> Dis Place Needs A Star! > by Northern Desert > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prologue - A Brooding Draconequus > --------------------------------------------------------------------------         “Discord, can you tell us exactly what drove you to become a director and leading figure in the production of today’s media?” a young griffon squeaked, through the crowd of reporters and fans, her top feathers highlighted in a bright green.         The draconequus in question turned in both interest and surprise by the sudden mention of how his career began.  Looking at the griffon with a warm smile, Discord stroked his beard as he trailed back to how he had started the both crazy and life changing events that had transpired and brought a new light to a rather dull world.         “Well, my dear...I would say I began when I was moping in my house,” Discord mused, the griffon shocked that he had noticed her question.  “While the beginning is somewhat fuzzy, it was when I started to brood about my relationship with my equine friends…” “Oh for the love of,” a serpentine creature bellowed. His variety of animalistic body parts spasmed due to his anger.  “I can’t take this anymore!”         The odd creature fired a yellow bolt of...magic towards an electronic box.  Upon hitting the screen of the box, instead of destroying it the device grew legs and moved sideways along with the moving pictures that were being displayed.  Watching in a seething rage as his latest mishap ran through one of his house’s walls, the creature slapped a furry golden paw onto its face and groaned in indgitation.         Getting up from his orange sofa, it walked over to the...upside down staircase, giving a little hop and finding itself upside down as he walked up it to the second floor of his abode.  And upon reaching the upper side of its house, the mismatched creature stalked...no, waddled in anger over to the balcony and stared out into the endless void that was his chaotic dimension. “Waddled!” he snarled as he heard the change of description in his walking habits, signaling to the narrator that he should probably watch his step around the enraged draconequus.  “Do I look like Sparkle’s little dinosaur to you!?!” “I am not ‘enraged,” the...diverse master of chaos argued, smoke blowing out of its nostrils.  “I’m just…”          ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Embittered, frustrated, irked, displeased, disgruntled, discontent--|         ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Irked is probably the best way to explain it,” the tired draconequus replied, giving the box of words an annoyed glare, clenching the railing on the balcony tightly and the sound of crunching metal rung out.  “But why should you care about how I feel?”         Looking back, the draconequus was once a powerful, if not megalomaniacal, dictator over the very fabric of reality and all of the inhabitants of the world outside this terrifying dimension.  Things such as ‘friendship’ had not immediately cured old wounds or exciting plans, especially ones that dated back to a thousand years in stone.  After all, the show that the draconequus and his trusted ally were preparing must go on. “Yeah, no,” the chaotic entity snorted, slithering back into his bedroom, the railing completely crumpled due to the anger the voice’s words had fueled in powerful creature.  “I’ve worked with too many who in the end betrayed me.  Besides...I don’t need the attention of love for chaos, I have my dear friend who provides all the love I need!” Of course, the draconequus has realized that love and toleration does not equal admiration, something that he had always lusted for from those around him.  Long ago when the draconequus was but a child, he tried to impress the creatures of Equus with his fascinating physiology and marvelous magical prowess.  They in turn scorned him, chased him out not because they feared him, but because they were filled with jealousy. “It wasn’t that awful,” he muttered, flinching at the memory of the furious faces of those that lobbed objects at him.  “They were just surprised that I could--” There were others like him, while lacking his magnificence, that shared in his pain.  Griffons with powerful wings could outlast pegasi in the sky, underwater equines that could command forces beyond unicorns, and reptilian creatures whose determination and knowledge of the earth allowed them to grow more and greater crops than any earth pony.  And yet even with their gifts and kindness, the ponies still drove them out along with the draconequus. The odd creature snarled in remembrance at the hostility and poor treatment the now friendship loving equines had displayed to those more skilled and different than them.  And when they were finally thrusted out of lands that never belonged to the ponies, the three tribes turned on each other.  But he took a deep breath, calming himself, for such things we long in the past. “They are much different, and their goals and dreams seek to bring happiness to all walks of life,” he smiled, giving the voice of the person he could not see a raised eyebrow.  “I have seen it, experienced it.  They are better, kinder, and I will not wreck that for my own petty love for chaos... I am not the Spirit of Chaos anymore!” Such a title never meant anything to the draconequus, for it was but a label placed upon him due to what his magic would do at his will.  But he was Discord, the last of his kind... and while the ponies’ goals had changed, his still existed.  Not to cause chaos, but to be admired, to be looked at with amazement. “Until you grow bored,” Discord accused, jabbing a finger in anger towards the invisible force that was speaking.  “You make a story for me and then change it to someone else’s after it becomes too repetitive, you always do this!” “But I won’t fall for your or anyone else’s tricks, not anymore!” he snarled, his pupils barely pinpricks as the tiny red dots illuminated and his eyeballs flashed a sickly yellow.  “Now go away!  I will no longer be part of your cliché ideas.  It will only end with me in stone, beaten, or hated!” Unfortunately, all these things can come to pass when many others tried to bring Discord into their stories.  He becomes boring, overused or hated, and is awfully predictable and weak.  Tirek was but a mere example of how much he was truly valued as an independent and powerful character, which is practically nothing.   “Sh--shut up!” Discord shot back, pulling earplugs out of thin air and shoving them into his pointy and fluffy ears.         However, this won’t be a ploy for revenge on the draconequus’ part.         “La-la-la-la la la,” the mismatched creature said loudly, trying to drown out the voice that was attempting to sway him.  “I can’t hear yoooooou!” Discord sang.         Nor will it be one where he once again betrays his friends or attempts to make their lives miserable.  For they already find his antics unbearable half of the time, so such things would merely make him more unlikeable and would paint him as an antagonist and they the main characters.         “Which is why all of your ideas are awful,” the draconequus snarked, still pretending to not listen to the reasonable voice.  “The mere gall that you believe that one of your plans won’t end in any of these outcomes is silly.”         No, this scheme will not involve the harm of his friends, nor will it be boring or overused.  This plan will make Discord the hero, someone everyone will admire and strive to become.  He won’t be looked upon as some annoying factor in the lives of the Equestrians, and all thoughts of his past sins will be overshadowed by his heroic deeds!         The Spirit of Chaos perked up at last, now becoming interested in whatever was being suggested.         “Go on…” Discord hummed, raising an eyebrow at the statement.         In order to become the hero, there must be some villain that can cause trouble for not only Equestria, but all of Equus.  Someone who will willingly play the part of the antagonist, but not actually attempt to wreak evil upon the world.  One would need to coax them with something they would want of course, but an idea was already formulating in the back of Discord’s mind.         “Hmmm,” Discord pondered, now mulling over the matter with interest.  “This could work...but I would need to set a few things up and wait for the right opportunity.”         Not to mention the choice on who this ‘partner’ in crime would be.  For while Discord would need a suitable villain that would require the Mane Six’s need for help, but also someone who won’t betray him or go full on evil.  He would need an actor, someone who can play the part perfectly and not show a sign that the whole matter was fabricated.         With a snap of his fingers, a projection of the world appeared before the draconequus.  Widening the globe to a flat plain, basically a map of the world, he moved pieces around and he started to come up with a brilliant plan.  Each piece represented a part of the play, whether it was a creature or item, and each one would have to be in the right position for this to work.         When that was finished, he snapped his talons once again at the map flew into his ear, causing him to shake and wobble a little before the information settled into his brain.  A wide smile plastered his face, and rubbed his lion paw and eagle talon together and chuckled.         “Now for use to find my star,” the patchwork creature jumped giddly, clawing in the air and making a rift that traveled through time and space. His eyes danced as he watched various realities pass by so fast that the normal eye would not be able to keep up.  He looked intently for all the key components his ‘villain’ would need in order to fit the part perfectly. “They’ll need to be open and bold, yet mysterious and unpredictable,” Discord hummed, tapping a claw on his chin.  Some red X's marked certain candidates off his multiversal list.  “And not to mention durable, they will need to take some punishment...but not too much so that they can actually be defeated!” More X’s crossed out potential actors for his skit, causing the draconequus to give out an exasperated sigh as it was not enough for him to find ‘the one’. “They will also need to share some of my...personalities, we don’t want one of those boring ‘serious’ villains that just make the heroes snore at their dialogue,” he hummed, more beings getting crossed off his list.  He beamed, for now he was making progress.    “They have to be smart as well, but not too smart so that they can outthink me…” Discord decided, for while the whole point was for him to trust this ‘actor’...that did not mean that he should take any risks. More X’s signified that he was getting close and weeding out the potential issues in his plan.  This caused Discord to smile, maybe due to his own excitement or because of he was delving back into his mischievous actions. “But most importantly, they have to be willing to play the role of antagonist,” Discord determined, looking at a smaller window of possible choices.  “They will need to be able to accept a new body and their part, and actually want to partake in my quest!” Finally, the candidates were narrowed down to a billion or so, something he could work with.  And yet, he saw one in particular that he saw great potential from...maybe it was the childlike nature they both shared, but something felt right about this choice. “It’s decided!” Discord cheered, giving himself a hug as the list disappeared from view.  “I will need to set the stage first, of course, but this one will be fun.  And with their help, I’ll become...become...idolized, cherished, wanted!” With a spring in his step, one that he thought was gone long ago, Discord leapt into the air and vanished with a brilliant flash of light.  With him were his hopes and dreams, ones that he had carried and thought lost when he was a child. But now was the time for him to be the hero that everyone loved.   The bakery had never been busier, with tourists from all around Equestria coming to Ponyville to catch a glimpse of the new and luxurious castle that was standing proud before all.  While some saw it as an inconvenience and disliked the tourists and the structure, they did not have the heart to relay these grievances to the purple alicorn that had done so much for their small town and country. A pink earth pony was hard at work, preparing a banquet for the return of Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Cadence as they had gone to the new Caninadian Kingdoms in order to aid in the restructure of the former dictatorship into a working democracy.  They had been personally requested to aid the monarchy to help form a constitutional monarchy, for the new prince was far more kind than his uncle, who had brought an uncomfortable reign to the kingdoms.         Her friends were all hard at work, but her job was more methodical, for the princesses had not enjoyed the simple comfort food from their home for many moons.         “Anddddd that’s the last ingredient for the stuffed casserole!” the pink pony cried with happiness, giving a high five to a seemingly mindless alligator.         “I can’t wait for the party! How about you Gummy?” she said happily, giving a beaming smile as she dashed all over the room and worked on the other items for the banquet.  “Everypony’s gonna have a blast, and Twilight can’t wait to see her Shining and Cadence again---”         The mare immediately stopped stirring ingredients in a bowl and dropped it, shaking violently as her body jitterd up and down.  Once the phenomenon had ceased, she shook her head in both worry and confusion, for such an occurrence had not happen in a long time for her.         “Did you see that,” she practically yelled, her face colliding with the calm face of her pet, their eyes barely apart from one another.  “Something really really really bad is going to happen!”         Gummy gave no signs of distress and flicked his tongue out, which caused the earth pony to gasp as the sudden gesture.         “Oh now, what will we do, Gummy!?!” she exclaimed, getting worked up and speaking to the still and silent alligator, who only flicked his long tongue once again.         “You’re right, we have to warn the others,” the pony said determinedly, stamping her hoof down and perking up in suspicion.  “But what could be the cause of this, the map isn’t beeping, so am I just imagining it?”         Gummy fell down on his face, earning another gasp and a shake of the head from the party pony.         “You’re right Gummy, this is no fluke,” she decided, growing both worried and angry, something that had not happened for years.  “Somepony or someone has messed up big time, and if the map doesn’t realize it...then we’ll just have to fix the map!”         Taking her pet under her foreleg, she was ready to bolt out the door and rush to her friend’s castle, but a violent force shook the entire building and cause her to fall down.  As the world around the town shook, the pink mare stumbled out the back door to see what had happened, going wide eyed as black, thorn-like roots started to crawl from their dormant homes.  The light from the Princess of Magic’s castle slowly died out, and the streets of was rampant with panicking equines.         “On no!” the pony said is surprise, remembering these vines once again and ran straight to the center of town where the ponies were also fleeing towards as the Everfree forest started to strike the peaceful town once again.  “This just doesn’t make sense, I thought we already took care of these vines?!?”         Of course, the pink earth pony was right about it not making sense...but what fun was there in doing that...? > Chapter 1 - Princessnapping Robots! > --------------------------------------------------------------------------         “Princess Twilight, did you ever imagine you and your friends would become such stars in the media?” one of the many interviewers asked the lavender alicorn.  “We’ve spoken with Discord on how this amazing story began with him...but what about you and your friends?”         Her friends and her had accepted to speak at a small convention in Vanhoover set up for actors of both the stage and the screen.  While they were still getting use to the idea of becoming famous after their wild adventure, it had come as a relaxing process that had allowed each of them to explore dreams they never thought possible.  And now the question of how it all happened had finally been asked, something that many had looked back on and smiled at the memories.         “Was our intention to aid in the beginning of a new entertainment system for our world?” Twilight giggled, recalling their earliest memories that had led them down this road.  “No, we were far too busy to think anything so profound would come out of our adventure.  But I won’t lie and say that I’m not happy about what has occurred from it!”         More of the interviewers raised their hooves/talons/claws/and hands as they wanted to press further on the questioning.  Her friend Fluttershy meeped at the attention, but looked around shyly until she saw a lone griffon in the crowd, attempting to ask a question herself, but was stopped by the hoard reporters, fans, and interviewers.         With a look of determination, she slowly aimed her hoof at the struggling griffon.  Upon seeing her friend’s action, Twilight beamed and increased the volume of her voice and called out to the crowd.         “May the griffon with the green highlighted feathers come forward and ask the next question?” Twilight encouraged, earning a grateful smile from yellow pegasus.         The griffon in question stepforward and coughed as she attempted to work with the mic, clearly nervous to be the center of attention.         “Um, I was wondering if you could maybe tell us the exact story of how it all began with you, considering Director Discord has already leaked some of the information on his beginnings out to the public,” the griffon asked nervously, somewhat worried that the question may have been to personal.  “If this is alright with my colleagues of course, I wouldn’t want for their questions to become stifled by this one…”         Various nods of agreement and encouraging words to the young griffon echoed throughout the room.  Twilight looked over to her friends, earning looks of approval from them, and turned back to the griffon.         “Well, it began on a peaceful day in a peaceful town…” The purple alicorn of magic was not having a decent day. It was actually very unpleasant considering what it was suppose to be built up to be.  The sun was shining, the birds were singing, it was a perfect day for a picnic...or some other outside activity on such a beautiful day.         And then all Tartarus broke loose.         The area around the town was shaking violently, causing buildings to almost crumble and the items within them became dangerous obstacles for the ponies inside the building who were trying to get out of harm’s way.  Next of course were the stampeding ponies that could trample each other at any moment as they fled from any danger, and the mass influx of tourists didn’t make that issue any better. Twilight was quick along with her four other friends, one not being present during this trying time, to ensure a safe and organized movement to the center of town where the ponies were most safe.  Unfortunately for the heroines, this event was more than just an simple earthquake as they soon ran into the awakened thorny roots that had terrorized Ponyville not so long ago.  These new factors blended into an overall dangerous situation only that quickened the hurry to the center of town, unicorns using their magic to ward off the roots as pegasi and earth ponies scrambled to ensure that everyone was able to get out of the structures in town safely. “I thought we already deweeded these things!” a rainbow maned pegasus cried out in frustration, carrying an unconscious unicorn that had been knocked down by the encroaching vines.         “Apparently not,” a white unicorn replied, using her magic to crush one of the nearby vines with a piece of rubble.  “And it seems--” she stopped speaking as she leapt away from one of the roots slamming down where she originally was, “--they’re more persistent than last time.”         Several ponies were attempting to move food and valuables towards a safer location, worried that they would lose too much to this catastrophe.  Recent museums and scientific buildings had moved to Ponyville due to the safety it presented with the presence of the heroic Princess of Magic.  Twilight herself was mere inches away from her friends, creating a magical fire to prevent many of the Everfree’s growth from swarming the outnumbered equines. “That’s everyone!” Applejack shouted, the orange earth pony leaping over one of the lower parts of the magical flames.  “Raise the fire as high as you can, sugarcube!” “Got it,” the alicorn shouted back, igniting her horn and creating a more defensive fire.  “We need to find a safer destination for everypony. The museum was built to handle earthquakes and it’s right next to the town square. See if you can get something set up, Rainbow!”   The pegasus had moved the downed unicorn to a safe location and gave a curt nod to her friend, speeding off to make sure they could stow everypony in the more secure building.  As the rest of the equines started to depart from the protective flames, Twilight found herself straining to hold the shield around the other sides of town that the vines could come through.   Finally realizing that holding the shields would no longer prove useful and that everypony had made it through to the center of town, she lowered to powerful shield and was relieved from some magical induced stress.  He head swarmed with the possibilities of this event occurring again, worried that something had either reawakened the plunder seeds in the Everfree, or that something was wrong with the Elements.   Either way, what mattered right now was sending requests to Canterlot for the Royal Guard’s assistance.  Unfortunately, Celestia and Luna were absent, which left Canterlot’s most powerful resources absent...and the guard themselves would take time to mobilize, if they could actually organize into an effective rescue force. Faith in them was at an all time low due to Tirek’s seemingly unchallenged crusade upon Equestria. However, upon reaching the town square Twilight found herself confronted with a large mass of equines attempting to find the safest location to settle down in.  Her heart strained at the sight of terrified and hurt ponies, all unsure of their future with another disaster hitting their homes.  Looking around the crowd, she found Pinkie Pie bouncing in worry as she entered the museum.         “Let’s head to the museum and see what we can do…” Twilight sighed, her eyes strained and her head pounding due to magic exhaustion, earning some worried looks from Rarity and Applejack. “Ah think you need some rest,” Applejack replied, looking at the alicorn and the stumbling of her tired legs. “Let’s get her inside before the poor dear drops from exhaustion,” Rarity said quickly, propping her lavender friend straight up and helping the weakened alicorn move through the crowd and into the museum.  “It’s over here I believe…” As they entered the building, the could see their friends Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash moving crates of invaluable artifacts at the direction of a dark yellow pegasus with a vest and hat.  A purple dragon was seen sending messages in the back with his magical fire, frantically writing letters for immediate help while Pinkie Pie hopped in a nervous state.         “Um...right over here,” the yellow pegasus asked shyly as the pegasus directing her and her friend was looking inside the crates.         “That’s perfect, Miss Shy,” the pony replied as she looked over to see where the crate was being placed.  “Only a few more to go and we should have enough room for everypony and then some!”         “Thanks for getting this place tidied up for us, Daring,” Twilight croaked upon her and her friends entering, earning an understanding nod from the explorer.         “It’s the least I can do,” Daring Do said sternly, giving a curious glance at the outside to see what else was happening.  “Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Spike did most of the work once I found the best way for us to have room...how’s it looking out there?”         “It could be better,” Applejack grunted, giving a sideway glance as she saw her family tucked in the crowd.  “Hopefully the guard can get here quickly and help us out...but we have no idea on how we can stop the plunder seeds this time.”         “Wasn’t it because of the Tree of Harmony dieing that these things came around last time?” Spike questioned, remembering clearly how the last time this issue had played out.  “Could the Elements be in danger or something?”         His question probably addressed the most worrisome source behind this sudden event, but they had hoped that it would be caused by something else.         “When Princess Celestia and Luna get back, I’m sure we can work this out and find a way--” While Twilight was attempting to reassure everyone a bright and yellow light took hold over the multiple skeletal bodies of various creatures.         They shook and broke out of their glass cases and swirled around, bones flung around the room as specific ones stood above the ground hovering, each from some species.  As they hovered in the air, the equines and the dragon took a step back as a magical energy soon wrapped itself around the bones, golden flames soon blazing over these artifacts.         As the light show ended, what stood before them was the familiar draconequus whose antics were known to cause strife and trouble.  Looking around to see all the ponies staring at him with shock and disbelief, he looked over and rushed towards Twilight who was probably the most confused one there.         “Discord!?!” The purple alicorn asked, unsure of what brought the Spirit of Chaos to the town.  “What are you doing here--”         She was cut off as Discord gave the alicorn a crushing hug, and looked up at the ceiling dramatically.  “It’s awful, just awful!” Discord said mournfully, earning a few raised eyebrows on exactly what the draconequus was babbling about.  “There’s a problem that I have and I just couldn’t think about who to ask for help!”         “We’re kinda in the middle of our own crisis,” Rainbow Dash snapped, hovering next to the draconequus.  She grabbed the sides of Discord’s head and turned it over to the front of the museum where the havoc of the encroaching forest growth was evident.  “So I don’t think your problems are our top priority right now.”         “That’s just the tip of the iceberg you silly pigeon!” Discord cried out, grabbing Rainbow from the air and shaking her violently.  “THIS IS EVEN WORSE!”         “What are you going on about?” Rarity groaned, putting her hoof over her tired face at the odd creature’s actions.  “We’ve got an invasion of violent plants and earthquakes tearing apart Ponyville, so instead of just shouting what’s wrong why don’t you just tell us!?!”         Discord dropped the cyan pegasus onto the ground, her body vibrating so much that she actually went through the ground and created a mini hole in the floor.   He whipped out a tv remote and snapped his fingers to summon a tv, all the while Pinkie Pie eyed the draconequus with a look of suspicion. “What’s that?” Applejack questioned, seeing the draconequus flipped through the channels on the box. “It’s called a tv,” Rarity replied, giving a look of interest as well.  “Griffon invention, apparently it’s powered by magic and projects the actions of a camera to the screen...but why are we being shown this, Discord?”         “Uhhhhh, Ah!” Discord cried out, finally reaching the correct channel.  “Watch this, it’s...it’s not good.”         Cheery music emanated from the sound system and the screen lit up with the logo ‘MTT Tv!’.  The equines and dragon tilted their head to the side, confused and interested in exactly what Discord was trying to show them.  A shift in the screen soon moved to some kind of meeting room, with a broken oaken and round table in the background, splinters littered everywhere.         “HELLO THERE ALL YOU BEAUTIFUL CREATURES!” a robotic voice boomed from the television, causing some of the ponies to take a step back.           “WELCOME TO MTT TV.  YOUR HOST METTATON HERE, AND OH BOY DO WE HAVE A SHOW FOR YOU!” A metal rectangle rolled onto the stage, yellow and orange squares flashed on the front of the rectangle as one of the two arms held a microphone.           “This is when you first meet the famous Mettaton?” one of the ponies in the crowd asked, for origin stories around the strange robot had been rare and had not been given official support.         “Yes, he was...the worst person I could have ever had the pleasure of meeting,” Twilight said, earning some gasps and surprised looks from the crowd.  She in return laughed at their shock and decided to explain what she was exactly saying.         “While Mettaton and I have no qualms with each other and we even see each other as friends...the beginning of our relationship with him was a little more complicated,” The alicorn chuckled, reminding herself that she would need to hit the robot upside the head for all the stuff he had put them though.  “For as Discord explained a few weeks ago, Mettaton’s purpose was not to entertain...but to pose as an actual villain that we would have to worry about...let me tell you exactly how that went.”         “Who’s this weirdo?” Daring Do questioned, picking up the shattered pieces of bone and glass.  “And why is this so important?”         Discord simply hushed the explorer and kept his focus on the television.  The metal creature gave a small wave to the invisible audience on the other side of the screen before continuing his show.           “WE ARE CURRENTLY LIVE AT CANINADA’S INTERNATIONAL MEETING PLACE WHERE DECISIONS WERE UNDERWAY FOR A NEW GOVERNMENTAL SYSTEM FOR THE NATION!” Mettaton cried out with excitement, motioning for the cameraman to move the camera over to his side.         What the Equestrians saw took the breath out of them.  For in strange clear glass bubbles was the many rulers and governmental officials of the various kingdoms, including Celestia, Luna, and Cadence.  The ponies and dragon gaped at the sight before them, their leaders captured and clearly tired for these turn of events.         “NOW I KNOW THIS LOOKS ALARMING, BUT DO NOT FRETE DARLINGS!” the metal rectangle said, his robotic voice filled with joy.  “FOR THESE FINE LADIES AND GENTLEMEN ARE FINE...FOR NOW AT LEAST!  UNFORTUNATELY, THEY ARE LESS THAN WILLING TO GIVE ME WHAT I WANT!”         “Why that little--” Rainbow Dash snarled, stopping herself from releasing the tidal wave of less than pleasant words about the robot.  “--who does this freak think he is, kidnapping the princesses like that!?!”         “BUT AS I SAID, DO NOT FEAR FOR THEM BECAUSE I HAVE REACHED A REASONABLE SOLUTION!”  Metton reassured, wagging a finger at the camera.  “FOR AS YOU CAN SEE, WE ARE MISSING ONE OF THE HIPPEST MEMBERS OF THE ALICORN FAMILY!”         “Oh no…” Twilight groaned, having a bad feeling on where this was heading.         “WHICH IS WHY I WANT HER TO CALL US AT 1-800-SAVEYOURPRINCESSESNOW!” Mettaton readout a small piece of paper and dragged a table with a telephone next to him.  “WE’LL WAIT ABOUT...80 SECONDS, OR THE PRINCESSES AND THEIR COLLEAGUES WILL HAVE AN UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE!”         A timer popped up on the screen and counted down as the maniacal robot waited patiently for the fourth alicorn to make her call.  Celestia and Luna could be seen shouting at Mettaton along with some other kings and queens, but the bubbles must have cut the sound off.         Twilight at this point started to freak out.  She looked left in right and danced on her hoof tips, frantically trying to find a phone.  Discord snap his fingers quickly and handed Twilight a phone, worry plastered on his muzzle.  His face only further unsettled the lavender pony, knowing that this was something much more serious than the robot’s cheery tone let it off to be.         Dialing the numbers with her magic, the ringing noise echoed throughout the museum.  Mettaton was looking at a wristwatch before the phone next to him rung, his yellow and orange tiled face flashed happily and grabbed the ringing phone and put Twilight on speaker.         “PRINCESS TWILIGHT SPARKLE, I AM SOOOOO HONORED TO SEE THAT YOU CALLED!” Mettaton cheered, his roller leaning him from side to side.           “What do you want...Mettaton, right?” Twilight Sparkle asked, her voice strained at the sight of her fellow princesses trapped.  “Why are you doing this? Are you so cruel as to hurt people who are only trying to help others!?!”         “NOW NOW, PRINCESS, THIS ISN’T PERSONAL.  IT’S SHOW BUSINESS, SO DON’T READ TOO MUCH INTO THIS!” the metal rectangle replied, giving a friendly wave to the camera as he reassured the audience.  “EVERY SHOW NEEDS A PLOT TO IT, AND WHAT BETTER PLOT THAN RESCUING CAPTURED PRINCESSES!?!”         “This isn’t a game Mettaton!” Twilight growled, magic sparking from her horn.  “Ponyville is in deep trouble and we need all the help--”         “AH YES, THOSE PLUNDER SEEDS CAUSING YOU TROUBLE!?!” Mettaton questioned, giving off a smug expression.  “THAT’S PROBABLY BECAUSE I TOOK...THESE!”         The robot then held up a glowing star shaped object, the Element of Magic to be precise.  Rainbow Dash choked in rage, Applejack snarled at the robot’s theft, and the others simply glared at the screen. “The Elements aren’t toys, Mettaton...you have to give them back!” Twilight pleaded, now knowing the source of their problems her discomfort with talking to the robot only increased. “TSK TSK, NOW IT WOULDN’T BE A VERY INTERESTING SHOW IF I JUST GAVE THEM TO YOU!” Mettaton lectured, putting the Element of Harmony away.  “NOW LISTEN CAREFULLY, BECAUSE I’M ONLY GOING OVER THIS ONCE!” Mettaton pulled out a map of the various kingdoms, taking out a pointer and hitting the Griffonstone with the metal pole.   “I’VE HIDDEN THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY ALL OVER THE GLOBE IN THE HANDS OF MY MOST TRUSTED ACTORS!”  Mettaton informed, tapping Griffonstone on the map.  “LOYALTY AND LAUGHTER IS IN GRIFFONSTONE--” the metal rod then went to Zebrica, more specifically was the city of Zebodia, “GENEROSITY AND HONESTY PRESIDE IN ZEBODIA--” the rod then hit the capital of Caninadia, Labrador, “AND KINDNESS AND MAGIC ARE SITTING NICE AND COMFORTABLE IN LABRADOR WITH ME!”         Twilight gave those around her a bewildered look, earning similar expressions of confusion.  She then chose to speak to the robot again.         “You want us to go on some world adventure to find the missing Elements and...save the princesses?” Twilight asked hesitantly, most of their enemies came to them.  They would stomp around Equestria and they would fight them on their home turf...but this was much different.         “PRECISELY DARLING!” Mettaton said, giving a small applaud to Twilight’s deduction.  Whether or not it was legitimate praise or sarcasm was unknown to most.  “AND TO MAKE THIS A LITTLE BIT MORE INTERESTING, YOU’RE GOING TO PARTAKE IN A LITTLE QUIZ SHOW!”         This was what had pushed Rainbow Dash over the edge, and the Rainbow maned pegasus snatched the phone from Twilight’s magic aura.  Ready to give Mettaton a piece of her mind.         “You listen here you bucket of bolts,” Rainbow Dash snarled, her wings flapping in rage as she told off the robot.  “We’re not going to play your stupid games and we’re not going to go on some grand quest for your stupid show!  I’m gonna fly over there and turn you into scrap metal, you got that!?!”         The rectangular menace went silent at Rainbow’s outburst, leaving the other Equestrians confused on whether he was spooked or dumbfounded by the threats.         “OH MY...THIS WILL NOT DO AT ALL!” Mettaton said unhappily, his small squared face turning a bright read and he shot an electric bolt to Celestia’s bubble, shocking the alicorn and clearly hurting the princess of the sun.         Rainbow Dash dropped the phone in surprise at the sudden attack, Twilight barely managing to catch it with her magic.  Giving an angry look to the surprisingly silent pegasus.  She shook her head and tried to reason with the robotic villain.         “He electrocuted her!?!” a dragon balked. The mere thought of the tv star walking up to the princess of the sun and kidnapping her seemed extremely weird, considering Mettaton’s attitude today.         “Well, I think we can all agree that he was a bit...eccentric back then,” Rarity coughed, remembering the barbaric tactics the robot had taken in order to get everyone to play along with his show.  “But he’s been pardon of all crimes...well almost all of them.”         “What Rarity is trying to say is that all of that is in the past,” Twilight chuckled, although that particular incident was hard for Celestia to forgive.  “But he wasn’t so bad at that moment…okay, he was completely awful. He kidnapped and held hostage multiple rulers and wasn’t exactly one to care about their discomfort.”                  “What game do you want to play, Mettaton?” Twilight gulped, looking at her injured mentor and motherly figure.         “OH...A QUIZ SHOW, WHERE I TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE!” Mettaton replied, he himself sounded shaken.  Why he would be seemed to peak Twilight’s interest.  “I WILL ASK YOU THREE QUESTIONS, IF YOU GET THEM RIGHT YOU WILL GET A PRIZE!  BUT IF YOU GET IT WRONG...WELL YOU SAW WHAT HAPPENED.”         “Of course, what is the first question?” Twilight asked, looking at her friends who gave her looks of encouragement.         “WHERE ARE THE ELEMENTS OF GENEROSITY AND HONESTY LOCATED, YOU HAVE FIFTEEN SECONDS DARLING!” Mettaton asked, deciding to start off easy with this one.         Twilight’s mind went blank at the robot’s question, the stress of what was happening and what was on the line had shaken the alicorn.  She saw the counter going down and desperately tried to clear her mind and think of the answer, but from behind the tv she saw something that caught her interest.         Discord was holding up a sign with the name ‘Zebodia’ and kept giving the princess a nervous smile and a thumbs up.         “Zebodia!” Twilight said quickly, thankful that Discord could at least hold himself in such a terrifying situation.         A sound of applauds followed by the timer going down, Mettaton looking as happy as ever when the green line seemed to spike at Twilight’s correct answer.         “VERY GOOD!  BUT HERE’S YOUR NEXT QUESTION,” Mettaton exclaimed, pulling another piece of paper.  “WHAT ARE CELESTIA AND LUNA’S PARENTS’ NAMES?  IS IT: STELLAR AND SUNSHINE, SOLARUS AND ECLIPSE, OR STEVEN AND SAMANTHA?”         Twilight nearly choked at the question, and her former mentor gave the robot a look of both a surprised and impressed look that it had managed to dig up that information.         “Ummmm….” the young alicorn said hesitantly, once again seeing Discord signal the possible answer.  “Steven and Samantha?”         “CORRECT!” Mettaton proclaimed, tossing the piece of paper away.  “ALTHOUGH IT REALLY BRINGS UP THE QUESTION ON WHY PONY NAMES GOT SO COMPLICATED!”         “ANYWAYS, ONTO THE FINAL QUESTION!” Mettaton said happily, a crowd of applauds coming from the television.  “LET’S SEE IF THE AUDIENCE CAN ALSO ANSWER THIS!?!  WHAT IS...THE AIRSPEED VELOCITY OF AN UNLADEN SWALLOW!?!”                 The whole room went silent at this question.  Everyone, even Discord, could not come off with an answer off the top of their heads.  However, if there was one thing Discord knew how to do, it was making people look worse than they actually were.  And how better to do that then to stump the questioner? “African or European!?!” Discord called out, causing Mettaton’s music to go silent.  The rise in ratings also halted, the viewership ratings would look grim if the robot could not turn this around.         “CONGRATULATIONS PRINCESS TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” Mettaton clapped frantically, his happy music once again playing to bring up the spirits of the audience.  “FOR YOU HAVE FOUND MY HIDDEN LOOPHOLE IN A NIGH-IMPOSSIBLE QUESTION, CHALLENGING THE QUESTION ITSELF!  AN AUDIENCE HAS YET TO EXPERIENCE SUCH A TWIST, RIVETING ISN’T IT!?!”           With his explanation given, the viewership soon climbed back up from its originally numbers.  Giving a sigh of relief, the robotic star decided that now was probably the best time to end his show.         “WELL WITH THIS EPISODE OVER, I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE ALL OF YOU NEXT TIME!” Mettaton yelled, lifting up one of his hands and a flash of brilliant lights colored the room around him as a disco ball brought a rainbow color to the room.  “WILL PRINCESS TWILIGHT AND HER FRIENDS RESCUE THE LEADERS OF THE WORLD!?!  WE’LL SEE NEXT TIME ON MTT TV!”         The show then ended with a catchy outro and some credits to all of the production cast.  Twilight and everyone else in the room remained silent, bewildered at what they had just experienced and witnessed.  Then, after all had been processed on what the hell had actually happened, Twilight Sparkle fainted.            > Chapter 2 - A Star is Born! > --------------------------------------------------------------------------         “You’re pretty determined to find something from all this, aren’t you?” Discord asked, his red scaly tail holding a cup of pink milk as he stood across a table from a familiar griffon.         The griffon in question had her iconic green highlighted headfeathers.  Her body was a hybrid of bird and cat, a hawk and a panther with fluffy feathers puffed out due to her nervous state.  She had managed to get an appointment with the famous draconequus, who often made many stops to talk with want-to-be producers and actors, in order to get some more information about what had exactly happened all those years ago. “We--ll, the story about you and the former Element bearers meeting Mettaton was never brought to the public,” the griffon said nervously. Her own curiosity concerning the adventure had driven her to make such bold decisions, like flying the Manehattan.  “And while I was still young, Griffonstone was in a state of panic when Mettaton and his former minions had occupied it.” Discord perked up at her mentioning of the Griffonstone occupation, giving a soft smile at the avian.  At her age, she was probably fourteen or fifteen when the recovering city was overtaken by the mischievous  robot and his ‘modernization’ plans for the ancient place.  It was probably a confusing, if not hectic, time for the griffons, especially someone whose entire young life had not been prepared to such drastic changes. “I hope that you and your family fared well when Mettaton brought about his brief rule,” Discord said, worried that the eccentric robot may have done some damage to the town to gather this much interest.   “It would most certainly be a shame that something dreadful had happened.” “No, no!” the griffon said quickly in order to reassure the draconequus.  “I was just wondering...well where Mettaton came from and why he decided to try and takeover? While most of the adventure we know was edited and reworked so that it was more suitable to audiences, not much of the original story exists.  I hope to write a book on the whole thing, with your permission of course!” “Well of course, dear!” the draconequus clapped, closing his eyes and giving a warm smile at the suggestion.  “As for where Mettaton came from...well do you want the full, 100%, uncensored tale of how Twilight and her little pals saved the world and how Mettaton came to be?” The griffon nodded her feathery head excitedly, a smile breaking her beak. This was something she had been dying to know for a loooong time. It was amazing that she had managed to gain the director’s attention, let alone get him down for a story.         “I do, sir!” she said excitedly, her wings shuffling about and she dug out a laptop from her backpack.         “Alright then!” Discord said cheerfully, snapping his fingers and magicking a paper document and quill.  “Just sign here because I don’t want anyone trying to claim you never had permission from me. You know how some of these crazy ponies are.  What was your name again?”         “Chirp, Mr. Discord, Chirp Bawker!” Chirp said as she signed the document.  The paper teleporting away after she had finished reading it and signed her name.         “Okay Chirpy...in return let me give you a list of names,” the draconequus mused, snapping his finger again and placing it in the open talon of the griffon.  “That’s a list of others you should talk to, in order to get the full story from what I’ve just told you.”         “I really do appreciate it, Mr. Discord,” Chirp replied, folding the list and tucking it into her backpack. “For everything. I know you’re often busy.”         “I should be the one thanking you, my dear,” Discord chuckled, giving the griffon a small wave.  “No one has really asked for the story in such a direct manner, mainly because they don’t bother to think about it. What they saw on the big screen was enough for them.”         “Now,” he yawned, stretching his limbs and dropping both his cloven hoof and reptilian foot on the top of his desk. “Mettaton was, and still is, an...interesting character I had stumbled upon, but he was not always the lovable and fabulous robot that everyone knows and love.  No, long ago he was a creature called a human…” “Well, what do you think, Barney?” the patchwork creature asked the now calm human, taking a drink from his pink mug.  “Do we have a deal?”         Barney himself was a human, a tall and bipedal creature with no fur or tail, but with short dusty black hair on his head.  He wore a simple pair of glasses as he read over Discord’s document for a job, one that he had not be prepared to receive.  Then again, no actor has ever expected a transdimensional creature to pop into their reality and offer them a job.         “Well...it is certainly an interesting proposition,” Barney replied, giving the document another readover while sipping a mug of hot chocolate. “But um...why exactly have you come to me with it, Decor was it?”         “Discord,” the draconequus answered, giving the human a toothy smile. “As to why I chose you...well, you just fit all the areas I was looking for.  Plus, I threw a dart while blind folded and it hit your picture.”         Barney mused over this information, remembering clearly his first reaction to finding the draconequus eating the last piece of his mousse cake.  It had involved the human screaming, only to faint a few minutes later.  When he had woken up and still found Discord in his house and lying on his couch, he had grabbed his glass table and smashed it over the surprised mythical creatures head.  That had also involved screaming, but it was more from Barney getting over the fact that he had just smashed the poor creature's head added on with Discord’s own cries of pain as he plucked the glass shards out of his own cranium.         While the human was ready to apologize for this and get somethin to help the poor guy, Discord decided to get even and thumped the still conflicted human over the head with his lion’s paw. When he finally woke up, he found himself tied to his comfy computer chair.  Discord waiting patiently and reassuring the human all was fine and that he had indeed not lost his sanity.         This had led them to where they were now, both taking a sip of the delicious chocolatey beverage and talking out business opportunities on a relativity snowy day.         “Well that’s one hell of a selection process. Probably involved more than just a dart through...but I highly doubt I would understand with the way you go about things,” Barney smirked, having seen the creature’s wacky magic first hand. “But you make one heck of a bargain!” He was still unsure if he was giddy due to his childish dreams of seeing some magical creature come true, or if Discord had spiked his hot coco.         “I trust that you’ve read over the entire contract then?” Discord asked patiently, happy that someone could appreciate his unique approach on life.         “Turning me into a magical ghost possessing a magical robot,” the human snorted, giving Discord a snarky look. “What, is my face not beautiful enough for ya?”         “Unfortunately...no!” Discord snarked back, his wide grin never leaving his face. This sarcastic answer earned a chuckle from Barney.         “And you want me to play the role of a villain and terrorize a land of magical ponies…” Barney trailed off, looking up and giving the draconequus a questioning look.  “Geeze, are you serious? I mean, I can do that I guess...but am I actually, like, terrorizing them?”         “Terrorize is a strong word,” the spirit of chaos pursed his lips, taking another sip of his drink. “But essentially, you will provided the picture of an evil and devious force that the heroes of Equestria must stand up to.” “Hmmm, your friends...right?” “Correctamundo!” Discord said. He summoned a rotating wheel of clapping hooves, giving the human a small round of applause.         “Well...why exactly do you want me to ‘terrorize’ your friends?” Barney questioned, raising an eyebrow at the creatures seemingly unfazed response. He didn’t look or act like a bad guy, so the question pertaining as to why he came to Earth with intent to give a human powers and harass his friends seemed strange.         “Ah...well while I have friends from where I’m from, it is more on a toleration level,” Discord respond, clicking his tongue as a bitter taste came to his mouth.  “I use to be what many would consider ‘a villain’, but I have put that past me know. However, what I want is more than toleration or simple friendship, which are both nice to begin with, but most of all, I want to be admired. To be the hero of the world, and everyone else to look up to me!”         “And in order to be the hero, you need a villain!?!” Barney replied, the answer finally dawning on him.         “Correct...I know it sounds selfish,” Discord sniffed, thinking back to his earlier childhood. He had attempted to be a performer himself, using his magic to wow the crowd. “But this has been something I’ve wanted for a long time.” Barney gave the draconequus a sympathetic look; this really hit close to him, his entire career being based on admiring (and occasionally envying) people he would never be. But if he could help one person become something they always wanted to be...well, it would be good to bring a smile on the draconequus’s face.         “Mettaton...this could work,” Barney sighed, realizing that this may come back to bite him later. “Okay Discord, I’ll play your villain to this little quest of yours!”         The draconequus in question perked up and wagged his tail like a dog, grabbing the human’s hand and shaking it violently.         “Oh thank you, my dear friend!” Discord said ecstatically, shaking the poor human up and down due to his excitement. “You will not regret this. For in Equus, there are no real tv shows or movies. The invention of the box itself was only created a few years ago.  You’ll be the first actually performer to hit the big screens.” After recovering from Discord’s burst of excitement, Barney raised a hand to make one objection. The creature gave him a puzzled look, but waved for him to object away.         “Here’s the thing. I’m going to need more than just this rectangle body,” Barney brought up, deciding on one of his conditions.  He didn’t want to be some plain old box; he need fancies in order to dazzle the viewers! “I’ll need an actually body, maybe as a big reveal or a ‘final boss transformation’.”         “Oh, don’t worry pal,” Discord smiled, hugging the human to his side with one of his arms and waving the other in front of them. His hand left a trail of rainbows as it passed through the air. “I’ve already got the entire thing laid out...with some inspiration of course. We wouldn’t want to take all of the credit from good old Toby!”         “Okay...well, what about where my lair will be?” Barney questioned, thinking over the possible cool evil bases. “I don’t want something dark and dingy! It has to be big and scream ‘I’m the king, baby!’. Like a castle or something.”         “Oh, don’t worry, I have just the thing for that!” the patchwork creature chuckled manically. The sweet irony he was going to put Celestia through was almost enough to make him rethink his good behavior...almost. “You’ll have a great base of operations, trust me.”         “Hmmm, I’ll also need minions...” Barney added in. By now, both draconequus and human were beginning to let their devious sides come out and blossom.         Walking over to his consoles, he picked up one of the cases of the game and looked at it carefully.  He then tossed it over to Discord, who caught it with great precision. The mixed up creature gave him a confused glance before looking at the cover and letting out a small chuckle.  Barney came over with two more cases, handing them to the draconequus to inspect. “You think these guys will do?” the human questioned, getting really in the feel for this entire business. He was already thinking of his dramatic entrance as the ‘villain’ that would take the world by surprise. “I don’t want them throwing off the ‘flow’ the various areas in the world may have.”         Discord stroked his goatee and stuck out one of his tongue, picturing the perfect settings for the various creatures to be spread out. After laying out such an ambitious plan he gave himself a pleased nod and snap his fingers, sending the games to his dimension for an extra look over. “All will be taken care of, my friend,” Discord said, giving the now ecstatic human a grin. “Well...with all this said, you ready to go?”         Barney gave the draconequus a shocked look, somewhat taken aback by the sudden rush for them to leave.         “Well...I’ll need to make my monthly payments to my landlord and--” Barney tried to explain, but was cut off abruptly by the cheery draconequus.         “Nononono,” Discord said quickly, giving the human a thumbs up. “I’ve already taken care of all of you bills with some of my own--” he snapped his finger and a couple hundred dollar bills appeared in his furry fingers, “--so you don’t have to worry about that!”         Barney’s jaw dropped at the large sum of money before him. While he really shouldn’t have been surprised by this, it still astounded him that someone could have such powers like manipulating reality or creating other things. Shaking his head, he finished his drink and put the mug in the sink, stretching his sore muscles and walking towards his door.         “Alright then, let’s go to this Equus!” the human said, ready for this short adventure. “But...let’s make sure I don’t get turned into a statue like you did. That would be extremely uncomfortable for me.”         “Trust me, Barney, you have nothing to worry about!” Discord replied, snapping his fingers once more.  The world shifting around them and darkness overcoming the human’s vision, his mind becoming empty as he seemingly moved effortlessly through whatever universe he was in.   “OHHHH....” the human groaned in a robotic voice, feeling dizzy from the sudden teleportation. He began getting up with his feet...wheel? “WHA--WHAT HAPPENED TO MY LEGS!?!” he cried out in surprise, now seeing his long metal arms wave out in front of him. “WHAT IS HAPPENING, WHAT AM I!?!” Sailing across the room his his single wheeled leg, he frantically searched for anything or anyone that could answer his questions. He saw a door in the middle of his path, but chose to ignore it and ran right through the wooden obstacle in his panicked flight. The now metal and rectangular human soon found himself crashing and sliding across the ground as he splintered the door, his breathing becoming distorted and horrifying as he felt his body remain cold. “Wow, calm down there Barney!” a familiar voice cried out, lifting the robot up into the air with a strange golden aura. “Crap! Hold on, I can fix this pal.”         Snapping his fingers together, a loud poof followed by Barney becoming calmer. Now having control over his emotions and feeling more...alive, the now-robotic Barney wiggled in Discord’s grasp.         “S--ORRY, I HAVE NO IDEA...I JUST FEEL WEIRD!” the robot said apologetically, now being placed down as draconequus got down on one knee to inspect his partner.         “I’ve rarely done this, so fully Displacing both your mind and body into this body was less effective than it should have been,” Discord mused, stroking his beard at his mistake. “Luckily, I managed to rectify this feeling. So don’t worry about the side effects.”         “RIGHT...WHERE ARE WE CURRENTLY LOCATED, DISCORD?” Barney asked, looking around as the small yellow and orange boxes on his face flicker and blinked.         “Canindia. The capital to be exact,” the draconequus commented, giving the robot a mischievous grin. “This is where the beginning of your show will start, my friend!”         “WHAT AM I TO EXACTLY DO IN ORDER TO START OFF THE PLOT TO YOUR STORY?” Barney questioned, somewhat excited to get this little show started.         “Well, in this very building is a meeting with the world’s national leaders, each working to rebuild this tiny kingdom for the better of the people,” Discord smirked. The sheer lack of guards had made this entire plan laughably easy. “You are to take them hostage and broadcast this to the world, taunting six heroines in particular!”         “YOU HAVE INFORMED ME THAT THE TWO PRINCESSES WILL ALSO BE HERE...HOW DO YOU PLAN FOR ME TO DEFEAT SUCH POWERFUL CREATURES?” Barney asked, unsure on how well he could handle two magical pegacorns who could raise celestial bodies.         “Well, ‘Mettaton’, you will not be doing this alone!” Discord reminded him. He snapped a finger and multiple creatures of odd origins filled the room, each ready to serve their robotic master. “Plus, I have a little gift for you!”         Tossing the now named Mettaton a strange remote, the draconequus pointed to one of the minions in front of them. Urging the robot to point the remote at one of the many creatures with them, the remote gave a small click before a strange beam shot towards the confused minion. As it hit, a bubble formed around the surprised minion, earning a chuckle from Discord.         “By using my own magical makeup, the bubble will send any magical or physical attack through small pockets in my dimension!” Discord said proudly, snapping his fingers and causing the bubble to vanish the poor creature falling to the ground.         “PERFECT! THIS WILL DO WELL IN MY CAPTURING OF THE PRINCESSES!” Mettaton cheered, clapping at the display as his many tiles flickered. “DO WE HAVE THE CAMERAS SET, THE TELEVISIONS READY!?!”         “Of course, my dear friend,” the patchwork creature chuckled, happy to see his ‘villain’ just as enthusiastic as he was. “When this is all over, you will be a star and I a hero! And you will find yourself home and free from any burden afterwards!”         “o--OH, OF COURSE...I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT!” The robot seemed to deflate at Discord’s last words, but the draconequus showed no notice to this.         “See you soon pal, have fun!” the draconequus winked before disappearing in a flash of pink light and rainbow confetti.         Turning around at his new followers, Mettaton took a mic out of thin air and pointed at them. His tiles flashed yellow and orange as music soon erupted from his metal body.         “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO AID ME AND LORD DISCORD IN THIS NOBLE STORY!” Mettaton announced to the crowd, murmurs of excitement filled the seemingly newly created creatures. “OUR FIRST OBJECTIVE IS TO SECURE THE MONARCHS OF THIS WORLD AND BROADCAST OUR SUCCESS WORLDWIDE!”         The many strange creatures nodded in understanding, looking around ecstatically at their new goal in life. For while they were just created moments ago by the spirit of chaos, they still believed themselves to have already lived their past lives from whatever universe they came from. But all of this mattered little, since they had no idea where they were now, and with this strange metal being offering them some sort of payment by helping takeover the world...well, who were they to decline such a bargain?         “Alright boss!” they cried in chorus, all of the giving their own pose as they ready themselves for their first order.         Turning his back to his new minions, Mettaton turned to the iron door that stood in the way of them and their goal of capturing the many kingdoms’ leaders. Pointing a hand at the door, a beam of energy flew into the steel object and blew it wide open. Shocked faces from those in the room that was separated by the door were apparent, and two equines with wings and horns had the most hilarious expression on their face when they saw all the strange creatures surround them in the room.         What even caught them more off guard was the metal rectangle. It’s flashing yellow and orange titles seemed to distract them as it scooted up and wagged a finger at anyone who was looking to retaliate.         “GOOD EVENING DARLINGS!” Mettaton boomed, his tone filled with delight if not smugness. “I WANT TO CONGRATULATE YOU ON BEING A PART OF MTTV'S NEWEST SHOW, ‘SAVE THE CAPTURED PRINCESSES’!”         “Why does this always happen to me and not Twilight?” Celestia groaned, beams of energy leaving the strange controler in the robot's hand and hitting everyone who was not a member of the mechanical being’s possy. The Princess of the Sun floated up in some strange bubble and upon using her magic found it unescapable.          “Yup, it’s definitely one of those days….”