> Cutie Mark Crusaders: Heroes from the Stars
>  by Chrome Masquerade
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Disaster Strikes - Gaia Rises - Edited
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apple Bloom was born on Sweet Apple Acres, raised there and lived there even after she grew up. Her sister, Applejack, had also become an Alicorn with her friends, and they were needed to find other potential Alicorns. But that's a different story

The point is that Apple Bloom, since Granny Smith had died a couple of years ago, was taking both mares' roles on the  farm. On Applejack's end, of course, was applebucking (and collection of other crops they had), tending to the fields, feeding the animals, all of that good stuff. On Granny Smith's end it meant cooking, jarring, processing the different fruits and such into various products, such as jellies, syrup, baked goods and more. And while Big Mac was still shouldering a lot of the work (mostly to keep himself healthy, he said), Apple Bloom took to her new duties with gusto.

Apple Bloom's friends had gone on to other places, but they still met at least twice a month. They were still the best of friends, they just... had a litttle more difficulty meeting up than they used to. That's all.

Ponyville itself, meanwhile, had grown significantly. While it was by no means a metropolis of any description, like Manehattan or Las Pegasus, it had still become more of a city than a village. In place of thatched huts were much more stone or metal based ones, more sturdy, if harder to repair every few months rather than every Tuesday or so.

But on this day, something would happen that would change the course of Equestri's history.

Suddenly, what seemed like a gigantic meteor streaked through the sky, landing solidly in the Everfree forest. When the dust cleared, the object uncurled itself, revealing itself to be a gigantic three headed dog, much like Cerberus, but bigger. WAY bigger. And much more dangerous! (1)

As Ponies saw the fierce demonic-looking dog, they started to run in all directions, the Flower Trip having to be carried elsewhere, as they had fainted upon seeing the creature. One of its mouths spewed flames, scorching many of the houses and causing burns to any ponies that hadn't gotten far enough away fast enough. The second head sprayed jets of supercooled aerated water, being jets of concentrated icy mist. From the third head spewed clouds of a sickly green mist, which corroded the metal in some of the buildings, making them collapse in on themselves, much like unfired clay.

Apple Bloom came galloping, along with Big Macintosh. As the beast weas reaching for a group of foals on the grond nearby, too scared to move, he looked to Apple Bloom and said, "Double-Header, on three. One... Two... THREE!"

The two leaped at the beast, using the momentum that they gained to buck with all of their might, slamming four hooves in the beast's hide, managing to stagger it.

Apple Bloom shouted to the foals, "RUN! GO! Git outta here!" When they hesitasted, she said, "GO! We'll be fine!"

As the foals scattered, the two turned to face the problem at hoof.

They tried as hard as they could to stop the creature, but all they could really do was stall for time. While Big Mac was able to more or less hold his own, Apple Bloom, being less experienced at combat, was soon tossed aside into the remains of what was one of the significantly fewer wooden houses. joined a short while thereafter by her brother.

As the two lay there battered and bruised, Apple Bloom saw a green mote of light float up from the earth below her. Curiously, she touched the mote.

(FLASH!)





Apple Bloom found herself in a blackish landscape.

{"Apple Bloom."} said a voice, {"Apple Bloom! Arise."}

Looking around, Apple Bloom saw a gigantic being, with a face that looked like a mask.

"WHOA!" She exclaimed. "Are you a... God?"

{"No, I am not. I do, however, care very much about nature and its inhabitants. That said, to the subject that requires our attention. Even now, that beast roams freely, and it will likely not stop with your home."}

"Ah hafta do somethin'!" Apple Bloom exclaimed.

{"With your current ability, you are incapable of fighting it off, much less defeating it. I will give you access to my power."}

As Apple Bloom switched to a two legged stance, the being continued. {"Together we may be able to defat that monster"}

A winged, golden crest appeared on Apple Bloom's chest, In the center was a blue shield shape.

{"All you must do is call out the name that we shall share, then hit that shield shape."}

"Okay! D'we need ta hurry? Ah'm new at this too, y'know? This's kinda overwhelmin'."

{"Worry not; time here is dilated. A minute in here is like a second out there. Center yourself; take a deep breath. Ready?"}

"As Ah'll ever be."

{"Alright. I ask that you incant our name! Ultra-"}

"ULTRAMARE: GAIA!"

{"Close enough."}
(FLASH!)





Suddenly, an enormous equine creature appeared as if out of thin air, clocking the gigantic canine in the jaw, before doing a flip in the air and landing on all fours.

The creature was red and white, with golden highlights in several spots. On its head was a rounded bladelike crest. It wore a black and gold peytral that resembled a shield. Getting up to two legs, the gargantuan Pony cracked its knuckles experimentally, as the canine was getting back up, clearly quite irritated. 

Having finished warming up, the colossus projected its challenge. "{We are Ultramare Gaia. We protect these ponies from creatures such as yourself, monsters that would sow chaos and destruction to what We protect. Step any closer and you will face a foe unlike any you've ever seen before.}"

So saying, Gaia drew a line with one hoof, daring the beast to come forth. Which it did..

It snapped at the giant Pony, who deftly blocked the attack, despite only using two hands on three heads. The beast attempted to claw its opponent, but this was blocked as well.

Gaia attempted to yeet the creature from the city streets, but managed only to slam it to the ground instead. Not the effect desired, but effective nonetheless.

Even more ticked off now, the giant canine's claws began to glow with a sickening greenish-red energy. Then it unleashed a flurry of swipes, too fast to dodge all of. The massive Pony managed to counter several of the blows, but soon enough was knocked to the ground, the fire breath weapon of the colossal canine spewed over Gaia's body.

Reacting quickly, the giant Pony rolled to one side before it got stepped on or snapped at to boot, rolling to all fours, then swiftly standing on two once more.

Suddenly, the shield on Gaia's chest turned red and began blinking. Sensing its opportunity, the beast dashed forward to deliver a finishing blow. This, with some effort, was blocked, then the beast's momentum was used against it, getting it slammed to the ground again, allowing the giant Pony to back up. Raising their arms to the sky, Gaia gathered energy in its hands, drawing it back and thrusting forward. 

{Photon Stream!}

A beam of energy blasted the creature, shortly thereafter obliterating it with a dramatic explosion.

Turning around, Gaia looked to the sky, then leaped skyward and vanished.





When Apple Bloom awoke, she was in Ponyville's General Hospital, in one of the beds. Sitting up, she asked the obvious question. "Ugh. What happened?" shaking her head, she added, "Did anypony see that wagon what ran o'er me?"

Nearby, Big Mac chuckled. "As it turned out, we got some help. I dunno who or what it was -I was kind of out of it too-, but they're calling them... Ultramare. We're lucky that monster didn't kill us. Doc says that we'll be good to go in a few days. Meantime, why don'tcha get some more rest? That's what I plan on." Suiting words to action, Big Macintosh fell asleep.

Apple Bloom smiled to herself. Sudddenly, a blue light started to appear on her chest. When she put one hand to the light, she heard, "Excellently done, for your first fight. Together we may be able to stop more of these creaturfes, should they appear in the near future. I look forward to working with you, Apple Bloom."

Withdrawing her hand, the light faded. Apple Bloom blinked a few times, then decided to follow her brother's advice, Something told her that she was going to need all the rest she could get.
> High Flyer's Fight - Dyna's Might! - Re-Edited
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scootaloo was resting on a cloud. She didn't think she'd ever get used to the sky finally being hers after so long being unable to fly. She smiled softly as she relaxed from a hard day's work.

She'd taken on her Idol/honorary sister, Rainbow Dash's job as a weather manager. Also she was an occasional dancer and junior stuntsmare, but that's irrelevant.

She took it in a different direction, followed the figurative winds to whatever place seemed to need her at the time, to tame the literal winds. (Currently, she was on a cloud over the city of Trottingham, her job done for the time being) Rarely did she stay in any one place for more than a few days.

A couple of times a month she'd still meet up with her best friends to discuss the time since they'd last gathered, over a milkshake. And a slice of pie, Or a muffin.

She started and stood up straight as she realized something.

"I'm due to see them tomorrow! I'd better jet!"

Spreading her wings, she made to head for the city's Town Hall, to report her success and her next move.

Once she got there, she was told to take a seat and that the one she needed would be out shortly.

Eventually talking to him, she told of her success with the clouds, then was about to be dismissed, with thanks from the mayor and a bit of cash as a reward.

Suddenly, an enormous THUD occurred, startling every Pony in the building.

Galloping outside, Scootaloo could see an enormous wyvern-like creature. It had to be at least 25, maybe 30 meters tall! and it was slightly hunched over, too. (1)

The wyvern let out a screech and sprayed electricity in a sweeping path. Where it hit, streets and buildings were scorched, power was cut to several city blocks at once, Anypony that hadn't taken cover was either very injured, very paralyzed or both. Either way, they were swiftly taken elsewhere.

Switching to a two legged stance, Scootaloo began to flap her wings and concentrate a ball of wind energy in  her hands. This was a trick that Rainbow Dash had taught her some years ago. She set the one orb on an outstretched wing and began to create another....

With four balls fully formed, she grabbed one, took careful aim at the gargantuan monster and threw.

The orb connected with its head, stunning it slightly and allowing Scootaloo to throw the second. The third followed shortly thereafter, but by the time she'd thrown the fourth, the monster had gotten its bearings enough to notice the Pony that was throwing.

The creature narrowed its eyes, then spewed a burst of lightning toward her. She was able to dodge a few times, but then the creature closed one wing, then snapped it open and unleashed a shower of sparks, blinding (and slightly cooking) the young mare.. Fortunately, as a Pegasus, this wasn't enough to take her down.

The swat that came afterward probably would for a while.





When Scootaloo awoke, she was in a landscape of pitch black. A voice called out to her. "Scootaloo! Arise, and heed me."

A gigantic humanoid which seemed to be wearing a full-face helmet came into view. "I am Ultraman Dyna."

Taking a better look at the other, now that she was standing, Scootaloo saw that he was red, silver and blue and had a gold crest upon his chest. Just above that was a diamond shaped gem.

"What happened?" Scootaloo queried.

"Put simply: you died. W/hen that monster swatted you into a building, it collased the thing just to be doubly sure that you wouldn't get back up to bother it again."

"I DIED?!" Scootaloo shouted, suddenly in a panic.

"There is a solution. But with your current powers, you are incapable of defeating it. I shall give you my powers. Together we can stop that monster and ones like it. What say you?"

Scootaloo narrowed her eyes with determination showing on her face. "Count me in. What do I have to do?"

Upon Scootaloo's chest, a diamond-shaoed gem similar to the one on Dyna's chest appeared.

"You must place your hand upon that and incant the name that we share. With feeling!"

"Alright! Let's kick that monster all the way to Tartarus!"

"That's the spirit! Are you ready?"

"YEAH!" she exclaimed.

"Alright! I ask that you incant our name! Ultra-"

"Ultramare: DYNA!"

"Close enough!"

(FLASH)




"HYYYAHH!!" A new Pony suddenly burst from the rubble of the nearby building, quickly boosting in height to titanic size.

With some effort, the titan gave a solid uppercut to the monstrous wyvern, staggering it and knocking it back somewhat. The beast shook its head and screeched. 

The giant pony was blue, red and silver, with a golden streak on either side of its chest , in the center of which was a five-sided blue gem.

The titan declared its challenge. "{I am Ultramare Dyna. I am sworn to protect the ponies of this world from threats such as yourself. Come forth if you dare. I will not hesitate a second time.}"

The monster keened again. Then, with a few flaps of its wings, it unleashed a giant gust of cleaving wind.

{Dyna Barrier![color]}

Thrusting her hands forward, a rounded shield of force appeared in front of Dyna, negating the wind.

The monster flapped its wings a few more times and took flight, spewing lightning at Dyna, who deftly dodged, leaping to take flight herself.

As Dyna flew after the wyvern, it occasionally sent bolts of energy her way, which were easily defleted. At length the beast rolled in the air and turned to face Dyna, stilll flapping its wings. It took in a deep breath , its throat turning blue. With that, it unleashed a screech of an unnatrural volume. Reacting quickly, Dyna was able to dodge most of the sonic attack's effect. It landed a moment thereafter, unleashing another wave of flame.

Deciding that the time for subtlety was long over, Dyna concentrated her power and, with a flash, shifted to an entirely red and silver coloration, knocking the firey shot aside.

{Strong Form!}

With that, her strength increased exponentially, but at a cost in speed.

She then drew energy into her hands. {Strong Punch!} Flame engulfed one hand as she thrust forward. However. the monster was made of sterner stuff and, though taking a fair bit of damage and being slightly stunned, it wasn't so easily downed. With another screech, the creature gathered energy into its mouth, this time unleashing a volley of blue icy shots, all of which Dyna managed to block, due to her increased strength, and the briefly impaired aim of the monster.

Flapping its wings rapidly, the creature took to the air once more, determining that sticking around was not the best course of action.

As it flew away at speed, Dyna, wih another flash, changed to a blue and silver form instead. {Miracle Form!} In this form, she gained a substanttial increase in speed, at a cost of strength.

With that, Dyna leaped into the air, giving chase to the flying wyvern. Taking aim, she gathered energy in her hands. {Hand Shooter!} and unleashed three shots of electricity, twice getting glancing blows on the monster's tough scales.

The wyvern then did something unexpected. Its tail opened up and fired off several rounds of spines at Dyna, who was able to dodge most of them due to her increased speed, but still took a few blows.

Suddenly, the crystal on Dyna's chest began blinking red. {Running low on energy... what now?} Looking around quicjkly, Dyna spotted a particularly dark cloud. {That's it!} Heading for that cloud, Dyna situated herself under it, unleasshing a final burst of energy into the cloud, which reciprocated with a bolt of lightning. Spreading her arms quickly, Dyna accepted the energy. {Dyna Charge!}

Dyna's crystal flashed green once, reverting to its blue colour. {Let's try this again.}

Giving chase once more, and at a full charge, Dyna was easily able to catch up with the creasture. {No holding back this time.} Dyna once more gathered a brst of energy. this time a much biggeer amount. {Solgent Beam!} With that, she unleashed a beam of energy which sliced off the monster's tail and tore a hole in one wing, causing it to lose balance and begin tumblig back to the ground. Try as it might, it was unable to regain balance.

Concentrating once more, Dyna built up a gout of flame. {Revolium Wave!} The gout of flame consumed the falling beast, obliterating it with a dramatic explosion.

With that, Dyna looked further skyward, zoomed off and disappeared.





Scootaloo was later able to get on her way once she made sure that everything was alright. Fortunately, almost nopony was seriously hurt thanks to the giant's aid.

The mayor was particularly relieved. "I'm just glad that things worked out. Though, I wonder where that giant came from? And where did it go? I'm sure the ponies here would want to say 'thank you'."

''I wouldn't worry about it, sir. I'm sure she knows.' Scootaloo said, a trifle smugly.

With that, she took off, heading back toward Ponyville. "Ooooh, do I have a story to tell to the girls today!"
> Of Sweet Belles and Bombshells - Edited
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sweetie Belle had just finished her perforamce that night. She'd taken up a job in Manehattan, singing on various stages around town. Sometim,es indoors, sometimes out; sometim,es there was a big audience, sometimes just a group of foals. Come what may, she sang with every bit of heart she could.

As it stood, she was back in the changeroom she was given, cleaning off the makeup that had been so carefully applied to her face. Which was nice, because some of the stuff applied made her seriously ITCHY!

Due to her schedule, she knew that in about 14 hours she was supposed to meet her friends, as usual. One of the conditions in her contract was that periodically she would be able to do just that, with a bit of notice. She had the whole weekend blocked off on her schedule. Her manager wasn't too pleased, but was accepting of the condition. Or at least.... tolerant of it.

Suddenly, there was a resounding "BOOM" Hurrying with removing her makeup, Sweetie Belle rushed out the door to see what the hubbub was about.

Sure enough, a gigantic quasi-robotic insectoid was cutting through various structures. swinging with wild abandon. It had a pair of sickle-like claws, and was a deep blue-green colour.(1)

Many of the scored buildings began to fall to pieces, many Ponies getting buried or crushed.

Sweetie Belle said, "Oh, I wish I could do something!" wringing her hands nervously.

The monster then made another motion and a blade of razor sharp energy sliced through the building she was in, causing it to start to collapse

Suddenly, a door of sorts opened behind her. "Cometh hither! Quickly!" a vooice requested.

Willingly, and not seeing many other options, she entered.

(FLASH)





"Sweetie Belle; Awaken! Arise and heed me. ""

Sweetie Belle got up, shifted to a two-legged stance, shook her head and looked around. The place she was in was red and blue all over the place, with streaks of silver occasionally appearing on the walls. Upon looking firther up, she noticed a tall  humanoid staring down at her. When it spoke, it sounded like Old Ponish

"I am Ultraman Tiga. I and those like me art charged with protecting the universe from threats such as the one thou  just saw. However, we needeth a.... partner in order to fully access our powers and abilities on planets such as thine. Normally my partner would'st be a male, but in this world, most of the heroes art heroines, it dost seemeth, so that's out of my hands, I suppose. Anyway; With what thou currently hast, thou would'st only get in the way. Thus, if ye accepteth, I can'st shareth my power. I believe tis a concept called "symbiosis". Together we can taketh it down!"

Sweetie Belle said, excitely, "What do I do? Where do I sign?"

A blue rounded crystal appeared over Sweetie's chest. "All you must do is put one hand to that, raise the other to the sky, and incant my name. With feeling!"(2)

"Alright! Let's do this!"

"Alright! I ask that thou dost incant my name! Ultraman?"

"TIGA!"

(FLASH!)





The rubble of the building Sweetie Belle was in suddenly burst in all directions as a new Pony appeared, swiftly growing in size to become about as big as the giant insectiod. She was able to deal a glancing blow to the side of the creature's head, barely dazing it, but at least distracting it from what it was doing.

The new arrival was red, blue and silver with what apeared to be a golden peytral. In the center of that was a vaguely rounded blue crystal.

Instead of saying anything (unsure of whether or not the monster would understand), Tiga drew a line in front of her with one hoof, makind a "Come on" gesture with one hand. 

Clearly, this was good enough, as the moster hissed and went on the attack. With a swift flurry of swipes, it managed tp score a couple of hits, but most of them were blocked or countered. Buzzing its wings furiously, the monster began to emit miniature blades of wind energy, which began to gather around it. At what seemed to be a spoken command, the gathering miniature swarm went forward, to try to take Tiga down.

Try as she might, Tiga just couldn't block all of the smaller projectiles and so took a fair bit of damage before rolling to one side. Throwing a one-two punch and an uppercut, Tiga was able to return the favour, to some extent. The creature's exoskeleton was just too thick; too tough. The monster being partially robotic wasn't much help there either.

Deciding it was time to change tactics, Tiga shifted to a red and silver colour combination. {Power Mode!}

The insectoid's wings started buzzing again, but this time Tiga was prepared. {Tiga Barrier!}
A force field of light appeared before her and deflected the waves of energy that had been emitted.

Tiga countered with a hard punch, dealing a fair bit of damage, but not enough to deter the monster, much less stop it. Hissing, it started unleashing a series of swipes, most of which Tiga was able to counter, neither managing any significant effect.

Tiga concentrated energy into her hands, unleashing a series of flaming punches. {Tiga Blitz Punch Combo!} The monster took a fair bit of damage, but was only getting annoyed at this point. It shrieked , emitting a wave of sonic energy, which Tiga was not able to avoid, getting knocked down. The creature managedd to stomp on her once before she was able to roll aside, getting to all fours.

Suddenly, Tiga's gem began flashing red. Time was running out.

Concetrating again, Tiga shifted to a blue and silver colour. {Speed Mode!}

Sensing an opportunity, the monster unleashed a series of slashing energy waves. This time Tiga was ready. {Tiga Catch!} Tiga was able to catch the slashes with a well placed barrier, this time absorbing the energy. Folding that into a sphere and compressing it, /Tiga raised that to the sky, starting to absorb the energy, a force field of light covering her, {Tiga Charge!}

Deciding that discretion was the better option, the monster turned and made to fly off.

After a moment, with a green flash, Tiga was back at full power. Taking careful ain at the retreating kaiju, Tiga focused energy into her hands once more. {Runboldt Beam Shell!}
A jet of energy streaked forward, cleaving through the monster, causing it to explode dramatically.

Looking skyward, Tiga leapt and vanished shortly thereafter.





Sweetie Belle had come out of where she'd been hiding during the attack, having managed to find a safe spot to hide. Or so she said.

Her temporary manager was distraught at all of the destruction the giant insectoid had wrought, but it was not something he could do anytbng about. For the moment, it seemed that there wouldn't be any future performances for the time being. Being a nice guy, he told Sweetie, "Why don't you take a while off? I'll send a message when things are... relatively calm again. It's not like we can do much with the area in this state."

Sweetie beamed. "Thank you, sir! I'll keep practicing, though, so my next performance will be even better."

The stallion smiled at that. "I'll be looking forward to it. Tell those delightful friends of yours that I said hello, won't you?"

Nodding, Sweetie turned to make for the train station. "The girls are not gonna believe this!" she said to herself.
> Seeds of Hope - Edited
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Babs Seed was walking home from another productive day at the local salon, where she typically worked. Ever since she'd received her Cutie Mark, she had found that she had a talent with styling Ponies' manes (and occasionally tails). Ponies came in daily to get her services specifically; she'd earned some amount of clout over time. While she wasn't as such.... "famous" as of yet, it was close enough for her.

Anyway, as she trotted toward her home in the downtown Manehattan area, she was, needless to say, in a fairly good mood. She had a bit of a skip in her steps and a smile on her face. Also, the sun was shining and not a cloud could be seen. It seemed like things just couldn't get any better.

Suddenly, a meteorite appeared high in the sky, falling toward the earth below at a tremendous speed.

"Well, it seems like there's at least ONE cloud." Babs deadpanned, her good mood soured slightly.

When the meteorite hit the ground seconds later, not far away, it unfolded to reveal what seemed like a steel gray dragon. A seriously huge one, easily surmounting the previous Dragon Lord's enormity. It had no horns, but it had bat-wing-like ears(1), leathery wings and a long tail with what seemed like a drill at the end. This turned out to indeed be the case, as one of the first things it did was dig a hole into a building with it, slashing the solid metal wall apart.

Ponies began to panic, running in all directions. Some were crushed by falling rubble, some were burned by the dragon's fiery breath, but most of them were able to escape relatively unscthed.

Babs saw a group of foals that had been cornered by the dragon, blocked on the other side by fallen debris. Babs reacted swiftly. Reaching into her Pocket, she drew forth a grandé sized pair of scissors. Switching to a two legged stance, she removed the screws keeping the two blades together, essentially giving herself a pair of swords.

Running forth, she slashed at the dragon's legs, trying to at least distract it from the younglings.

The dragon turned in annoyance as Babs tried to further attract its attention. "Yeah! Dat was me! Whatcha gonna do 'bout it, ya ova'grown gecko!?"

While she was doing this, the foals made a break for it, only one stopping to call "Thank you!".

Babs knew that she didn't stand a chance against this beast, but wasn't about to give up that easily. The dragon snapped at her with surprising speed, and it was only through luck that Babs managed to parry the strike, still getting knocked back several meters.

"Okay. Note ta self: Faster than it looks." she said to herself.

Dashing forth once more, she was able to avoid a swipe of the dragon's tail, managing to score a couple more cuts along the beast's underside. The dragon roared with anger, this time spewing forth a jet of flame. Babs was just barely able to avoid that, but was unprepared for what happened next. 

Raising one claw, the dragon snorted and drew a symbol in the air. A similar symbol appeared under Babs and she suddenly stopped, mid-run, also dropping her scissor-blades. Try as she might, she was frozen; unable to move at all.

Drawing another symbol in the air, the dragon pointed at her, slowly raising its claw, and she began levitating with it! The dragon brought her up to its face. It then spoke in a language foreign to Babs. "Vi n'teaz'ris ir, wux re. si tiichi wux shafaer lastig por nomeno drong. oli nomeno nibel ui svern."(2)

Bringing  itts head closer to her, it continued, more than a bit smugly, "Wux re kiri kosj ekess nakta. Si filiik si geou tepoha ekess... rechan wux spical."

That was the last thing Babs heard befor the dragon sent her through a wall with a flick of its tail.





"Babs Seed. Babs Seed, awaken!"

Babs awoke, face down. Rolling onto her back, she groaned. Everything felt sore. in the extreme. She still managed to get up, with a few attempts. Looking up - looking waaaaay up - she saw a red and silver bipedal figure. He had a triangular crystal in the center of his chest, He was seriously enormous! "Who... who are you?" she queried nervously.

"Glad you asked. I am Ultraman Mebius. Typically, I would have chosen a male host, but you were the only one close by. Anyway, I am speaking directly to your mind now. That dragon is attempting to destroy the city you call home. Alone, you stand no chance, as you just witnessed. However, together, we may be able to defeat it. What say you?"

"Where do I sign?" Babs said, readily.

An orange crystal appeared upon her right foreleg. "All you must do is concentrate your energy into that and call out my name; Mebius."

Doing so, Babs cried out, "Mebius!"
(FLASH!)




Suddenly, in a flash of light, a new arrival was revealed. She was red with silver streaks. Or was she silver with red streaks? Whatever. Upon her chest was a triangular crystal. She stood tall, facing the dragon down.

The dragon grinned (as much as a dragon is able to grin, anyway). "Kwiip ziihul! Sva annyo, vi relekihl!"(4)

The figure flexed her hands experimentally, moving into a fighting stance shortly thereafter. She made a "come on, then" gesture, which was more than enough invitation for the dragon.

The two clashed, one trying to push the other over. After being pushed back a few times, the figure managed to stand her ground fully. Glaring into the dragon's eyes, she Projected, {I am Ultramare Mebius. I am charged with the protection of these Ponies. And it will be my honour and pleasure to spar with you.}

The two broke apart, Mebius throwing a punch and the dragon swiping, claws open. Both were able to counter. After five more of these, they each managed to hit each other solidly at once, forcing the two backward from each other. 

This time, Mebius took the opportunity and attacked, hitting the dragon solidly on the side of it's head, forcing it further back, slightly stunned. It shook its head, then wiped its mouth with one claw, removing a small amount of blood. "Ha! Si tepoha ti coanwor donotresk hefoc batobot persvek vi owier eorikci usv throdenilt."(5)

The dragon flapped its wings hard, unleashing a blast of chilling air, which Mebius not only managed to avoid damage from, but, swirling her arms quickly, she created a vortex that used the attack's energy. {Mebius Cyclone!} And sent it back toward the dragon, which was easily blocked.

Mebius decided that it was timne to step things up. Concentrating her energy, she began to shift somewhat in colour, ending up with golden streaks in places. {Knight Brave Mode!} Focusing her energy again, she created a sword of energy and her armet transformed into a kite shield.

"Draushum seanf daron, hak? Algbo hak, confn shafaer!"(6) the dragon taunted, unleashing a jet of flame. Raising her shield, Mebius absorbed the fiery enregy, then redirected it at the dragon. {Deflection!}

Mebius was then able to give a couple of good slashes to the dragon's tough hide, but not enough to kill it. The dragon then retaliated with both a gout of flame and a gust of biting cold from its wings. This time, Mebius was unable to avoid the full brunt of the attacks, but managed to stay standing.

{Mebium Blade Overload!} Mebius chared energy into her sword and directed it at the dragon, which easily blocked the attack, holding some of the energy in one claw, just to show off. "Si tepoha airema taouli, riliwa wadotiri kagh throdenilt, arunir po vin silah mishun lae wux! nomeno ui svabol si waph po!"(7)

Mebius' crystal began flashing red. Time was running short now.

Concentrating her energy, she changed again, shifting the colour scheme to include even more golden streaks and a phoenix symbol on her chest. {Burning Brave Mode!} With that, she tossed the sword that she had into the air and formed another with some of her remaining power. Deftly, she caught the first blade with her off hand. {Dual Blades!}

Mebius and the dragon began an exchange of multiple shashes and swipes, each taking a few hits before they backed off. Focusing her energy once more, as did the dragon, both sent out bursts of energy toward each other. {Mebium Blade Shoot!} 

For a moment, the two energies clashed, neither collapsing for a while. Mebius then, with some effort, raised her other blade to enhance the energies projected by the first. {Mebium Double Blade Blast!} After that, the dragon's flame didn't stand a chance and was overwhelmed. Mebius' attack hit the dragon full force in the face, effectively destroying it with a dramatic explosion.

Before that happened, she heard, "Nomeno tepohaic coanwor vin mombasso slathalin. wux tepoha coanwor yscik ekess frivin svabol throden ornla qe nuryscik ekess; Nomagqe yth nishka slathalin tenamalo sihkear."(8)

Mebius looked to the sky and leapt, vanishing from sight in a burst of light.





Later on,Babs was getting a ticket for a train ride to Ponyville. It had been a while since she'd seen her cousins last and she decided that it was time to change that. She'd made sure to reserve a few days off of work for the purpose. As she waited for the train, she briefly looked at her arm, consideering the events of the day. One thing was clear in her mind: Things were going to become VERY interesting, VERY soon.
> Reunion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apple Bloom was sitting at the usual table in Sugarcube Corner. The bakery was still run by the Cakes and Pinkie Pie, but also aiding the three of them were Pound and Pumpkin Cake, helping where they could.

As she waited, Apple Bloom ordered their usual drinks, in the Large size. To be precise: Milkshakes, Prench Vanilla (for Sweetie Belle), Strawberry (for Apple Bloom herself) and Double Chocolate (for Scootaloo). She also was inclined to wait until her friends arrived before receiving hers. Fortunately, years of working on the farm had taught her a modicum of patience. And some of the lessons with Zecora showed her how to meditate, as she was doing while she waited. A green circle was floating in the air around her, encircling her body as she also slightly glowed with a green tint.

Over the past couple of days, Gaia had also been teaching her to use the energy of the earth beneath her in ways that her sister would have been interested in, if not slightly jealous of. It took her some time to get the ideas down, but Gaia was a patient teacher, as one might expect of a being related so closely to nature. It kind of reminded her of something her sister sometimes said.



“What Ah do know about is farmin'. Ya see, honesty is everythin' when it comes ta farmin', as the land tells no lies and is always patient. Tryin' ta lie ta the land is like believin' a fox will protect a hen-house; It just won't work.”



Upon Apple Bloom telling Gaia this, he had commented that Applejack seemed to be a wise sort of mare.

Anyway, the fact that she was able to commune with the land even more deeply than before was refreshing in more ways than one.

All around her, she could feel whatever was connnecte to the earth in the area. Some ants crawling across the ground, carrying leaves; A few foals playing with a bouncy ball nearby -the ball itself appeared and disappeared to her perception, as it bounced along-. Jackaroo (AKA Winona the 3rd, this one a Germane Shepherd, whereas the first was a Collie) and Opalescence (the 3rd, a Siamese whereas the original was a Purrrsian.) were unexpectedly getting along, alternately chasing and chased by the other in a game of tag. Jackaroo, of course, was getting the lead more easily than the other, but always let her have the next turn eventually.

Then she felt something new thundering toward the town. she could hear wheels screeching in a magically muffled way as the train from Southward came in to the station. Many Ponies disembarked; some got on. She recognized two of the ones coming off of it for sure. The presence of the second made her gasp, then wave to one of the Cake twins (Pumpkin). "Um, Ah'd also like ta order a Jackfruit 'shake. An' another chair. Seems we'll be havin' an extra guest."

Pumpkin blinked twice and cocked an eyebrow. That was all the surprise she showed. When she didn't recieve a responsr, she shrugged and went to place the order, determining that she should get the previously ordered drinks as well.

As expected, a few minutes thereafter, Sweetie Belle and Babs Seed strode into the café, chatting with each other excitedly.

"Did he REALLY say that?" Sweetie Belle asked, with a grin.

"He did! Oh, da look on dat other stylist's face? PRICELESS!"

The two of them laughed, then they notice Apple Bloom waving to them. They went to take two of the seats around the table.

"So,  where's our fourth?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Will she be "fashionably late" as usual?" she joked.

"She'll prob'bly be here in three... two.... one...", Apple Bloom replied, counting down.

On cue, Scootaloo alighted near the door to Sugarcube Corner, coming in shortly thereafter. "Hay, everypony! Did I miss anything?"

Apple Bloom grinned. "Ah'm gittin' better at that. Nope. Yer jus' in time, actually. Why so punctual-like?"

Scootaloo said, scratching the back of her head, "Yeah... I had a stiff headwind, and have quite a story to tell you, so I was winging my way here as fast as I could."

The other three chorused, "Funny you should say that-"

They pointed at each other. "JINX! Jinx again!" before laughing merrily.

Scootaloo smiled. Some things were best left unchanged.





Having enjoyed their milkshakes, the four young mares were chatting excitedly about recent events. Babs had asked Apple Bloom how she knew that Jackfruit was her favourite, to which she recieved, "Jus' a hunch, is all."

The four of them could feel that something was definitely... different about the others, but couldn't put a hoof/finger on what or why. It felt foreign and yet... familiar.

Scootaloo, being the boldest of the four, was the first to broach the topic, as she could tell that none of the other three were inclined to start.

She sighed. "I'll just put it this way." so saying, she looked both ways before undoing the first couple of buttons on her outfit, revealing the rounded pentagonal(1) shape in the center.

Apple Bloom sighed as well, before following suit, revealing the triangle shape on hers.

Sweetie Belle was next, revealing the spherical shape on hers.

Babs, of course, went last. She just rolled up her sleeve, revealing a similar crystal.

Apple Bloom said (with a facepalm - a facehoof would have been painful), "So THAT's what's diff'rent about ya girls. An' here Ah thought that mah story'd be u-nique."

They all chuckled at that. A coincidence? Maybe, but maybe not.

The quartet told each other of their experiences with their respective... guests. The others each listened raptly as the explaining friend told their story. While trying to make sure that they kept it between the four of them. Sweetie Belle, for the purpose, had cast a spell that Princess Twilight had taught her; a one-way acoustic barrier. Bascally, sound went in one way, but not out the other. They could hear everything that was going on, but their conversation was kept silent to any listening.

At length, they more or less were caught up with events, when suddenly they heard a chorus of hollow howls from nearby. The three native to Ponyville  knew that sound all too well.

"Timberwolves." they said in unison.

The four galloped outside to see what was going on.  Sure enough, there were multiple smaller version of the ligneous lupines that they'd learned to know and fear. Suddenly, they unconsciously touched their symbols, being transported to a shared pocket dimension.

(FLASH!)




The four young mares saw their respective Ultras standing together.

Dyna was the first to speak up. "It is good to know that the three of you are still carrying on."

Tiga nodded in agreement. "Yes, but we can'st catcheth up later. For now, we have opponents to face." To Sweetie Belle, he said, "Alloweth us to taketh control for a bit. This dost useth up power very quickly at this point, so t'will only lasteth about 60 seconds. But that ought to be plenty."

Apple Bloom touched her symbol again. "Go fer it!"

The others were inclined to agree.
(FLASH!)




Suddenly, four more average-sized versions of the world's newest protectors appeared. Knowing that their time was short, they split up to do what they came to. As there were a few dozen targets, there was plenty for all.

Tiga was able to dispatch her targets with relative ease, the nature of her energy-charged attacks was quite effective against them.

Gaia was doing even better. The wooden wolves were not quite sure what to make of her, and were wary of the positive energy that Gaia seemed to exude, which allowed her extra space to take them out.

Dyna was having slightly more trouble. Her attacks were not quite as effective as Gaia's, as the bark of the wolves was oddly insulated. Still, she was able to hold her own.

Mebius was able to use her blade ability to great effect, swiftly and efficiently chopping the targets into so much kindling.

From the small piles of wood, some phantoms of the previous forms were ejected. They glared at the miniature Ultras before speeding off toward the Everfree, from whence they came.

Finding a safely hidden spot, the four quickly reassumed their previous forms.

Apple Bloom held her head, feeling rather dizzy. "Ugh. Ah hope we don' hafta do THAT too of'n."

"Uh-huh." the other three said in unison.

"Let's just get back to-" Sweetie began, before a much larger howl sounded. MUCH larger than before.

Looking toward the source of the noise...

Apple Bloom facehoofed. "Really?!"

Closer to the center of the town was a rather gigantic version of the Timberwolf, primarily comprised of what looked like ironbark instead of any regular wood.

Sweetie commented, "I'd suggest that we... you know, but... I don't know about you, but I still feel drained."

Scootaloo looked upward, seeing a bank of dark clouds. "I think I can get recharged quickly enough. Any of you have a quick charge method?"

Apple Bloom had her eyes closed, drawing energy from the ground beneath her. She didn't comment, but tilted her head one way, then the other, to give a "kind of." gesture. Tendrils of green energy were snaking their way through her legs, spreading to the rest of her.

Scootaloo nodded. "Two is better than zero. Be rrrrright back!"

So saying, she flew up toward the cloud bank, flying inside of it. Spreading all six limbs wide, she said, "I hope this works like I'm thinking. Aaaand hopefully this doesn't earn me a Darwhinny award. Here goes... {DYNA CHARGE!}"

Sure enough, lightning within the cloud struck all six limbs, but she didn't feel pain. Instead, she felt herself becoming more energized. With the knowledge that she was on the right track, she embraced the bolts of electricity fully.

Meanwhile, Apple Bloom had finished drawing as much power as she could. Several clumps of foliage in the area was wilted and dying now, but it was a sacrifice that had to be made.

"Right. Ah'm goin' fer it! Y'all stand back, you two."

Sweetie and Babs did indeed back up. WAY back, just to be safe.

Hitting her crystal, Apple Bloom exclaimed, "{Ultramare: GAIA!}"

And with a flash, the first of the Ultras had arrived, not quite as large as the other day, but big enough to challenge the giant ligneous lupine. Glaring at it, Gaia Projected, "{And just what are your intentions here?}"

She didn't recieve a worded answer, but the wolf snarled and entered a battle-ready pose.

Gaia tried again. "{If you intend to attack me or the Ponies of this town, I will not hold back. Leave now and you may live to see another sun.}"

The wolf howled loudly in response. It shook a bit before a second Timberwolf emerged, leaving two where one was previously.

Gaia sighed. "{It was worth a try. I suppose we do this the hard way.}" so saying, she entered a battle ready stance herself.





Having been charged with electricity, Scootaloo fairly crackled with the stuff. She'd never felt so... so... ALIVE before! It was like she'd downed an entire case of energy drinks at once... but without the enormous strain on the heart. She was fairly giddy with the feeling, but shook it off. "This isn't the time or place to be silly. There's a monster to face." So saying, she hit her crystal. "{Ultramare: DYNA!}"

And with a flash and a rumble of thunder, the second of the Ultramares was standing before the... two targets?

"{Don't tell me...}"

Gaia nodded. "{Yes. Apparently members of this subspecies multiply asexually We must destroy them forthwith.}"

"{Well, if you go left...}"

"{You'll go right? Not exactly much of a strategy, but it'll work.}"

On that note, the fight began.

Gaia and Dyna attacked first,  both scoring clean hits on their targets. Retaliation was swift and Gaia was knocked to the ground with a strong swipe. Fortunately, she was able to roll out of the way of a second attack.

"{Alright, so they're stronger than they look.}"

Dyna was quickly also sent in that direction, crashing down near where Gaia had. Getting to her hooves, she said, "{Yeah. No kidding. Let's try this again.}"

Their next attacks had more effect, hitting solidly in a weaker spot on the wolves' bodies: the nose on one (with a haymaker) and the underside of the other's neck (with an uppercut). While the second was able to counter, the first's balance and senses in general were upset by the damage it received. It howled, but mostly ended up with a strangled (yet fierce sounding!) gargling sound, its muzzle having been broken.

The other wolf looked at its comrade, yipped twice in a deep voice, then turned to the two Ultras and growled. It leapt toward them, claws bared and ready to tear into them. Looking at each other quickly, they ducked down, then thrust upward, each grabbing one of the Timberwolf's forelegs. Lifting simultaneously, they used its forward momentum to slam it into the ground as hard as they could. Lifting again, they did so in another direction. When the wolf rolled to its feet from its position, it was too late. The Ultras had already charged up their next attacks.

{Gaia Punch!}
{Dyna Punch!}

The wolf broke into kindling from the dual impacts.

When they looked back to the other, to finish it off, they noticed it just barely releasing some green energy that it was apparently absorbing as they were distracted. It was now even more durable than before. Glancing at each other, the two knew that they had to finish it quickly, before it multiplied again,

The wolf began charging its no-longer-broken mouth with a sickly green energy, looking somewhere between radioactive and venomous. But more plasma based.

Anyway, the mares charged up, in sync. taking a sturdy stance. They thrust forward, at once. {Photon! [color-e6b91f]STREAM!} 

Just then, the wolf unleashed a beam of energy itself. The combined attack briefly struggled against the wolf's before with a shout, they redoubled their effort. Their beam overwhelmed its and the gigantic Timberwolf was blown to smithereens. The explosion wasn't as dramatic as usual, but perhaps that was for the best.

All around them, the two could hear Ponies cheering for them, colebrating the victory. The two nodded in unison and waved to the crowd. Then, looking upward, they leapt and disappeared a few secods thereafter.





Back at Sugarcube Corner, the four young mares were celebrating the expulsion of a not-so-typical Tuesday's problem. Ponies were celebrating throughout the town, and especially in there. The four clicked their milkshake glasses in a toast before having a drink of them, sighing in satisfaction after.

Apple Bloom noticed some ponies watching them. She spoke up. "Well, girls, it's a good thang that those.... uh... Ultramares? That, uh,  they showed up. When they did."

Scootaloo nodded. "Yeah! They were awesome! Do you think we'll see them again?"

Sweetie Belle caught on next. "In this town? I wouldn't be surprised."

Babs just smiled and nodded. She was looking forward to what the future would bring too. Taking another sip of her drink, she said, "I might just consider moving up here. There seems to be a lot of fun going on here."