point out, like where to find Sugarcube Corner, and where the Town Hall was. She led them past the road that would take them to Sweet Apple Acres, promising to bring them there for cider later. They soon reached a small cottage sitting on the edge of the Everfree Forest. “That’s Fluttershy’s house,” said Starlight as they passed.

“Why does she live right on the edge of the Everfree Forest?” asked Shrinky.

Starlight shrugged. “Beats me. Anyways, Zecora’s house in down this path.”

As they walked into the forest, the sounds of wild animals filled the air. They soon reached a large tree decorated with tribal masks and bottles dangling from the boughs. A door was set into the trunk, a mask hanging over it. Fizzy went over and touched one of the masks.

“Neat,” she said, smiling. Her orange eyes reflected the light coming from the windows, creating an eerie effect. Starlight trotted up and knocked on the door.

An exotic voice floated through the door. “Please offer just one more moment. I must quickly add this final component.”

The sound of a larger object falling into a body of water came from inside, followed by hoofsteps growing louder. The door opened to reveal a zebra standing the doorway. Her eyes fell on Shrinky and Fizzy, causing her to smile. “So you are the ponies mentioned in Twilight’s note. Now, I suggest you step inside, or you might need a boat.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, a loud crack of thunder rang through the air, and drops of rain began falling. Three ponies took up Zecora’s offer, making it inside just as it began to pour.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Why not start with an adaptation of the first movie?

[IndigoMoon]

9925272
Mostly because I had my own story I really wanted to tell, with characters based off the ones from both the movies and the comics. If I just retold the story of the movie, but with ponies, then people wouldn't have any reason to read it. They could just watch the movie. But I actually considered doing that at first. The first draft of the story was very similar to the movie. But as I developed the story idea, I came up with new ideas I wanted to put in. So, over time, it eventually evolved into the story I'm telling now. Once it's complete, you'll notice the very basic core plot of movie is the backbone of the story. Plus, the story submission rules don't allow retelling a story or movie, but with ponies. But it's mainly the first reason.