Chapter 1: When Two Worlds Collide!

E.Q.U.E.S.T.R.I.A Spies: The Origins (#1)

"You feel that draft?" Pinkie Pie asked, bouncing merrily into the school basement in front of Fluttershy.

~The two girls looked upon the dark room full of antiques the school basement has had over the years. Bookcases, floppy drive computers, theatre props, a dead named brand vending machine, even a few lockers and desks. The girls were here on behalf of their maths teacher to find more textbooks for the class. With Pinkie Pie having immediately volunteered when their teacher had asked the class, where Fluttershy was unlucky picked when no second person willingly offered. However, It was too dark to see anything, so dark that they had to feel her way along the floor.~

"It's so dark in here…" Fluttershy said meekly, stocking close to Pinkie Pie.

“Don’t worry,” Pinkie assured, wrapping an arm around her friend. “I’m sure there’s a light switch somewhere in this mess.” She pulled out her phone and shivered. “Although I’d love to know where that draft is coming from.”

“Can we just focus on finding those math books so we can-” Fluttershy began, before Pinkie turned her phone’s flashlight on, which showed directly in the face of a large tiki totem that had once been a part of a school Hawaii’s themed homecoming.

~Fluttershy let out a scream, and was only kept from falling over by Pinkie.~

“Fluttershy! Relax, look!” She knocked on the totem's wooden surface. “Nothing scary down here.”

Fluttershy let out an unconvincing laugh. “I’m sorry,” she squeaked.

“It’s okay,” Pinkie Pie assured as she led her friend, arm in arm, through the maze of school junk. “I know the dark can be scary. Truthfully, I sometimes still get scared myself. But then I remember what Granny Smith says.”

Fluttershy tilted her head. “Really? What’s that?”

“Well,” Pinkie started, “she would always tell me, Pinkie... Okay!” She cut herself off with another shiver. “Where is that breeze coming from?!"

“I think it’s coming from over there.” Fluttershy pointed. Sure enough, in that direction, there was a rustling curtain that was blocked by several old desks.

“Right then!” Pinkie handed Fluttershy her phone. “Hold this for me and give me light.”

~Before the shy girl could ask for more, Pinkie hopped onto the desks and started to crawl towards the window.~

“Be careful!” Fluttershy called out.

“Easy, peazzy!” Pinkie Pie waved off, having made it across the room. The curtain and window behind it being blocked by a locker. “Yeah! There’s a window here, and it’s wide open! But, I think I can…”

~After a minute of struggle, she was able to latch the window shut, and pull open the curtains to let some light in.~

“Got it!” Pinkie cries triumphantly.

“One of these days,” Fluttershy mouthed. “Still, wish I had half the bravery she dose-”

~Pinkie Pie let out a scream.~

“Pinkie!” Fluttershy cries out, racing to her friend. “What is it? Are you hurt!”

“M, Ma,” Pinkie babbled, sitting on the floor pointing in the direction of the hole. “Mow, ma, Mouse!”

Fluttershy beamed. “Oh! A mouse! Where! Is he a cute little fellow?”

Pinkie blinked, realising just how silly she looked and sounded. “Well, I mean... It was a big mouse, I’ll have you know.” Pinkie huffed, crossing her arms.

~Fluttershy ignored her, in search of a new animal to befriend. So instead of trying to act like she just freaked out over a mouse, Pinkie continued forward until she reached the hole. Looking through it, she could see straight through to the front of the school and its horse statue. While this would be something for the school staff to take care of, she simply grabbed so damp, within reach boxes and papers to plug up the hole in the meantime. As she reached for a final price of newspaper to finish the job, she noticed an old book underneath the papers classified that looked, for its circumstances and location, in pristine condition. As if it had been down here for only a few days. Curiously, she reached for the book and examined its cover. She started to open it to see what it was about, when Fluttershy let out a blood curdling howl.~

“Hey... Hey there, little guy,” Fluttershy tried to speak to it. Which, either the, little, fellow didn't seem to understand, or care as it advanced, it’s sharp yellow teeth glistening in the light. “We... We didn’t mean to, to bother you.” Fluttershy’s knees began to shake. “We,” she tried to step backwards, only to realize she was up against the wall, “We just need to find some books. If,” she gulped as the rat licked its lips. “If you help us find them, we’ll... bring you back some cheese. No! Please!”

~Fluttershy cowered to the floor as the rat lunges forward. However, as it leapt into the air to attack, Pinkie swung the book she was holding at it as hard as she could. Sending the rodent hurling to the far side of the room where it landed somewhere with a loud smack. Breathing heavily, Pinkie dropped the book to the floor and raced to her friend., Not caring as the book laid sprawled open on the floor, or when it’s pages started to glow.~

“Fluttershy!” Pinkie screamed as she squatted on the floor next to her whimpering friend. “Are you o-”

~She was cut as Fluttershy pulled Pinkie Pie into a hug.~

“Hey, it’s okay.” Pinkie said reassuringly as she rubbed Fluttershy’s back. “Come on. Let’s just get out of here. Don’t worry about the textbooks! They’re not worth our safety.”

~Fluttershy, having become somewhat audible, started to agree to that plan, when she noticed the glowing book on the floor.~

“Um, Pinkie,” she sputtered.

“Yeah?” Pinkie asked, continually stroking Fluttershy’s back in the assumption she would say something along the lines relating to their recent teams with the rat.

~Fluttershy rugged at the back of Pinkie Pie’s shirt, and made her look in the direction of the book. The book revealed a small camera-like object on the front cover and scanned Pinkie and Fluttershy's geodes. It automatically opened up and started speeding page after page until it stopped and it took off through the window to the entrance of CHS, to the portal? But it didn't aim at the original spot that led to Equestria, Instead, it looked to another side of the statue, and began to go through the marble. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy eventually make it to the book and see it pointing to the portal. Then the side of the statue begins to glow the same colour as the book and then starts spewing out many things. Random objects were first. Then people! Pinkie and Fluttershy were speechless to see what has been unleashed. Not knowing if they were to blame for it.~

"We're in trouble." Pinkie blinked rapidly.

~Meanwhile, in the city of Canterlot, it was lunchtime. And Canterlot High allowed off campus lunch just to explain how a few students were there to witness what happened next. It all started with a rumble in the ground. At very, no one was alarmed. A few even though it was strange since the city wasn’t in an earthquake zone. That was before the first person fell out of the sky.~

“AAAAAHHHH!” A boy screamed, landing, safely in a tree.

“Ugh,” another moaned as she was tossed onto a mailbox. “Wha- Where am I?”

~At that very moment, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle walked by a row of planted flowers that a hand, and head, sprouted out of, begging for help. They did the natural thing of screaming and running. Which, in turn, caused of a chain reaction of citizens screaming as more and more people started to pop out of thin air.~

“Hey, Bon Bon.” Lyra asked, watching a pair of cars fender bend to avoid hitting a newly materialize teenager.

“Yeah?” Her girlfriend asked matter of factly as a couple held each other closely when they bumped into a lady with a pram. Causing them to scream and make the baby inside cry.

“People are appearing out of thin air.” Lyra stated. “Think we should be worried?”

~Bon Bon started to answer, when a boy bounced off of the table umbrella they were sitting on, landing face first in front of them.~

“Yeah,” Bon Bon said, changing answers. “We should probably get lunch somewhere else.”

~Nodding, the two of them took hands and walked away. Excusing the toga wearing man who walked out of the wall yelling, “I am the fear!” Once Lyra and Bon Bon we’re out of sight, he was attacked by a squirrel.~

~Meanwhile, back at CHS music room, momentarily oblivious to what was going outside, Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle (Sci-Twi) were in the middle of a...chat, you could say of sorts.~

“Okay!” Twilight said, tapping her fingers on the table excitedly, staring down Sunset Shimmer whose hands stood at the ready. The two of them locked in a battle of wits, until Sunset whipped up a flash card.

“27 times 49 divided by 12!” Sunset spat out showing the problem on a flash card.

Three seconds later, Twilight puffed out her chest and answered, “110, point!” She stressed out with a smug. “25.”

Sunset groaned and threw the back on the card on the table. “Gah! Correct, and under five seconds.” She then typed in a number to a calculator adjacent from Twilight than now ready, seventy two, while another one closer to herself said, fifty four.

“Oh it’s not over yet.” Twilight beamed. “Don’t think I’m letting my guard down that easily.”

“Oh yeah?” Sunset grinned wickedly.

“Yeah?” Twilight said with confidence as she ready a flash card for Sunset. “Cause it’s bonus round-”

“Sorry to interrupt,” Rainbow Dash said barging into the room, only to see what the pair had been doing, causing the athlete to become queasy for a moment. “Anyways! Have you girls seen Fluttershy? She was supposed to have finished math class by now, but I hadn’t passed by either or Pinkie in the halls where I normally do after science.”

“Oh! Um,” Twilight hummed. While a little annoyed at her study session being interrupted. “Maybe they’re by the portal.” Twilight suggested.

“Oh, yeah! The portal! I didn’t look there! Thanks!”

~Before Twilight nor Sunset could say ‘You’re welcome,’ Rainbow sped off at the speed of light. She blew a current of air that messed up everyone’s hair, making it curly and knotty.~

“WHOA!” Rainbow’s voice suddenly shouted out.

Everyone turned in the direction it came from. “Rainbow? Are you alright?” Sunset called anxoiusly.

“You guys have gotta see this!”

~The girls gave each other bemused glances. Filled with intrigue and trepidation, they hurried to the front of the school. Once outside, they were met up by their other two friends, Rarity and Applejack, along with a handful of students who were looking on towards the statue. They parted like a sea to let the magic girls through. Giving the five of them a clear view of Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy trying to hold down and close a glowing book next to the shimmering base of the schools horse statue.~

“What in tarnation?” Applejack yelled, holding onto her hat.

“Oh! Well, funny story.” Pinkie chuckled, acknowledging her other friends and the crowd that had gathered. “See, we were getting some textbooks for our teacher in the basement, when I felt this draft, so I was like to Fluttershy; you feel that? And she was like, ‘it’s so dark down here’. And I was like, ‘don’t worry, I’ll find a light switch!’ So I turned the flashlight on my phone on-”

“Skip to the part that involves all of this!” Sunset screamed as she and Applejack added their own weight to bring the book closer to the ground.

“Ah, right!” Pinkie said sheepishly. “Well, I found this book while patching up a hole, when a rat attacked Fluttershy. I used it to swat the rodent away from her, and then dropped it to the floor to comfort her. When I turned back to look, it went all glowy and came out here, opened a portal, and a bunch of kids came racing out of the statue, and now we’ve been spending the past ten minutes trying to deal with it.”

“I believe that means I win the pool this time!” Rarity smiled as she grabbed onto a corner of the book.

“Um, no!” Rainbow Dash, having climbed on top of the book for extra weight, protested. “This totally counts as alien, and extra dimensional beings.”

“You make bets over what magical mishap will happen next?!” Twilight hefted as her geode magic brought the book down to ground level.

“You didn’t invite her in?” Pinkie frowned.

“What is going on here?” Principal Celestia shouted, somewhat unsurprised to see those seven girls wrestling a magical book into submission. If anything, she was more worried about how much damage to the school would be caused this time. She has enough of a headache from dealing with the backlash from needing to evoke a tax raise for such newly common occasions.

“A good question,” Sunset said, as they worked to get the book closed. “We’ll get back to you on that when-”

~Using her belt as a makeshift bind, they were able to seal the book shut with a final heave on Rainbow Dash and Applejack.~

“Is it over?” Fluttershy asked, peeking out from beneath her hair.

~Her question was out on hold by sudden yelp. They all turned to see a man lying by the foot of the statue. The man, looking to be in his late 30's, early 40's, wore a pair black trousers, polished shoes, and a long-sleeved white polo shirt with a cherry tie. Over it was a simple blue knitted tank top that had wrinkled in his fall. Groaning loudly, he rolled onto his back, where he was met by several fuzzy faces. After a moment to adjust to the new dimensions lighting, he beheld the faces of the Rainbooms and Principal Celestia standing above him.~

“Oh my.” Celestia said, holding a hand to her lips. As worried as she was about everything that had happened, her top concern at the moment was of seeing to whoever this man was needed. “Girls, give him some space.” She directed. The Rainbooms doing as such to Celsestia’s authority. “Rainbow,” she directed at Dash, “go get nurse Red Heart.”

Rainbow Dash was gone without so much as an, ‘On it!’.

“The rest of you!” She notes the school body. “Go back inside and stay in your classrooms until further notice.”

~There were some grumbles among the students, but most did so without having to be told twice.~

“Twilight, help me set him up against the statue.”

“Um, right.” Twilight said, still taking in what had happened.

“What about the rest of us?” Pinkie asked eagerly.

“You... You all-”

~Celestia started to say something, for her magical afflicted students to do, to try and explain what was going on. However, the man intruded by placing a hand on her shoulder.~

“Good heavens.” she said in surprise. “Are you alright, sir?”

“I’m, fine,” he replied, proving otherwise as he tried to stand. He let out a sharp pain, held his stomach and fell back to the ground.

“Easy,” Celestia assured. “We have a doctor on the way. Although, can you tell us your name?”

“My name?” He asked, taking in a deep breath. “Yes, of course!” He added between a cough. “Apologies. I imagine you have a lot of questions.”

“Understatement.” Pinkie comments, to the dismay of her friends. However, to her delight, the man let out a pain filled laugh.

“Yes, of course. But to answer your first question,” he righted himself to ensure proper eye contact. “My name is, Steven Secret.”

Chapter 2: Prepared to be Dazzled!

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Chapter 2: Prepared to be Dazzled!

~On top of a smoothed out mountain side, a castle was being built. Huge and forbidding, but camouflaged enough to where you would have needed to be walking up to the structure to notice it. Inside the passageways that have been carved into the earth, the owner's minions worked thanklessly for their master. A master, and also mad doctor/scientist, who had at that very moment, was striding around in a lab coat and black jeans within his soon to be completed throne room. His name was Dr. Devil. Pronunciation: Dee-vill. Yes, He was aware of how somewhat cliche it sounded, but still, that didn't make him any less of a genuine threat, and he showed no empathy if you tried to make fun of it in front of him.~

"Olliee! What's the status of that plan of ours?" Devil asked with a grunt.

A young boy who was repeatedly tapping his pen on a clipboard stared up at the glooming face of the doctor. "Ah, yes, dad. It's-It's trucking along." he answered profoundly, going through some papers on the clipboard.

"Keep digging…"

"Yikes…" Olliee then murmured, keeping his nose in the clipboard. "Maybe not…"

"Wha- What kind of progress report is that?! Ugh, Speed it up, boy! Get it done! Chop Chop! And what about this here castle? How's that coming along?"

"The minions have successfully built the dungeons, bars, battle turrets and underground systems exactly how you want them."

"Good. What about the shark tank? I haven't heard from that yet!"

"We don't have any sharks yet, Dad." another young boy answered, coming in from the next room across over the shoddy throne.

"You think I don't know that, LAIR-RY! Do you think I'm stupid?! Do I look stupid?! No… but you sure as heck do." Devil harrumphed in annoyance and made a hard swipe at the boy. "If your sister and brothers didn't love you, you would be long gone by now… Just get back to work!"

The two boys sighed. "Yes, dad…"

"Oh, one other thing." Devil called after them quickly. "I have a hunch that Agent Star and Agent Crystal are here, and are gonna be searching for us, thinking that this sudden transport to this other world was our doing. So I need you to tell the minions to hunt them down and destroy them before they get to us!" he commanded.

"Certainly," said Olliee. "I'm...actually glad you now brought up the topic about this world, dad. Now, I'm not criticizing the matter, but don't you think it's a bit odd that you're immediately thinking straight to world domination after we just landed here? Shouldn't we be, you know, finding out how we got here in the first place? And maybe how to get back?"

The doctor gave his son a sneer. "Why would we do that?" he quired. "After being here for only ten minutes and looking around, I can tell that this world is already so much better than the one we currently live in!" He turned Olliee to the nearest opening and stared outside of it. "Just look for yourself outside this window. Have you seen the people here?"

~They eyed a passing bystander with neon green, blue and red hair being confronted by two minions with crossbows. They were prodding him with the arrows lodged inside and making threatening gestures to leave them alone.~

"They're extraordinary!" Devil went on. "I wonder if they contain special power. We must experiment on them immediately! And if they do have power, I can consume it for myself, and become the most powerful doctor in the world!"

"You make a very valid point, father." sighed Olliee. "As I'd also like to explore the sight of these people and discover what makes them unique. But... I'd still like to return to our world. It's our home. Besides, all of your lab equipment and blimp is still there."

"Pfft! No, it's not!" the doctor assured. "I had the minions enlarge my prototype blimp with my enlargement ray I carry with me at all times, and create more equipment with the resources we found here! Strangely convenient, huh?"

"I see."

"Anyways, enough wasting time! I want you to complete this castle, capture Steven Secret's students, and destroy Agent Star and Agent Crystal! Then..." Devil made a dramatic turn around. "...once all three of those things are done, we'll capture this world's citizens and begin experimentation, get their powers and invade the worlds..." he bellowed an evil laugh. "You got all that?!" he then turned around again and spat right in Olliee's face.

"Every. Word." Olliee answered, rubbing the saliva that spluttered on his cheek.

"Excellent. So get to it!"

~Olliee nodded with a smirk, then turned on his heel at once. His little brother, whose name is Lairry, followed. They reminded themselves of the various tasks their mad father asked them to do, and wrote them down on Olliee's clipboard. Lairry kept to Olliee's side as he read the tasks and adjusted his red double-bridged glasses on his eyes. He felt pretty tired once he had finished and gazed up at Olliee for support. However, he never got it. Olliee was never a cold-hearted person towards Lairry, but today, he felt like pushing him aside for the time being. It was too complicated for him to say why. Olliee just kept to his list.~

"Sheesh, would it kill him to ever say 'please' every once in a while?" whispered his brother.

"You know what father's like, Lairry." Olliee whispered back. "Best if we don't complain and just do what he says. I, for one, am very fond of what he does though. Why can't you see it?"

~Lairry stopped at the sentence. Just because he wasn't interested in what his dad and brothers are into, doesn't mean he's a burden to their lives. He always got the short end of the stick around his family, and was never apologised for it. It had been that way for the past fourteen years. Olliee put his palm over the clip, just as Lairry walked ahead of him angrily to the dark wooded door to exit. He touched the handle, but, seconds later, he felt like he should say something back at his brother before he left, since he did not want to be called a wimp for the one thousandth time. So, he opened his mouth to speak but just before he could begin his sentence, the door opened, and hit him on the point of his nose. He stumbled back, before hitting the floor in a sitting position sharply. As Lairry rubbed his point, he glared up at the faces of those who hit him accidentally. As did Olliee. However, there was no one there. For a short while. The light changed in the room suddenly; as three incomers entered, wearing diamond red pendants that glowed an evil red in the atmosphere of the boys' negativity. Olliee could not take his eyes off of them, or even say a word about them. He stared up at the faces of the pendant holders, and stifled a gasp.~

"Who are you?"

They ignored his question. Instead, they stepped over him and Lairry and began to wander. "Where are we?" one of them demanded in a sly, feminine voice. "What is this nice, forbidding, dark place?"

"A castle!" answered one of the other feminine voices behind her, this one much more bubbly sounding than the first.

The one in front gave a grumble. "I know it's a castle, Sonata! I was being sarcastic."

~She held her hand over her forehead and grumbled again. Olliee eyed them curiously. The one who spoke last seemed to him to be the obvious leader. She had luminous orange hair with brilliant yellow streaks coming down on both sides from her spiky headband. Her skin was pale yellow to match her hair, and her eyes were a pink raspberry colour. Her outfit was a mauve violet bolero with small shoulder puffs over a purple romper that stopped slightly above the thighs. On the bottom was a golden, spiky belt with a yellow gem around her waist, lavender tights with lilac triangle imprints, and dark purple knee-high boots with yellow gold spiked bands around the ankles. Her expression was sinister, yet delightful.~

~The one she called Sonata was the bubbly, carefree, air-headed one that told her that they were in a castle ever so obliviously, as she did not pick up her sarcasm at all. She had the same raspberry coloured eyes but light arctic blue hair with moderate persian blue streaks. It was tied in a long ponytail. Her skin was a nice arctic blue-ish white as well, and once again, her attire was just as fancy as her companion's. A violet red coloured bishop top that was buttoned up with arctic blue strands, folded sleeves and collar under a rose pink dress. Around her wrists were shiny purple cuffs with blue spikes. Her footwear was simple long pink socks and dark boots that went up to her knees.~

~Suddenly, and lastly, the third and final girl of the trio showed her face. The one that hadn't said a word since they stepped into the room, and just scowled at the new people around her, disgusted by their looks. She was the only one of her three that had different coloured eyes. Not raspberry, but a very unique moderate purple mulberry colour. Her hair was tied in two pigtails and was also the colour of a very moderate purple, with green aquamarine streaks coming down. Her skin was a pale light grayish fuchsia to go with it all. Her outfit seemed to be a lot more rugged than the first two. The minty green short jacket she wore was torn at the sleeves and she had dark aubergine straps around both her arms. The same strap applied to around her waist that clipped together by a silver star, and underneath her destroyed mint jacket, was just a light striped sleeveless top. And finally, her bottom half was nothing too special. Just tight violet leggings with darker shaded boots.~

Devil arose from his throne. "What the heck? How did you three get in here? I have this entire area lurking with my minions!"

"We came from behind," the third pendant holder answered. She spoke in a rather bored disposition."Where nobody was 'lurking'."

"Grrr…Those blockheads seriously need to learn what the word 'survey' means." Devil growled under his breath.

"Can you answer my question now?" Olliee suddenly butted in. "Who? Are you?"

"My name is Adagio Dazzle." Adagio answered, touching her forelocks respectfully.

"And are these other two your brats?" Devil indicated Sonata and the other unnamed one.

"Yes, they are." Adagio replied. "Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk are their names. My...idiotic sisters."

Aria Blaze took great offense. "Not me." she protested. "Just her." and she pointed at Sonata Dusk standing beside her.

"Ay, ay, ay! She said 'sisters'. As in plural. So, this means you too." said Sonata.

~The two both exchanged a dry look towards each other, then they began to swipe at each other, slapping at their hair so it'll tangle, and at their arms like little children. Adagio sighed at their fighting before turning to Devil.~

"See what I have to deal with every day?"

"I can relate, yes." nodded Devil. Suddenly his face tightened. "What-am-I-saying…? Grrr! Get out of my castle! I have a very important business to get on with and I'm not going to be having three teeangers snooping around while I'm at it!"

Adagio frowned. "Hmmph! I didn't really come here to snoop around actually." she replied shortly. "But since I'm already here, I might as well."

The doctor glared at her smug face. "Okay, brute force it is then. You leave me no choice. Minions!" Two minions barge in. "Would you kindly escort these ladies out of my castle?" Devil commanded them.

"Yes, sir."

~Before Adagio could move, the two minions surrounded her and her sisters and they began to make their move towards them. Sonata clutched onto Aria in fear, however, she just glared and desperately tried to shove her off. Adagio, however, just smiled and closed her eyes. Then, when the minions got close enough, she opened them again, and they glowed a bright red, as did the pendant around her neck. She sang, thrust her arms downwards and a glowing red soundwave emerged from her hands. The minions were thrown back once the wave made contact with them and they were skimmed across the floor. One of the men even hit Lairry's legs, causing him to fall down with them. His brother, Olliee, and father, Devil, sprang back with a start.~

"Did you see that?!" Lairry gasped. "She used magic!"

"Of course I saw it, Lairry. I'm not blind!" Devil jabbed.

"Unbelievable." Olliee gasped. "I guess that answers one of our other questions. The people here do have powers!"

"Wellll, not exactly." Sonata spoke up.

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Lairry.

"We are not, let's say, from this world."

"Are you from ours then?" Olliee quired.

"What? No, she literally just said that we are not from here!" Aria spoke up. "Ugh, you're just as stupid as Sonata over here!"

Sonata made her face scrunch. "Hey! You're the stupid one!"

"No, you are!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Wait. You're not from this world either then?" asked Adagio.

"No! Of course not!" Devil screamed. "I don't have green skin, I don't have yellow eyes, and I certainly don't have hair that's all the colours of the freaking rainbow!"

"Where we come from, our skin colour only commonly ranges to about six. From the darkest of brown to the lightest of peach." explained Olliee.

"And we only have up to six colours of eyes too. Blue, brown, green, red, amber and grey." added Lairry.

Aria raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? Huh. Well, That's boring."

"You know what else is boring?" Devil asked rhetorically. "Listening to all of you yammering on about colours and such when there is magic that I am dying to have right in front of me! Minions! Seize those girls!"

~At his command, dozens more henchmen burst through the door. But before they could so as much as touch the three sisters, Adagio raised up her hand.~

"Wait! Wait. What if we cut you a deal?"

Devil was confounded. "A deal?"

"You seem to have a very nice variety of things here that could invade an entire universe, am I wrong?"

"Keep going…"

"It just so happens that we would like to rule this world just as much as you do. You look like you could use the help, if you don't take our magic, that is." Adagio said.

"I don't team up with strangers. Not unless they offer something to me in return, other than help me." Devil scoffed. "Pffft! But fine, I'll be generous enough to spare you. After all, I guarantee everybody here has magic!"

"I'm afraid not." Adagio went on, "All of the low lifes you see before you are merely worthless humans like yourselves. But, we do know some girls that also have magic like us."

"There are seven of them." Aria spoke up next and grinned. "They call themselves the Rainbooms."

"And they're a bunch of goody-two shoes!" Sonata huffed and folded her arms while glowering under her brows. "They spoiled our fun and plans to rule the world a long time ago!"

"Really?" said Devil.

Adagio nodded. "Really. And if you let us join your side, we can help you obtain their powers to take over these worlds. So, what do you say?"

~The leader of the trio held out her hand. Dr. Devil was still confounded, but began to think long and hard about the offer as he sat back down on his throne. He began to grin, seemingly like he would say yes. His son, Lairry, couldn't believe what he was seeing. These girls were strangers to him and his family, so he had every right to not trust and believe them. He turned to Devil, incredulously.~

"Dad, I'm not so sure about this…" he began to say.

"Quiet, Lairry!" his dad bellowed, and suddenly dealt him a blow to the back of the head. "What do you know about this? With their magic, my inventions and Olliee's knowledge, we can take out our enemies, obtain magic, and rule this and our world! It's foolproof!" It was clear that he made up his mind. "Alright, Adagio, Aria, Sonata. You three have got yourselves a deal."

~The trio walked up to the doctor and, with a bright mind ahead of him, he shook Adagio's hand greatly. A wide evil grin went all the way around the girl's face the moment she shook Devil's hand. Plans were about to be made. But before she could even begin a sentence, Devil wanted to stage a rule.~

"But, you follow my commands however, and do whatever I say! Okay!?"

"Sure. Whatever you say." Adagio replied. "Boss."

"Hmmph! Now that's more like it!" Devil said with a grin. "So, first things first. Tell me, if magic doesn't originate from here, where does it come from? How did you obtain it? And where can we find these 'Rainbooms' you speak of?"

"You better be quiet and listen up then, boss. Because we're gonna tell you a little story…"

Chapter 3: The Rainbooms' Next Challenge

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Chapter 3: The Rainbooms' Next Challenge

~Sometime later, the seven Rainbooms, the principal, and the other KH dimensional man, clear and only needing some bandages around his chest by nurse Red Heart, sat around in Celestia's office sipping on either tea or hot coco. Made on Pinkie's behalf, of course. The pink girl still feeling somewhat guilty for everything that had happened as, in a reverse turn of events from earlier, was being comforted by Fluttershy and assured it wasn't her fault. By then, the two had filled them in on any and every detail as to what had happened. While also, addressing the man, Steven, although it felt easier for most of them to call him by his last name, Secret, as his first name sounded weird to most of them. Which he didn't seem to mind as he got all of their names, and was able to realize why his first had sounded strange. He seemed even less fazed as they explained to him about the basics about their own dimension on his request.~

"An entirely different dimension." He laughed. "We have theories about other worlds where I come from, but nothing ever that would have been concrete."

"It's still just as much a strange concept to us." Twilight mused. "Still," she turned to Sunset. "I didn't know the statue could open portals to dimensions other than Equestria."

"I shouldn't. Although," Sunset shrugged. "It's not as if even the greatest unicorn minds can claim they know everything. Especially when something like this happens to the contrary."

Steven squinted his eyes. "I'm sorry; unicorn?"

"That said," Rainbow Dash interrupted, narrowing her eyes. "You haven't told us where you're from."

"Rainbow Dash!" Applejack chastised.

"It's alright," Steven assured. "It's the least I can do after you shared all about your earth. Right then... Yes, my world, is also called earth. The parent me and my students are from is called, The United Kingdom, which is a part of a continent called Europe." he frowned. "Gosh, my students! Oh. We were all at school when a portal appeared in the sky and vacuumed us here!"

“Principal Celestia!” suddenly came a voice from outside the office door.

~Who but to then walk in next suddenly but the Rainbooms’ good friend, and Sunset’s ex-boyfriend, Flash Sentry. He was tall with slick blue hair and a handsome yellow face and deep blue eyes to match his hair. He seemed to be stressed, along with a very panicky look on his face.~

"Excuse for the interruption, but I’ve brought over a flurry of new students into the school."

"They must be my students from my world. They must be quite confused about what's going on around here." Steven said.

"Come and bring them here." Celestia kindly suggested.

"Right away." Flash obeyed as he excused himself out of the office.

~A minute later, Flash came back with five shaken up students with pale skins. When their eyes met with Steven's their faces lit up.~

"Oh, Mr. Secret, sir! Thank goodness you're here!" The first student exclaimed, wiping the sweat off their forehead.

"What's happening?!" The second student asked Steven in a distraught manner.

"Who are these girls with different coloured hair?" The third student questions while looking at the Mane 7.

"Calm down, everyone." Steven slowly soothed. "These girls are going to help us." He turned to Celestia and the Mane 7. "They are probably still in shock about this world."

"That's part of it." The fourth student confirmed.

"It's just that...there were more of us...to begin with, but now...They are all missing!" The fifth student babbled.

"What?!" Everyone exclaimed in shock.

"What happened?!" Twilight asked.

Steven stroked his shaved beard. "Yes, Mose, Shork, Willow, Jomes, Valerie, have you seen the rest of the year?"

~Serval minutes prior, in Sweet Apple acres. From out of the hundreds of portals that had appeared around the Canterlot area, ten students crashed into a farm's hay barrels.~

"Ugh, where are we?" Mose asked, looking around in a panic.

"Some kind of farm." Shork threw out, blowing a tuft of straw out of his face.

"Gah!" Willow whined, stepping out of the hay. "Is this, are we, could this stuff have been, by... EW!"

"Oh, quit your complaining, Willow!" Valerie called out, being held upside down off of a high barrel of hay. "Yes, that hay was probably slept in by some smelly animals. Now help me down!"

"Hang on, Val, I got you." Jomes, the tallest of the ten students present, replied and started to help his friend down. Valerie tried to hide a blush as she fell into Jomes' arms.

"If you're all done rolling in the hay," Shork said, trying to hide how funny he was being. "We should probably figure out what happened, how we all got here, and where's everyone else is before trouble finds us."

"Well well," trouble answered. "What do we have here? A bunch of Secret's students."

~The students turned to see a group of men wearing long red sleeved shirts under a black cape hood. They all looked-alike and had slender bodies. They moved with great agility, yet were clumsy and not well skilled, as they were not as smart as they seemed to be. The like of whom seemed to have been hidden in the hay and awaiting their arrival. They lifted their weapons.~

"Wait, what?!" Shork answered quizzically looking directly at a crossbow.

"How'd they find us!?" Mose cried out as he shrank down.

"How are we going to get out of this one?" Willow asked as she hid herself behind Mose.

"Round them up!" The one who seemed to be in charge exclaimed as the rest. "Now come quietly and we may not give you a lot any trouble."

"What's happening?!" Shork whined while throwing their hands up in the air.

~These men got closer to the students, making sure none were smart enough to escape.~

"Wait, is it just me or is the world a lot different than usual?" One man asked, not really paying attention to the guys he and his cronies are trying to catch.

"No one cares! Just capture those kids!" The guy next to him yelled while hitting the back of his head.

"Oh no!" Valerie shouted.

"Someone help!" Willow cried.

"Get them!" The men yell, raising their bows up high.

"Let's get out of here!" The students yelled altogether.

~The five students quickly pushed some minions out of the way and made a dash for the nearby building, in this case, CHS. The minions did fire arrows at them, but they didn't want to waste too much ammo and left it there, with the other five.~

"And just like that, they kidnapped the rest of our pals." Mose finished the story.

"I'm just scared they have been hurt or killed...it's horrible to think about!" Jomes cried while covering his eyes.

~Steven, once again, began to stroke his shaved beard, gravely thinking about what else might have happened. Sunset noticed Steven thinking right away, also wondering, is there a threat to him and these students from their world that are now in this world too?~

"...Oh no." Steven muttered.

"What is it?" Celestia asked, noticing Steven's face.

"I just remembered something. When we all spilled out of the book, so did Devil and a group of his minions."

"Dee Vill?" Rainbow asked. "What kind of name is that?"

"His. And trust me, he is not someone to be laughed at."

"Well, Who is he?"

"An evil crazy scientist who's always hungry for power and world domination." Steven explained.

"Like the Dazzlings..." Sunset said, remembering them well.

"Dazzlings?" Steven inquired.

"Our enemies." Pinkie told him. She started to spin her eyes to resemble what happened. "They tried to hypnotize everyone in the school with their singing!"

"But, we defeated them and they ran off. Haven't seen them since, well, until the Music Festival." Sunset finished.

"I see. Well if Devil and those Dazzlings join forces, I shudder to imagine the havoc they would wreak upon this world." Steven said with fear.

"But, we destroyed their singin' amulets, so they can't do much harm now, could they?" Applejack questioned. "Hmm…"

Celestia stepped forwards to the Mane 7. "Girls, it's up to you to stop Devil and the Dazzlings from teaming and taking over this school and maybe this world."

"And that will be an order from me as well." Steven added. "Can I also count on you to rescue my other students and bring them back here safely? Surely they will only be in this area."

"Don't worry, Mr. Secret, We will do our best." Rainbow spoke boldly.

"This will be your greatest challenge yet." Celestia declared.

After Fluttershy heard that, her eyes widen and she began to feel unsure. "Can I have a challenge? To be back home…" she suddenly shivered.

"Come on, Fluttershy, We need you. Our team wouldn't be complete." Sunset said, placing her hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, be brave!" Rainbow said confidently.

"I want to be brave at home!" Fluttershy stated with a small whimper.

"Don't worry, darling. We will all be here for you." Rarity comforted.

"Yeah! Where's your sense of adventure?!" Pinkie exclaimed.

Fluttershy looked at her friends before letting out a sigh. "okay…"

"Yay!" Everyone cheered, then hugged.

"Alright, we're ready!" Applejack stated.

"Good." Steven nodded. "But, I must warn you all though. Dr. Devil is not a merciful man. Knowing him, his minions are already lurking the school grounds as we speak, hunting for my students and perhaps even new power. So stay clear. They wear black cape hoods and all look alike. I recommend you seek out Lightning Star and Karly Crystal. They might be able to help you." Steven suggested while grinning.

"Huh?" The Mane 7 said altogether.

"Who's Lightning Star and Karly Crystal?" Twilight asked.

"That's for you to find out soon, girls. I'm sure you'll find them hanging about somewhere." Steven chuckled. "Now go! Stop Devil from interfering with this world and bring him to justice!"

"Aye aye, sir!" Pinkie saluted.

~And with that, the seven heroines set off out the front door of CHS to complete their objective. Steven and Celestia watched with firm faces before whispering under their breaths: 'Good Luck'.~

"So, how are we going to find over one thousand students in this huge world?!"

~Rainbow Dash sized up the land and CHS's property across the mile that was clothed in fresh green grass. They stopped at the front statue and portal to Equestria as they gathered up their thoughts. Although, Sunset Shimmer couldn't help but stare at the side, hard to believe that another portal to another world had opened up in front of them just at the flip of a book that homed deep in their school's basement. She wished she knew earlier. Maybe there was more to the portal than just her home land, Equestria, she thought. What if there is more out there? Sadly, she had to keep all this in the back side of her mind as her friends began to talk up the current situation. Twilight was the first away.~

"It's going to be tough to search these places, I know, but Mr. Secret sounded sure that his students would not have gone far."

"So let's start up the land to see what we can find." Applejack suggested.

~Pinkie Pie and Rarity followed after her. And as they left to the left of the school, Rainbow Dash suggested that she, Sunset and Twilight should search the right, leaving Fluttershy alone to search the behind. But the shy girl didn't mind. This meant that she could visit her animal friends lurking in the grove of trees behind the school and ask them for help. It wasn't what people would call a forest, but it was a nice, refreshing place, filled with rich oak and spruce trees, to lounge about. The air smelled sweet and the sun that gazed through the leaves warmed the earth with the promise of a wonderful summer's day. That's why Fluttershy and her woodland friends loved it so much. She would go there every day after school. Maybe even live there if she didn't have anywhere else besides the animal shelter she works at. She hummed and sang as she wandered under the first tree where the birds greeted her with the same tune. Rabbits, foxes, weasels, badgers, moles and skunks came next, all bounding and tumblings down the hillside together. Fluttershy giggled. Unlike the rat she encountered in the underground, these animals were much kinder than she could ever ask for. But, before she could speak and ask for any whereabouts of any humans wearing refined school uniforms or have blond, black or brown hair, she walked into a figure wearing a black hood.~

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" the voice that came out growled, it sounded unfriendly and was quick to answer to.

"O-Oh! I'm...I'm sorry." Fluttershy apologized.

~She shamefully backed away from the stranger, but didn't see that she was walking backwards towards a large broken branch. Her foot caught on the limb and, in a desperation to save herself from falling, she grasped onto the cord keeping the figure's hood together and dragged a part of him down with her. However, he dug his heels into the ground and kept his feet flat. He was stronger than he looked. And while this was a relief for him, it left the startled Fluttershy hanging between him and the branch and floor. The pink girl screamed in fear and looked in the figure's eye for help, but he just stared at her.~

"Hmm! You're lucky I'm busy and in a gracious mood at the moment, so get lost before I change my mind and let out my anger on you!"

~With that, he slapped her hand off him and let her fall to the ground. The elbows were the first to make contact with the branch and once it hit, it sent shock all over Fluttershy's body as it hit the nervous system. She flinched from the pain. The nearby animals were outraged with the figure's behaviour towards their human friend, so they barked furiously at him as a form of scolding. He was not afraid however. Until, a bright rosy pink glow occurred from around Fluttershy's neck caught his attention. Her geode was activating because the animals were barking. The figure felt his eyes shine from the glow and his mouth began to gape open. Suddenly, a raspy voice rang through the 'forest', interrupting it.~

"Hey! Who do you think you are talking to Fluttershy like that!?" It was Rainbow Dash. She had watched the whole thing happen from between the nearby trees and was not happy. All her other friends came running in, too.

"Yeah! How dare you!" Pinkie rang up next.

The figure snuffled. "I can talk to anyone anyway I like, thank you! Honestly, people have become so sensitive these days!"

"Calm down, Lars, they are just a bunch of teenagers. Too bad they are not the kind we're looking for."

~Another figure suddenly revealed himself through the trees and joined his similar-looking friend by his side. He then glanced at the seven Rainbooms before beginning to encircle around them, giving them thorough once-overs.~

"These lot have rainbow hair, humongous eyes, big heads, and weird skin colour…"

"Kinda funny-looking if you ask me." The figure named Lars nudged at his elbow and they both started laughing.

"Hey! That's not very nice!" Fluttershy scolded bravely.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, I'm just sayin'. You have very odd features."

Rarity gave a sigh. "Honestly now. Our features are very beautiful compared to how you present yourself."

"Was that meant to be an insult?" asked Lars.

"Maybe."

"Why you little- "

He was interrupted by his mate. "Ugh, look, we don't have time to chit chat, especially with brats. We're looking for something, so if you don't mind, we'll be going to find it."

"Yeah, we know exactly what you're looking for," said Rainbow abruptly. "We even know who you are. You're minions and are looking for students from your world. The ones that belong to a certain Steven Secret."

"And you plan to take them to your boss, Dr. Dee Vill…?" Sunset quired, making sure she pronounced that right. "...out of revenge. Mr. Secret sent us to find them."

The minions froze. "Steven Secret? Oh god, Agent Star and Agent Crystal aren't nearby, are they?"

~The two suddenly began making rapid glances of their surroundings, making sure nobody else was near. Obviously, they were talking about the two girls Steven was on about, Lightning Star and Karly Crystal, the Rainbooms thought. But what they were confused about was why the minions called them 'Agent Star' and 'Agent Crystal'. Was Steven hiding something else from them?~

"Agent?" they whispered to one another.

Lars suddenly flashed his eyes back to the girls. "Wait, if you were sent by Secret, and know what we're up to, that must mean you're here to stop us!" he exclaimed.

His partner gave an evil grin. "Well then, why don't we stop them first?"

~So it was. Suddenly, the two minions pounced to attack. The seven Rainbooms nimbly dodged as fast as they could as the minions hit the ground where they previously stood. The seven stumbled back from the sudden attack and looked on in vain. Not once have they been attacked by someone like this before. It was strangely just as scary as all the demons they have faced throughout the times.~

"Whoa! Hey!" Applejack said out of shock.

Lars laughed. "Pfft! I don't think they know how to fight, Leos!" he laughed, noticing their shocked looks.

"Really? This'll be easy for us then!" The minion, who seemed to be called Leos, replied.

~They leapt to attack again. But this time, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Twilight saw it coming. They flashed their hands onto their geodes, causing a sparkling glow of multiple colours that blinded the minions. Now, it was the girls' turn to attack. Rainbow Dash ran through the trees at the speed of light as a distraction while Applejack pounded one of the minions in the stomach as hard as she could. The impact sent him flying into a tree. The other one suddenly turned flabbergasted for what he just witnessed. There's no way a teenage girl could punch someone so hard that they go shooting backwards. That was when he began to put the puzzle pieces together. The glow of their geodes around their necks activated a great source of magic that gave the girls supernatural abilities! Lars could not be more angry than impressed. Until Rainbow Dash returned and lashed out at him with her arm, hitting his forehead and making him raise his arms out of sheer surprise and hit the ground, head first. He got up and clutched onto the part she hit before revealing an evil, but irritated glare.~

"Ouch… Ugh, That's not fair! They have superpowers!" grunted Lars.

"Let's get out of here!" Leos exclaimed.

~A sudden colourful explosion told them otherwise. Pinkie Pie was throwing sprinkles underneath their feet and they began popping and burning like crazy. Rarity conjured up a wall of diamonds so the minions wouldn't get away, but they found a loophole. Since the fashionista couldn't conjure up as many, the highest the wall went was about five diamond shields up. So, like a squirrel, the two minions jumped and scrambled up over the wall like it was a rock climbing wall and, thanks to their great agility, they made no mistakes and went too quick for anyone to stop them. Once they disappeared into the grove of trees, the Rainbooms relaxed.~

"Well, that was weird," Twilight sighed.

"Let's just hope they don't come back…" said Sunset. She kneeled down to Fluttershy who was still on the ground. "Fluttershy, Are you alright?" she asked, looking over her. "Did they hurt you?"

"One of them did a little."

"He DID?" Rainbow exclaimed. "Oh, just wait til I get the chance." She punched her fist into the palm of her hand and would have ran after them if Applejack hadn't stopped her.

"What was it all about?" The cowgirl asked. "We heard you scream."

"I...I just bumped into him and made him mad. That's all." Fluttershy said.

"Well, that's still no reason for him setting on you like that, darling," Rarity argued.

"Alright, alright, y'all, let's not go on 'bout it any longer." Applejack said. "Sure, I'm still not happy 'bout it, but it won't do us any good."

"Agreed!" Pinkie maintained. "All that matters right now is that our friend, Fluttershy, is okay!"

"That's true." Rainbow said, although she was still grumbling at the fact that those two evil minions harmed Fluttershy. And to show that she deeply cared about the shy girl, she hugged her.

"Alright everyone," Sunset began, "Let's get back onto our main focus and try to not draw anymore attention towards ourselves. We need to find the lost students…"

~Their small discussion ended when they heard a sad sigh coming from the far end of the grove, down by the football field of the school. The seven poked their heads out of the nearby green bushes to see a student of Steven wandering aimlessly around the field, his hand gently clasped over his arm and rubbing it softly. And they could tell he was a student because of the smart uniform he was wearing; A blue blazer, white light polo shirt, blue striped tie, black trousers, and smart shoes.~

"All of my friends have been abducted by Devil's minions…" he said to himself sadly. "...and all my surroundings and the people are so much more vivid than normal. What is going on? What should I do? Where do I go?!"

~He put his hands on his head and let out a stressful cry. He was unable to answer any of his questions, and he wasn't sure what to make of it. The Rainbooms felt bad for him. So, wanting to set things right, Pinkie Pie firmed up. Unaware of what could happen, she revealed herself from the bush and hopped over to the student. The others were too blank to stop her.~

"HEY THERE!" The party girl greeted a bit too loudly.

The student jumped from shock. "AHH! There's a freaky pink fluffy humanoid thing talking to me!"

The other girls arose from the bush and rushed over. "No, It's-It's okay!" Twilight assured. "She's just here to…"

"Ahh! There's more! RUN!"

~Before Twilight could ever so much as finish her sentence, the student hurried off in another direction.~

"Wait! Come back!"

"We have to go and catch him!" Rainbow cried.

Suddenly, they heard him scream. "AHH! OH NOOO!"

~The girls didn't like the sound of that. They hurried over to where the voice came from and there what they saw was extremely worrying. Black cloak, agile movements, sinister grin. No doubt about it, it was a Devil minion! He had just cornered the poor frightened student into a wall of a nearby sports shed and was about to fall upon him, as there was nothing he could do but stutter.~

"A m-m-minion!"

"Gotcha now, you little brat!" snarled the minion.

The student screamed with fear. "N-no! Leave me alone!"

~Quickly, without a sudden thought or aim, Pinkie sang a batch of confectionery sprinkles and threw a handful underneath the minion's feet. It crackled and fizzled like a firecracker on contact, to which the minion was not prepared for. And since it caught him down below, it damaged the part of his heel and caused him to flee by only hopping on his one other foot. Pinkie Pie laughed. The student stared at the minion fleeing before turning back at his rescuers and charging at them.~

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" he cried in relief.

Carefully, Pinkie shook his hand and led him up. "My pleasure!" she said to him.

"I'm sorry I ran away from you before. I just thought you were bad people coming to get me. I see now that you were maybe just trying to help." The student chuckled. "Is it...alright if I stay with you? Just for protection and such?"

"Well, actually," Sunset said, "If you go to the high school just beyond this field, you'll be safe in there. Don't worry, your principal will be there too to help guide you."

"You mean, Mr. Secret!? Oh, thank goodness! Okay! Th-thank you again!" said the student, feeling that those words were hardly enough.

~Following Sunset's directions, he began to head back to the field and over to the building of their school to where he hoped he would find his beloved principal. Once they saw the student enter safely inside, the Rainbooms gave each other a well-needed nod well done. Twilight brought out a notebook and marked a line in it as one student saved.~

"One down! Thousands more to go!" Pinkie Pie stated.

~Meanwhile, bursting out on the other side of the grove of trees, the incompetent minions, Lars and Leos, were panting their hearts out from running so fast. It didn't help that they were inflicted with a lot of pain as well from the Rainbooms just moments ago. Leos glanced over his shoulder back at the grove.~

"Are they following us?" asked Lars.

"No. They're not."

"Okay, good."

~They slumped down against one of the oak trees before beginning to tender their wounds. After that, they began to discuss the battle they had endured.~

"I can't believe it though…" gasped Lars. "Those girls...have...SUPERPOWERS! That's probably what that glow was from the butterfly girl's necklace!"

"I...I know! And they were sent by Steven Secret himself to protect his students, as I recall." said Leos.

"Ugh, and I thought only Agent Star and Agent Crystal were bad enough. Now, we gotta deal with seven more!?" Lars sighed. "At least Agent Star and Agent Crystal don't have powers! Think of the possibilities that could happen to us there!"

"What are we going to do about it? Should we report this to Master Devil?" Leos asked.

"Seems like the most obvious reason. I mean, that was some strong stuff!" He suddenly felt red liquid dripping from the top of his head, so he put his hand over it. "Ugh! Look at this! That rainbow-haired one cut my forehead, so now it's bleeding! It's gonna leave a scar, I'll tell you that." Lars grumbled.

"Yeah, the one with the cowboy hat punctured my ribs." His minion friend added. He clutched his stomach. "Oh, I hope they are not broken in there."

Lars sighed again. "And the pink one created explosions with tiny little hundreds and thousands, and the fancy-haired one created diamond-like force fields! You saw that, right?"

"Okay, now thinking about it, I don't think the boss is actually gonna believe us when we tell him this, is he?" asked Leos.

"Hmm... Ugh, yeah, who am I kidding, of course not!" Lars growled.

~He banged his head against the tree out of frustration, but that, of course, turned out to be a mistake, as his head began throbbing even harder than it did before. But, just as he groaned and began to rub on the part he hit, he felt a vibration and voice coming from his right trouser pocket.~

"Minions! Minions! Calling all minions!"

"Huh?"

~Lars reached down and pulled out a small pocket phone device that looked similar to a large powder compact. He pressed down on the button on the top and the lid flipped open to reveal a message recorded by his boss, Dr. Devil.~

"It's the boss." Leos said, obviously.

"Yes, I know it's the boss!" Lars grumbled. "What does he want though, that's my question?"

"I have an important announcement to make." Devil's voice sounded through the speaker. "We have received some unbeknownst assistance from three female teeangers. They call themselves the Dazzlings: Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk. And well, teachinally, they are not teenagers from this world or ours. They are…"

"Pffft! You think he would talk about important announcements like this in person." Leos suddenly spoke up, so Lars didn't hear that part of the message.

The minion frowned. "Hey! Shush! I'm listening to the boss' message!" he scolded, and he kept on listening.

"...they have given us some information about this world, and what powers are around." Devil's voice went on. "So, here's what I want you all to do. Keep an eye out for seven teenage girls with superpowers. They call themselves the Rainbooms. I would describe them but since every single citizen in this god-forsaken world looks the same to me, I can't. So, that's left up to you. If you spot them, capture them, and bring them to me in my castle. If you fail and show up empty-handed, I'll blast you with my melt ray and turn you into a puddle of goop! So get to it!"

~The message fee cut out. The two minions were left completely dumbfounded. They glanced back from where they came from, believing that the Rainbooms would still be there, then slowly turned back to each other, their eyes wide with amazement.~

"We're gonna need some backup," said Lars.

Chapter 4: Secret Agents Lightning Star and Karly Crystal to the Rescue!

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Chapter 4: Secret Agents Lightning Star and Karly Crystal to the Rescue!

~The next few hours and missions went wild for the Rainbooms. After they rescued the first student, Pinkie Pie was the first to spot something in the distance. What she saw was an army of Devil's minions guarding and loading a bear-sized cage into a large wagon. It was a pitiable sight. The sides of the cage were barred with thick iron and inside were some of Steven's students, girls and boys all between the ages of twelve to sixteen, all hunched together in a shaking huddle. Many of the younger children were sobbing, while the older ones were doing their best to comfort them. However, they were the ones that were still trying to process all that was happening around them, and were beginning to get anxious just by looking. Rarity growled at the sight, and was at the ready instantly to punish this villainy before her very eyes. Twilight and Sunset agreed. So they began to hatch a plan and whisper it to the others. As soon as the students saw that somebody had come, they crowded to the bars of the cages, gesturing and banging helplessly to get out. This caused the minions to turn and spot the Rainbooms, however. And once they did, they charged. Rarity leapt up swiftly with a swirl of her hair. Walking easily towards the danger, she examined the minions' movements, then put herself into action. She began to conjure up diamond fragments as she walked. They were simple crystals but enough to penetrate the crossbow arrows that suddenly rained upon her and the girls. Finally, the minions ran out, and had nothing else left to defend themselves. That was when the Rainbooms made their move. Rainbow was stoked all the way.~

"Take that!" she began to yell.

~Lashing out with her fist and using all the martial arts she was taught, Rainbow Dash fended off the minions strongly. As did the rest of her friends. Fluttershy, not so much, but, she was able to duck down and make one of the minions trip over her so he'd sprawl onto the muddy grass. After that tremendous battle, the minions were defeated, and they fled into the copse of trees before any more of them got hurt. Applejack approached the wagon, and to the cage of the helpless students. She gripped onto the iron bars tightly before rattling them, then pulling on them with all her might. Unable to withstand the power of her strength, the bars immediately snapped into two pieces and were ripped from their standing point. The students were free. For a long moment they all stood there, wide-eyed, entranced by the Rainbooms and their magic. Then, a young girl toddled towards Applejack with outstretched arms. The cowgirl felt herself blush when they hugged while Rarity just smirked with her hands on her hips and laughed out loud at the happy sight. All were safe and in an instant, the Rainbooms were surrounded by a bustle of teeangers all wanting to reach out and touch them. They felt loved. Eventually, they told the students to go to CHS and meet with Steven.~

~As the Rainbooms came closer towards Canterlot City, the more students they found. Like headless chickens, they just found them wandering alone in the fields while avoiding danger at any cost. It was a relief though that these ones were found unharmed thankfully, and it was a breeze to get them to CHS. After finding some more lost teenagers in another grove of trees, The Rainbooms decided to do a quick count-up.~

"Okay, Twilight," Sunset panted. "How many students have we found?"

Twilight scanned through her notebook. "So far, we have found one hundred and fifty-nine students…" she answered.

"Well, that's good but thousands could still be at large." said Applejack.

Rainbow gave a sigh. "I really wish Mr. Secret told us exactly how many students he has." she said. "Then we'll know how many more we have to go!"

"If only we had an extra pair of helpers..." Pinkie Pie put her hand over her chin. "...and, well, you know, someone that knows the students and is friends with them. Someone that can handle those mean minions along with us! Someone heroic; someone adventurous; someone fearless! Someone like…"

"Lightning Star and Karly Crystal?" Fluttershy asked timidly.

"Yeah!"

"I'm...pretty sure those were their names."

"I'm sure too. We need to find them!" Rainbow determined.

"But, where could they be?" Rarity asked.

"I don't know. But Mr. Secret said they could be anywhere…"

"'He's sure we'll find them hanging about somewhere', if I recall his words…"

~With that, the five began searching up the lands, while Sunset and Twilight stayed. Twilight was just going through her trusty notebook, counting up all the numbers again, when she heard a noise rustling in the trees above them. At first, she assumed it was just a bird, since they are seen very frequently around these parts, but when she noticed the shadow dancing on the ground from the trees was much larger than she anticipated, she got suspicious. Sunset noticed her worried glances, but the other girls didn't and just kept on ranting.~

"What if we find some more trouble? It might lure them over here!" suggested Pinkie.

"I think we've gone through enough trouble already, Miss Pie..." said Rarity. "...and I don't believe in finding it again!"

"Our troubles are only just beginnin', Rarity," Applejack chuckled. "It ain't over til the big apple falls from the tree!"

The fashionista groaned. "That's what I'm afraid of…"

"Hey, what's wrong, Twilight?" Sunset asked.

"I...I feel like we're being watched…"

~The whole group fell silent. The rustling in the trees continued, and as the girls got closer, it began to shake more violently and loudly every second. The next instant, Lars the minion fell from the tree onto his feet in front of them.~

"AH-HA!"

~He gestured a hand movement. Then, a huge net fell from the tree. But, instead of falling upon the Mane 7 and trapping them, as that's what they assumed was meant to happen, it landed on Lars, and the weight of the mesh threw him to the ground instantly. He pulled a blank slate expression on his face before writhing around, trying to get free.~

"Okaaay. That was poorly planned." he admitted.

~Thankfully for him, they had a plan B. Within the next couple seconds, ten minions leapt up from the bushes and swiftly pinned down the Rainbooms before they could even have a chance to articulate what was going on. And since their arms were the first thing that got the minions' attention, they could not touch their geodes to activate the source. All they could do was scream and struggle in surprise.~

"NOW, we got 'em!" one of them laughed.

"Excellent!" Lars cheered, before continuing to struggle himself. "Now get me out of this, you idiots!"

~Three minions stalked up to Lars and began to tug on the net. It took a few moments, since the knotting looked as if it was done up by a young toddler, but eventually, the minions untangled the netting and freed their co-worker from its trap. He was not happy with them however.~

"Ugh, when I said 'throw the net', I meant on them, not me!"

"Well, it was Brames' fault!" one of his companions complained, pointing at another minion. "He's the one who told me to throw it where you were standing!"

"Sorry!" the minion named Brames replied. "Maths and calculating angles aren't my strong suit. I don't even know why you appointed me to do that job!"

"Does it entirely matter now!?" another minion spoke up. "No! We caught them. That's all that needed to be done."

"You're right."

~A grinning Lars stood before the struggling heroines as they were dragged to their feet, and gloated over them proudly. Then, the minion peered at the geodes around their necks. He smiled grimly.~

"I told you we would be back, Rainbooms…" he hissed.

"No, you didn't," Rainbow jabbed. "You just ran like cowards!"

"Wait...you know our name?" Twilight quired, shocked to hear him say that.

Lars replied with a scornful laugh. "Heh. That's right. We know everything now… Our boss informed us of you. He seemed to have teamed up with three girls that know alot about you. What did he say their names was again? I didn't hear much since someone decided to talk over it!" he gave an obvious look towards Leos, who rolled his eyes back. "Right, what-was-it-again? The Dangers? The Dapperlings?"

Sunset gasped. "The Dazzlings!"

"Yeah! That's it! The Dazzlings!"

"Oh no!" Fluttershy gasped.

Rainbow was speechless. "Then...that means…"

"They have found Devil and joined forces with him!" Sunset gasped. This news set everybody talking at once.

"Huh. I figured it would have taken at least more than two chapters for them to 'Work things out'." said Pinkie, looking up at the fourth wall.

Lars moved right to her face. "Well, you figured wrong!" he spat. "Oh, and, of course, another thing…" he went on, "...the boss wants your magic now. Since the Dazzlings told him everything now, he's been dying to get you. He appointed us to capture you and bring you to him."

"So this means no more going after Secret's students! Practically, your work here is done!" Leos laughed out loud, to which the girls gazed evenly.

Lars nodded along. "Oh! Also, if I recall, the Dazzlings told the boss something about a land filled with ponies called Equestria. Dunno what it's about, it sounds girl-ish, but he said that world will be his next target once he's through with you and this world!"

~At this, Sunset Shimmer's eyes widened. The thought of a mad doctor going over to her homeland and conquering it shook her to the earth. If he succeeds, what will become of it? And what will become of all her friends and mentors back home as well? Princess Twilight, Princess Celestia... All will be in danger! Sunset couldn't not hide back her anger.~

"You wouldn't even think about stepping hoof into that world!" she screamed at the minions.

"Hoof?" Lars quired, before bursting out with laughter. "Please! I get it it's a world filled with ponies, but that pun was so stupid!" He stopped laughing after a while and sneered. "Just think, soon, you will have these precious necklaces of yours be taken away from you, and they will be drained of their magic for our Master Devil. Soon, he will have the power, he will be supreme, and all will be his kingdom!" Lars laughed maniacally.

"NO!" Rainbow screamed and struggled. "You are not going to get away with this!"

"Silence!" commanded Leos. "Of course, we're gonna get away with it! We almost already have." he smiled. He turned to Lars. "Right, I think I've had enough chit chat with these brats now!"

"Agreed." Lars added. "Let's just take them to Master Devil now."

Leos nodded and flashed a look at his other companions. "Alright, lads," he began, "Hold them firm, and make sure they don't use their powers." he demanded. "We can't afford any mistakes. Knock them out if you have to."

"...who put you in charge?" one of them suddenly snarked. "Also, I'm pretty sure we can handle a bunch of children, Leos." The entire group began to stare. "Let's just go."

"No!" Sunset gasped and began struggling desperately. "Come on, girls, We can't have failed already."

~Tears began to swell up in Sunset's eyes as they were frogmarched away. Lars took the lead. Rainbow Dash fought vainly, so, as expected, she was knocked unconscious with a single blow to the back of the head. Applejack followed afterwards. Things were really starting to look bad for the girls now, so Sunset Shimmer looked around desperately to find a way out. Her first natural instinct told her it would be best to shout for help, but this may cause the minions to knock her unconscious too, which she didn't want. Next, she tried to manage an escape route to run at if she slipped out of her captor's grasp. but that proved to be difficult since everywhere she looked there were trees ahead on every mile, and the minions were sharply eyeing her and holding her tight in an iron grip. She was beginning to lose hope. Suddenly, another rustle occured from the distance. Then, an unknown white figure leapt out from over the trees and performed a one way-sided punch straight into Lars' jaw, causing him to fall back and splutter a little bit of spit from the sudden impact. Sunset, Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were shocked. The stranger was female and she wearing a cyan-blue and magenta-pink striped sleeveless jacket whose hood covered her entire head, so nobody knew who she was.~

Lars was furious, nonetheless. "Hey! What's the big idea, you- !"

~He stopped in his sentence. As the stranger threw back her hood, she shook aside her long fluffy glorious golden locks of hair before sparkling her bright blue eyes at the Rainbooms, giving them a sense of comfort. She seemed to be the energetic type of person, and was pumped up to throw another punch at another minion. She looked around the same age as the Mane 7, and wore a simple white long sleeved top underneath the striped sleeveless jacket and with a small cyan star badge clipped on the front beside the high zipper. She wore classic, navy blue jeans and neon blue trainers with pink highlights. Sunset was in awe to see a person like her and was gladly relieved to see her come to their rescue in an act of heroism. When the minions saw her face, they all knew exactly who she was and chroused her name in fear.~

"Agent Star!"

~Sunset looked across to them then back, stunned. It was Lightning Star! One of the girls Steven mentioned. They found her! Or rather, she found them. The rest of the Rainbooms stared in awe.~

"Causing trouble again are we, Lars?" Lightning Star asked with a smug look.

"Ugh, what's it to you, Agent Star?" Lars scowled, getting up from the ground. "You know, these girls aren't even from your school, why are you defending them? They don't concern you!"

~Lightning looked back at the Rainbooms. They all had kindly faces, and she watched as their eyes twinkled with hers in sync. From there, she began to feel like there would be some sort of special connection and understanding between her and them. For a brief moment, Lightning felt her skin tingle strangely and she wondered what this rescue would mean for the future. Nevertheless, she stood up for them.~

"Just because they aren't from my school, doesn't mean you still have the right to pick on them!" she replied. She then turned to the nearby bushes. "Come on, Karly Crystal! Let's show these minions what we do to people who bully innocent civilians!"

~Just then, another teenage girl poked up from behind a few bushes and by a tree root. She must've been the other girl Steven told the girls about, as Lightning Star said her name, Karly Crystal. This one seemed to be more prone to stress when faced with pressure of any kind, and seemed quite mentally fragile and sensitive to criticism. It was obvious that she shared a quality with Fluttershy. She was nothing like Lightning at all. As for her appearance: her ashy brown hair was tousled and naturally messy. She also had fair skin, rosy cheeks, and two very unique different coloured blue eyes. Twilight immediately recognised this condition as heterochromia indium- where there are two different colours in the iris of each eye, this girl seemed to have one eye colour sky blue, while the other one was cyan. Her small, plain magenta scarf drooped down to where her collarbone was, and matched her casual, comfy dark cerise jumper with three light pink stripes across the chest. The sleeves also dropped far down to her arms. Underneath, she wore fluffy lavender purple shorts with lighter baggy knee high socks and dark classic trainers. Her clothing choice is likely down to her insecurities surrounding her body image. Interestingly, it seemed that Karly never developed breasts during puberty, and was entirely flat-chested.~

"Oh! Umm, o-of course, Lightning!" Karly called in a soft, mellow tone of voice. "Iiii just…need you...to give me a few...minutes..." suddenly she tripped on the tree root. "Ahh!" Thump! "Oww…"

Lightning sighed. "Ugh, Karly. You gotta be more careful around here."

"Oh, I have a bad feeling about this…" said one of the minions.

"Ah, shut up, man. You're yellow," sneered his mate. "C'mon, We just defeated seven girls, what's two more?"

"Exactly! So get them!" Leos commanded.

The minions began laughing. "Oh-ho-ho-ho! We are going to crush you!"

~They chucked their struggling load onto the ground, then glided quickly across the grass towards them. Lightning and Karly set themselves up for a fight. Firstly, Lightning swiftly ducked an upcoming blow then seized the leg of the one that threw it and jerked it up from under the minion. He fell on his back and cried out. Lightning then leapt to pin him, but he rolled away. As he bounced to his feet, Karly accidentally brought him back down again with a stumble, as she was facing another minion. Nonetheless, when she fell, her feet came up and she kicked the minion she was fighting in the chin. Lightning helped her, before punching another minion that came behind her quickly. Now fighting desperately, the minions charged, kicked, scratched and punched, but they were no match for Lightning. The Rainbooms, who were watching aside, stared in amazement, but said nothing. They were impressed that she could handle their quick movements with her own. Finally, the minions were beaten and backed into a corner. Gasping angrily, Lars grabbed a tree branch and raised it over his head to bring down. Karly cowered and leapt back, but Lightning swung a right-hand haymaker as quickly as she could. It caught Lars in the solar plexus and he went down in a heap.~

"You wanna repeat that phrase of crushing us?" said Lightning. "Or should I say it now?"

Lars growled. "Let's get out of here, lads."

"But- "

"I said, let's go!" Without another argument, the minions fled. "You haven't seen the last of us!" Lars' voice yelled as he joined his crew.

~Lightning shook her head at the comment, but never spoke out. Several groans were suddenly heard from behind her so she looked over to see the Rainbooms still on the floor, groaning in agony. Karly rushed to their aid.~

"Oh god, are you alright?" she asked them.

"Well, besides being thrown to the ground and leered at and threatened by a band of ruffians, I'm still in perfectly good shape. Thank you." answered Rarity, as she sorted herself out.

Twilight stood herself back up and went across to where they stood. "Yes, I'm fine. And...thank you so much for helping us out. You were...amazing." It was the best Twilight could manage, overawed as she was by the talent of the girls.

Lightning turned around from her shoulder and held Twilight's gaze for a moment. "No problem, it's what we do." the girl replied, smiling.

~As they helped the rest of the girls up to their feet, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were just coming too.~

Rainbow was the one that groaned first. "Ack! Urrrgh…? What happened? Where are we?"

"Did we just fall asleep?" Applejack asked, rubbing her head. "I can't remember…"

"You were knocked out, darlings." Rarity explained. "But not to worry, we're safe. Thanks to these brave, young girls."

Karly blushed and giggled. "Aww, shucks!"

"Hey, wait," Rainbow said, now that her eyes were focusing again. "Are you…?"

"You are the two girls Mr. Secret was on about! Lightning Star and Karly Crystal!" Pinkie Pie interrupted. The pink girl began hopping all around them. "We found you, we found you, we found you, we found you!"

"My god, you're hyperactive…" Lightning said, unblinking. "...but yes. I'm Lightning Star. Secret agent, student of Pixel High, and daughter of the wealthy, talented leader of the S.T.A.R Agency. It's a family thing." She felt Karly ruffle her jacket behind her. "Oh, yes, and this is my best friend, and partner, Karly Crystal." Lightning introduced.

"H-hi."

"Nice to meet you!" Sunset replied, shaking Lightning's hand warmly. "My name is Sunset Shimmer."

"My name's Twilight Sparkle." Twilight greeted. The rest of the girls introduced themselves.

"The name's Rainbow Dash!

"I'm Applejack. Pleasure to make yer acquaintance."

"I'm Fluttershy…" Fluttershy whispered shyly.

"I am Rarity. Pleased to meet you."

"And I'm Pinkie Pie!" Pinkie spoke rapidly. "But you can call me Pinkie, or Pie, or Pinkie and Pie! I don't mind, wanna be friends?! I'm friends with mostly everybody around here- SAY YES!"

"Uhh, yes?" Karly quired.

"Well, it's nice to meet you all too!"

~One by one, Lightning shook everyone else's hand and smiled. Sadly, the meeting didn't last as long as she figured. Afterwards, the Rainbooms turned serious and asked if they could all talk with each other for a quick moment of time. Lightning felt suspicious, but agreed happily. So, walking over to a much safer area, the nine girls sat in a circle on the lush green grass and began the discussion. Karly interrupted quickly, however, before a word came out, as she had many questions to ask the Rainbooms first.~

"So, how is it that you know us?" she began. "Did someone tell you? Who told you? How much more do you know about us? And why were those minions chasing you? Did you do something to them? What happened? What's going on?"

"It's a long story…" Sunset started.

"So, I think it's best if we start from the beginning!" Pinkie bursted in.

~She got up from her seat suddenly and hopped over to a larger secluded area. She cleared her throat and began talking like an old-fashioned story narrator.~

"Once upon a time, in a land, far, far away, there was a pony princess, named Twilight Sparkle…"

"I think that's too far back, Pinkie." Twilight interjected.

"Yeah, I was just going to start with the book," said Sunset.

"Oh! Okie dokie! I can start there for ya!" Pinkie cleared her throat again. "Once upon a time, in a school, not far, far away, there were two girls named Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, dusting out the basement and finding their textbooks." She suddenly screamed. "Ahh! A rat, quick get it! Use that book! Blast! Ooh! Gasp! Wow! Magic flying everywhere, another portal tearing open! The book is going crazy! A strange man flies out!" She puts on a deep voice similar to Steven's. "My name is Steven Secret, my students are in danger, you must find them!" She went back to her own original voice. "You got it, sir!" She then crouched down and messed up her hair as she put on a snarky, goofy voice to imitate the minions. "HEh Heh hEH! We ArE meAnIe mIniOnS wORkiNg foR ThE eVIl bAd GUy, Dr. DE-viLl, hE haS tEaMed uP wItH ThE DaZZliNgS, gIve Us yOuR mAgIc!" she returned to her own voice. "Never!" Then back to the minions' voice. "As YoU wISh! GeT 'Em, bOYs!" Finally, she imitated Lightning's voice and went back and forth between hers and the minions' and doing movements. "Not so fast! AHh! It'S LiGHtNinG StAr! Begone from here! Punch! Kick! Bang! Pow! NoOooOO! We wILl bE bAaaaaAcK!" She then stopped. "And now we're here." she bowed. "Any more questions?"

~Lightning and Karly both appeared to be still perplexed and a little bit weirded out. But, Pinkie didn't see it.~

"Yeah, I think they got it."

Rainbow asked. "Did you?"

"I mean... This certainly explains a few things," exclaimed Lightning. "But...I'm also very skeptical about it all."

"You and me both, Lightning," Karly added. "But, backing things up a bit, you said the name Steven Secret? Have you found him?"

Fluttershy nodded. "Uh-huh. He's safe at our school at the moment." she answered.

"He is? Oh, that's a relief! We've been looking everywhere for him and I was scared something might have happened!" Karly sighed happily. "Okay, I'm glad to know that my uncle is alright."

"Uncle?" The Rainbooms quired.

"Steven is Karly's uncle," Lightning explained. "And she has a very close relationship with him, as do I, since he used to work with my dad before becoming the principal of our high school."

"Oh, I see." Rarity chirped.

"That must be nice. Having a family member working in the same school you go to." Twilight said, as her brother too worked at her former school, CPA, for a short while.

"Well, it has its downsides, actually." Karly confessed.

Lightning agreed. "Yeah, bullies will come at you, you always have to be on your best behaviour and you have to do all the work, no slacking whatsoever."

"Oh. I suppose that's true."

"I think we're gettin' a little bit off topic here now, y'all." interrupted Applejack.

"Oh! You're right." Lightning realised. "But, umm, do you mind going through all that's happened in full detail now again? Sure, Pinkie's little play was sorta helpful, but not so much."

"Of course." Sunset obliged, giving out a small chuckle.

~With that, Sunset Shimmer began to explain the story of how Lightning and Karly got here into the world and what is now happening because of it in full explicit detail. She tried to answer all of Karly's questions as well as she could along the way, but didn't have the greatest of answers for some. Thankfully, Karly nodded in understanding, and Lightning assured her it was alright if she couldn't answer. Sunset thanked her. After twenty minutes, Lightning and Karly had finally gotten up to where the Rainbooms were and knew what was fully happening now. Sunset would have got on even further about who exactly these Dazzlings were, but she felt as if she should tell them some other time. Once she has gained more trust in them, only then will she confess who they, and even she, were and where they originally come from. But for now, the good proportion of detail she told will have to do.~

"So, here's the problem," said Sunset, now up to the present point. "Your arch enemy, and our arch enemies have teamed up and started working together in this world."

"Which means double the badness!" Pinkie added.

"They've already ordered for our capture, since the Dazzlings have told this Devil all about us and what we are capable of." said Twilight.

"We haven't met the man yet, but from what I've already heard about him, I can tell he won't rest until he gets filthy hands on our magic." Rarity said.

"So, the nine o' us will have to work together if we wanna save ourselves an' help out ya fellow school students get back to ya own world!" Applejack exclaimed.

Fluttershy nodded slowly. "It's a dangerous task, and I'm still really scared about it, but now that we've found you, I'm confident we can do it."

"So, what do ya say?" Rainbow grinned confidently. "You two in it to win it?!"

The two best friends exchanged a curious look, but after a while they smirked with complete understanding. "Absolutely." Karly answered.

"After all, it's a secret agent's duty to protect and serve!" Lightning said proudly. "Also, it's up against Devil. Of course, we're coming."

"Excellent!" said Rarity. "We'll have this thing sewn up in no time, then!"

"Wait an apple pickin' minute," Applejack interrupted. "Did y'all just say that y'all secret agents?"

"Oh! Umm...yes. Yes, we did." Lightning gave a nervous-sided smile before groaning and turning the other way around. "Darn it, I've got to stop telling random people this! Otherwise it wouldn't be a secret anymore!"

"Well, we kinda figured it out already, actually," chuckled Sunset.

Rainbow chuckled too. "Yeah. And it certainly explains why back then those minions called you 'Agent Star' and 'Agent Crystal'." she then said.

"Oh yeah, they did," Lightning realised. "Ugh, bunch of blabbermouths. They are always up to something, you know. That's why we helped you and chased them off. I can never stand them!"

"I don't blame you." Fluttershy sighed.

"Well, I'm happy to hear that you've agreed to join us." Sunset said, moving on from the conversation.

"Agreed! Welcome to the party, Lightning Star and Karly Crystal!" Pinkie congratulated them. "From here on out, we will adventure together in a team of nine and vanquish all that stand in our way!"

"We're looking forward to it." Lightning smiled.

Chapter 5: Trouble in the Making

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Chapter 5: Trouble in the Making

~Not a lot had passed since the Rainbooms had met and teamed up with Lightning and Karly. The nine had set off to the city to see if they could find more students lurking about. Then, once they were confident, they were going to try and make the incredible journey to Devil and the Dazzlings. Since they are now aware that they have joined forces, there was no doubt about it that they were already planning something wicked. They didn't have much time left. It was very light in the outskirts of the city and it was already taking a long time for Lightning and Karly's eyes to get used to the bright trees and people. Led by Sunset, they followed the roads that were winding and wide. Karly knew she and Lightning would be instantly lost without their guides and realised that apart from their help, they would have never found out what happened to Steven or any of the students. It wasn't long before they spotted another band of minions tormenting more students. Everyone hastened their footsteps. Then, Lightning wasted no time.~

"Karly and I will handle the minions, you focus on getting the students to safety." she said, and she broke into a run.

~Karly hastened forward until she stood with her in the open for the minions to see them. They cried out then leapt to attack. The girls began running, luring them away from the students and distracting them enough for the Rainbooms to slip past and guide the students to the way to Canterlot High School. When Sunset gave the signal, Lightning nodded and swung herself and Karly into the trees, where they disappeared from the minions' sight. The minions were confounded when they found out they had been tricked and that their prisoners were gone. Then, with a stone in her hand, Lightning threw it far in the opposite direction and hit a tree, causing it to make a small noise and make the minions believe it was them. Of course, they fell for the ruse, and ran to the sound immediately. Lightning and Karly hopped down from the trees then went back out where the Rainbooms were waiting for them. They regrouped.~

"Good job, girls." Lightning said.

"Heh. Thanks!" exclaimed Rainbow. "We make such a great team, don't we?"

"I'll say." Karly replied. "Thank you for getting our classmates out."

"Thank YOU for the distraction." Applejack replied back.

"Something tells me this is going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship." smiled Sunset.

~Continuing their way towards the city, they found one last student just lying on the ground. He was very dazed and he hurt all over. Must have had quite the beating by a minion but miraculously got away, Lightning thought. Applejack helped the lad up to his feet, then looked for signs of broken bones. Thankfully, she found none, but the bruises she found and touched made him wince. According to Lightning and Karly, his name was Fleap. He quickly explained what happened to him to the girls, and why, then, he went on about needing a place to stay and heal.~

"Go to CHS," Sunset said for the fourth time. "We have first aid, company and your principal staying there."

"Umm, no." Fleap answered.

"No?" Rainbow quired.

"Sorry it's just that, I'm...really bad at remembering stuff. Especially directions. I'm- I'm positive that I'll get lost again."

Lightning clicked her fingers. "Oh, yeah, It's true. Fleap here has short term memory loss, and isn't confident with this sort of stuff. Someone is going to have to take him to the school."

"I will then," Twilight volunteered. "Besides, I think he will need some help with his injuries. Plus, somebody should head back and tell Mr. Secret and Principal Celestia all that's happened so far and inform them how much progress we've made."

"Hmm, good thinking."

"Can I come with you then?" Karly asked. "I'd like to see how my uncle is doing."

"Sorry, Karly, but I'm gonna need your help over there. Look."

~Lightning pointed ahead of herself at two specific students fighting with two minions. She never said who they were, but Karly knew and sighed at the conception. Only later will these students be introduced to the Rainbooms.~

"Oh. Right."

Twilight assured her. "It's okay, I'll go alone. And I'll inform Mr. Secret of you two. Promise."

"Okay, Twilight, take Fleap back and make sure nothing terrible happens." Sunset said.

"Do be careful yourself though, darling," added Rarity. "I guarantee that there will still be nasty minions wandering about."

"So hurry back quickly!" Rainbow prompted.

"Thanks girls, and, I promise, I'll be back as soon as possible."

~With that, Twilight took Fleap by the shoulder, and began to walk him back in the direction she and the other girls came from to CHS. The Rainbooms watched them before turning back to Lightning and Karly fighting. They quickly went to help with the students then drag them away from the fight.~

~Back at CHS, Steven and Principal Celestia were talking amongst each other above the inside balcony of the school. They could see all that was happening from down below. Steven's students as well as the CHS students came in eagerly through the door with relief all over their faces. Many of the students that had already been saved were so pleased to see more familiar faces come in so they reunited and began to chat strangely to one another. Some of which went on about how the Rainbooms saved them from Devil's minions and someday they wanted to thank them properly for all they've done for them. Steven and Celestia smiled when they heard that and grinned at the thought of doing something nice. However, Steven was beginning to worry for the Mane 7 after a while.~

"I do hope those girls are alright." he confessed to Celestia.

"Oh, I'm sure they're fine." she said. "With any luck, they've already met up with your two prised students. Whatever were their names again?"

"Lightning Star and Karly Crystal." Steven began to explain. "They're both like daughters to me, you know. Well, Karly is actually my niece, but she isn't like one, let's say. She's more than that. Lightning too. I've known her father for years now and even worked with him in his company for a long time. I only just quit and became a principal six years ago because I was getting old for his job. But, I consider him and her as family. I was so happy when she and my niece became really close friends."

"I have the same feeling towards the girls." Celestia explained too. "Sunset Shimmer used to be a troubled student back in the first few years. She ruled the school with an iron fist, and there was nothing I could do to stop her. But when Twilight Sparkle came to the school, she opened her up and showed her the magic of friendship and a brand new way of living life at its fullest. Now, she helps people and guides them through the tough times."

"Really? That's an amazing development!" Steven marvelled. "What makes them so special to you though, might I ask?" he then questioned. "All of your students here seem extraordinary to me, what makes these seven stand out?"

Celestia laughed. "Oh, you have no idea…"

~At that very moment, they were interrupted by Twilight and Fleap coming through the front doors of the school. They made it to the centre where Twilight released Fleap's shoulder and pointed to a specific location.~

"Here you are, Fleap," she said. "The nurse's office is just to the left of that hallway."

"Okay. Thank you so much." Fleap waved, and he slowly walked off. "Wait, was it right? Or left?" his voice distantly asked after a while.

~Steven and Celestia ran down the stairs and made straight for Twilight. They stopped before her and were happy to see her, yet confused as to why she came back. Nonetheless, they smiled.~

"Twilight Sparkle! How unexpected to see you!" Celestia exclaimed.

"Is everything alright?" asked Steven.

"Oh yes, very well," the tech girl answered. "I just came back to help Fleap find his way here and inform you that Lightning and Karly are by our side now as we speak and are helping us with our mission."

"You found Lightning and Karly?" Steven gasped. "Ah, that's brilliant news, Twilight! And it seems as if you've found most of my students! W-Well done!"

"Thank you, Mr. Secret." Twilight smiled, almost from embarrassment.

"Now, all that needs to be done is for you to face Devil and stop whatever guaranteed plan he has in store for this world!" Steven ordered. "Some fewer students of mine may also be with him and held prisoner. I'm gonna need you to save the last of them too."

Twilight nodded. "Right, I understand. Thanks for the clarification, Mr. Secret. I'll be going now to meet up with the others and tell them what you've told me."

"Indeed you shall." Celestia spoke up. "Keep up the excellent work, Twilight!"

~The tech girl nodded and turned to leave. But, when she went to open the door, she found out that she couldn't. It's like it had been lodged together and no matter how much pulling and pushing and grunting she did, it would not move. The students saw this and almost immediately, anxiety pierced through them like a knife. Steven and Celestia noticed it next.~

"Huh?"

"What's wrong?"

"The door is stuck!" Twilight grunted. "Ngh! It- won't- budge!"

"Here. Let me try." Steven said, and he clutched the handles firmly.

~The principal pulled all with his might but, as Twilight said, it would not budge. Not even his strength could pry it open. He began to wonder why. Until, suddenly, he saw it. Green goop was oozing out of the double doors through the crack between them. Steven scooped up a drop with his finger, and began to play around with it. It was a sticky substance, to which he could not get off his finger once he touched it. He looked back up, and saw a shadow from outside the door and heard a distinct, but familiar evil laugh coming from it. At that point, he knew exactly who was responsible for sealing the doors shut and trapping him, Celestia, Twilight and the other students inside the school.~

"He's here!" he exclaimed.

"Who's here?!" Celestia asked.

"Dr. Devil!" all the students chroused in fear.

~Their eruptions of panic were cut off by an explosion thundering from overhead. The entire roof of CHS bursted inward, causing rubble and shards of glass to rain down upon them. Thankfully, they were too small to injure anyone when they hit. Twilight ran behind Steven and they both watched as minions rappelled down from the rooftop into the school and began to scatter. The students screamed and ran like gazelles being chased by predators once they landed.~

"What's happening?!"

"We're under attack!"

"This place isn't safe!"

"We're doomed!"

"Run for your lives!"

~They fled to the nearest classroom. Steven, Twilight and Celestia all looked up once again and, next thing they knew, they were surrounded by minions and the three familiar sirens of Equestria were rappelling down. The Dazzlings. Aria was the first to hit the ground and look about, then Sonata, then Adagio. Twilight and the principals froze. They didn't know what to do.~

"Where are they?!" demanded Aria. "Where are the Rainbooms?"

"We know they're around here, so hand them over!" demanded Sonata.

"Patience, you two, patience." Adagio said to them smoothly. "We need to wait for Devil's orders."

"Thank you, Adagio," Devil's voice echoed from above. "I'm so glad one of you knows how to follow commands. Now, do that red soundwavy thing!"

~Adagio obliged. With a sudden twitch of the eyes, her pendant flashed an entrancing ruby red glow for everyone to see before her. The glowing grew bigger, then the soundwave flashed from Adagio's hands and knocked everyone around her to the ground in a sudden blow. Steven, out of everyone, was the most shocked. They all quickly stood back up again. It didn't do much but it went to show that the Dazzlings now held another new special power. This worried Twilight to pieces, and Sunset and the others were not going to be pleased when they hear about it, she said to herself. Devil waited for silence and the wave to stop. Then, once it did, he rappelled down on the dangling ropes and came up face to face with his old enemy.~

"Steven Secret…" he began, "What a surprise. For a moment, I thought you weren't sucked up by that portal and into this colourful wonderland."

"Good day, Devil," Steven said sarcastically. "I am delighted to see that you have come here to meet up with me, as I would find it difficult to visit all of you."

~A minion in the crowd laughed but immediately shut up when the one next to him punched his arm.~

"Relax, we aren't here for you, Secret," Devil continued. "I'm here because my new friends have just told me about seven teenage girls with magical abilities. And Iiii want them."

Steven stiffened visibly at this. That's what was so special about the Mane 7, they have superpowers! "What do you mean…?" he began.

"The Rainbooms! He wants their magic! As of us. So, where can they be found?" demanded Adagio, as she jostled her way through her sisters and minions until she stood before Steven and Celestia.

"They...are not here," Celestia replied, undaunted by the threat. "They went off to find Steven's lost students then put an end to your reign of terror."

"I don't believe you." retorted the siren.

"They wouldn't know where to go!" Sonata piped up. "Would they?"

"No, Sonata. They wouldn't." Aria replied hastily.

"If you're here, you must know of the Rainbooms," Adagio pointed out.

"Exactly! Where are they?" cried a minion from the crowd.

"Show us to them. Are they hiding?" another shouted.

"We will tell you nothing," Steven answered stoutly. "You don't know what you're talking about. There is no such thing as magic!"

Devil scoffed at this. "Then what do you call that red soundwave thing Adagio just pulled from her hands?!" he gestured. "Special effects?!"

~The minions roared of his approval, and Twilight, still hidden behind Steven, feared for him, herself and her friends. Things were becoming ugly.~

"Adagio is right though, you must know of them, so don't try to lie your way out of this situation. Because who knows what might happen if I find out you're lying to me?" Devil threatened. "You know what…?" The doctor clicked his fingers. "Minions! Search the school! See if you can find any of these girls!" he ordered.

"Righty-ho, boss!" the leading minion saluted. "Just, uh, remind us what they look like again?"

"There are seven of them," Aria grumbled, "Do you want us to explain every little detail about each of them?"

"Just say what hair colour they have, Aria!" Sonata smiled. "It's easier that way!" she began to think. "Let's see...one has red hair, one has rainbow hair, one has yellow hair, one has pink hair, one has another pink hair, one has purple hair and one has dark blue hair with a pink and purple streak!"

"You mean like the one behind Secret?" one minion asked.

~At once, the minions attacked Steven and moved him out of the way so Twilight was divulged to the villains. She yelped at her sudden reveal, and Celestia looked aghast when she saw what was happening. At once, the minions went to grab Twilight but Steven knocked them down in a heap with his foot.~

"Twilight! Run!" he then shouted.

~The tech girl needed no convincing. She pelted down the hallway behind her as fast as she could without looking back.~

"After her!" Devil ordered, and went to follow but Steven blocked his path. "Outta the way, Secret!"

"You're gonna have to try and make me, Devil!"

~The two men stared each other down before going at it in a fist fight. Celestia, meanwhile, fled the scene and went to find the other students. Twilight kept running through the hallways without stopping for a breather. She knew she would not outrun the minions however, despite having a decent head start. She quickly glanced across her shoulder and proved that theory as five went already gaining on her. And fast. She had to hide or at least slow them down. So, using her levitation power, she opened the doors of several lockers in the hallway just as the minions were about to pass them. They smacked face first into them as expected. Sadly, more kept coming and they avoided the rest with grace. Twilight had to carry on. Suddenly, she found herself entering the library. But this wasn't good at all. She realised that she was now trapped. When she looked back at the entrance, the minions had already secluded it off, and surrounded her. She held them off desperately. Tossing books off the shelves, hiding between corridors and jumping from tables and chairs were not enough to stop the minions from chasing her. She levitated herself up in the air to avoid capture, but the magic in her geode was beginning to glow and crackle unstably. She was using too much.~

Twilight felt herself panting. "I...I don't think I can keep this up any longer. I'm outnumbered, and my magic is becoming unstable. I...I must...must...rest..."

~Unable to withstand it anymore, the magic faded and Twilight collapsed exhausted to the ground and let the minions overwhelm her. Steven has been overpowered too. Devil held him in a tight choking headlock and as he struggled to breathe. He cried out for Lightning and Karly, but it was no use. They would not come. Devil laughed hysterically.~

~Back among the roads and groves of Canterlot, the Mane 6 felt a strange tingling feeling from below their necks. When they looked down to see what was causing it, they noticed their geodes sparkling dangerously. The magic was being overloaded and they didn't know how or why. It was at that moment when Pinkie Pie looked up, and saw the white and black and purple streaky blimp hovering over the partially destroyed high school where their friend and all the students they rescued are. Pinkie alerted Rainbow Dash by tugging her jacket.~

"Umm, does that look like a problem to you?" the party girl asked, titling both hers and Rainbow's head upwards.

"A strange suspicious blimp hovering over our school?" Rainbow quired. "Why would that be a problem?"

Lightning gasped. "Oh no…"

"What?" the Rainbooms chroused.

"That's Devil's blimp! Meaning he's invading the school!"

"What?!"

Applejack smacked her fist into her hand. "We gotta get back there then, STAT!"

"Yeah! Maybe there is still time to stop him!" Rainbow shouted.

"I'm afraid not.~" a familiar evil voice sang from the heavens.

~The next instant, the Rainbooms sans Twilight, Lightning and Karly were confronted by The Dazzlings appeared behind them. The Rainbooms stared in horror the moment they saw the leader's mischievous grin and poofy yellow hair.~

"Adagio!" Sunset gasped.

"Hello, Sunset Shimmer." she greeted.

~She then pointed into the distance. With a zoom and enhanced view, the girls peeked over and saw the minions dragging Twilight and Steven onto the roof then loading them onto the blimp. The girls were shattered beyond belief by the event, and they cried out Twilight's name, mostly Sunset.~

"Twilight!"

"Uncle!" Karly cried too.

"Hey! Let them go!" Rainbow demanded of the Dazzlings.

"Or what?" smirked Adagio.

"Or...else we'll come after you!"

"That's what we're hoping for you to do!" Sonata laughed.

"Sonata, don't share our plan with them!" Aria scowled.

"Oh! Sorry!"

Lightning Star was fuming. "Why are you helping our arch enemy!?" she screamed. "You do realise he wants to take over the world!?"

Adagio sneered. "Of course I realise that. Because I want to take over the world too. At first, I wasn't really too satisfied with this guy biting our style. So, we had a little parley. That was when it hit us."

"We realised that we had something in common with this doctor…" Aria continued. "Taking our enemies down!"

"Plus, working together, it made the invasion process much smoother!" Sonata said, pushing in between the two.

"What are you planning on doing with Twilight?" asked Sunset incredulously.

"That's up to the boss." Adagio shrugged. "Extract her magic, maybe use her for experiments… We don't know, and we don't care. But, if you want to see her again, come up to the castle on top of that mountain side." and she pointed to the peak just in the right distance of the city where the castle was still being built. "We'll be waiting."

~Laughter overcame her as the blimp was now just coming over their heads. As its shadow swallowed them up, ropes coiled down from the viewing deck and in front of the Dazzlings. They began to climb up them.~

"What? No! Hey! Come back down here!" Rainbow yelled.

"Sorry, we can't hear you! The blades of the blimp are too loud!" Sonata mocked before all three began laughing again.

~With that, The Dazzlings climbed up to the top and the Rainbooms watched with disbelief as the blimp's shadow passed them and made for the half-built castle on the mountain. Sunset Shimmer stood silently with her head bowed.~

"This is bad," Fluttershy squeaked. "Really, really bad!"

"You think? The Dazzlings and that madman, Devil, has got Twilight and Mr. Secret!" Rainbow exclaimed. "We gotta get them back!"

"But you heard the Dazzlings!" said Rarity. "It's obvious that they are setting a trap for us!"

"Trap or no trap, we have to go!" said Lightning. "If we're gonna stop whatever they have planned for us and rescue Twilight, so be it!"

"And my uncle!" added Karly.

"Ya're right, y'all. We promised Mr. Secret we would stop Devil an' the Dazzlings, so that's exactly what we're gonna do!" said Applejack. "I'm in!"

"As am I, darling!" Rarity nodded.

"Duh!" added Rainbow.

"I guess…" Fluttershy whispered.

"Whoo-hoo!" Pinkie cheered. "Rescue mission!"

They all turned to Sunset. "What about you, Sunset?" Lightning called.

~The red girl didn't answer. Fretting with anxiety, anger and despair came over her and she felt like crying. She was so very worried sick about Twilight more than anyone in her group, and her being in terrible danger seriously made her feel dispirited. She had never handled a situation like this before. She realised then that all eyes were on her so she cleared herself up.~

"I don't know," she said at last. "This mission could be more dangerous than I could've ever imagined now. Twilight has been caught, and of course, I wanna rescue her, but what if we can't do it? What if we end up where she is and all is lost from there?"

"Darling, this mission relies on you. Principal Celestia and Steven Secret chose us to do it for a reason, and we will not fail them!" Rarity said in a determined manner.

"Twilight too!" Rainbow reminded her. "We're her best friends, and that makes us responsible for her. She's probably scared and sad where she is right now, true, but one thing she does know is that she is relying on us to come for her!"

"So, we can't give up and abandon her!" said Fluttershy.

Lightning smiled. "I love your determination, girls." she said, and she turned to the fiery girl and put her hand on her shoulder. "Sunset, listen. I know things may seem a little tough right now, but it'll all be okay. You have us, and we will rise up to the challenge and do whatever it takes to save your friend."

"O-of course. We've been doing this for years." said Karly.

"And trust me, when I tell you this. Devil isn't as bad as he seems once you get to know him a little more. He's stereotypical, and quite easy to persuade and trick. You could sweet talk him into buying something useless that's a million pounds and he would not even blink an eye."

~Sunset laughed with the others. She felt really at home around these two, despite only knowing them for a few hours, and with their help, she hoped they would save Twilight. Then they could tackle the Dazzlings. As for this Devil, well, he was no big deal!~

She gave out a relieved sigh. "All right. We can do this."

"Heck yeah we can!" exclaimed Lightning. "So let's go!"

~With that, the eight girls ventured off to the eastern edge of the city outskirts and stepped into wild territory, to which even the Rainbooms have never explored before. This will be an adventure like no other. They began chatting away with Lightning and Karly as they walked.~

"Um...Principal Celestia is okay isn't she?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, I didn't see her with anyone bad, so I would believe she's okay." Karly noted.

Rainbow scoffed. "Good thing too. Imagine if we had to save our principal."

"Ehh. Wouldn't be the first time…" Applejack said.

Chapter 6: Ravaging Rally!

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Chapter 6: Ravaging Rally!

~Devil's blimp was alot wider than the average kind. After enlarging the prototype, it laid at roughly about one hundred and ninety-four feet long and sixty-seven feet high. The minions lived inside of it as one big family. As they got up this morning, they were skeptical about being transferred to a new world. It didn't last long however when their master called in for morning's announcement. Now, they were on a big task like any other. Building the new castle in this new world, patrolling the grounds and exploring the world, and capturing students and others that might interfere. It was a lot of work to do. Luckily, Olliee was arranging the whole circuitry. Meanwhile, in the control room of the blimp, Devil, his son, Lairry, and the Dazzlings were tormenting poor Twilight. They had her thrown into a chair and fastened tightly to the back of it with rope. The girl struggled to break free, but to no avail. Devil stood towering over her. He stared at her with his dark blue piercing eyes menacingly as she choked on a gasp and tried to stay calm.~

"So, this girl is one of the Rainbooms, you say?" Devil asked, turning to the Dazzlings.

"Affirmative." Aria confirmed. "I can see with my own eyes."

"And you claim that this one is from Equestria? Right?"

"Right again." Aria confirmed. "But...I don't remember her ever wearing glasses."

"Yeah… Me neither." said Sonata. "Maybe we just forgot." she shrugged.

"No," said Adagio. "There is definitely something different about her, now that I'm looking. Look at her pendant around her neck."

~Everyone looked down and eyed the Twilight's geode as a small part of it sparkled in the sunlight.~

"We've never seen that before." Adagio admired. "Where did you get it?"

"I'm not telling you anything!" Twilight jabbed.

"Ah, come on, Twilight Sparkle, it's been a while since we last saw each other. Why not share what you and Sunset Shimmer and the others have been upto after all this time?"

"I've never seen you before in my life- I'm telling you- you've got the wrong Twilight Sparkle."

For once, Adagio believed her, but said nothing. "Got the wrong Twilight Sparkle?" Devil repeated. "HA! What the heck does that mean?! There can't be more than one person in the world!" he laughed. "Unless they are clones… Nah! Only I can do something like that! I already have!"

"Oh, is that why all of your minions look alike?" asked Sonata.

"Indeed," Devil answered. "They're clones. I hired one guy to be my assistant, but after that, I felt like I needed much MORE help to assist me in destroying Lightning and Kira. So, I built a cloning machine and cloned my assistant at least two hundred more times. Problem is, I have no idea who or where the original is." the doctor shrugged. "But it doesn't matter. I still got what I attended to do."

"Impressive." Twilight mumbled, kinda truthfully.

"Oh. Why, thank you, tech girl." Devil grinned, returning his gaze back at her. "'Surprising that you're finding interest in my work."

"I've always been a top student and interested in mathematics and science." said Twilight, "But, one thing I do not approve of is people like you who use technology and chemistry for evil benefits and experimentations!"

"Well, that's a shame." the doctor sighed. "Too bad too, because… Well, let's just say you're not gonna like what's going to happen next."

"W-why? What's going to happen next? What are you going to do to me?" Twilight asked nervously.

Devil gave her a wry smile. "I'm going to bring you to my lab in my castle, and find out what makes you tick. Then, we're gonna see how we can get those powers onto me."

"How do you plan on doing that exactly?"

"Well, my research requires fairly drastic methods…" said Devil. "...Dissection, is one of them." He stepped closer to Twilight, who had her eyes widened, and bent forward. "But don't worry, kid, I'll keep you alive for as much of it as I can."

~He let out his maniacal laugh again as Twilight twisted in discomfort. A shudder ran through her at the thought of being dissected alive, and it began to make her feel nauseous. She was really afraid now. She couldn't speak at all at that moment. Thankfully, her conversation with Devil was just about done, as the doctor turned to his son, Lairry, and gave a final order.~

"Put her with Secret and guard them with your life. If they ever leave your sight, you will be fed to the sharks then grounded for life! Do you understand?!"

"Yes, dad..." Lairry obeyed.

~Unfastening Twilight from the chair, the boy dragged her after him through the corridors and into the jail cells of the blimp, where she was bound with rope again. Then, with a cruel shove, Lairry bundled her into the darkness of a cell and slammed the door shut. It was pitch black inside the jail and Twilight had to grope around until she found a wall to rest against. She heard a faint groan in the cell next to her.~

"Are you alright, Twilight?"

~Twilight glanced up as she recognized the voice of Steven Secret. He sat sprawled next to the wall beside hers.~

"I'm fine," she whispered tentatively. "Where are you?"

"Over here," Steven croaked in reply, and she saw a few fingers appear in the right corner behind the bars. "They didn't even bother to tie me up."

Twilight let out a sad sigh. "I can't believe this is happening."

"You cannot have given up hope already," Steven whispered. "I'm certain your courageous and clever friends will come for us. After all, you're superheroes, right?"

"I wouldn't really call my friends and I 'superheroes'," said Twilight. "I mean, we kinda are, but technically, we're more magical."

"Oh. I see. Well, whatever you are, I'm sure you and your friends will come around. You're a special lot, I can tell."

"Thanks, I guess."

"You're welcome."

~Twilight didn't know what to say next. She had never known Steven before and she didn't know how to respond. So she said nothing and just sat there in the darkness, clasping her ropes. She realised there was little else she could do, for she was a prisoner as was Steven himself.~

"It already seems like we've been here forever," said Steven at length.

"We must find a way of escaping," Twilight answered before struggling. "If only I can touch my geode…"

Steven gave a short groan. "It's not as easy as you think," he replied. "Minions lavish most of their time around these walls. They're everywhere."

"We'll think of something," said Twilight. "We must. We really must…"

"Alright! One Rainboom down!" Devil cheered. "You did good, Dazzlings. Did real good."

"Thank you, sir." Adagio answered.

"Unfortunately," he went on, "We never found the other six. My minions searched the whole school, but found no one. Why is that?"

"I don't know!" Sonata shrugged. "Maybe the principal was telling the truth."

"Yes. Maybe they are wandering in the outskirts, trying to find us." Adagio said. "We haven't seen them yet." she then lied.

"Well, if that's the case, we need to find them first!" Devil determined. "I won't rest until I have all seven in my clutches. Too bad I can't get the magic from the one we have just yet, since the lab isn't complete. I better tell the minions to get to work on that. Once it is done, I'll begin experimentation."

"Even with one of the Rainbooms' magic, you will be powerful, believe me." Adagio sneered.

"I can't wait."

Suddenly, Olliee entered through the door. "Dad?" he called. "The minions are ready to rally. Have you got your speech?"

"Yes, son. I'll be there in a minute." he flashed a look to the Dazzlings. "Stay here and watch the blimp. Try to think of something as well to find the other girls." he ordered.

~He left the room rashly, and Olliee followed. Then, at once, when everyone was busy or far away to notice, the Dazzlings dropped their act.~

"Ugh! I can't get enough of that guy. How long do we have to keep this act up for?" Aria said to Adagio.

"Until we have what we want," Adagio replied back. "We still have to find a way to get you two your powers back before we double-cross this idiot of a mad doctor and take revenge on the Rainbooms ourselves and their magic."

"I still can't believe that magic meteor only gave your powers back instead of all three of us. Even something new."

"There was only enough for one, so I took it."

"So, what are we going to do?" Sonata wanted to know. "Why didn't we get the Rainbooms right when they were in front of us?"

Adagio grinned. "Because I have a plan. First, we are going to make the minions do our bidding."

"How do we do that?" Sonata wanted to know.

"By feeding...on their negative energy."

"But we can't do that anymore." Sonata said, addressing herself and Aria.

"But I can!" yelled Adagio.

~She eyed the minions that were working nearby closely. One of them dropped a stout bar piece on another one's foot and watched as he yelled in pain, growled then tackled his clone to the ground before they began to wrestle with each other. The others around them encouraged it. They were uncaring, unkind and untrustworthy. Exactly what Adagio loves in a person, or pony if she was back where she came from.~

"Look at them," she said. "We don't need to make them argue in order to obtain it. Their souls are already filled with ugliness and darkness that is ours right for the taking."

"You're right, but what should we make them do so it doesn't seem to suspicious for Devil or even his sons to notice?" asked Aria.

"I have a plan for that, and you two are going to be a part of it." Adagio smiled.

"Us? How?"

The leading Dazzling didn't answer. Instead, she put herself into action. "Oh, minions!~" she sang.

The minions turned to her with angry eyes. "What?" They all chorused.

~Totally confused and annoyed, they watched in silence as Adagio advanced on them and began to sing in her harmonious, old-fashioned voice. For the minions, there was a blinding flash of light, then, when they opened their eyes again, all they saw was a hypnotising green glow coming from their pupils. The singing continued to sound in their visible ears too, despite that Adagio had stopped seconds ago. Their faces turned shallow and no movement or expression drew from them. It worked. Adagio glanced to where her sisters stood behind her, and sneered happily before devising her evil plan.~

~Crowds of minions swarmed the whole base in the main room. Above them was Olliee, and a lectern with a microphone on top.~

"Fall in, minions!" Olliee shouted in it, his voice echoed the whole room.

~They took up the order and stood in lines. From their point, they gazed up, and saw their powerful master Devil approach the stand. His dark face surveyed everyone before him, strong and alert. The minions cheered at his presence. Twilight could just about see their shadowy shapes through the bars of her cell, and felt the unwanted tinge of fear as she looked, but Steven ignored it. Once the commotion had ceased, Olliee began to speak proud again.~

"Let's hear your rallying cries!"

"Our bodies may be punched, but our will cannot be crushed! We will forge ahead! Woe to those you dare challenge us! Our weapons are strong, but our spirit is stronger!" The minions ranted altogether.

"Who's the greatest?!"

"Master Devil!"

"Who's the strongest?!"

"Master Devil, Master Devil, Master Devil, Master Devil…!"

"Thank you, thank you, my loyal minions." Devil laughed. He cleared his throat. "Now that we have powerful reinforcements, there's no stopping us! Soon, it'll be the end of Lightning Star and her pathetic little gang, and the beginning of a new era!" The minions roared at his approval. "We'll do whatever it takes to grind them to dust, and seize their magic! Then I'll cram this kingdom full of you, and take control!"

~The minions screamed almost in unison, and began to chant his name over and over again. Then, after the well-encouraging speech, the minions got back to work, preparing weapons, waiting for the making of the castle, and exiting the blimp by going to the drop off point, and escaping in miniature mini planes with four-way propellers on each corner of the roof. Twilight watched them with a heavy heart before two of them stood guard around her prison and shut out the door with a thick blind, darkening the darkness of the cell. Twilight shook.~

"Please hurry, girls," she thought. "Whatever you do, please hurry!"

~The road to the mountain/castle was a three hours walk, but Lightning intended to do it in at least two. She and her companions were just coming up to the largest hill where the trees were lessening within every step they took. Soon enough when they reached the top, there were only grasslands. Grasslands all the way. It was quite a happy sight to see for Lightning and the others. Pretty hard to believe that it was the way to an evil villain's castle. Despite this, Lightning kept her wits about her. They left the road not long ago as they looked up and could see the outline of the castle. It was a very, very long way off still, and the blimp had only a few minutes left until they reached it. They had to move fast.~

"Come on, ladies, we need to catch up to Devil's blimp!" Lightning called.

"I'm going as fast as I can…" panted Karly. "Of course, it doesn't help when you're going so fast! I can't keep up!"

"Ah, come on, guys! We've only got ten kilometres to go!" said Rainbow, jogging on the spot.

Sunset Shimmer gave a heavy-needed sigh. "I think…we need a break…"

~She panted out what little energy she had left and nearly fell to the floor out of exhaustion, if Applejack had not caught her at the last second. The cowgirl held her still until she regained her breath back. Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie were also panting fiercely, none could breathe any oxygen until they had stopped running. Lightning, seeing that the pressure was getting to the girls, reluctantly nodded and decided that they would rest for a few minutes and work out what to do in the meantime. By the pale light of the sun, they slowed to a walk along the grassy embankment looking for a suitable spot. Finally, finding a flower bed that looked comfortable, they settled down on top of it. Pinkie Pie began to frolic in it like a dog.~

"So, where have we ended up?" asked Karly.

"According to the map here on my phone, we're in Cannon Plains," said Rarity.

"Ooh! This is the home of the rare heptagram nose mole!" exclaimed Fluttershy.

Lightning raised an eyebrow. "The hepta-what mole?"

"The heptagram nose mole. It's a mole with a nose that's end is in the shape of a heptagram." Fluttershy explained. "I've always wanted to meet him."

"I see."

"Do you like animals then, Fluttershy?" asked Karly.

"Like them? I love them! From the largest of elephants to the tiniest, cuddlest little mouse!" she cooed.

"It's the number one thing you need to know about her," Rainbow smirked.

Karly raised her brows. "What about you?"

"Oh, I'm an athlete! And the captain of every sports team at our school! I could beat anyone at anything without fail!"

"And I can bake almost anything with anything without fail!" Pinkie Pie bustled in. "I adore baking yummy treats and work at the most funkiest, five starred diner in the city! You should check it out sometime! Once we're done with this, that is." The party girl began to laugh.

"What about you, Applejack?" Lightning asked, turning to the cowgirl.

"Who, me? Ah, nothin' too special, I'd say. I just run ma family's apple farm an' make sure everythin' goes smoothly. It's just over there." Applejack pointed to the other side of the city at a distant red barn surrounded by an orchard of apple trees.

"Huh."

"You always do make sure the city gets its best apples though, darling." added Rarity, and she gave the cowgirl a wink.

"What's your story, Rarity?" said Lightning.

"M-My story?" she stammered. "O-oh, hehehehe, w-well, I-I own a boutique in the city and work in another one in the mall. My hands are always full with orders and clothing, however. I suppose it's just one of the flaws of being a fashionista."

"Ohhh, you're a fashionista, huh? Well, no wonder. I really like your outfit!" Karly said.

"Oh, thank you, dear! I made it myself!" Rarity replied, flattered by the compliment.

Lightning smiled before turning her gaze over to a lost in thought Sunset, looking around her surroundings, not paying attention. "Hey, Sunset! Why don't you tell us a bit about yourself now?" the spy girl called, frightening Sunset out of her wits.

"Yes, what do you do for a living, and what do you like doing in your spare time? Where did you live and what did you used to do?" Karly added on.

~Sunset froze at the question and stared blankly. As awesome and trustworthy as Lightning and Karly seemed, she still did not feel ready to tell them yet to tell them the whole truth about themselves, the magic and Equestria. Her first instinct was to avoid the question, but she saw that all eyes were on her on all sides.~

"Well…"

~She halted abruptly in her sentence as she felt and heard the ground starting to shake. She grinned with relief at the interruption, but stopped when the rest of the girls began to panic, and wondered at the reason for the earth quaking. It was then that Fluttershy spotted a mole with a weird-shaped nose sprouting out from the nearby molehill. She went across and the mole perked himself up at her. He had a kindly face.~

Fluttershy gasped. "It's him! It's the heptagram nose mole!"

"Huh. What are the odds?" Lightning said.

~The mole greeted Fluttershy warmly and allowed her to scoop him up in her arms and hold him close to her chest.~

"Hello there," she cooed. "Oh, aren't you just the softest thing?" The mole responded with high-pitched squeals. Fluttershy listened. "What brings us here? Well, it's a lot to take in…"

"So, let's narrow it down!" Pinkie smiled, and she took in a deep breath to begin narrating again, but it was interrupted by a hand covering her mouth. That being Applejack's hand.

~Fluttershy explained to the mole about herself and her friends' situation, then kindly asked if he knew anything about a castle and the blimp that just passed above them not long ago. He chittered a sad no, but went on about something else. Of course, no one knew what he was saying, but they listened with great interest. Fluttershy smiled.~

"So, do you think you can help us?" she asked. The mole nodded and nuzzled her face. "Really? Oh! Thank goodness for that!" She turned to her friends. "Moley says that we should go with him over to that cliff. He knows a shortcut there that will take us to the mountains."

"Go with him?" Lightning said in disbelief. "Moles are blind, Fluttershy! Where do you think he will take us?"

"Shh! Don't be rude!" she scolded. "He's an excellent navigator, thanks to his nose. We'll be fine. "

"Well, that's great! Let's go then!" Rainbow prompted.

~With that, the mole led the Rainbooms, Lightning and Karly along a grassy slope, and he began to move as quick as his four paws could take him. The others hastened forwards happily to keep up with him. It wasn't until later that a thought suddenly came to Karly's mind and she slowed to a quick walk to think.~

"Lightning, did you find it a little bit odd that Fluttershy knew what exactly the mole was saying and communicated with it?" she whispered to her friend as they continued on behind the Rainbooms.

"Actually, yeah. What's that all about, I wonder..." Lightning replied.

"I don't know," said Karly. "But I'm curious." she suddenly felt a tingle. "Whoa! Did you feel that?"

"Yeah! I can feel something…coming from them…" said Lightning, and she stared at the Rainbooms in front of her. "...and…I can feel it too."

~Pinkie Pie skipped happily ahead of everyone while they walked. The air tingled with mysterious invisible power around them so much so that Lightning felt her ears twitch and Karly felt her hair tremble. Then the girls stopped, gazed ahead and spun around to face the others. Lightning politely jostled through them to see why they stopped. That's when she realised her toes were just over the lip of a rocky chasm from which few pebbles fell at diagonal cross once she touched the edge. Thankfully, there was a bridge right next to them leading to the other side.~

Lightning eyed the mole curiously. "Okay. I undoubt you."

"A bridge!" exclaimed Fluttershy. "It also leads down to a hidden road where we won't be seen! Oh, that's wonderful, Moley, thank you!"

"Hmm. How have they never noticed this?" asked Karly.

Lightning shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. But, hey, I'm not complaining. Let's just cross the bridge and make our way to the castle undetected. Hopefully, we'll be there in no time at all!" she encouraged.

~But just as she was about to put one foot over the gap and onto the first plank, something black and round began falling down from the sky rapidly. It got closer and closer while getting bigger and bigger. It was not until it landed onto the bridge, and smashed the bridge into a million pieces, when they realised it was a giant cannonball, launched freshly out of Devil's largest cannon, the largest he had on his blimp. The splintered wooden planks fell down into the misty abyss below, as Lightning looked on with shock and tried to get the thought out of her head that that could have been her. This also gave the rest of the girls a confounded look. Karly jumped out of her shoes the minute the cannonball crashed with a sickening sound. Fluttershy did the same but more softer and jumped into Pinkie Pie clumsily as she did.~

~Meanwhile, on the highest balcony point of the blimp travelling at eight miles per hour, an evil eye blinked in the glassy spectacle of a telescope. Devil gave an evil chuckle as he retracted the scope from his eye and turned to his lowly minion beside him.~

"Good work, minion!" he said. "The bridge link between the castle and Canterlot City has been demolished! I'd like to see them try to find and get to me and my castle now!"

"Thank you, sir. I am happy to see that," the minion said. "But, don't you see Agent Star and Crystal down from where we fired and hit?"

Devil stopped. "What?!" He peeked through the telescope again and saw Lightning, Karly and the six Rainbooms. "Impossible! They can't be there! They must be on the outskirts of the city! Those pathetic Dazzlings said they would! We need to scare them off. Time to put your pathetic aim to good use! Keep firing! We've got enough cannonballs to fire and scare them off back to the city where some of my minions will be waiting. If that doesn't work, send down 'The Triplets' too."

Chapter 7: In Cannonball Plains

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Chapter 7: In Cannonball Plains

"Well, that's just great. Now how are we going to get across?"

~Lightning sucked the air in through her teeth and screwed up her face as Karly did her best to calm both her and herself down from what just happened. Fluttershy patted her on the shoulder for comfort. All everyone could do was to look across the ravine where the bridge once stood. It was uncertain how they would make it to the other side now. Hardly any resources nor was it too far to jump. Lightning began to think of possible ways, as well as Sunset, but their thoughts were interrupted by another fatal whistle that seemed to get louder and heavier by every second. They all gazed up to see another black ball of fire heading down towards them in an attempt to strike them down. They flinched.~

"CANNONBALL HOOOOOO!" Pinkie Pie screamed.

~Fluttershy dropped to her knees and scooped up her new mole friend just as the cannonball was coming at them. Rainbow then dashed towards her and flung herself at her, pushing her out of the way in time. Everyone else whisked into the air before throwing themselves onto another patch of grass out of the cannonball's lock on and watched in fear as it landed with a boom and trembled at the earth heavily.~

"Alright, these people have to be absolutely insane to try and crush us with a cannonball!" Rarity screamed.

"That's just the definition of Devil for you." Lightning frowned.

"Come on, we'll be safe over there!"

~Rainbow Dash moved with the swift strides of a determined cat and the others had to follow her as best they could. Like a meteor shower, more cannonballs rained down upon them fast. It was a miracle that none actually hit them despite the minions' having terrible shots. The eight girls sheltered behind the grassy slope; the one they just went up, and ducked as the final few fireballs flew overhead. Fluttershy covered the mole's ears as he whimpered, and wanted it to stop. Eventually, he ended up getting that wish, because after the eighteenth cannonball landed, it all fell to silence, for a short while. Suddenly, three little distant snickers echoed through the quiet air. Lightning and Karly perked up at the sound.~

"Do you hear those annoying laughs, Karly?" Lightning asked.

"Yeah. I do…" she replied.

"Hey! I have a nice laugh!"

~A sudden voice rang through the clearing. Everyone turned to the sound and saw six teenagers standing behind them, five male, one female. Rarity breathed a sigh of relief.~

"Oh, it's just some children."

Karly raised her finger awkwardly. "W-well, actually…"

"Hey, you know, you really shouldn't be playing around these parts," Sunset tried to speak with them. "The roads will begin to get dangerous. You should turn back and find your parents."

"Who asked you to tell us what to do!?" one of them suddenly snarked. "Instead, why don't you turn back and find your parents!"

The Mane 6 stood in shocked silence. "My word…!" Rarity exclaimed at last.

"Yeah, those aren't any ordinary children." Karly said with a sigh.

"Nope. Those are Devil's children." said Lightning.

"Devil's children?" The Rainbooms chorused.

"He has kids?" Rainbow questioned.

"Yep. Eight in total. Seven sons, one daughter. They are always supporting him and his plans. There's Olliee, who is the eldest; Wendy, the only girl and second oldest; Frank, Mertin and Benjamin, the triplets; Scoot and Lairry, the twins; and finally there's Charlies, who is the youngest. They are all just as sinister as their father." Lightning explained.

"Thank you for the introduction, Agent Star. It's unfortunate that our dad, Olliee and Lairry can't be here to witness us beat you down." Frank, one of the triplets, said.

"I'd like to see you try, Frank."

"Oh, we're gonna do more than try. We're gonna do." Wendy stated.

One of the twins, Scoot, raised his hand. "For our dad and our name, we're going to defeat you, your good-for-nothin', little, scaredy-cat sidekick, and your six new…weird-looking, fancy-haired girlfriends!"

"I am not a sidekick!" Karly argued.

"And we are not weird-looking!" Rainbow added.

"The only part you got right there was the fancy hair, and I'm pretty sure mine cost more than your car." said Rarity with a scoff.

"Jokes on you, I don't own a car! The company's won't let me." said Scoot.

"Quelle surprise…"

"So, what exactly are you here to do besides fight?" Karly hated to ask.

"Oh, we were sent here to stop you," Benjamin smiled fakely. "But, then you just HAD to go on and on about how selfish and horrible we are, and that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree! You just won't shut up about it! Well, what do you know?! Now, I have no idea what to do. I'm on my feet every single day, alright!? I'd LOVE to take a break and sit down and, you know, let dad to the hard work himself! It's like, hey, dad, how about you walk around in our shoes for once, you know? It'd break him in like two seconds! I work hard, guys! REALLY HARD! And our dad just sits through life! So spoiled! It makes me ill! All the suffering in the world and this is urgent and…"

"Benja! SHUT. UP!" Frank interrupted, "You never EVER shut up yourself, do ya?!" He kicked his brother hard in the leg.

"Owww! Hey, mum says it's not okay to hit!"

"Well, mum's not here, bigmouth." Frank said, and hit him again.

"Zhe iz still lock da up in ze slammer, mi annoying little frère," Mertin said in a heavy french accent. "You forget zis."

"Right, can you repeat that again, this time, in English, Mertin?!" Frank yelled. "Your accent is all over the place! It's the one thing I hate that you got from our mother."

"Your mother is part French then?" Rarity asked.

"What do you think?!"

Once again, the girls stood in shocked silence. "What is up with these lads?" Applejack asked in disbelief.

"They are the Triplets," Lightning said with a shrug. "The most annoying and rude boys you will ever. Meet!"

~This proved a point when the three boys suddenly became too enraged with their antics, and they began fighting more aggressively and pile onto one another. Soon enough, there was a dust cloud and a blur of arms and legs from where the triplets were standing. Their older sister, Wendy, had to literally head in the cloud and pull them apart just to get them to stop. She emerged with both Benjamin and Mertin grabbed by the ear. She then let go and turned to the three angrily.~

"Frank! Mertin! Benjamin! Stop fighting! We need to get down to business!"

"Right, sis." Frank said firmly. "We need to send these girls back down to where they came from, and I think I know exactly how to do it."

~He pulled out a strange, futuristic-like weapon from the depths of his inner jacket pocket and aimed it straight at Fluttershy. He grimaced at her, then laughed coldly as he squeezed the trigger. The heptagram-nose mole cried before leaping in the way of Frank's range, then, the rodent was hit by the incoming blast! The mole tumbled to the ground and screeched in pain before an evil green ring gyred around it. Suddenly, his eyes shot straight open to reveal a feral green colour in his pupils before he slowly began to grow taller than the trees. He stopped after he had stretched about two hundred metres. Fluttershy was horrified.~

"Moley!" she gasped. She turned angrily to Frank. "What did you do to him?"

"Simple," he said. "I just turned this evilliser ray to evil and blasted him with it. Now, he's six times his size and completely evil. The best combination to have in a beast."

"Change him back! C-change him back!" she wailed.

"Sorry. But this device doesn't have a reverse setting. Dad never made one!"

~He, his brothers and sister all laughed while everyone else stood stock still. The pain in Fluttershy's chest, the fruitlessness and the frustration she had for these evil teens all welled up within her. Rarity turned on them.~

"You're awful!" she snarled.

Frank shrugged, making no sympathy. "We know, and we're so proud of that title." he smirked.

"Welp, we best be going now." Benjamin spoke up. "Plenty more places around here to take charge and cause mayhem. This just oughta scare you off for the time being until the castle is complete. Dad's orders and nobilities..."

"BYYYYYYE!" They all chorused.

~With that, they disappeared via smoke bomb so they couldn't be followed. Fluttershy was fuming yet silent. But, all that anger soon enough flushed away because she gazed up at the sight of her mole friend, who was now a monster, and cried. The mole followed her sound and glared from above its giant, twitching nose. Fluttershy hoped it would not bring harm to her and her friends, but that proved to be wistful thinking. In the same instant, the monster mole dug its bulky claws into the ground and pulled out a clawful of the earth before letting forth a mighty prehistoric screech, and lobbing it straight overhead.~

"Duck and cover, people!" screamed Lightning.

~No one needed urging. They tucked themselves into the heads and rolled over to safety. The earth heaved yet again, but this time more violently than before. With a crashing explosion of rubble, that sent rocks flying everywhere, the giant raging rodent dug itself under the surface. Snorting dirt and dust, the monstrous mole scurried in the ground, where and when he would come up to attack again, nobody knows. The Mane 6 were petrified. There was no way of escape and they knew they would be the first to perish. But Lightning felt none of those things. Steadily, she rose to her feet.~

"Stay back, girls. I'll handle this beast."

"No, Lightning, no!" cried Fluttershy. "You can't hurt him!"

"I'm sorry, Fluttershy, but we don't have a choice. He'll kill us!" Karly exclaimed.

"And if you're also worried about me being hurt? Don't. I know what I'm doing."

"Leave this to the professionals, Fluttershy," Sunset said.

The shy girl frowned but had to agree. "...okay. Just please, don't hurt him too much," she begged.

"I make no promises." Lightning sighed.

~With that, and a tight face, she leapt up to attack. The ground continued to heave until it seemed the cliff ahead would break apart. At that moment, the mole's head broke out of the surface; its huge brown, ape-like claw shot out too and swiped at the air, then back. He was wild and ferociously evil. Lightning had now realised this, but it was too late to stop now. Suddenly, his claw struck her in the chest and knocked her to the ground. She gave out a cry.~

"Lightning!" cried Karly.

~Howling and writhing in pain, Lightning clutched her wounded abdomen from where she had fallen. Karly went to check on her, unaware that the monster mole was far from done with her. He raised his claw up high again, before clenching it and bringing it down to crush the two spies. Karly closed her eyes and braced for impact, only for a great force to stop the mole's claw from moving any down further at the last second. After a few more seconds, she slowly lifted her eyes open to see a diamond shield hovering above them, protecting them. Both girls raised their heads, amazed, before wondering where it came from. That was when they noticed a pale glow coming from Rarity's hands and saw her struggling to hold up some sort of invisible force.~

"Holy diamond fragment…"

"Rarity?" quired Lightning, gasping and coughing.

The fashionista stared with sweat forming down her face. "Go! Go!"

~But before either could protest, Rainbow Dash and Applejack quickly dragged Lightning and Karly up to their feet and out of harm's way. Rarity kept holding onto the mole's claw, until she saw that the second one was coming at her. But by the time she realised it, she wasn't quick enough to react. The claw grabbed her at her waist, then she was lifted up and thrown across the fields. The only way she stopped was hitting her back up against a wedged rock. After that, she groaned and fainted.~

"RARITY!" the girls cried.

"Alright, ya big bully, that's crossin' the line." Applejack gritted, clearly mad with rage.

~She lunged for the mole's head and parried with a swift blow as he brought up his claws. Meanwhile, the others raced to where Rarity laid, and checked for any serious wounds. When they found none, they sighed with intense relief. However, Lightning and Karly seemed to grow baffled. And it didn't seem to help when they suddenly heard a forceful and painful crunch behind them, and saw Applejack grow bright orange, lift a two tonne boulder with her two bare hands, and throw it at the mole as if it was as light as a feather. They could hardly believe their eyes. Sunset noticed this too and, realising that the cat was now out of the bag, sighed. She now had to explain herself and her friends, one way or another.~

Lightning started first however. "Okay, I know you told us that magic brought us here, but you never told us you had magic too!" she exclaimed.

"Does this mean you were the ones that actually brought us here?" Karly asked.

"No!" Sunset objected. "I mean, at least I don't think so. There's still a lot to progress."

"She's been trying to avoid telling you since the beginning. But, I figured it was going to come up eventually." Rainbow said. Sunset gave her a dry look. "What? I can tell."

"And I have no idea why you didn't want to tell them," Pinkie said, "They seem fun!"

"I didn't want to raise any suspicions. This day is already going crazy enough. But, since we had to save you from being crushed, I guess we don't have any choice," Sunset said. With her hand, she pushed back the hair from her brow, and began to explain. "Yes. We have magic powers. They come from these geodes that were given to us in a place called Camp Everfree, and they were made by the magic that came from the portal that brought you two here. Another side from another place called Equestria. An alternative world filled with ponies and magic. I come from that world, and so do the Dazzlings. That's how magic came here. Ever since then, we've been using this magic for good and have been hunting down the wild and evil ones that may still be lurking around." she finished.

"We're sorry we never told you earlier." Fluttershy apologised.

A long silence greeted this information. Lightning stared down at the ground, but to everyone's surprise, she didn't seem angry. Instead, she seemed relieved. "I guess this is kind of a good thing." she said, finding her voice at last.

"Yeah! Otherwise we would have had no chance against this monster," said Rainbow.

"Well, that. But also…this."

~Light blazed in Lightning's eyes and her features became set. The hour had come. Slowly, she raised the necklace that was hiding underneath her shirt, and revealed an equestrian geode hanging off the string. It was a shiny cerulean colour that had a shooting star logo crystalled on the front to match her style. Light poured from its length and seemed to pierce the light of the sky. Then, like a beam of bright blue sunshine, Lightning felt her hair tingle at the sides. With the sounds of taps turning on to their fullest in her ears, she shapeshifted before everyone's very eyes. Her human ears faded away, and were replaced with the ears of a raccoon on the sides of her head. A brown and blue striped raccoon tail also formed at the back of her hair, like the Rainbooms' pony-up forms, and for a final touch, a blue mask formed around her eyes. The rest of her remained human. Lightning rose up in the air in front of the Rainbooms' startled faces and contorted into a determined smile.~

"I should go and help Applejack now."

~Like that, she was in flight, on her way towards the battle again. Lightning curved around and up, locking her sight on the crown of the mole's head. The world around her streaked a blurry blue colour, and with less than a second before impact, she brought round her strongly clenched fist. She struck the mole hard, and a satisfying shockwave juddered through him. Now the mole was roused. With earth-jarring steps, he advanced on Lightning and his glowing eyes filled with death. But this time, she was ready for him. She shot up and soared high into the air, her new sensitive ears and tail flexing. As the mole-monster screeched with frustration, Lightning wheeled in the air and flipped herself into the shape of a downward arrow and plummeted towards him.~

"Apple's alive!" shouted Applejack, and made to help quick.

~It was about time the rest of the Rainbooms now joined in too. After all, there was nothing left to hide anymore. Only Fluttershy remained and just watched anxiously from the shelter of some rocks. There was nothing she could do in the face of such titanic conflict either way. She expected Karly to also watch by the sidelines, but to her confusion, she didn't. Instead, the shy spy reached from behind the scarf around her neck and brought up her own equestrian geode too! This one was the colour magenta with a crystal logo on it. She held onto it firmly and was bathed in a pink light before a few puffs of cloud drifted below her. Then, she vanished in the smoke. Disappeared. Completely. No trace whatsoever. Fluttershy rubbed her eyes to double check that she was seeing straight, until she noticed a few sparkles just a few metres ahead of her where the battle commenced. That was where Karly reappeared once again, and leapt out of the way just as the mole's foot stepped from where she appeared. He snapped and snarled at her, only to then feel the power of Karly's magic. She conjured up a large-sized golden ring by drawing the figure of a circle with her fingers, before letting it fall and creating a swirling pink vortex inside. Keeping her hands up straight, she then invisibly pushed the portal ring underneath the mole, where it fell into the abyss of the pink void, screeching, never to be seen again. The six Rainbooms jaw-dropped. Karly then brought the ring back up again, before dropping her hand and letting it fade. Finally, the girls were safe. But, just to make sure, Lightning sniffed around any more close dangers. Once she had found none, she shifted back into a girl, and once again, howled in pain.~

"Are you okay, Lightning?" Karly asked.

"Yeah, I'll live. Boy, that monster can throw a punch."

"Hmm… What about you, girls?" She turned to the Rainbooms. "Is there any way I can help you?"

"...no, I'm alright. I...think so, at least?" Applejack said, still perplexed about what just happened.

'I'm okay too." Fluttershy responded. "Though, I'm amazed."

"Yeah! Same here!" Rainbow clambered up from the ground. "You two have Equestrian Magic! Like us!"

"And it's truly unbelievable…!" Rarity managed a gasp.

"Equestrian Magic? Is that what it's called?" Lightning quired. "Oh. I've just been calling it 'sudden, awesome, magical, supernatural abilities'."

"However did you get them?" asked Sunset.

It was Karly who spoke. "They came from a magical orb that crashed and burned beside the spot from where we found ourselves."

"We figured they were meant for us since they had our…logos and everything." Lightning added.

"Us too!" said Pinkie. "Do you think we're…"

"Connected to each other?" Sunset inquired, finishing Pinkie's sentence.

Lightning and Karly exchanged a wondrous glance. "...Who knows?" Lightning said at last. "And partly shapeshifting into a raccoon and flying is not all I can do!"

~With that, she shifted again, this time the blue encircled all over her body. She threw her hood over her head and snuggled inside of it as the magic affected her and began to make her jacket puff up. Then, they watched her partly transform once again. This time, the jacket and mask shaded into a royal blue colour, swimming goggles appeared over the mask, and a beak-shaped orange triangle stuck on the top of the hood where it laid her forehead. Feather-like fluff appeared inside the jacket, and padding grew on Lightning's shoulders that dropped right to her forearms. Finally, everyone looked down to see rubber orange grow at the tips of Lightning's toes, and the bottoms of her shoes turned webbed. Fluttershy's eyes sparkled and a grin spread widely across her face.~

"Whoa…" The Rainbooms said at length while Fluttershy gasped.

"You're so cute!" she then squealed, and she wrapped Lightning into a tight hug and nuzzled in her coat.

Lightning felt herself blush. "Uhh...y-yeah. I guess I am." she went on to explain, "This is my penguin form, and, as you can see, it's pretty cosy. In this form, I can swim really fast, breathe underwater, and shoot deadly icicle spears from my hands, freezing anything instantly. Watch this!"

~She held up the palm of her hand and as she said, it glowed bright blue and a bolt of ice suddenly spewed out like a bullet, piercing right through a wedged rock and leaving a noticeable jagged hole.~

The Rainbooms gazed in awe. "Whoa! That's so awesome!" Rainbow Dash said.

"And again, this is just another one of my forms. There is one more."

~Lightning didn't need an introduction this time. At her silent command, the magic began to glow blue before transforming her jacket from a puffy and fluffy blue material, into a leathery and scaly dark green material. Her hands and feet also turned green and scaly and she also grew claws from the tips of her fingers and toes. The mask around her eyes turned green and she pulled up her hood all dramatic-like and posed as spiky scales straightened up and over them.~

Pinkie Pie gasped. "A lizard!"

"Komodo Dragon, to be exact," Lightning corrected. "But, of course, I have a couple of other reptilian-like features. Like, climbing on walls and the ceiling, and breathing fire from my mouth and fingers. I also have to stick my tongue out every two seconds, which isn't entirely pleasant, but what can you do?"

"Now, what about you, Karly, darling?" Rarity wanted to know. "From what we just saw, it seems you have the ability of teleportation."

Karly rose expectantly. "Yes. I have the ability to teleport, we found out."

~She demonstrated by disappearing into a puff of magenta sparkles, and reappearing again behind Applejack and Rarity who stood side by side next to each other. They made way in surprise when Karly appeared.~

Pinkie's face lit up. "Oooh, fancy! Teleport me! Teleport me!" she urged like a child.

"Oh. Okay."

~Taking Pinkie by her hand, Karly concentrated all her energy and teleported both her and the pink girl to another far location. The other girls could just about see them in the distance and waved as Pinkie waved back. Then, they returned.~

"Oh, so you can teleport other people too?" Rarity said.

"Sort of." Karly replied shyly. "I'm still working on the kicks. You see, I can teleport objects and people as long as I'm touching them. However, teleporting three or more people will take a toll on me…"

"We learnt that the hard way." Lightning vowed for her.

"It's unclear how many times or how far I can teleport as well, but I can feel there is a limit."

"I see."

Sunset was impressed. "Well, I gotta say, Lightning and Karly, your equestrian magic is incredible." she said. "And, thanks to this discovery, I feel a lot more confident taking on the Dazzlings and Devil once again."

"And just you wait until we tell Twilight!" grinned Rainbow, nudging her arm.

"Speakin' of that, we should get a move on again if we're gonna save her." said Applejack. "There may not be much time left."

"You're right, Applejack," said Fluttershy. "But how are we going to get there? They destroyed the bridge."

~They stared off once again to the chasm and down towards where the bridge had fallen and splintered. Lightning shifted to her raccoon form, but as she pondered, a sudden twitch of her raccoon sense came towards her. Lightning felt the fur on her ears prickle and a pulse hit through. The sound of cries, fearful cries, were so strong, she literally jumped into the air.~

"I hear...echoes."

~Before anybody could ask how, she suddenly dove downwards. Slowing in the middle of the ravine, she screwed her keen eyes, trying to hear for more, but they started to sound low. Then, all of a sudden, Lightning rounded a large bend and found herself staring at an archway leading into the cliff. She looked up at the others from her vantage point.~

"Look over here!"

~Skittering some pebbles over the cliff's edge, Karly and the Mane 6 leaned closer over and followed to where Lightning was pointing. They gazed into the blackness inside the archway but identified it as a possible way into the castle. Devil must have an underground cavern under his own castle for resources and prisons, Karly thought.~

"A cave entrance," she said. "Brilliant!"

"That oughta get us inside smoothly." Rainbow smiled. "And if we're lucky, Twilight and Mr. Secret could be down there."

"You think so?" quired Fluttershy.

"Oh, knowing Devil, yes. He loooves his prisons and torture chambers." said Karly, before holding back a shiver.

"Then follow me and let us see where it'll take us." Lightning answered.

~So, the eight girls began to plan a way down to the bottom. It was impossible to climb up and down for a human, but as a light, nimble raccoon, with flight abilities, Lightning could carry one of the Rainbooms down the clifftop in seconds, while Karly would teleport the rest. She had to make two or three trips however, due to the toll it could take on her, as she mentioned. Nonetheless, it was doable. Lightning flew with confidence, but Karly cowered. She hadn't had the teleporting ability for long so all manner of deep-seated fears and superstition rose to the surface of her mind. But Applejack insisted that they would be fine, and fine they were. Without another word, they got down safely, and began to trail into the dark depths of the arch.~

"So, since we're gonna be walking for a while, tell us, what are your girls' powers?"

Chapter 8: Hail, Master Adagio!

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Chapter 8: Hail, Master Adagio!

~Deep in his almost finished shadowy castle, Devil sat impatiently unmoving on his shoddy throne before he had a strange vision. He saw an ancient siren, yellow and magical, hovering in a pale blue mist above his black turrets. The winds were strong, and it seemed as if she was flying away, leaving himself and his castle to crumble. The mad doctor stared vacantly as though in a trance. Devil recognised the gritted face at once. This strange creature in his vision, was none other than his supposed ally, Adagio Dazzle, the one who told him of this magic. Could that be why he's having this vision? Devil bowed low as he snapped his thoughts away. Repeatedly tapping his fingers against the armrest, he waited for news, preferably the one about his lab.~

"Come on, come on…" he breathed. "How long does it take to build a lab?!"

His eldest son spoke. "Quite long if we don't get the right resources in time, dad. Our slave students down in the mines aren't working hard enough."

"Well then, go down there and threaten some sense into them!" Devil screamed.

Olliee obeyed. "...right. I'll go get Frank and Wendy. They know how to whip people into shape."

~He wobbled out of the room without delay, as it was not wise to detain when one was received by his father. Once he made it to a quiet spot where he would make no disturbances, he made a call to his younger brother and sister using his own compact-shaped pocket phone the minions carry around with them. He explained the situation to them with a low voice, and they impressively agreed to head back and into the caves where they will take care of the 'slaves'. Olliee's task was done. But as he headed back round the corridors and up the stairs again, he heard someone.~

"Excuse me? Olliee?"

"Hmm?"

~Before he could so much as turn around towards the speaker, they came up to him of their own accord. It was Aria Blaze, and she wiggled her eyebrows at him, as if she was trying to get his attention fully.~

"Before you head back to your dad, I was wondering if you could give me a tour of the castle. Would be nice to know how to navigate the place where I'm staying, you know?"

"Sorry, but I'm busy with my duties." he declined.

Aria frowned, but held it back. Clearing her throat, she tried again. "Pleeease? I need a smart, strong, handsome man to help me…"

"You can forget the terrible flirting." Olliee interrupted. "I'm not interested at the moment."

Aria dropped everything. "Can you at least tell me about your two enemies? What-were-their-names-again? Frightening Soar and Karly...Car Michael?"

"Lightning Star and Karly Crystal. Don't worry, dad always gets Karly's name wrong all the time. But, very well."

~With that, they began to walk together while Olliee began to explain all about the 'war' between his dad and Lightning and Karly. Aria faintly listened before secretly taking the lead, and because Olliee was so caught up in telling Aria about everything, he never noticed that she was leading now and taking him in a far off direction, away from his dad and what was happening. Nobody else caught on. As Devil continued waiting in his throne room, finally, a minion came to him in an urgent greeting.~

"Sir, the lab is in completion now." he informed him.

Devil's beady eyes lit up. His dark face broke into a greasy smile and he rubbed his calloused hands together. "Ahhh, excellent. About time, too! Time to get experimenting!" he called for two more minions. "You! Go fetch the tech girl!" he commanded one of them. "And you two! With me!"

~At once, he and his minions hurried to his newly-built laboratory, while the third one went towards the dungeons to fetch Twilight. He carried a crossbow in his hands and crept along the dark lofty corridors before down a few flights of stairs to reach the underground caverns of Devil's castle. Steel covered up the walls, making it impossible to breach. The minion reached the dungeons and supposedly peeked into the one holding Twilight Sparkle. But she wasn't in there. All that was seen was a scattered coil of rope. The minion wondered in a silent panic where she had gone, only to soon find out. He gasped as some purple force tore the weapon from his hands. The bow clattered to the floor. He made a grab for it, but as he did so it slithered beyond his reach. Twilight panted down the corridor as the minion tried again with the same lack of success. Then, she made to escape. But as soon as she touched the first step on the stairs leading up, she was sighted by the two guards.~

"Not so fast, glasses." boomed the voice of one of them.

~Twilight drew back against a wall, her body tense with fear. She reached her hands out to use her magic again, only to be stopped by an arrow that almost pierced her arm. The three minions surrounded her.~

"Don't even think about using your magic, kid," the first one yelled. "Now, come peacefully."

~Twilight had no choice. Next thing she knew, she found herself bound again and was being constantly jolted forwards up the stairs. It almost knocked the breath from her body. At the same moment, Devil and his associates arrived and altogether, they grouped up. Twilight struggled in vain as she realised what was about to happen.~

"Wait…are we gonna…?" she asked meekly.

Devil replied with a hollow laugh. "Yes, tech girl. Today is your lucky day! I can finally experiment on you! My dream lab is complete, and it will be your home for the next few ever years!" The lab was almost upon them. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy this."

~Twilight said nothing. Her legs felt weak and her face bathed in sweat. She would have cried hoarsely for help, but what good would it do? So, instead, she closed her eyes, and slowly awaited for her torture. However, the minute Devil swung the doors wide open, it felt as if time froze.~

"What the…?"

~Everyone gazed into the laboratory before them. The chamber, it was empty. There were no potion flasks; no bookcases with books; not even a ponderous, scientific smell Devil can snuffle at. The doctor fell silent. Then, with an ear splitting screech followed, he rose to his full height and fixed the minion, who informed him of the lab's completion, with a steely stare, believing that he lied to him. His voice was icy as he screamed.~

"STEPPES!"

The minion called Steppes stuttered. "I-I-I saw the workers leaving the lab a few minutes ago, s-so I just assumed they were done!"

"Where did they go?!"

"I think to the chamber above the lobby. The- the one we still need to decide what it'll be!"

"What? WHY?" stormed the doctor.

"I DON'T KNOW! They just...went!"

~Devil fumed and smarted in a thought. He ordered Twilight to be taken back to the dungeons while he, and his men searched the castle grounds for the workers. The tech girl was relieved. For now. While they walked and made a couple of corner turns in the hallways, Devil ranted on to his minions, not even daring to make eye contact with them. His walking grew heavier every second.~

"Why didn't you say anything to them?" he said.

"W-Well, I tried but they wouldn't listen. Thing is, they all had something strange going on with their eyes…" Steppes replied as calmly as he could. "They were like...green, you know?"

"Green?!" said Devil in a surprised tone. "What are you on about, you- "

~Suddenly, he spotted them. Four minions, standing aimlessly about the main lobby. They seemed to be protecting a large steel door leading to a large chamber that was a work in progress. Devil approached them madly.~

"Hey! Minions! Why have you stopped working on the lab?! I need to research the magic over here!" he snapped.

"Oh-ho! A guest has arrived!" the first three answered. "Welcome, good sir, to the Adagio Theatre! We will shortly be beginning production, but in the meantime, enjoy our refreshments and entertainment here in two bars aside from you!"

"Bars!" the fourth added after.

"Uhh, Guest? Adagio Theatre!? Refreshments!? Is this some kind of joke?!" Devil shouted angrily. "This is my castle!"

"Please wait in the lobby here! The show will soon start!" They choursed.

"Start!" the fourth added.

The doctor's patience was trying. "HEY! IDIOTS! You KNOW me! Knock it off!"

~Devil clenched his fists and punched the two minions in front in the face in a fit of rage, trying to snap them out of this idiotic behaviour trance they were under. But it did nothing. Not even a blink. Unphased by the sudden blow, the minions stood back up again and straightened their backs.~

They repeated the phrase: "Please wait in the lobby here! The show will soon start!"

"Start!"

Devil clenched his fists harder. "NNNGRRRRARGH! STOP SAYING THAT!"

~The doctor thought it was annoying and punched the two minions in the face again, quite a bit more harder than last time.~

"Please wait in the lobby here! The show will soon start!"

"Start!"

"Oh-for-the-love-of- OLLIEE!" Devil called. He waited for a moment, but nobody came. "Hey, what the heck is Olliee?"

"He's gone, dad," Lairry answered as he appeared from the corner. "Remember, you sent him off to get Frank and Wendy. Maybe I can help, instead. What seems to be the problem?"

"The minions are broken!"

"Please wait in the lobby here! The show will soon start!"

"Start!"

Lairry took a closer look before a glimpse of glowing green flashed in the minions' pupils. He gasped. "Oh, boy. That is troubling. I don't think they will listen to you, dad. That Adagio girl must've done it. She controls them now. They've been brainwashed." Lairry explained.

Devil couldn't hold back. "Great. Not only did this girl storm into my castle, fail to find the other six 'Rainbrats', but now, she's all up in my minions too!"

"Please wait in the lobby here! The show will soon start!"

"Start!"

"I did tell you not to trust her, now look where it's gotten us." Lairry grumbled under his breath. He suddenly noticed Devil's glare. "B-but! For now, I think we ought to focus on our main problem. Have a look around and find minions that aren't in her control." he suggested.

"This must be what that vision warned me about… It's a message!" hissed Devil. "That mermaid, seawitch, siren girl is going against my orders, and she's gonna pay!"

"A vision? Well, if that's how you think, dad, she must be planning something that we don't know about…" Lairry guessed. "Some sort of show…and we should wait for this show to start."

Devil paused and grinned. "And the only way to stop it is to make it ours! If she's gonna double cross me, then we'll just double cross her back, and keep the magic and theirs all to ourselves!" he gave a laugh. "Huh! I guess it's nice to know that she's gonna double cross me!"

"But will she win?" Lairry asked cautiously.

"What? No, of course not, Lairry, you idiot! We will! You never see the negativity in those who are against us, do ya?" he sighed. "Just round up all the remaining minions you can find and prepare them for an attack on the three Dazzlings!"

"Yes, dad, sir…"

~With that, he scampered off and back through the hallway they came from.~

~It took the boy very little time to find some minions that weren't under Adagio's spell. He informed them to keep a low profile, and stay away from Adagio at any costs. They reluctantly obeyed his command, right after they gave him a kick like a bunch of bullies because of his image. He gave a rightful groan before straightening out his glasses and continuing on angrily. He heard the sound of a girl's voice.~

"Laiiiiiirry…!"

~Lairry, his face full of confusion, turned across to where it came from. There, standing in front of the bedrooms, with her face twisted in worry, was Sonata Dusk of the Dazzlings. Her eyes settled on Lairry.~

"Sonata? What's wrong?" asked Lairry.

"I…er, I got lost, I got lost in this castle." she groaned.

"How? We have maps."

"I lost that, too." she gasped. "And I thought…maybe, you could help?"

"Really? Me?"

"Hmm-mmm. Please, please, please?" Sonata begged.

Lairry seemed particularly moved by the former siren's plight. It was as if all the trust he did not have for her just faded. "Um, okay, I guess. Where are you trying to get to?"

"Oh, I don't know!" Sonata said with a shrug and a smile.

Lairry squinted uneasily. "You don't?"

"Nope!"

"Then, how do I…?"

"Just take me for a walk, and I'll say where I need to get to!" Sonata interrupted. "And in the meantime, tell me, how long have you been doing all this for?" Her eyes were soft as she looked at him.

"Oh, for about…ten years," Lairry answered. "My dad is very resilient about taking over the world. And how he's yearning revenge on Lightning Star and Karly Crystal. Especially Star."

"For realsies?"

"Yeah. It's a long story…you see ten years ago…"

~Meanwhile, back in the castle dungeons, Steven and Twilight spoke long during the time. Twilight had just finished explaining what had happened after she attempted to escape to Steven, and he was at a lost.~

"So, that's what happened, is it?" he began.

"Yes," said Twilight. "And I can't help but feel that Adagio is responsible for it."

"Hmm… That is rather concerning. If Adagio is planning something behind Devil's back, it must be something big. Something that's probably more than we will ever anticipate. I just hope girls get here soon. Lightning is a courageous, spontaneous girl that will stop at nothing to prevent evil, and Karly, my niece… Well, she is the opposite. But while she lacks confidence, strength and skill, she is a wise one, and I know that she will help no matter what."

"Oh, yes," said Twilight with feeling. "I feel the same way towards my friends. They also have never failed me. We have been through a lot, but we never gave up, or on each other. We always believed in ourselves. And one time, when I let a lot of magic get to me and I became a monster, Sunset Shimmer and the others stopped me and taught me the magic of friendship."

"Wait...when I chatted with Celestia, she said you were the one who taught Sunset Shimmer about friendship." Steven stated.

"There's more to this story than we told you, Mr. Secret. I'm sorry."

"I see… But, I understand completely as to why you hid it from me. I guess it's not easy to tell anyone that you have magical, supernatural abilities!" Steven chuckled.

"No. It's not." said Twilight, who also chuckled.

Suddenly, the principal gave a thought. "You know… you and your friends could actually be really good secret agents. We are looking for new members!"

Twilight felt herself rise from perplexity. "U-us? As agents? Oh, I don't know. Fluttershy I don't see being a type of secret agent… Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Pinkie Pie, perhaps, and would easily accept, but Sunset Shimmer, Rarity and myself…"

"I know that you have what it takes, Twilight." Steven explained. "I wasn't aware of this back then, but after Celestia and I gave you the task of rescuing my students, you did not back down. I didn't know you had magic, yet you continued. You don't have to know everything, and I don't expect you to, but with my help, Lightning and Karly's, and even your own girls, you can do anything with the power of a spy. However, the choice is up to you and your friends."

Twilight thought about the offer and hummed. "Hmm..."

~During that discussion, some construction took place in the boarded off chamber, owned by the large steel door at the lobby. It was the grandest of all the chambers that lived in the castle. Adagio Dazzle was pleased with the distraction of Olliee and Lairry. At least that was some problem dealt with and the boys would not be seeing any secret plans unfolded. She also liked the minions' hard work. It was all going well, as well as according to plan. In a relaxed state of mind, she strode around the chamber, took to the stage and motioned the minions to carry on.~

"That's it, my dearies." Adagio grinned. "Do not stop until my theatre is complete!"

~Saying not a word, and with deft movements, the minions nodded at her command. Adagio rose and with a swirl of her body, she stepped into the centre.~

"After we put on our final show and attract the Rainbooms here, their power is as good as mine." she said to herself. "And using it, I will make everyone in these pathetic two worlds adore us. Just as I intended to from the start."

The minions spoke altogether: "Revenge shall also be yours, O' Master Adagio! And once all of this is done, we will prepare!"

With that, Adagio returned to his gaze. "Splendid! Make sure you know how to cheer."

~Then, before the bemused onlookers, her pendant flared a long red light. Imaginative vocals began to harmonise. The spotlights flickered in rhythm and the minions swayed to the beat, totally entranced by the magical autotunes. Tapping her foot and swaying in rhythm too, Adagio gazed up at the empty seats, pretended that there was an audience, and began to sing.~

~Song: Get those Girls- (Original song)~

Adagio: Since the beginning…

of banishment in time…

The Dazzlings have done a hideous crime.

We tried to keep it in, but the Rainbooms broke it with a swing!

Now we are back...to exact our revenge, and those other girls will not avenge!

Minions! Get those Girls!

Swipe their magic and give it to us!

Minions! Get those Girls!

Don't make a sound, argument or fuss!

Bring them to me!

Tear it apart!

And make sure it is gone!

I will be adored...once again,

This memory...has never left my brain.

C.H.S wasn't enough,

Two worlds...will be tough!

Devil...is not my problem, his minions will make me solemn!

Minions! Get those Girls!

Swipe their magic and give it to us! Minions! Get those Girls!

Do not make a sound, an argument or a fuss!

Bring them to me!

Tear it apart!

And make sure it is gone…!

Get those Girls!

~As the whole room flashed to darkness, green smoke and Adagio's eyes illuminated the room. After the song had completely fallen, Adagio and six other brainwashed minions continued on building. On her face was a thin-lipped smile, and soon enough, evil laughter overwhelmed her.~

Chapter 9: Breaking Out!

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Chapter 9: Breaking Out!

~Lightning and Karly moved through the darkening pathway, taking care to keep to one side, out of sight. The atmosphere was still, yet not silent. The air was cool the further they went and the tunnel, which had been dry underfoot at the start, now turned to mud. Soon they were walking on solid rock. They came out on what Sunset noticed was a shelf of rock. Before them stretched the large rock cavern. To their relief, it appeared empty. The ledge wasn't high and it was possible to descend to the floor quite easily by the means of a path to the right. Lightning Star, who seemed to fear nothing, skipped lithely down first.~

"This place is already giving me the willies." Karly whispered.

Lightning put her finger to her lips and slowed the pace to a crawl. "This is the only way to get to the castle undetected though, I'm afraid. But we have to keep quiet…"

"Hey, y'all look, I think there's somethin' up ahead." Applejack said, and pointed over to a spot on the right.

~An amethyst light bathed in that area, and Rarity found herself hastening over there at once. She was blocked off by yellow and black barriers, but they could easily be jumped over. And once over them, she and the other girls spotted a strange conveyor belt system pulling along a family of the world's most gorgeous gemstones they had ever seen, big or small. Smiling joyfully, Rarity hastened towards it, her eyes coated with the same colour as the precious rocks, but slowed down thoughtful and wondering as she drew near. All of a sudden, the air around her glowed pink and the watchers felt the chill of bleak and empty feeling. That was when they noticed the pink air was just glitter shavings, being rubbed off from the stones and revealed to only be ordinary rocks inside. When Rarity realised this, she was gutted. But suddenly then wondered, where were these fake gems coming from? Then, just at that very moment, alone and unaccompanied, two boys wearing blue blazers and carrying pickaxes entered the cavern from the far end. They looked shattered, and torn apart as they galumphed into the cave hall to work even more. The girls hid from them by ducking behind a few wedged rocks, but Karly felt pain, feeling bad that they were being put into bad labour like this. The eight girls watched them slave away for a good few minutes before finally, they spoke with prostration.~

"...just…one more left to move! Oof…! We can do this. Okay, ready...set...toss!"

~The boy and his companion lifted the final rock onto the conveyor belt and it moved at once upwards to an unknown location. Through a hole where the conveyor belt continued, it disappeared into the darkness.~

"Man, I feel awful for those two," Karly confessed. "Aclaw and Harrison are not the strongest boys in our school. Music is more their passion."

"I know," said Lightning. "I wonder who else that Devil has gotten and is forcing to work in his favour around here."

"What could those villains possibly want with a bunch of fake jewels though?" Rarity asked, still disappointed that they are fake.

"Why don't we find out?" Lightning replied, and stepped out from her spot. "Hey, Aclaw, Harrison!"

Aclaw turned and spotted Lightning at once. "Oh, great. Don't tell me you were captured too. Mining this ore is terribly hard work!"

"Yeah! Every part of me is sore. My back, my feet, my arms… Oh, it's just awful!" Harrison said, looking like he was about to faint.

"W-we haven't been captured by anybody," Sunset said, she and the other girls joining Lightning. "But what exactly is going on here?"

"We've been working nonstop, gathering and hauling ore, wood, and stone…" Aclaw began to explain. "...from here it's taken to Devil's Castle. We don't know what the Devils are planning to do with it, but if history is any indication, It's probably something horrible!"

"If that's the case, why doesn't anyone try to escape?" Rainbow suggested. "There's nobody here watching you!"

"That's because they are all patrolling the exits." Aclaw sighed. "Nobody's getting in, nobody's getting out."

"Really? Where we came from, nobody was there." Karly said.

"Yes, but it wouldn't be best to lead the rescued students down there anyway. They'd still be trapped." Applejack tested.

"In that case, we'll just go and unpatrol the blocked exits!" Rainbow declared.

"Yeah! We can go and take care of the guards for you." Lightning said.

"Really? You guys will take care of them? Well, if anyone can do it, It's you, Lightning. You're the boss- !" Aclaw said, or at least, began to say. Because before he finished the word 'boss', they heard heavy footsteps along the pathway.

"Oh no! Someone is coming! You guys better hide!" whispered Harrison.

~In a flash, Lightning, Karly and Rainbow Dash were out of their sight and crouching behind the rocks again. They ducked both Fluttershy and Pinkie down too since they stayed behind it. Only Sunset Shimmer, Applejack and Rarity took the longest since the fashionista was hypnotised by the rocks' beauty. Despite being worthless, their sparkly coats still captured her eyes. Sunset and Applejack were forced to try and drag her back so she wouldn't be seen. Thankfully, they managed to do so before the Triplets; Frank, Mertin and Benjamin, showed up. The leading triplet, Frank Devil, smashed down his clenched fist on the heavy conveyor belt. The hair in his hat bristled with anger as he half rose over the two boys.~

"Hey! Slackers! Who told you to stop toiling? We need more gems and resources!" he shouted at them.

"Hmm… Looks-a like zis area iz all drieda up though, frère." Mertin spoke up.

"So it seems. By the way, were you two chatting?! WE'RE NOT PAYING YOU TO CHAT! Course, we're not paying you at all, but you get what I mean! I want less chatting and more toiling!"

"W-we weren't chatting, sir!" Harrison stuttered, "What you heard were our, um, anguished…moans."

"Is that so? They didn't sound very anguished. Just stop your bellyaching, and get back to work!"

~At that, they stomped away right before pocketing a few gem speckles, seemingly unaware that they were actually fake. Karly peeked out to watch them leave, then scowled with disgust. She hated them, and will always hate them for the rest of her life.~

"Okay. It's all clear. You can come out now." Aclaw suddenly whispered. The group came out of their hiding spot.

"The dungeons are just up ahead, past those will be the exit. Good luck, girls. We're counting on you to free us!" Harrison said.

"We'll be keeping a low profile down here, but cheering you on. Cheering very, very quietly, that is." Aclaw whispered.

Lightning smiled. "Thanks, boys."

"We'll do our best…" Karly added sheepishly.

"Let's go then!" Pinkie smiled, and she skipped on the only pathway ahead. The others followed.

~The cavern hallways became darker but felt less emptier. At the end, two minions were guarding the doorway to the dungeons. One of them was picking out a few bits of plaque from his teeth with his finger, and straightening out tufts of his hair. He turned to his watching partner.~

"Do I have something in my teeth?"

"Why? Got a hot date?" his companion replied.

"I might. I haven't asked her yet."

The second minion sighed. "Is this about Wendy again? Don't bother. I asked her out this morning and she said I wasn't her type."

"Hmmm, perhaps she's after a more muscular build?" The first minion stated, and he began to flex his small muscles.

"Like yourself?" the second spat. "Please! You look like a walking black circus tent!"

"Well, at least I don't dress like an upside down umbrella!" the first replied hastily.

"Your cord is banal and trite!"

"Your cord is banal and trite!"

"Well, you look like a rubbish bin bag that swallowed a clown!"

"I'd say you should be guarding a forest, but that's offensive to the other dirty animals."

"I can hear every word, you know?" Wendy Devil called out from across the hall. "I'm like, six feet away!"

"Oh, I thought she was Agent Star. The two do look very similar, face-wise." The second whispered to the first.

"Still heard that!" Wendy yelled. "And even if it was Agent Star, why are you two still standing there?! Ugh, you clones give me a headache."

~She went off quickly just as two more minions joined the party.~

"They do know they're both dressed up in the exact same getup, right? Last year's model?" one whispered.

"Not everyone can keep up with the latest fashion trends like us, Mannis."

"Up top!"

~He raised his hand up high and was not left hanging. The two minions high fived happily and laughed over it. Suddenly, they heard a noise like the splintering of ice.~

"Did you hear that?" said the first minion.

His mate shook his head. "Hear what?"

~They reached for their weapons that were astride their backs, when a bolt of ice struck one of them full in the head, knocking him out cold. The minion still standing watched it with wide eyes before cowardly screaming and fleeing off his life.~

"Dissstreeeeeessssss!"

The third and fourth minions drew their daggers. "Halt immediately! In the name of Dr. Devil!"

"Put your hands on your head! Make no sudden movements!"

~There was no answer. They crept along the hallways in a stance suspiciously, and supposedly waited for the intruder to show themselves. Suddenly, seemingly coming from nowhere, as Mannis took the next step, a large rock crushed onto his foot. He cried a curse, but didn't hold back, even when he drew blood. Finally, Penguin Lightning revealed herself. She dramatically pushed back her hood, before sending out two final icicle spears from her hands, striking the minions in their heads, and knocking them out. However, they would wake up totally fine later on, she said accordingly.~

Nonetheless, she continued on. "Right, we should be coming up to the dungeons now."

"It's just through this door, innit?" Applejack queried.

~They ran to the threshold, but it brought them to a halt when a hi-tech control panel with a sensor closed the dungeon door. Only a minion, or Devil himself could access it now. That was the problem. Sunset grumbled.~

"Ahh, shoot. We need a sample."

"Yeah, don't worry, I got it." Lightning said, and stalked over to one of the minions lying on the floor.

~She seized him by the arm and started dragging his unconscious body over to the control panel. Then, lifting him up by the scruff of the neck, she smacked his forehead against the sensor for a reading. It blinked bright red.~

"Access denied." The panel boomed through the speaker. Lightning tried again. "Access denied." and again. "Access denied."

~She dropped him angrily. Furious with the panel, Lightning began to question why it wasn't working. Maybe he was a rookie. Her eyes darted from the minion, to the girls and then to the other unconscious minions.~

"Okayyy...let's try another one."

"How is another one gonna make a difference, they all look the same," Rainbow replied curtly.

~Lightning ignored her. Picking up another heavy body of a minion and going to the panel, she tried again.~

It came out with the same reading. "Access denied."

Lightning dropped him. "Next!"

"Access denied. Access denied. Access denied." was all the panel kept saying with every different reading and every different minion.

At this point, Lightning was pretty miffed. "Ugh, I hate technology!" she jabbed the sensor with her finger. "We're on the clock here, you know, you stupid thing!"

~The Rainbooms shook their heads dumbly, trying hard not to laugh at Lightning arguing with the control panel. As one last final burst, she picked up the nearest minion lying on the ground and head smashed him right on the sensor. Suddenly, a green button flashed.~

"Access granted."

Everyone sighed in relief. As did Lightning. "Geez, how many minions does it take to open a door?" she asked. Pinkie Pie opened her mouth to speak, but the spy girl raised her finger quickly. "Don't answer that, Pinkie!"

Pinkie groaned. "Awww…"

~They all gave a needless laugh. Then, without wasting any more time, they entered the room. Fluttershy covered her mouth with her hand. There was a hiss of air, and they looked on ahead of them at the dungeon chamber, with dazzling grey tiles and stainless steel as the walls. Along them were large cells of pale silver mesh. The panels of the ceilings were slightly translucent, so some light came from below, and in the faint gleam, the girls could see the students locked up.~

Rarity gasped. "My goodness!"

"So, this is where the other students ended up," said Karly.

"Do you think Twilight and Mr. Secret could be down here?" Fluttershy asked, turning to Sunset.

"It's a possibility." her fiery friend replied.

"We need to look then! Let's divide!" Rainbow suggested.

"No, we stick together," Lightning insisted. "We'll only divide if we have to."

"Lightning, Karly, is that you?" a female student called out from inside the cells.

Lightning turned to her and rushed to the bars. "Lucky! Are you okay?"

"I think so…" she replied.

"Is she a friend of yours?" asked Applejack.

"A friendly acquaintance, yes."

"What happened to you?" Sunset asked.

"We're being held here against our will," Lucky answered. "I can't figure out what the Devils are doing though. But, I doubt it's anything good. Pondering this really helps pass the time."

"Okay, well, don't worry, Lucky, we will find a way to get you out very soon." Karly reassured.

"Thank you. Please hurry!"

~Yet, after several minutes of walking the twisting, branching undergrounds paths and calling Twilight's name every few steps, they began to grow discouraged.~

"This is hopeless," said Rainbow. "We've walked everywhere and still not a sign of her."

"Maybe she's not here after all." Fluttershy sighed sadly.

Suddenly, there was a whisper. "Psst! Hey! Over here!"

"Huh?"

~They were halfway down one of these hallways when Lightning heard a voice. Just then, to their utter surprise, they walked right to a cell, with one of Devil's minions inside. He was the one calling for their attention.~

"What do you want?" Lightning demanded.

"It's me! The minion you battled twice back outside the school!"

The girls were blank. "Wait…Lars?" Lightning said at last.

Rainbow darted around his face and squinted. She saw the scar beside his left eye. "Oh, you." she sighed.

"What are you doing in that prison cell?" asked Karly.

"Well, after you girls crushed me and Leos that second time, management said we were unfit to be minions." he explained to them. "So, they demoted Leos to cafeteria monitor, and me to caretaker, which is why I'm here cleaning up the cells. It's humiliating, and it's your fault!"

"Well, if y'all hadn't picked on Fluttershy, ya wouldn't be in this mess!" Applejack argued.

"Exactly!" Both Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie chroused.

"Grrr. Well, also, to add insult to injury, I bumped the cell door shut when I was mopping, so now I'm stuck!"

Lightning held back a snicker. "Oh no, very sad… Anyway! Thanks for wasting our time, we're gonna truck along now."

~With that, she began to walk off. Lars called out again quickly however, stuttering and stopping her from moving any further.~

"W-WAIT! You can't leave me here! Listen, I'm through working with Devil! Okay?! I wanna escape this place and go live my own life someplace else! So, If you would just kindly let me out, I'll be on my merry way!"

"Yeah, a likely story." Karly sassed. "We don't trust you, so we're just gonna go, if it's alright with you."

~The shy spy joined Lightning. They motioned the other Mane 6 to also come, but they didn't budge. Fluttershy did hate the fact that this man was unkind to her, but she was willing to give him a second chance if he was truly asking for forgiveness. It was dependent on what the others thought. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rarity didn't honestly know what to think. Hence, why, they all turned towards Sunset Shimmer. The red girl however, just looked at the minion. She gave him a confounded face that seemingly lasted for a few moments. Finally, she stopped to the two spies and raised her hand.~

"Wait, you two. Maybe he knows something." she whispered.

"You kidding me, Shimmer?" said Lightning, surprised. "I do not relish talking to anybody associated with Devil! Especially his minions! They are always nothing but trouble! Do not fall for their flattery or weak attempt at a sob story, it'll lower your guard down."

"I don't relish talking to him either, but it's always worth a try. You never know. We could ask him about Twilight and Secert's whereabouts." Sunset said.

"No way! It's too risky."

"At least accompany me then. In case he tries to do anything slippery, you'll keep your guard up. I just know you will."

Lightning felt honesty in Sunset's voice. She sighed. "... Alright."

~Walking back towards the cell, they found the minion sitting down, scraping a substance off his shoes. Lightning called out to him and he returned to bars standing between them.~

"Heh. I knew you would come back. You have good hearts, a reputation to keep, and fears that Devil will find you and shrink you down and feed you to his iguanas or sharks and…"

Lightning clutched on the bars firmly, making a loud, heavy rattle. "We're not here for monologuing," she interrupted. "We're wondering if you know anything about the location of Twilight Sparkle and Steven Secret."

"Hmmph! Maybe I do, but maybe I don't. Regardless, I refuse to answer!" Lars grumbled.

"We can always have Applejack muscle an answer out of you." Rainbow threatened.

"Alright-alright! I'll tell you!" Lars replied, frightened. "Ahem. I have a map to the whole caves and the castle. What you wanna do from here, is go to the right by the water fountain, then left by the fire extinguisher, then to the right again. That's where you will find the dungeons where we keep the important kind of people. My bets are saying they are in there."

~He revealed a folded piece of paper and, opening the lid of a red highlighter with his mouth and spitting it out again, began scribbling something down. Once he was done, he folded it back up again and tossed it through the bars to the girls like a broken frisbee. Sunset caught it, and she opened it right away to see it was a map to the whole area, from the caves to the castle grounds. They darted to where some points when highlighted and discussed matters.~

"You're not lying about this, are you?" Sunset asked.

"Nope, nope! The red circle is where your friends are! Okay, now it's your turn. Help me outta here!" Lars said, jumping up and down.

The Rainbooms and Karly eyed Lightning and she gave an irritated sigh. "Okay…"

~Reluctantly whipping out her geode and shifting into her half raccoon form, the spy girl swung her tail strongly against the lock. Metal bursted and the barred door swung open, setting the minion free.~

"HUH? Agent Star, you have superpowers?! Like them?!" he exclaimed.

"Yes. It's a long story, but I do not wish to share it with a low-life like you!"

"Ehh. Suit yourself. I didn't even want to stay and be told a bedtime story. Now, I gotta hop it before I'm seen talking and sharing stuff with you. Sooo… BYE!" With that, he ran off in the darkness of the door, never to be seen again.

"Yeah, whatever, thanks for the map."

Karly looked over Sunset's shoulder. "I wonder if this actually is a map, and if it's actually going to lead us to the right place." she said with a curious frown.

"Then we'd better get there fast and find out!" Rainbow answered, before bolting it off with her super speed.

Chapter 10: Triple Threat etc

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Chapter 10: Triple Threat etc.

"Hmm…is it this way, or this way?"

~Karly Crystal took charge of the map as they were about halfway there on their accordingly directions. Unfortunately, everything looked the same so she was unsure if she was leading herself and her friends in the right direction, or just going around in circles. But she was determined not to stop. She knew roughly where they were going and from time to time. They heard voices from ahead and stopped to listen, but it was only students languishing in the cells. They were saying nothing of interest so they moved on. Then, suddenly at last, they heard none other than Steven Secret. He sounded weak, desperate, completely unlike his normal self, and that shocked Karly badly.~

"GAHHHHHH!" they all heard him shrill next.

"UNCLE STEVEN!" cried Karly.

~She took off in the direction of his shriek at once, shouting his name. Her heart was thumping hard, because she felt the coldness, and brutality in the shriek as it echoed in her brain. What if something terrible happened to him just now? Sadly, she never made it. Once around the last corner, who but to step in Karly's way, were none other than the Triplets; Frank, Mertin and Benjamin. Scoot, Wendy and Charlies were there too. Karly held herself still until Lightning and the six Rainbooms showed up behind her. Devil's children looked up their startled faces, nearly evilly, then they grinned.~

"Well, this is a surprise." Frank's words came out smoothly. "It's Lightning Star and her band of misfits!"

"What are they doing here?" Scoot asked in shock.

"I don't know, but I'm sure as heck disappointed. Maybe a mole wasn't as vicious as I thought it would be to take down a bunch of teens."

"You put him and us in so much danger," exclaimed Fluttershy with a hint of burning anger. "Someone could have been hurt!"

"That was the point, doll face." Frank said. "We couldn't have had you running in our father's territory!"

"Well, I'm afraid that plan's now been nullified." Wendy said. "Nobody ever listens to us and stays in the city like good citizens they are. I guess we'll just have to take care of this ourselves."

"You mean fight?" Sunset questioned, eyes widened. At that, all the Rainbooms backed down.

Benjamin grinned smugly. "Of course! Why? You scared? You should be. If you six can't put up much of a fight, this'll make things sooo much easier for us! And finally, too! I was beginning to feel bored and…"

"They've already made it this far, so I wouldn't put it past that, Benjamin." Charlies spoke up. "Maybe we shouldn't…"

"Don't be such a coward, Char! We can take them! Sure, they have gotten far, but this is as far as they'll get!" Frank clenched his fists until his knuckles whitened. "Alright, Star! Crystal! Let's see what you and your new friends can do!"

~Thus a battle was underway! In a dazzling moment, Lightning shifted in anger and hurtled her raccoon tail, and it crashed hard into Frank's face. He screamed and flung himself backwards into Wendy. Nobody else didn't hesitate. But then, the Triplets and their siblings ran out as fast as they could, flying past the girls. They darted through the corridors like nimble fish, making their way towards the cavern terrain where Lightning, Karly and the Rainbooms came from. Just as they reached it, there was a dull explosion from behind that shook the ground. Pinkie Pie tried to get them with her sprinkles. She and Rainbow Dash were vividly excited for this fight while everyone else tried to stay cool. Following them quickly, they also emerged from the corridors, back where they started, now having a bigger area for the real fight to commence. Frank uttered orders, and they charged in strong. Dividing into groups, they decided to take onto two each. First up was Rainbow and Fluttershy.~

"I'll take the one on the left, you take the one on the right. Okay, Fluttershy?" whispered Rainbow.

~But her shy friend was distracted. She looked all round, catching her panic, and then saw them at the same time as she did: Benjamin and Mertin running at them, one from each side. Rainbow Dash urged Fluttershy away as quickly as possible. Frank uttered a harsh cry and launched himself like a leopard at the closer girl, being Rarity, bowling her backwards so that she tangled with Wendy's legs. The girl cursed and dodged aside, and Rarity darted past her towards the open spaces. What they must not do, the girls, is get boxed into a corner.~

Lightning, who was still a raccoon, swooped at her and cried, "Left! Left!"

~The fashionista's chest was nearly bursting with shock. But, quickly twisting to the left side, she barely dodged the fist coming at her. Then snarling, slashing and crushing, Frank came about her like a bear. Instantly, Rarity brought up her hands, and a diamond shield came between them. Frank hit that instead of her with all his might. It was like punching a steel brick, as a painful crunch came right after Frank's hand made contact with the diamond. He held back a tear and scrunched up his mouth so as not to yell in pain. That was Lightning's chance. She bounded past Rarity almost in a blur and crashed into Frank, rolling both him and her away. Then, she stopped, and whirled around, with athletic power, and struck two massive blows, one to each side, at Mertin and Wendy as they were just coming in close to her. Pinkie Pie sprinkled her confectionery onto the ground, below the Charlies' feet. Then, came another pink explosion, loud and colourful. The blast knocked the boy over, and a cry of exclamation, fear and pain filled the air. Benjamin saw this and vowed to get revenge. With that, he focused on the lovable pink candy floss girl. But Rainbow Dash intervened. Then, with a blur of rainbow lightning, both teens moved at the same moment. Their hands collided and Rainbow Dash felt her knuckles being crushed under Benjamin's. He was a strong young lad, as were his brothers. Looking at their body proportions, Rainbow Dash guessed they go to the gym at least twice a week to strengthen themselves up. Suppose that they wanted to make their dad proud. Suddenly, her hands began to hurt but Rainbow could not escape, as he had a tight grip. So Fluttershy stepped in, and gave him a light shove that distracted him. That gave Rainbow the opening she needed, as Benjamin's hands loosened from hers and she could slip out and tackle him like a rugby player. They both fell aside, but Rainbow was the first to rise. She twisted up with a lithe spring and grappled with Benjamin. Then, with some sudden powerful force, she performed a spinning motion with her super speed, knocking Benjamin off his feet and skidding himself across to where Frank and Wendy were standing up, only to knock them down again, and the wind inside them. Frank's hand smacked Wendy's eye. Even Fluttershy felt her own breath being knocked out of her by the force of that crashing fall. It was painful to watch.~

Wendy shouted a long, terrible scream of pain. "OWW! You idiot!" she elbowed her brother straight into the side of his gut.

"Oww! Well, you were not so smart yourself!"

"How was I supposed to know they have superpowers?!"

"HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT TOO?!"

~They eyed their brother, Scoot, facing Applejack and Karly Crystal. The three were engaged in some sort of desperate throwing and dodging fist fight. But, every time Scoot tried to throw a punch, Karly would just counter it with one of her vortex portals and make his hand phase through it, and make him punch himself, as his fist would appear out of another portal that was conjured up beside or behind him. Karly was circling him, as he tried all he could, but all the results just ended up with him punching himself in the face. Pinkie Pie laughed at it every time, muttering repeatedly under her breath: 'Why are you hitting yourself?' 'Why are you hitting yourself?' He was getting angrier and angrier by the minute, and Karly was no different. Trying to hold back her anger, she spoke quietly in a demanding tone.~

"What have you done with my uncle?"

"And our friend!?" Applejack added on.

"You mean Mr. Secret and that purple human? We just took 'em upstairs. Right where our dad is waiting! I think it means that it's time."

"Time? For what? What are they plannin'?"

"Like I know the whole thing. None of us do!" he addressed his siblings. "You will just have to see for yourself. So, for the love of flipping god, let us win!"

~He threw a punch, but Karly blocked it, as expected. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. Once the opportunity came by, he threw himself into one of the portals, and was transported to where Karly stood. Leaping out clumsily, he grinned, finally hoping to get in a hit. That was when Applejack moved. Like a wave that had been building its strength, and a pale orange glow in her hands, Applejack rose up against Scoot quickly, sliding upwards and punching with a ferocious left hand at the exposed jaw of the teen boy. It was a hard blow. The lower part made a sound of crunching teeth and he fell downwards on his back, defeated. The other standing boys were shocked. They didn't move an inch as Applejack's mighty bulk hurtled towards them. She lunged, and then her fists were to their faces, and they shook this way, that way. She was like a boxer. Karly trembled at the weight of the blows. It was as if a giant were swinging a sledgehammer, and that hammer was made of spiked steel. Even Lightning had noticed, and she clasped her arms so tight, it began to hurt. Her thoughts were put on hold however, as the youngest Devil, Charlies, recovered and charged at her with a small piece of scantling. He thrashed it about like a sword, trying to strike the spy girl, but she moved swiftly, especially as a raccoon. She was light on her feet all the time in that form, plus it was easy to run on all fours, which gave her many possibilities. Using one of those, she performed an overhead frontflip, and arced herself over the boy, snatching the beam right out of his hand. Landing on her knee, she then dropped it aside for Sunset to pick up and use in defense.~

"You know, I feel kinda bad beating up a bunch of kids, even if they are jerks who are trying to stop us." Sunset admitted.

Lightning assured her. "Don't. Karly and I do this all the time. Besides, they're tough little guys, training under their father's cruel manners. Aren't you? You're just a wittle baby fighter with wittle hands for punching whittle things!"

"Stop baby-talking to me!" Charlies said, scrambling and screaming all over the place.

~But she didn't. Lightning kept taunting the youngest Devil child, calling him small, unready, clueless, and other names, all while he kept swinging blows at her from right and left which Lightning kept on parrying. He was young, so she couldn't bring herself to fight back and hurt him. He didn't seem physically fit. So instead, she let him tire himself out, then, once he did, she lightly pushed him aside like a ripped up ragdoll. But it was not the end yet. With one more mighty blow, Frank lifted himself off the ground and charged at Lightning. The girl watched it coming, preparing to counter attack, only for Sunset to strike instead, and block him with the scantling Charlies used. Holding it behind her, she swung from underneath and landed it right under the exposed chin of the leading triplet. It knocked him off his feet and he wobbled around a bit before crashing back down on the floor with a loud thud. He screamed in anger.~

"OWWW! DARN ITTT! If stupid Olliee and Lairry were here, this would have been so much easier!"

~He then puffed suddenly at the feeling of Charlies falling down on him. And just like that, all the evil siblings were beaten, down, and unable to continue on. As they groaned at the injuries or at each other, they began arguing.~

"I see a bright light…"

"Oww! I think my arm is broken!"

"It's just cramp, relax..."

"Perfect!"

"Ugh! I pulled a muscle."

"I miss my mother…"

As the Rainbooms looked down upon them, Applejack spoke. "Well, that takes care of that, I guess."

"I know! And we were so awesome!" Rainbow boasted.

Lightning agreed. "I'll say! You girls got good skills," and she turned to Sunset. "especially you, Sunset, that came outta nowhere!"

"It was just a natural instinct, I didn't mean to hit him that hard." the fiery girl replied, feeling modest and sheepish.

"Oh well, he'll manage. They always do."

"So, what do we do now?" asked Fluttershy.

Lightning hummed. "Well, we just granted our fellow students' wish of taking care of the guards around the exit, so we should now tell them that- "

"The Triplets have been defeated! The minions are gone! Now's our chance! SKEDADDLE!"

~As a rumble began to shake the cavern floor, all the students, including Aclaw, Harrison and Lucky, that were kept prisoner and were forced to work into hard labour, came sprinting down the cavern's hallways and right up the stairs where their own freedom awaited. The eight heroines all dove out of the way just before they got trampled, and stared at the students' joyful faces. Harrison stopped to thank them.~

"You girls are the best! Thanks for everything!" He gave them a well-tipped salute and joined his buddies once again.

"Glad we could help!" Fluttershy waved.

Chapter 11: Surrounded

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Chapter 11: Surrounded

~Frank constantly struggled to get back up on his feet but his body felt as if it was betraying him. Like a deflated balloon, he just laid there, completely crumpled up, hat over his eyes.~

"No…!"

~Frank gaped at the air, but then collected his wits as he felt something lumpy underneath his jacket. He reached inside slowly, because his arm was still in pain, and pulled out the enlarging ray. The settings were jumbled up. But, without a word, he flexed his fingers as he prepared to squeeze the trigger. The barrel was aimed for Sunset's back.~

Karly spotted what he was doing instantly, and shouted. "Sunset, look out!"

~Sunset and the Rainbooms (including Lightning) turned around but neither she nor them were quick enough to dodge. Would they even have had time to dodge? The Mane 6 didn't know how fast a laser travelled. But they found out right then and there, as a green laser from the ray was fired and flew through the air and hit all seven of them head on. Despite it only being aimed at Sunset, they were all close enough to her to also be affected. Hot green glowing substances splattered all over them completely. Rarity let out a scream as it dripped all over her clothes, before feeling her head throbbing and lightening. She wasn't the only one. Soon enough, all six of the Equestria Girls and Lightning collapsed to the ground, the world around them fading to a blur and getting larger and larger by the second. Sunset wondered how this was happening, only to realise the world wasn't getting bigger, they were getting smaller! Frank switched the setting on the ray from enlarge to reduce. Before she knew it, Sunset and her friends were the size of mice. Only Karly remained the same as she didn't get hit. But, looking at the sight of her friends that were now no bigger than her own hand, she shouted in horror.~

"Nooo!"

Benjamin noticed her and glared. "Hey! Agent Crystal wasn't affected by the ray!"

"Quick, get her!" Frank ordered.

~The siblings nodded and sprung forward to grab Karly, only for the shy spy to teleport away at the last second, causing them all to crash in a heap on the floor together.~

Scoot emerged from the pile first. "You forgot she can teleport now."

Frank emerged next, grumbling. "Pffft! I didn't forget! I just…temporarily failed to remember she can teleport."

"How far do you reckon she could be?" asked Wendy.

Benjamin shrugged his shoulders. "Dunno. She could be anywhere. Maybe in France, maybe in Spain, maybe in Japan, maybe in Russia, maybe in Brazil, maybe in- "

"WELL," Frank interrupted angrily. "Whatever the case, she's gone."

"Should we try to find her?"

"...nah. Forget it. Everyone knows Karly Crystal is a weak coward, what damage can she do?" said Frank. "All that matters is that we stopped the major threat to our dad's succession and more."

"What the hell, man?! Undo this right now!" Lightning chirped. It sounded like her throat was ingested with helium.

Pinkie Pie burst with laughter. "HAHAHAHA! Lightning! Listen to your voice! It sounds funny! Heyyy! Listen to mine! I'm Tiny Pinkie! How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood!? HEHEHEHE!"

"Oh god…!"

~The boys replied with a laugh. Frank's face suddenly relaxed and he took a thick glass jar in his hands. Wasting no time, Frank kneeled down before the girls and rammed the jar over their heads, trapping them inside the container while they growled and yelped at him. Charlies then came with a metal lid for the mouth. Between them, they managed to scoop up the girls so that they could carry them easily. Hopefully, if they used their magic powers, it would be weak in the process and they wouldn't get free.~

"Good thing I kept this jar as a souvenir from when I raided that shop in the city," said Frank. "Come on, guys! Let's get them up to the castle! Wait till dad sees them. Come on! Move, now. Quickly."

~Weary and scared, Fluttershy trembled as they were stumbled away; trapped in a glass jar, unable to break out. Lightning immediately began to think how they were going to get out of this, and about Karly. By the time they disappeared, Karly poked out from behind the nearby rocks, (as that was where she teleported to), wondering what is going to happen now. Should she attempt to solo the rest of the mission by herself? After all, it's only after she's lost everything that she's free to do anything. 'It should not be that difficult', as she imagined that's what Lightning would have said if she was the one that was by herself. Thanks to her newly found teleportation abilities, Karly could easily sneak into the castle, find out her friends' whereabouts, set them free, and triumphantly complete the mission with them. So, after much debating with herself, she came to the conclusion and said yes. Building up her tiny confidence, she will show everyone what she's made of and prove them wrong. But before she set off, her boosted optimism came to halt when she heard a murmur of male and female voices. She listened carefully, then inched her way along the rocks as she could get close to the speakers but stay hidden. There was an occasional clutter of steel, and the sound of footsteps, so they were coming this way as they talked. There were four voices, two male, two female. They seemed to be angry with each other and discussing vital information that made Karly conflicted.~

"Sonata, you were supposed to take Lairry to the fieldlands so he would not get in the way." said Aria's gritty, impatient voice.

"How was I supposed to know which way it was?" said Sonata. "I forgot where I was even supposed to take him anyway- "

"Then you ask him! You could have gone to the food court instead, and enjoy your favourite, stupid, disgusting seasoning mince wrapped in a tortilla. Whatever it's called…"

"Don't you ever talk about tacos like that!"

"Or what?"

"What exactly is going on here?"

~The two siren girls made a turn and saw Olliee and Lairry standing by the exit with a bold look upon their faces. There was a silence, and then Olliee went on.~

"What is Adagio Dazzle up to?"

"Nothing that concerns you." Aria pouted.

Larry didn't buy it. "Really? 'cause it just sounded like you were trying to lure us away somewhere, so we would not 'Get in the way'."

"No, no! That's not…it!"

"I think she's trying to take dad's throne and everything else we've worked for! She's got an entirely different idea on how to deal with the Rain…whatever-they're-called, and wants to do it her way! Besides, I would also like to think she wants to experiment- "

"To experiment? No, to gain power!"

"Hush! Sonata!"

"What? We can't convince them."

"Wait. What do you mean, 'gain power'?" asked Olliee.

"Oh, she's hosting a theatre in the main room tonight! That's where she will drain all the negative power from your minions all at once, then next will be Twilight Sparkle's! That's why we tricked your other siblings into taking her and that other man upstairs to Adagio, pretending to be your dad! It's all part of our plan!"

"Sonata!" Aria shouted, but it was too late. Enough was said. Olliee and Lairry gasped.

~And Karly couldn't help herself either: a little gasp also escaped her, and at the same time she tensed and shivered, and her foot knocked against the rock. The four were alerted by the sound it made.~

"What was that?"

"Behind that rock- "

"Quick!"

~Throwing Aria and Sonata aside, Olliee's feet ran towards the rocks. Karly tried to scramble away, but there was so little place to go, and before she could move more than a few steps, her legs tangled up together and she fell down. After recovering, she saw herself staring up at the upside-down faces of the Devil brothers and siren sisters. They were just as startled as she was. But, with little more freedom to move, Karly shot herself back to her feet and cleared herself away.~

"Agent Crystal." Lairry said her name.

"How did you get here?" Olliee asked, grumbling as still annoyed at the two sirens.

Karly looked to and fro behind her, trying hard not to shake or stutter. "W-well, I could…possibly ask you the same thing?"

"Well, I'm actually not one hundred percent sure myself, but one thing I do know is that we can't stay here for long."

"Who even are you anyway?" Aria asked Karly, squinting between her brows at her and making her uncomfortable. "Is it just you around here as well?"

Karly couldn't speak at that moment, so Lairry spoke up for her. "This is Karly Crystal. An enemy of our dad's. And it seems like she's here alone."

"Wait, I thought she was called Khloe. Or Kira? Or…Khara?" Sonata raised her brow.

Karly sighed quietly. "Devil always gets my name wrong, and it never ends."

"Ah, yes. Now I am aware of you." said Aria. "So, generous of you to tell us about her and her friends, Olliee."

"And now that we know about them, we can make sure they don't foil the plan. Couldn't have done it without youuu~." Sonata sang.

Karly was silent. "...you told them our backstory?" she said at last.

"...she was very persuasive." Larry admitted.

"Hey, we told you ours, so I see no reason why you shouldn't tell us about yours!" Sonata said.

"Really, I didn't care. It was just to distract you long enough so you wouldn't know what's going on." Aria shrugged.

"Bit late for that now."

"Because of you, Sonata! Ugh, you are the worst."

"Well, you are too!"

~They gave each other a needy slap. Meanwhile, Karly stared off as she thought of everything she had now learned. The fear she felt of it all was almost physical pain. Adagio was going to steal the minions' negative power, use it to make herself powerful, overpower the Rainbooms, drain them of their magic so she could gain more, then possibly take hers and Lightning's as a bonus, become the most overpowered god-like being in the world, take over the world, then move on to the next! She found her voice at last after she all that put together, and screamed.~

"I have to help them!"

"And what makes you think we're just gonna let you run off and do that?" Aria sassed.

"Good question."

~As a last resort, Karly snapped her fingers and, like a ghost, she faded into the air, leaving only a few magenta sparkles floating in her place. They disappeared later, though, after a moment. The four were left stunned.~

"What the…?"

"Where did she go?!"

"Up to the castle, obviously."

"We can't let her do that! Let's get back up there, quick!" Olliee prompted. "Don't think this makes us forget about you two and what you've done though. We'll talk about it later."

~Aria and Sonata were the ones he was talking to. They nodded silently, even though Aria didn't care as much, before the four turned back to where they came from and raced up there as quickly as they could, with Olliee taking the lead.~

~The music of a saxophone filled the dry airs of Devil's Castle. A quintet of minions stood on a small stage playing jazz in the cantinas of the castle. While everybody else was having fun. Playing cards, drinking boos, and enjoying the music as they waited patiently for the proper show Adagio had in store for them to begin.~

"No matter how many times I hear Adagio's singing, I'm amazed! Each time, I'm like, 'WOW!'" one said to the other.

"Got any reverse cards? Aw, weak, dude, you don't? Sooooo VERY LAME!" another minion said, playing cards with his worker.

"You know, This castle..It had a name before Adagio came...some time ago...Levil's Castle? Tevil's Castle? Just Evil Castle? Darn it, just not remembering. Guess it doesn't matter." one minion pondered.

~A cheery, short intermission piece of music echoed in the castle's speakers on the wall, and after it ended, a minions' deep voice appeared.~

"Minions! Get to the Theatre! Adagio's show tonight will begin soon!"

Bursts of cheers came from the crowd. "YES! FINALLY!"

"I've been craming for ten hours!"

"That seat up front is mine!"

"Get the slushies quick!"

~Rushing to the theatre, all excited, the minions clambered on top one another when going through the door until they were all jammed inside. Dr. Devil watched them coldly before looking about to see the cantinas were now deserted, and that all the controlled minions had gone into the theatre. The doctor then tapped his foot repeatedly, straightened up the goggles that were perched on his head, and looked down at his largely-oversized fancy hi-tech watch, seemingly waiting for the minions that weren't in Adagio's control to come and find him. He also wondered about his sons and why they haven't come yet.~

"UGHHH, where the heck is Olliee?! I need him to prepare!" he bellowed. "That Lairry had gone off too. He better not be off playing video games or something, we're in a spot of crisis!"

He suddenly heard his name being called. "Master Devil! Master Devil! I've gathered all the minions I could find that haven't interacted with Adagio Dazzle!"

~A smile curved from the doctor's lips but it soon turned back upside down when he saw only a total of nine minions behind his back, out of his two hundred clones, this was all he had.~

"This is IT?" he bellowed.

"Unfortunately, yes. But, if we play this stealthy, we might still have a chance." said the minions, lightening his spirits.

Devil still seemed unconvinced, but he had no other choice. "Very well, and I guess we'll have to go on without my sons." he cleared his throat. "Right, minions, forget about the other six 'Rain-blanks', or whatever-they're-called. Adagio is going against our plan, and is doing her own. We need to end it. BUT, under no circumstances, must you let her stare you down, or gain anymore power, this means, you mustn't let her get to Mr. Secret, or the tech girl, especially her! You see any minion with green eyes, finish them! Then, take their place, and pretend to be under control. Once we have her surrounded in that theatre, I'll go for her neck. Then, we'll have more than what we bargained for! Ya got that?" they nodded. "Good. Now get to the theatre! There isn't a moment to lose!"

Chapter 12: Welcome to the Theatre

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Chapter 12: Welcome to the Theatre

~Despite Devil being exasperated and against what Adagio was doing, he was impressed with what she had done. Transforming the largest, emptiest room into an evil stage theatre was pretty inspiring, and it was better than what he expected. Once he entered, it felt like he was hit by a ray of beaming light. He liked art and drama, but music was out of the ordinary. Who knew that this would change his mind? The walls were covered up by a huge red curtain, and on the red carpeted floor quarter centre, two sets of round yellow lights surrounded by glowing red circles lined up on the floor following in a straight pattern going vertically and horizontally. It was leading him to the pathway of the nine rows, lined up with purple padded floor seats and entrances to the opera boxes above on the wall. The centre had a pretty open space too, so this helped with looking around. Devil could hear his minions whispering, laughing, and squeaking their seats excitedly. Turning off their phones, crunching popcorn, and slurping slushies too. It was madness. Wrappers were already beginning to litter the floor. But he took no notice of them, since they weren't 'his' minions anymore. The doctor just kept walking until he made it to the front where a red velvet rope barrier blocked him from the slabs of the stage that stood before him. They were made of a shiny birch wood complete with an embedded carpet of a purple musical note accompanied by a gamboge-coloured jewel in the centre. He could only see a part of it though, as the stage floor just barely went under his chin, and the barrier prevented him from getting any closer. He sneered at the carpet logo before envisioning his own logo there instead. Adagio Theatre will become the Devil Theatre once he was through with her. So, without further ado, he made to find a seat. It took Devil many attempts and wandering around to find one, preferably one that fitted his body or didn't try to dump him to the floor, but alas, no luck.~

The doctor let out an intense grumble. "There's NO seats left!"

~One more wander around proved that to be right. The minions occupied every single one from top to bottom, and there was no way the evil doctor could convince any one of them to give theirs up, he trained them too well to be ruthless. At that, he tried hard not to make a scene and instead storm back up to the front doors.~

"Man, not a seat in the house! Where do I lodge a complaint?!"

~Just then, two minions walked by. And not just any random minions, Devil recognised the nasty bumps they had on their faces, they were the two blockheads that he punched for delaying his laboratory and for not listening to him. He hated their guts, but had no choice but to complain at them. He grabbed them by the heads and pulled them towards him.~

"HEY! YOU TWO!" he yelled.

"Yeesss? What is it?" one asked.

"I have no seat!"

"Yes, take an open seat, please."

"That's just it- there are no open seats! Do something now!" Devil demanded, pulling on their shirt collars.

"Oh, dear guest, I feel for you, but there's nought I can do. They're all taken." the minion shrugged.

"Both of you, zip it! I AM MASTER DEVIL!"

"Is there a problem?"

~Devil and his two 'captives' turned to the sound of a third minion approaching. He looked at Devil dead in the eye, feeling that he recognized him, only for magical green dust inside his pupils to illuminate his vision again. He shook his head wildly before turning back to the matter.~

The first minion sighed in relief. "Oh, hey, Budds, phew… I am glad to see you. You see, this guy, right? He- "

"He just grabbed us out of nowhere and filed a complaint about having no seat!" the second one screamed. "And you know what else? He punched us twice just for asking him nicely to wait in the lobby for the show to start! If anything now, I should be filing a complaint for abuse and harassment!"

"Riiight...whoa… Umm...so the issue here is that this guest lacks a seat?" The third minion asked, still looking at Devil.

"I am not any sort of guest! I am Master Devil!" the doctor repeated, standing up firmly.

"Devil? OHHH, Master Devil! Of course!" The minion slapped his own head. "How stupid of me! I was just handed your name! Adagio has arranged for a special VIP treatment for you! Only for the finest, of course!"

Devil's face suddenly filled with curiosity, and it seemed all his anger just melted away. "Oh, really, VIP treatment?"

"Yep! So, my dear, Master Devil, allow me to guide you to your special VIP seat! BRING ON THE VIP, BOYS!"

~Two minutes later, a ruckus suddenly occurred from where Devil was standing. Like an earthquake indoors, it shook the theatre and everyone that was sitting comfortably in their seats. The three main minions then motioned the doctor to look down in the open area in the centre. He never ever seemed to notice that it was in the shape of a rectangle with a faint line dragged down across the middle upto the front of the stage. That was where it was shaking the most. Then, once he thought nothing interesting was going to happen, the line slowly split the rectangle into two smaller ones and opened up a hole underground where a larger-sized, throne-like seat slowly emerged upwards. It was very similar to Devil's current throne, but this time, was built properly and exactly how he dreamt it to be, with spikes on the back, oversized pillow armrests, and a cup holder. Devil held back his contented amazement.~

"Behold!"

"Bingo! Just perfect! That seat is pure Devil!"

~And just like that, the doctor bounced into the throne-like seat, and settled in. Loose upholstery strings on the armrests tickled his arms as he settled, and he was instantly offered refreshments. Now this is how he should be treated, he thought. But he should not let his ego get the better of him. Adagio was still his enemy that needed to be taken care of. Five minutes later, the yellow floor lights dimmed, and the walls changed. The minion on set made an announcement.~

"Laddies and Gentlemen, may I present to youuuu- The Adagio Shooooooooooooow!"

~The minions gazed up at the dome-shaped ceiling where twinkling lights sparkled from the top. It's like they found themselves in another amazing universe. All around, blinking lights and green smoke misted from the stage, and they had to crane their necks just to see. Only Devil remained settled, just before he heard a familiar female voice vocalising from the speakers. That was when he rose up from his seat. On the stage, a poofy-shaped shadow emerged from the smoke. There was glitter all over her shoulders, skirt and thighs. Swaying her hips to the sound of a deep instrument, like a bass, Adagio reached out both of her arms towards the crowd and shot a cunning smirk as she began to vocalise to its rhythm.~

~Song: Welcome to the Show- (Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks)~

~Meanwhile, The Triplets and their other siblings were just coming back through the caverns. They marched through a tunnel that led them just outside of the castle where everything was brightly lit by torches set on the outside walls. The seven girls gazed around in wonder. What an amazing but frightening castle! How did they build it so fast? Sunset hoped they were finally about to meet whoever was in charge. Then, she could confront him about everything he has done to them. Their captors brought them inside at last and instantly, they were brought into the empty but messy breweries when once the minions waited. The Devil children came to the front entrance of the theatre, but it was locked shut. Immediately, they tried to pry it open, constantly calling for their father. Meanwhile, the Rainbooms spoke in their still helium sounding voices.~

Pinkie Pie was still chanting tongue twisters. "She sells seashells by the seashore! HEHEHEHE! Okay, okay, now someone else say something funny!"

"I hear somebody singing." Rainbow squeaked.

"I don't get it." whispered Pinkie.

"No, I can hear it too!" 'Appleteeny' piped in.

~It was very difficult to hear due to the thickness of the glass jar blocking the outside sounds, but they could just about hear Adagio's vocalising echoing off the walls and in their brains. The six Rainbooms knew it too well. Old memories of the Battle of the Bands suddenly came flooding back. The Dazzlings had been the evil forces behind the tensions that rose between them and their fellow classmates during those times, over silly competition to decide who was the best band in all their school. Adagio had even tried to destroy their friendship, as the Mane 5 remembered that one time where they all got into a big fight that caused the Dazzlings to reach their limits and almost seize the world for themselves. They all huddled up together and tried to get rid of that thought of their heads. Only Lightning and Sunset remained standing as they looked towards the sound of the singing.~

"Who is that, Sunset? Who is singing in that, strangely, marvellous tone?" asked Lightning.

Sunset squeaked, unable to get her sentence out. "It's…it's…"

"What? Who?"

"...Adagio Dazzle!"

~Lightning was nonplussed. Despite hardly knowing anything about Adagio, she could tell from Sunset and the Mane 5's faces that this was not good news, and yet, here they were, about to face it, the ultimate challenge…! They braced from what's coming.~

~Karly Crystal left the underground caverns with a sense of fear. Yet, somehow, she stayed among herself and carefully skirted up to the surface, through the same tunnel the Triplets exited. When she finally came upon Devil's castle, she could hardly believe her eyes. She had seen it from a distance and guessed descriptions but never realised just how monstrous it was until now. She listened in awe to the melodic singing coming from the rooftops, then watched as the minions lumbered around the entrance, carrying crossbows, and guarding the front keenly. Some even climbed up the walls to get good vantage points. Despite being afraid of them, Karly was marvelled by their skills. Nonetheless, she needed to keep out of their sight, and get to where the singing was taking place (she just had the feeling). Skirting around the scene of activity, she spied through the rocks the way the walls shot up to the peaks. But what then caught her eye was the top of the one turret unguarded. She wondered if she could teleport up there. So, taking the risk, she threw herself behind one of the massive boulders, and vanished in a puff of magenta sparkles, then reappeared at the top. She had to act quickly though, as she just appeared a foot above the point of the turret in midair and onto the curved roof. As she fell, she held back a screech then grasped the point. She hung on for dear life. Thankfully, the minions never saw it and just kept watching below her. Karly had given very little thought to her own safety beyond keeping out of sight, but as she drew nearer to where the singing was, she couldn't turn back now. She determined that she would not lose her nerve. When she got her chance, she began to teleport to and fro from places.~

~Back inside the theatre, red waves above the air encircled the room. Adagio's singing grew stronger; her words were fierce and intense, her voice harmonising like the vibrating sound of a low bass.~

Adagio: Welcome to the show...!~

I'm here to let you know…~

My time is now…~

Your time is running out…~

~The speakers were booming so hard, the fuzzy bases almost popped out of their shells. This was the first time Devil was hearing it, and seeing it in action. He felt the Equestrian Magic as if it was inside of him, and he got this amazing feeling of power, and dominance. Yellow fire ignited in his dark eyes, and madness showed in the doctor's face. Then, to his shock, as he came back to the show, something hideous suddenly happened. Adagio evolved into a creature double the size of a man, with leathery wings, pony-like ears, and golden claws. Above her, appeared the large translucent projection of a siren. With a brilliantly light golden scaly skin and underbelly, it flapped its stylish amber-coloured fins and opened up its very clear glowing red eyes. The minions went wild and, as Adagio expected, it created tension between them. Cheers turned to shrieks, and Adagio begged for more. The green smoke brightened around her and evaded before being sucked into her red pendant.~

"Ahhh! I am feeling some great negative power from these pathetic minions' cheers!" Adagio boomed with joy. "Now, how about we get some more special power, shall we?"

~The siren girl motioned towards a minion that was lurking backstage. In his hand was a remote with a few switches, blinking lights and a big red button. He pressed it. At that very instant, there was a deep rumble, and sure enough, a small cage was lowered down from the ceiling above the stage. Locked inside was none other than Karly's uncle; the principal of the school from the other world, the United Kingdom; the boss that every minion knew and despised, Steven Secret. He grimaced at Adagio through the thick bars of his tight prison but said nothing. Devil rose up from his seat.~

"Mr. Secret?" he said.

~But that was not all. Someone else was then suddenly tossed onto the stage of the theatre, and in spite of her protests, the minions prodded her with their crossbows until she was standing right next to Adagio. Twilight looked up at her with wide eyes, but then stood back and glared under her brows.~

"I don't know what you're planning, Adagio, but you won't get away with it!" Twilight spoke bravely. "My friends will arrive here any minute, and together with Lightning Star and Karly Crystal, they'll beat you!"

"That's exactly what I'm hoping for, Twilight Sparkle."

~Just then, everything became clear inside Devil's head. While using him and his minions to do the dirty work for her, Adagio fed on their negative energy, and made herself stronger every minute. Then, once she was strong enough, she was going to take all the good magic for her own selfish greed, and crush everyone, especially him, and leave him in the dust of his own castle, leaving the world for her to rule at. It all made sense, from now and his vision; the moment he saw her transformation. After that, Devil knew he wouldn't get any sleep tonight. He was burning with fury. But eventually, his rage eased as he noticed his two minions behind the velvet curtain, trying to get his attention. More appeared on the other side. They had taken control of the panel behind the stage and were ready to strike back. Devil's mood changed. His anger had returned, but this time it was not an explosive rage, but a cold scheming fury. But before he could even attempt to stand and make a loud, profound speech, his VIP seat made an unexpected strange clicking noise along with a low vibration from underneath. It felt strangely good, as if he was being given a massage, until it all turned to a surprise, when the chair moved! Like a rollercoaster, the seat jolted and was quickly driven forwards. Devil screamed in exclamation. It travelled down the pathways of rows in a blur until suddenly it came to an amazingly abrupt halt once it got to the front. There, Devil was hurled straight out and over the barrier, onto the stage, where he faceplanted on the wood and slid across, burning his rough-skinned face and making him dizzy with confusion. Twilight stared down at him with unblinking eyes, while Adagio kept her shadowy smirk.~

"Ahh, Devil. So glad you've come and joined us too. Though you might need to work on your landing." she giggled. "I told you I'd help you rule the world. Now look how far I've come. Do you feel my power?"

He shook his head to get his vision focused again. Then, once it returned, he growled and gritted his teeth harder than ever at the siren. "YOU! ADAGIO!"

~His voice became like ice yet again and with a raging vengeance, Devil pushed Twilight to the ground and towered over Adagio with his chin just barely away from her forelocks. She smirked at him, undaunted.~

"Has my dark equestrian magic not impressed you yet, Devil? Crushing your puny minions was only the appetiser. Soon this world will fall at my knees along with all who dwell within. And you, too, will bow before me enterally! You are too late to stop me now!"

The doctor eyed his minions behind the stage and winked at them. Then, he let out an uncontrollable laugh. "GWA HA HA HA HA! Well, look at that! You really did have a little plan prepared. You done with this show then, 'cause it's my turn! I knew all along that you were planning something, Adagio! Which is why I've taken the ones you've brainwashed and replaced them with ones that are still loyal to me!"

~It was now Devil's turn to smirk in evil satisfaction, and Adagio was not expecting it. Without turning her head, she gazed back towards the backstage entrance, and even saw that ahead of her, behind Devil, that she was surrounded on the stage by his guards, and she knew that they were not under her control because their eyes were normal. Her eyes came back to Devil, her brows still low but stunned.~

"I knew I shouldn't have trusted you. I can't wait to feed you to my iguana after I'm done here." Devil chuckled softly. "Hey, don't be too upset and surprised… I will say, I am impressed. But now, I've got no patience for people trying to invade my throne, I am DR. VINNY DEVIL, LEADER of this organisation and ME ALONE! I will strike you down, right here, right now and give these folks a REAL SHOW!"

~Adagio couldn't speak, because Devil had sprang right after he finished. Guess he wasn't as clueless as she thought. With his fist raised, the doctor pushed back with all his might and fired the first punch. Adagio dodged. Then, now knowing that it was useless to talk now, she fought back. Three red soundwaves fired from her hands in turn, and Devil dodged each of them by turning his body into a triple backflip. He was just as agile as his henchmen. However, what Devil didn't take into account was that Adagio now had power, and quite the heaps of it, despite it not being at full capacity. He had to switch to science. So, after the third backflip, he pulled out his go-to weapons blaster, and began firing hot green/blue glowing beams at the siren. Adagio had no time to avoid them, so instead, she countered the attacks with her own soundwaves. It functioned like a mirror, so when a few lasers came at her, she hit them, the waves exploded, and the lasers just came bouncing straight back at Devil. The doctor barely had space to dodge. He was trembling with emotion. But, he did not give up. Believing that he could get at least one hit in, he fired his weapon once more, this time the beam was a glowing deep red. Unfortunately, his opponent expectedly countered it with a soundwave. It bounced in the direction of the crowd. A mighty roar arose from the hundreds of throats in that crowd as the battle raged, like the thunder of a great waterfall, but, when they saw hot glowing red coming at them, they all hit the deck. Like a bullet, the laser raced down the hall in a blur, until it exploded on the door lock behind them, and, once the bolts clattered to the floor like a heap of heavy rusty metal, the door swung open and Devil's children bursted in. Nobody paid attention to them, however, and just kept watching the fight grow intensely. The siblings all pulled star-struck looks, wondering what was happening, while the Rainbooms and Lightning, watched fearfully as their two mortal enemies battled out against each other. Fluttershy grasped onto Rainbow Dash's jacket and she looked at her with big, anxious, tear-filled eyes. When Sunset Shimmer saw Adagio, her heart dropped.~

"Devil and Adagio…they're fighting!" shouted Lightning.

"But look!" Rarity squeaked. She was pointing at the waves emerging from Adagio's hands as she battled. "Adagio… she's…she's…"

"She's got her magic back!" Rainbow blurted out. "But how?!"

Sunset Shimmer's voice came out faint and shaky. "I…I don't know, but it seems to be more powerful than ever! If only I knew about it- then- then, we would have seen it coming and been prepared."

Lightning took no intimidation. "We don't need to be prepared. We have each other, and our powers, that's all we need. Two powerful evil forces fighting will lead to mass destruction! Now, we have to stop them! "

~With that, she began shaking the jar again. Frank held it tight, but seemingly not because of Lightning's attempt to escape. It was because he was too entranced by the sight of his father fighting with this magical beast that he nor his siblings have ever seen before. Besides Olliee and Lairry, this was the siblings' first time. Moments later, Devil screamed at the top of his voice.~

"I WONDER IF A SIREN CAN EVEN BLEED!"

~Twilight Sparkle tried to back away, but the continuous prods from the minions prevented her once again. All Steven Secret could do to avoid getting hit was rattle the bars of his cage and swing it from the chain back and forth. The only sounds everybody could now hear were the distant cries of the two villains. Finally, Adagio took herself up from the ground then plunged headlong into the very core of Devil's chest. At once, he was knocked right off his feet. The siren then grasped around his neck and lifted him up before he could move. Devil yelled in alarm, and then in pain, as he twisted this way and that, shrieking and snarling, unable to loosen the siren's grip. Only a few seconds, and the siren had overmastered him: with one fierce yellow claw around his throat and his hands gripping his lower limbs, she took one of Devil's arms in her other claw and twisted and pulled as if she intended to tear it off. Angrily, and with a cold furious force that was horrifying to see and even worse to feel.~

"Oh my god…" Lightning said.

"DAD!" his children screamed.

~Adagio looked down from where she hovered to see the siblings rushing up to the front stage, staring.~

"Don't! Stop hurting him!" Wendy sobbed in terror.

"Do as I tell you, then," the siren bellowed.

"Okay-okay! W-We will! Promise!" Frank cried.

~Sunset was shocked to see him like that. It seemed as if that tough, evil, cold-hearted boy had just vanished, and was replaced with a scared, weak one that feared for his father's safety. Nonetheless, the yellow siren stepped down as the children bowed before her, and she released Devil as if she was suddenly bored of him. He fell to the ground and coughed at the air.~

"Now," said Adagio. "What have you got there inside that jar?"

~Adagio swooped down to the rim of the stage to fetch it. Frank gave it to her unwillingly. With her eyes gleaming, she slowly brought the jar up to her face to reveal the girls inside. She chuckled to herself.~

"Hello.~ What's this?"

"Uh oh…" Pinkie said what they were all thinking.

One of the audience members cried out. "It's Agent Star!"

"And the Rainbooms!" cried another.

Twilight and Steven perked up. "Girls?"

Adagio grinned. "So it is. Ha ha! Sunset Shimmer… Ha! I never expected for you to show up like this. It's pathetic. But I am glad you could come to see my show in time. How thoughtful of you!" Lightning and Sunset both growled at the siren, but said nothing.

"I'm glad too," said Devil, breathlessly. He dragged himself up to his feet painfully and clutched his elbow. Then, using his one good hand, he snacthed the jar from Adagio's claws. "Finally, we meet as last, Rainbooms! Hmm... They do seem to be alot more smaller than I thought… Ehh, no matter! It's only the magic that I care about!"

"Give us back our friend Twilight, you jerk!" Rainbow squeaked, showing no fear.

"A-And Mr. Secret. We want him back too…!" Fluttershy meekly added.

The doctor gave out his ionic laugh. "BWA HA HA HA! You don't scare me, you little pipsqueaks! Thank you for saving me the trouble of hunting you down, although I could have still used the TIME to get ready! Whatever. I'll deal with you later. Take them to my lab, minions!"

Adagio leapt. "Hey! You are not getting away with my magic! It's mine!" she grasped on the jar.

"Oh, no you don't! They are MINE!"

~Like children fighting for a toy, the two villains suddenly began tugging the jar back and forth between each other. The girls bounced all over the place as they were being tossed left and right repeatedly. Applejack felt as if she was going to chunder everywhere. Finally, Devil had had enough. He flashed look towards two of his uncontrolled minions.~

"Grrr! Minions! Release the iguana!" At once, they went off. "And Frank! Gimme the enlarging ray!"

~The doctor stretched out one of his hands, and Frank wasted no time. Without question, though he was still confused, he reached down for the ray in his pocket then stretched out his arm as far as he could over the barrier. Devil grasped it greedily. He then aimed it straight at Adagio, with the barrel literally pointed on her nose. It tingled at the touch. But, just before he could squeeze the trigger, the door opened once again, this time, it was Devil's main sons, and Adagio's bumbling and uncaring sisters, Olliee, Lairry, Aria and Sonata. They were panting desperately.~

"Hey, what's going on?!" Olliee panted first.

"Olliee! Lairry! There you are! Quick, help me with this!" Devil turned his head back toward Adagio but she knocked the weapon out of his hand. "HEY!"

"NOOO!"

"UH OH!" the girls cried.

~Another swift movement from Adagio suddenly slipped and both villains dropped the jar containing the Rainbooms on the ground. They screamed in fear as their glassy prison shattered into a million pieces, and the shards spread out dangerously around them. They were free, but not quite out of danger. Firstly, they checked themselves then each other for any injuries, such as a shard pierced in their skin. When they found none, they quickly recovered from the fall they endured before looking up at the giants before them. They could only stare in horror until they heard a 'psst' behind their backs. With an anxious glance, they whirled around. There, hissing over the membrane that hung under its jaw, the saggy skin on its throat, and stocky stature, stood the most enormous iguana imaginable. It was a vast, heaving, glowing dull green hulk with a scaly body that stood, to them, about two hundred centimetres, along with comb-like spines that ran across its back and tail. The girls backed away from the beast, but their heels lipped over the stage's edge. They couldn't go anywhere else. Fluttershy and Rarity then screamed as the giant reptile rapidly snaked its large tail around their bodies, lifting them greatly over to where its face laid. It opened its mouth. The seven cried out and attempted to struggle free of its coil. Suddenly, they were let go, and they fell into the mouth of the scaly beast.~

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH….!"

~They screamed as they fell. Their voices grew quieter the deeper they descended down, then, all was still and silent. The iguana swallowed, and everyone watched as a ball in his mouth travelled down his throat and into his belly. He licked his lips, hinting that he enjoyed his meal. The whole crowd went silent.~

Steven's eyes grew wide. "AGENT STAR, NO!"

"GIRLS!" Twilight cried.

Adagio was furious. "NO! I needed those girls for their magic!"

Even Devil was livid. "NO! You stupid IGUANA! I didn't want you to EAT THEM!" he gripped his coat angrily. "ARRRGGGHHH! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! After all of THAT, I finally had their magic, it was in the palm of my hand! Now, it's gone. Down the freaking drain!"

"Or rather, down an iguana's throat." Aria stated.

"AAAARRRGGGHHH!"

Chapter 13: Inside the Belly of the Beast

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Chapter 13: Inside the Belly of the Beast

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

~Lightning Star continued to scream her lungs out as she kept falling and falling down the iguana's throat. She did not know when it was going to end, and she began to feel vertigo, as everything kept on spinning. She moaned in pain. Finally, after what felt like forever, she crashed onto a soft tissue-like surface, moaning and groaning.~

"Owww..."

~She was about to get up and move, when she saw and heard the fatal screaming of the Mane 6 coming from above her. They were falling too quickly for her to react. So, like a heap of heavy rocks, the six crashed down into a pile on top of the spy, who groaned louder.~

"OWWW!"

~The one on top of the mound, and last to land, was Sunset Shimmer. Climbing down from her friends softly, she looked around side to side in confusion before feeling and seeing Lightning grabbing her ankle.~

"Ooh. Are you okay, Lightning?"

"I will be if ya get your giant friends off-a me!" she yelled from the bottom of the pile. "Seriously! You guys weigh, like, five tonnes!"

~Reacting fast, Sunset quickly pulled up the two friends that were seriously crushing her, that being Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. Lightning breathed. Then, in no particular order, the dazed girls disentangled themselves out from the pile, and stood up to look around.~

"Are we…where I think we are?!" Rarity exclaimed.

"Yep. We're inside…Devil's giant pet iguana." Lightning confirmed.

The girls cringed. "EWWWWWWWW!"

"My thoughts exactly," said Lightning. "Here. Follow me. If we're gonna get out of here, we need to get to its head."

~With that, they exited through the only 'pipeway' to the main body of the iguana, and started exploring. The landscape everywhere was round and sloppy, and seemed to be constantly closing in, then opening up again at the speed of a person's breathing. The colours contained pink, green, red and blue. They were almost neon-coloured. Blue and red veins and arteries from inside the slimy, fatty red-pink layers, that posed as walls, illuminated as the blood travelled to and fro from them in opposite directions. The girls heard beating and bulging coming from all directions, along with squelching now as they walked. It felt as if within every step they took, they were also sinking into the guts of the beast. Rarity felt the need to throw up.~

"You know, if Twilight were here with us right now, she would freak out!" Rainbow boomed.

"From what?! The disgusting organs and stench of a reptile's insides?!" replied Rarity, her face turning completely green.

"No, she would be making amazing scientific discoveries of the iguana's anatomy." Sunset said, smiling, knowing her tech friend too well. "It'll be the discovery of a lifetime."

"Huh. Spoken like a true scientist." Lightning smirked.

~Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks. The others did the same. Only Rainbow didn't see that the girls had come to a stop, so Lightning quickly grabbed the collar of the sporty girl's jacket and pulled her back over to where she was, right before Rainbow took the step that could have ended her life. Rainbow opened her eyes and they all looked down below. There, they were met with a bubbling watery green fluid at the stomach's lining. It was giving out a pretty strong smell. Pinkie Pie reached into the back ends of her poofy hair and pulled out the tiniest little bubble gum packet she had been saving for the last few days. Unwrapping one of the sweets intently, she dropped it into the fluid and, immediately, it melted away like acid, leaving behind a flowing pink puddle where it landed. Soon enough, that pink disappeared and turned back to green. Fluttershy shuddered and Rarity was repulsed.~

"Oh goodness!"

"Oh my heavens- what is that?!"

"Hydraulic stomach acid. It'll eat right through us if we fall in!" Lightning said.

At that, the Mane 5 stared disturbingly. Sunset spoke. "We need to be careful then."

~Lightning nodded before darting at the layer walls of the iguana. She shifted into her own reptilian form, then leapt onto them. Digging her lizard-like claws in, she stuck to the hypodermis and the muscles of the iguana's body. It wasn't much of a problem to hold on, since the walls were so sticky and gross, it was like having suction cups on your hands. Like that, Lightning slowly scaled across and over the bubbly acid like it was nothing, though she did hold back a disgusted look and scrunched up her face to prevent herself from inhaling the stench now that she was close up towards it. Once she made it to the other side, she wiped off the oozing liquid that came off the walls from her claws to jacket. She then motioned the other girls to copy her, however, the Mane 6 were far from fine with this. This was their very first life or death situation here, and they were terrified of facing it. They may have seen 'stranger things' before, but this one was far different. Plus disgusting. Sunset realised though that they had no choice. She took the lead. While Lightning had the advantage of claws, even without them, it was still doable. The certain pulses that stuck out made excellent handles to put the hands and feet on. It was like rock climbing, and it was never too slimy to slip on. Rarity, however, was the only one that refused to step another inch further, and didn't even dare to touch the walls, even with her nails. So, instead of listening to her whining and complaining, Applejack helped the girl up, and together, they made a mad leap of faith across and over the stomach acid. They made it by the skin of their teeth. Applejack stumbled a little, however, feeling like she was falling backwards. Thankfully, Rainbow Dash and Sunset were there in time to catch her and Rarity and pull them to safety. Lightning looked ahead at their next obstacle.~

"We need to plot a course to the iguana's brain!" she stated.

"Brain? I don't want to see the iguana's brain!" Rarity cried.

"You do want to get outta here though, right?"

~Rarity scowled, but said nothing. Without another word, Lightning marched on ahead towards the next organs, with everyone else following close behind. She expected to arrive next at the heart of the iguana, but they ended up someplace different.~

"Okay, we're out of the icky stomach, but now in the icky throat."

~Rarity was right, as the road ahead led to an upwards curve, they saw that gross pink fleshy thing that dangled at the back of the throat above them. Unexpected to see that they had somehow missed the heart, but Lightning supposed it was for the best, as she saw Rarity turning greener and greener by the minute. The spy girl prepared herself and made to fly while activating a mode on her watch, when she was briefly cut off by Pinkie Pie's quick discovery.~

"Hey look! Vocal cords!"

~The six immediately turned to her voice and found her standing with six folds of string-like tissues, which projected inwards, then outwards at the same speed of the breathing. Applejack saw Pinkie with her finger stretched out, ready to poke at the cords, but she stopped her in time.~

"Do iguanas even have vocal cords?" Rainbow quired.

"No, they don't? At least I don't think so." Sunset said, scratching her head.

Even Fluttershy was confused. "So, how is it that this iguan…?"

"I should probably mention this," Lightning interjected. "But Devil is well known for…modifying his pets and test subjects or just experimenting with them in general. He'll give them three eyes, six legs, three hearts, or even just something new that it doesn't already have. Maybe that's why this iguana is twice its regular size, has vocal cords, large intestines, no heart and…whatever else."

"Ooh! I've always wanted to try this!"

~Suddenly, Pinkie's hand made contact with the cords and she trailed them along, before anybody else could call out or stop her. She began strumming them like a guitar. And according to her, they didn't feel 'stringy' or 'sandpapery', just 'vibraty' and 'rubbery', as to put it in her own words. The vibrations suddenly increased and got louder as an airstream suddenly came in. That's when they realised Pinkie was producing sounds.~

"How could you let this happen?!" Devil screamed at his minions, his face red with rage.

"Us?! You told us to get the iguana!" one of them replied dejectedly.

"I didn't then tell you to let it off its leash!"

"Ugh, Never mind that now!" Adagio screamed. She cleared her throat. "We have bigger things to worry about, and since your 'pet' has swallowed 'my' new magic, I'm going to have to use every inch of mine I've currently got to destroy you, and once we're through, we'll- "

Suddenly, someone sang: YEAAAH, YEAAAH, YEAAAH, YEAAAH,

BABY DON'T YA KNOW WHAT I'M LOOKIN' FOOOR !~-,

~Everyone turned to the giant iguana. At that, the reptile covered its mouth with its claws in surprise. Most of the villains were then wondering even HOW it was possible, for the iguana to sing, until they saw its throat tingling and jumping all over the place.~

"What the heck was THAT about?" Devil cried.

"Did that iguana just…sing?" Aria quired.

Sonata nodded vigorously. "Yeah! How is that possible?"

"I'll tell you how." Olliee spoke, "It must have gotten a sudden tickle at the vocal glands, causing that singing to come out. But it sounded strong, so this was not the work of simple air passing through during exhalation. The throat must have caught something. Or rather…someone."

"Someone? Then, that means…"

"It means the girls are alive!"

~Gasps escaped from the crowd that were slightly disappointed. But, all were relieved to hear this news, including Adagio and Devil. Immediately, they got to work.~

"Right, I can't believe I'm saying this, but we must get those 'Rainbuffoons' out of there." said Devil.

"Does anyone know how to do iguana surgery?!" Sonata called out.

"No, but Dad knows how to dissect!" Lairry answered.

"Good thinking, bro! Dad, go get your dissecting kit!" said Frank.

But his dad was hesitant. "OR…or… Maybe we should scare the girls out!"

"Scare them out? How's that going to work?"

"You questioning my methods, Lairry?"

"Kinda, yeah."

"Well, don't! I know what I'm doing!"

~With that, he commanded his minions to go and fetch something from his biology collection. Meanwhile, Twilight had finally and successfully reached the back end of the stage, away from all the drama and danger. She merely sat down however, as there was nothing she could do. She couldn't use her powers, Steven was trapped, and her friends were inside a giant reptilian, though still alive much to her intense relief, but stuck. All she could hope for was a miracle. Moments later, a figure began to dance behind the red curtain and the sound of fumbling could be heard. Twilight suddenly felt scared, and thought it was a minion coming out to get her and toss her back. However, before total fear could overcome her, a girl materialised in the fabric of the curtain, and she poked her head out freely. Instantly, Twilight gasped.~

"Karly Crystal!"

"Twilight!" Karly exclaimed in reply. "Oh, it's good to see you're alright. But shh, we must be careful. The minions and Devil are right there on stage. Do you think you can come over here without being seen?"

~Looking then and back at the audience and production, Twilight nodded silently before using her legs to slide over towards Karly ever so sneakily. The minions in the crowd never stirred. Once she had made it offstage, the shy spy took her by the arms and began to work at her bonds. Twilight felt immensely when they were pulled off. Her hands had been tied up for so long, she forgot what they felt like. She rubbed them to get the circulation going again before looking up and smiling the face of her rescuer.~

"T-Thank you, Agent Crystal,"

"Please, just call me Karly. Now come on, we might be spotted if we stay here."

~At her bidding, they retreated behind the curtain, and a little down the path before speaking further.~

"I'm so glad you found me," said Twilight, still relieved. "I mean, not that I didn't think you weren't looking for me, but I did hope…"

Karly interrupted her. "It's fine, I was wandering around in hopes to find anybody anyway. Do you know where the others are?"

~Twilight told of what happened on the stage while Karly listened in wide-eyed amazement. The shy spy then asked of her uncle and Twilight grasped her arm and directed her to the cage hanging around the ceiling where Steven sat. Her eyes were anxious.~

"We need to try and get the girls out of the iguana first." Twilight said.

"But how?!" Karly replied.

"I don't know." the tech girl answered solemnly. "I need to think." She placed a hand on her head.

~Meanwhile, inside the guts of the deranged iguana, Pinkie Pie continued strumming the cords, unbeknownst to her and her friends, about what it was doing outside, and what was to come. Finally, Lightning got Pinkie to stop by shaking the cords and ruining the melody. She then turned.~

"Wait, what do you mean you've always wanted to tickle at someone's vocal cords?"

"Hey y'all, shh," Applejack interrupted. "Do ya hear anythin'?"

~A deep gurgle that almost sounded like rumbling occurred from above where the girls were located. Soon enough, gurgling sounded like creeping, and crawling, which Rarity did not like one bit. One thing led to another, as suddenly, eight slender legs reached down from the iguana's gullet, and revealed a giant black spider above them. With its many eyes, it stared poorly at the girls, giving a silent hiss. They all backed away.~

"Whoah… Giant spider." Lightning marvelled.

"AAAHHH! GIANT SPIDER!" Rarity screamed.

"RUUUUUUN!" urged Sunset.

~At that, the girls fled back down where they came from, all except Fluttershy. As the animalist of the group, she must try to smoothen things over with the arachnid. So, in an attempt, she reached out her hand for the spider to sniff and ease down, but it didn't even stop. For some reason, overly-sized animals just won't listen to her, and she wondered why. When Lightning and Sunset saw that Fluttershy was still standing there as still as rock in place, they raced back to save her. Lightning ignited her lizard claws on fire while Sunset stepped in front of her. They made themselves not seem small in its presence.~

"Back! Back, you insect!" Sunset screamed at the beastly-thing.

"Umm, it's actually an arachnid." Fluttershy said, snapping back to existence.

"Not the time for corrections, Fluttershy!"

~The spider rose up its thorax as it prepared to pounce. Lightning was one step ahead, however, and as she leapt down, she burnt the spider at its legs with a single flame, causing it to sizzle. In retaliation, the spider shot out its webbing from its spinnerets. The sticky silk missed the three by a hair and instead, it stuck onto the pink muscles of the iguana. From outside, it felt the webbing like a blocked tissue. And that was only the first one. As the girls ran back down the iguana for their lives, the spider followed, constantly shooting webbing at them that kept on missing. Suddenly, they returned back to where they crossed, the stomach acid. Turning back and seeing that the spider was about ready to get them, Lightning threw herself up first. Then, in a move that shocked nearly everyone, she huffed and she puffed, then breathed out the biggest, hottest, craziest burst of blue flames ever to come out of her mouth. She was like a dragon. The spider couldn't do anything to prevent it, as it suddenly made contact with the fire, and cindered away into a puff of black smoke. Everyone was horrified, including Lightning herself. Never before had she spat fire out of her mouth that intensely, but she wasn't about to comment on it, as what suddenly happened next was a big problem. The fire spread on the webbing stuck to the walls, and began burning the body.~

"Come on…come on, iguana…" Devil whispered. "Give me the goods! Give it!"

~Back outside, Devil was watching his iguana dead in the eye, waiting for it to spit out the girls, and prove his plan to be successful. He saw black smoke evade from its mouth, and figured that was a good sign. As he got closer, more smoke evaded. Then, the iguana opened its mouth, and like a wave of heat from an oven, the smoke blasted Devil right in the face, making his eyes all sooty and his nose sniff burnt toast. He and his iguana coughed at the smoke, then shifted.~

"Ugh! Ack! Ack! WHAT THE-" Devil coughed again, before growling. "That's NOT what I wanted, you stupid, little- "

~But the coughing from the iguana never stopped, and as its insides grew hotter and its chest boiled orange light, it was clear that something awful was going on again.~

"Now what's wrong?" Adagio grumbled.

"I think the iguana's experiencing heartburn…" Lairry said. "We should give some water."

Devil grinned. "Ooo! Excellent idea! That way, we can drown the girls out of there!"

"Drown them out? That doesn't make any sense!" Aria squinted.

Ollie shrugged his shoulders. "Our father may have the intelligence to invent evil gadgets and weapons, but he also has the brain of a peanut. I gave up reasoning with him a long time ago, okay, so just let him do his thing. But don't worry, it mostly turns out fine."

~With that, Devil commanded his minions to go get a large pail of water. But since they hadn't got much time to dily-daly about, they just ended up grabbing the giant bottle of a nearby water dispenser, and holding it against the iguana's snout, letting the water rush in. Steven, Karly and Twilight watched, filled with aghast.~

~The girls were doing everything they could to fan out and extinguish the flames before it spread. Lightning transformed into her penguin form to use her ice magic, but the blizzard was not cold enough. Smog increased and nearby muscles casted fire ravenously. For a while, total confusion and panic ensued the lot, and when it seemed all hope was lost, another rumble came forth. At this point, Lightning got pretty tired of all the rumbling, but as it grew louder, it felt very different. Now, she and the Rainbooms were concerned.~

"What is that?" asked Sunset.

"Sounds like a rushing stream of water." Rainbow answered.

"Water?" Fluttershy questioned.

"WATER!" Pinkie shireked.

~They all faced in the direction heading to the throat. At that moment, as Rainbow Dash said, a stream of rushing water came flooding down and into the stomach where they stood. Instantly, they were swept off their feet. Lightning liazrded up, and with a spring, dug her claws into the upperpart of the muscles. The whole gang clung onto her and each other like a chain, and held onto tight as the water kept rushing down and into the stomach acid. The only person that was not holding on however, was Rarity. She missed them and as she flailed about, heading closer towards the acid, she screamed.~

"WAAAHHHHHH!"

"Hold on, Rarity!" Applejack cried.

~Passing her hold on Sunset to Rainbow Dash, Applejack let go from the chain and swam as fast as she could in hopes to save her fashion-forward girlfriend. The waters were like rapids so she sped up quite quickly. The two locked hands as soon as they could touch, then Pinkie Pie, who was at the end, grasped a hold of Applejack's ankle. Once confirmed they were all holding on, Lightning began to move. Slowly, desperately, she clawed the way up to the throat again, despite the waters still coming in fast. Everyone held their breaths both anxiously, and cautiously, as they entered underwater. Their heads resurfaced after a few more clawings, then once Lightning emerged completely from the sea of water, she flew everyone up to the head as a raccoon. It was strainful due to the girls's weight, but she did not give up. At the top, they collapsed, soaking.~

"Th-thank you, Applejack." Rarity panted first.

"WHOO! That was intense!" Pinkie Pie said.

"At least… it's over." Sunset breathed. "We're at the head now, it seems."

"Yeah, look! There's the brain! Looking brainy!"

~Pinkie pointed upwards towards the top and in the centre, just a few away, the pink bulging delicate matter itself was sighted, the most important organ structure, the brain. They stared in amazement at the sight minus Rarity. As expected, Pinkie reached out to touch it, but Lightning slapped her hand away, not taking her eyes off of it. Suddenly, there was another deep vibration.~

"Oh, what is it now?!" Rainbow groaned.

"Is the iguana getting a brain freeze?" Fluttershy asked, raising her brow.

Lightning looked down at her hi-tech agent watch. "No," she said, sounding rather excited. "It's Karly Crystal!"

~She tapped a few buttons, then waited for the screen on the watch to load. An image of Karly Crystal appeared after a moment and as the image of her moved, her voice echoed over the speakers.~

"Lightning?"

"Karly!" Lightning called.

"Lightning, you're okay!"

"W-well, yeah, just about!" she laughed. "Where are you right now?"

"I'm backstage of the theatre out of harm's way. And- good news- I found and rescued Twilight!"

Sunset gasped at the mention of the name. "Twilight?"

~She put her face over Lightning's shoulder at once. The spy girl smiled, and handed over her watch to her to let her see her friend. Karly did the same. At that moment, Sunset and Twilight exchanged big smile and eventually, the Mane 5 huddled around them too.~

"Girls!"

"Twilight!" They all chorused.

"Are you alright, darling?" Rarity asked.

"I have a little bit of rope burn and a piercing on my arm, but that's really it, I'm fine." Twilight responded. "What about the rest of you? Must be really disgusting wandering around the insides of that iguana. Then again, I am also intrigued…"

"Ha! Told you!" Rainbow laughed, as Rarity sighed.

Twilight went on. "I mean, seriously, I think it's amazing to discover such a scientific theory. Up close too! As far as I'm concerned, that's iguana's flesh." The whole group fell silent. "What, can't a scientist admire the wonders of reptile anatomy?"

Lightning chuckled. "Sure you can."

"Anyways," Karly piped up. "Lightning. You will not believe what I've discovered!"

"Can it wait, clever clogs? Because we kinda need your help. How exactly do we get this iguana to open its mouth?"

"Oh right! That's why we called! We think that we can get the iguana to spit you girls up." said Twilight.

"I'm sorry, what?!" Rarity said.

"How do we get it to do that?" asked Lightning.

"You're going to have to create a whirlwind, or at least some sort of vacuum wave and mild explosion in order for the body to blow up whatever is inside of it." Twilight explained.

"Will that work?"

"Trust her, Lightning. She's a genius."

~Sunset winked at the lens, and in response, Twilight gave her her best, sweetest, most settling-looking smile. Karly noticed it and smiled too.~

"Well, alright then. Please be careful though, girls, and try not to get hurt."

"We won't! We're on it!" Lightning winked.

~And like that, the watches of both Lightning and Karly were cut off. Now back to just two, Karly and Twilight watched what's happening on stage. There seemed to be a medical thing going on, as six minions were suddenly crawling all over the poor iguana, trying to do a mixture of procedures in order to cure the reptile. This included really bad chest compressions, a slow inhaling and exhaling; they even tried to sedate the iguana with the jab of a needle. But, nothing seemed to work. After a few more moments of fooling around, the Devil children stepped up.~

"Breathe, iguana, breathe…" Scoot tried first, caressing the iguana softly.

"You think we need more water?" asked Charlies.

"No, I think the iguana is as bloated as it is." Lairry responded. "We just need to make it..sorta…make it…throw up."

"How do we make it do tha…"

~Frank began to speak words again before the iguana drew back and began retching as if something was greatly stuck in its throat. Devil rolled his eyes in annoyance.~

"What now?!" he yelled.

"Is everybody ready?"

~Lightning stood in the middle of the girls as they prepared for action. They all seemed a little nervous, but being with each other and trusting Twilight on her idea, they were ready. With the combination of fire and ice, Lightning mixed up her powers and passed it onto Rarity as if it was a ball. The fashionista caught it and mashed it all together in a container of diamonds. Blue, white and orange spun inside like crazy. Next, she passed it onto Rainbow Dash, who ran in circles until she was nothing to her onlookers but a blur of rainbows. Now their secret weapon really was popping, desperate to break free and unleash it's power, but they were not ready. Next, Rainbow passed the container over to Applejack. She held it up, then shook it with all her might. And as Pinkie gave it its final touch, by sprinkling her hundreds and thousands all over the thing, and some on the floor, she handed it to Sunset.~

Lightning looked at the pink popping on the ground. "Uh, Pinkie?"

"What? Just a little colour to add once we blast out of this iguana and into the bright sky! Think of it as a celebration!"

"I…I…WHAT?"

"It's best if we don't question it, Lightning." Sunset smirked.

"She's right. Pinkie Pie is a force that's never to be questioned." Rarity added.

"I realise."

"Anyways, let's hope this works."

"Let it rip, Sunset Shimmer!"

~At that moment, Sunset regained all of her confidence back and looked on ahead bravely. To Lightning, it legitimately felt like she was looking at a new side to Sunset when in reality, it wasn't. Sunset was just too anxious after all that had been thrown at her since the beginning of this adventure. Now finally, she was ready to throw it straight back again. Running back to the stomach, Sunset shot the twirling bomb of fire, ice and diamonds, and watched as the acid ate through it and began to boil. She raced back to her friends as they braced for impact. Rarity shielded them.~

~On the iguana's belly, an orange light illuminated from the inside, giving the watchers a clear view of its ribs and hearts as if it was an x-ray. Suddenly, sickness overcame the iguana, and its whole face swelled up like a balloon. Hot and cold flashes, followed by constant colour changes of orange and blue infected the body. Finally, came violent gagging.~

"I don't like the look on that iguana's face," said Sonata.

~Louder and louder the iguana retched until finally, at the very last second, so many colours evacuated drastically from the iguana's mouth. All kinds of disgusting contents spat out all at once, and everyone cringed in unison, looking away in disgust, covering their eyes and making disturbed noises. Then finally, a diamond ball bounced out of the reptile's mouth, completely covered in green and red barf. Rarity deactivated it, setting the girls free, only for them to drop in the puddle of goop all around them.~

Rarity screamed in repulse. "UGH! So GROSS! Somebody please turn us back to normal!"

~Twilight obliged. Noticing the enlarging ray scattered on the stage floor, she lifted up her hand with a purple force floating and dragged the weapon straight towards Karly.~

"Thanks, Twilight."

~Karly set the blaster's setting to 'Big' and, with precise aiming, she fired at the girls. Waves of white illuminating from the blast and just like that, with a blink, the girls returned to normal size.~

"Ugh! Finally!" Rainbow stretched her muscles.

~Steven grinned from ear to ear as he leapt enthusiastically too. But then, his eyes were upon Karly Crystal who, together with Twilight, followed on stage. It was the first time he had seen his niece since they were taken to this world. With the ray still in her hands, she made her way carefully up to the rocking cage.~

Her face showed joy. "Uncle Steven!"

"Karly, my girl!"

~The shy spy teleported her uncle out of his confinement, and he wrapped his arms around her into a tight embrace. She cried in his blue knitted jumper.~

"Don't you ever scare your niece like that ever again!"

Steven chuckled. "I'll try hard not to."

~He opened his eyes and saw Lightning with a smirky grin and one raised eyebrow.~

"Chief. Principal." she joined in on the hug.

~Twilight then rushed across the stage to hug Sunset and was immediately joined by the others who filled the air with the babble of a thousand and one cheers and giggles.~

"Twilight!"

"Sunset Shimmer! Girls!"

"Oh, I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Awwwwww…" The minions in the crowd cooed, but then Devil shot a menacing glare, and immediately, they changed their opinions.

"BOOO!"

"This blows!"

"We want violence!"

~The heroes turned to the crowd as they kept booing. Then, with another snarky smirk, Lightning spoke up.~

"Violence, huh? You want violence?"

"Yeah! And I'll be the first to give it to ya!" Devil said next. He and Lightning stared at each other's determined faces, but before the harrowing final battle could commence, Twilight noticed something.

"Where's Adagio?"

~Everyone in the theatre stopped and searched but they could not find the leading siren. That is, until they all heard the busting sounds of a helicopter taking off, or rather a blimp. It was coming from the rooftop where Devil's blimp is supposedly parked. In a flash, Devil knocked everyone that was in his way off and raced out the theatre doors up to the roof. Lightning, Karly, The Mane 7, Steven, Aria, Sonata, Olliee, Lairry, and the rest of the Devil children and few minions all followed after him.~

Chapter 14: Battle, Fight, Friendship!

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Chapter 14: Battle, Fight, Friendship!

"WHAT THE?!"

~Devil's eyes blazed as he gazed up upon his immense vessel as it began to drift away and roll into the big blue sky and white fluffy clouds with Adagio in it. As everybody else came in range, Adagio waved her hand lazily, and the blimp's propellers began rotating faster.~

"Little change of plans, girls~ Now, If you want to stop me, you'll have to come and get me!" Adagio sang.

~Devil saw this as a challenging threat. So, like an acrobat, he hurried up towards the escaping blimp, clung onto the hanging gangway, and looked at his betrayer with wrath. But before he could take one more reach further, Adagio lashed out with one hand, sending out a blast of Equestrian energy that threw Devil off the platform and into the crowd of minions. Lightning saw this as her turn now. As she swooped down towards the blimp with her teammates following close behind, the assembled minions trained their weapons onto them. Twilight wasted no time, and she conjured up her magic. The weapons flew out of their hands to hover overhead. Then, they quickly disassembled in the air, and spare parts and arrows rained down on the minions. Once they were distracted, similarly to Devil, Lightning became a raccoon and jumped and clambered up the steel gangway at once. Karly teleported up there too. Twilight watched in astonishment.~

"What the…?- You girls have powers?"

"We know- Less talking, more helping!" said Sunset.

~And suddenly, the fiery girl sprung into action and leapt to grab the blimp too. She ended up grasping Lightning's leg. Rainbow then grabbed Sunset's lower half, then Applejack took hold of Rainbow, Rarity took Applejack, Fluttershy took Rarity, Twilight took Fluttershy, then finally Pinke came at the end of the chain. Like an anchor, the nine girls weighed down the blimp and urged it from going any further. Adagio was angry that they were ruining her getaway, so she raced off to the blimp controls to increase the propeller's power. That's what gave Lightning an opening and she clambered inside the blimp. Followed by everyone else, quickly, as the doors closed.~

Steven gasped at the girls' sudden actions. "Girls! GIRLS!"

~But the rush of wind above, the movement in the air, the blimp's lights glowing bravely in the mist, the rumble of the engine, the smells of gas and coal, were exciting enough to not stop. As he watched Pinkie's leg hop inside the doors close behind it, Steven Secret prayed for their safety and the save of this world. And so began the battle on the blimp.~

~Lightning Star and the other girls squinted into the darkness of the blimp. The balloon was certainly ascending, because they felt a thick freezing cloud pass inside. Scraps and sparkles brushed past them, then everything obscured, all at once. They felt a shiver. Then, after a moment or two, Karly and Fluttershy shrieked, because there was a rending, red ripple that came from behind them, and everyone was jerked forwards to the floor. Then, a terrific blow hurled the nine girls against the side of the blimp. Rarity pulled out a large diamond to hold them in, because the blimp was jolting so violently. Nobody had time to scream, even, before Lightning reached out and cuffed the thing that was hurting them away. The thing was revealed to be Adagio, and she fell with a shriek that soon turned to rage.~

"Adagio! Stop this now!" Sunset said, angrily. "We're not gonna let you get away with this!"

"Not this time, Sunset Shimmer! Starting today, this world's under new management. This is a hostile takeover. I already beat that idiot Devil. What's to stop me doing so to you?"

"We are stronger than we were before. And this time, we've brought new friends."

"We're taking you down," Lightning said.

"And I wouldn't recommend resisting." Karly said.

Adagio laughed. "Is this supposed to scare me? I could take all of you on my own. But, as it happened, I brought a few reinforcements of my own. Minions?"

~At Adagio's words, a swarm of minions surrounded them, led by a couple of familiar guys.~

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Lars and Leos chroused. "But, we're baaack!"

"What? You! You said you were through working with Devil! W-what do you think you're doing?!" Karly cried.

Lars replied with a taunting laugh. "Getting revenge, of course. What, you didn't think we'd just hop, skip and jump outta town without getting payback from the girls that did this to me!" he pointed at his scar.

"You lied to us!" cried Applejack.

"I'm not a liar, I'm a master strategist!"

"This was all part of our masterful plan!" Suddenly, a green light illuminated in their eyes. The Rainbooms gasped. The minions were under Adagio's spell!

Lars laughed maniacally. "Yep! And with this, the age of Devil will be OVER! Then it'll totally be the age of Adagio! Soon, she will have the power, she will be supreme, all will be her kingdom! Hell, she may even promote us to leading minions! So, consider ourselves outsmarted!"

"Consider this!"

~All of a sudden, Lightning threw a hard punch straight at Lars' face. The minion drew back, clutching his cheek, and then flinched at the pain. But, when Lightning went to go for another hit, Lars ducked like an eagle before grabbing her around the wrist and throwing her overhead. The others were shocked. Being under Adagio's spell must have made him stronger, and more flexible. This wasn't good. Nonetheless, Lightning kept fighting him. But then, with no warning at all, a volley of arrows flew out of the dark. Three of them missed Twilight, Rainbow and Pinkie by a hair. Only when they slipped clumsily across the metal board flooring was when they noticed what was happening, because more arrows were flying at them. The first to recover her wits was Sunset Shimmer, who shouted orders to fight or flight. Fluttershy picked fright however, and ran for cover. Rarity, on the other hand, nodded at the order and conjured up her diamond shields. White particles glowed all around her. Suddenly, there came a blow that sent her sprawling. Applejack defended her, because the minions- Adagio's minions- were coming at them, attacking. The minions were wrestling, biting and scratching at Applejack, who was darting at so many people, it was hard to see even herself. The Rainbooms tried to fight back: stinging, lashing and tearing magic everywhere. Adagio Dazzle, meanwhile, was watching over everything. Listening to the screaming, snarling, crunching, tearing sounds and smashing blows of her enemies. Lightning and Karly were separated from the seven. They were beginning to grow tired.~

One of them leapt on Rainbow Dash. "Hey!" She kicked him hard.

Twilight was panting from the fighting. "Sunset, we can't keep at this! There are too many of them!"

~She was right. After they defeated a few, more just kept coming. But the fiery girl had no more than a second to think that, for there was a mighty snarl, and something suddenly hurtled at her and the other six girls and knocked them down, crushing all the breath out of them. Their hands were hauled upwards and held in place as Lars the minion came forth and grasped each of the geodes around their necks. With a snarl, he ripped them straight off. Sunset was too dizzy and breathless to say a word. Suddenly, they was dropped and he waved the seven geodes that were divided in his hands.~

"We have your geodes, madam!" he cried.

Adagio turned to him. "Finally!"

~They were given to the siren at once. As the seven geodes combined in her hands, a red pulse wave travelled into her skin and through her veins. She never felt so alive.~

"No…!" The Mane 6 chorused breathlessly.

"Adagio, no! You don't know what those can do!" Sunset shouted.

"Well, I'm about to find out!"

~To everyone's terrified eyes, she transformed yet again. Her eyes glowed a searing electrical red as her face rippled, barely containing power. The Rainbooms stumbled as Adagio levitated high overhead, Equestrian energy radiating off of her body in brilliant arcs of light.~

"Oh yes! This is more like it! Nothing can stop me now!"

~She eyed the Rainbooms before her hands came together. Black magic pulsed through her veins and a black void-like beam of brilliance suddenly shot out from her hands. it was heading straight down for the seven! At that moment, the Mane 7 knew this would be it. They all bundled together into a hug and braced for impact, but, just before the beam could end them once and for all, a glint of blue, brown and white arced over their heads, and a strong wall of white ice blocked the beam. Black sparks exploded from behind the wall around the girls before finally, it faded away, shattering the ice into a million pieces and turning it to mist. They were unscratched. Adagio blinked in confusion at the sudden prevention, before Lightning Star emerged from the mist and lunged at the overpowered siren with her fist raised. The seven Rainbooms opened their eyes just in time to see. Lightning's mighty blow struck Adagio perfectly, sending shockwaves right down from her face to her spine, and backwards. She recovered quickly. Glaring back at Lightning, she came at her, only for the raccoon girl to fly away immediately. Initially, Adagio gave chase. As Karly went ahead and checked on the Rainbooms, the defeated minions were recovering again too, moving their stiff limbs and standing up. They shouted at the girls, then fired their crossbows. They were right in the open, and arrows came passing over their heads instantly. Karly saw this before the Rainbooms did and knocked them over, making them less of a target. Then, she conjured up two portals. A flurry of arrows phased into one of them, before coming back out of the other, raining them down straight back at the minions. The Rainbooms rolled over to see better, only to instead see Lightning and Adagio up high in the blimp fighting. Explosions boomed everywhere. Adagio flapped her wings swiftly, sending multiple sound ripples at the raccoon girl, but she twirled up high and dodged every single one. She then called for Karly. The shy spy quickly conjured up two portals for her. Shifting into a lizard while still in mid-air, Lightning blasted fire into one of the portals, and the flames came out of the other one straight at Adagio. She countered it with a soundwave. Lightning came charging at her as a raccoon again and swung her tail. The siren was knocked back mercifully, only to fire back with another soundwave. The spy girl countered it with ice after transforming into her penguin form quickly. Adagio fired two more waves, and Lightning blocked them with two more ice bolts. She turned back to the raccoon before she hit the ground. That was when Adagio finally struck her with a black electrical bolt. The magic shot through her like a bullet and she screamed in agony. Adagio grinned and fired another but this time, Lightning shielded it with an ice wall. She went for a weak fist blow, but Adagio struck first. Lightning was bowled backwards to the edge of the blimp, where she suddenly heard the ripping of a balloon. Then, there came another jerk, so sudden that it threw everyone to the floor again, and the blimp began to sink with frightening speed, spinning all the while. That was when Lightning realised she had accidentally torn the blimp's balloon, and like an aeroplane, the cold air drew in fast, making an ear-bleeding whistle. Then came another series of jerks and crashes, as the blimp was being tossed rapidly from side to side as if they were bouncing between rocks.~

As Lightning fell to the floor, panted rapidly, Adagio spoke. "My word, you're pathetic. If it only took one hit to take you down, you're going to have to do alot more better. Your fighting is good, but if you can't take a hit, I think hiding could be more along the lines of your speed. You are simply just not up to the task."

Lightning wiped her mouth dry and shouted: "Wrong! I'm not afraid of you! And I'm certainly not giving up so easily! This has got far enough- and this ends now. I may not have even begun to comprehend the power within me, but I know enough to finish this madness. Then, I'll get all the answers I need. I am confident! I am energetic! And…I'm- "

"Courageous…" Sunset finished. "That's it! Lightning! You have an element!"

"You showed courage towards those who need it, an' defended them with honour!" Applejack said.

"Since the beginning of our journey…" Rainbow awed.

"You defended us!" Rarity claimed.

"You see us as friends!" Pinkie Pie said.

"You know what friendship is all about!" Fluttershy added.

"And that's what connected us…" Twilight said.

"Together!"

~At that, Lightning and the Mane 7 felt their entire bodies being lifted up in the air. Lightning drifted through a strange blue force, her body weightless and insubstantial, and as she floated inside the magical blueness, a tingle travelled absently up from her spine to her neck to the sides of her head and back.~

"Hey!? What's going on?!"

Sunset turned towards Karly. "And Karly," she went on. "You have determination. You may be afraid to show confrontation, but you are not afraid to show dedication. Much like Lightning, you understand what's important to us, and to yourself. Your friendship is strong, and never gets you down. Let us show you what it's mainly about."

She was then lifted by a strange force too. "Huh? Wh-what's happening?!"

~Lightning and Karly exchanged glances, they were not ready for what was about to happen to them. They felt their skin tingle. They were amazed that they could feel elated and uncomfortable at the same time, but they didn't not have a second to dwell on it. With a healthy glow of compassion, Lightning suddenly half-shifted, not to a raccoon, penguin, or lizard, but, instead, to a pony. With ears, a tail at the end of her hair, and pegasus wings! As the glow brightened up, Lightning compressed her unused feathers and spread them for the first time. Then, the same thing happened to Karly as she watched Lightning's formation with awe. No wings, unfortunately, but she still had strong, sharp pony ears and a tail. The Mane 7 joined them soon after.~

Sunset smirked. "This is the magic of…"

"FRIENDSHIP!" The Mane 7 shouted altogether.

~As the word left their mouths, the tear in the blimp grew wider, and a glowing light of magic exploded, eclipsing everyone's faces. Bolts of blue and white carved through the balloon, destroying the blimp around them. Radiant beams of magical energy radiated outwards, piercing the veil, growing brighter and brighter until their visions were filled with light. Far below, Steven, Aria, Sonata, Devil, his children, and his minions squinted up into the sky, searching around the boundless blue expanse for any sign of the girls and Adagio. Suddenly, a hush fell over the crowd as a massive ray unfolded overhead, and a searingly bright light burst forth and pierced the clouds. The first person to appear was Lars the minion, and more. Floating down to the solid castle ground roof in a white light, his eyes tinted with green.~

As they vanished, he groaned and Devil walked up to him. "What the…? Oh, you clumsy fool!"

"It's his fault…" he droned, pointing at his workers.

~Steven looked up again, and saw what, to him, was utterly peculiar. The girls, all nine, holding hands together and floating down with the ears, tails and wings of a mythical beast. At first he was pretty aghast to see Karly and Lightning looking like that, but something stayed his brain and he believed it would be fine. (As long as it wasn't permanent). As the nine slowly made it to on the floor, their hearts were clattering in their chests in relief. They began looking for Adagio, in hopes she was alright, but they couldn't find her. That was until they saw Aria and Sonata dragging the unconscious Adagio away from the castle, in the distance, never to return again. The girls looked down in the wreckage and all that they retrieved from the Dazzlings was a half-smashed pure red jewel, hanging from a thread. Lightning picked it up to examine it before, shrugging her shoulders and, tossing it aside. They all laughed it off and Steven came forth.~

"Girls! You did it!" he cheered.

"Thanks to Lightning and Karly!" Sunset said.

"YE-AH! We saved the world once again!" Rainbow cheered. "Now that's what I call…"

"The Magic of Friendship!"

"Really, now?"

~Seems as if the battle was not over yet. Suddenly, Devil and his minions ganged up on Steven and surrounded the roof.~

Karly let out a gasp. "Uncle!"

"Thanks for getting rid of my pest! Now I can do things my way!" Devil began to monologue. "Hmmph! I think the first thing I should mention is that you just infiltrated and destroyed a ninety-five million pounds blimp! You shall pay dearly for it, both figuratively and literally! Then, once you do, I'm going to beat you. Then, you will all be mine to experiment on. Once that's done, I'll inherit all your powers. Then, your worlds will be mine to RULE! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

~But before he could move, there was a sudden sound like an angry hornet and the next instant, Devil laid on the ground, his chest burning and glowing from a magical laser that struck him. Lightning whirled to the Rainbooms, her face shocked, but the seven had not moved and their magic was still intact. The mystery was solved seconds later when they all heard panting and turned to Karly, her hands glowing bright pink.~

"You don't deserve to rule anything!" she snapped.

"Karly!" Steven gasped. "Thank you."

"Heh. You're welcome, Uncle."

Devil got up and groaned. "Oww… That really hurt, Katie."

~But he couldn't retaliate, as a loud quaking came from underneath everyone's feet. Karly's friendship power might have been a bit too strong, so when Devil crashed down, his castle made a few cracks down below, and grew increasingly fast. The crumbling grew louder, and the exit was on the other side to where everyone was standing.~

"We need to go." Steven said.

~Without any words of second thought, the nine girls and Steven leapt across over the cracks as they were beginning to further tear apart, revealing the next floor underneath. The minions then made to escape, but just a few made it before the exit was too far to reach for everyone else. Devil shook his fist at them.~

"This isn't over! Must get...magic…"

Chapter 15: Honorary E.Q.U.E.S.T.R.I.A Agents!

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Chapter 15: Honorary E.Q.U.E.S.T.R.I.A Agents!

~Constructions moved across the surface of the CHS building facade, replacing the shattered glass windows and broken support beams. CHS students and the other students swarmed the halls and were doing the best they could to help. The ones with the construction passions and knowledge took the lead and the crew crossed the hallways and stepped over the debris all around. Principal Celestia was working in her office, papers in hand and a noticeable frown on her face when suddenly, there was a knock on her door. Flash entered with a smile on his face.~

"Principal Celestia?" he called. "They're back."

~She rose expectantly. Then, politely budging Flash out of the way and walking into the main lobby, Steven stepped through the remains of the building's front doors, followed by the girls, still decked out in their magically, pony/crystal forms, and smiling happily.~

"Mr. Secret. Girls." Celestia spoke softly. "Thank goodness you're safe! We were so worried!"

"Thank you, Miss Celestia, I'm glad to be back." Steven repiled. "Thanks to these girls here, the world is saved and Adagio has vanished."

Hearing this, she smiled. "Well done then, girls. Thank you for everything." she suddenly eyed Lightning and Karly. "Oh, you might be Lightning Star and Karly Crystal. Thank you both for your help too. The Rainbooms couldn't have done it without you."

Lightning bowed to her. "You're very welcome, Principal Celestia."

"Have all of our classmates been safe here?" asked Karly.

"Oh absolutely, they love it here! Everyone has been so friendly, and they've even gotten together to try and fix the roof."

~The principal gestured at the wreckage of the CHS lobby, her arms spread wide. Directing at the crew of students, who smile in response, she applauded at them.~

"Well, look at that." Lightning marvelled.

"They have been working hard to fix it, though I think it just would have been better if I just got professional construction workers. It might be millions of dollars worth of damage and a frontpage in the paper is declaring a threat to public safety, but there is no such thing as bad publicity, right?"

~She peered intently at Steven and, inexplicably, they all burst out laughing. Steven cleared his throat politely.~

"Anyways, girls, since our work here is done, it's time to go back home," he said.

"Already?" asked Lightning.

"Yep. I'm pretty sure everyone wants to get back. Do you know where the book is?" He directed at Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, but after all that's happened, they totally forgot about it and had no idea where it was.

"I've been keeping it safe in my office. Here, I'll go and get it."

~As Celestia left for her office, Karly noticed the geodes around her and Lightning's necks. And, feeling like they didn't need them anymore, she took hers off and rewarded it to Sunset Shimmer. At that moment, she felt the magic leaving her body, and she found herself staggering afterwards, back to normal, heavy and human, on the floor, her heart clattering. Pulling herself together, she opened her hand to present the geode.~

"Do you…want these? After all, they belong here." she offered.

Sunset was taken aback by the question. But then, smiling softly, she closed Karly's hand with the geode still tucked inside it. "No. You keep them. They were given to you for a reason. They belong to you."

~Karly felt flustered but rewarded. All she could think to say was 'Are you sure' and 'Thank you'. She felt a hand pull urgently at her shoulder and turned to face Lightning, who had also taken off her geode and was back to normal, her eyes reflecting the geode's crystal. Celestia then came back and handed her the book.~

"Thank you, Miss Celestia," said Karly.

~With a quick but careful swipe, Lightning stared down at the book then turned the first page open. Scanning Lightning and Karly's geodes, like it did with the Mane 7's, it finished the final pieces of its puzzle, and gladly opened the portal again. A bright gleam of white and yellow illuminated outside the school and to the statue, catching the attention of all the students belonging to Steven Secret. Getting the hint that they were finally allowed to go home, they raced outside and hopped in without thought. Some, of course, said goodbye to their new friends before leaving, and some even tried to drag them with them to the portal, but they knew where they belonged. After the last supposedly student leapt through, Karly closed the book.~

"There we go. All of our classmates have been safely returned to our world."

"There's just one thing left to do," said Lightning.

~They turned back to Celestia and the seven Rainbooms, who were smiling passionately.~

"I guess…this is goodbye," Lightning admitted.

"...we're sure going to miss you, Lightning and Karly." said Twilight.

"You've done so much for us, and when it seemed as if it was hopeless, you've never let us give up." Sunset added. "It's been crazy, but fun, too."

Rainbow nodded. "You're good guys, and have good hearts and as long as you two work together, you can handle anything! We'll see ya around." She and Lightning locked fists.

"Yes. Let this not be an official goodbye." said Rarity. "Just a goodbye until next time."

"And until then, please take care," said Fluttershy, holding back a tear.

"We'll be waitin'." said Applejack, as she tipped her hat.

~The nine grouped together for a strong embrace. For a long moment, silence filled the office room like a living presence. Pinkie tightened her grip around the two girls, squeezing them with ferocious intensity.~

"I'll be counting down the minutes-s-s-s!" she promised with unexpected tears that began to spill from her eyes.

Lightning patted her pink hands. "I'm sure you will, Pinkie."

~Watching them all together, Steven and Celestia stood off to the side, mesmerised by the moment as they were.~

"Do you really have to go?" asked Celestia, her eyes shining for the first time that day.

~It made Steven feel good to see it. A shy, but slow grin broke all over his stubbly face and he turned to face her.~

"You're right. Do we have to go? It's not like we have a time bomb on the portal or anything. And as long as we have that book, we can visit whenever we like!"

"Well, this book actually belongs here, so if we find the one in our world, then yeah! I'll be all for that!" Lightning grinned, still being squeezed by Pinkie.

"Yes!" Karly said. "And I mean, somebody has to teach us all we need to know about these geodes too if we're going to keep them."

"How do you reckon we do that?" asked Rainbow.

Steven hummed then spoke up. "Twilight? Do you remember what I said to you back in the dungeons after finding out about your magic?"

"You wanted us to become agents?"

"Become agents?!" The Rainbooms chorused.

"WHAT!?" Lightning and Karly gasped.

Steven nodded. "Yeah. Given the circumstances, there will be no doubt that Devil will still be after you and your powers. You'll perhaps end up crossing paths with him and his minions, so I figure you might need us. But, as I've said before, the choice is up to you."

"That certainly makes alot of sense…!" Lightning agreed. "You girls have what it takes, and we are looking for new members! It'll be a great way to bond with each other and learn! I like you! Like, a lot!"

"So, what do you say? Do you want to be a spy?"

~The Mane 7 fell into a silence as they pondered. Looking at each other, they wondered what each of them would say. Only Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie seemed like they would say yes. But Sunset and Twilight looked like they were going to say no, much to Lightning and Steven's disappointment. Sunset began to recount everything that's ever happened that's brought her up to this moment. Her life in Equestria, her life at CHS, how far she's come as a person/pony. Learning how all the magic from her world has developed, both here and in Equestria. How it's affected her and them. After all, they are now the defenders of this world. They didn't choose the magic, the magic chose them. And if equestrian magic ever comes forth in these new upcoming adventures, what else is Sunset going to do?~

Finally, Pinkie jumped up. "Yes. YES! A MILLION TIMES, YES!"

"A chance to become more awesome than I already am!? Sign. Me. Up!" Rainbow said, pounding her fist.

"Count me in too!" Applejack smiled.

Rarity looked shocked. "Applejack, darling, really?"

"I know it may sound crazy, Rarity, and, sure, it sounds like a lotta danger will be comin' our way if we 'll accept, but I'm willin' to take it. We're gonna need all the help we can get from Lightnin', Karly and Secret, and they'll need help too. I promise we'll stick with each other an' never let any human rattlesnake harm us. So, what do ya say, sugarcube? Please, join us."

Rarity stared deeply into Applejack's green eyes. Then, taking her hand, she smiled. "I know it will be dangerous, and while fighting isn't my thing, I'm more into fashion, it'll be more heartbreaking to be apart from you and the others. I may not start fights, but I can finish them. I accept."

"How about you, Fluttershy?"

"I…I…" her words barely came out of her mouth. She was scared and unable to think.

"Hey... You don't have to do it if you don't want to." Lightning assured. "Nobody's forcing you…"

"I-I know, but… It's just that… I don't want to hurt anybody, or start fights, or…"

"There are many things you can do besides fight, Flutters. Can I- can I call you Flutters?" Lightning asked.

"Hmm-hmm."

"Being a spy means being true to yourself, being the best you can be! That's what it's about."

"Being wise and resourceful…even brave." Karly spoke with compassion. "I used to be like you, Fluttershy, you know? And while I'm still not THAT good at being a spy, I- I say I'm okay."

"R-Really? Well, if you can overcome your shyness, I guess I can too."

"So, is that a yes?" Lightning smirked.

"...it is."

"Whoo-hoo! Way to go, Fluttershy!" Rainbow and Pinkie cheered.

Steven turned to final girls. "Sunset? Twilight?"

The two were lost in their minds. "I…I don't know what to say." Sunset tried to not stutter.

"Me neither. I'm not sure if I'll be cut out for the job, or be of much help." Twilight shrugged.

Karly assured her. "Your knowledge of science could be helpful. Since we have a hi-tech secret lab in our hideout, but no experts to work in it and forensic items."

"You have a hi-tech secret lab?!" Twilight exclaimed, much so clearly that it scared Karly. She cleared her throat. "Ahem. Okay. I'll do whatever I can."

The only person left to answer was Sunset, and as everyone turned to her, she gazed up into all eyes that were upon her and smiled. "Equestria had chosen us to look after the magic in this world, and now you guys too. I know it's not easy to stay out of danger, but I guess sometimes, there is something cool about not knowing what is going to happen next. And after everything we just went through, I feel like there are kinds of magic out there that need to be discovered. Maybe in your world now too, if all it took was magic to open the portal, both portals."

Lightning saw where she was going. "Sooo… What you are saying isss…?"

"It's like what Karly said before: someone has to teach you how magic works here, and someone's got to know the most about it…it might as well as me, so, I guess what I'm saying isss… Yes. I'd love to be a part of your team."

~Sunset gave out her hand and Lightning shook it with respect, making their alliance official. Their friends then arose into cheers and the nine all group hugged together again.~

"Of course, we will have to take things slow and learn the first importance as soon as possible." said Sunset.

"Deal." Lightning grinned.

"Congratulations, girls! You have made a wise choice and I look forward to working with you from here on out." Steven said. "You shall be given the name 'Agent' along with your last name. If you supposedly don't have a last name, let's just use your first name or at least shorten it. I'll need to return home now to collect some documents."

Lightning smiled then raised her finger. "Now, the only thing we need to do is think of a name for our little agency."

"You don't have a name?" Twilight asked.

"No, it's been unnamed for the last five years because we just…couldn't think." Karly replied.

Lightning nodded steadily. "It was just the three of us as well anyway, so we figured perhaps we didn't need one, but now, we have you!"

"Why don't we just call it the Rainbooms then? That is our original name." Rainbow shrugged.

"I say we start fresh, Rainbow Dash. Just to be interesting." Twilight reasoned.

"So, what shall it be?" asked Fluttershy.

"Hmm... Wait, Sunset Shimmer, what- what was the name of the world you said you were from?" Lightning asked, turning to the former, fiery pony.

"Equestria?"

"Equestria… That's it!"

"What is it, Agent Star?" Steven asked.

"We'll name our agency E.Q.U.E.S.T.R.I.A!"

"E.Q.U.E.S.T.R.I.A?" Everyone repeated.

"I…actually like that. It reminds me of home." Sunset said.

"Hmm, a very imaginative name. Is it going to be an acronym? If so, what would it stand for exactly?" Steven asked.

"Equestria's Qualified Undercover Equestria Spies Trustful, Respectful International Agency! Whoa, that's a mouthful!"

Everyone stood in silence thinking, then Pinkie hyped up a gasp. "That sounds… Amazing!" she shouted.

"I do like that," Karly agreed, and the others muttered excitedly in agreement.

"Very well, then," said Steven. "Our agency will be known as E.Q.U.E.S.T.R.I.A! Get ready for the future then, girls! Because these magical adventures are just the beginning!"

~The End~

~Secret agent appliances sure moved fast. As Lightning, Karly and the Mane 7 settled down in a classroom, the girls' official agent badges came to them in a secret mail compartment. More preparations were being dealt with, but for the meantime, the seven admired what they had now impressively. A pure golden badge in the shape of a small shield, with their name and picture firmly printed on it along with the agency name. Their eyes lit up.~

"Check it out! Our very own secret agent badges!" Pinkie giggled, shoving it in everyone's faces.

"I know!" Rarity pointed. "And look at how they printed our pictures and names! So stylish!"

"Well, these metals and engravings don't come cheap, you know? Take good care of them." Lightning said.

Karly flicked a bit of paper. "Not unless you stick them to yourself." she grinned.

~Lightning grinned back, then noticed a flaw and turned around to leave.~

"Where are you going, Lightning? Your badge is right here!" said Sunset, as Lightning hopped off her chair and went outside. Everyone followed.

"I forgot to tell Steven something." she said, with a smile.

"What?" said Sunset.

"We're E.Q.U.E.S.T.R.I.A Spies."

~And with that, she shifted and soared up into the clouds before anybody could say another word. As she rose and rose, torn air pummelling the pink, white and brown ears on her aero-dynamic frame, Lightning felt the most extraordinary elation. The sky was blue and teased with clouds, and the curve of the earth fell away below her, releasing her. She flew in a wide circle, then continued her direction up north, while the world and people below her tried to guess the future.~