My Little Spark: The Movie

by Real Solaris

Beyond Equestria

On the outskirts of the Everfree forest, the Mane Seven and Spike trudge down a worn path heading south. They traveled for hours, distancing themselves from Canterlot. Multiple patrols had come by over the hours looking for them, but luckily, they weren’t spotted, even with their strange ‘cargo,’ who was waking up from his impromptu nap.

“Uuuggghhh…” Tionic groans, rubbing his forehead. He notices a magenta aura surrounding him, and he traces back to its owner. “T-Twilight?”

“EEP!” She exclaims, stopping the flow of mana into the levitation spell holding Tionic in the air, and he lands on his back with a grunt. “Oh geez, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to drop you!”

“It’s alright,” Tionic assures, slowly getting up as he rubs his backside. “I’ll be fi-”

“You’re not here to abduct us, are you?” Pinkie Pie interrupts, pressing her face up to his. “Because I’m not in the mood to be probed right now.”

“Pretty sure you abducted me,” Tionic deadpans.

“…fair point,” Pinkie Pie says, backing away. Tionic gets up, dusting himself off, but he realizes he’s missing something.

“Wait, where are…?…!” Tionic gasps, looking around frantically. “My rings! Where are my rings?!”

“You mean that bag that fell through that weird portal earlier?” Spike ventures, pointing back towards Canterlot, which is nothing more than a speck at that point.“’cause it’s way back in Canterlot on a balcony.”

“Oh, horseapples…” Tionic groans, gripping his head. “This is bad, this really, really bad.”

“No kidding, genius,” Spike mutters, rolling his eyes.

“What’s so important about some rings?” Sonic wonders, gesturing to a group of Stamina Rings floating nearby. “Plenty float around the place, so why are you worried about one bag of ‘em?”

“Those aren’t Stamina Rings; they’re portal rings,” Tionic explains. “It’s how any advanced civilization travels from worlds, and mine are now stuck on the balcony somewhere in Canterlot.”

“Okay, dude, start talking!” Rainbow demands, having had enough of being confused. “Who are you? What are you?”

“First off, my name is Tionic,” He says, annoyed by the demand. “And I’m part of a race known as ‘Sparks,’ which are surprisingly similar to Mobians for some odd reason. Also, I’m in big trouble. My rings are missing; someone’s most likely after me now, and I can’t escape.”

“You’re in big trouble?!” Twilight shrieks. “We were ran out of Canterlot because of an invading army; the princesses were turned to stone, and now we have to look for this queen of hippos since Luna can’t do that anymore!”

“I’ve heard they’re surprisingly grateful for their size!” Pinkie pipes up. “But they’re always hungry.”

“Hungry?” Spikes says worriedly.

“Hippos?” Applejack finishes. Tionic and Sonic snort in amusement. Looks like they were the only ones who understood the context.

“They’re somewhere South, past the Prancing Plains,” Twilight explains, worrying Fluttershy and sending Rarity into a frenzy about not being packed for a trip. Everyone rolls their eyes. “I understand you’re scared, but I have to find this queen. She might be our only hope.”

“Um… hello? Super sonic hedgehog, right over here?” Sonic says, pointing to himself. “Literally dealt with Eggman for most of his life? I could easily go in there, beat Tempest and her army, and save the princesses without breaking a sweat.”

“True, but is that really what Princess Celestia wanted?” Tionic muses, rubbing his chin. “Had she chosen to ask you for help, she would have done so, but she didn’t. Instead, she deliberately told you not to attack and told Luna to find this queen. Wouldn’t that mean that she wanted specific help with a threat that they possibly have dealt with before?”

The Mane Seven and Spike stare at Tionic in shock. Very few have been able to shoot down one of Sonic’s plans so easily, yet here was this guy doing it like he’s been at it his whole life.

“That’s… a surprisingly solid theory there, Tionic,” Twilight says, thinking over it. “That means this queen has something that we don’t, and that’s why Celestia wanted her help.”

“It’s what I do,” Tionic chuckles. “Leading others in the right direction is something I picked up from my mom.”

“My, she must be proud of you, darling!” Rarity compliments.

“Heh heh… yeah, s-she is,” Tionic chuckles nervously. This doesn’t go unnoticed by the group, but they let it slide for the moment. “Anyway, let’s go find this queen. I’m not sitting around and waiting for that army to find us.”

“Wait, you’re coming with us?” Applejack asks.

“Well, of course,” Tionic says, folding his arms across his chest. “Since I lost my rings, and you guys are trying to help save Canterlot, it sounds like you could use some help in the long run,” He then gestures to his legs. “Also, my legs, which would normally be classified as lethal weapons, feel like spaghetti noodles. I’m not going anywhere on my own right now.”

Twilight squees in embarrassment, and Sonic walks over to the Spark.

“Sounds like a plan to me!” Sonic says, putting Tionic’s arm around his shoulder. “I think we were due for a road trip, amiright?”

“Yepperoo!” Pinkie says, bouncing away from them. “Come on, you guys! Let’s go!”

“South is that way,” Spike points in the opposite direction.

“I knew that!” Pinkie giggles, bouncing backward before turning around. “Hey, who wants to play ‘Eye Spy’?”

Everyone groans; they know this will be a long road trip, and now they had Pinkie starting games that would last forever.

“C’mon, it’ll be fun!” Pinkie exclaims, and she looks around. “I spy with my little eye something… orange! No guesses? It’s you, Applejack!”

“Hopefully, she doesn’t start singing ’99 Bottles of Coke,’” Sonic whispers to Tionic, who chuckles at that. “We don’t need this trip to last longer than it already will.”

“Ooh, that’s a good idea, Sonic!” Pinkie pops beside him and startles Tionic. “That’ll make this trip go by way faster! C’mon girls, Spike, you gotta join in!”

“Wait, what?!” Sonic exclaims, his eyes widening. “Nonononono, Pinkie, don’t -!”

But it’s too late, and the Mane Six and Spike start belting the ridiculously long song. “99 bottles of Coke on the wall! Take one down, and now you’re left with 98 bottles of Coke on the wall!”

“NOOOOOOOO!” Sonic shouts to the sky, and Tionic laughs at him. The others joined in the laughter as well before continuing to sing.

---

Back in Canterlot, everyone has been captured or put in cages. Ponies are restrained with their muzzles and wings clamped shut, and any unicorn has an inhibitor placed on the horn, preventing them from using magic of any kind. The Mobians get off lucky, only having their feet and hands chained, but some get harsher treatment. Storm Guards patrol the city, searching for stragglers and trashing any party supplies. On the balcony of the throne room, Tempest watches with distaste.

“All this power wasted on parties when there are far greater uses,” Tempest sighs. Ringing draws her attention to two Storm Guards coming up behind a cauldron placed in the center of the throne room. One holds a glowing potion bottle in its paws, the sound coming from it. “Well? Answer it!”

The guard uncorks the bottle and pours the contents into the cauldron before both back up quickly. The mist rises, and a hologram of the figure depicted on the banner comes into view, presumably the Storm King, though only his torso is visible.

“Where am I supposed to be looking?” He mutters, trying to figure out what he is doing. “I never understand how this spell works. Tempest!”

“Over here, Your Excellency,” Tempest says, guiding the tyrant in the right direction.

“Where?”

“Over here.”

“Huh?”

“No. No, right. Look right.”

“My right?”

“Yep, there you go.”

“Oh, there you are,” The Storm King says, and he gets to business. “Here's the deal. I'm in the middle of a big re-brand here. ‘The Storm King’ is tracking well as ‘intensely intimidating,’ but you know what? I need to back it up. You know what needs to back it up? A storm! You promised me magic that could control the elements, and right now, I'm holding a what? A branch. A twig. Bleh!”

“Uh, that would be the Staff of Sacanas, Your Excellency,” Tempest says, but the Storm King doesn’t seem interested, messing with the staff instead.

“Mm-hmm?”

“… It will channel the magic of the four rulers of this land.”

“Mm-hmmmm?”

“And you’ll soon have the power of a thousand armies.”

“So that would be a ‘yes’ on locking down the four Pegacornicuseses, or whatever you call them?”

“Alicorns,” Tempest corrects. “Give me three days. I'll have everything ready for your arrival.”

“Good. Now, remember, Tempest,” The Storm King says ominously. “Only I have the power to make you whole. Make this twig work, and you'll get your reward. Fail me, and your horn won't be the only thing that's broken.”

“It won't be a problem.” She assures.

“Great!” The Storm King exclaims, though a little warbled. “I'm ready to power up, crash and bash, and be the biggest, baddest bugaloo000-!”

He glitches out, and the call ends abruptly. Grubber stands behind the cauldron and shrugs.

“Sorry, bad spell service,” He says, approaching from the other side. “You want me to call him back?”

“Do you have the Princess?” Tempest fires back, making Grubber hesitate.

“Well, uh, funny story,” He chuckles nervously. “It kinda seems like she... she might've like, you know, got away... a little bit. I know you're disappointed, but I got one word for you: ‘spongecake.’”

He presents a cake to her, hoping that she would take it. But instead of taking it, Tempest fires a mana bolt at the cake, detonating it in Grubber’s paw.

“‘Disappointed’ is an understatement!” Tempest growls, her horn crackling. “I need all four for the staff to work!”

“Hey, I know! I want the Storm King to fix that crazy horn as badly as you do.” Grubber backs up, and he remembers something. “Ooh! But I did find this.”

He pulls out and presents a blue quill from his pocket, which glows brightly and occasionally sparks. Tempest’s eyes widen in surprise; she can feel the power radiating off the quill in huge spurts. “Where did you get that?”

“While we were chasing those ponies, that tall blue dude, not the short one, dropped this from his hair,” Grubber explains, handing the quill to her. “At least, I think it was hair. Anyway, I thought it would look cool on ya, so I brought it along.”

“Omoshiroi,” Tempest says in a foreign language, eying the quill for a moment before sticking her tongue out. She touches the quill to her tongue, and her head spasms out for a second.

“Uh, Tempest?” Grubber asks worriedly, “You okay?”

He’s slightly confused when Tempest offers to try it for himself, but it doesn’t last long as she shakes it off.

“Prepare my ship at once!” Tempest commands, and Grubber salutes before taking off. “We have a princess to capture.”

She stares out the window, gazing across Canterlot and the land of Equestria.

“I wonder how far one little pony and her friends could get alone?”

---

In two days? Deep in the heart of the Badlands and hundreds of miles from any known civilization far.

The Mane Seven, Spike, and Tionic trudge through the insane heat of the desert, each sweating profusely. The girls’ manes are all over the place, and their fur is matted from the incredible amount of sweat they generate. Tionic and Sonic’s quills stick out in every direction, and Sonic had gotten so hot that he even took off his gloves, letting his peach, clawed fingertips breathe. Tionic had his scarf draped over his shoulder. Spike, despite being a dragon and being able to swim in lava, was gasping and sweating buckets.

“There's sand in my... everything... Heh... saving... Equestria... hehehehehehe…” Pinkie chuckles demonically. She spots a skull in the sand and picks it up. “Oh! Look! Maybe this guy knows which way to go! What's that, friend? We're lost? HahahaheheheheEEE!”

Pinkie face-plants in the sand, and her hair deflates like a balloon. Tionic looks back at her worriedly and goes over to pick up the mare to make sure she doesn’t end up like that skull she found.

“We could be going in... circles! Endless... sand...” Spike moans, and he collapses in the sand too. “Nothing for miles... but sand... and this rock... and this cactus... and this roooooooooaaaaaad...this rooooooad...?”

“Hmm…? A road?” Twilight perks up. “Where there's a road, there's a...!”

They reach the top of the dune, and the sight that greets them blows them away. The path, surrounded by abandoned buildings and other wood-based structures, leads to a city, if it could be called that, which towers over a cliff edge, flying ships docking and departing from it.

The buildings are either old, defying physics or stacked on top of each other like building blocks. Cranes and wires run from building to building, and a windmill peeks out from within. The dust and sand everywhere give the place a look of neglect and disrepair despite there being many creatures coming and going.

“Whoa!” Rainbow gawks.

“Cool!” Sonic grins, surveying the place. “This place looks like it was designed for parkour!”

“What is that?” Rarity wonders.

“Oooh! A city!” Pinkie exclaims, perking up as if she wasn’t almost dead a moment ago, and hops off Tionic’s back. “We’re doing it, you guys!

“You know what they say: where there's a city, there's a spa!” Rarity giggles, and she picks up the pace.

“Who says that?” Rainbow asks.

“‘Case you forgot, we're on a mission to save Equestria, Marshmellow!” Tionic says, catching up with her.

“I can multitask,” She says back, picking up the pace.

---

Entering the city, the group finds themselves in a marketplace, with vendors and tents set up everywhere and creatures of every shape and size meandering about, browsing for something to buy or trade.

“Storm King bobbleheads!” One shouts, holding out said bobblehead to the group, hoping to get a sale from one of them. They walk on, ignoring his cries. Further in, more vendors try their luck with them, but Tionic and Sonic always steer them clear.

“Hey!” Another vendor calls out to Twilight. "You with the horn, you selling?"

"Keep walking," Tionic mutters to her, not making eye contact with the vendor. Twilight gulps and nods, doing the same. They reach another part of the marketplace, filled with cages holding animals of every shape and size, including Flickies. Fluttershy shrinks behind Sonic, and he growls silently, gritting his teeth as he forces himself to keep moving.

“Oh...” Fluttershy slows down for a moment, eying the caged animals and Flickies worriedly, saddened that they were captured and being sold against their will. When the birds squawk even louder, she soon finds out that having the ability to understand animals isn't always a good thing, especially when they get mouthy. “Ooh!”

She hightails it out of there and catches back up with the others, who reach another part of town, most likely the entertainment district, evident by the neon signs hanging by windows and the sides of the buildings. Twilight then takes a chance to possibly get some information with a turtle loading barrels into his cart nearby.

“Hi there!” Twilight says, startling the turtle, causing the barrels to collapse and spill onto the road. “Oh, I'm sorry! Here, lemme help you with -"

As Twilight levitates the barrels back onto the cart, the turtle scowls at her, making her hesitate momentarily.

“No magic around my merchandise!” He snaps, causing Twilight to drop the barrels. He then chases the Mane Seven, Spike, and Tionic away, and they stop in the middle of an intersection to take a moment to relax.

"Sheesh, this place is pleasant," Sonic grumbles. "It's gonna be impossible to get any help if this is how everyone acts."

As Sonic complains about the town's hospitality, Tionic looks around the intersection, hoping to spot something useful. His eyes are drawn to a large sign depicting 'Klugetown Pit' hanging above a western-style swinging door. An idea pops into his head, and he turns to the others.

“I’ve got an idea,” Tionic says and jabs a thumb toward the establishment. “How ‘bout we try that bar over there? Bars always have somebody with information on practically everything.”

“Aren’t bars dangerous?” Fluttershy whimpers, a little scared. “I’ve heard they can get pretty violent at times.”

Tionic shakes his head. “Unless you start a bar fight, no. Which better not be any of your bucket lists. Sonic, Rainbow, I’m looking at you,” He narrows his eyes at them, and they look away, trying to act innocent. “Then not really. Just stay close and let me do the talking; I might be able to get something on this Queen of Hippos we're looking for.”

“Or maybe a black eye?” Rainbow grins cheekily, and she heads toward the entrance.

“I’ll be fine!” Tionic protests as he follows her, the rest filing behind them. They’re unaware of a cat in a red trench coat overhearing their conversation, and he takes an interest in this.

“Hmmm... Very interesting...” He murmurs, and a plan starts to form in his head. He then walks to the window to watch what happens outside the bar.