> The Fighter Filly Girls! > by Mod On Death > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author Note: To get the full enjoyment of this story, please read all non-dialogue in the voice of Tom Kenny as the narrator from "The Powerpuff Girls". If you do not know what that is, watch an episode of the show, because you clearly did not have a childhood. Chapter 1: Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice The CMC were gathered in their tree house, bored out of their minds. Normally they’d be trying to find their cutie marks, but lately they seemed to have no ideas on how to do that. They had originally met earlier that morning to brainstorm some ideas, but ended up laying around, hoping that some random thought might come to them through the power of nothingness. “We could,” started Sweetie Belle before realizing that the last time they did the activity she was thinking of she almost lost her horn. “I have an idea that involves…wait, we actually did that already. Nevermind,” Scootaloo sighed, resigning to the fact that she had nothing. The two of them looked to Apple Bloom, hoping that she could come up with something to save them. “I got nothing,” she told them, the group sighing out of boredom. It had been three days since they did their last activity (Electrical Engineering), and that ended with half of Equestria being in the dark with the blackout they caused. They decided to lay low after that happened and found themselves with nothing left in mind. “Maybe we don’t need to go searching for our cutie marks right now. Remember what we learned after that incident with Apple Bloom?” Sweetie Belle put out there. “Yeah. Maybe you’re right,” Scootaloo said, surprisingly agreeing with Sweetie Belle about not worrying too much about their marks. She was always the first to jump on the wagon to getting them, so her having self-control when it came to that stuff was a surprise. “Wow Scoots. Never thought I’d hear you talk about relaxin’ when it comes to cutie marks,” their red-headed friend said. “Yeah, well, it feels like we’re stuck in a rut. Like, I love doing awesome stuff, but when you do so much awesome stuff, sometimes it’s hard to see what’s so awesome, so you need to take a step back and see what boring is like, you know?” the orange mare explained. Apple Bloom couldn’t help but imagine her look as if she were some wise sage who wears sunglasses and has long hair while she explained her motivations. “So, I guess we should actually do something boring then.” “Wait, this isn’t boring?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Nah. This is boring-boring, where you don’t do anything at all and wanna do SOMETHING. I’m talking about doing something and being bored with it. Big difference.” “Alright then! I have the perfect boring idea!” Apple Bloom yelled out to her friends. They both had grins on their faces with the prospect of hearing how dull their day would be. “Let’s go for a trot! That’s basically moving slowly and doesn’t even have a goal. It’s just fancy movin’!” “Yeah! Trotting!” the two of them yelled out before gearing up for their boring adventure, by which I mean doing nothing to get ready except for standing up. The three of them exited the tree house and went off on their non-adventure, hoping to see absolutely nothing of interest along the way. “I can’t WAIT to be bored!” an overly enthusiastic Sweetie Belle yelled out, clearly not in the right attitude. “Same here! Imagine all the awesome stuff we’ll do when we’re super bored!” Scoots said, not fully realizing what she was talking about. “Yeah. Granny used to go on trots like this when her hip was still good. Said it helped clear her mind when she was busy trying to bananas,” Apple Bloom told her friends, a confused look appearing on their faces. “I think Granny may be getting a little senile,” she added. The three of them walked for about thirty minutes, experiencing the nothingness and awaiting the moment that they would become so bored that they would immediately come up with something exciting for them to do. Time passed with little result. “Ugh, what is taking so long?!” Scootaloo yelled out in frustration. “I’m bored, but not in a good way. All that’s happened is that my hooves are sore now. You can’t do anything wild if you can’t use your hooves,” she complained. “That, or it becomes even MORE extreme when you’re not using hooves! Think about it; scooters without any control,” Before Apple Bloom’s new plan could be accepted by Scootaloo, the three of them noticed a tail hanging from one of the apple trees in the orchard, brushing the tops of their heads. They looked up, unable to see what kind of creature had a tail that long. “Um, Apple Bloom, what is that thing?” Sweetie Belle asked. “I dunno,” she replied. “Whatever it is, I’m gonna knock it out. Can’t have weird animals messing with our apples now, can we?” Apple Bloom got into position to buck the tree that had the strange creature perched on it and let loose. All that happened was the rustling of a few leaves, but not much else. “Well, that didn’t go as planned.” “Maybe we can help,” Scootaloo told her friend, gladly accepting the offer. They kept bucking at the tree, each from a different angle, with little to no result. “This isn’t working,” Sweetie Belle pointed out, obviously taking lessons from Captain Obvious. “I think I know how we can do this,” Scoots told her friends. “What we have to do is charge the tree and hit it with our heads at the exact same time. That way we’ll really lay into that tree. Sound good?” Sweetie Belle raised her hoof. “Yes?” “Won’t that hurt?” was her question, making full use of her knowledge of hitting your head on hard things. “Nah. I’ve got a helmet! Now, on the count of three we charge. Get into position,” Without a second for either of them to comment on Scoot’s plan, the filly started her countdown, forcing the two to grin and bear. “One…two…THREE!” had the three fillies rushing to the tree. The collision was much stronger than anything they had done before, and it looked like whatever creature was in the tree was now coming down. “WOAH!” it yelled, plummeting into the newly formed leaf pile from the Tri-Filly Formation attack the tree had just suffered. The three of them were surprised that it had made that noise while falling, expecting no more than screams of terror from whatever creature was in there. The three of them wondered over to the lead pile just in time to see the figure rise out of the leaves and tower over them. An unusual creature with multiple body parts from different animals came into their vision. They’d seen this creature before when they had visited Canterlot Gardens on their field trip. It was…um…Crazy? Chaos? It was something like that. The three of them never really figured out what the creature was supposed to be named. They were supposed to write a paper on the subject, but the next few days got so weird that nopony had the time for that. “Excuse me mister, but what were you doing in our Apple Tree?” asked Apple Bloom. “Oh. I was just resting up there. Nice and relaxing. It’s much more satisfying to rest when you choose to and not be forced to because you’ve suddenly become the equivalence of a lawn gnome. The name is Discord, by the way,” the strange creature announced, extending the lion’s paw that was his right arm out in a form of handshake. Apple Bloom took his…appendage, and was shaken violently. This, coupled with the strange feeling in her head after charging that tree, left her feeling odd. “Hey, I think I heard of you! You were that guy that did some weird stuff to Ponyville,” Scootaloo told everpony, showing her articulate side. “Yes, I did stuff. Bad stuff. Think is, I’m not ‘Chaotic Evil’ anymore, rather fitting in ‘Chaotic Neutral’. Hope that makes sense,” he explained to the fillies. “Thing is, when you have powers like this, you kinda start to lose way of what’s right and wrong and start doing whatever you want. That’s when you need somepony you point out that you’ve gone from ‘Lovable Prankster’ to ‘Selfish Jerk’. Thankfully somepony was able to point that out to me.” “Aww! That’s so sweet!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, loving to hear stories about bad guys gone good. “Yes, I suppose so. Anyway, what are you girls up to? Haven’t seen you since that field trip you took a while back.” The three were surprised to hear Discord talking about the time they went to visit Canterlot Gardens. They weren’t aware that he knew about their visit. “Well, we were going for a walk, trying to get bored. Thing is, it’s not helping. I can’t figure out what to do and all this nature is getting old real fast,” Scootaloo told the great creature. “You were actually trying to be bored? Hahahahahahaha! Oh, girls. You can’t TRY to be bored, you just are. You’ll never get anywhere with that kind of thinking,” he told them. The three girls looked despondent at this news. “Aww fiddelsticks,” Apple Bloom said to herself, looking gloomy to the point her bow seemed to be losing its bright red color. “We can’t even be good at being bored. Guess we’ll never get our cutie marks if we’re this bad at things,” her two friends joined her in gloom and doom and started a slow, depressing trot away. Discord saw this sad sight and thought of several things. One was that he should really try to learn what in Equestria a flooglehorn was, the second thought dealing with actually getting him a place to live and stop acting like a hobo. Third and fourth parts dealt with something called “Dance Pants” and “Cosmic Cheese”, but those thoughts weren’t really thoughts and more like random catchphrases. The fifth thought to come to mind was the sight of those sad girls. They felt so powerless and without purpose. The old Discord probably would have stood there and laughed at their misery, but that was the past, and this new Discord wasn’t gonna let things go that easily. “Girls, wait!” he called out to them, teleporting directly in front of them. “I think I may know a way to help you with your crisis of faith in yourselves. See, you just don’t feel like you can do much right now, and that can feel awful. What I have in mind is to help you feel a bit better about yourselves.” Discord’s words pretty much left the three girls completely clueless to what was going on. “Discord, sir, what are you talking about?” Sweetie Belle had to ask him. “What I’m going to do,” he said while trying to drum up tension, “is give you girls SUPERPOWERS!” He ended this big reveal with a rain of confetti falling over the girls, almost drowning them in the process. Stepping out of the large, papery mound was Apple Bloom. “Discord, how the hay are we gonna be special if you’re the one giving us these powers? After all, you’re the one who made us that way.” “Oh, but that’s the beauty of it! I’m not going to give you girls any specific powers. What I will do though is activate your ability to have superpowers based on your personality and special skills. That way, maybe you’ll find out what you’re really good at. So, what do you say?” Discord’s deal was met with enthusiasm, each of the girls bearing smiles that hurt each of their faces. Obviously that was a yes. “Alright then. Just let me get things ready. I’ll be just a sec.” He popped away for a half second, suddenly returning in another half, carrying with him a pitcher and three glasses. He suddenly spawned a table and several ingredients. From what Apple Bloom could tell with her experience with potion making, these things were not things you normally put in them. Then again, one of the ingredients turned out to be stuffed toys, so that may have been a giveaway. The first thing he happened to have with him was a bunch of sugary items that looked like they were from the Sugar Cube Corner. He squeezed them all together, creating a fine powder that he placed into the pitcher. Next item that he took out was some Paprika, sprinkling it into the mix. Lastly were the stuffed animals and other assorted items such as stickers, pretty ribbons, and other nice things. He started mixing them together, humming a little tune as he did so. Suddenly he stopped as if realizing something, slapping his face after remembering the most important thing. He started to make loogie sounds and spat into the pitcher, a gooey black substance coming out of his mouth. The girls were understandably grossed out by that sight, but Discord assured them that it was needed. “Calm down girls. I just needed to add my last little ingredient to make it all work together. I like to call is ‘Chemical Hex’,” he explained to them before giggling. He soon finished mixing the ingredients all together and poured the potion into glasses for each of them to drink. It actually looked like something that they could actually drink, regardless of the things he added to make the drink. With a large gulp, the three girls downed their glasses, finding the drink to actually taste sweet. They were waiting for something to happen, either for them to glow or a giant explosion. Actually, they were pretty glad that last one didn’t happen, seeing as that one sounded like it would hurt a lot. “Huh. Did we do something wrong?” Apple Bloom asked. “Oh no. You girls just need to wait a little while. They’ll come up soon,” he explained. “AGH!” bellowed Scootaloo. “That means we’ll STILL have to wait for something neat to happen.” “Don’t worry girls! Soon we’ll have awesome powers!” Apple Bloom always knew what to say to everypony to keep them in good spirits. If they were a group, she’d be the one that everyone would consider the leader. “Um, girls. I totally just remembered that we have a big class project we were supposed to be working on. I think that’s the main reason we were supposed to be meeting with each other.” Sweetie Belle was totally right, so the three of them immediately ran off to the tree house to do whatever they had to be doing at that moment. Finally getting rid of any distractions he may have had, Discord floated back onto the tree branch, trying to get back to sleep. “Well, that should work out fine,” he told himself. “After all, what could possibly go wrong?” > A Few Heads are Better than None > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 2: A Few Heads are Better than None Apple Bloom woke up, tired from the late night work they put into that poster describing how bears hibernate. It was pretty odd how specific their project was. Then again, Miss Cheerilee recently had a nervous breakdown because of students constantly asking her questions about how to do projects. She seemed to be as specific as possible so nopony could ask her any questions. The one time somepony did ask something she ended up going on a rant that had so many bad words that some started to cry. She then left the class for the rest of the day. Also, they somehow were having class on Saturday, so that might’ve been a good tip something was off about her. She rose from her bed slowly, trying to get her hind hooves onto the floor, but somehow she just couldn’t. Still tired, she scratched her eyes and noticed that she was floating a full foot above her bed! Amazed by this, she thought that she must be in a dream and started flying around her room with ease, wooing as she did so. She was only stopped when she attempted to fly through the door, only to come in full contact with it. She realized that this wasn’t actually a dream but real life, or at least she assumed that to be the case as she noticed that she barely felt any pain from crashing into the door that seemed to be obliterated by her contact. “Oh my goodness!” she exclaimed. “I gotta tell the others. But first…” she sped superfast, putting the door back together, piece by piece, making it look as if it had never been annihilated. She immediately went over to Sweetie Belle’s house, galloping to the point that she was invisible to everypony else. She soon arrived at the window of Sweetie Belle’s room. “Psst. Hey. Sweetie Belle. Hey. Wake up. Check this out.” Apple Bloom tried to silently knock on her window, accidentally cracking it in the process. This was enough to rustle Sweetie Belle and look in the direction of the window where her friend was floating. Applebloom smiled when Sweetie Belle could clearly see her. Sweetie Belle’s reaction was less enthusiastic however. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!” She screeched at the top of her lungs at the site of one of her friends strangely floating right outside her window. Her mouth was aimed at the ceiling of her room when she screeched, causing the entire roof to fly off of the house. Her parents, hearing the ear-shattering scream and sudden disappearance of their rood, came into their daughter’s bedroom. Apple Bloom hid out of sight of the parents as they burst in. “What the hay is going on in here!?” the father yelled at the sight of his roof suddenly disappearing and his youngest daughter screaming. “I was screaming because,” she was about to say that she saw her friend floating right outside her window, but then she realized that wouldn’t explain how the roof vanished. She quickly came up with a clever lie. “I was screaming because the roof disappeared,” she told them convincingly. “Oh. Yeah,” he replied. “That’d be something to be shocked about. Huh. Wonder why I’m handling it so well.” “I’m guessing that travelling salespony was right all along. You CAN lose your roof at any moment. Good thing I bought the insurance, right darling?” the mother said to her husband. “Heh, I guess you’re the winner in this situation. Looks like we’ll have a new house courtesy of Snakeoil Inc, the company that sounds like a bad investment until you really need odd services,” he finished saying, the two of them leaving the room. Apple Bloom flew into the room through where the roof used to be, hoping that Sweetie Belle would be calmer now. Actually, she was kinda freaked out by what her friend could do, destroying a roof with simply a scream. “What was that?” Apple Bloom had to ask. “I think it was some kinda super scream. I guess that’s one of my powers,” she responded. “Say, did you notice any other powers you might have?” Apple Bloom thought back to when she hit her bedroom door, noting how easily it broke and how little pain she felt. “I think I have super strength as well. Also, I’m really tough when it comes to taking hits. I wonder if I’ll find any other powers,” Apple Bloom told her friend. “Say, see if you can also fly.” “Okay,” Sweetie Belle came out of her sheets and with almost no effort started flying. “Oh wow!” she responded, zooming around the room quickly, almost making a tornado. She stopped as soon as she saw that, knowing that destroying the roof was enough damage for one day. “So, I guess we can each do that I guess. Imagine how Scoots will be when she-“ As if she were listening in on them, Scootaloo arrived in an orange flash, zooming around the two of them. When she finally stopped flying around them, they saw the smile on her face that just wouldn’t stop. “OH MY GOODNESS GUYS! I CAN FLY I CAN FLY I CAN FLY!” she yelled as she started doing cartwheels in the air. This had been Scootaloo’s dream for as long as she could remember, and now she didn’t even need her wings to help her. “Can you guys do that also? I remember Discord said we’d each get powers, so hopefully you did as well.” “Yeah! We can both fly!” Sweetie Belle answered, the two of them hovering at the same level Scoots was at. “Awesome! Now we can all be flying buddies!” Scootaloo declared. “Also, I just totally noticed that Sweetie Bell’s house doesn’t have a roof anymore. What gives?” “That was my Sonic Scream! I’m calling it that now, by the way. I’m guessing it’s one of my own personal abilities, seeing as you girls haven’t had anything like that happen with all the screeching you’ve also done,” Sweetie Belle guessed. “Yeah. I reckon we should try out other things to see what unique skills we have. Let’s do it in the Everfree Forest, that way nopony can get hurt or learn we got super powers,” Apple Bloom informed the group. “Smart plan! Let me tell my parents that we’re heading out right now. They’re probably freaked out by the fact that our roof suddenly disappeared, so me going out without letting anypony know could be an issue,” Sweetie Belle left her room, leaving a happy Apple Bloom left to contemplate Sweetie Belle’s remark. “Smart, huh? I guess I have been feeling a bit thinkier this morning,” she told Scootaloo. “Hold on while I get something to write on.” Apple Bloom was gone for about 3 seconds returning with a quill and piece of paper. She started writing down something quickly, the facts and numbers just flowing naturally to her. She then read off what she had written down and was impressed with the results: The length of any right triangle’s hypotenuse can be found by adding the squared lengths of the two sides together and then factoring the sum. “Wow! This is big kid stuff! I bet I can even help Big Mac when it comes to taxes now,” she boasted. Getting smarter wasn’t the sort of thing she expected to get when it came to super powers, but she was glad nonetheless. “I just let my mom and dad know we’re going out now,” reported Sweetie Belle. “You guys ready?” “I’ve been ready for this since I was born! Let’s do this!” roared Scootaloo, leading the way to the Everfree Forest. At the Everfree Forest the girls were free to fly around and try out their abilities. After accidentally flying into several trees and turning them into toothpicks, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle learnt they also had super strength and resistance. The girls were now trying to figure out what unique things they could do as well, seeing that Sweetie Belle could apparently do what called a ‘Sonic Scream’. “I hope my thing’s really cool! Maybe I can fly so fast that I go through time and end up going into the future! Wouldn’t that be awesome?” Scootaloo told her friends. “Yeah, but how’d you get back in time? Could you even control how far into the future you went? We’d miss you,” Sweetie Belle said with a sad face. “Aww, don’t worry. I promise I won’t TRY to fly faster than all you girls, even though I bet I totally could though,” Scootaloo boasted. “Ya sure you wanna try that out, sugar cube?” Apple Bloom asked Scootaloo, as if she were challenging her. “Hay yeah. You think you can handle this? First one to go around the top of the mountain over there and back again wins,” she pointed to the nearby mountain, a grin forming at the thought of her victory. “Ready?” “Ready,” Apple Bloom answered. At that very second the two of them lifted up and shot into the sky like a bullet, creating a gust of wind with their launch. The two were tied at first, each trying to gain an advantage. Scoots was the first to gain a lead, her determination well beyond anything the other two had ever experienced. Apple Bloom saw this and tried to gain a boost by travelling along the wind current, something she just realized that she knew. With correct angling, Apple Bloom started inching ahead of her slowly, soon speeding up at a steady rate. Apple Bloom reached the mountain top just before Scoots could, gaining the upper hoof in this race. Scootaloo wouldn’t let this stay though. Too long had she wanted to fly, and she wasn’t gonna let some Earth pony, even her friend, be a faster flyer than her. Pushing herself to the limit, she moved faster and faster. Eventually she realized that, even though they were small, she had the added benefit of wings. Soon Scootaloo was speeding buy, gaining at least a foot per second on Apple Bloom. “Sorry Apple Bloom, but flying is sorta my thing!” Scootaloo yelled behind her. “You’ll have to eat my gust!” “Aww nuts!” Apple Bloom yelled to herself, trying to find a way to speed up. She started moving a bit faster, her eyes getting drier the more she flew. Focusing on finding a way to get speed, she started squinting her eyes and focused even more and more the closer Scootaloo got to the finished line. Soon however, Apple Bloom started feeling odd in her eyes, specifically they were feeling warm. She thought that this must have been normal for fliers. What she knew was not normal of flyers were the beams of lights that suddenly beamed out, hitting Scootaloo’s tail and lighting it on fire. “WHAT THE…?!” was the reaction of the three fillies as the tail suddenly lit. Scootaloo somehow managed to speed up even faster with the sudden fire appearing near her. Somehow she managed to not put it out with the speed of her flight, landing at the impromptu finish line, panicking at the fire getting closer. “Put it out! Put it out!” she yelled, chasing her tail in circles. Sweetie Belle had no idea what to do and started screaming, blowing the leaves off the nearby trees. “Hold on!” Apple Bloom yelled out as she finally landed to where Scootaloo was. “I’ll try to blow it out. Maybe we have some super breath or something.” Apple Bloom took a deep breath and breathed out, noticing that her breath suddenly became icy chill. The fire was soon put out by the chill, a frost forming around where her breath landed. “Woah!” exclaimed Sweetie Belle, seeing not only one new power, but two out of Apple Bloom. “You’ve got Laser Vision AND Ice Breath! I hope we’ve got that as well!” “Yeah, well I hope that next time SOMEPONY can manage their eyes of death,” Scootaloo said, directing her eyes at an embarrassed Apple Bloom. The three of them started practicing their possible Laser Vision, focusing their eyes on nearby rocks. Soon, with enough practice and focus, the three found that they all had that same ability. The Ice Breath power seemed unique to Apple Bloom though, seeing as each time either they blew all the leaves off of the trees they were aiming at, or ended up fainting from lack of air. One case had Scootaloo blowing so hard in the attempt to breathe ice that she actually blew the tree down. “Wow. I guess I’m both smart AND have Ice Breath. Awesome!” Apple Bloom yelled out in excitement, feeling awkward as she looked at her friends who looked annoyed at that. “I mean, Scoots, you’re definitely the fastest flier here, so that’s probably a personal ability of yours. You probably have some other abilities. Same with you, Sweetie Belle,” she told them in the attempt to lessen the awkwardness. It did not. “Yeah, well, I’m still trying to figure out what other abilities I could have. Think, Scoots, think,” she chanted to herself, rubbing her front hooves while trying to find out what she could do. She kept on rubbing harder and harder the more she thought, sparks starting to emanate from them. “COME ON! There’s gotta be some other cool thing I can do!” she yelled before throwing her hooves out in front of her, launching a ball of lighting that narrowly avoided her two friends. I landed on a nearby rock, turning the center of impact and a diameter of five feet into a crater. Apple Bloom whistled as she got a closer look at the impact. Immediately she and Sweetie Belle started rubbing their own front hooves together, only to find them getting hot and rough. “Well, I guess that’s your second ability,” Sweetie Belle commented. “Wonder if I really do have any others.” “Guess we’ll just have to wait and see,” replied Apple Bloom. “Right now we should head back home. We’ll have school in,” Apple Bloom looked at the sun and determined the time based on its position. “Five minutes! We gotta hurry girls!” The three of them lifted off and sped through the air, heading to their schoolhouse. While flying the woods, the three of them spotted something large moving, apparently knocking over trees in the process. “Uh, girls?” called out Sweetie Belle, the first of them to notice the phenomenon. “Is it just me, or is that large thing moving towards Ponyville?” The two of them stopped and looked at the mass of trees collapsing and noticed that the path was heading towards Ponyville. “You’re right!” Scoots exclaimed. Both she and Sweetie Belle suddenly turned to Apple Bloom, as if expecting something. “What?” she asked them. “Well, right now you seem to be the brains of the group, so we were wondering what you think we should do,” Sweetie Belle explained. Scootaloo gave the same expression, leaving Apple Bloom to accept the fact that they considered her the leader now. “Alright! Let’s check out that disturbance!” she declared. The three zoomed over to where the trees were being knocked down and were surprised not to find anything. “Huh. Must be hiding nearby. Girls, check the swamp and see if there looks like anything is in there.” Sweetie Belle started by checking around the perimeter of the swamp while Scootaloo took the more direct approach and dove into the murky water, seeing if she could see the creature. They both came back a couple minutes later, Scoots drenched in gunk that she quickly dispersed by spinning quickly. “Checked the perimeter. Saw some giant footprints that went into the water, but that’s it,” reported Sweetie Belle. “Yeah, and the water was too murky to really see anything,” Scootaloo reported. “Well there’s gotta be somethin’! Giant footprints and falling trees don’t just happen!” an annoyed Apple Bloom told her friends before remembering that they were in a hurry. “Well, I guess there’s no worrying if we can’t find it now. Let’s hurry to school before-“ Her words were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a large creature emerging from the water. The two friends turned around to witness the beast’s impressive appearance just in time to see is block out the sun. It was a massive lizard head, scaly with sharp teeth. “Well, I guess that’s what was causing commotion,” Apple Bloom pointed out, her two friends rolling their eyes. The creature roared into the sky, licking its mouth just as it descended quickly on the three girls. They dodged it just in time, thanks to their quick speed. “I’m guessing it’s not friendly,” Sweetie Belle pointed out, giggling when her friends gave her a contemptuous look. “I know how to handle this!” Scootaloo flew up to eye level of the lizard and starting rubbing her hooves together, forming a ball of pure lightning energy. She quickly through it straight at the creature’s face, a bright explosion coming from the blast. She flew back down to her friends, grinning at her quick victory. “Looks like you’ve been THUNDERTSTRUCK!” she declared. “Actually, thunder is the term used for the noise. It’d be more accurate if you called it Lightning Strike,” Apple Bloom told her, horrified at how nerdy she was starting to sound. “I actually knew that, but my thing sounded cooler, so Rule of Cool and all,” Scootaloo declared. “Um, girls? I don’t think this is over.” Sweetie Belle pointed up to the creature’s head, seeing that it suddenly shook its head and looked like it was angry to ready to fight. Once again it darted its head at them, attempting to get the girls in one big gulp. Sweetie Belle stood her ground against the creature and started her Sonic Scream. The creature, whose head just a moment ago was hurtling towards them like a rocket was now stuck in place, jittering at the intense sonic vibrations of the scream. She stopped screaming, leaving the creature’s head stunned and unable to move. “Hold on! I’ve got a plan!” Apple Bloom told her two friends. She began to inhale all the air she could, letting it all out and freezing the target’s head, along with a part of the swamp. “Scootaloo, use your speed and bash right into it!” she yelled out. “My pleasure,” was Scoot’s response. She flew up into the air, gaining distance before doing her boost, aimed straight at the top of the monster’s head. She came down quickly, screaming through the air before crashing down on top of the beast’s head, shattering it into pieces. Her landing was a pose with one hoof raised in the air, the other three planted into the ground, right in the center of the crater. It took her all of her strength to contain the amount of joy she was feeling at the moment from how awesome this all was. “That was totally awesome!” declared Sweetie Belle. “Yeah, it was,” Scootaloo responded coolly. “Alright then! Let’s head off to school now!” said Apple Bloom. She was glad that they were able to use their newfound abilities for good almost as soon as they had discovered them. Today was going to be a good day. At least that’s what she thought before she turned around to see the remains of the creature. “What the-!” was her response at the impossible thing happening right before her. Right where the neck stump was appeared two new heads that took the place of the original. “What!? Come on! My attack was super awesome! That should’ve killed it immediately!” Scootaloo was outraged that her awesome pose had been rendered pointless by the creature suddenly returning. “Come on girls! We need to…um, whoa,” was all Apple Bloom could say when she saw the creature producing several heads that came out of the water. It totaled five heads, each of them as vicious as the one they had just fought. The creature’s heads started to move as the body they were all connected to came lumbering out of the water, avoiding the ponies that had been able to cause it harm and going straight to Ponyville. “How can we stop something that grows back heads!?” Sweetie Belle asked, growing more and more worried and the beast lumbered forward. “We hit it with everything we’ve got! Cutie Mark Crusaders, go!” Apple Bloom’s orders were heard and in a flash of yellow, orange, and white, they flew straight at the threat. The beast, later identified as a Hydra, had just reached the town’s border. Everypony could see the multi-headed creature coming straight at them and started panicking. “The horror! The horror!” one of them started yelling, trying to gather her potted plants and get out as quickly as possible. Another pony, a strange looking pegasus, started burrowing itself underground. Mayor Mare tried to yell directions to everypony and keep things organized. That is until the creature used one of its heads to fling a fruit stand just one centimeter in front of her face, leading her to change her orders from, “Locate the nearest shelter and quickly file in safely,” to, “EVERYPONY FOR THEMSELVES!” Scootaloo was the first to enter the brawl, using her speed boost to perform a kick on the back on one of its heads, forcing it to backlash and fall flat onto the ground. She then grabbed the head and pulled it as far back as she could, trying to create a headlock of some sort. What ended up happening however was that the creature’s head suddenly got ripped off instead, purple gunk coming out of it. “Eww!” everypony yelled out as it sprayed the buildings on the street. Scootaloo was covered in the stuff as well. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle gave her a look of disapproval when they saw that the creature had now gained an additional two heads, making the total six to deal with. “Guess I don’t know my own strength,” she chuckled. Suddenly she noticed a light burning sensation on her where the purple gunk had landed. She looked at the streets and noticed that all the buildings that were sprayed with the stuff had started burning up a little, flames appearing with the flammable hay. “Girls!” Scoots yelled out. “The purple stuff is acid! We can’t remove the heads without setting the town on fire!” “Aww nuts!” responded Sweetie Belle. “We can’t stop it by attacking the heads then! Hey, maybe we should aim straight for the belly area, what do you say, Apple Bloom?” Apple Bloom thought the plan over before doing a nod. The three of them immediately went and started trying to punch its gut. “What’s going on? Are we doing anything?” Apple Bloom asked. The three of them looked up to see the heads of the beast laughing with each other, as if amused by the girls’ attempt to hurt them through the belly. “LASER VISION!” she yelled, the three of them firing at the same spot, only leaving a scorch mark in its place. The heads, emboldened by their seeming invulnerability to the attacks being made against it, began swooping after each of them. “Maybe we can cause their heads to form a knot if we fly in just the right way, then it won’t be able to attack!” she yelled out to her teammates. Each of them went in a unique flying pattern, each luring several heads to start following them, with several loops, the beasts had its heads in a giant knot. “Woohoo!” they cheered, high fiving each other as they saw the beast could not move. “Looks like we’ve won this fight, girls. Now, let’s find a way to get it out of here and get to school before…OH COME ON!” Apple Bloom’s delight soon turned to anger as the three noticed that the beast was slowly untying the knot that was its heads. Apparently nature doesn’t just give you multiple heads and leave you without knowing how to get out of situations just like this. “How can we fight this?” Sweetie Belle asked, feeling more and more desperate. “It looks like the only things we can actually do damage to are the heads, and when we get rid of them two more come out of the stumps AND release acid! I wish we could find some way to block both from coming out.” “Like what, a giant band aid?” Scootaloo jeered, getting more and more frustrated as well. “Wait a sec,” Apple Bloom said, an idea coming to her head. “I’ve got it! Cauterize!” she yelled out in success. “What?” her two friends asked. “Cauterizing is this old medical technique used to close big wounds fast. What would happen is that a doctor would use a burning metal rod and put it on the skin.” “Eww, and ouch!” the two responded. “Yeah, but the thing is that it shut the wound quickly AND kept bleeding from occurring. We need to use our Laser Vision to close the wounds so that no new heads grow back AND stop the town from burning down!” “But we already saw that Laser Vision can’t pierce its hide, not even its belly,” Scootaloo remarked. “Exactly, which is why I’m gonna need you to do what you did before, Scoots. When you get the head off, me and Sweetie Belle will zoom in with me blasting the neck stump while she does the bottom of the detached head, that way acid doesn’t spill everywhere. But first, I’m gonna use my Ice Breath to put out the fires while Sweetie Belle uses her Sonic Scream to stun the monster whenever possible, allowing Scoots to do her thing. Everypony understand?” The two friends nodded in agreement, hoping that their plan would work. “Alrighty! That monster’s about to finish untangling its heads. Let’s do this!” and they all went flying off. Apple Bloom used her Ice Breath to cool down the acid to the point where it was just annoying gunk and put out the nearby fires. Scootaloo got into position for what she decided she would call the “Doom Dash”, seeing as it could almost K.O. an enemy in a single shot and with her speed it felt like a short dash. Sweetie Belle got into position just in time as the beast had finished untangling its heads, and let out a Sonic Scream that forced the creature to shudder and be immobilized. “Now!” ordered Apple Bloom, causing Scootaloo to move through the air like lightning, hitting one of the middle heads. She grabbed the head and quickly yanked it off, noticing that it popped off almost too easy compared to the rest of the body, wondering if the creature hoped that some poor hunter would remove the head only to find two more take its place. The two others flew into position, using Laser Vision to cauterize the creature’s decapitated head and neck. The smell was awful, but the noticed that no knew heads had grown back. The creature’s other heads looked at the stump, as if waiting for something to happen, only to realize that they were in trouble. Several of the ponies that weren’t holed up cheered the girls on, even though they couldn’t tell who they were from that distance. “Looks like we’ve got our solution, girls,” Apple Bloom boasted. They did this four more times, each time the monster becoming more worried, until there was only one head left. “Alright, just need to do one more dash and-“ Scootaloo was cut off as the creature’s last head appeared to be the fastest, swallowing the three girls in one gulp as they were grouped together. “RUAHAHAHA!” the beast appeared to laugh. The townsfolk were shocked. Their new saviors had suddenly been defeated and unexpectedly. The creature licked its lips, hungry for more ponies. Just as it was about to crush one of the buildings that several foals had taken shelter in, the beast suddenly stopped. It started belching, then coughing, and grabbing at its throat which had suddenly started aching. Just as the creature realized what was going on, eyes widening, a single, strong ray of red light burst from the creature’s neck, shooting up into the sky. The light rotated around the rest of the neck, opening it up to reveal our heroes covered in spit. The creature’s body started shaking, just before falling down in defeat. The townsfolk cheered as they came out of their hiding. The three girls felt proud of their accomplishment, even if they were really sticky at the moment. “We did awesome!” the three cheered, just before remembering that they totally had school to get to. “Hopefully they can deal with the mess,” Sweetie Belle said, noticing that the creature’s large body was sprawled around town. “Hey, it’s the least they can do. Besides, we’ve got places to be,” Scoots pointed out. The three flew directly to the schoolhouse, touching down right outside the door. Everypony was in the building already, seeing as class had started about an hour ago. Hopefully an excuse about fighting a giant monster to save the town would be enough. “Hello girls! Nice to see you!” Cheerilee greeted, obviously overcoming her nervous breakdown thanks to the pills that were seen on her desk. “Sorry we were late,” Apple Bloom told their teacher, about to explain their awesome day and powers. “There was the big monster and-“ “Oh, yes, we saw. Terrible creature those hydras are. We had actually taken shelter when it entered town,” Cheerilee explained, giving a name to the creature they had fought. “Luckily the beast was defeated by three…something. Nopony could actually get a good look at what was fighting that beast. All we saw were three different flashes of orange, white, and yellow.” “Yeah, and-“ Apple Bloom was cut off by the sudden appearance of Mayor Mare entering the classroom. “Why, Miss Mayor! What an unexpected visit! What brings you to our classroom?” their teacher asked. “I just wanted to let you foals know that everything has been taken care of and that we were all fortunate enough to not have anypony hurt in the attack,” the mayor told the classroom. “We can owe it all to three ponies who we sadly have been able to find.” Apple Bloom was just about to announce to the classroom about their morning exploits just before the mayor finished her thoughts. “Hopefully we could find them and then ask how they get their powers. I know that I’d certainly like to do half of what I saw them doing,” she remarked. Apple Bloom sunk back into her chair when she heard that remark. She realized that if she did reveal the secret of their powers, other ponies might try to learn how they might get them, possibly going to extremes as well with their families. Also, if they did mention that they got their powers through Discord, how would that work out? Most ponies were still suspicious of him, so hearing that they got powers thanks to a master of chaos might make them pariahs in society (also, Apple Bloom totally knew that word at the very moment the idea of being exiled popped into her head). “Well, that’s all for now children. And remember; you are the future!” the mayor ended before heading out. “Alright then. Time for presentations! Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo, you’re up.” The three girls totally remembered that they had left their poster in the tree house yesterday. “Um, Miss Cheerilee, it’s not with us at the moment. Could you give us a second?” Scootaloo asked. “Seeing as this morning was as hectic as it was I can allow that. Be back quickly though, or else I’ll have to fail you three.” Scootaloo thanked Cheerilee and dashed out the room. “Now, while we’re waiting for her to return, is there anypony else who’d like to go up?” the teacher asked the classroom, seeing nopony volunteering. “Well, I guess I’ll be the one to choose then. I pi-“ “I’m back!” panted Scootaloo, carrying the poster. “Oh my, you really were back in a sec, weren't you?” Cheerilee said, surprised at how fast Scootaloo had gotten the poster. “This looks great, girls!” she praised. “Except, um, I’m noticing something here. Are these…smashed bugs?” The three totally realized at that moment that whenever you fly or move super-fast, you’re bound to run into bugs flying around. This was going to be an interesting explanation. > Clothes Make the Supermare > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 3: Clothes Make the Supermare Being smart was really working out for Apple Bloom. She had somehow managed to work in the bugs as a factor of health in the bears with their hibernation and helped them to get an A+. She also told her friends after class about how it would have been a bad idea to let anypony know that it was them that were the ones who fought the hydra. “How exactly can we keep our powers a secret when we use them? They aren’t exactly subtle,” Scootaloo asked. “Well, we were moving really fast in that fight, so nopony was able to see us then. Maybe we just need to do that and we’ll be fine,” Sweetie Belle answered. “While that might be possible, we still have the issue of other ponies being able to see the colors of our coats when we’re flying fast. If anypony were to really get into investigating who we were, they might use that as a base to find out who we are.” The group knew that Apple Bloom was right. They’d need to keep their powers hidden, so that meant hiding anything that could give them away. “So how exactly are we gonna cover our entire bodies so nopony can tell who we are?” Sweetie Belle instantly smiled when she heard Scootaloo’s question. “Um, Sweetie Belle, you okay?” “I have just the plan!” Sweetie Belle told them. “Follow me!” The three girls followed Sweetie Belle over to the Carousel Boutique, where Sweetie Belle revealed her plan. “All we have to do is ask my sister if there’s any clothes she doesn’t want and we can use that!” “Great idea, Sweetie Belle!” remarked Apple Bloom. “But won’t Rarity know that we’re using her clothes as disguises?” “All we have to do is find some clothing that’ll cover our coat so when we zoom by nopony can tell. She sometimes makes basic dresses just for fun or practice. She’ll forget about what she made when it comes to that.” Sweetie Belle’s explanation seemed satisfactory, and the three entered the place. “Oh, hello girls!” greeted Rarity. “What brings you here?” “Oh! Hey sis,” replied Sweetie Belle. She had thought that Rarity would be out that time of day, so any chances of them getting some practice dresses quietly and sneaking out were ruined. “We, uh, we were just talking about how sometimes you make practice dresses and wanted to see what you come up with when doing that.” “Oh, those are just things I experiment with. Nothing too fancy. Well, sometimes they’re TOO fancy for their own good to the point that wearing it could injure the wearer. You shouldn’t bother with those,” the older sister replied quickly. “Come on, sis! We really wanna see that stuff,” Sweetie Belle begged. “No! I don’t want you to see them. I consider those dresses to be my failures and never want to see them again. Now go away before I go into a deep depression with the thought of awful designs.” Rarity slumped over to her desk, head plopping down out of anguish. “What do we do now?” Sweetie Belle asked the group. “I’ve got an idea,” Scootaloo told them, going up to where Rarity was. “Miss Rarity,” she began, “I’d really like to see those dresses that you consider awful. After all, what you consider bad by your standards I consider to be gorgeous. I’d love to see anything that you’ve made, even if it is a failure.” Rarity got up out of her slump and stared awkwardly at Scootaloo. “Scootaloo, I never knew that you were into fashion,” she asked, surprised at the tomboyish mare’s attitude. “I’m not into it actually, just your stuff,” she replied. Rarity couldn’t help but feel embarrassed by such a compliment. “Oh dearies, if you want, then I suppose I can make an exception. I’m just glad Twilight and Rainbow Dash aren’t in town. Those two usually enter at the most awkward of times when it comes to me and my dresses. I’d hate to see what they’d say about these disasters.” The three girls remembered that Twilight had gone to Canterlot to see her family and that Rainbow Dash had been called over for some more Wonderbolt Training. That actually explained why the hydra was able to go on its rampage and not have either of those two to fight the beast. The three girls were led into the basement of the store, a large door with many lock on it containing the dresses too horrible for the light of day. Rarity took out a key wheel and selected the twelve keys she would need to open the door. “Now, I need to open these locks in fifteen seconds or else the entire basement will be flooded with water,” Rarity told the fillies. With a quick flourish, she opened the locks on the door, a creaking noise appearing with its opening. A musty smell filled the room, letting the ponies know that it must have been at least a week since the door was last opened. It tended to get musty fairly quickly with the emergency flooding tank placed right next to the room. Rarity turned on the lights to reveal her abandoned creations. “These were the children of fashion who were so hideous that their creator banished them into darkness,” she told them solemnly. The four walked through the place, admiring fashion designs gone wrong. “What’s this suit supposed to be doing?” Scootaloo asked, pointing at a clothing article with two sleeves. “Oh, that was supposed to be for an experimental clothing item I had been working on. What you would do it put it on over your hind legs. Didn’t work since you’d have to manage your tail with it,” explained Rarity. “Why not put a hole for the tail to fit through?” Apple Bloom asked. “Well I-“ she stopped for a second, thinking over the advice. The fashion making mare then put her front hoof onto her face, making a “Gah!” noise. “Hey, that’s a great idea!” a sugary voice said. “Pinkie Pie? How did you get here?” Rarity asked. Then again, this was Pinkie Pie. “Through the door silly!” she replied. They looked behind them to notice that the super secure door was left open. “So, watcha doin?” “They’re checking out some of my fashion failures of the past. Honestly, I don’t even remember why I keep these clothes locked up down here anyway instead of just burning the things. I mean, what’s the point?” Rarity wondered. “Well I think that these suits are fun!” Pinkie Pie declared, putting on one of Rarity’s forgotten children. Rarity remembered at that very moment why she hadn’t burnt them when she noticed that burning the suit that Pinkie Pie was wearing would be a very, very bad idea. “Pinkie Pie, don’t move! That suit you’re wearing is dynamite!” she warned her pink friend. “Really? I’m guessing it goes with my eyes,” she joked, laughing hard. “But yeah, I totally just realized that they’re explosives as well. Just look away for a moment and I’ll be safe.” Everypony turned around for a second and when they turned back Pinkie Pie had suddenly gotten out of the suit. “I’ll never figure you out, dear,” Rarity said to her friend. She then turned her attention back to the three fillies, searching through the relics. “Was there anything you girls were specifically looking for?” she asked them. “We were actually wondered if you had made anything with fillies like us in mind,” Scootaloo let her know. “I actually did, but I could never really get the dresses to look fabulous. Not that much you could do when it comes to fashion with children. I actually put those clothes in a box. Hold on a moment.” Rarity went over to a box in the corner labeled ‘Filly’ and brought it to them. They opened it up to see that it contained what looked like fairly simple designs. Each dress was a different color and seemed to have a black band around the waist of each one. The three girls looked at each other and realized this was just what they were looking for. “These don’t look that bad,” Pinkie Pie told her friend. “Yes, well, I just didn’t see myself selling clothes for fillies. I knew that it wouldn’t look good when I created a full mare outfit with those designs. I never thought purple could actually look ghastly on anything before that,” she explained. “You girls can do whatever you want with the clothes. Except burn them. Don’t do that. I’m going to have a little chat with Pinkie Pie about not entering homes without being invited.” “OOH! I love that chat!” Pinkie Pie responded enthusiastically. The three fillies checked through the box and picked out different outfits. “Alright, we have to pick an outfit that’s at least different from our coat color. For me, I’ll choose pink. It’s my second favorite color next to red, which is SOMEHOW not in here,” Apple Bloom said agitatedly. “I’ve always liked blue. It looks nice,” Sweetie Belle said cheerfully. “Well, it’s kinda funny, but my favorite color is green. I dunno why, but it works,” Scootaloo told them. The three took out their new uniforms and put them on. They fit almost perfectly on them, each flying around the room to get used to the feel of the dresses. “Alright, now there’s just one last thing we need to do,” Apple Bloom declared. Discord enjoyed his little spot in the orchard. Most ponies didn’t come by there, but he was still able to get a good view of the town and its inhabitants. He didn’t exactly have much he needed to do, simply spending his free time hanging around and occasionally hanging out with Big Mac. He liked the colt since he didn’t mind the company and didn’t ask too many questions. They also happened to share interest in hobbies that Discord did not like to announce to everyone. That’s right; everyone. He hated the term “everypony” since it excluded other races like dragons and seemed like a pun to some degree. It didn’t matter though, since he was there to max and relax. “Hey, Discord!” Apple Bloom called out, seeing his tail from the tree he was resting on. He had wondered when they would come back to him with questions about their powers. “Yes girls. How may I help you?” he asked. “We totally used our powers to fight a giant hydra that attacked the town! It was awesome!” the enthusiastic leader yelled out. Her two friends joined her in the reenactment involving ‘pew’ sound from the lasers, ending with an ‘ack’ as the monster died. “Glad to hear I could help!” Discord responded. “I assume you’re here for something else however.” “Actually, yeah. We got these new outfits,” Apple Bloom pulled out the three dresses, “and were gonna use them when we used out powers, that way we could keep our identities a secret.” “Why would you girls wanna keep your powers a secret?” he asked, confused at such a lack of boasting. “You three should be parading your abilities around, making everypony jealous!” “It might seem fun, but everypony would be wondering where we got our powers from, and if we ended up telling them that it was because of you, they’d probably annoy you to get their own powers. We didn’t wanna do that to you.” Sweetie Belle’s explanations made Discord’s heart flutter. He couldn’t believe that such fillies had such consideration for him in a time where most still feared him. He couldn’t help but smile at that thought. “Anyway, we were wondering if you could use some magic or something so that whenever we wore these dresses that nopony would know our identities. Also, it’d probably be a good idea to make the clothes really strong in case we got into a big fight,” Apple Bloom finally asked. Discord didn’t even say anything, but merely snapped the fingers on his claw hand and a poof appeared. “Thanks! When we have our next big ba-“ Apple Bloom stopped talking at that moment, and then looked sad again. “What’s wrong, Apple Bloom?” Scootaloo asked. “I just realized that we may never really have a chance to use our powers ever again. I mean, most of the time Ponyville is peaceful. That, or Twilight and her friends usually take care of it. We won’t have much a chance to do anything like that ever again.” “Oh,” her two friends solemnly responded. They understood that their powers were only really good when it came to fighting, at least with the really fun ones. Apple Bloom would still have her smarts she could use, and maybe Scootaloo could come up with an explanation to how she could fly when her wings didn’t seem to flap enough to allow it. Sweetie Belle didn’t seem like she’d have much she could do, and she’d probably never be able to go out on Nightmare Night and be scared without blowing away half the town. “Thanks for the powers Mr. Discord, but I don’t think we’ll be able to use our powers much,” Apple Bloom told their new friend. “I guess there aren’t really many super villains or monsters that attack Ponyville that we can personally fight.” “Huh,” Discord said to himself, thinking over what they had just told them. > A Bear-y Big Battle > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 4: A Bear-y Big Battle The next day was fairly average for the girls. They woke up, ate breakfast, and went to school. Apple Bloom managed to ace the pop quiz with ease, so that was something different. Recess was also pretty fun, seeing as the three were now the best at the sports and were the topic of fights with team leaders over who’d get who in games. At least the girls wouldn’t be left out of sports. “Well, at least we’re at least a little more popular now,” Scootaloo commented, trying to find the good in this newfound boredom. “That’s true. Just hope that we don’t mess up something like using our super strength and throw a ball all the way out of town,” Sweetie Belle added. The three sighed, trying to get used to not having the adrenaline rush that they experienced yesterday. On the way to school they saw that they were still cleaning up the remains of the giant reptile. One of the heads was left to get rid of, some ponies saying that it would make a neat trophy to commemorate their saviors. “So, what do you girls wanna do after school? We still haven’t been properly bored yet,” Apple Bloom remembered that they still wanted to do that in order to gain some sort of inspiration. “I dunno. Maybe we should actually try to have fun or something. Maybe head over to Zecora’s and see if she’d need any help with something,” Scootaloo offered. “That might be interesting,” Sweetie Belle added. Before Apple Bloom was able to say anything however a large explosion was heard. The girls quickly turned their attention to the direction of the explosion and saw some smoke in the sky. “Girls, I think something’s going on,” their leader told them. The girls nodded and came up with a lie to get them out of class. “Uh, teacher? May we be excused? We have to go to the little filly’s room.” Scootaloo asked. “Alrighty. Just be sure to hurry back. We’re about to go into fractions!” Cheerilee responded. “Alright!” Apple Bloom said. “Oh, and the answer to the question on the board is three-quarters. Just saying that in case we don’t get back in time,” she said, leaving the teacher shocked at how smart she had gotten. The girls gathered outside in a hidden spot and took their dresses out of their bags. Each of them through theirs up into the air and flew straight into them. They then decided to strike a pose, seeing as it only seemed appropriate. They thought they’d cheer something before heading out, but didn’t know what to say. Their group needed a cool superhero name. They ended up simply flying to the spot where the smoke had appeared. The three arrived at the town market to find all the carts either destroyed or turned over, their goods spilled everywhere. They saw one of the carts had also been turned into splinters while another appeared to be ripped in half. They followed the trail of destruction and screams and came across a sight they thought they would never see; a massive pink bear wearing a straw hat carrying a cannon-sized musket in one of its hands. “A’ toldja before! THIS! IS! MY! PROPERTAY!” the large bear yelled at the terrified shop owners, cornered by the creature. “If ya’ll gonna try an’ sell stuff on my propertay, then I’ll just take it!” The bear laughed as it took its musket and aimed it at the ponies. “Now, hand over ya’ll loot!” The ponies complied and started throwing their bags of bits over to the bear as it grinned. “Stop right there you…bear…thing,” Apple Bloom ordered. “You ain’t taking nothing from these fair ponies, you hear?” The bear aimed its musket straight at the girls while they laughed. “Ooh! A musket! Please, I bet that won’t even scratch us a-“ cutting off Scootaloo’s words was the musket firing at the three girls, sending them crashing into the nearby building from the sheer force of the blast. “Them ponies don’t know a thing, do they?” he cackled. “Um, Mr. Bear? I’m going to ask you to stop your violent rampage,” Fluttershy asked, stepping out of the frightened crowd of shop owners. “What did you just tell me ta do?” he asked. “No furry pony ain’t tellin’ me what ta do, got that?” Fluttershy looked nervous, but then took a deep breath and focused. She then looked like she meant business and attempted to use The Stare against the giant bear. “Now you listen,” she started, “You’ve been very bad, wrecking everypony’s shopping carts and such. I want you to return the money AND fix the carts and then leave, got that?” she breathed heavily after delivering such a powerful speech. The bear didn’t seem to be affected however. “Hehehe, feisty. I like you,” the creature said before grabbing Fluttershy and putting her under his arm. “Think I’ll make you ma’ mate!” “EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!” was all that Fluttershy was able to get out before three red lights came out from the nearby building, hitting the bear at the exact same spot. “YEOW!” he said, letting Fluttershy go as he grabbed his burnt rear. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo all came flying and started to beat down on the bear. They found it tougher than they thought it would be though, as it seemed to have an incredibly thick hide. “Wow. I’ve never seen a bear this tough before,” Sweetie Belle commented, rubbing her sore front hooves. “I ain’t no ordinary bear. Name’s Furry Bumpkin, and this here is all ma propertay. Ya’ll are gonna be sorry fer trespassin’,” the newly named bear told them. “Whatcha talkin’ about, Furry?” Apple Bloom asked their new rival. “I consider everythin’ that’s near the forest ma propertay, and this here town is mighty close, so I’m callin’ it and everythin’ in it mine, ya hear?” he bellowed out to everypony, causing them to try and find some nearby way of escape. “Howeva’, looks like ya’ll are hesitant, so I’ll be takin’ it by force!” Furry then rushed over to the three girls and let out a volley of punches with his mighty claws. The girls fell when hit with those massive punches, causing them to rethink their strategy. “Looks like punches aren’t doing much. Any ideas, girls?” Apple Bloom asked her teammates. “I’ll try out my Doom Dash and see where that goes,” Scootaloo suggested. At that moment she burst up into the air and turned around, trying to giver herself a direct path to Furry. When positioned, she started flapping her wings and dive-bombed onto her target. Furry aimed to get his musket to fire on her as she came down, but in a second she came down on him like a storm, blowing dust up from the impact. Scootaloo came out from the cloud, a victorious smile on her face. “Let’s see him come out of that!” “RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWR!” was the noise that came out of the smoke, shaking the ground with its ferocity. The three girls got a sight of Furry as he came out. His fur looked bright red now and his eyes looked as if he could also use Laser Vision right then. He grabbed his musket and then started letting off in every direction, blowing away walls and actually sending some building crashing down from the sheer power of his weapon. Ponies started scrambling away, attempting to avoid the vicious attack that was being let out by the mad bear. “We gotta stop this now!” Sweetie Belle declared, flying ahead of her teammates, she let out her Sonic Scream, hoping that it’d disrupt his attack. Furry, instead of stopping his barrage, looked straight at Sweetie Belle screaming and focused it all on her. She flew back from the onslaught, her scream stopping as she tried to stay conscious. With a smile on his face, Furry started charging straight at the downed mare, looking as if he intended to end her right there. “STOP!” Scootaloo yelled at the beast as she started up her Lightning Strike (yeah, she decided that it made more sense to call it that. Actually, she thought she could call the attack ‘Lightning Fury’ and just declare that her target was ‘thunderstruck’). She started rubbing her hooves as hard as she could and noticed something interesting happening; nearby metallic objects started moving towards her. She then noticed that the musket that Furry had been charging with in his front paw was now being pulled toward her, sending him off target just enough so that he missed Sweetie Belle and ended up running straight into the wall of the building, sending it crashing down with Sweetie Belle getting out just in time. “Josie, what’s going on girl? Why you tryin’ to get away from me?” Furry Bumpkin was met with horror when he saw his precious be pulled from his hands and into the hooves of Scootaloo. “GET. YUR. HOOVES. OFF. MA. PROPERTAY!” He then charged madly at the orange mare while she continued her static attack. Soon enough, and to the surprise of everypony, the static ball actually pulled off the fur of the rampaging bear, causing him to halt his charge. He stood there for a moment, just before yelling, “YEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOWWWW!” and grabbing at all these different parts of his body, unable to figure out how to stop the pain of being instantly bald. “Here, why don’t you COOL DOWN!” Apple Bloom taunted Furry as she let out her Ice Breath. Slowly it started, but soon the angry beast was freezing up, covered in ice. It got thicker and thicker until the beast couldn’t move anymore. The only part that was left uncovered was his head. “PHEW!” he declared as the ice helped sooth his pain. “That feels mighty good now. Thanks, ya fightin’ filly girl you,” he said before slumbering off, looking much calmer now. Apple Bloom looked upon her new ice sculpture. She felt awesome that she we able to dispatch the baddie with her awesome ability, more impressed however by the fact that she ended the fight with a cool catchphrase. The townsfolk suddenly came out of their hiding places, cheering as they saw the end to the whirlwind that was Furry’s fury. They approached the girls and lifted them up in congratulations, bringing them over to the mayor who had boarded up the town hall. “THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!” she told them, hugging them to the point they assumed the mayor must have had super strength as well. “I don’t know how this town can show its appreciation to you. Is there any way we can repay you strangers?” The girls then remembered that their dresses kept them from being recognized from anypony and acted accordingly. “We just want to help out, that’s all. Only thing we’d really like is to not really get a bunch of questions about who we are, that’s all,” the leader of the group answered. The mayor looked slightly disappointed, but then remembered that these girls had just saved the town from utter destruction twice now, all in the span of two days. “That makes sense. We’d probably be asking you three questions constantly otherwise. One thing I would like to know is who you three are, at least your names,” the mayor inquired. The three totally realized that they need to come up with superhero names for ponies to call them and excused themselves for a moment to discuss this. “Okay, we need to know what we’ll be calling ourselves. Any ideas?” Apple Bloom asked. “I totally know what I’ll be named. You girls just need to think of something awesome that you think reflects yourself. Watch this,” Scootaloo dashed forward to the mayor and declared, “The name is Danger Dash, and speed’s my thing.” She then flew up and started swirling around, flying near the top of the crowd before landing back down to the town hall. Sweetie Belle smiled, knowing what she’d be calling herself. “Hi everypony! I’m Strong Song! I may look adorable,” she flapped her eyes at the crowd, causing several ponies to smile from pure cuteness, “but I’ve got a big BOOM!” she announced, shaking the building with simply the sound of her voice. It was Apple Bloom’s turn, and she suddenly came up with her name at the last possible moment, hoping that it’d work. “Um, hi everypony. My name is Miss Chill, and while my ice is cold,” she then blew up a frost into the air, cooling down everypony, “I’ll put crime completely on hold!” She then blew an ice trail and slid back smoothly to her teammates. Everypony was going wild in the crowd, even Fluttershy. Rarity and Pinkie Pie were there as well, but they didn’t seem to be able to identify the girls either, even when they knew about the dresses. “That’s incredible!” the mayor declared. “Do you girls have a team name?” Apple Bloom already had an idea of what they would call themselves. She recalled what Furry had called her before, a ‘fighting filly girl’, and knew just what to say. “We’re called the Fighter Filly Girls, and we’re here to protect Ponyville from crime and the forces of evil!” she declared to a crowd that erupted into applause. And now, officially for the first time as a group ever, the day was saved, thanks to the Fighter Filly Girls! > Shell We Fight? > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 5: Shell We Fight? Reporters from all over Ponyville had heard of the three fillies with unknown super-powers and had made it their mission to get an interview with them. While they had been promised not to be bothered with what their secret identities were, the public still wanted to know anything they could about their new favorite heroes. Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, having just come back from training, were a bit bothered by how these new super heroes had the press clamoring for them while they never bothered even once to interview them even after saving Ponyville several times. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight, who had just come back from Canterlot, didn’t mind them getting the attention, and were actually happy that there were other ponies to help protect Ponyville while they were away. To finally get the press off their tails, the Fighter Filly Girls organized a press conference where they would answer some questions for the press on the condition that they wouldn’t bother them anymore. The press agreed and set up a date for the big interview. When that day came, the three girls were in their private room, nervous about how it would all go down. “So, what do you think they’ll ask us?” Apple Bloom wondered. “I bet they wanna ask how awesome we are. I’m trying to think of something greater than infinity,” Apple Bloom had to use all her strength to keep her smartie-pants comments to herself with Scootaloo’s statement. “My sister had an interview like this once. She told me that they usually ask personal questions, such as likes or dislikes. Oh, and they ALWAYS ask about if there’s a special pony in your life,” Sweetie Belle giggled at that thought. “Any of you have somepony?” “Ugh, no way! I’m too awesome for somepony else to be shared with,” Scootaloo said pointing a hoof at her open mouth to imitate gagging. “Yeah, and I’m too young. Why, Applejack would probably have mah hide for something as silly as a crush at my age,” the yellow filly responded. “How ‘bout you, Sweetie Belle? Any secret crushes you may have, hmm?” Sweetie Belle merely shifter her eyes back and forth for about thirty seconds before one of the ponies organizing the event entered their room. “Miss Chill, Strong Song, Danger Dash, we’re ready,” he told them. The three girls looked at each other and braced themselves for what to expect. They walked out of their rooms through the hallway and onto the stage. Immediately there were camera flashes and incomprehensible questions coming from everypony in the crowd. The girls took their seats at their tables and waited for everypony to quiet themselves down before responding. Silence took place, and hands were raised in the air as if it were a classroom full of eager students. “Alrighty, as leader, I’ll choose who gets to ask first. You, in the pink fedora,” Apple Bloom pointed out, indicating she could ask. “Merry Mink, Ponyville Times,” she indicated. “You call yourself leader of the group, but what actual skills make you qualified for such a position?” “Well, my friends chose me because I’m actually the smartest in the group, so I guess that’s why. You, with the giant mustache,” she pointed to. “Manny Ink, The Galloping Gazette. Do any of you fillies have a reason for why Ponyville is the place you’ve decided to protect?” “That’s easy!” Scootlaoo decided to answer this one. “This place has SO many weird things happening to it with dragons and parasprites coming up, so we thought that this would be the place we’re needed the most. Good timing though, seeing as we got here just in time to take out that hydra.” The press chuckled nervously, knowing that the girls were actually correct with how close they had come to oblivion had it not been for their intervention. “You two! You both seem like you’re with the same paper, so I’ll let you each ask a question. Fire away!” The first pony to ask a question had a yellow mane and red coat. “Seth Isto, Equestria Daily. Do any of you girls consider going into show business?” “Not really. Doing that might distract us from helping other ponies,” Sweetie Belle responded. “Quick Brunch, Equestria Daily as well. Do any of you have a special pony in mind when you fight?” Oh boy, they actually asked it. Before either Scootaloo or Apple Bloom could think of something, Sweetie Belle had already answered the question. “Yes we do. We keep in mind all the ponies that we’re saving each time we go out and fight. We remember that without us out there that they would be in harm’s way, and we cannot let that be. We love each and every pony we save, and that’s why we do what we do.” Sweetie Belle’s answer made jaws drop, including her friends. She was obviously the best one for doing interviews. “Any other questions?” The interview went on for about another hour, each question becoming more like a topic for a celebrity tween magazine. Actually, the more they thought about it, that’s probably what it was supposed to be. The girls were more exhausted from the interview than either of the two fights they’d been in so far. “I can’t wait to just plop down and relax,” Scootaloo said as she trotted over to a nearby chair and plopped down on it. “We can’t relax now, remember? We have to be at school in about an hour,” Apple Bloom reminded the group. “Oh yeah. Too bad being a superhero couldn’t be just a weekend thing for us to worry about, you know?” Scootaloo remarked before realizing that doing so would mean her weekend would then be taken up by superhero duties. “On second thought, this isn’t so bad.” “Right. Now let’s head off before something happens that keeps us from getting to class on time.” Apple Bloom and her friends flew out of their dressing rooms and decided that they’d change right after they landed at the school to save themselves time. They had all started to really enjoy flying and all the freedom it had offered them, the cool breeze surrounding them when they flew softly as well. It was peaceful. And then a laser blast hit them. The three girls were instantly stuck down and plummeted to the ground, landing with a big boom on arrival. The three got up from their crash to hear a maniacal laughter coming from behind several houses. In an instant the buildings were blown to bits by whatever had attacked them, smoke from the debris keeping them from seeing it clearly. “SO! You Fighter Filly Girls think that you can save Ponyville from being conquered, correct? WRONG! For I shall demonstrate to you how you are wrong by defeating the three of you, rendering the town indefensible and vulnerable, by which making it conquerable. Then, I shall conquer your pathetic town, and then, THE WORLD!” the creature then stopped its fast, monotone speech pattern and performed its maniacal laugh once more. “Oh yeah! Why don’t you come out of the smoke, whatever you are!” taunted Sweetie Belle. “Gladly,” he responded moving slowly at first, but then dashing towards them unexpectedly, almost hitting them if it had not been for their extreme dexterity. What the girls saw shocked and surprised them; a giant metal tortoise with weapons of different varieties on its back. Several of the metal plates folded away for a moment to reveal the mastermind behind this mechanical nightmare. In what appeared to be in the control panel for the robot was a turtle, a second smaller shell on top of its head at an unusual angle. “What the-?!” the three of them responded at once when seeing this. “I assume that you did not expect that such a small creature like myself could be so menacing. That would be wrong though, seeing as I am incredibly menacing. I also assume that you are wondering why I am currently wearing a second shell on top of my head. My answer to that is that my brain is so massive that it actually came out of my skull and required additional protection, thus the development of this shell shaped helmet.” “Eww!” was their response. “SILENCE! As I was saying, the last thing I suppose that you must all be wondering is ‘What is this marvelous being’s name?’ and ‘Who is this genius that should rule us?’ The answer is simple; my name is Torchel Chelchel, and on this day, I shall DESTROY YOU!” Torchel then had his control station be covered in the plating once again and continued his laser onslaught of the girls. They continually dodged each of the large-backed machine’s assault lasers until they were each hit, unable to avoid the storm of fire being delivered. They decided to group up under cover, trying to come up with a plan. “Wow! This is tough! You girls have any idea how to take this guy down?” Apple Bloom was met by blank stares as they tried to come up with a way to fight it. “Stop right there!” a familiar voice yelled out. It was Twilight, appearing out of nowhere as if she were their savior. You’re reign of destruction is over, turtle!” “Tortoise,” corrected Fluttershy, her head pooping out of a nearby barrel before hiding again. “Whatever. You don’t stand a chance against my magic!” Twilight then readied her horn, glowing brighter as she began to cast her spell. Suddenly the mechanical beast was surrounded by a glow of purple and started to be lifted off the ground slowly. The girls saw Twilight in action and realized that with her back, they were probably out of the job. They actually felt sad about the idea of being replaced so suddenly. That idea didn’t last long though. “Oh no! Magic! What ever shall I do?” Torchel said mockingly. A bleep was heard, followed by the appearance of an orange shield surrounding the mechanical tortoise. It suddenly returned to the ground with a plop, leaving the magic mare surprised. “Wha- what just happened?” she asked. The CMC were wondering the exact same thing. “Did you really think I would create a juggernaut of a machine such as this and not consider finding a way to defend from magic? I have a force field that prevents myself from being affected from all magical spells, and the firepower to absolutely CRUSH those who would dare use it. Oh, that reminds me,” and with another beep, Torchel opened his creation’s mouth to unleash a wall of flames that spewed forth. Twilight was caught by surprise and couldn’t cast any spells to protect herself in time, only being saved by Apple Bloom’s Ice Breath. She blew as hard as she could against the raging fire that spewed forth from the mouth. The evil Torchel once again let out his laugh, believing that victory would soon be at hand (or paw, whatever). “Not so fast, Torchel Chelchel!”Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo yelled out, using their super strength to rip off the weapons attached to the robotic tortoise’s back while it was focused on Twilight and Apple Bloom. After pulling the last laser off of it they both landed a punch on the fire-breathing face, stopping its fiery onslaught. Twilight quickly found a safe hiding place understanding that she wouldn’t be able to do much in this fight without her magic. The yellow filly used this opportunity to fully use her Ice Breath to cover the robot in ice, freezing it still. “Alright!” the three of them yelled, seeing their foe stuck in ice. They all high-fived each other at the prospect of another foe defeated thanks to Ice Breath. “So, do we bring him in, or just let the guards take care of it?” Apple Bloom asked, wondering how they should do this. She only just realized that they never bothered to do the same with Furry, so she hoped that the authorities could handle him. “I think they’ll take him away for us. Let’s head to class now that- OH COME ON!” Scootaloo exclaimed, seeing that the ice containing Torchel Chelchel was starting to crack. The cracks were getting larger and larger until it shattered, sending ice shards in all directions. “HA! You thought that your pathetic ice attack could stop me, Torchel Chelchel, from destroying you? I think not, for I am your superior in every possible way. No matter what abilities you may have, my invention shall surely be able to deal with them. Let us see how you deal with THIS!” Torchel yelled out into his intercom, bleeps and bloops being heard as the robot began to shake. Soon the robot tortoise was standing on its two hind legs, taking a fighting stance. “Come on Torchel!” Scootaloo said, annoyed at what she was seeing. “You’re controlling a slow moving robot that looks like a slow moving animal. If you think that thing can fight us, then-“ her taunting was quickly cut off as the robot dashed and elbowed straight into her, sending the little filly flying off before crashing into several trees. “Actually, you two removing my weapons actually aided in my robot losing just enough weight to fully operate in fighter mode. In this mode my robot will be more than a match for your speed, agility, and strength. However, in the spirit of not letting my inventions not meet their full potential, I will give you three exactly fifteen seconds to attempt to damage my creation without fighting back. It will start just about….NOW!” The girls met Torchel’s challenge, using all the abilities they could think of on him. Laser Vision was absorbed if not reflected by the thick, reflective armor, almost causing a nearby pony to lose their eye. Their punches made soft pounding sounds, leading to the girls to feel sore once again from punching something that was just too hard. It was at ten seconds that the three decided to try and use their special abilities. Scootaloo took up to the air and prepared her Doom Dash while Sweetie Belle started her Sonic Scream. Fifteen seconds passed, and the girls heard a light giggle come from inside the robot. The metal tortoise turned its back towards Sweetie Belle while she was still screaming and adjusted several of the plates on its shell back into a crude satellite dish that reflected the Sonic Scream straight back at her. The little filly had to hold her ears as the ringing continued. Scoots went in for her attack while Torchel was busy with her friend, attempting to end it right there. She was surprised when her opponent turned around, put the two legs together, and then hammered down right on top of the speeding pony the very second she had come into range. Both ponies were effectively downed with their leader nowhere to be found. “So, this is all the great and powerful Fighter Filly Girls can do it seems. Pathetic! Not even your leader bothered to stay and witness your defeat. Now, Ponyville shall be mine! MWUAHAHAHA!” Little did Torchel know, Apple Bloom had actually snuck away in those last five seconds of Torchel allowing the three to attack to locate Fluttershy. Under the guise of Miss Chill, she was able to ask the scared pegasus about what she knew about tortoises and several of their weaknesses. After ten seconds of talking, the red-bowed pony knew just what to do. “Excuse me, Mr. Chelchel sir,” Mayor Mare called out to the villain, “but I’m afraid you simply cannot rule Ponyville by taking out superheroes. Our town has a democratic system after all, so you must be properly elected in the first place,” she told him smugly. “So, what do ya say about that?” Torchel’s response was punching a hole straight through to the other side of the building, annihilating it entirely when the arms was pulled out of the hole. Her smug was quickly replaced with worry and the terrible tortoise laughed in victory. The laugh was cut short, as he started hearing a strange rumbling coming from the ground. “What is this strange noise that interrupts my jolly cheer?” he asked, leaning his death machine closer to the ground. The rumbling got louder and louder until it stopped. Suddenly, a pink light burst straight out of the ground, hitting the robotic head straight in the middle, knocking the head back. Apple Bloom continued by grappling onto the head and pulling it backwards, using all the strength and speed she could muster. With the last of her push, the metal foe was pushed on its back, its limbs flailing helplessly around in an attempt to get up. “Thanks Fluttershy!” Apple Bloom called out, thanking her friend for pointing out that a turtle or tortoise that was on its back would have a near-impossible time getting back on its feet. “No problem, Miss Chill!” she responded, blushing from the excitement of helping to take out that big meanie. A buzzing was heard coming from the robot, followed by a rocket pod with a cockpit on it zooming out. “I’m on it!” Scootaloo yelled out, finally coming out of her daze. She managed to reach the rocket and redirect its path straight into the ground. The cockpit opened to reveal their true nemesis in all his tiny glory. “Grah!” he bellowed out as the two girls grabbed him out of his escape pod. “I’m sure we won’t have to worry about you getting away anytime soon,” Scootaloo told their newly defeated foe as she placed him on his back for the authorities to come and arrest. “Now let’s get going! You ready, Strong Song?” “WHAT?! I CAN’T HEAR YOU!” she replied, her ears still affected by the concentrated scream redirected at her. “Whatever. Just follow us,” she replied, and the three zoomed off leaving the town once again in their debt. “Wow! Only one minute left” Apple Bloom and her friends had just gotten out of their costumes and were ready for the school day. Scoots was still dizzy from her pounding and had almost flown into several trees when landing while Sweetie Belle was still yelling out all her responses whenever she thought. This was going to be one awkward day. At least it would be if the doors to the school would open. “What the….oh. Oh. OH!” With all her intelligence, the super smart mare had mixed up what days were and had actually rushed to classes on Saturday. Her friends seem to realize this as well, unifying in a single “NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!” While the three girls may have had their issues with school, once can certainly say that the day was saved, thanks to the Fighter Filly Girls! > A Clockwork Apple > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 6: A Clockwork Apple Twilight and her friends had gathered at her library to discuss the recent events that had been occurring in Ponyville with the attacks that had been occurring. She and Rainbow Dash had been out of Ponyville and had been hearing the news about superheroes through newspapers and gossip from the locals. She was disturbed at the fact that she wasn’t able to use her magic against it either, the strange tortoise creating an anti-magic shield that made her useless in the fight. What she considered even more unusual was the appearance of three young fillies with unique powers. They had asked that nopony bother them about that topic, but Twilight was motivated to find out the truth. “Alright, girls,” she addressed her friends. “We need to figure out what’s going on in town and who these new visitors are, specifically these Filly Fighter Girls or whatever. I know that they asked that we not bother them about it, but I want to know if any of you have any idea about who they are.” “Beats me, sugarcube. I say we don’t look a gift box on its receipt an’ jus’ accept their help. After all, they did save our hides at least three times,” Applejack said, her friends nodding with approval. “I think Applejack is right. While we are curious to know where these three super-fillies came from and who they are, I don’t think that intruding on their much desired privacy will lead to any good. Though I must admit, their fashion looks fabulous,” Rarity added, completely unaware of the irony of her statement. “Look,” Twilight said sternly, trying to get across the seriousness of the situation, “three fillies with unknown powers not specific to any race just came out of nowhere to fight creatures that have never acted in those manners. I mean a pink, trigger happy bear? Did anypony ever notice anything like that?” she asked them incredulously, not believing her own words. “Twi’s right!” Rainbow Dash added. “This is pretty weird, even for us. I mean, what would be able to make innocent woodland animals act violent and be able to give fillies unimaginable powers?” The six of them sat for about fifteen seconds before unanimously yelling out, “DISCORD!” at the exact same time. “B-but he’s changed. I know it,” pleaded Fluttershy, knowing that Discord was a different…male than he was before. “It’d the only thing that makes sense. I’m sorry Fluttershy, but he has to be behind it all.” “I’m sorry, Twi,” interjected Applejack, “but when ah’ think about it, Discord doesn’t seem like he’d be getting’ much out of all this. Ah’ know this ‘cause he’s been hangnin’ out in our apple orchard and stays there most of the time. Hay, he even hangs out with Big Mac sometimes. Startin’ ta think they’re buds.” “Whatever it is, we’re stopping it. Come on!” Rainbow Dash led the way for the girls to head down to Apple Family Orchard and confront the Master of Chaos with their new facts. The orchard looked lovely today, the noon sun glistening above, reflecting off the red apples. They were likes tiny mirrors of…red. Discord wasn’t much of a philosopher or poet, so he just decided to appreciate the moment by taking a bite out of one of the red mirrors. Juicy. From far away were the sounds of different ponies approaching. From what he could tell, it seemed liked five ponies by land and one pony by air. He knew of only one group of ponies that travelled together like that. He finished up the rest of his apple and braced for the worst, knowing that when they came along that things usually ended getting messy. “DISCORD!” the leader of the pack called out. The girls got into what he could only assume was their formation when it came to dealing with him, three on one side and three on the other. He wasn’t even sure what the purpose of that was. He could literally poof away at any given moment, but decided to humor them. “Hello, Twily. How may I be of service today?” he asked, not even moving out of his spot on the tree. “You know exactly the reason why. We know that you’ve been creating creatures to go into town and fight super-powered fillies. After all, you’re the only one who could do such a thing.” “Oh,” Discord mumbled, knowing that he’d have to find a way to break it to the girls and make sure things didn’t crumble apart. “Alright, I admit it; the recent creatures have been my doing. The last two attacks only though. I originally gave several fillies some powers based on their personalities and such and then created these villains to fight.” He was ready for their ranting to begin. Instead, he heard the sounds of mild disappointment in the forms of sighs and shaking heads. “Discord, darling,” Fluttershy floated over, “I thought we agreed on no big chaotic things. I mean, creating vicious villains and fighting fillies to battle with and endanger the town is definitely one of those ‘big’ things, right?” Discord simply couldn’t keep the truth from Fluttershy. It always made his chest hurt a little. “It wasn’t for ME! It was for those fillies!” Discord just realized that he had just revealed something that should not have been revealed. It was too late. “By the way, who exactly are those fillies? I don’t think I’ve seen them around here before.” Twilight was still fooled by the spell Discord had put on the dresses to disguise them. Maybe he could still muscle out of this. “Just a couple of fillies who needed to fight crime and the forces of evil, that’s all.” STUPID! That’s all that Discord could say about that answer. Soon enough they’d give him those eyes that make you wanna reveal the truth no matter what. They didn’t even start when he caved into the pressure of this awkward situation. “FINE! Since I know you’ll continue to pester me and through some contrived manner you’d find out anyway, I’ll let you know who they are.” He took a deep breath and quickly said, “ AppleBloomScootalooandSweetieBelle,” none of the girls could understand that, except for Pinkie Pie (of course). “Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle are the Fighter Filly Girls?!” she exclaimed. The rest of the girls gasped in surprise. “If you really must know why them, it’s because they helped me out once when I needed it and they really needed help in finding out about themselves. I mean, superpowers might seem an odd way for that, but it’s been said that you can truly test one’s resolve when given power. The rest of it with the villains was created after I realized that they would probably never be able to really use their powers much if they didn’t want to reveal it to everypony. Actually they told me that they didn’t want everypony to pester me with their own desires for superpowers. Yes, Rainbow Dash, I can tell that you were going to ask me for powers to make you fly faster, and no, that’d be a bad idea for somepony of your build. Go any faster the way you are and you’ll end up a pancake simply from the force of lift-off.” Rainbow Dash backed up after hearing that comment, not knowing how he knew she would ask that. That didn’t matter though, at least for the moment. “So is that all? I mean, right now it seems that they managed to get the villains you created, so hopefully that sorted everything out,” Twilight asked, hoping things were actually as easy as they seemed. “Eeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaa,” was the sound Discord made when he tried to find the best way to explain the snafu that had occurred. The noise the girls made was another sigh along with another facehoof. “Alright listen. I may have had a teensy weensy problem occur when I was trying to create their first villain. See, I was coming up with a special spell to create creatures that, while posing a threat, would never be too difficult to fight. I made a list of traits that good villains should have on a piece of paper, put that into a pot, and magiced away. Turns out that it wasn’t a very good idea to do it like that and a REALLY big boom happened. Turns out that I made a WHOLE lot more villains than intended, each having a different trait. That boom knocked me back before I could stop them, and, you’ll laugh at this, they’re resistant to my magic! That means I can’t just wish them away apparently AND I also made them so the only one who could really stop them were those three with their powers. So, yeah, they’re your only hope when it comes to them. Actually had one of the traits be that you six wouldn’t be able to ruin their fun.” “Oh, we are SO going to Celestia to tell her about this,” Twilight said angrily. “NO! Not her! She’s so annoying! Also, it’s not like I did all of this for me! I did this so a couple of fillies who didn’t have any direction in their life could find some meaning with powers, even temporarily. Also, I may have single-handedly revived a failing construction business with all the repairs needed, so there’s that. All that’ll happen if you tell her is that those three will be brought in and might not be able to stop the villains I created by accident I remind you again. Please?” Discord’s plea was heard by the hesitant mare, trying to think this through. If Celestia knew what had happened, then Discord would be turned into stone again. However, he was the only one who really knew what they were dealing with to some degree. It’s also not like he did all of this for fun, but really to give confidence to those three girls. Twilight knew what she had to do. “Fine. I won’t tell her. But YOU have to do something to make it up, or at least ensure that there’s a backup plan in case things go badly.” “THANK YOU!” he said, grabbing the mare in a tight hug. “I promise that I’ll have an alternative solution set up right away! Applejack, letting you know right now that I’ll need to use that orchard you never use anymore for my plan to work. Oh, and just letting you know that you should NOT let any of them know that you know their identities. Who knows what would happen with their esteem and everything. Anyway, I’ll get right on it!” The draconequus sped away, leaving a confused Applejack to wonder what was going on with the orchard. The six of them went from the orchard and were headed back to Ponyville, left to absorb the events that had just happened. Hopefully things wouldn’t be too bad. If they had seen the strange, red shadow that had hidden among the trees while they had their little conversation, their thoughts about the situation would have become much more unpleasant. > Lights, Camera, Explosive Action! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 7: Lights, Cameras, Explosive Action! Sweetie Belle flew to the group’s tree house as fast as she could, carrying in her mouth a copy of the newest Movie Madness magazine. She found something inside that she just had to show the girls. Bursting through the windows, she called out to her friends. “GIRLS! Check out this magazine article!” The two other Filly Fighter Girls trotted over to see what all the fuss was about. The magazine was opened up to reveal a shocking story. The two gasped as they saw the incredible news. “Sandy Lapper is gonna be in a spy movie?” They gasped, wondering how a well-known singer would do in a movie like that at her age. “No! The next page!” Sweetie Belle’s smile returned when she saw her friends gasp at seeing what they were seeing on that page. “THEY’RE MAKING A MOVIE ABOUT US?!” they yelled, shaking the tree house. “Yeah! Isn’t it awesome?” Sweetie Belle’s enthusiasm wasn’t shared with her friends, both of whom had faces of concern. “What’s wrong?” “At some point they’re gonna come an’ try to interview us more for the movie, maybe even ask us to be in it. Remember how we said we weren’t gonna try an’ be in show biz?” Apple Bloom had a point, but Sweetie Belle wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip by. “Aww. Please? It’ll be fun, trust me. Besides, better that we go to them when we have time rather than when danger might be near,” she said, flapping her eyelashes at them. “Oh alright,” the leader said, causing Sweetie Belle to let a high-pitched giggle. Dogs could be heard barking outside from how high-pitched it was. Sweetie Belle then looked angry. “Hey! Who’s saying those mean things?” “Um, Sweetie Belle, something wrong? Nopony said anything,” said Scootaloo. “I thought, well, I’m guessing the excitement must be getting to me. Thought I heard some very nasty things being yelled. Anyway, we should head to the trailers that came into Ponyville. That’s the crew that’ll make the movie.” “Wait, they’re in Ponyville?” Apple Bloom was surprised how quickly movie production was going. “Of course, silly! I mean, we do live here and this is where it all happens. I thought you were the smart one.” Sweetie Belle giggled as she flew out the window. Her two other friends followed in formation, hoping to get this movie finished before trouble came to town. The town square was filled all sorts of technical equipment one wouldn’t find in the small Earth pony village. Ponies of all different sorts were setting up for the movie, light stands and trailers being erected so that the movie could be started. Orders and directions were being yelled at from what seemed to be everywhere with everypony trying to fulfill them all out of fear that their time in show business would be cut short. The three girls landed right in the center of it all, somehow not being able to be noticed in the midst of all the chaos. “You three!” a bronze mare with thick glasses yelled at the girls. “What are you doing here? This is a closed set, so you better get out now before you get in the way.” “Are ye daft, girl? Dontcha know who these laddies are?” a thick Scottish voice yelled out. “Dos’ are the actual Fighter Filly Girls!” The mysterious voice soon revealed its form as a giant squid, driving itself around in a mobile fish tank with a keyboard inside it. “I’m so sorry Mr. Cracken, sir. I-“ “Da! How many times I have ta’ correct ye! My name ain’t Mr. Cracken! It’s Mr. McCracken! My ancestors would’ve eaten ya fer such a dishonor. Be glad I dislike the taste of pony”. Everypony nearby immediately started working at least twice as hard after hearing that, hoping that he wouldn’t wonder about the taste of them for too long. None had ever asked him if he was joking since you usually don’t ask giant creatures about their diet for safety reasons. You might make them hungry. “Um, hello Mr. McCracken sir. I’m Miss Chill, this is Strong Song and Danger Dash, and we’re the Fighter Filly Girls.”Apple Bloom felt less confident with her idea of simply giving them some help with the movie so they’d leave them alone later on after seeing this creature. She was unsure whether she should talk to it or prepare her Ice Breath. “Proud te meet ya girls! Pleasure to see ya in the fur!” The cracked extended three of his tentacles over the edge of his tank, placing them right in front of the girls. They hesitantly grabbed them with their hooves and shook them, hoping not to be sick from the sliminess of it. The giant squid laughed as he pulled his slimy appendages away. “Sorry, but manners. Brave girls ye be, touching my slimy tentacles. I like yer spirit!” “Anyway,” Apple Bloom tried to get back on track, “we were hoping that we could help you out with any details you need. We know that you’d probably try to get us at some point, so we decided to come and get it over with before any trouble came to town that would disrupt it.” “Much appreaciated!” the creature said, bubbles floating up whenever he spoke. “I’ll formally introduce myself; the name is Mr. McCracken, and I’m the head writer and producer for this here movie! I’ve got a list of questions I’d like to ask you right now to really help out in the creation process, if ya don’t mind me askin’.” “Sure! That’s what we came here for after all!” Apple Bloom was quick to bite her tongue as the assistant took out what looked to be a giant scroll and unfurled it, revealing a novel of questions for the girls to answer. This would be rough. Ten hours had passed since the girls had started answering questions. The sky had become twilight as the sun was setting on them, leaving the girls tired. Sweetie Belle had never truly understood how much she really liked pasta until McMcracken grilled her on the subject, and Scootaloo now had a new appreciation of macramé. Apple Bloom had come to realize that most of her life had revolved around apples, something she had never really thought until that moment. The list was winding down to it last questions, McCracken becoming giddier as he approached the last one. “Now, I just have one last, incredible emotional and powerful question to ask you,” the writer announced. “What horrible things have occurred because of you becoming super heroes?” “Well,” Apple Bloom thought that question over, thinking of things that happened to everypony in the time they had gained their powers. She would answer that last question for them since her two other friends were obviously not going to; Sweetie Belle had long since passed out and was swept away by the janitor into a corner while Scootaloo had gone what appeared to be temporarily crazy with responding to all the questions with comments on being the lizard queen. She later on fainted and was swept away by the apathetic cleaner, placing her in the same place as Sweetie Belle. “I would have to say that getting to school has been an issue sometimes. We always make it on time, so at least it’s not that bad.” “What?” the shocked Scot said. “You don’t have any parental issues? No addictions? Mental disturbances? Anything that would shock audiences?” The writer’s bronze assistant waited patiently to see if anything good came up. “No!” Apple Bloom responded, weirded out by such a question. “We’re eight years old! We punch bad guys! We’re not crazy or such ‘cause of that! You grownups get all moody with that while we just like ta’ help out ponies.” “Great! Just what ah’ need! A superhero story where the big reason the characters fight crime is to be all goody two shoes! How can ah’ get an Oscar with that?” McCracken stormed off in his aquarium, heading toward the snack table. He picked the entire thing up and emptied it all into his gullet. Feeling full, he calmed down and went back to Apple Bloom. “Alright Miss Chill, I guess that not everything needs to be inspired by horrific consequences. Ah’ mean, sure, it does make it more likely for me ta finally win an award, but that’s that. Guess it’ll have ta be a regular super hero story. Gold Glimmer! I want ya ta get a trailer ready for the Fighter Filly Girls! I’ll be needing to get them a place fer tomorrow when I call them down to help with shooting.” “Yes sir!” the assistant saluted, checking a list and making preparations for tomorrow. “You three can have trailer number seven tomorrow when you come in. Be sure to arrive at exactly eight in the morning. Be sure to let your friends know that when they come to.” She then trotted away, leaving Apple Bloom baffled. “Con son it!” she yelled out. She and her friends had unwittingly been forced to cooperate in the film. She decided to wake her two friends and tell them the news, then decided to head home. It was going to be a long day tomorrow. At exactly eight the girls had arrived on set, three chairs set up next to where Mr. McCracken would be directing the film from. Gold Glimmer came by the girls, several notepads in her hooves. “Alright, your main goal in this movie will be to provide notes on how scenes should be shot and events that happened, such as your big battles and what kinds of abilities you used. That should not only help out Mr. McCracken, but the actresses as well.” “Actresses?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Yes. The actresses that’ll be playing you three.” “Wait, you’re telling me that there are actresses playing US in a movie while we’re here giving notes on how the actresses can be more like us. So, why not just get everything out of the way and have us play as ourselves? Pretty certain we’d get the movie done a lot faster.” “Except you aren’t union. Now, places everypony, and Mr. McCracken!” she added, realizing how odd that phrase sounded when talking about non-pony creatures. The large squid drove out onto the set, taking up his place next to the girls and the camera operator. “Where my stars at?” he yelled out, looking around for the actresses who’d be playing the superheroes. “Here! Sorry for the wait. Tara Song here had to bleach her coat again,” somepony who looked just like Apple Bloom told the crew. The Fighter Filly was actually astonished by the similarity of these other fillies. “Hey! It’s not my fault that white gets dirty so fast! You know I’ve got to dye my hair white and purple. Still don’t know why I didn’t get the role of Miss Chill instead of Cathy Caviar here. I already have a beige coat, so it would’ve been pretty easy to do. Her coat’s pink AND she’s a pegasus, so you also have to deal with that.” “The dress hides my wings, so I won’t have to worry about that. Besides, you know it’s because I remembered all the lines before audition AND I’m rather intelligent,” Cathy was fairly smug when she told her fellow actresses this. Tara was not very happy with her. “Glad to see you two this morning. Thought I’d have to carry this movie all by myself,” a pony wearing green said, indicating that she was going to play the role of Danger Dash. “Please, Daily Doo; the only way you’ll carry us is if we landed on your back,” Cathy responded. “GRAH! Stop ye blithering ye three! Ye been doin’ this since we started!” the director yelled out. Apple Bloom, Scoots, and Sweetie Belle all looked at each other, shocked at badly the actresses got along. “Besides, right now we’re shooting an action scene with the bank heist, so we’ll be using the stunt doubles at the moment. Just wait an’ watch. By the way, actresses, meet yer subjects,” he said, pointing to the Fighter Filly Girls that were sitting right next to him. “They’ll be providin’ ya with notes on how they act. We’ll do action scenes first though so we can learn how they fight an’ have these three REAL superheroes back ta’ heroics soon enough. We can’t be takin’ away their time.” “Would’ve guessed otherwise,” the pony playing Strong Song said under her breath. The three actresses then took their seats separately from each other while the stunt doubles got fitted. The CMC had to laugh at the sight of large colts dressing up as them, dresses and all. Wire harnesses were attached to them as well for the flying scenes and were brushing up on their notes. “Alright, so what we’re doin’ is a rehearsal. What ah’ need you girls ta’ do is tell us what to improve on an’ what’d be more realistic.” “I’m guessing having girls be the stunt doubles would be more realistic,” Apple Bloom told Mr. McCracken. “Hah! True, but they’re just stunt doubles. In filming we use different film angles ta’ hide their faces. It’ll be good, trust me.” The stunt doubles were put in position and the crew members gave the okay for everything to begin. “Take places!” he announced. “Scene 42 Rehersal Bank Heist start!” yelled out the Clapper Loader. In an instant the alarm from Ponyville Bank went off and several robbers ran out of the bank with bags filled with bits, cackling as they ran out. Suddenly the three stunt doubles flew down and landed hard on the ground. “Stop right there, evil doer!” the stunt double of Miss Chill ordered the bank robbers. “My ice is a little cold, but your crime has been put on hold!” Soon the giant fan that had been put aside was turned on as the stunt double put their lips out, attempting to imitate the ice breath. Shreds of paper were put in the wind, spraying the robber in the middle. He was covered in the paper and started shaking, acting as if he’d been frozen by the Ice Breath. “Let’s get out of here!” one of the other robbers yelled. The two of them split up, going in opposite directions. Strong Song flew after the one on the right while Danger Dash went after the one going left, the wires pulling them up into the air. The stunt double dressed as Strong Song landed right in front of the robber and let out the signature Sonic Scream. At least it appeared to be that, seeing as the double opened his mouth and the robber acted like he was dizzy from that. He then fell over, the supercolt standing on top of him. “Oh no!” the other robber yelled. Just as he was about to get to the end of the alley he was running through, the Danger Dash double landed right in front of him. The robber turned around and the double was now placed in front of him, looking down at him. Scootaloo didn’t get it at first, but then realized that what was happening was that the scene was supposed to show how fast she could go by blocking all directions that the robber could escape with her awesome speed. This happened two more times until the robber raised his two hooves in the air and surrendered. “CUT!” McCracken yelled. The ponies returned to their original positions, one of the actors who was a robber leaving behind one of the bags. Sweetie Belle saw that and went over, picking the bag up and feeling its weight. “Hey, are these real bits you’re using?” “Aye! Ain’t it great. The mayor said we could use the real stuff fer authenticity! A trustin’ missy, that one. Glad a couple supermares can be security as well. Hahaha! Anyhow, ye got any notes?” Apple Bloom was the first to talk, saying, “Honestly, that was great! Though, what’s with the motto of mine? Ah’ only used it once, so it ain’t something regular.” “Speaking of regular, since when did we stop a bank robbery? That’s news to me,” added Scootaloo. “Just some artistic licensing. Makes the story more engaging,” Gold Glimmer added, going over the dozens of clipboards that the girls were certain that she got so she could appear busy without doing anything. “The same with your motto. Goes well with your name, so we decided to incorporate it into the story. Remember that this is BASED on what you’ve done, not fully accurate.” “Thank you, Gold. Didn’t want ta’ need n’ explain what’s goin’ on,” the director told his assistant. “Anything else?” “Well,” Sweetie Belle said, thinking. “My Sonic Scream usually has a different effect on ponies when it comes to reactions. They’re usually more shocked than anything else.” “Same thing with my Ice Breath. The effect sometimes changes with intensity of breathing and such. It’s a bit difficult to explain.” Apple Bloom thought of something at that exact moment. “Hey! Maybe we can help with rehearsal by actually acting out the scene! That way you get actual experience with what we do and those three can see how we act!” she pointed to the three actresses, each grabbing something from the snack table. “We got a deal?” McCracken cackled for a bit in his aquarium before saying, “Sure! Can’t wait to see how this works. Alright all ya’ ponies, time for another rehearsal, this time with the Fighter Filly Girls themselves!” There was a murmur among the set while everypony got into their places for the scene. The actresses who’d be representing the three in the movie paid particular attention. “Scene 42 Bank Heist Rehearsal start!” was yelled, and the alarm for the bank went off. The three robbers exited the bank with their cackling, feeling as if they had successfully pulled off their crime. At that moment the three Fighter Filly Girls descended right in front of them in formation. “You ain’t goin’ anywhere! Ma’ ice may be cold, but I’m puttin’ your crime on hold!” Apple Bloom declared as she performed her Ice Breath ability. She had to admit that the catchphrase was a fun thing to have and kept it. Instead of her breath targeting just one robber however, it looked as if it would hit all three. The two robbers quickly jumped out of the way and the one in dead center was quickly frozen in place, his body encased in a thin case of ice. “WOAH!” Cathy said as she saw this happen. She had studied the role of Miss Chill for her part, but even she was shocked at how powerful her breath was. The two other robbers were speeding away, the actors playing them genuinely afraid of what might happen. The first one to get caught was the one Sweetie Belle was after. “Sorry, she whispered before unleashing her Sonic Scream. Everypony on set grabbed their ears when it went off, not expecting it to be THAT loud. Cracks in Mr. McCracken’s tank suddenly started to appear, each one quickly being patched by an intern. The scream soon stopped, leaving the robber in front of her bewildered and stunned. He started blubbering something just before falling down out of shock. “Oh horse apples!” the last remaining robber said as he went through the alley. He hoped that Danger Dash would be kind to him and not leave him pummeled. That hope was quickly dashed when Dash stuck out her hoof as the robber exited the alley, tripping him. “Hah! Thought you’d get away? Nothing is too fast for Danger Dash!” she announced, flexing off. The robber tried to maintain character even though he knew the fate that awaited him, charging after the filly in an attempt to land a punch on her. “Not so fast!”, “Too slow!”, and, “I think this is embarrassing for both of us,” she yelled out after dodging each punch. “Here, I’ll make this easier for you,” she told him as she grabbed the hoof that was attempting to punch and started swinging him around. The robber started praying to himself, asking to at least survive this move and remembered that it would all be worth it in the end when he could get serious roles. He was soon launched straight through the alleyway, hitting the pony who had been frozen and breaking him out of his shell, both of them landing on top of the stunned pony on the other end of the set. “CUT!” the stunned director yelled. Everypony on set had been shocked by what they had seen. It was one thing to read about such powers, but another thing entirely to see them in action. “That was BRILLIANT! You all, saw that, right? Tara, Cathy, Daily, you all saw that, right?” “Yeah,” they all responded, each of them still somewhat dazed by what they had seen. “Alright! Everypony in position fer real this time! I want ma’ main fillies on set to try an’ do what was just done, special effects helpin’ of course. Get wires attached to the robber that Dash went after fer the throw.” The special effects crew tried to recuperate the actors playing robbers, each of them still stunned. The one Scootaloo threw was simply dazed and dizzy from the swirling that accompanied the throw while the one who had been frozen was still shivering. The robber who took a Sonic Scream to the face had to deal with loss of hearing and balance, so it looked as if it would take a while for him to recover. “Come on! We only need ye fer one shot, then off with ya to yer medical tents an’ such! Positions!” “Let’s get this done in one shoot. I don’t think the actors playing robbers can stand much longer,” Cathy pointed out as she saw the actors trying to get back inside the bank, one shivering constantly while the others kept nearly falling down the steps, only to bump into each other. “Please, that’ll be easy. Just remember your lines and we’ll do just fine. I know I will,” Daily told the others. “Don’t worry. If we mess up, it won’t be because of me. I’ve got my lines memorized,” Tara told the two as they took to the set. “Scene 42 Bank Heist action!” was yelled, the alarm for the bank going off. The robbers exited as before, looking as if they were perfectly fine and weren’t just beaten down by super powered fillies. They were pretty good at acting. “You ain’t goin’ anywhere!” the actress yelled out. She then used her ‘Ice Breath’ and the wind blew, covering the target in paper flakes and what looked like some sandwich wrap to simulate being in ice. The two other actresses were then lifted in the air with the wires, chasing after other robbers. “Yee-haw!” she yelled out, standing on top of the captured criminal. “Wait, CUT!” Tara yelled out, causing the crew to be baffled by this. “Cathy, Miss Chill isn’t some country hick who yells out ‘yee haw’ simply because she has that accent. You’re just stereotyping.” Apple Bloom didn’t know what kind of reaction she should have for that statement. “EXCUSE ME Miss Voice Actress! I didn’t know that I had to run every line through your approval before I could say it. Didn’t know that you owned the rights to talking.” “Seriously? You guys are going on about voices?” Daily chimed in. “Just stick to the script, alright? No need to ad lib stuff just to seem inventive.” “GRAH!” MrCracken yelled, annoyed by his uncooperative actors. “Alright, Cathy, right now just stick to the script. What the Filly Fighters did was excellent, so I don’t want to start adding things that bring it down. Let’s take it from the top, ponies!” Tara stuck out her tongue to her coworker, who responded with a glare. “Geez, they REALLY don’t get along,” Apple Bloom whispered to her friends. The silently nodded as the filming started again. “And, ACTION!” Once again the alarms for the bank went off, the robbers doing their same routine. The girls arrived on the scene and started to speak their lines. “You ain’t goin’- OH what now?!” Cathy yelled as she saw what appeared to be several black tentacles grabbing the bags of bits straight from the robber’s hooves. “Since when was this in the script? Seriously, this is the reason I ad lib; the writers themselves don’t stick to their own script.” “This ain’t part of mah’ script! Something’s trying to take away the money!” The director yelled out, trying to get everypony’s attention to what was going on. “Something, or somepony?!” yelled out a figure who soon revealed herself to be a mare. She wore what appeared to be a red dress and had a snow-white coat. Her mane and tail were black, with what appeared to be different parts of her mane holding several of the bags of money. “Behave yourself boys; I’m a real handful,” she said before knocking out the actors playing robbers by hitting them with strands of her mane that seemed to stretch out. “Who are ye n’ why’re ya messin’ with mah’ movie?” Mr. McCracken asked. “Me? I’m a girl who wants to produce, but has to deal with not only having no funds, but also dealing with guys like you, mister big times producer/writer/director. You keep small-time ponies like me from being seen with your projects, and I’m going to put a stop to that. My name is that of my desired profession, and that is Produsa! Hahahahaha!” She started moving her long mane around, attacking several of the crew members and destroying some equipment. Everypony started to flee, but their paths of escape were blocked by several trailers. The Fighter Filly Girls saw this and immediately went into action. Scootaloo moved the trailers to allow the ponies to escape while Sweetie Belle evacuated them (Mr. McCracken refusing to leave, saying that he needed to stay on the project to the very end). Apple Bloom was the distraction, keeping the villainess busy while they evacuated the area. “Is that everypony?” Apple Bloom asked, just ducking a swing of one of her hair locks. “I can’t find the actresses! Where are they?” Little did Sweetie Belle know is that those three were hiding under one of the trailers, scared of moving out. “Oh hay, this is bad,” Daily said as some of Produsa’s hair whipped right by them. “Do any of us have a plan?” Tara asked them. “Just stay quiet and we’ll be fine. After all, the real Filly Fighter Girls can beat this crazy mare easily!” Cathy would have to eat her words as Miss Chill was finally knocked down by one of Produsa’s attacks. The three were shocked to see her go down. “Ha! Your leader’s down. What are you going to do now?” the villain taunted them. “Ah’ don’t know what they’ll do, but here’s what AH’LL DO!” Mr. McCracken then raised himself out of his aquarium and onto the ground. He then let lose every single one of his tentacles, grabbing each lock of hair that the pony had been swinging around. “Nopony is gonna stop mah’ picture!” he declared, pulling on the hair as hard as he could. Produsa pulled back as well, putting the two into a deadlock while Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo went to fight her. “So you think you’ve got me beat, calamari? I’m afraid I have some bad news for you; that hair is only from my mane!” She suddenly used her tail to grab the two fillies that were still flying, along with Apple Bloom, and started squeezing tightly. “I’ll finish these three off, and then I’ll handle you!” She cackled violently as victory appeared to be at hand. “Alright, we HAVE to do something!” Tara said to the other actresses. “You’re right, but what can we actually do? Think, come on, think!” Cathy thought as hard as she could, trying to find a way to solve their dilemma. “Ugh, I wish I had some gum. I always think clearer when chewing it.” In a moment of revelation, the actress had an idea. “That’s it! Girls, do you have any gum?” “Come on, Cathy! We really need to come up with a plan,” Daily told her. “But that’s it! What’s the worst thing that could possibly get stuck in your hair?” The two realized where she was going with this before yelling out, “GUM!” “Exactly! I have tons of the stuff in my trailer. I, um, may be a little addicted to the stuff. Anyway, we need to chew up all we can and get it into her hair. You with me?” The two nodded, and the three quickly galloped into Cathy’s trailer with all their might. “So, those pesky actresses are still here? I’ll take care of them soon.” Produsa focused on keeping the giant squid it bay while trying to squeeze the life out of the girls. It was all very taxing. Several minutes passed, nothing happening. The hair-themed villain felt as if she were between a rock and a hard place, having to divert the strength she had in her tail to her mane to keep control. She hoped that soon enough, the three Fighter Filly Girls would lose and she could then focus on the director she hated so much. “Hey, Produsa!” called out Cathy. The villain soon turned to meet the call and was met with a wad of gum hitting her in the face. “Is this…gum? HOW DARE YOU GET GUM IN MY HAIR! I’LL-“ Another wad soon landed to the side of her face. And another. Soon a rain of sticky fell upon her, causing her locks to become sticky and hard to move. “GRAH!” she yelled out, using her tail to try and hit her assailants. “You won’t stand a chance with…oh,” was her expression when she realized what she had been holding with her tail was now let go. “So, how about we give your do some shock!” Scootaloo charged of her lightning and then clapped her hooves together with all her might. The air became filled with static charge, making Produsa’s strong and luscious hair become frizzy and unmanageable. With her locks of hair no longer and thick and tough as they were, the girls were able to use Heat Vision to cut it. “NOOOOO!” she bellowed, seeing her precious hair destroyed before her very eyes. Her long hair was now short and practically useless in combat. “I won’t let you get away with this! I’ll-“ Her speech about vengeance was cut short as three tentacles wrapped together collapsed down on her, crushing not only her body, but her hopes. “NOPONY MESSES WITH MCCRACKEN!” the director yelled out, brimming with anger and excitement. “ANY OTHER CREATURES WANNA MESS WITH A MAD ARTIST?” “Ah’ think we’re good, Mr. McCracken,” Apple Bloom said, trying to calm the director before he decided to destroy Ponyville. “So, everything looks good then! Thanks for the help you three,” she said, directed at Cathy, Tara, and Daily, each of whom was coming out of their outpost filled with pre-chewed gum wads. “No problem! We couldn’t let her defeat you while we just stood and watched. It was all thanks to Cathy with her idea with gum.” “I can’t take all the credit for it all, Tara. Daily Doo was awesome when it came to chewing all that gum. I’ve never seen somepony put twenty sticks of gum at once and chew it at the same rate as a pony with one stick.” “I have to admit I was good at that. Tara, you were really fast with shooting that gum! I saw you shoot, like, a piece per second.” “I know! I didn’t even know I could do that. You guys are pretty cool, you know that? I don’t even know why we fought before.” “Maybe because we felt like we got the wrong roles for the film. Honestly, I feel more comfortable playing the role of Danger Dash more than ever!” “Same here! Cathy, I’m sorry that I’ve been mean to you. I just wanted to play a character that ponies thought were intelligent and tough. Most ponies usually cast me as ‘innocent’ and ‘harmless’, saying, ‘Oh, Tara can’t play a role like that! She’s too sweet!” Tara was really starting to bear her heart to what seemed to be her new friends. “It’s alright. Truth is, I only applied to that role because it seems like characters that are smart and cool are all I can play. Sometimes I’d just like to have fun with a role. They’ll think that Cathy’s supposed to be this big name actress and play big roles.” The two looked at Daisy, expecting her to reveal something. “Honestly, I never had any issues with you two. I just want to act, so when you started bickering I just got really angry. Huh, maybe the fact that I can’t stand fighting, making me angry, is why I don’t actually have any friends. If we ever had a disagreement I’d get angry and they’d be scared away.” “Aww. We know what that’s like to get angry. After all, look at how we are right now. We aren’t scared away by fighting or you being angry,” Cathy let Daily Doo know. Daily was so happy to hear that from somepony. She was so happy to hear that that she immediately hugged the two in her arms. She could finally have friends that wouldn’t be scared away. “Well, all’s well that ends well. Now, let’s get things cleaned up and make a movie!” Scootaloo yelled out. “Ya kiddin’ me! All our stuff if wrecked, an’ the studio will have mah’ head fer this! Besides, the more ah’ think on it, a movie doesn’t seem appropriate fer this kind of situation. Too many things to cover in one film. Thinkin’ of tryin’ mah hand with animation, ya know?” McCracken rubbed what appeared to be his chin while he thought this idea through. “Ya know what? I’ll do just that! Gold Glimmer, ya here?” “Yes, sir,” she said, peeping her head out of a trash can. “Make a note to contact some of mah animation connections. Several ponies of interest: Jenny Tartsy, Savvy Nose, Rina Dodgers, and McTire, a mechanic who’s actually pretty good with animation.” “Should I include Miss Joust, sir?” Gold asked, a smirk on her face while she did. “Brave Joust?” McCracken seemed to blush when he said her name. “Um, sure, why not? She’s done well on other projects, like that one involving dancing cats. Anyway, we’ll need voice actresses. Tara, ah’ know you’ve got experience with that, so ah’ want you to still have yer part. Ya know any ponies who have experience as well?” The two friends looked sad when they heard that. It meant that they wouldn’t be able to work together, just after all they had been through. “Sir, if I may be blunt, I think that Cathy and Daily Doo would be perfect to do the voices of them,” Tara told the director to the delight of her new friends. “Alright then. Let the guards clean up an’ we’re done here! Thank ye, Fighter filly Girls, fer yer cooperation in this production.” McCracken and his assistant, along with the three new friends, went off, leaving the girls alone. “Well, that was interesting,” Sweetie Belle said. Captain Obvious would be so proud. “Yeah. So, you girls wanna catch a movie?” Scootaloo received glares of disbelief, followed by an apathetic ‘ok’. “Awesome! I really wanna watch that new comedy about dancing cats. Sounds interesting.” The three set off to the theater, hoping to see said movie about cats and dancing. So once again that day was saved, by BOTH Fighter Filly Girls! Oh, and a giant squid. > Green Is Their Color > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 8: Green Is Their Color A week had passed since the film incident, the town still talking about what had happened with the villainous mare. Nopony had seen anything like that done before with hair, even Rarity with her knowledge of all things fabulous. The three Fighter Filly Girls were glad that they didn’t have to deal with any more super powered ponies for the moment and used that time to rest. Sweetie Belle decided to work on her Sonic Scream so she could control it, as well as trying to figure out if she had another personal ability. Scootaloo spent her free time flying outside of Ponyville, appreciating the sights of the world and simply being able to relax. She found this to be the most enjoyable part of her powers, seeing as she had wanted to fly her entire life and now had the opportunity to. Apple Bloom had recently discovered a love of reading highly informational books now that she understood everything that was being said. She also decided to balance the family’s budget at the dismay of Big Mac, who apparently had been using a unique balancing system for checks that required certain bills to be paid and other checks cancelled before going through. Sadly she wasn’t as smart as she thought she was at everything. Whatever was going on though, the girls were thoroughly enjoying themselves. One day after classes were finished, the girls met to have shakes at Sugar Cube Corner. Things were going well for Apple Bloom with her new intelligence, quickly becoming the top student in the class. She had just found that out today and that was what they were celebrating right then. “Another round, Mr. Cake!” ordered Apple Bloom. “Right away, girls!” he replied, filling up the glasses with their favorite flavors. He then put them on a tray and delivered it to them. “So, anything special going on with you three? You seem awfully cheery today.” “Yeah! We just heard that Apple Bloom’s now the smartest student in our class!” Sweetie Belle explained. “Aww shucks, it’s nothing.” Apple Bloom was embarrassed by all the attention her new intelligence had brought to her. She also felt a little guilty about it as well due to the fact that it was all because of super powers and not hard work, but her friends told her that being naturally good at something is fine as well. She still felt wrong about it at times. “Don’t be so modest! It’s quite an achievement. Why, when I was your age-“ Mr. Cake’s sad childhood story would have to wait, as at that moment a large group of green creatures entered his shop. “Hey, Mr. Cake. Me n’ my boys just decided to drop in and see whatcha got. You mind?” asked one of the creatures, dressed smoothly with shades. “Oh, um, sure thing Mr. Flush sir,” Mr. Cake responded nervously. “HEY! Toldja to call me by my full name! It’s Royal Flush, not Mr. Flush. Sounds like something completely different,” he yelled out, making the girls laugh. He glared at the three with a vicious glare, stopping the three in their chuckling. “Anyway, hope ya don’t mind if we sample some things now, do ya?” “Boys, I’m sorry but I can’t let you-“ the concerned shop owner was interrupted as the leader of the group took him into his arm. “Now now, we can’t have that going on. Boys, time to sample the wares!” The group spread out and started eating some of the sweets in the store. There was one who looked incredibly thin and was helping himself to the taffy. Another was small, about the size of the girls, and was digging into the milkshake machine. There was also a large guy who barely managed to squeeze through the doorway that was chowing down on the rock candy. Lastly was another of what the girls assumed to be the same creature, seeing as it looked more feral than the others who at least could speak, and was chugging pop rocks into his mouth. “Excuse me, but who are you guys?” Apple Bloom finally asked the group. “The name’s Royal Flush, and this skinny guy here is Slender, the big guy is Large Larry, tiny guy is Pico Pequeno, and the guy who can’t really be described is Digger. Togetha’ we’re the Green Goblin Gang.” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked on with anger as they saw the shop being ransacked, while Scootaloo seemed to be in a trance at the boss’ words. Sadly they wouldn’t be able to do anything without giving away their secret identities, so they decided to bide their time. “Alright, the moment they leave, we find a place to change and stop them, alright?” “Sure,” Sweetie Belle answered to their leader’s plan. The two looked at Scootaloo, noticing that she wasn’t responding. “Oh, um, sure,” she quickly told the two as she felt the eyes on the back of her neck. The Green Goblin Gang soon exited the shop, the three following them, feeling awful for leaving Mr. Cake in his time of need. “Hope he’ll be okay,” Sweetie Belle said. “He will be when he sees those punks behind bars. Come on!” Apple Bloom led her friends to a nearby alley where they took out their costumes and through them up into the air, flying straight into them and then chasing after the gang. “There they are!” Sweetie Belle told the group, pointing at the five green goblins as they were picking on some kids who were in the park. “Hey, kid, you want your ball back?” RF asked the small colt. “Y-yes mister.” “Well then, CATCH!” The leader of the gang through the ball straight into the face of the small colt, knocking him on the ground and making him cry. The group laughed when they saw this and started to tease him more. “Stop right there!” Apple Bloom yelled out, causing the gang’s attention to be redirected. “You three should be ashamed of yourselves, picking on an innocent foal.” “Miss Chill, ya got it all wrong! We weren’t picking on the kid, we were just, uh, playing with him. He dropped his ball and I just picked it up and threw it back to him a little too hard. Nothing criminal.” Royal then walked over to the kid and helped him up. “You okay, kid?” “Yeah,” he answered nervously. “See, all’s well that ends well. Nothing but a kid and his ball.” “I doubt that Mr. Cake feels the same way about you and his shop,” said Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo seemed to almost be sitting this one out. “We was just having some samples. He didn’t object or nothing. If he did, be sure that we would’ve stopped right then and there. In fact, next time I go there with my boys, we’ll buy some of his delicious wares, am I right?” “Hehe, sure thing boss,” Slender hissed out. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had an incredulous look on their faces, not believing a word said. Scootaloo seemed taken in however. “Um, girls? I actually think we should give them a second chance,” she finally said, shocking her friends. “Are you serious?” Apple Bloom had to ask. “Well, they don’t really seem dangerous. They just seem like they’re playing around. Not much else. Are we gonna beat them up for that?” Apple Bloom thought this over and realized, even though it hurt, that her friend had a point. “Oh, alright. Just don’t get into any more trouble.” The gang cheered when they heard that and started walking away. “Thanks Miss Chill, Strong Song, and ESPECIALLY Danger Dash,” Flash thanked the group, pointing a finger at Scootaloo and winking. The little filly blushed at that, her friends noticing. “Uh, what just happened?” the two asked the blushing filly. “What? I just thought that they were innocent, that’s all. Let’s look around for any other things going on in Ponyville.” She then sped off, nervous about what her friends got any more suspicious. The town of Ponyville! A marvelous place to live where the weather is always nice, animals frolic in peace, and the kindest ponies in the world live with each- BRRRRRRRRING! BRRRRRRRRING! Hold on and let me get that. Hello? “Yeah, I’m just calling to ask you if your refrigerator is running.” Yes it is, why? “Well then, you better go catch it!” What?! Who is this? I’m the narrator! When I find out who this is I’ll make sure to describe you in a negative manner! Hello? “Hahaha! What a chump!” Oh great, it’s Royal Flush and his gang making prank calls. I hope he breaks his dialing finger. “Alright, who’s next?” the big, dumb looking guy asked his big, dumb looking crew. “Ooh! Me, boss! Me!” begged Slender. “Sure thing.” The phone was handed over and a random number was picked out of a phone book. The phone hummed, followed by a pony’s greeting. “Hello?” “Yeah, I’m looking for somepony named Ignatius Peppercorn Freely. Friends call him I.P. Is he around there?” “I’ll call out for him. Hey, I.P.! I.P! Everypony, I.P. Freely!” Chuckling could be heard on the other line as the other ponies that were there new that it was a prank. “Why you little-“ he was cut off, the gang laughing at how well that went. “I’ve got another one,” he said, dialing another number. Somepony picked up the phone and introduced them. “Trot Comics, how can I help you?” “Yes, I’m looking for a fellow by the name of Bates. He’s a Lord, so I’m afraid he only responds if you first call him ‘Master’. Could you please get a hold of him?” The group snickered as they heard this and barely held it in while they waited for her to come back. What happened next they did not expect. “Yes, Bates here,” was the response. They were shocked that somepony actually answered to that and tried to come up with another joke to recover from this. “I was just wondering if you had heard about me losing my dear dog. Have you seen my wei-“ “Listen, I already knew that this was a prank call that my receptionist told me that somepony asked to call me Master. Honestly, I deal with that joke so much that it’s become a cliché in my life. So, yeah, come up with better material or something.” The phone was hung up, leaving the group stunned at what just happened. “Aww, that was awful!” Royal yelled out in his shriek, freakish, poopy voice. “Sorry boss, won’t happen again. I’ll get better.” “No! I mean who we’re calling! This is chump stuff. We’re better than this. We should go for something big, you know?” The group mumbled in agreement with their boss. “Think, who could we prank on a level that big?” As if to answer their question, a flyer blew right into Royal’s ugly face, on it something of interest. Questions for the Mayor? Call her now! 301-607-8492 “Boys, I know just what to do.” Mayor Mare was working at her desk signing papers and different bills that would help shape Ponyville. She recently had to deal with tons of cleanup requests she was getting thanks to the new villains attacking the town. For her though, this wasn’t that much difference of her normal day for her. She remembered the times she had to deal with rebuilding the town after the Parasprites ate everything, or the time a giant dragon had suddenly started rampaging. The amount of stress cleaning up after Discord put her through almost made her declare herself Supreme Leader of Ponyville and execute anypony that even looked at her funny. She had some rough times. BRRRRRRRRRING! rang the phone on her desk. She picked it up, expecting some regular call about a boring meeting or filling out those TPS reports, even though that wasn’t even related to her job. She picked up the phone, annoyance in her voice. “Hello?” “Is this Mayor Mare?” a smooth, gentle voice asked. “Yes. Who may I ask is calling?” “It is I, Princess Celestia.” Oh, buck. “PRINCESS! I’m so sorry for not properly greeting you. To what do I owe this honor?” “Actually I am the one who is honored, for today I have the honor of awarding you the ‘Mayor of the Decade’ Award for all your hard work in managing Ponyville. I request that you come immediately to Canterlot so I may bestow the award to you. Are you able to come at this moment?” “RIGHT AWAY, MAM!” The Mayor was so excited to hear that news! She was finally being appreciated for all the work she put into making this town run. She packed her bags and was ready to run out the door just before she realized that she hadn’t thanked the princess yet. “Oh, thank you for this honor your highness. I hope the town can manage to be without me leading it for a day.” “I already have a solution for that. Right outside you will find a group of five suitable gentlemen that I have sent to take over for you. I hope that you enjoy your trip to Canterlot. See you soon!” The princess hung up, leaving the Mayor in a state of euphoria. She rushed out her front door and saw the group of gentlemen the princess had mentioned. “Here’s the key to the town. Good luck!” she yelled out, tossing the key to them as she ran to the train station. She couldn’t wait to get her award. Her trip would turn out to be different from what she expected. “Well boys, looks like we’re in the big leagues now. Good job, Digger. Didn’t know you could do that with your voice.” The goblin responded to his boss with a burp. “Now that we have the mayor’s phone, we can make the greatest prank calls ever! Find her address book and we’ll find the best ponies to prank.” The group entered the mayor’s office, looking around for the book. “Hey, boss man, I found it!” Pico yelled out. Royal grabbed the book and started flipping through its pages. He started laughing as he saw several names that he thought would make great targets. “Alright Digger, better get you Mayor Mare impression ready, ‘cause we’re about to make a couple calls!” Mayor Mare had gotten in line to buy a ticket, waiting gleefully for the line to move so she could take the next train to Canterlot. She had her ticket money ready and hoped that her ride would be pleasant. It had been so long since she had actually left Ponyville with all the duties she needed to perform. “Next,” the mare in the booth called, pushing the line forward. There were only three other ponies in front of her now. The bag she brought with her was a bit heavy, so waiting was starting to put a strain on her back. Hopefully she could sit down after purchasing her ticket. “Next,” was called again, now making it two ahead of her. She’d be in the clear soon. “Excuse me, mam, but could I check the contents of your bag?” a security colt asked her. “What?” she asked, confused by the question. “The bag, mam. We wish to investigate its contents.” “Oh,” the mayor said to herself, remembering the security measures she had installed in the train station recently to cut down on any possible accidents, or attacks, from occurring. “Look, you do know who I am, so could we not do that here? I’m hoping to purchase a ticket.” “Mam, I cannot allow you to purchase a ticket until I see the contents of that bag. You have been randomly selected and must follow procedure.” The guard seemed to be getting more agitated the longer this took. “Next,” the mare at the window called out, only one pony being in the way of the mayor purchasing a ticket. “Oh, fine,” she said, handing over her bag to the guard. She felt somewhat relieved to have that large bag off of her however. She stretched out a little before noticing that she was now at the front of the line and that the train had just pulled in. She approached the counter, but was quickly stopped by the guard. “Mam, what is this?” he asked her, holding out a bottle. She got nervous and didn’t want to answer the question. “It’s, um, personal,” she replied hoping that would be enough. “Mam, answer the question.” Another guard overheard him and came over, looking like he was ready to offer aid in case something went down. “Please, I don’t want to say it out loud. It’s…embarrassing for a lady to say. I mean, a bunch of colts like you asking that sort of stuff.” “Please answer the question, mam,” a mare security guard demanded. It didn’t look like she would be getting out of this one. “Oh fine! It’s hair dye, alright? I dye my hair with that stuff,” she finally admitted, embarrassed as she told the three of them. “Chemicals like this aren’t allowed on board, mam. You’ll have to leave this here,” the female guard told the mayor. “Oh. Well, can I at least bring this?” The mayor started to pull out a large, oblong metal object from her bag, causing the two colts to suddenly be alarmed. “WEAPON! DIVE! DIVE! DIVE!” they yelled out as they both jumped on her. The mayor was crushed, the object she pulled out being revealed. The two guards blushed as they saw what she had in her bag. “Oh, um, wow, this is embarrassing,” one of the colts said as he saw the object on the ground. “Should we pick this up or-“ “Oh for goodness- it’s a curling iron you two,” the female guard told her coworkers. They looked even more embarrassed after hearing that bit. "We know. Still..." Mayor Mare was able to come to, just in time to see her train leave without her. Looks like this trip was going to take longer than expected. Mr. Quill was having a nice day, having sold thirty quills and three couches today. This looked like it was a good day for his unorthodox business. It was just about lunchtime when he received a phone call. He looked at his caller I.D. and noticed that the caller was from City Hall. “Hello and welcome to Quills and Couches! How may I help you?” “This is Mayor Mare, I have terrible news! I’ve just been informed that the location where you bought your couches from is suffering a terrible flea infestation.” “You mean Fillydelphia?” he asked, confused at this news. He hadn’t heard of anything like that on the news. “Yes, Fillydelphia. They’ve been keeping it quiet to not make a big scare. Anyway, I need for you to take all of your couches outside and burn them this very instant.” “WHAT?! Mayor Mare, these couches are my livelihood! What will I do without them?” “Just sell your quills?” “Oh. Okay then. Bye.” The sad colt knew what he had to do and dragged the couches out into the street and piled them together to the best of his abilities. Using some gasoline he had lying around, he spread it over the couches, lit a match, and set them aflame. He tried not to, but ended up crying. “Oh well!” he said, suddenly snapping out of his sadness. “I guess I’ll just sell quills for now then. At least I’m not like Breezy Fan with his shop, selling only one item. How ridiculous would that be?” Mayor Mare managed to catch the last train out of Ponyville just in time after being interrogated by the guards. They had kept her under the suspicion she was a changeling and interrogated her for two hours straight. She barely managed to get a ticket and get on the train before it left. “I’ll have to remind myself to reduce funding for the guards,” she told herself as she positioned herself in her seat. She decided to leave her luggage at the station so she wouldn’t have to deal with any more searching nonsense. She just hoped that what she was wearing would be good enough for the princess. “Alright folks, checking tickets!” the conductor yelled. The mayor checked herself for her ticket so she could get it stamped, noticing something was wrong. “Uh oh,” she said, realizing that she had misplaced her ticket. Normally she’d store something like that in a bag, but she wasn’t wearing one. Her only hope rests in the inability of the conductor to see her. “Ticket, mam.” Horse apples. “Um, excuse me sir, but I seem to have misplaced my ticket.” She put on her best face and hoped that the conductor would understand enough to let her pass. “No ticket, huh? Don’t worry! I know what to do to help out. Follow me.” The conductor led the mayor to the door that would lead her into the next car and opened it. The mayor assumed that he was leading her into the next car, but she was promptly lifted up into the air and given a swift kick outside of the train. The conductor then turned his head to the car filled with onlookers and yelled out, “SHE DIDN’T HAVE A TICKET.” The rest of the passengers immediately raised their tickets in the air. “Buck me!” Mayor Mare yelled to herself as she ran after the train. She managed to climb aboard a railroad car just in time. She had landed in mud and was now wet and filthy with no change of clothes available. She realized that she also didn’t have any money on her as well, another problem caused by her leaving her luggage behind. Hopefully the princess would help pay for travel on the way back after hearing how she was treated. That was the only thing keeping her going at this point. Breezy Fan was enjoying his day, loving how the weather was hot and humid in town. Whenever it was like this he would usually have tons of business. Nopony had come in yet, but he knew once that noon weather hit that the ponies would soon start to pile in. He ate his lunch and waited in anticipation for the first several customers to arrive when he received a phone call. “Breezy’s Fans! Our service will blow you away. How can we help you?” “This is Mayor Mare, calling to warn you that I just received a report that a shipment of fans headed to our town was using defective parts and may explode. I’m here to ask that you remove all fans from sale and leave them outside for proper authorities to take them away safely.” Breezy suddenly went blank at this news. He couldn’t believe a word of what he was hearing right then. “But, but how can I even run my store without fans? That’s what I sell,” he asked, trying to figure out this mess he now had to deal with. “Sell quills then,” the Mayor told him. “But Quills and Couches has a monopoly on quills! I can’t do that!” The phone had been hung, up, leaving Breezy with his soon to be disposed fans. He gathered them all in a box and placed them outside. Tears swelled up in his eyes, his work being destroyed. He saw his enemy, Mr. Quill, outside with is burning couches. “Hah! Guess you don’t have anything else to sell now!” he yelled out, taunting the shop owner. “Eat my wind, Quill!” Breezy said, turning on his large fans and directing them at his burning couches. The flames almost hit Quill, scorching his mane a bit. Breezy was about to laugh, just as all the fans that were on exploded. Shrapnel shot out in every direction, causing the two ponies to take cover under anything they could. This day could not get any worse for the two ponies. “Wow. I guess those fans really were defective,” Royal Flush commented as he looked over the carnage in the streets through the office window. “So, who should we call next?” “I got one!” Large Larry yelled, raising his hand up. “Here, I’ll write it out.” He grabbed a pencil and wrote something down before handing it to Digger. Digger then dialed the number on the paper and waited for the phone to be picked up. “Hello?” the pony asked. “Yes, is this Miss Diamond Tiara?” Digger asked with his Mayor impersonation. “Mayor? Is that you?” “Why yes. I just wish to congratulate you on being a finalist in Ponyville’s Prettiest Mare Contest. You and one other contestant will come to Town Hall and be determined who’s the prettiest. Please come at this moment. The first pony to come through the doors will automatically be considered the winner.” “Ha! I’m a shoe in to win! I’ll be there right away!” Tiara hung up and Digger dialed the other number on the list. “Hello?” the other pony answered. “Is this Silver Spoon? I’m Mayor Mare, and I’m calling to congratulate you on being a finalist in Ponyville’s Prettiest Mare Contest! Please come to Town Hall immediately, as the first pony to arrive will be considered the winner.” “OHMYGOSH!” she yelled before hanging up. Now all the gang had to do is sit back and watch. Silver Spoon galloped with all the strength her little hooves could carry her. She couldn’t believe that she had actually qualified to win a contest based on looks. She had always felt down about how she looked with her glasses and white hair, but now she was actually going to win! Or, at least she hoped she would with the way she was running. The Town Hall was in sight, along with the sight of two ponies fighting with flaming furniture and fans. She ignored them and proceeded to the door, just before seeing her friend as well heading to the door. “Hey, Diamond Tiara, I’m a finalist for Ponyville’s Prettiest Mare!” she yelled to her friend, giddy with excitement. “Me too! What a coincidence,” her friend replied. “As soon as one of us enters through the door, we win.” “Heh, yeah. One of us.” Silver Spoon’s words soon made the situation clear that only one of them would leave the victor. “So, how’s this gonna work?” “Honestly, I think I should win since looks are my thing. You thing is, um, something with spoons apparently,” Diamond Tiara had the mistake of saying out loud. “EXCUSE ME?” her friend retorted. “You think I couldn’t be called pretty?” “You are, just, not…as much as me?” Silver Spoon was about to make her eat her words, along with some dirt. “Oh, you-!” Silver Spoon started the onslaught of insults that would be exchanged. At first it was childlike, but soon it involved words starting with “s”, words beginning with “w”, and then shockingly enough was a word that began with “c”. The Green Goblin Gang was actually shocked when they heard children using those words, but that soon became laughter. The two ponies started physically fighting each other, first with hooves, and then with the fans and flaming couches that were nearby. The two colts who had been insulting each other were at a loss for words when they saw this. This was certainly an odd day for Ponyville. The train had finally arrived at Canterlot station at about six in the evening, a tired Mayor coming off of the car she had snuck onto. She snuck out and luckily security wasn’t going to stop her (she assumed it was because they thought she was simply a homeless pony taking shelter in the station). She trotted into town, thinking that things could only get better from there. She walked through the streets of the city, taking in all the sights as she looked around for directions. She came across a city guide who was a bit scared of her appearance. She soon got directions to the castle and walked their as quickly as possible, hoping to not attract too much attraction among these elite ponies. Soon enough, she had arrived at the gates of Canterlot Castle, only to be greeted by guards blocking her path. “Halt! State your business,” they demanded. “I’m Mayor Mare, the recipient of the Mayor of the Decade Award. Her Highness invited me over here. “Uh, there is no award like that. Please, step away from the castle gate.” “Nonononononononono you don’t understand. I just travelled straight from Ponyville after the princess herself called me. You must let me in,” she pleaded. “Sorry, but I can’t let you do that, Miss, um, what’s your name?” “Mayor Mare.” “No, mam, I mean your full, actual name. Not your title.” She looked exasperated for a moment, sighing before she told them, “My actual name is Mayor Mare. It’s not a title. My parents, in all their wisdom, gave me that name when I was born.” The two guards snickered at this statement before returning to form. “I’m sorry, but we weren’t told to let anypony by your name through. Now would you kindly-“ “Oh, hello there,” a soft, gentle voice said, interrupting the guard. It was none other than Princess Celestia herself that was there. “PRINCESS! Please tell me you know who I am! I’ve had the absolute worst time getting here and I need you to tell these buffoons that you invited me here for the Mayor of the Decade Award.” Mayor started to look insane as she told Celestia this. The princess honestly had no proper response to this. “Uh, I’m sorry, but could you tell me who you are?” “I’m Mayor Mare, the Mayor of Ponyville! You know, the town that’s constantly attacked and yet I help to rebuild quickly each time?” Her eyes had started to twitch under that stress. “Oh, yes! I’m sorry, but no such award exists. I believe somepony must have played a prank on you. I apologize for your troubles however,” she replied to the tired official. “But, who-“ the duped mayor stopped as she thought over her recent newsletters about a gang of strange goblins who had started causing trouble in town. She now remembered who exactly she had given the key to her office to as well when she left. “THOSE FIVE ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE! I’m sorry, Princess, but I must leave soon. I do have one question though; what do you think of my career as mayor?” “It’s, uh, satisfactory. Keep it up,” the princess told her before walking off. The Mayor started emanating a high-pitched squeal after hearing that. “So, after all my work, I’m merely ‘satisfactory’. Huh. I guess I’ll head back to Ponyville now and destroy several hooligans.” “But Mayor,” the guard warned her, saying, “the train isn’t up for that location until tomorrow.” “Oh, I’m not taking the train. I’m running there right now.” In a rage-induced flash, the mayor soon rushed to her town. It was just about midnight in Ponyville, and things weren’t looking so good in the town. Other ponies had been called outside to the Town Hall, each of them getting in awful situations that resulted in them fighting. Soon the mob had had become self-sustaining, the Green Goblin Gang laughing as they witnessed their work. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were now leading opposing gangs against each other, one called the Order of the Burning Couch and the other being the Fans of Fury. The Cakes were in full revenge mode against the other bakers and chefs in town, each dueling each other with instruments of their own food preparation profession. The Mane Six also ended up getting involved, Twilight Sparkle and Applejack getting caught up in a religious/science debate. Fluttershy ended up leading a group of animals against the local exterminator who, in return, retaliated by putting on a gas mask and other accessories such as his poison and spraying at everything. The local jewelry store was now attempting to make Rarity their Queen and lead them into a new age of jewel filled prosperity, something she was now genuinely considering. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were the only sane ones left, each of them watching this all with horror. The Fighter Filly Girls arrived to the scene, having no idea where to start. “I can’t tell what’s going on or what to do!” Apple Bloom yelled out. If she had no idea about what was happening, then you could tell that things were bad. “I stop one fight and ten others pop up. I don’t think we can handle this.” “Yeah. It’s not like we can just punch them and stop everything. I think that might make things worse,” Scootaloo replied thoughtfully. Sweetie Belle was about to add something, but was soon interrupted by a sonic boom that occurred when the mayor had entered into the town, stopping right in front of the Town Hall. “STOP!” she yelled out, causing the mob to cease. “I’m guessing you all, or at least most of you, received a call from me. First, let me assure you that it was not me, but a prankster. Secondly, I will personally take care of this mess. Fighter Filly Girls, let me handle this one.” She then entered the building, looking for revenge. She entered her office, seeing the Green Goblin Gang laughing it up at all the chaos they had caused with just a telephone. They soon saw the Mayor enter the office and turned their attention to her. “So, Mayor Mare, what a pleasant surprise to see you back. How was Canterlot?” Royal Flush teased. “Silence. You know the absolute worst part of my trip there?” The Mayor asked. “Not sure, what?” the gang’s leader received an answer in the form of a flying kick to the face, followed by being thrown out the window. “It wasn’t being embarrassed at the train station,” she told the group while bending Slender’s back against her knee and throwing him out as well. “It wasn’t the interrogation either,” she yelled out while slamming Digger on the floor repeatedly. “It wasn’t even the train ride from Tartarus,” she added while punting Pico into Digger, sending them both out the window as well. “The worst part,” she finished, lifting Large Larry effortlessly into the air before throwing him out the window, crushing the gang under his massive weight, “was that I was called simply ‘satisfactory’! I am the best mayor ever! Now stop fighting and clean this all up! I’m going to bed.” The entire town just stared for a moment at the defeated gang before being hauled off by the guards. They then started apologizing to each other and cleaning up the messes they had made. “Wow. And I thought that I was a good leader,” Apple Bloom told her friends. “Be glad that nothing happened between you and that gang leader, Scoots.” “Oh, shut it.” The group laughed before heading off to home, glad that the insanity was over. So once again, the day was saved, not by the Fighter Filly Girls, but by the dutiful public servant, Mayor Mare! > Who is She? > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 9: Who is She? Sweetie Belle woke up from her bed, yawning as she got up. She liked the new roof that the insurance company had paid for; it somehow looked nicer than their last one. She went downstairs to eat breakfast, saying hello to her parents. “Hi mom! Hi dad!” “Hmm,” they responded. They must have still been tired. It was pretty early in the morning. “Hey, today in class we’re gonna make macaroni pictures of who we admire. I was gonna do a picture of Rarity!” Sweetie Belle smiled when she told them this. Her parents were always happy to see her and Rarity get along. “Well, at least it’s not about us,” the father said. “Hehe, alright. Well, I’ll just grab my toast and head out now. Bye!” She grabbed the toast in her mouth and ran off, hoping to meet her friends before class. Oddly enough, her parents didn’t say goodbye. “Ugh. Can’t believe this,” Apple Bloom moaned as she walked into the classroom. She was almost late for class and covered in mud. “What’s wrong?” Scootaloo asked. “Everypony in my family is acting nuts! This morning, they made me buck all the apples off of the trees, clean the entire farm, do the family finances even though I’m apparently not qualified, and make a pie!” “That last one doesn’t sound too bad,” Sweetie Belle commented. “Ah couldn’t use the oven.” “Oh.” “Ah mean, with powers and all it wasn’t too bad, but the fact that they made me do it all was simply crazy! You know how I could’ve even baked a pie without an oven or heat vision? I sure don’t.” “Well, at least you’re here now. Hopefully today will get better.” “Thanks, Sweetie Belle. Can’t wait to start this project!” Cheerilee came into the classroom with her bags and settled down at her desk. “Now class, there’s been a change to our project today. Instead of making macaroni pictures of somepony you admire, I want you to make an illustration of one or several of your classmates. You may begin.” The three girls started doodling pictures of some of their classmates. Scootaloo decided to draw a picture of Featherweight flying through the air. Sweetie Belle drew a picture of Truffle Shuffle making a sandwich. Apple Bloom tried her hoof at illustrating Twist making some candy. The three were proud of their drawings and submitted them to the teacher. For some reason she was frowning when the three of them came up to her desk. “Alright, now it’s time to hang up the pictures. Grab somepony else’s picture and place it around the classroom.” The classmates went up and grabbed a picture from the pile of freshly made drawings. The girls picked up their random pictures, each one being shocked by what they saw. Scootaloo was angry when she saw a picture of the girls with stinky lines around them with the word ‘Ew!’ written on it. Sweetie Belle started chocking up a bit when she saw a drawing of her having a dumb face with a dunce cap on her. Apple Bloom dropped her drawing of her when she saw her drawing was of her with the line ‘NO PARENTS!’ on it. They all went to Cheerilee with the drawing in hand. “Teacher! Somepony drew these really mean drawings of us!” Apple Bloom told her. “Let me see them.” The pictures were handed over to her and gleaned. Then, to the surprise of the three fillies, the teacher laughed. “Oh girls, these are pretty good! The ponies that drew these definitely have talent. I have to say that the rest of the class seems to share it as well!” They turned around to see that other pictures of the three we drawn as well, each of them somehow looking meaner than the last one. “The only three pictures that I consider completely unacceptable are these,” she told them, showing them the drawings they had made. The teacher crumpled up the papers and threw them in a wastebasket. “Now, everypony who drew those lovely pictures can go home early while you three write a paper on what you did wrong. Until then you may not leave.” “WHAT?!” the girls yelled out. Today was not going well. The girls got out about an hour later than when classes were supposed to end, depressed with their experience that day. The first hour they needed to write the paper they were completely dumbfounded. They had no idea what was going on with everypony, but they knew something weird was going on and painfully wrote a paper on each of their flaws. They decided to calm down with some time at Sugarcube Corner. “Is it just me, or have the ponies been acting really weird today?” Sweetie Belle asked her friends. “Yeah. I mean, when have they been this mean to us? Did we do something to them?” Scootaloo put her head into her hooves as she thought this situation over. “I dunno, but I hope it’s just coincidence. Mr. Cake, the usual please.” “Naw. You girls definitely have too many of my shakes. It’s definitely showing on your guts.” Apple Bloom’s jaw nearly dropped to the table when he told her that. Her friends shared the same expression before they decided to storm out of there. “WHAT THE HAY IS GOING ON HERE?!” they all yelled out. A deep, sinister cackling was soon heard, getting louder and louder. A red mist soon appeared from the ground like a fog, forming into one location. It soon built up and formed a small cloud. Out of that cloud appeared what looked like the head of a sheep along with four griffon claws for feet. “Hello, girls,” the strange creature greeted them in a deep, bass tone. “My, what a nice day, isn’t it, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom? Oh, maybe you’d like it if I called you by your other names, Strong Song, Danger Dash, and Miss Chill. Don’t be so surprised that I know who you are. I get around quite a lot.” “Who are you?” the leader demanded. “I don’t really have a name, but I feel that I should go by the name ‘She’. It sounds fairly intimidating, don’t you think? Mysterious to some degree. Yes, call me that name.” She then whistled and suddenly the townsfolk started pouring into the town square, a strange look in their eyes. “I took the liberty of improving the manners of these ponies to something more…fitting. Well, at least for me.” She then cackled, the voice becoming something of a high falsetto. “What have you done to our friends?!” Sweetie Belle demanded, starting to become frightened as they closed in on them. “Oh, just a bit of mind control and mental adjustment. Make them vicious. It’s hard to fight against your loved ones, isn’t it? I’m afraid they don’t feel the same though.” She floated in the air, humming as she saw the crowd getting closer and more agitated. “So, I think what I’ll be asking that you do is-“ She was interrupted by Scootaloo suddenly dashing straight into the growing mob of ponies, sending several of them flying. “You think you can just do that and we’ll sit back and take it?” Scoots roared at their foe. “We’ll knock them out right now so they don’t get hurt any worse than they could’ve, right girls?!” “RIGHT!” the two yelled out. They immediately went to town on the town, absolutely shocking She. Sweetie Belle flew up into the sky and started her Sonic Scream, putting down several townsfolk Apple Bloom froze them in place with her Ice Breath, and Scootaloo continued doing her thing with dashing. “NO! STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!” She demanded, the villains voice becoming high-pitched. “YOU CAN’T HURT THEM!” “Uh, we kinda are,” Scootaloo responded as she gave Cheerilee an uppercut that sent her flying straight into a pegasus. “I mean, they’ll be fine once we knock them out of this, so, yeah.” “I don’t know why, but it’s just a little fun,” Sweetie Belle said sadistically when she messed up the dress that her sister was wearing, causing her to stop her attack out of shock. “How many other times can we actually do this after all? I’m sure we’ll all laugh about this when it’s all over,” Apple Bloom told her right as she bucked her brother into Granny Smith and Applejack. “Oh yeah, well, deal with THIS!” She yelled, revealing Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash, all with the strange glow in their eyes. They broke out into formation, Twilight being the first to move. She cast a spell placing the three crime fighters in a cage made out of magic. “Bet you can’t get out of this, can you? No amount of strength will break this cage, so just give up.” The three pondered Twilight’s request, and then decided to debate such a deal with triple Heat Vision. The well-done mare keeled over, the magic cage disappearing without anypony to keep it stable. “So, what’s next?” Scoots asked before seeing a blue streak heading straight at her. For a moment, the orange mare didn’t have any idea of how to counter this, but then thought back to a previous situation like this when she fought Torchel. The mare prepared herself by placing her two front hooves together and lifting them up above her head and waited. Using her keen eyes, she waited until her idol came into range. At the last possible second, Scootaloo slammed her hooves down, plowing the blue pony straight into the ground. “Oh yeah!” “Don’t party just yet! After all, I haven’t even started!” Pinkie Pie started acting as if she were doing kung-fu moves before falling on her back, sending the Fighter Filly Girls into giggles. “Pinkie Pie, you crazy!” Apple Bloom joked, just before being shot back through several buildings. The two friends saw this and looked at Pinkie Pie wielding her Party Cannon like a weapon. “Now, let’s get this started!” She started zooming around the square, firing cannon shots non-stop, almost taking out the two other girls. Every time either of the girls nearly hit Pinkie, she’d somehow dodge them and let lose her barrage. When She saw this, a smile formed across her face. “Ain’t no party like a Pinkie Party cause a Pinkie Party don’t stop!” Apple Bloom, not in a partying mood, came from behind and grabbed Pinkie’s cannon and punched it into dust. “Party’s over,” she declared, the sad pink pony walking away at the sight of her favorite toy getting destroyed. “Oh dear,” She said, noticing that there was nopony left to fight the girls. She could tell that this battle was over and decided to get out of there, turning into the red mist. “You may have won this round, but I’ll be back! Hahahahaha!” “I don’t think so!” Scoots yelled out, trapping their foe in a glass jar she found lying around. The mare then shook the jar around quickly, making the mist somehow look woozy as it floated down to the bottom of the jar. “Great job, Scoots!” Apple Bloom yelled out. The three soon noticed the ponies they had fought were finally coming around, the strange look in their eyes disappearing. They sounded like they were in pain, most likely because of the beating they got from the girls. “Well looks like things will be back to normal soon.” The town had learned about how She had controlled everypony’s mind and made them act mean to others, going so far as to attack their heroes. The hospital was busy for the next week, taking care of all the injuries that were dealt to them. “Well, it could have been worse,” Scootaloo said as the parade of ponies covered in casts and bandaged walked out, making the three of them feel guilty. And so once again, the day was kinda saved, thanks to the Fighter Filly Girls! > Point Breakout! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Point Breakout! Baltimare Prison! The prime location in all of Equestria to lock up the most dangerous, dastardly, and devilish villains in Equestria. Some say that one of the reasons nopony ever tries to escape from there is because the guards have dealt with a lifetime of crime in the big city and have become the single greatest police officers in the land. Others say because the city is so bad that one might rather stay in their prison cells. Whatever the reason, this was the location of where the nemeses of the Fighter Filly Girls were kept. At this moment, Torchel Chelchel was talking out his situation. “Curses! Even with my genius mind, I cannot construct an escape plan that would be suitable due to my naturally slow speed and incredibly small stature. I would normally remedy this dilemma by constructing automatons, which would then construct other, larger automatons which would then do the same until the size at which the automatons was would reach diminishing returns, in which I would then order to carry out my schemes. However, I am left without any robotics in which to complete my plans and must utilize pure scheming without the aid of technology.” “Shut yer yap, Torchel. Ah’m tryin ta sleep here,” Furry told him through the next room. It was actually mere coincidence that these two were placed right next to each other. “Why can’t you enjoy this time like me? Three meals a days, nice activities like license plate making; it’s like one of em’ fancy resorts.” “Furry, you insufferable lummox, this place in which we are imprisoned is not at all like a luxury resort, nor is it fun. While you simply lay on your lethargic back, I could be out there conquering the world! Your laziness is appalling to me. After all, do you not wish to seek revenge on those pesky Fighter Filly Girls?” “Sure, but ah’ can wait. After all, we can’t just get up an’ leave, now can we?” Furry then let out a long yawn and then started snoring. Torchel couldn’t wait to get out of there, but he was far too weak to escape his imprisonment. If only he could convince his massive neighbor (or neighBEAR! HAHAHA!) to try and escape, but he only cared about his property and didn’t look like he would budge otherwise. At that moment, Torchel came up with a brilliant plan. “Well, I suppose we could wait. After all, I’m fairly certain that these brutish guards will take great care of your precious weapon and hat. They certainly would never attempt to utilize your property like they do with other inmates where the items are auctioned off to the pony who has bid the most money.” “They have Josie? THEY HAVE JOSIE! AH’M COMIN’ GIRL!” Furry ran straight through his prison door, sending them flying straight out. Torchel couldn’t see him, but he could hear vicious growling. “Where is she!” “I would be most willing in aiding you in your attempt to retrieve your personal belongings. However, I must ask that you take me out of this confining cell and take me with you so I may provide the appropriate information required to locate your desired items.” The door to Torchel’s cell was ripped off by the hinges by the now-red bear, who proceeded to place the genius tortoise on top of his own head. Torchel didn’t fight this, seeing that the bear was already beyond annoyed. “Alright, I believe that the current exit to this facility is straight through these doors. If you would be so kind to-“ Torchel couldn’t finish his words before Furry ran straight through the doors. Right behind the doors however was not the fabled room of delights holding the weapons, but merely a broom closet. “Well, I’m guessing that you positioned me in the direction that made my previous statement incorrect. Please head straight toward the exit located right behind us.” Torchel then quickly retreated into his shell, hoping to avoid the onslaught of doors he’d be crashing through. Three clunks later and the feral beast stopped his rampage. Looking out, the two of them saw the room filled with contraband and were in awe. “Ya know what?” Furry started. “This should ALL be mine now!” “No! Simply pick up your overpowered boomstick and proceed to the nearest exit from this correctional facility. It should be located in the Ponyville section under the date you went on your spree.” With Torchel’s help, the two of them quickly found the location of Furry’s hat and precious gun and attempted to escape. It was actually pretty easy to get around the facility now that they could just blow open walls. Guards were trying to take cover while the two villains went charging around the place, looking for an exit. “No you troglodyte! Left is the opposite direction I told you to go, which was right. We have already passed through this place at least twice. You can tell by how many holes there are in the walls, remember?” “Stop yellin’ at me! Ah’ can’t figure out this place. Too big for me n’ you don’t know what to do either.” Furry was right; Torchel wasn’t too sure about how to leave this place and was starting to worry that they were actually getting further into the complex. “Ya fellas looking for an exit?” a smooth voice asked the two villains. They turned to see that a smooth, green goblin was the one inquiring about their escape. “I can help you out, for a price of course.” “I am to assume that do to the nature of your incarceration that you wish to join us in our escape as well and that you first ask that we aid you in escaping your legal confines. Very well; Furry, would you kindly?” Furry walked over to the cell and ripped off the bars. The green goblin then introduced himself as Royal Flush and began to explain his plan. The guards in the control room had heard the commotion and were getting everything prepared for the criminals escaping. They had been briefed that the large pink bear was dangerous and should be pacified by any means necessary while the tortoise on top was actually of no real threat without his companion. “So, does everypony have their weapons ready?” the warden asked his guards. His question was met with the cocking of tranquilizer rifles ready to take down any bears they may come across. “Alright, we’ll wait for them to pass through the atrium and then let loose. Don’t hold back on them; remember how much damage that rifle can do.” The door to the room burst open, a green guard panting as he relayed his message. “They’re trying to escape through the prison courtyard, not the exit! Hurry!” “You heard him! Stop them now!” The guards and everypony else rushed out of the room, armed for confrontation. The green guard who had been panting now stood straight up and took off his guard uniform, revealing a slick outfit for the leader of the Green Goblin Gang. He looked at the little book he had swiped from the warden as he was rushing out and flipped through it, finding the codes he was looking for. Approaching the control console for the prison, he put in several digits and letters and pressed enter. The whirring of gates in the prison was heard and cell doors were opened up. Royal Flush then got on the PA system and started speaking to the entire prison. “Hey boys, we’re back!” Torchel and Furry were surprised with how well Royal Flush’s plan had worked. The guards were now being overrun by the rest of the inmates in the prison with the super villains leading the way in destruction. The Green Goblin Gang was tearing through the guards with their unique fighting ways that each possessed (Royal Flush would punch them in the gut and automatically knock them out, Pico would constantly kick in the shins until you could no longer stand, Slender used his long arms to sucker punch everypony in the face, Digger would knock out opponents with his awful smelling burps, and Large Larry literally rolled over anypony in his path). Produsa managed to regrow some of her hair (it was supposed to be cut today, but the resulting breakout halted the original schedule, returning her powers to her) and tossed guards away as if they were pencils. It was soon obvious that the inmates were running the facility now. “Excellent! I must congratulate you on devising such a devious and effective way of breaking everybody out of their encasements, my green partner,” Torchel said to Royal Flush. “No prob. Wouldn’t have been able to do it in the first place had you not broken me out. Say, you seem like a smart guy, so how about we discuss something intelligent, like teaming up to defeat those pesky Fighter Filly Girls, huh? My gang can do some good damage.” “If you three are forming a group, I’d certainly love to join,” interjected Produsa as she threw several guards away with a quick flip. Guessing the pink bear’s gonna join as well, seeing as he hasn’t said otherwise. “Eh, sure. Not much better to do,” he told them. “Say, anypony here know what this jar with red stuff is? Thought it looked pretty an’ just took it out of storage.” “This is the Equestrian Royal Guard! Cease your rioting at this moment and surrender!” a loud voice announced. Apparently the Armed Forces had moved in on the prison riot and were ready to move. Furry dropped his jar out of surprise, breaking it as it landed. The inmates looked at each other with worry. They had been able to overrun the guards, but now they had a much more prepared foe to deal with. “I did not actually think that the Equestrian Royal Guard would get here so quickly. We must find a way out of this prison facility before the enemy decides to move in and stop our escape. Now, we must find how to elude our captors.” “I think I can help,” a deep voice responded to Torchel’s rumination. The red mist had taken form of She, who now had a wide grin. “Just tell me where you’d all like to go and we’ll be there shortly.” “Ooh! Mah’ place is smack dab in the middle of the Everfree Forest! Let’s go there!” Furry’s suggestion seemed to be just perfect, and it seemed that She agreed as she now became a pink mist once again, covering all the inmates in the prison. Soon the mist started to swirl, getting faster and faster. It then shot up into the sky, all the inmates now being transported by the mist that echoed out a victorious laugh. Soon the prison was empty except for the beaten guards. The inmates soon found themselves in a large cave fitted with items one might find in the country. Everypony was left confused by what had just happened, but soon regained composure. The supervillains had all officially decided to team up and fight the Fighter Filly Girls by utilizing a plan Torchel and Royal Flush had devised. They also learned the true identities of the girls thanks to She. The group decided to address the inmates as their new bosses. “Hello boys!” Produsa said flirtatiously to the large crowd. There was some hollering and wooing that went on after that greeting. “Looks like we’re in a pretty interesting situation, aren’t we? Now, I’m just gonna cut to the chase and tell you this; we’re your new bosses, and you’re gonna help us defeat the Fighter Filly Girls, understand?” There was some murmuring among the inmates about this news, quickly silenced though by the boom of Furry’s rifle. “Now we have a plan that, if everything works, means that we’ll all be living the high life. You with us?!” They now cheered at this, knowing that they didn’t really have a choice. The villains were now ready to begin their big plan. > Royal Pain > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 11: Royal Pain Diamond Tiara was sleeping peacefully in her large bed, resting the night away. She had a busy day at school and the homework didn’t help. Rarely did she envy other ponies, but lately she’d wanted to be smart like Apple Bloom, something that make her feel sick to her stomach. As long as her work was done, that was all that mattered. Hopefully she’d dream about something really nice tonight, like that one involving a skiing trip with Silver Spoon on a mountain of whipped cream. Tonight would not be one of those pleasant nights however. Diamond Tiara woke up to find herself sitting at her desk in school, a pile of papers for her to complete. She looked at the work she needed to do and didn’t have any idea what was going on. Looking to her left, she saw Apple Bloom quickly filing away one paper after the other, completing each one in a matter of seconds. She finished her pile, and then the classroom bell rang. Miss Cheerilee stood in front of the class and then began speaking. “Alright, class! Put your pencils down! Test time is over. Now, let’s see who actually managed to complete all the work.” The teacher looked around the classroom before laying her eyes on Apple Bloom’s desk. “Oh my! Looks like Apple Bloom was the only one to complete the assignment. Not surprising though, seeing as she is the smartest pony in the classroom.” The rest of the class, including Silver Spoon, cheered at this remark. Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes back at that statement, not believing how blunt the teacher was being. “Of course, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle ARE the best students we have in class, isn’t that right everypony?” Once again, a cheer was heard. Diamond Tiara turned around to view the students, but the close she looked, the more she realized that she couldn’t actually make out any faces. It seemed like they had become mannequins. “Uh, teacher?” she finally called out, seeing something was wrong. “Something seems off with the class.” “What are you talking about? Everything is perfect! After all, Apple Bloom is still smart, Scootaloo is still awesome, and Sweetie Belle is objectively the prettiest mare of all time. I mean, what could go wrong with that?” Okay, now something was definitely off here, besides Sweetie Belle being considered the prettiest mare of all time over her. “Alright, now I know that this isn’t normal, and you aren’t Miss Cheerilee either.” “Oh, is that so?” the teacher replied, her voice deepening. “Did you know that there are three other ponies you know that aren’t who they really are either?” “What do you mean?” Diamond Tiara was starting to get nervous. Soon she was the only pony in the classroom, the rest of the students and their desks disappearing. “Take a look at this.” The creature who was imitating the teacher suddenly produced poster cards out of thin air, on it a drawing of the three Fighter Filly Girls. “Do you know who these girls are?” “Well, obviously. It’s the Fighter Filly Girls. Would have to live under a rock not to know that.” “That might seem so on first glance, but there’s so much more. Here, let me show you.” The being that looked like Cheerilee opened its mouth and released what looked like tentacles made of shadows. Diamond Tiara didn’t have any time to scream as they soon touched her eyes and then suddenly disappeared into a cloud of smoke. Scratching her eyes, the beast soon began talking to her again. “Now look at the picture closely. What do you see?” “It looks like Apple Bloom is dressed up as Miss Chill, Scootaloo as Danger Dash, and Sweetie Belle as Strong Song.” The creature let out a high-pitched laugh and gave the foal a condescending face, as if to make a suggestion. “Wait, you don’t mean-“ “Surprised that those three got superpowers? Yes, I suppose you are. After all, most ponies are blinded by magic when it comes to those three and their identities. Thing is, they just LOVE to show off their abilities outside of their heroics, such as Apple Bloom with her intelligence, Scootaloo with her speed and strength, and Sweetie Belle with, well, whatever power she’s using to make herself adorable.” “What?!” Diamond Tiara couldn’t believe what she heard. Apparently those three fools were using super abilities to increase their social standing. While she wouldn’t have any qualms about doing the same herself, the point of the matter is that she wasn’t given any powers. “How’d they even get their abilities?” “Does it really matter? After all, what’s really important is the fact that you were left out of receiving such gifts, even though you’d be MUCH better at using them than those three ever could.” Diamond Tiara listened to this and was intrigued. “Wait, how could I get my own powers?” “Follow me!” the creature in the form of Cheerilee opened up the door leading outside to reveal a vast nothingness. The teacher trotted along, leaving a trail of red mist in her wake. Diamond Tiara followed her, knowing that there really wasn’t any other way out. She followed the red trail, the mist growing thicker and thicker as she progressed. Soon it engulfed her body and blocked her vision, leaving her to worry that she had lost the path. The mist subsided however, to reveal a set of golden stairs. She climbed the stairs slowly, each new step she took lighting candles on the sides of what she assumed was the room. She soon reached the top, candles now lit in every place in the room. At the top of the stairs lay a golden chest with what appeared to be a keyhole. “How can I open this without a key?” she thought to herself as she looked at the chest. Upon further examination, she realized that the keyhole didn’t resemble a normal one with its large and unusual size, and more resembled a place to set something in. Looking closely, she noticed that the setting was circular in shape. There was only one thing that Diamond Tiara had on her that was circular. “My… tiara? I need to open the chest using my tiara?” She felt hesitant to do such a seemingly random thing, considering how much the headwear meant to her. She reconsidered the offer she had been given, just before she heard chanting. “Princess,” it started, getting faster and faster. “Princess, Princess, Princess!” it soon started to roar. Diamond gulped and swallowed what little there was of her justifiable pride before taking off her precious belonging. With hesitance, she removed her jewelry and placed it in the indentation in the chest. She soon heard the clacking of gears move in the chest and the cheering to match the rhythm of the clanking. It opened slowly but surely, revealing something incredible inside. “So, do you like it dear?” the being who had taken Cheerilee’s form asked. Diamond turned to respond, noticing that the beast no longer looked like her teacher, but rather a sheep with griffon talons. Diamond quickly returned to focusing on the chest, gazing upon the contents of the chest. In it appeared to be a golden suit of armor that was just the size she’d need to fit comfortable in, a purple and white cape that closely resembled the mane of the mare, and, most pleasing, was a tiara made of pure gold fitted with the finest gems. The site was incredible, the young mare not knowing what to do. “Put it on! It’ll look lovely!” She told her to do. Soon, Diamond Tiara listened to She and put on the outfit. After finishing, she noticed that mirrors had suddenly come out of nowhere, giving her a look at what the regal pony looked like. Her appearance was that of a golden idol, somepony with power and prestige who was worthy of ruling Equestria. Suddenly a roar of applause was heard, and she turned around to see that there was an audience applauding her and calling her ‘Princess’. Diamond Tiara couldn’t feel more proud of herself at the moment and addressed the ponies. “My fellow subjects,” she started, “I declare that as of today, I will begin my rule of this fair land. First, however, I shall defeat those who stand in my way. The first that shall fall beneath my hooves are the Fighter Filly Girls!” Another, even louder roar was heard this time, cheering on the deluded foal. The villainous She grinned a wide grin, knowing that the plan her teammates had devised was about to begin. The town of Ponyville! Such a glorious day for everypony in town, for today marks the very first Fighter Filly Day in Equestria. The market is busy with ponies shopping for special holiday deals. Children were crowded around a puppet booth where several puppeteers acted out several of the adventures of the Girls, including their very first exploit involving the hydra. Sugarcube Corner had been overrun by ponies who were ordering special deserts in the colors of the girls, causing the Cakes and Pinkie Pie to make their own icing when it looked like they’d run out. The three who were most excited however were the guests of honor. “I can’t wait to see what they’re doing for us!” Scootaloo told her two friends who were getting ready for their presentation. “I’m guessing a big speech thanking us, and then we get a really big party,” Sweetie Belle guessed. “Probably. Funny thing is that we actually have a lot of these big gatherings, but they always seem to end early or somethin’,” Apple Bloom told them, remembering the events involving the celebration of Mare-Do-Well and his sudden disappearance. The two thought back to that day, but then shook their heads at the idea of that happening. “Nah, I’m sure things will go well for us. I mean, what could go wrong for us today?” Scootaloo would soon be feasting on those words, but not at this moment as they were led out to the stage where Mayor Mare was about to give a speech to the public. “Fillies and Gentlecolts, I am proud to present to you our town’s defenders, the Fighter Filly Girls!” The three then walked forward and presented themselves to the crowd, receiving praise and adoration for their actions. They all blushed at how embarrassing it all felt. “Now, in celebration of today as the very first Fighter Filly Day, I hereby present this statue to the public!” A drape was removed, showing the three girls in flying formation. The applause once again mounted, the three feeling proud of their accomplishments. “Now, let’s get this party started!” “Yes, let’s get this party started, but not for the reasons you think,” declared a loud voice from out of nowhere. The audience was baffled, having no idea where this was coming from. They were soon answered when they saw a golden bullet shoot down on the stage, covered in a regal looking purple-and-white cape. The figure raised its head to reveal that the golden figure was actually Diamond Tiara. “DIAMOND TIARA?” the three gasped when they saw her in her suit. Something wasn’t right here. “That name is so old. Please refer to me as my new title; Princess Tiara! I will become the new ruler of Equestria, and all who stand in my way shall taste my power.” “What power? Being a complete-“ Before Scootaloo could even finish saying words that she would be able to eat later on, Princess Tiara dashed over to the three and attacked them with moves so fast that the three were instantly tossed away. “That power. Now, if you’d be so kind as to surrender-“ It was now her turn to get cut off, as the three girls used their Heat Vision on their new nemesis. The target was hit, and looked like she was down for the count. “Well, that was easy,” Apple Bloom said. It wasn’t though, as the golden figure came out of the smoke, a purple shield glowing around her body. “Do you like my defenses? These shields pretty much protect me from anything. Now, I think it’s my turn to show you some REAL firepower.” The gems in the golden tiara she was wearing started to glow, culminating in a laser blast that hit all three of the girls straight on. The blast was continuous, causing the girls to cry out in pain as they couldn’t move. Princess Tiara merely laughed as she saw her foes being crippled by her attack. “I’m…not…going…down…WITHOUT A FIGHT!” Apple Bloom used her Ice Breath and blew herself and her friends out of the laser’s sight of fire. They managed to take cover behind a house and noticed that the ray that had been fired at them had also stopped. Either she was out of power, or moving around to attack them again. “I think we should split up. She’s able to take us out pretty quickly when we’re grouped together.” “Great idea, Sweetie Belle. I’ll head north of the town, while you two go northest and northwest. That way, when either of us is trailed by her, we can then use our Heat Vision against her or whatever else we have that might stand a chance against her shield. You with me?” the leader of the group asked them. “RIGHT!” They all flew out of cover, each going in their separate directions while trying to draw Princess’ attention. “So, running away, are you? No matter, I’ll get you.” The golden princess then ascended into the air and shot off, eager to defeat the three guardians. Sweetie Belle was her first target, seeing as she seemed like the slowest flier. The tiara began to glow again and shot off into the sky. Luckily Sweetie Belle had become skilled enough at flying that dodging those pot shots was fairly easy. Annoyed, Tiara decided that she’d have to get her hooves dirty. “Can’t catch me, can you?” taunted Sweetie Belle. Turns out she was wrong, as within a moment her foe zoomed right beside her and grabbed her from the air, twirling her around and round, going faster and faster. Apple Bloom was the first to notice and zoomed over, attempting to get in range to use her abilities. With the correct timing, Princess Tiara released the Fighter Filly Girl, sending her rocketing into her teammate and sending them both crashing down. “No!” Scootaloo yelled out, seeing her friends defeated. “Well, that was easier than expected, wouldn’t you say, Scootaloo?” Scootaloo was shocked when she heard her real named called out and not Danger Dash. Somehow, Diamond Tiara had learned of their identities. “I won’t go down so easily. Bring it!” she challenged her, starting up the Lightning Strike. The golden warrior zoomed over, attempting to treat her to the same fate as her friends, only to be met with a surprise when grabbing the orange foal. “Gah! What is that!” Diamond yelled out in pain. “Static Defense! I charge up my Lightning Strike, holding onto the energy, and whoever touches me gets a big surprise!” Scootaloo was proud that she had managed to come up with so many uses for her Lightning Strike, thinking that at first she’d only be using it for big balls of electricity. She’d really grown with her powers. Scoots soon noticed that the purpled shielding that had protected Diamond Tiara was starting to flicker and soon faded out, taking away her defenses. “Oh, horseapples,” she declared, pushing her way out of Scootaloo’s grasp and into the Everfree Forest. The last remaining Fighter was about to follow, but saw her friends about to crash and had to do something. Using all the strength in her wings, she burst out to her friends, trying to save them before they landed. They were only a couple dozen feet in the air at this point while Scoots was still over a hundred. She knew that she had to give it her all for her friends, her family. Thinking back, she remembered one time when something had managed to make her fly even faster, and knew that while it’s hurt, it’d definitely speed her up. With coming-regret in her eyes, Scootaloo used her Heat Vision on her tail. “YEOW!” she yelled out, remembering the pain as it happened the first time. The pain was just enough to get her fast however, catching up with her friends and grabbing them just as they were about to hit the ground. “Heh, saved you guys.” She immediately crashed into a nearby building though. “Ugh, what happened?” Apple Bloom asked, finally coming around. “Diamond Tiara managed to catch up with Sweetie Belle and threw her straight into you, taking you both out. She tried the same with me, but I had up my Static Defense ability, shocking her and taking out her shields. She flew away into the Everfree Forest after that,” explained Scootaloo. “Huh, I guess that means she’s getting her powers from that suit then. Wondered how she got them otherwise. How do you think she actually got it though?” “Um, girls, I think I know how,” interrupted Sweetie Belle, showing them the headlines from a newspaper she just happened to see. The three looked at it and were shocked: ENTIRE POPULATION OF BALTIMARE PRISON ESCAPE: WARDEN BLAMES SUPERVILLAIN INMATES “So it must have been Torchel that made that suit and gave to her! Thing is, it’s a little weird that Diamond Tiara would suddenly become so evil and know our names. I guess we’ll have to figure it out once we’ve dealt with her. Scoots, Sweetie Belle, it’s time to stop a rogue princess.” The three then zoomed out and headed to the Everfree Forest, hoping that they’d be able to catch their rival before they became her prey in the wild. The three of them searched for hours trying to find any sign of her, coming up without any clues that might direct where she’d gone. It seemed that they’d lose their trail if they didn’t find something soon. “Ugh, this is so annoying!” Sweetie Belle groaned as she fell on her back, exhausted by the day she’d been having. “Yeah, I’m starting to think we should head back for now. We’re not having much luck in tracking her down.” Apple Bloom was exhausted as well, only kept up by the desire to give a good impression as leader. “Come on, girls! We’ve gotta track her down! After all, how else can we fight her?” Scootaloo was the only one who still seemed in the mood to hunt Tiara down. “Besides, she knows our identities, so she could strike us at any moment and take us out individually. Hay, she might even go after our families if she’s willing to. Could you let that happen?” The speech seemed enough to get them back on their hooves, and soon they set off again to find their classmate. An hour later and still no progress was made in finding her. The three were now starting to doubt their hunting abilities as they soon started to realize that what they were doing simply wasn’t working. It seemed that returning home and preparing for their next encounter would be the best strategy at this point. “So, everypony wanna jus’ go home now?” Apple Bloom asked the group. The two nodded their heads, too tired to talk and started floating up into the air. “OWWWWWW!” a random pony seemed to yell out. Sweetie Belle stopped to listen, but her two friends continued flying. “Hey, girls, didn’t you hear that?” Sweetie Belle was surprised that her friends were just passing by that yell. Even if they were tired they’d still help anypony in trouble. “Yeah. So what?” Scootaloo replied. “So WHAT? Somepony’s in trouble and we’ve got to help!” Sweetie Belle zoomed off to find the location of the cry for help, hoping that she could be there just in time. She knew how dangerous the forest was and needed to be fast. “Sweetie Belle, wait!” her two friends called out, flying after her. “Nopony called out. You’re just imagining things.” “Trust me, I didn’t imagine that. Here!” She dived down through the trees to where she heard the yelp. She looked around and didn’t see anypony nearby. Maybe her friends were right. “Huh, I thought I’d see them here.” Just as she was about to fly away, she heard more yelling. “Help! Seriously! I need help! My leg is stuck! Don’t make me do that thing when your leg is stuck, guys.” That was enough for Sweetie Belle to find where the pony was trapped and started digging around the rocks. Pulling them away, she didn’t find a pony, but something else. “Is that a Timberwolf?” Apple Bloom was surprised when she saw this and was wondering how in Equestria she confused a pony with a wolf. “Oh, great, a bunch of ponies. Well, I guess I’m a goner,” the wolf said. Sweetie Belle was silenced for a second, surprised at the talking Timberwolf. “Did you two just hear that? The wolf is talking!” Sweetie Belle continued pointing at the wolf, as if hoping to make her friends understand what she’d been talking about. “Uh, Sweetie Belle, I think you’re tired. That wolf isn’t talking,” Apple Bloom, concerned, told her friend. “Whatever, I’ll help out this little wolf out. You okay, Mr. Wolf?” Sweetie Belle asked the trapped creature. “Wait, you can understand me? Oh, that’s a relief! Thought you’d turn me into firewood or something. That rock’s a real pain, so doing this quick could be a real pleasure,” the wolf told Sweetie Belle. She lifted up the rock that trapped the wolf and threw it away to its relief. “How’d you get trapped?” she asked him. “I was trying to get something to eat when I came across some gold flying creature that hit a rock and started a miniature rock slide. She was headed to this big cave that I know about. We usually don’t go there because of the creatures that live in there.” This looked like the clue they were hoping to get. “Girls! The wolf told me that Diamond Tiara was headed over to a cave nearby! We need to go, fast!” The three were headed off, but then realized they had no idea where it was. They quickly went back and had Sweetie Belle ask where the cave was. “I’ll help you get there. The least I could do for saving me.” The grateful wolf then showed the girls the path they needed to take in order to get to where they needed. Along the way the dog decided to have a little snack (a gruesome experience for the girls to see that happen to a rabbit), and the three girls decided to talk about Sweetie Belle. “So, I’m guessing your other secret ability to understanding dogs,” Scootaloo said to them. “I guess that could be pretty cool.” “Yeah! I could finally understand Winona and have you talk with her for me. It’d be neat to know what she likes.” Apple Bloom was ecstatic about the idea of communicating with her pet, but the wolf seemed to brush off the idea. “Trust me when I say there probably isn’t much you two could talk about. Dogs that live at homes rarely have exciting lives. Chatted with one once; surprised I didn’t die of boredom.” “Really? What kind of dog was it?” Sweetie Belle asked. “His name was George. Seemed like he wouldn’t mind some company so what chatted up a bit one night when he was let out of his place. He apparently lives on a barn where they grow apples. He just kept going on about the different kinds of apples they grew. I asked him if he’d tried out some of this season’s rabbit and he looked horrified. Apparently you ponies don’t want your dogs to eat meat or something. A shame, really. Saddest thing is when he told me that his owners think that he’s a she apparently. Honestly, that shouldn’t be too hard to figure out, you know?” “Hey, that’s a pretty big coincidence! Winona lives on an Apple Orchard as well!” Before Sweetie Belle could put two and two together, they suddenly stopped at the entrance of a very large cave. “Now, I should warn you girls that you should NOT go in there. I’ve heard some pretty strange things going on in there that definitely do not sound good. I suggest that you wait for whoever you’re hunting to come out and fall into a trap that you set up. I know I’ve used that tactic when it comes to hunting in my pack.” The three took their companions advice and set themselves up a system where they’d be alerted of Diamond Tiara’s return using acorns and piles of rock to make noise. They used the time they had to also rest from their earlier search. The wolf decided to look out for them and would alert them otherwise. And hour passed before the signals were set off, alerting the girls to an approaching creature. “Ugh, where are they? I thought they’d be in that cave still,” Diamond Tiara said to the confusion of the three Fighter Filly Girls. The three waited in the bushes until Diamond got close enough for them to strike. “Oh well. I guess I’ll just take out my frustrations on this bush,” she said before blasting the bush at fully power with her laser vision. The girls were directly hit, pushed back into a nearby boulder by the force of the blast. “Wait, did I just hit the Fighter Filly Girls? Wow. That was pretty lucky of me!” “Oh, come on!” Sweetie Belle yelled out, not believing what was going on here. “Scoots, just do your thing and we can be done with this.” “Right!” the orange mare started rubbing her hooves together, static electricity being built up as she did so. She was fully charged and let it lose, sending a bolt straight at the brat. A direct hit. “Take that!” “Yeah, um, sorry to tell you this, but that won’t work anymore. See, I readjusted the suit so now it can take more of your electrical attacks. Now, I didn’t finish showing you three the rest of my abilities.” Scootaloo saw how ineffective her attack was and, without a word, flew up into the sky. “Guess she was the smart one of the group after all, isn’t that right, Apple Bloom!” “I’ll show you who’s smart!” she yelled out while using her Ice Breath. A cloud of frozen doom approached Diamond Tiara, but she merely yawned. “I’m guessing that it’s me who’s smarter, seeing as I’m the one with the fire.” The gold princess raised one of her hoofs and opened up a small port in the hoof. Flames instantly shot out of the port, turning Apple Bloom’s attack into a fine mist. “Oh yeah, well, take this!” Sweetie Belle unleashed her Sonic Scream at full force, turning rocks into sand and trees into splinters. The nearby sand actually began to liquefy from the force of the vibrations that her scream produced. As the sound got more intense and closer to the princess, she raised her two front hooves and clapped them together, producing a sonic boom that cancelled out Sweetie’s attack and temporarily silencing her. “So, I guess that’s it? Well, I suppose that compared to you three, I’m essentially a prodigy. Now, I think I’ll just melt you with my laser, okay?” “Not okay!” growled their companion made of twigs, pouncing Diamond Tiara from behind. “Come on fellas! This is the girl that nearly got me killed!” Out of what seemed to be nowhere an entire pack of Timberwolves descended upon her. The pack assaulted her armor, causing the shield to glow under the stress of constant attack. She dispatched them easily however, breaking them into twigs with a mere punch. They did manage to piece themselves together again, which got Sweetie Belle wondering why the wolf she rescued needed rescuing. She then realized that his foot would have been stuck under the rock and could not have been reattached, which actually would make sense as to why he didn’t want to leave. The onslaught of wolves continued for several minutes straight until they eventually were exhausted from the constant breaking apart and reforming. Diamond Tiara also looked tired from all the punching she had to do, but smiled nonetheless. “So, that was the best idea you had? Have to admit that I still expected more from you three, or two now it seems.” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were snickering while their foe talked, eventually bursting out into full laughter. “What’s so funny? Have you become hysterical?” “Oh, no, it’s just that you really counted Scootaloo out pretty fast, don’t cha’ think?” Apple Bloom smirked while saying this, causing Diamond Tiara to be taken aback. Now that she thought of it, Scoots would probably stick with them no matter what. Hay, she was the one who’d be most likely to finish a hopeless fight, not run away. As she pondered this, she felt some rain on her. She remembered that the forest has odd weather, so this wasn’t completely unexpected, but then she noticed that the surrounding area had apparently been soaked, with her at the center. She looked up into the sky to notice storm clouds that were circling directly overhead, lightning striking out of the middle. The eye of the storm then started to open up to reveal a bright light that, on closer inspection, was a great ball of electricity. In the center of that was Scootaloo. “Oh, dear,” was all Diamond Tiara could say at this sight. “YOU’VE BEEN,“ she screamed as she threw the immense bolt of lightning down on the so-called princess, attracting other lightning bolts to give its power to it as it landed, with Scootaloo finishing with, “THUNDERSTRUCK!” The surrounding area was completely scorched, and Diamond Tiara’s armor looking a bit tarnished now. That was the sign for the girls to strike. At the exact same moment, the three landed a power-packed attack on their classmate, knocking the rest of the armor off of her and destroying the tiara in the process. Sparks flew from it as it broke apart. Princess Tiara had been dethroned. “Hah! Now what do you say about that, ‘Princess’?” Apple Bloom asked her mockingly. “Ugh, what’s going on? Where am I? Is this a dream? I was in my bed just a moment ago.” Diamond Tiara seemed genuinely confused at the situation, something the girls (and the wolves, who were watching closely) thought might have been a ploy. As they looked closer however, they noticed that her eyes, which they hadn’t clearly seen through the armor, was actually red and had started to revert to her original eye color. “I think she might’ve been mind-controlled,” Apple Bloom told her friends. “She may have thought this was all some crazy dream an’ not known what she was doing. Let’s go easy on her, alright?” The two took several seconds before saying, “Fine,” and accepting that she wasn’t in her right mind. “Wait, OHMYGOSH! It’s the Fighter Filly Girls! Did you three rescue me from these awful wolves?” The Timberwolves growled at this statement, only kept calm by Sweetie Belle’s explanation of the situation. “Uh, actually, it’s a pretty long story,” Apple Bloom, presenting herself as Miss Chill, explained to her classmate as they headed back to Ponyville. Back at Ponyville, the situation was explained to the townsfolk, who were relieved to know that Diamond Tiara had not turned fully evil. They were concerned by the fact that she was mind-controlled though, and worried that either of them might be next. The Fighter Filly Girls declared to the town that they’d do whatever was needed to bring the criminals to justice and finished off the day with the party that had been postponed. If they knew what the newspapers from different parts of Equestria would be saying about the events of that day though, they might have not been so quick to party. However, for that very moment, the day was saved, thanks to the Fighter Filly Girls! > GO GO DYNAMO! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 12: GO GO DYNAMO! The day after Fighter Filly Girl Day was sunny and calm. Birds were singing, bees buzzing, and no rain scheduled for that day. It looked like a good day for Ponyville. Other cities could not say the same though. “Hey, girls, check this out!” Sweetie Belle yelled out as she approached her friends in the tree house. “What is it, Sweetie Bell?” Apple Bloom asked. Sweetie Belle slammed the newspaper onto the desk and the three of them looked at the headline: MASS ROBBERIES COMMITTED ACROSS EQUESTRIA! CRIMINALS LED BY SUPERVILLAINS! The group read further into the paper and saw that all these robberies had happened yesterday while they had been fighting Diamond Tiara. “Girls, don’t you know what this means?” Apple Bloom asked her teammates. The two of them looked as if they were about to reply, but then suddenly stopped when they had no idea what she was talking about. “Diamond Tiara was just a distraction! Those guys were just using her to keep us from stopping their robberies!” “Oh!” They exclaimed, understanding what the big deal was. “If that’s what they were doing, what did they need to distract us for?” Scootaloo asked. “Says here that each of the robberies involved stealing a whole bunch of scrap metal, electrical stuff, and a bunch of tools. Apparently, when put together, it’s one of the biggest heists in Equestria’s history.” “But what could they be doing with all that stuff?” Nopony knew how to respond to Sweetie Belle’s question. All they could do for now is speculate and hope that they could find clues. “Looks like they all pulled their weight, don’t it Torchel?” Royal Flush said to the tortoise that had decided to use Furry’s head as a permanent stoop for him to move around it. Furry was somehow okay with this, not being the smartest bear in the woods. “Affirmative, my green friend. With all of these supplies that we have taken from their rightful owners, we will now begin the single most important aspect of our carefully constructed plan.” Torchel then let out a villainous laugh, joined by the two nearby supervillains, as they saw their compatriots and the inmates working on their ultimate plan. 3 Months Later There had been no sign of the escaped criminals whatsoever. The girls searched wherever there were possible leads, such as strange bear sightings or groups of green goblins, but nothing came up. The girls soon lost hope of finding the crooks and hoped that they would turn up soon so they could finally end this once and for all. In the meantime, the girls lived their lives semi-normally once again, actually appreciating the peace they had. Apple Bloom now had straight A’s in her classes and used her free time to help tutor other ponies. Scootaloo used her skills to join a soccer team and help them get to regionals with her speed. She would be known as the start player on their team. Sweetie Belle took a more interesting route, helping out Fluttershy with any dogs she had. Apparently the vast majority of dogs in town was actually males and was a bit angry that they were always assumed to be girls. The town was surprised to learn this, apparently never having actually taken them to the vet to check that out. She became known as a sort of ‘dog whisperer’ to the ponies, helping them understand the problems between pet and owner. It was a good time for the three, and for a while they had forgotten their troubles. “Today was pretty good! Finally got Truffle Shuffle to understand multiplication dealing with two-digit numbers,” Apple Bloom told her friends as they were walking home together. “Yeah. I also managed to convince the Timberwolves to stop using the chicken coop as a source of food. Now Fluttershy won’t have to worry about keeping them out there,” Sweetie Belle told them about her day. “My day had me scoring three goals! It was pretty awesome! There was apparently a scout out there today and he says that I have the makings of a professional!” Scootaloo was excited that she was getting even better at sports. That had always been something of a dream to her. “Great ta’ hear, Scoots! Say, I’ve been wondering; does anypony here worry much about those supervillains anymore?” their yellow friend asked. “Not really,” they both replied. It had felt so long since they’d fought any of them that it seemed like an eternity ago. Only several times since their escape did they need to don their costumes, such as when an earthquake had struck the city, or when a group of dragons tried to have their way with the town. The girls still helped, but they never experienced the level of super-villainy those guys had provided. As if to respond to her question, an enormous boom was heard, followed by another one shortly after. “What was that?” Scoots wondered. “I dunno, but we’re gonna find out!” their leader led them into an alley where each of them flung their costumes into the air and flew right into them. They then flew off to where they could hear the noise coming from. The city of Canterlot! Home to not only the elite of Equestria, but also the Princesses that rule the land as well! In this hallmark location of Equestria is the finest military defense possible, with ponies of all different kinds working together to ensure the safety of its citizens. To face these ponies would be the same as digging your own grave. Leading the defense of the city was Shining Armor, Captain of the Guard. “Good morning, sir!” greeted the guards as their Captain walked by, inspecting the security of the castle. Ever since the attack by the Changelings he had made sure to look over the defenses in case of a suddenly invading army. “At ease,” he told the troops as he passed by. After several hours, he was just about to finish his inspection when he heard a sudden noise. It was a loud boom, resonating throughout the halls of the castle. The unicorn would have looked past this noise as something negligible, until he heard the same noise for a second time. “Captain,” a young recruit looked up to him, asking, “do you know what that noise is?” “I actually don’t know. I’m going over to the city walls to check it out as we speak.” The guards went over to the city walls, hearing the noise grow louder and louder as they approached it. Citizens of the city heard it as well, voicing concern to each other as it didn’t seem to be going away. They climbed up to the top of the wall looking outward from the city and didn’t notice anything yet. More booming was heard, followed by flocks of birds flying away from the target location. Soon they noticed something strange; it looked as if trees were broken, as if stepped on. At that moment, the Captain had a terrifying realization. “The target is invisible! Everypony, get ready to defend!” The horn signaling the guards was blown, sending citizens running away for their lives while the rest of the guards got into position for whatever was approaching. The unicorns prepared their spells while the Earth ponies prepared the catapults. Pegasi were on standby, armed with spears. Shining Armor got into position, ready to give the signal to fire out on their unseen target before it approached the walls. “Ready,” he announced as another boom was heard, creating another clearing. “AIM!” he yelled, seeing horns readied and catapults prepped. “FI-“was all he could yell as the target uncloaked. “Oh…um…this is bad.” That was the thought on everypony’s mind when they saw the thing that was making the loud noises. It was a gargantuan machine, dwarfing the 50 foot walls with what appeared to be a 300 foot tall body. It was colored leaf green all over with what appeared to be a large shell attached to its back. It had what appeared to be large limbs that resembled that of a tortoise’s. None had ever seen anything like this. “FIRE!” Shining Armor yelled. Magic Missiles and catapults were fired at the target, hitting it straight into its belly. After a full minute of fire, the assault was ceased as they reloaded, noticing that the belly of the beast was still gleaming, not showing any signs of damage at all. It then started to move. “Run away!” some of the guards yelled as they saw the beast of a machine move forward. While Shining Armor was about to order them to hold, he saw that they were right as the creature moved its left leg forward and smashed right through the wall. Crackling was heard coming from the machine, followed by a voice. “MWUAHAHAHA! I can see that each of you ponies that guard this city is realizing that your current methods of defense are futile. Nothing that any of you do could break through the impenetrable armor of the MALLET. That is the reason why the armor is considered impenetrable, for no force can break through it. Now, disarm your forces and be prepared to transfer control of this nation over to the pilots of this unstoppable war machine,” demanded what Shining Armor realized was the voice of the escaped genius Torchel Chelchel. Other voices soon joined in, each of them the voices of other supervillains. “Heh, yeah! This here metal guy will rip you a new one!” Furry bellowed over the speaker. “These guys ain’t gonna know what hit em’, right boys?” asked Royal Flush to his gang, all of whom responded positively. “Can we get on with this?” added Produsa. “I just can’t wait anymore to CRUSH something with all this firepower.” “Me too, my dear,” the deep voice of She responded. “Let’s continue with our rampage now, shall we?” The large mecha named MALLET soon started moving again, making its way into the city. Buildings were being knocked down like dominos as it plowed through. Guards tried to take pot shots at the mighty behemoth as it strode through the place. The second defensive line of guards was now in place though, hoping to fare better than the front line. “Oh, will you look at that? They’ve set up more defenses. Guess they haven’t learned yet, have they?” Produsa giggled at the idea of what they were about to do. “Yeah. Boys, let’s show these bozos the full power of this fully operational robot guy!” Following Royal Flush’s orders, the gang activated the weaponry on the MALLET. The grinding of gears was heard as the green giant’s belly opened up to reveal an entire arsenal of weaponry armed and ready. Laser cannons, missile launchers, rotating cannons, and bomb launchers were several of the weapons located in the chest. The guards saw this and were in awe with this display of deadly weaponry. If only they had scientists who knew how to make weapons such as that. They were about to get a taste of that technology first hand as MALLET fired on them. The sky smelled of ozone as the lasers pounded into the guards’ station. The wall and surrounding area was completely annihilated by the assault let loose, turning the beautiful city into a site of chaos and destruction. “FALL BACK TO THE CASTLE!” ordered Shining Armor to whoever was still able to fight. A mass exodus of guards occurred as they attempted to flee to the best chance they had at surviving this encounter. “MWUAHAHAHA! YES! YES! NOW THEY BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND!” cackled Torchel as he saw his foes scattered before him. “Now, only one thing remains.” “Incoming sssssssssignals at 3 o’clock boss,” Slender warned the crew. On the radar were three tiny bleeps headed in fast. It was time. “Alright girls! That’s the target!” “Uh, Apple Bloom, is that a giant green tortoise?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Eeyup, and you all know what that means. Torchel’s back.” Apple Bloom was actually relieved to say that, as the group finally saw what those villains had been up to. The only issue was now being able to deal with that thing they created. “Well, if it isn’t the Fighter Filly Girls. I hope you have enjoyed your time of relaxation from combat with us, for now you will see what this machine is truly capable of!” Torchel considered activating the weapons at that very moment, before deciding, “Actually, I will let them try to attack us for a moment, just to see what happens. MWUAHAHAHA!” “Let’s take him out, just like before!” The two followed Apple Bloom as they went to attempt the same technique they had used before on Torchel’s other robot. The three of them flew up and grabbed the giant by the chin and started pushing up, trying to tip it over. After fifteen seconds or so, no progress was made. This time the robot was far too big to be budged. “It’s not working!” Scootaloo was the first to admit that their plan wasn’t working. The two others agreed and soon stopped. While flying right in front of the robot’s mouth, Furry had decided he’d done enough waiting as is and opened up the MALLET’s mouth. Almost immediately, a flood of flames poured out from the mouth, torching the three girls and sending them crashing into the ground. “While I admit that I had wanted to test the full capabilities of the MALLET’s defenses by letting those three have their time with their futile attacks, I must admit that was pretty smooth,” complimented the tortoise on top of the bear. “Ugh,” was all the leader of the Fighter Filly Girls could say as she recovered from her fall. The two friends were still out, but there was no time for rest as the death machine opened its chest and aimed it straight at the girls, sending chills of terror through the young filly’s spine. “GIRLS! GET UP, NOW!” “I…I’m okay,” muttered Scootaloo as she got up, feeling like she was freshly roasted. Sweetie Belle was still moaning and didn’t look as if she’d be moving soon. She’d have to though, as the weapons on the MALLET were just about to fire. “NO!” she yelled out when she saw the first shot come from one of the rotating laser cannons. At that moment, the impossible happened. An orange blur came out from nowhere and grabbed the three ponies just as the barrage started on their position. Scootaloo looked up to see their savior and saw that it was…herself? “There’s no time! Just fly REALLY fast right now and grab everypony the second you see them. NOW!” ordered the future pony. Scootaloo, just going along with it, did just that. As Scootaloo managed to fly at what she could only assume 88 miles per hour, everything went into a bright static shock. When the light had cleared, she was able to see that she had suddenly travelled back in time several seconds and was going to grab the three. When herself from several seconds ago was about to ask something, Scootaloo quickly said something. “There’s no time! Just fly REALLY fast right now and grab everypony the second you see them. NOW!” Scootaloo witnessed as her past self suddenly sped off, disappearing in a bright flash. At that moment, she realized that she had just managed to travel through time. “That. Was. AWESOME!” she exclaimed before falling down from exhaustion. Apple Bloom witnessed in horror as she saw both her teammates fall before her, unable to move. While they were several hundred feet or so from MALLET, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but be worried that they were soon about to face their end. “Wow. This doesn’t look so good. Glad I popped by to check on you three,” a familiar voice said. Apple Bloom turned around to see that it was Discord. There was a slimmer of hope after all. “Mr. Discord, sir! We need your help! Can’s you snap your fingers and make that giant baddy go away?” Apple Bloom begged. “I REALLY wish I could, but that giant robot is protected from ALL kinds of magic thanks to its shields. Doesn’t matter how strong you are when the shield dissipates it all,” Discord explained, draining the small sliver of hope Apple Bloom managed to hold onto. “Thing is, I’ve actually been developing a way to solve a situation just like this. Come with me!” Obviously not understanding that saying such a thing involved voluntary participation, Discord snapped his fingers and sent the three away from the scene of destruction just before they were spotted. The three ponies were suddenly awoken from their short respite by the clicking of lights being turned on. Discord then greeted the three as they got off of their hospital beds all bandaged up. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t make you as good as new with my magic, girls. Those fellas really know how to make anti-magic tech, that’s for sure. Almost none of my magic could be used to help you recover from that roast. Anyway, it’s fairly obvious that this is the toughest thing you three have faced so far, so for such a foe we have such a weapon.” “What kind of weapon?” the three asked, curious as to what Discord planned. “THIS!” All the lights in the room, revealed to be a massive hangar, were lit, revealing Discord’s true plan. Right in front of the three girls was a giant robotic version of a filly just like them, fit with a blue bow on top of a painted red mane. This giant machine was almost as big as the one currently rampaging through Canterlot. “I call her Dynamo!” announced discord as he showed off his pride-and-joy. “I was gonna come up with some initials for it, but just thought the name was pretty cool. Anyway, I designed this robot for situations just like this where your powers simply weren’t enough. The controls are simple and should be easy to learn. You three are the only ones capable of piloting this thing and saving Canterlot, no, Equestria this very moment. Can you do it?” “BUCK YEAH!” they yelled out, getting out of their beds sorely. The three approached the platform leading into the robot’s head to enter the main control panel and took their seats. A robotic voice soon came over the intercom. “WELCOME, FIGHTER FILLY GIRLS, TO DYNAMO. I WILL QUICKLY EXPLAIN THE CONTROLS TO THIS MACHINE IN A MANNER THAT THE INFORMATION IS AUTOMATICALLY UPLOADED INTO YOUR BRAIN. SIDE EFFECTS WILL INCLUDE MASSIVE HEADACHES, NOSE BLEEDS, FEELINGS OF NIHILISM, AND EAR ACHE. WE WILL-“ the voice’s instruction was cut off as what appeared to outsiders as random sounds started coming through the speakers. The three crime fighters quickly understood how to operate their machine and set off to save the world. “Good luck, girls!” Discord announced before the girls jumped out through the new opening in the roof of the structure. When the girls came out, they realized that they were located right at the abandoned part of the Apple Family Farm and set off to Canterlot, hoping to save the world. > Fighter Filly Girls Rule! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 13: Fighter Filly Girls Rule! The guards were all set up for the oncoming death machine. They had the cannons, catapults, airships, and anything else in their inventory ready. Princess Celestia and Luna were also alerted of the danger and decided to personally aide in the defense of the castle with their magic. Shining Armor had prepared his magic shield spell and placed it around the castle perimeter using all the magic he had. The civilians had taken cover in the shelter to avoid the oncoming battle. Soon the gargantuan figure was in sight. The battle was about to begin. “OPEN FIRE!” yelled the princesses. Anything that could be shot was shot, with magic bolts sailing through the air alongside cannon balls and other projectiles, bouncing off the impenetrable armor easily. Both princesses gathered their magical power and launched an attack that put the rest to shame, a stream of magic so powerful that it shook the castle. It proved futile though, as a thin shield seemed to encompass the beast that would reflect anything related to magic attacks. Torchel really wasn’t kidding when he had said that it didn’t matter how strong the magic was. “MWUAHAHA!” The mad tortoise’s voice cackled over the speakers. The villains approached the shield that was set up and stopped moving for a moment. Just then, the right arm was raised and placed in a punching position, ready to take out the last barrier the ponies had. A rocket seemed to go off in the arm of the giant, sending it crashing straight through the barrier Shining Armor had set up, leaving the ponies without any defense. “Now, I hope you all have learned your lesson, am I right?” She asked the ponies over the speaker. “Just surrender and you’ll be just fine, otherwise,” the chest opened up, revealing with arsenal that was ready to rip Canterlot Castle into dust. The guards had no idea what to do at this point, looking at the princesses for support. The two had convened just before fighting and realized that if what they had heard about the anti-magic shield was true, then maybe even the Elements of Harmony would be ineffective against such a challenger. Therefore, the goal of the Mane Six at that point was to investigate any possible weaknesses that such a large foe may have. At this point though, it seemed unlikely. The two princesses walked up to a point where they could be seen by their green enemy and began to speak. “I am Princess Celestia, a ruler of Equestria. This is my sister, Princess Luna. We beseech that you do not go through with your plan to take over Equestria. After all, many lives will be lost, no matter what I do at this moment.” “Heh, she thinks we care n’ such ‘bout that!” cackled Furry at the statement. “Lady, we’re nasties, so we really don’t care!” At that second the lasers on the beast started charging up, ready to turn the castle into a quarry right before something appeared on radar. “Uh, boss man. We’ve got company,” reported Slender as he pointed to the large dot on his screen. With each blip the dot got closer and closer until rapid stomping could be heard outside. The MALLET was able to turn around to see what was causing the noise just in time to receive a flying kick straight to the face, sending the large enemy skidding back, taking out a little of the castle as it ran into it. “WHAT IS THIS?!” demanded Torchel as he was shocked to find anything that could damage his precious creation. Through the cameras they were able to see that it was a large, chrome pony with red mane and a blue bow that had delivered the bow. The speakers crackled as the pilots of the opposing mech were about to speak. “You guys are going down!” the three Fighter Filly Girls announced together, shocking the villains by the fact that they had their very own giant robot. “Citizens of Canterlot, are you ready to rock?!” They were met with a loud applause and cheer at the sight of their saviors. The Fighter Filly Girls then displayed some of their robotic fighting moves, hoping to convince their foe to simply surrender and end it all right there. “You three are out of your league, by which I mean you are not prepared for the beating in which we are about to provide you with!” The belly was now aimed at the girls and started to fire. Luckily the girls were piloting a mech fast enough to avoid the incoming fire as it zoomed by them. The town wasn’t so lucky though. “Is that all you got?” taunted Scootaloo. “Not at all,” Torchel responded cool as he had his assistant press a button. Soon the MALLET dropped on all of its limbs and then slid it shell back, revealing a completely separate arsenal than the one in the belly. Out of the back flew smaller looking robots that flew around Dynamo, each of them firing individual lasers at their mech. At first it didn’t seem to be doing much damage, but then more and more of those flying attack stations came out, each of them releasing a helping of lasers. AT that point the girls were now constantly being hit with lasers from all sides, taking serious damage. “Activate the Dynamo’s Heat Vision!” ordered Apple Bloom. The generators for the weaponry started whirring, and within a few moments the eyes were producing light. Dynamo made a three-sixty degree spin, hitting all the targets and lighting up the sky with explosions. “Hah! What next?” Sweetie Belle demanded to know. It seemed like their enemies could hear them, because at that very second a volley of missiles was launched out of the air, not headed for them, but for the entirety of Canterlot. “Oh snap! We have to stop those missiles!” Scootaloo burst out. “Let’s use the Heat Vision again!” The eyes once again lit up the night sky, only to find that the missiles had some extra shielding to prevent just that. “What can we do?” begged Sweetie Belle. “We’ll redirect it!” announced Apple Bloom. Dynamo burst forward and up into the aid using its rockets and then grabbed the nearest missile, rotating it so it would then hit another. They did this with several of the missiles before realizing that there was an odd number of them that was were launched. At that second, the leader had a bright idea and rotated the last rocket so it was aimed straight at the MALLET. “Oh no!” the villains yelled out as they saw their own weaponry redirected against them. It was too late to move out of the way, so the back of the MALLET was hit, making a large explosion that seemed to almost rival that of the sun. The crowds cheered as they saw this explosion, knowing that the fight was now over. “Alright!” The three Fighter Filly Girls hoofbumped each other at the sight of the explosion, knowing that they had just won. After all, nothing could survive an explosion that big. And then it got up. “WHAT?!” was everypony’s reaction. The MALLET had ditched the large shell on its back and was now standing upright. Torchel laughed over the speakers, taunting the girls. “Did you three think it would be so easy? I developed this machine so when it loses operation of its back arsenal, we go into SUPER FIGHTING MODE!” The MALLET suddenly rushed over, unleashing a flurry of punches to Dynamo’s head before piledriving the mech into the ground. The girls were dazed at this sudden burst of speed and had no time to react. MALLET opened up its gut and prepared to finish them off with a laser volley at near point-blank range. The lights glowed and then released, signifying the end to this fight. At least it would seem so, before a shield suddenly appeared over the girls. “You didn’t really think that I’d just let you all have the fun now, did you?” Discord asked the girls. His had was extended, keeping the volley from hurting them as they got out of the awkward position that last attack had put them in. “It’s really my fault that we’re in this situation you know. See, I actually saw that you girls wouldn’t really have many uses for your powers without any real foes, so I ended up creating baddies for you to fight. I didn’t intend for any of this to happen however. So yeah, sorry for this mess.” Discord’s confession shocked the girls for a second, but then they realized that this was sort of on par for something he would do, even when he wasn’t evil anymore. They quickly shrugged it off, issuing a “Meh” over the speakers to let him know things were okay. Too bad neither of them were focusing on their foes who had just morphed the MALLET into a massive energy cannon about to blow through the four of them. “Oh boy,” the four of them said before the beam of light broke through Discord’s shield and blew them a good half-mile away from their original location. The Draconequus now resembled a thing strip of burnt bacon while Dynamo was starting to resemble tin foil after it had been placed into a blender. “Are you okay?” Apple Bloom asked her friends, hoping they would respond. “Yeah, except for the fact that our giant robot is nearly busted and our super-magical ally is now charcoal,” Scootaloo and the rest were now worried about their situation. They had nothing left to fight with, and Discord was out of combat. Things were looking grim. “Girls!” a familiar voice yelled out. The cockpit, now open revealed Twilight and her friends had come to their downed machine. “Are you three alright?” “Yes, Miss Sparkle. I think you should get out of here right now, though. Things are getting tense,” Apple Bloom said in the manner of Miss Chill. “Apple Bloom, ya don’t need to cover anymore. We all know it’s you three girls,” Applejack announced to the surprise of the three girls. “It’s true. We’re very proud of you three girls. I’m especially proud of you Sweetie Belle, my dear sister. You save the world AND look fabulous while doing so,” Sweetie Belle blushed at her sister’s admiration. “Yeah, and Scoots, I’ve NEVER seen anypony fly so fast that they travelled through time. You were awesome!” Rainbow Dash’s praise was the greatest thing Scootaloo could imagine. “Thanks for saving me those two times, girls. It was very neat and brave of you to defend us,” Fluttershy thanked the three of them. “Yeah! You girls rock!” Pinkie Pie’s enthusiasm was enough to help the girls feel hope again. “Thanks guys. Wish we could’ve been better with defending you from the giant robot though. We don’t have enough power to fight it anymore.” “Well, you don’t have enough power on your own, but I think we know a way to help you power up. Girls, you ready?” Twilight got her friends into position and opened of a box. Inside of the box were the Elements of Harmony. Each of them put on their respective elements and started powering up. “While we can’t fight that machine with magic, who’s to say we can’t use magic to power you up.” The magic-crowny-thing Twilight wore started to glow, causing the other elements to do the same as well. A rainbow light then shot of the group, the light circling the damaged Dynamo and repairing it. In just a flash, the broken fighter was now looking better than new, and now glowed with a new power in its possession. “Let’s do this!” the three girls yelled as they charged straight at their foe. Each one of MALLET’s strikes was parried and even its speed wasn’t comparable to the new Dynamo. The girls kicked and punched with all they had and were certain they were winning. That is, until they looked at MALLET and saw no real signs of damage whatsoever. Even with this extra energy, they simply couldn’t break through the hull. “How can we beat something that we can’t even punch?” Apple Bloom thought this over as she saw none of their attacks doing any real good. At that moment she had a very disturbing, but hopeful idea. “Hey, Apple Bloom, you there?” Scoots asked as she saw her friend zone out. “We need to use self-destruct,” the leader announced. “WHAT?!” “It’s the only thing we have that’s powerful enough to defeat it. With the extra magical energy we can use our rockets and get into the sky high enough that the explosion won’t hurt anypony. I just put the theory into this computer and it says that it’s possible that it’ll be enough to defeat them. All we need to do is get a hold of MALLET and lift off.” “But will we survive?” Apple Bloom couldn’t answer that question, and Sweetie Belle knew it as well. They did have an emergency escape pod, but it would just be a lucky guess to whether they could outrun the explosion after ejecting. The girls soon put Dynamo into galloping position, hoping that they’d be able to grab onto MALLET and then use the inertia to gain liftoff. Without the go sign, the girls enacted their plan as they saw MALLET was about to strike again. Their machine burst off throughout the Canterlot streets, destroying them as they ran. In a half-second, the girls managed to grab hold of the behemoth and put on the boosters. All energy they had was now redirected there as they both started to lift-off. “Torchel, what’s going on, man?” Royal Flush asked as he was hanging onto his seat. “Does not matter. ACTIVATE EVERYTHING NOW!” The belly once again revealed itself, the arsenal in point-blank range of Dynamo. It let loose with everything, causing the glow of energy that was previously on the rebuilt robot to darken as it started showing signs of breaking. The girls knew that they had to go through with this now if they wanted any chance of winning. “She can’t take much more!” Scootaloo warned them, the mid-section of their robot starting to break apart from the fire. At that point they were now high enough that it seemed like they didn’t need the rockets anymore to stay afloat. At that point, Apple Bloom flipped open the switch containing a big red button, her friends following. Looking each other in the eye, the three clicked the button, starting the countdown. “20 SECONDS TO DETONATION,” the robotic voice announced. The girls jumped in the pod and then boosted off, hoping that they’d get away just in time. “What is happening? What did they just shoot out?” Torchel demanded to know. The rest of the villains were scrambling to find a way to get out of their predicament. They would soon destroy Dynamo and then use their own rockets to finish off Canterlot. At least they would have, if not for a certain voice telling them otherwise. “10 SECONDS TO DETONATION. ALSO, I ALWAYS LOVED YOU, DISCORD,” the voice confessed, confusing the tortoise. It was at that very second that the villains knew what had just happened. “FIGHTER FILLY GIRLS!!!!!!!!!” they yelled out just as Dynamo blew up. The explosion was big enough that the night sky turned to day for a moment, shining on the destroyed Canterlot. Everypony was shocked and worried when they saw that bright light, hoping that the girls made it. Applejack and Rarity hugged each other, worried about each other’s sibling and praying that they would make it. In the space pod the girls were scrambling to control the crazy device. “We’re coming in too fast!” Apple Bloom yelled out. “Hey, girls, why don’t we just fly out of here?” “Sweetie Belle, if we do that then we’d probably lose consciousness at this height and then crash,” explained Scoots. The afterburner rockets were doing all they could, but the girls had sped up their escape pod to maximum velocity in order to escape the explosion. It was now almost impossible to slow down while entering the atmosphere. The three realized this and were silent. Silence was soon interrupted by the scanner beeping as it picked up something while they were falling. “What could possibly be out here?” Apple Bloom thought. She then had the horrifying realization that they could be hit by the debris of the self-destruct and thought that it was all over. Instead of horrifically being destroyed by the debris however, the girls seemed to bump into it and get it stuck on the ship. Somehow, through the shape of the debris, the girls found that they were starting to slow down. “Wow! Whatever we’re attached to is reducing our velocity. It’s like a mini-parachute for us,” Scootaloo told her friends. “Let’s save the afterburners until we get in closer, that way it’s more effective.” Eight minutes of falling passed as the girls descended to the ground. Each second was filled with silence and nervousness of whether their plan would work. The alarms went off, and the afterburners were activated. They would be landing right outside of Canterlot it seemed. Hopefully the landing wouldn’t completely destroy them with the afterburners activated. Murphy’s Law was in full force today it seemed, as the rockets suddenly ran out of gas. “Oh no!” they all exclaimed at the hopeless sight. It now seemed certain that they’d end up crashing with anything to reduce the force from falling. “If only we had something that was as powerful as a rocket,” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, hoping that something convenient would happen as she said that, like her turning around and finding something labeled ‘ROCKET’. There wasn’t. “Wait a second,” was all Apple Bloom said before punching a hole in the floor of the pod. Scootaloo looked as if she was trying to yell something, but the howling wind made it impossible to hear. Apple Bloom decided to simply show her friends what the plan was as she began to use her super breath down the opening. The two understood her plan and followed, blowing down the hole and slowing their descent. They could actually see their landing spot now as they came in to about a hundred feet or so. The super breath was strong enough that they were gently falling. They soon landed, not with a crash, but a gentle touch. They immediately jumped out of the pod as soon as it was safe. “WE DID IT!” they yelled as the grabbed each other in one big hug. They had landed right in the middle of Canterlot Square and were now greeted with a roar of applause by ponies of all kinds. The Mane Six rushed over to see them as they got out. “Great job girls!” Twilight told them. Rarity and Applejack were about to rush over and join them in their hug, but Pinkie Pie held them back as the girls still had their secret identities. They looked at their escape pod to see what exactly had helped them in their descent and were definitely surprised at what they saw. “Is that,” Sweetie Belle paused, taking in the sight before realizing, “my old roof?” “Huh. I guess it is. I wonder how it survived floating in space. And entering atmosphere,” Apple Bloom wondered aloud. Sweetie Belle answered it simply. “That’s because it’s made of mahogany!” she exclaimed. There were murmurs of understanding at this statement. “Thank you very much, Fighter Filly Girls,” a royal voice said. The girls turned around to see both princesses right there, thanking them. It was Celestia’s voice that was currently speaking to them. “Without your courage and bravery, we would have been conquered by that group of villains. All of Equestria thanks you.” She then bowed her head before the three of them, other ponies following her. She shortly raised it and began to speak again. “Now, the only thing I wish to do is figure out who could have possibly created such creatures in the first place.” At that second, Discord literally peeled himself from the ground and shook himself off, burnt flakes coming off him. The entire crowd silently looked at him with condemning eyes. “What?” he asked them just before realizing what was going on. “Oh. Wait. I can totally explain everything,” He then went over to Princess Celestia and whispered in her ears. The expressions on her face changed so much and so quickly that it was hard to see if she was joking or not. He finished up with saying, “And that’s how it all happened. So, yeah, please no stone prison?” “You single handedly endangered the entire world with the stunt you pulled.” Well, it looks like it would be another couple hundred years. “Thing is, you did it for the sweetest possible reason I could think of. Not only that, but you really did help boost the lagging construction industry. Also, Canterlot had been WAY behind in building safety codes, so this really did help in clearing the way for safer construction. In the end, just don’t do it again. WHAT’S THAT!” Celestia then yelled out, causing everypony to look away. She quickly gave Discord a peck on the check, seeing that he really was trying to be nicer and just needed some guidance. The both blushed before telling the crowds, “Never mind, was just a fly.” “Thank you, Princesses, but right now we need to do one more thing,” Apple Bloom and the rest flew up into the sky, the crowds roaring as they did so. The girls ended up following the footsteps of MALLET to a large cavern disguised to look like part of a mountainside. Inside the cavern were the escaped convicts from Baltimare, each of them looking confused as they were in chains. Apparently after their escape, She used her powers to make the convicts their slaves and use them for the construction of MALLET. They were actually grateful to be found and were soon escorted to prison trains to be taken back to their hold. The girls let Celestia know about this and decided to help clean up the city. Discord also helped in cleaning the city up with his magic, knowing that it was the least he could do with the trouble he had caused. He’d now have to report in with Big Mac about magic usage as a sort of parole officer as he seemed to be the closest friend he had at Ponyville. The city would soon be ready for reconstruction, but until then the citizens of Canterlot, most being elite, decided to spend time at their summer houses. The rest migrated over to Ponyville for the time, the construction crews ecstatic to have all this business. Twilight was actually happy about his, since now she could spend some time with her parents as they moved into her place. It seemed like things ended pretty well for everypony, even the Fighter Filly Girls. “Well, no more giant monsters an’ such,” Apple Bloom said as they lay down on their back in a field, relaxing after all they had been through. “Yeah. In some ways, I’ll miss it. Then again, it did get scary at times, you know?” Sweetie Belle thought back to all the fights where they barely made it out. “Besides, we can now have some relaxing time.” “True. To think that this all started because we were trying to get bored. Feels kinda silly, doesn’t it?” Scootaloo pondered, her friends feeling the same way. “Anyway, I better get to soccer practice. There’s gonna be a scout today, and I’ve got a good feeling about this!” “Same here. Winona has another session with me today. Apple Bloom, you really need to get it straight that your dog is a boy. Also, PLEASE get him a girlfriend. It’s starting to get sad.” The two friends headed off, leaving Apple Bloom to relax in the field alone. “Ya know what?” she said to herself. “I don’t need to worry about any Cutie Marks right now. This is all ah’ need.” So once again, the day has been saved, thanks to the Fighter Filly Girls! CMC! CMC! Apple Bloom! She is the brain and the leader! Sweetie Belle! She is the bestest singer! Scootaloo! She is the fastest flier! CMC save the day. Fighting crime Trying to save the world Here they come just in time The CMC Girls! Oh no! It’s the mad Furry Bumpkin Watch out! It’s the repulsive Produsa Get him! It’s evil Torchel Chelchel Chasing evil out Ponyville Fighting crime Trying to save the world Here they come just in time The CMC Girls! Fighting crime Trying to save the world Here they come just in time The CMC Girls! And they’ll be Fighting crime Trying to save the world Here they come just in time The CMC Girls! Fighting crime Trying to save the world Here they come just in time The CMC Girls! Fighting crime Trying to save the world Here they come just in time The CMC Girls! CMC!