Singularity

Chapters

Alliances
Keep Hope Alive
Hope Prevails
A Full Tribe
Severing Ties
Tribal Council
A Plan Is Hatched
Universe Of The Dead
Backfired
Repairs & Revelations
Bloody Wrap Up
Fallen Star From The Future
Deadly Waters
Kaijucraft
Dairanto Kaiju: Gojira vs 007
Reunification & Relocation
Floodgates Open
Crisis Of Infinite Crossovers
Guest Chapter: Respect Your Elders (Dirty Bit)
Together We Ride
Meeting With A Master
Mechanical Rhythm
Battle Of Frenemies - Part 1
Battle Of Frenemies - Part 2
Shrieker Uprising
Magical Girls & The Merc With The Mouth
2 - Finishing Battle
A New World
Dairanto Kaiju 2
World Of Gods
Journey Into The Unknown (Part 2)
Divine Confrontation
Many Beginnings
The Bricks Of Legend
Big Chin, No Chin, Two Halves, One Brain
1 - Starting Battle
Journey Into The Unknown (Part 1)
Paradigm Shift

Alliances

The group of five was unsure at first how to go about getting to know each other as per Aza's advice. With the situation having been explained to them, everyone became more wary about the people they were expected to bond with. Except for Twilight and Celestia, nobody knew each other beyond names and a few little bits of trivial information. What got under their skin the most was Aza's statement that everyone's pasts would play a central role in their stay there. Everyone could think of plenty of things from their own pasts they'd rather never see again; the thought of what everyone else's pasts could harbor only fueled the fire of paranoia plaguing their minds. Eventually the group managed to calm down enough to agree on a method of interrogating each other for information on their pasts.

With everyone sitting around in a circle, Celestia and Twilight volunteered to start things off.

"Okay," Celestia began, "as I said before I'm the ruler of Equestria or, to be more precise, I'm the co-ruler along with my sister Princess Luna. Together we raise and lower the sun and moon for the world and all its inhabitants, the ones of Equestria being our subjects."

"Question," Frank said, raising his hand. "You say the two of you can control the sun and moon?"

"Yes, that's right."

Frank stared blankly. "How does that even work? Is your reality geocentric or something?"

"Yes, Frank," Celestia said as she gestured to her horn. "You see, the magic possessed by my sister and I is on a different level from ordinary unicorns, so much so that we've been given the task of keeping the day and night cycle going for over a thousand years."

Frank whistled. "Talk about having the weight of the world on your shoulders."

Celestia smiled. "Indeed. Anyway, our subjects in Equestria are ponies, obviously, and there are three types. There's unicorns, such as Twilight Sparkle here; pegasi, who can fly and control the weather; and earth ponies, who can't cast spells or fly, but have a special connection with the earth that allows them to grow food much more expertly than the other two races. Luna and myself are known as alicorns, which are a combination of all three pony types."

Everyone oohed in response. Then Frank spoke up again.

"You know what's funny? Your kind's actually nothing more than mythology in my universe. We do have 'earth ponies' but they aren't sentient and they certainly can't grow food. Are humans mythology in your universe?"

Twilight winced. She didn't know how Frank and Yugi would react if she told them she was responsible for creating humans through fiction in her own reality. Would their sense of reality be shattered? Would they be enraged at her for how she wrote humans? How would either question be affected if what Aza said about itself was true? Before she could say anything herself, Celestia answered Frank's question.

"Actually, yes they are." Twilight looked up at Celestia confused and horrified, but the alicorn kept her gaze on Frank and continued talking. "Though we don't know the origin to the myths, we do have quite an extensive knowledge of humans as well as their history and culture. If it weren't for the uniqueness of our situation, I imagine you wouldn't need to explain much about your world to us."

"Yeah." Frank turned to Yugi. "And I think it's a safe bet we aren't from the same universe, either."

"I agree," Yugi replied.

"Now on to possible threats," Celestia spoke up. "My sister and I have wielded a set of magic artifacts known as the Elements of Harmony, which we used to defeat many foes in our long lives. Currently, Twilight and her friends are the bearers of the elements, which they have used to defeat many of the same foes me and my sister took down but did not kill. The three most harrowing are the following; King Sombra, a unicorn with a heart of pure malevolence that enslaved many ponies under his rule; Discord, a draconequus with the power of chaos under his control; and even my own sister Luna, who let her jealousy of our subjects' apparent dis-appreciation of her moon and the night it came with turn her into Nightmare Moon, who wanted to plunge the world into eternal night. I had to banish her to the moon myself before she succeeded."

"Wow," SpongeBob said. "That's cold."

Celestia frowned in response. "It pained me to no end. It wasn't until my dear sister returned a thousand years after her banishment that the pain finally subsided. Twilight and her friends used the Elements on her once again, but with the purpose of cleansing her heart of the jealousy that gave birth to the Nightmare. Words cannot express how proud I am of Twilight and her friends for their victory."

Twilight blushed slightly.

"Any more questions?"

SpongeBob and Yugi both raised their hands. Celestia gestured for Yugi to speak first.

"If you're the highest authority of your country," he said, "wouldn't that make you and your sister queens as opposed to princesses? Or does it work differently in Equestria?"

Celestia smiled wryly. "Well, Yugi, technically my sister and I are queens. However, we've come to learn that the title of 'princess' conveys a closer bond with our subjects than 'queen' does, and establishing bonds with our subjects is something we strive for at every turn. It's one of the reasons why I took Twilight under my wing and made her my most faithful student."

Twilight's blush intensified.

"And you SpongeBob?" Celestia gestured for him to ask his question.

"Yeah, what are those pictures on both of your flanks?"

Celestia kept her wry smile as she pushed aside her ethereal tail so everyone could clearly see the sun emblazoned upon her flank.

"It's something all ponies in Equestria get to show they've found who they're meant to be in life," she explained. "They've been called many things throughout the centuries; Symbols, Talent Glyphs, even Souls at one point. Currently, they're known as Cutie Marks; I'm sure you can guess the reasoning behind that terminology."

SpongeBob thought for a moment. "Yeah, I think I get it."

"Well then, how about you be the next to tell us about yourself, SpongeBob?"

SpongeBob smiled. "Sure thing, Celestia. Let's see . . . well, my home is the undersea town of Bikini Bottom. I work as a fry cook in the town's greatest restaurant, the Krusty Krab, home of the wor- our world's famous Krabby Patty, the recipe for which was passed down throughout my bosses' ancestry until he made a fortune by commercializing it. Whenever I'm not flipping patties on the grill I'm usually hanging out with my best friends. There's Patrick Star who literally lives under a rock." Everyone chuckled in response before SpongeBob continued. "He's a great guy though; the best friend anyone could ask for. There's also my next door neighbor Squidward Tentacles who loves playing clarinet, but is always in a grouchy mood when I'm around for whatever reason. Lastly, there's Sandy Cheeks who's a squirrel from Texas living in an underwater tree dome just on the edge of town. She's my biggest source of information on land dwellers, and my favorite karate sparring partner; my only karate sparring partner, in fact."

Twilight raised her hoof.

"Yes, Twilight?"

"I was just wondering, since you apparently live in a sapient underwater world . . . do seaponies exist where you're from?"

SpongeBob frowned in confusion before realization hit and he half-smiled. "We have seahorses, but they're not sapient. I actually had a seahorse for a pseudo pet once; I named her Mystery."

"Oh, okay," Twilight responded glumly. Celestia just smiled and rolled her eyes.

"As for possible threats," SpongeBob continued, "I haven't dealt with anything that can hold a candle to what you two described; just giant jellyfish and clams."

When SpongeBob ceased talking Frank took that as his cue to begin his own verbal autobiography.

"As I told Yugi earlier, I'm a photojournalist," he said, holding up his camera. "I've covered everything from riots and wars to police chases and court cases." The look on Frank's face changed to exasperation. "But, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the highlight of my career was covering a zombie outbreak in the town of Willamette, Colorado." Frank's expression turned downcast. "I'd . . . rather not explain the specifics behind the incident."

"Frank," Celestia chided, "we need to hear all the information you can provide if we-"

"It's personal, alright!"

Everyone flinched in response to Frank's sudden outburst. He had seemed abnormally level-headed earlier when the situation was made apparent to him. To see him lose his temper over something so trivial in comparison was quite an unexpected turn of events. Upon noticing everyone's reaction to his outburst, Frank put a hand to his head and sighed.

"I'm sorry," he grumbled. "I suffered losses in the outbreak that I can't stop dwelling on."

Celestia gave Frank a sorrowful expression. "I'm sorry; I didn't intend to rub salt in your wounds. You don't have to tell us anything that pains you, just what we can expect to face from your world."

Frank sighed again. "I can't mention one without going into the other, Celestia." He looked up at the regal alicorn to see her face twisted into one of confusion. "Like I said, it's personal. But I promise I'll share what I know when needed."

Celestia frowned in disappointment before sighing herself. "Very well, Frank; I'll trust your word."

Everyone turned to face Yugi, who started speaking right away.

"Well, I'm a freshman student at Domino High School in Domino City, Japan. I live with my grandpa in his card game shop which doubles as our house. He was an explorer and an avid games player in his youth. Both those interests were what led him to retrieve this-" Yugi held up the object around his neck for everyone to see "-from the tomb of The Nameless Pharaoh; the Millennium Puzzle."

Everyone's eyes went wide with interest.

"The puzzle was in pieces when my grandpa found it, and he spent quite some time trying to solve it before giving up and opening his card game shop. Eventually, he let me try my hand at solving the Millennium Puzzle." Yugi let go of the puzzle. "I spent hours upon hours trying to put it together, and when I finally did it was the happiest moment of my life . . ."

At this point, both Twilight and Celestia felt a change in the air around them. The atmosphere around them (especially their horns) changed from neutral to heavy with magic energies. But while Celestia was clueless as to what was going on, Twilight knew where the magic was originating; Yugi's Millenium Puzzle.

" . . . before it changed forever."

At that moment, a glowing light enveloped the eye design on the puzzle and the magic energies increased in intensity. The light burst into a flash that made everyone shield their eyes to keep from being blinded. When the light subsided, everyone turned back to Yugi who's face was set in a much sterner expression and his hair was styled slightly different. Otherwise, he seemed no different from before. That is, until he spoke.

"Hello, everyone."

Everyone started at the sound of his voice; whereas before it was soft and childlike now it was deep and commanding in tone. For a moment nobody managed a reply, and even when Twilight managed to speak up it was remarkably unintelligent.

" . . . guh-whaaat?"

Yugi smiled wryly. "Allow me to introduce myself; I am the spirit of The Nameless Pharaoh who resides within the Millennium Puzzle. Right now I'm in control of Yugi's body, so feel free to address me as him."

He's definitely not out of HUMAN, Twilight thought to herself.

The pharaoh's expression turned grim. "I've been listening in on everything that's happened, and what Aza said about our pasts coming into play has me especially worried. Unlike all of you, I have no recollection of my time as Pharaoh and therefore cannot provide much information regarding possible threats."

Everyone's eyes went wide as panic began seeping into their minds.

"However," he continued, forcing everyone's gaze back to him, "I can still provide some information gained from foes fought in our present time, as well as the nature of the shadow magic they used."

"Shadow magic?" Twilight asked, which the pharaoh replied with a nod before continuing.

"For much of our world's history, another realm has existed alongside ours that's home to countless beings known as duel spirits. Often these spirits would make their way into our world where their presence inspired humans to find a way of controlling them. I don't know the exact details, but the Millennium Puzzle, as well as its six sister items the Millennium Rod, Necklace, Scale, Key, Eye, and Ring were the result of this endeavor. Using these seven items, Egyptian kings would use duel spirits to combat each other in shadow games where the loser often lost their life in addition to the duel."

Twilight gasped and threw a hoof over her mouth. The pharaoh paid her no attention and continued on.

"However, it wasn't long before these shadow games erupted into a war that threatened to destroy the entire world. My reign as Pharaoh ended when I, somehow, locked the magic away in addition to my memories and spirit; when Yugi solved the puzzle he released me. It was around this time that the shadow magic I had sealed away began making a comeback, and it saw fit to channel itself through the modernized version of the duel spirit battles of the past. This modernization is a card game called Duel Monsters."

He then opened the deck holder strapped to his waist and pulled the contained cards out for everyone to see.

"This is my Duel Monsters deck," he continued. "Yugi and I have fought many foes in various shadow games with it, and it's never let us down when needed." Yugi lowered his hand and sighed. "But I suppose if I had truly defeated the shadow magic then Yugi, his friends, and the whole world of the present would've never had to face such dire consequences."

Celestia blinked, then smiled.

We have so much in common it's almost suspicious.

Twilight then spoke up. "Wow, that's so fascinating. Yugi, would you teach me how to play Duel Monsters?"

Celestia looked at her student in surprise, but Twilight kept her gaze on the pharaoh.

The pharaoh's stern face briefly changed to surprise before he answered. "You'd need a deck, and a du-"

His sentence was cut short when something began to materialize out of the blackness in the middle of the group, or to be more precise, hundreds of somethings. As the objects became more clear, the pharaoh immediately recognized them as Duel Monsters cards. The cards fell to the black ground in a single pile in front of Twilight, to which she looked down in shock. Before any questions could be asked, however, an answer was given.

"There you go, Twilight."

" . . . Th-thanks Aza," Twilight said as she used her magic to pick up a few cards for examination.

Celestia quirked an eyebrow as she stared up into the blackness. "I thought you said we would only get one item of our choosing?"

"That I said, Celestia, but that doesn't mean I won't grace you all with items of my choosing from time to time. Besides, I'm interested in seeing how Twilight uses the cards I've given her, as well as the pharaoh's reaction to them."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing really." A snicker sounded.

The pharaoh blinked in confusion before panic set in and he rushed over to the pile of cards that Twilight was now using her magic to organize into neat little stacks. He grabbed one of the stacks and began sifting through the cards, feverishly searching for a select few cards he knew from experience were dangerous. All the while he searched, Twilight stared up at him curiously but didn't bother asking any questions. She trusted he'd let them know if trouble was brewing, though she couldn't sense any magic energies emanating from the cards. The pharaoh, meanwhile, started noticing something strange about the stack he was sifting through. He kept seeing the words "Tuner" and "Synchro" printed on various monster cards as he skimmed over them. At first his panic overrode any other thoughts, but after he had seen about twenty cards with one of the two words printed on them he finally began calming down and took a closer look at said cards.

I remember this.

"I'm tuning my level three Junk Synchron to my level one Road Runner and my level two Bolt Hedgehog!"

"When wishes cluster about the envoy of the gales, those wishes will become an impregnable shield! Become the path its light shines upon!"

"Synchro Summon! Appear now, Junk Gardna!"

"Is something wrong, Yugi?"

The pharaoh was brought out of his memory by Twilight's voice. He looked around and noticed that he and Twilight were now alone. Celestia, Frank, and SpongeBob had strayed from the group and were now hanging out a couple dozen meters away. The pharaoh looked at Twilight and sighed.

"I'm afraid some of these cards are from my world's future, and I only know from secondhand experience how they work."

"Your world's . . . future?" Twilight puzzled. "So . . . time travel exists in your world?"

He nodded. "It's a harrowing tale, believe me. Now, let's see what we've got here . . . "

While the pharaoh and Twilight busied themselves with Duel Monsters, Frank, SpongeBob, and Celestia decided to take some time for a little R&R and think about everything that'd been said between the five of them. Frank, in particular, was mulling over all that had taken place within the last (what felt like) fifteen minutes. All things considered, Frank commended himself for taking it all in stride and not losing his head. At least, not over the reality-shattering revelations.

Frank looked over to Celestia, who laid on the black surface watching the pharaoh and Twilight as they sifted through all the Duel Monsters cards Aza provided them. He hadn't meant to lash out at the regal alicorn over what was undeniably justified curiosity, but he'd yet to let go of all his guilt over what he'd done, and failed to do, in Willamette. But the more Frank thought about it, the less concerned he became over what Celestia might think of him. After all, with the situation at hand, there was simply no room for admonishing each other over past sins. Heck, even Celestia apparently had some of her own despite her benevolent demeanor.

To that end, Frank stood up and began walking over toward the white alicorn princess.

She deserves to know, but she'd better not get on my case.

"Yo, princess!" he called to her.

Princess Celestia turned to look at him as Frank reached her. She kept a neutral expression on her face as he sat down next to her.

"Do you need something, Frank?" she asked.

The photojournalist nodded. "Yeah, I just gotta say I'm sorry again for lashing out at you earlier. As guilty as I am about my past actions, you had every right to demand explanations from me given our situation. And after thinking about it, I've decided I'll give them if you promise not to admonish me over . . . certain details."

Celestia smiled. "You have my word on that."

Frank nodded. "Well, the zombie outbreak in Willamette, Colorado was a consequence of a secret study conducted by my home's government with the purpose of researching a way to mass produce cattle cheaply. According to the head researcher Dr. Barnaby, they inadvertently created a wasp that zombified those it infected. The wasp escaped the research facility and struck the nearby village of Santa Cabeza. The government sent in armed forces to annihilate all the infected people before the outbreak got out of control."

Frank looked up to see Celestia staring back with nothing more than a neutral expression. Even so, there was something in her eyes that said "I pity your world". He continued.

"One of the survivors of the massacre was a man named Carlito Keyes. He and his sister, who was one of the researchers at the facility, started the Willamette outbreak as an act of revenge against the government. When I arrived in Willamette, I assumed it was just a riot gone extreme. I quickly learned the truth, however, and it changed my life for the worse."

Frank felt Celestia's wing wrap around his shoulder. He turned to look up at the sorrowful alicorn.

"I'm sorry for what you've been through," she said. "And I feel especially sorry that your home's leaders resorted to murder to cover up their sins."

Frank sighed. "What really gets to me are my own."

"Hmm?"

"The outbreak affected people in more ways then one. While most were infected by the wasp, a few less mentally stable individuals went mad as a result. They started endangering survivor's lives in various ways, and more often than not showed no remorse for what they did. I ended up slaying these psychopaths, and the guilt hurts worse than anything else."

Celestia paused, then smiled understandingly at him. "I don't blame you for believing they were a lost cause, even if they weren't. I believed my sister to be such a case, but I didn't end her life because I still had a spark of hope saying "One day we'll rule together again, with jealousy and hatred being replaced by love and support". And that's exactly what happened 1000 years later, and it's remained that way since."

Celestia glanced back to her student, who was listening to the pharaoh with rapt interest.

"I suppose the lesson to learn here, Frank, is always keep hope alive."

Frank smiled. "Yeah, I guess so."

The two then heard footsteps to their left and turned to see SpongeBob approaching.

"What'cha talking about?" he asked.

"Nothing, really," Frank replied. Then a thought struck. "Hey SpongeBob, you said you know karate, right?

"Not just," SpongeBob smirked. "Back in Bikini Bottom, I'm known as the King of Karate, hiYAAAAAAH!!!"

Frank smirked himself. "And your squirrel friend is the queen I take it?"

SpongeBob paused for a moment before the implications of Frank's question hit and he shoved his hands behind his back, a plainly visible blush adorning his cheeks. "It isn't like that."

Frank laughed. "Sure it isn't. Anyway-" Frank squatted down to SpongeBob's eye level "-I happen to know a thing or two about martial arts myself. Wanna spar?"

No one could've seen or prepared for what happened next. All Frank saw was a split-second of SpongeBob bringing a hand from behind his back before his vision filled with red and he was knocked back several feet. He landed on the black surface in a tangled heap with the imprint of a giant hand marked across his face. Celestia just sat where she was, too stunned to move or speak.

Frank groaned as he got to his knees while rubbing his face. Once he'd focused his eyes, he saw SpongeBob with his karate glove held out and a smirk adorning his face.

"When I said I was King of Karate," he said, bringing out his other glove-laden hand, "I meant it."

Frank smiled, then lunged at his new sparring partner.

It took Celestia a few moments to snap out of her daze brought on by SpongeBob's surprise attack on Frank. When she did, the two had already begun exchanging blows to one another; Frank making sure to avoid striking SpongeBob's water helmet.

Celestia observed their sparring for a bit before returning her gaze onto Twilight, who was currently under the pharaoh's tutelage as per the lavender unicorn's request. Celestia couldn't help but find some amusement in what she was seeing since the honor of being the highest authority was always her's along with Luna. As co-ruler she'd always been looked up to by not just Twilight, but everypony in Equestria as a source of infinite wisdom and compassion. Here, however, her authority meant little to nothing, and she could only know as much about everyone else as they were willing to say.

Twilight had clearly realized all this, but Celestia held nothing against her for seeking outside guidance. Far from it, in fact; Celestia would've asked for the pharaoh to teach Twilight this Duel Monsters game herself as a necessary preparation against anything from his past that sought to harm her. Besides, games were just as effective in helping to form the bonds of friendship as sparring, and that was Celestia's #1 priority at the moment. If their group couldn't unite together as friends, then they would be ill-prepared for any and all challenges Aza threw at them.

All the thoughts about friendship and student-teacher relationships made Celestia glance down at the Alicorn Amulet around her neck. What she'd told Twilight regarding why she asked for it was wholly untrue. Truth be told, it was almost pointless for her to wear the amulet since any extra power a regular pony got from wearing it would skate through unnoticed by a true alicorn's magic. No, the real reason why Celestia requested the dark trinket currently around her neck was entirely personal. Before it somehow fell into Trixie Lulamoon's possession, the last time Celestia had seen the amulet was around the neck of the pony who'd sacrificed his future to endow Equestria with the magic of friendship following Nightmare Moon's banishment.

His residency ever since; Tartarus.

"Mother . . . thank you for taking me under your wing."

"You are most welcome, my son."

"Goodbye Mother . . . forever."

" . . . And my monster would attack you directly, winning me the duel."

Twilight oohed as the pharaoh finished explaining the basics of Duel Monsters to her. She had listened with rapt attention the whole time and now knew the rules like the bottom of her hooves. She had been particularly interested in the Spellcaster-type of monster, being the magical prodigy that she was. And it was this interest that led her to craft a Spellcaster structured deck. She went easy on how many tuners and synchro monsters she included, however, as per the pharaoh's advice.

"Well," he continued, "that should cover everything important."

"Thanks for teaching me," Twilight said, picking up her cards and neatly stacking them. "I must say, this game seems like a ton of fun; could we duel right now?"

The pharaoh paused before replying. "Well, it'd be helpful if you had a duel di-"

He cut himself off when a second duel disk began materializing in front of them. It landed on the black surface with a resounding clang, making both pony and human flinch slightly in response.

"Here you go."

"Th-Thanks again, Aza," Twilight stammered. She then picked up the duel disk and inserted her deck into the appropriate slot. Carrying the machine with her magic, she began making distance between herself and the pharaoh who did the same in the opposite direction. Once the two were about twenty meters apart they turned to face each other.

"I won't go easy on you," the pharaoh said, a slight smirk gracing his mouth.

"I'd be insulted if you did," Twilight replied, smiling proudly.

"DUEL!!!" they both shouted as they activated their duel disks.

Twilight: 4000 LP
Yugi: 4000 LP

Immediately, Twilight doubled over in pain as she felt a dark presence start to inhabit her. She clutched her sides with both hooves, but kept the duel disk aloft with her magic.

"Twilight!" the pharaoh shouted. "What's wrong!?"

Twilight's agony was too great for her to respond, and the lavender unicorn could only manage a faint gasp before the darkness exerted its full control over her. She fell to the ground, completely unmoving save for a slight twitching in her limbs.

"TWILIGHT!!!"

The pharaoh looked over to see Celestia, Frank, and SpongeBob rushing towards them. The regal white alicorn had a look of pure terror on her face as she watched Twilight remain face down on the ground, not showing any signs of consciousness.

"What happened?" she turned to ask the pharaoh with urgency clear in her tone.

"I don't kn-"

Once again, he cut himself off as a green force field began materializing between them. Eyes wide, the pharaoh followed its length to find that it completely encircled both him and Twilight. Looking down between them, he saw what he dreaded seeing; a unicursal hexagram.

"Yugi," Celestia chided. "What is this?"

Without turning around to look her in the eye, the pharaoh forced himself to answer.

"The Seal of Orichalcos."

Author's Note

Trivia: While writing this I was debating between two scenarios for the end here. Alongside the Orichalcos duel scenario was the following: Sunset Shimmer from EG and Anubis from Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: The Pyramid of Light would be roped in by Aza and proceed to challenge their respective adversary with a duel; I think you can guess just what kind of duel for each. In the end, both Yugi and Twilight would help each other in defeating their opponents through a joint magic attack between Twilight and Yugi's Black Magician (Dark Magician). Needless to say, it would've been epic and a real treat to see animated, but I went with the Orichalcos because the stakes are higher and it'd be more interesting to see how the Orichalcos affects Twilight's mind.

Also, just a little heads up in case you haven't guessed it already; the original Japanese card names will be used for the upcoming duel.

Comment, rate, follow, etc; especially comment to show you care about this fic. After all, I'm going to need people's feedback for a certain . . . event, later on.

Thanks for reading. :D

Keep Hope Alive

"The Seal of . . . what?"

Before the pharaoh could answer her, the blackness shot up like a wall in front of Celestia. Celestia galloped forward but quickly realized that he and Twilight were no longer in front of her. She halted her step and frantically searched the surrounding blackness for any sign of her faithful student. She saw none. Furious, she stomped the ground as hard as she could and stared upward.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH TWILIGHT!!!" she screamed, using the Royal Canterlot Voice for the first time in centuries.

Aza waited a few moments before answering in a clearly surprised tone of voice. "I've done nothing to your faithful student. I merely separated the two of them from everyone else; they're currently on the other side of me from the three of you."

Celestia turned her head to see that SpongeBob and Frank were striding toward her, concern plainly evident in their eyes; especially the former, what with his eyes being extra-large.

"Anyway," Aza continued, to which Celestia instinctively returned her gaze upwards, "there was nothing you could do to help either of them, for the Orichalcos will only disappear upon the duel's completion. Though, the loser will forfeit their soul to the seal's power."

Celestia gulped. The pharaoh had mentioned such a condition when explaining about shadow magic, and it had done nothing but worry her to no end for her student's safety. And to make matters worse, Twilight had only just learned about Duel Monsters from Yugi, who was clearly a master of the game; to have to fight against him with her soul on the line . . .

"Why can't we watch them?"

Celestia was pulled from her thoughts by SpongeBob's question to Aza. The sentient universe wasted no time in answering him unlike with Celestia. Her use of the Royal Canterlot Voice had undoubtedly been unexpected to the omnipotent entity.

"Because you're to meet up with the next three participants in this grand experiment of mine and fill them in on everything that's happened, happening, and going to happen."

"Okay, two questions," Frank said. "One, what do you mean 'going to happen'? And two, why can't you have them meet us the same way we met each other?"

"I've already explained what's going to happen, Frank, just not any specifics. And it'd be pointless to have everyone I select be roped in without an accompanying challenge. To that end, the three of you will be further split up for this task. Try not to die, as I'd rather not have blood coating my precious solidity."

Before anything else could be said, three plumes of blackness shot up around them. Celestia watched as, in an instant, Frank and SpongeBob were shielded by a tall, black curtain leaving her by her lonesome. Having managed to recompose herself, Celestia silently prayed for Twilight's safety. She wished for no harm to befall anyone, of course, but given the choice Celestia would always choose her faithful student over any other single person. And as far as Celestia could tell, she had been given such a choice.

"Remember your friends, Twilight; the magic of friendship will keep you safe as long as you do."

"Celestia? Where'd you go?" The pharaoh searched the blackness beyond the seal frantically for the white alicorn princess. When it became clear she was no longer there, he stared upwards and scowled. "Aza, what's going on!?"

Silence.

"Where did the Orichalcos come from!? We haven't started the duel, so how could it have been played?"

More silence.

"ANSWER ME!!!"

Still nothing.

The pharaoh breathed a sigh and looked at the lavender unicorn across from him currently sprawled on the ground face down, her hooves stretched out in front of her and her duel disk laying next to her barrel. It was then the pharaoh noticed that Twilight's duel disk was the same model as his. While this in itself didn't strike him as unusual, he couldn't help but feel that he was missing something important about that fact. It was then that Twilight stirred a bit, to which the pharaoh breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Twilight," he called over to her. "Are you alright?"

Twilight groggily got up on all fours, head still lowered as her horn flared to life and she levitated her duel disk in front of her. Before the pharaoh could ask again, she slowly looked up at him. He took a step back in shock upon spotting the mark of the Orichalcos on Twilight's forehead, just below her horn.

"Twilight," he breathed, "what's going on?"

Instead of answering, Twilight just chuckled lightly. Her chuckling soon turned into giggling, which then turned into laughing, which finally turned into a full blown maniacal, howling bout of ecstasy that sent a sleuth of shivers down the pharaoh's spine. Eventually, Twilight ceased and answered his question.

"I . . . feel . . . great," she stated, her tone one of amazement. "Never before have I felt power like this; even the Element of Magic pales in comparison to this."

The pharaoh grimaced. "Twilight, the Orichalcos is nothing but pure evil. It was responsible for the annihilation of an entire civilization in my world; don't fall victim to its allure like everyone else who comes in contact with it."

Twilight smirked. "Like you did, pharaoh?"

". . . How?"

Twilight's smirk spread across her face, resulting in a wicked smile that further chilled the pharaoh's spine. "I can feel traces of the Millennium Puzzle's magic within the seal's grasp."

And just like that, the pharaoh instantly realized where the seal had come from. Twilight's duel disk had been taken from the duel between himself and Rafael, where he'd played the seal out of desperation after receiving it from his opponent through Exchange. The Orichalcos was currently active in the field spell slot on the duel disk, but Yugi's own cards had been left behind to make way for Twilight's deck.

"Once the seal is played, it can't be removed . . . "

Twilight's smile settled into an angry frown. "This is your fault, pharaoh. I refuse to pay for your mistakes, and with the Orichalcos' power I'll guarantee it." Twilight levitated the top five cards of her deck in front of her.

The pharaoh drew five cards himself. "Twilight, we need to make sure our life points hit zero simultaneously. That way the Orichalcos won't take either of our souls."

"Wishful thinking." She placed a card onto the monster card zone. "I summon Magic Swordsman Neo in attack mode."

Appearing on the field was a young man with blond hair and green eyes, wearing a bluish-gray suit of armor with red gems embedded in gold carvings adorning each shoulder blade, a long blue cape, and red sleeves covering both arms entirely. In one hand he held a medium-length sword with a depression on both sides. Upon being summoned, the mark of the Orichalcos appeared on his forehead and his eyes gained a crimson tint.

Magic Swordsman Neo
Atk/Def: 2200/1000
Lvl: 4

"I end with one face down," Twilight said as she inserted a card into her spell/trap zone. An image of said card materialized by her hooves.

Twilight's hand: 3

"My turn," the pharaoh said as he drew a card.

We can't let Twilight fall victim to the Orichalcos, so until we can end this duel in a draw we need to hold back.

Agreed, Yugi, but with such power at her disposal we can't lax our defenses.

Right.

"Alright, I activate the spell card Fusion. With it, I'll merge Gaia the Dark Knight and Curse of Dragon in my hand-" he inserted the respective cards into the duel disk's cemetery slot, "-to fusion summon Gaia the Dragon Knight."

A knight wearing red and blue armor with a reddish-black lance in each hand appeared riding a grossly disfigured yellow dragon with deep, crimson eyes. Both let out their own battle cries in preparation for the obvious upcoming frontal attack.

Gaia the Dragon Knight
Atk/Def: 2600/2100
Lvl: 7

"How strange that my opponent's master appears to be a horse; a unicorn from the looks of it."

"Now Gaia!" the pharaoh shouted, "attack Magic Swordsman Neo!"

Gaia commanded the dragon to charge as he readied his lances for attack. The wicked yellow creature shot forward straight at Neo, veering a little to the left to allow its rider a clear strike. At the right time, Gaia thrust a lance straight into Neo's chest, to which the swordsman screamed in pain before being destroyed. Twilight hardly reacted to the damage she received from the attack, maintaining a stoic expression the whole time.

Twilight: 3600 LP

"I'll place a card face down and end my turn." Said card's image materialized in front of Yugi.

Yugi's hand: 2

"My turn," Twilight said as she drew a card, "and unless you truly deserve the title King of Duelists, you won't last through a couple more of them. I activate the spell card Spiritual Operation, allowing me control over your monster for the rest of this turn."

Several large puppeteer strings descended from the blackness and hooked themselves into Gaia and his dragon. They were then forced to move across the field to Twilight's side, upon which they turned around to face their former master. A pained look adorned Gaia's face.

"I've failed my master."

"But you can't attack with or tribute any monster gained with that card," the pharaoh stated. "What do you hope to achieve by taking control of Gaia?"

"You'll see in a second," Twilight replied. "Right now I'm activating my face down card."

Twilight's face down card flipped up revealing itself as Large Tornado of Dust. "Now, your own face down card is history."

A large funnel cloud emerged from above and proceeded to engulf the pharaoh's entire field. The face down card he played was swept up into the storm where it was revealed to be Holy Barrier -Mirror Force-. The trap shattered and the funnel ascended back up into the blackened sky.

Twilight smirked. "Now you're wide open, and while I can't attack with or sacrifice your knight I can still destroy him."

"What?"

"I activate the spell card Thunder Crash, destroying Gaia and inflicting 300 points of damage to you."

A rumbling of thunder sounded above the field, followed by five simultaneous explosions in each of Twilight's monster card zones; Gaia screamed out in pain as he was destroyed. A small blast of electricity then shot from the resulting smokescreen towards the pharaoh, striking him and causing him to shout in agony for a brief moment before regaining his composure.

Yugi: 3700 LP

"Next I summon Aqua Madoor in attack mode," Twilight said, placing the respective card in her monster card zone.

What appeared was a humanoid creature with spiky blue hair and a white mask adorned with teardrops running above and below both eyes. He wore a green cloak with yellow underlining and had extra-long red nails. The mark of the Orichalcos appeared on his mask, and his already crimson eyes gained a deeper shade of the color.

Aqua Madoor
Atk/Def: 1700/2000
Lvl: 4

"Now, Aqua Madoor, direct attack!"

With a wave of his hands, a wall of water appeared in front of the masked spell caster and started barreling towards the pharaoh, to which he chuckled.

"Is something funny?" Twilight asked, half-sarcastically.

"Just how foolish it was to assume I'd be defenseless with no cards on my field." The pharaoh took one card from his hand and sent it to the cemetery. "By discarding Kuriboh from my hand, I can reduce one instance of Battle Damage to 0."

Just as the giant tsunami was about to reach him, a giant version of the furry little fiend appeared to block the attack from connecting. Kuriboh took the full force of Aqua Madoor's attack and shattered as a result, leaving the pharaoh completely unharmed.

Twilight scowled. "I play my last remaining card face down and end my turn."

Yugi's hand: 1
Twilight's hand: 0

"Then it's my turn," the pharaoh said, drawing a card. "Twilight, if we're to both come out of this unscathed we'll need to cooperate."

Twilight snorted. "And I suppose that's what you proposed to your opponent after you activated the seal? Why should I care what happens to you when you clearly don't extend the same courtesy to your opponents?"

The pharaoh grimaced. "Twilight, what happened with me and the seal has long since passed back in my world. I activated the seal out of desperation because I let pride cloud my judgment, but I eventually overcame the darkness plaguing my soul and managed to set things right in the end."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "And how many souls did you have to hurt before that?"

The pharaoh said nothing to that. Being forced to remember all the pain and suffering he caused was hurting him in turn. But he knew he had to fight through the emotional turmoil if he was to help Twilight overcome the darkness in her own soul. His only other option was to end the duel in a draw, but that option seemed unfeasible on account of the lack of cards in his deck that could make such an outcome happen. Twilight's deck could have such cards, but she'd made it clear she didn't care what happened to him.

Pharaoh, let me take over.

What? Yugi . . .

Twilight's more angry at you than me. Maybe she'll listen better if I explain my side of the story.

But . . .

Trust me, I can do this.

. . . Alright, good luck.

The Millennium Puzzle once again activated and switched control back to Yugi. Twilight showed no reaction beyond a raised brow at the change.

Yugi looked determinedly at his opponent. "Twilight, you can't dwell on things that you weren't even a part of. You need to overcome the darkness in your soul to escape the seal's grasp, and the only way to do that is to forgive the pharaoh for what he did. I know you can Twilight, after all, I was the one who's soul was claimed by the Orichalcos in the duel and I forgave him in the end."

Twilight raised both eyebrows in surprise, then shook her head as if clearing her mind of unwanted thoughts. "Try saying that when you're at such a huge disadvantage. I'm up against not one but two opponents, one of which being the King of Duelists, and I've only just learned about the game's existence. I'm doomed without the se-"

"NO!" Yugi shouted, to which Twilight flinched. "You don't need anything other than your friends' support to make it safely out of this."

Twilight scowled. "My friends aren't even here!"

"What about Celestia?"

Twilight blinked. "Celestia?"

"Is she not your friend?"

"She's my teacher! My friends are all still in Equestria, and I doubt Aza has the courtesy to bring them all here right now to support me." Twilight looked up into the blackness, hoping for a denouncement of her assumption. When silence followed, Twilight hung her head and sighed. "Just make your move, Yugi."

Yugi frowned; this was going to be harder than he hoped.

"Alright," he said, inserting a card into the spell/trap zone. "I activate the spell card Ancient Rule. With it, I'm allowed to summon a high level normal monster without tribute." He placed his last remaining card into the monster card zone. "I summon the Black Magician in attack mode."

Twilight watched with indifference as Yugi's ace monster was summoned to his field. Though, she had to admit his appearance reminded her of herself; his purple costume paralleled her lavender coat, his purple hair to her darker purple mane, and his conical hat even reminded her of her horn. She wasn't the only one to draw comparisons, however.

"Is my master's opponent an equine doppelganger of myself?"

Black Magician
Atk/Def: 2500/2100
Lvl: 7

"Black Magician, attack Aqua Madoor!"

The Black Magician held up his staff and took aim at the opposing spell caster. He channeled his magic through it until enough power was built up, upon which he fired away at Aqua Madoor.

Twilight sighed. "I activate my own Holy Barrier -Mirror Force-."

Twilight's trap card flipped up revealing itself to be just that. Black Magician's attack reflected off the resulting force field and sailed straight back at him. Black Magician screamed as he took the full force of his own attack and was destroyed.

"Forgive me, master!"

Twilight glanced back up at Yugi with a resolute expression. "It's over, Yugi. If I draw a strong enough monster next turn, you'll lose."

Yugi grimaced. "I end my turn."

Yugi's hand: 0

"And with that," Twilight said, "I draw."

Great. Just great. Right when stuff starts happening Aza decides to be a jerk and separate me from everything and everyone else because it's too lazy to put the newest victims right in front of us.

Frank had no idea how long it'd been since the group was split up, but he'd been walking through never-ending blackness for longer than he knew was necessary; i.e. it wasn't necessary at all. He'd been keeping any and all foul language regarding Aza in his head out of fear for what the omnipotent entity might do to him, but he'd long since run out of vulgarities to call it by and was now just sulking to himself as he trudged onward through the black nothingness.

At one point, when Frank glanced up, he spotted what looked to be a structure through the blackness. Squinting, Frank saw that it was a dome-shaped building about fifty meters directly in front of him, with a lot of green visible from where he was.

Finally. That must be where Aza's next victim is; I wonder if they've already figured out they aren't home anymore? At least, wherever home is for them.

With a destination in sight, Frank began lightly jogging towards the building. At about halfway there, he realized the structure's wall was transparent, and that the green he saw was a combination of the grass and a large oak tree growing inside. Once he was three-fourths the distance there, he saw something else inside that baffled him; a giant hamster wheel.

Well, at least I know whoever lives here isn't human. Though, why does it seem familiar?

Once Frank approached the transparent tree dome he made his way around to its only entrance. He turned the crank to get in and opened the door, only to find another door in the way. Next to the second door was an intercom and in the middle of the chamber's floor was a drain. Again, the familiarity of everything confused Frank to no end. That is, until realization came in the form of a flashback.

" . . . there's Sandy Cheeks who's a squirrel from Texas living in an underwater tree dome . . . "

Frank wasted no time in crossing the chamber and pushing the intercom's button. It took no more than a few moments for a feminine voice with a southern accent to reply back.

"Hello?"

"Is this Sandy Cheeks?" Frank replied, already sure of the answer.

" . . . Yes, and who might y'all be?"

"I'm Frank West; a friend of SpongeBob's." Frank took a moment to prepare himself for any loud screams that occurred within the next ten seconds or so. "Listen, you might wanna spare a glance outside your tree dome; there's something you need to see."

"O-kaaay," came the reply.

A few seconds passed, during which time Frank imagined the squirrel walking over to a window inside her tree, looking outside, squinting through the glass dome, and then . . .

No scream came.

Instead, another couple of seconds passed until Sandy resumed speaking over the intercom. There was no panic whatsoever in her words, just surprised curiosity.

"What 'n tarnation's goin' on outside? I know it ain't nighttime already . . . wait, did SpongeBob get himself into a heap o' trouble again?"

Interesting conclusion to make.

"That's the thing, Ms. Cheeks, not only is SpongeBob in trouble, but so are you, me, and everyone else that's currently inhabiting this universe."

" . . . Pardon?"

Frank sighed. "Just come on out here and I'll take you to SpongeBob."

"Alrighty then, just hold on a second."

Instantly, Frank heard the sound of machinery activate below his feet accompanied by the telltale sound of an alarm sounding off over his head while a bright red light flashed repeatedly throughout the chamber. Frank realized this was for draining the chamber of water so as not to flood Sandy's tree dome.

Only there's currently no water to drain.

About a minute after the draining process had completed, Frank saw the crank on the second door turn and open to reveal Sandy Cheeks wearing what Frank could only assume was an underwater version of the stereotypical space suit seen in children's cartoons. Sandy herself gawked at Frank for a moment before holding her squirrel hands up in a combative stance.

"Y'all had better not be tryin' ta pull mah leg now, ya hear?"

Frank lightly face-palmed. "Look lady, I've already told you we're both in trouble. The last thing we need is infighting if we're on the same team."

"Same team against what?" Sandy asked without lowering her fists.

Frank was about to retort when something began moving out from behind Sandy's oak tree house. He craned his neck slightly upwards to get a good look at the thing, but it hadn't even fully revealed itself when Frank realized what it was and froze in silence. Confused, Sandy allowed herself a glance over her shoulder only to mirror Frank's reaction to the new arrival; a purple pterodactyl-like creature with claws, a devil tail, and blank yellow eyes. It flew out from behind the tree and, upon spotting Frank and Sandy, mirrored their own reactions before rushing towards them; its face doing nothing to hide the hungry look it was giving them.

"That for starters," Frank finally said.

The two of them proceeded to jump out of the creature's way as it reached their position.

Celestia trotted through the endless blackness in silence, the only audible sounds being the clops her hooves made as they struck the solid black surface underneath her. Not once did she bother estimating how much time would've passed since being separated from the group if time existed there. Time's flow had never mattered much to her anyway, being immortal and all. Additionally, Celestia's mind was too preoccupied with worrying for Twilight's safety. She had wanted to question Yugi more about how the seal worked and whether she could hope to break through it with her own magic; she didn't want to believe what Aza had said about how the seal only disappeared after claiming a soul.

Celestia was feeling something she'd never felt once in her long reign as Equestria's solar monarch; useless. In Equestria she was responsible for raising and lowering the sun every day, seeing to the well-being of her subjects as well as the country as a whole, and keeping good relations with the many lands outside of Equestria which looked up to her just as much as everypony under her rule did. To say Celestia was important back home was a gross understatement; she, along with her sister, essentially held the fate of all living things in their hooves. Nightmare Moon was a shining example of the potential both of them had to annihilate their world.

Now, however, all of that power and importance was non-existent. When Aza wanted to relocate her it could do so without any trouble whatsoever because Aza was everything. Not only that, with such omnipotence Aza could strike her dead at any given moment if it so wished, or it could send her back to Equestria no worse for wear. Not only was Celestia feeling useless, but the realization of being at such an entity's mercy began to frighten her. For continued safety she'd have to stay in Aza's good graces, which currently meant locating one of its three new victims.

Now I know how all my subjects feel when they're around me.

At one point in her walk, Celestia could've sworn she'd heard what sounded like the rumbling of thunder somewhere ahead of her. Tired of walking aimlessly through the blackness, she followed the rumbling as it continued sounding off once every few seconds, giving her a good approximation as to its location. Eventually, Celestia reached its source, and it took all her willpower to keep her composure upon seeing what it was.

There, no more than twenty meters in front of her, was a large craft of sorts with an orange paint scheme and a green cockpit window shaped like a helmet's visor. All around the craft was a bright green force field that was currently being used to protect from the source of the rumbling Celestia had heard; an enormous storm cloud with an eye in its center. The cloud's eye stared down at the craft in a seemingly emotionless gaze as it let loose bolt after bolt of lightning to strike against the shield protecting it.

Gulping nervously, Celestia resumed walking forward, horn alight with golden magic as she racked her brain for a suitable spell to deal with the sky-born monstrosity.

Well, at least I've found my assigned victim . . . I hope.

SpongeBob skipped through the blackness while singing a merry little tune. He didn't question how long he'd been traversing the endless black void around him, or whether Aza had just sent him on a wild goose chase and no new victims had been added to his experiment. SpongeBob had learned over the course of his life that dwelling on fears about what "could happen" would only make him grow conceited and shy, whereas he'd find true strength in meeting a challenge head on and keeping a positive attitude all throughout.

That wasn't to say SpongeBob had no concern over his own well-being. There was once a time when he'd be naïve enough to always expect the best from everything and everyone, but now he was wiser and fully aware of the perils life could (and usually did) throw in one's way. That was why he'd chosen his karate gloves when Aza asked which items everyone wanted; next to his most prized jellyfishing nets, his karate gloves were his weapon of choice when dealing with sinister forces. And SpongeBob had but one thought when dealing with such a thing.

I'M REA . . . dy?

SpongeBob was abruptly pulled from his self-encouragement when the scenery around him began to change. SpongeBob watched spellbound as the blackness faded away and was replaced by a multitude of bright colors, except for the ground which took on a more grayish hue. The colors took on definitive shapes as they appeared, eventually forming what SpongeBob figured was a large indoor amusement park. This was supported by the fact that, just up a set of stairs directly in front of him, was the entrance to what was clearly a roller coaster ride of sorts.

Ascending the staircase to the ride, SpongeBob noticed the car stationed at the ride's entrance was shaped somewhat like a space rocket. To his left was the control panel for operating the ride, but SpongeBob's attention was drawn to something inside the car's seat. Cautiously, and with his gloves at the ready, SpongeBob approached the car and peered inside. He tried to throw a hand over his mouth to keep from throwing up at what he saw, but was unable to on account of his water helmet. Sitting next to each other in the seat were two children's dolls with bloodstains dotting the entirety of their stitched bodies.

Suddenly, SpongeBob heard a revving sound from somewhere behind him. Readying his karate gloves, he turned around and his jaw dropped at what he saw. Standing there just ten feet from him was a human clown holding a pair of blue chainsaws; one in each hand. He looked lazily around in front of him almost as if he was lost in a daze. That didn't last long, however; he quickly perked his head up and stared right into SpongeBob's eyes. The yellow sea sponge felt a wave of chills shoot down his spine as he stared into the clown's eyes; there was no sanity in them, only pure, maniacal madness.

"The ride's stopped," he said with a slight chuckle.

SpongeBob gulped and was about to take a step back when the mad clown lunged at him.

"DIE ZOMBIE!!!"

Hope Prevails

Twilight: 3600 LP
Yugi: 3700 LP

Twilight's hand: 1
Yugi's hand: 0

Twilight looked at her drawn card, then inserted it into her spell/trap zone.

"I equip Aqua Madoor with the Equip Spell known as Mage Power."

Instantly, the strength of Aqua Madoor's magical energies was increased, which manifested as a glowing, purple arcane aura surrounding his entire body.

Aqua Madoor
Atk: 2700

"Aqua Madoor, attack Yugi directly!"

The masked spell caster waved his hand and conjured another tidal wave. He then sent it barreling towards Yugi, who was now entirely defenseless and braced himself for impact. The water struck Yugi with such force that it sent him flying back into the seal's barrier, slamming him against it and knocking the wind out of him. Yugi slumped to the ground once the attack finished, too hurt to do anything other than pant heavily.

Yugi: 1000 LP

Twilight waited patiently while Yugi struggled to his feet. Once she judged him fit to talk she spoke up.

"Yugi . . . why'd you do it?"

Yugi wiped some sweat from his brow. "What?" he wheezed.

Twilight frowned. "Surely you could've guessed my face down card was a powerful trap such as Holy Barrier -Mirror Force-. You had to know attacking would spell doom for not just your Black Magician, but you too if I drew the right card this turn. Yet you attacked and almost cost yourself not just the duel, but your soul. Why?"

Yugi spoke in panted breaths, still reeling from Aqua Madoor's attack. "I didn't, did I?"

"Yes, but you didn't know what card I'd draw."

Yugi smiled wryly. "True, but I did know you wouldn't finish the duel here even if you could." He clutched his stomach in a sudden burst of pain, but kept his gaze on Twilight. "I can see it in your eyes, Twilight; you never were angry with the pharaoh, just scared of dueling against the best with your soul at stake."

"But you wouldn't have won the duel this turn if you could," Yugi continued, "because the hope saying everything will be alright still shines in your heart."

Twilight's eyes went wide as dinner plates. She was speechless.

"The Orichalcos feeds on the darkness in one's heart," Yugi continued still, "but if you can hold onto that hope, Twilight, then the Orichalcos will have no power over you."

Twilight remained frozen, both physically and mentally. Logic and Truth were fighting a bitter verbal war in her conscience. The logical part kept saying that in order to save herself Twilight needed to win the duel, while the truthful part kept arguing that Yugi was right in claiming that Twilight wouldn't have won because she still had hope. Logic would then counter that it was suicidal to believe in something that had no factual and/or tangible basis, which Truth would then reverse counter by claiming it was such a belief that was feeding the seal power. This internal conflict repeated itself over and over in Twilight's psyche until she snapped to her senses and returned Yugi's gaze.

"I end my turn," she said to him.

Twilight's hand: 0

"Okay," Yugi replied as he drew his card. He looked down at it and smiled. As he was about to play it he happened a glance up at Twilight, to which he saw a change in her expression as she looked at him. When Yugi returned her gaze, he saw what Twilight's new expression was; a hopeful smile. He didn't need to second guess what she was thinking on the other end of that lavender unicorn horn of hers; 'will Yugi's card help end the duel in a tie?'

"You have my word, Twilight," Yugi promised, "we'll both get out of this okay."

He inserted his card into the spell/trap zone. "I activate the spell card Treasure Cards from the Heavens; now we both draw until we're holding six cards."

Twilight and Yugi drew six cards each. Twilight looked at her new cards, only to stare wide eyed as a particular spell card caught her attention.

Twilight's hand: 6
Yugi's hand: 6

After checking his own cards Yugi looked back up at Twilight, only to quirk an eyebrow upon noticing her unusual expression as she looked down at her hand. Thinking that he might have finally gotten through to her, Yugi proceeded to ask a question he'd had the last few minutes.

"Twilight, what exactly is your relationship with Celestia?"

Twilight had barely heard the question in her stupor, but when it fully dawned on her she'd been spoken to, she returned her full attention to Yugi.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You mentioned earlier that Celestia was your teacher," Yugi answered. "Is that all you see her as? Because you were beyond excited when she first arrived here; at first I thought she was your mother."

Twilight rubbed a hoof against her other foreleg sheepishly before answering. "She's very much like a second mother to me. I was just a filly when she took me under her wing, and I lived half of my entire life with her afterwards before she moved me to my current home in Ponyville." Twilight smiled wistfully before continuing. "Our relationship started out as student-teacher, and still is officially, but I guess it's more than just that now."

Yugi smiled. "Friendship, perhaps?"

Twilight started in response to what Yugi said. "W-w-what? Yugi, she's the alicorn princess of the sun for pony's sake!"

Yugi shrugged. "I'm friends with a 3000 year old spirit who saved the world from evil shadow magic in his life; who's to say the same can't apply to the two of you?"

Nicely put, Yugi.

Twilight couldn't keep from gawking in response to Yugi's claims. What really amazed her was how casual Yugi sounded in talking about him and the pharaoh being friends. Even after all her time studying under Princess Celestia, Twilight never saw her as anything lesser than Equestria's ruler as well as her mentor. The idea of them being simple friends never once crossed the lavender unicorn's mind. But after mulling over what Yugi just said, such an idea began sounding all the more reasonable and, even more so, appealing to her.

Twilight ceased her gawking and stared at Yugi with a hopeful expression. "Can the magic of friendship truly exist between a student and their teacher?"

Yugi smiled the most genuine smile Twilight had seen yet. "Not only can it, but it'll help get both of us through this duel with our souls intact."

"How?"

"You'll see," Yugi replied as he inserted another spell card into the duel disk. "I activate Resurrection of the Dead, and I'll use it to revive my Black Magician."

An ankh appeared over the field and descended into the ground. Rising back up in its place was Yugi's ace monster, who was nothing if not happy to be back.

"Thank you, master."

"Next I play the spell card Student-Teacher Ties," Yugi continued. "With Black Magician on the field, I can special summon his student to the field; the Black Magician Girl."

Twilight gawked. Black Magician Girl?

A human girl with long blonde hair appeared next to Black Magician. Her outfit was of a similar design to Black Magician's, but whereas his color scheme was wholly purple Black Magician Girl's was light blue and pink. The staff in her hand consisted of a blue rod ending in a yellow snail shell-like tip.

Black Magician Girl
Atk/Def: 2000/1700
Lvl: 6

While Twilight sized up Yugi's newest monster, she, in turn, sized up Twilight.

"Awww, look mentor, isn't our master's opponent just the cutest thing? If it weren't for the seal's mark on her forehead she'd look just like a unicorn version of you."

"Yes, that's what I thought she was at first. Our master has been trying to break her from the seal's control, and it appears he has almost succeeded. With our combined power let's finish the deed, my faithful student."

"Of course, mentor."

Once done with her observations, Twilight spoke up. "Just where are you going with this, Yugi?"

"This is where I'm going," Yugi replied as he played yet another spell card. "I activate Black Twin Burst. With this, I can increase the attack points of one magician by that of the other's."

2500 Atk + 2000 Atk = 4500 Atk

"Next," Yugi continued, "I summon Wicked Sword Baron in attack mode."

Next to appear on the field was a yellow goblin-like creature with two small horns protruding from his head, upon which he wore a black top hat. He was dressed in a formal black suit with a purple bow tie and carried a sword in his hands; the handle of which was done in a bat wing design. The whole thing pulsed with dark energy brought about by the malevolent spirit that was possessing it.

Wicked Sword Baron
Atk/Def: 1550/800
Lvl: 4

"Now my magicians!" Yugi commanded, "attack Aqua Madoor!"

"It's time, my faithful student!"

"Yes, mentor!"

Both Black Magician and Black Magician Girl held their staffs together and channeled their magical energies through them. The power accumulated at the tips and coalesced into a swirling ball of powerful magic a purple-blackish color. The duo then fired the incredible spell at their target.

"BLACK TWIN BURST!!!"

The magical beam sailed through the air straight at Aqua Madoor. It struck the masked spell caster head on and proceeded to cleanly pierce through his body, leaving not a single cut or drop of blood in its wake. A second later, Twilight's monster exploded, to which she held a hoof over her face to shield herself from the resulting blast.

Twilight: 1800 LP

"Now," Yugi continued, "Wicked Sword Baron, attack Twilight directly!"

The baron held his sword over his left shoulder before lunging at the lavender unicorn. He sailed through the air with surprising speed for something with such a heavy complexion, and his top hat seemed to defy gravity as it remained affixed to his head. In just a few leaps he reached Twilight and proceeded to strike. Twilight instinctually brought a hoof up to defend herself; the baron's sword struck the bottom of her hoof which absorbed most of the impact, but still caused Twilight to stagger backwards a couple steps. The baron returned to his spot on Yugi's field in but a few moments.

Twilight: 250 LP

"Are you alright, Twilight?" Yugi asked.

Twilight recovered from the attack and replied. "Yugi, thank you."

"For what?"

Twilight looked at him again, and Yugi could clearly make out the sorrowful look in the lavender unicorn's eyes and her slightly quivering lips.

"For not giving up on me," she answered. "I was enraged and scared that the pharaoh's actions would cost me my soul, which I can see now was foolish to think because all it did was feed the seal." Twilight shuffled her hooves slightly. "But you were right; I never lost the hope saying we could both come out of this alright, and it's thanks to you that can now happen."

Yugi smiled. "I end my turn."

Yugi's hand: 2

"I draw," Twilight said, "and I activate the spell card Blazing Hell. This deals damage to both of us; 1000 to you and 500 to me."

A large inferno descended upon the dueling field. It then split into two; one larger than the other. The larger one began swirling around Yugi, while the smaller one began swirling around Twilight. Neither fire actually hurt them, and even with the roaring flames in front of them Twilight spoke once more to Yugi.

"Yugi, how can I ever repay you for never giving up on me?"

Yugi closed his eyes and smiled. "All I ask for is your support while we're here. If I have your back, will you have mine, Twilight?"

"It's a deal," Twilight replied as the flames died down and disappeared.

Twilight: 0 LP
Yugi: 0 LP

Sandy's tree dome. It was always unique in comparison to the rest of Bikini Bottom, what with its lush green grass, large oak tree, and complete lack of water save for a birdbath frequented by Sandy's pet birds. Now, in the endless blackness, all that preserved nature was ablaze, having been alighted by stray shots of the purple pterodactyl's infernal breath. Frank had managed to stay safe by camping out in the dome's entrance chamber. Every now and then he snapped a photo with his camera, figuring it couldn't hurt to get irrefutable evidence of his inter-universal adventure in case he made it back home alive.

Sandy, in contrast, had taken it upon herself to go toe-to-toe with the monster that invaded her home. She'd quickly fetched her karate gloves from inside her oak tree and started the task of beating the snot out of the creature. She soon found out, however, that said task might be way out of her league. Every time she attempted to jump up and deliver a karate kick to the creature she received a lash from its devil tail, sending her impacting the ground hard on her back. To add insult to injury, her favorite rope had been burned to ashes by the creature's breath when she tried to lasso it.

Never once did the creature land on the ground, apparently smart enough to know it'd be vulnerable to attacks then. Instead, it stayed in the air around the large oak tree and rhythmically launched fiery shots at Sandy whenever close enough. Further adding to Sandy's problems was the burning grass all around her. Her space was already limited inside the tree dome; with half the ground ablaze it was doubly difficult to safely dodge the creature's attacks and still not get burned. And the fact that a certain someone wasn't pulling his weight did nothing to help matters.

"Hey, Frank!" Sandy called, "get yer sorry hide over here an' help me ground this flyin' varmint!"

"Are you crazy!?" Frank shouted back.

"No, Ah'm not," she replied while dodging another fire shot that ended up shattering her birdbath. "Ah need help, and if 'n yer a true friend of SpongeBob's then yer mah friend by extension, and friends help each other 'n situations like this!" Sandy dodged another three blasts of fiery breath, swerving left and right in response to each one's position. "As a friend, Frank, please help me!"

Frank sighed. He knew Sandy was right, but he was also rightly fearful of getting roasted from the creature's breath. In Willamette he had never lost his fear of falling victim to the zombified population; even after Isabella told him he'd been infected and would turn without treatment he'd still been afraid of getting eaten alive. The psychopaths were worse on account of their retained (albeit twisted) intelligence. But all of that crap was nothing in comparison to the thing currently laying waste to Sandy's home. In addition to being intelligent and having fire breath, it was big, could fly, and even looked downright terrifying. The blank look in the things' yellow eyes was almost enough to send a shiver down Frank's spine. Almost.

With the resolve to fight gained, Frank slipped out of the entrance chamber and began skimming along the dome's inner wall, careful to avoid any fires in his way.

Sandy, meanwhile, had finally managed to gain a bit of an upper hand on the creature. Smoke from the burning grass around them had started filling the tree dome's airspace. While Sandy could still see fairly clear around her, the creature was now having a hard time locating anything through the thickening haze. Worse yet, the increasing lack of oxygen was taking its toll on the creature; Sandy, meanwhile, still wore her fresh air helmet with plenty of breathable air. She knew it would only be a matter of time before the creature was forced to come down to breathe. And when that happened, she'd be ready to wail on it.

After about a minute Sandy spotted the creature's silhouette descend to the ground through the smoke. With a cocky grin, Sandy sprinted toward the spot it'd landed and jumped through the air. At the zenith of her jump, she somersaulted and proceeded to do a drop kick straight down unto the creature's scaly head. Suddenly, the creature shot out a clawed hand and grabbed Sandy's leg just as it was about to impact its head. Before Sandy could even let out a yelp of surprise, the creature slammed her down unto the ground and used its other hand to pin her chest so she couldn't even wriggle.

Sandy pounded her fists and legs against the creature's arms as relentlessly as possible, but no matter what it didn't loosen its grip on her. It was then that the creature inhaled sharply, prepping yet another blast of infernal breath. Sandy stared wide eyed in horror as the creature aimed its mouth straight down at her, the fiery energy visibly accumulating in its jaws. Realizing it was all over, Sandy shut her eyes and braced herself for the end, but it never came. Sandy waited for what felt like an eternity before she felt something drip onto her air helmet. Cracking open an eye, she could make out the blurry image of the creature still poised above her, only its fire breath was gone. Also, Sandy felt its grip on her chest loosen enough that she could push its claw off of her.

Once she was free, Sandy opened both of her eyes and gasped at the sight that beheld her. The drip she felt on her helmet was a drop of the creature's blood. Looking past the blood and into the creature's mouth, Sandy saw that a short metal blade had pierced its roof; yellow blood was spilling out from around the wound and filling up the bottom of the creature's mouth. The metal blade was then pulled back out and the creature's head fell limp over Sandy. She scooted out from under it before it fell on her and looked up to see Frank West standing on the creature's head. In his hand was a machete coated in the creature's yellow blood. Sandy easily connected the dots and smiled.

"Thanks, Frank."

Frank smiled back. "It was nothing."

Sandy's face adopted a confused expression. "How'd y'all manage ta get up on its head anyhoo?"

Frank pointed up at her oak tree with his free hand. "I snuck inside and climbed up high enough to get the jump on it."

Sandy nodded and sighed in exasperation. "Well, Ah'm pooped; how 'bout we take a breather while y'all tell me what's goin' on?"

Frank nodded himself. "Sure, but let's get out of here first."

As if in response to him, a bunch of embers burst from a nearby fire, though neither Frank or Sandy flinched in surprise to it. Instead, Sandy merely nodded again and the two of them proceeded to leave the burning tree dome to the relative safety of the black void beyond.

Samus Aran had seen many strange things in her life as an intergalactic bounty hunter. Metroids, X Parasites, Ing, and many, many more had been seen and slain by the tall, blonde hunter. And yet, despite all her training and experience dealing with such oddities she was at a loss for words as to what was currently attacking her ship. Samus hadn't seen much more than a fleeting glimpse of whatever it was, but what she had seen left her wondering if she was actually having a ludicrous dream.

Samus had been floating freely through space for about a month following her stint with the X Parasites, awaiting any kind of response from the Galactic Federation in regards to her actions concerning said parasites. All she could recall was lightly dozing off in her seat before happening a glance outside the cockpit window and noticing the absence of stars. Confused, she'd tried talking to Adam, but he couldn't tell her anything beyond, "we're not in space anymore." She'd then attempted to pinpoint her location using her ship's Celestial Map System, but even that yielded no answers.

Samus was deliberating whether to exit her ship and explore on foot when she briefly sighted movement outside the cockpit. All she managed to see was an eye in the middle of what looked like a giant cloud. Before she could inquire as to what she'd seen, however, her ship was suddenly rocked by a tremendous force striking from above. Samus asked Adam what happened, to which he replied they were under attack and activated the ship's Energy Dome Shield. Just in time, too, because a second strike sounded just after the EDS's activation. The second strike failed to harm the ship's exterior through the shield, but the resulting vibrations still came through and rattled every loose object. Samus held onto her chair's armrests and commanded Adam to initiate repairs on any part of the ship damaged by the first strike. He complied, and Samus waited patiently for repairs to finish.

More strikes followed the first two, always failing to penetrate the shield but also always rattling everything inside the ship. Samus managed to brace herself through each one by gripping her chair's armrests. She noted how the strikes kept coming from above and never once changed position. That alone told her many things, the first of which that her attacker was acting solo. She also surmised whatever was attacking wasn't very professional; even without the energy shield's protection, a gunship like hers' was most heavily armored around the top. Everyone in the Galactic Federation's military knew such a ship's back thrusters and undercarriage were its weakest spots.

From these observations, Samus concluded she wasn't under attack from a lone space pirate or rival bounty hunter. To that end, she thought back to the cloud-like thing she'd previously seen through her cockpit window; nothing she'd ever seen in her long career as a hunter matched its appearance. The idea of it being a new species altogether was too farfetched to believe because, well, it was a cloud with an eye in its center. Samus knew she was finally losing herself when she compared the blows that were still hammering away above with lightning strikes.

I must be dreaming.

Suddenly, a bright light filled her cockpit window. The light was so intense that Samus was forced to shield her eyes lest they burn to ashes. The light shined for a few moments before dissipating. Samus let her hand down and stared at her cockpit window with a mix of both wonder and disbelief. Before long, however, she heard a soft knocking sound coming from under her ship accompanied by a voice.

"Hello!? Does anything live in there!?"

Her mind filled with nervous curiosity, Samus told Adam to be ready for combat should their newest 'visitor' become hostile. Adam obeyed and activated all the gunship's weapon systems, ready to fire given the command. With that done, Samus walked to the back of her ship and stood on the elevating platform. She primed her arm cannon as it descended, but immediately let go in shock once she made eye contact with the white, pegasus-unicorn hybrid wearing golden regalia and a red & black amulet around its neck.

I HAVE to be dreaming.

"Hello," it said; the voice let Samus know the thing was female. It smiled wryly. "I imagine you have a plethora of questions."

"Yes," Samus replied through her helmet, "I do; am I dreaming?"

The pegasus-unicorn chuckled, which Samus felt awkward listening to. "A valid assumption, indeed. Sadly, no, you are not dreaming. What's going on will sound unbelievable, but is true regardless."

Samus' eye twitched in response before she shut her eyes, took a deep breath, and proceeded to dump any and all traces of logic from her brain to make way for a new train of thought.

"Okay," she said when finished, "what's going on? What was that bright light just now? And, I guess first and foremost, who are you?"

"My name is Celestia," it said, "and that bright light was me taking care of your attacker."

"Was it a giant cloud with an eye in the center?"

"That's what it appeared to be, yes."

"How did you do it?"

Celestia pointed a hoof at her horn. "I control the sun where I come from and am imbued with its power."

Samus' eye started twitching again before she shook her head and took another deep breath. "What's going on here?"

Celestia frowned. "I'm sorry if this is too much to take Miss . . .?"

"My name is Samus Aran."

". . . Miss Aran, but we're both still in great danger. I'll tell you what's going on, but only if you promise to stick by my side and face every challenge head on from here on out."

Samus sighed. She had a bad feeling about the situation at hand, and something told her it would only get worse. She would've liked to just ascend back up into her gunship and relax in her chair, but Celestia's warning of 'challenges' was unsettling. To that end, she decided to accept Celestia's offer.

"Alright," Samus said with a nod, "you can count on me, Celestia."

Celestia smiled. "Thank you, Samus. Now, about what's happening . . . "

When SpongeBob had asked for his karate gloves, he'd assumed they would be enough to take down anything Aza threw at him. Thinking back, SpongeBob realized just how naïve he was for thinking that. Then again, he hadn't anticipated Aza throwing a psychotic, chainsaw-wielding clown at him. SpongeBob had tried to combat said clown, but his arms were quickly sawed off, forcing the yellow sponge to hide while they grew back. Now without his karate gloves, SpongeBob was completely defenseless against his opponent, and while he could reproduce by budding, he was still in danger from a strike to the brain or any of his major internal organs.

As SpongeBob healed he could hear the whirring of the clown's chainsaws emanating in the distance. SpongeBob had no idea where the clown was, but he was fairly confident it didn't know where he was as well. After losing his arms SpongeBob high-tailed it away from the roller coaster and made his way down to the ground floor, whereupon he'd taken refuge within a cluster of glass counters housing jewelry within the indoor amusement park's central area. Once healed, SpongeBob decided he'd try his luck at reasoning with the psychopath.

It was when SpongeBob had finished growing back his left arm that he heard the whirring sound get closer to him. Panicking, SpongeBob silently urged his body to pick up the pace. He contemplated throwing something as a distraction, but thought better upon realizing doing so would likely expose his hiding place. As SpongeBob listened, the whirring came from his left before heading straight towards him, but the clown was nowhere in sight. Panicked and confused, SpongeBob shifted closer to the slip leading behind the counter, ready to bolt if the clown found him. The whirring remained fixated just slightly to SpongeBob's left, and it was then he realized it was emanating from the above walkway.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang throughout the amusement park, startling SpongeBob and making him bang his water helmet against the glass counter. Fortunately, the helmet didn't crack open. SpongeBob regained his composure just in time to see the clown fall from the walkway to the ground right in front of him. His head smashed against a counter, shattering it and sending glass shards flying all throughout the air. SpongeBob's water helmet managed to further survive the shower of glass shards, but it still suffered a few scratches. The clown's chainsaws fell to the ground right alongside their owner, hitting the floor with two moderate clanks while the teeth continued to operate, creating a faint grinding noise as they lightly scraped against the hard linoleum floor.

SpongeBob easily put two and two together and figured that someone had shot the clown dead while leaning over the railing in search of him. While SpongeBob was indeed relieved to be safe from the psychopath, he worried whether the person who'd shot him was a friendly. Gulping, SpongeBob steeled his resolve and, after a few tense moments, called out.

"Who's there!?"

A moment passed before the new arrival answered. "Where are you!?"

SpongeBob noted they were male from the voice. "Right in front of the demon clown!"

"Are you hurt!?"

SpongeBob looked at his still-healing right arm. "Not quite, but I'm lacking one of my arms at the moment."

Another few moments passed before he answered. "You don't sound too worried."

"Well, I'm a sponge, so I can grow lost limbs back."

". . . Pardon?"

SpongeBob sighed. "Do you want me to come up there and show you what I'm talking about? I need to explain what's going on anyway, so what 'cha say?"

"No, no," he replied, "I'll come down to you."

SpongeBob thought he was going to use the stairs like he'd done. Instead, he proceeded to jump from the walkway down onto a platform suspended above the jewelry counters. He then quickly hopped down onto one of the counters before hitting the floor next to the dead clown with a hard thud.

SpongeBob saw that he was a human, but unlike Yugi and Frank he was dressed in formal attire; a white button-up shirt, black dress suit and shoes, and a black bow tie. His body was of a slim build with a three-inch long, thin vertical scar on his right cheek. His eyes were a sort of bluish grey while his hair was short and black. In his hand he held a fair-sized black handgun. As soon as he saw SpongeBob he quirked an eyebrow.

"What are you?"

"I told you, I'm a sponge," SpongeBob replied. "Listen, thanks for saving me from that psycho, but we're both still in danger."

The man smiled. "Not to worry, as that's a situation I'm all too familiar with; though, you're the first talking sponge boy I've ever had the privilege of saving."

SpongeBob let out a hearty laugh. By the time he finished, his right arm had fully healed and he stood up. "So, how about I explain what's going on?"

The man nodded. "I'd very much appreciate that. What's your name?"

SpongeBob smiled and extended his hand. "SpongeBob Squarepants, and you?"

The man shook SpongeBob's hand with his own free one. "The name's Bond, James Bond."

"Let's see . . . no . . . no . . . no . . . definitely no, they'll NEVER survive through that. Maybe I should just forgo more challenges and skip to the council . . . yeah, that I should. Now, where should it be? Nope . . . no . . . nuh-uh . . . AHA, PERFECT!!! Now for some torches . . ."

A Full Tribe

Aza waited until all three of its newest victims were brought up to speed on the current situation before making its next move. First, it returned Sandy's tree dome, Samus' gunship, and Wonderland Plaza to their respective universes while making sure to leave behind their occupants. Aza also got rid of the dead bodies of Ridley and Adam the clown; it had mixed feelings about their deaths. On one side, it'd be interesting to see the reactions of anyone watching them when they suddenly drop dead for no discernible reason, while on the other side, Aza couldn't help but feel that maybe it'd overstepped its bounds by allowing their deaths to occur.

Oh well, no point in crying over spilt milk.

Aza's next task was to group together all eight of its victims. It was simple to do as all it required was for the space between them to be shoved aside. Once that was completed, Aza lifted the blackness between them all so they could see each other. All that remained was to import their new home, which Aza knew would be a godsend for two of the group. But before doing that Aza decided to observe the ensuing conversations between the eight of them now that the "tribe", as it saw them, was complete and together.

At first everyone was confused as to what happened. Their relocations were so quick and abrupt that it took all of five seconds before they realized Aza had moved them once again. Looking around revealed they were now back in everyone's company, though the three new arrivals weren't quite so relieved. While Sandy, Samus, and James had indeed been briefed on who else Aza had roped in to participate in its "experiment", they'd yet to properly befriend everyone beyond those who'd located them. Additionally, the three new arrivals had no idea who each other were on account of their rescuers not knowing who else had been brought in alongside them.

Before anything could be said or done to remedy this problem, however, Celestia and SpongeBob beamed upon sighting Twilight and Sandy, respectively. They rushed toward their respective compatriots and wrapped their limbs around them in the tightest possible hugs.

"Twilight!" Celestia exclaimed, right in the poor unicorn's ear. "I'm so happy to see you're alive and well!"

"Can't . . . breathe," Twilight wheezed.

"Sandy!" SpongeBob exclaimed. "Boy, am I glad to see a familiar face in all this craziness."

"Aw shucks, SpongeBob," Sandy said while returning her friend's embrace. "Ah'm jus' happy ta see yer alright." She let go of SpongeBob. "Frank tells me y'all have become sparrin' partners while here; think Ah could get in on da action?"

SpongeBob smiled. "You bet!"

"Ahem."

The four non-humans turned to see James Bond with an impatient look on his face, while Samus Aran held a hand on her hip while she stared at them through her helmet's visor. Yugi and Frank, meanwhile, were turning their heads around as if on lookout for any potential trouble through the surrounding blackness. Celestia let go of her student, who gasped for much needed air, before she cleared her throat.

"Yes, well," she said, "perhaps the three new arrivals should introduce themselves so we're all on the same page. Samus, since you've got a lot to say, how about you go first?"

The bounty hunter nodded, and proceeded to remove her helmet so everyone could hear her clearly. Her blonde hair was done up in its typical ponytail, the red hairband tying up the bulk of it while two stray locks hung freely on either side of her face. It was a hairstyle she herself invented, and anyone who knew Samus personally would say it's the only thing that hints to her being concerned over her appearance. Her blue eyes mixed well with her blonde hair and fiery orange-colored Varia suit.

James quirked an eyebrow at seeing Samus to be a woman, but didn't say/do anything else as she began her introduction to everyone.

"My name is Samus Aran, the only child of Rodney and Virginia Aran. My parents were . . . taken away from me when I was only three years old. My home planet of K-2L was attacked by a group of crustacean-like creatures called the Space Pirates who, fittingly enough, came to raid our colony of supplies. I'd . . . rather not go into some details, but I was the only survivor of the pirates' raid. Soon after, I was found and adopted by the Chozo, a race of wise, bird-like people who had quite the intellectual appetite. They infused my DNA with their own so I could survive on their home planet, with the added effects of increased strength and endurance. This Power Suit that I wear was given by them to aid me in my goal of battling the Space Pirates. I've spent most of my adult life as a bounty hunter employed by the Galactic Federation, a coalition of several races throughout the galaxy that seek to preserve the peace and deal with threats like the Space Pirates, who often send me on missions directly involving them so as to let me exact vengeance against them for taking away everything and everyone I loved."

A small tear came to Samus' eye, which she quickly wiped away before continuing. "Needless to say I'm always elated to offer my services toward a noble cause, and that applies here as well. I promise to have everyone's back in all of this."

Everyone took a few moments to let Samus' words sink in. Looking around, she could see they all wore sorrowful expressions. Samus could only smile wryly in response.

"Well then," James said, breaking the silence, "I suppose I'll give my introduction next; my name is James Bond. Unlike Ms. Aran here I'm a bit more 'down to Earth' as they'd say." He chuckled a bit to which nobody else joined in. He didn't let it faze him and continued talking. "I live in Great Britain working as a member of MI6, the British Secret Intelligence Service, in which my code name is 007. My backstory doesn't concern any of you, suffice it to say nothing in my past beyond a few tomfools plotting world conquest is worth worrying about."

Everyone stared in silence for a few moments, as if expecting James to continue. When he did not, Sandy spoke up.

"Well, Ah reckon y'all know 'nough 'bout me from SpongeBob, so Ah'll pass on da introduction."

"And with that done, it's now time for the next phase of my experiment."

Before the eight of them could respond to Aza, the scenery around them started changing. The blackness began dissolving right before their eyes, immediately being replaced with lush, vibrant colors of various shades and tones. The sudden change of visuals hurt everyone's eyes at first on account of how little color they'd seen since being there. Peeking through their fingers, or in Celestia/Twilight's case around their hooves, everyone's eyes gradually adjusted to the scenery change. Shapes began forming out of the color, and it immediately became clear that a town was forming around them. The ground became grass, a bright blue sky formed above their heads, and buildings of various shapes and designs began materializing on all sides of them.

Watching the setting change before her eyes, Twilight had the strongest gut feeling that she knew this place. Looking over to Celestia, she saw that same look of familiarity in her eyes. Slowly, the pieces fitted themselves together in both their minds, until both ponies realized at once where they were. But while Celestia said nothing, Twilight failed to contain her excitement.

"WE'RE IN PONYVILLE!!!" she exclaimed.

Everyone turned to stare at her in puzzlement as the scenery finished changing, revealing that they were, indeed, in Ponyville. They were positioned in the middle of town square; Twilight could see the Golden Oaks Library off in the distance. Her excitement faltered, however, when she failed to spot anypony else wandering the streets.

"Where is everypony?" she whispered inaudibly to everyone except Aza itself, who immediately responded.

"Twilight, could you honestly say you'd WANT all of your friends to be roped into my experiment?"

Twilight sighed. "No, I wouldn't."

"Anyway, this is your new home, everyone. As you'll see, Twilight and Celestia, I've brought your whole home planet for use here, minus any of its inhabitants, for now anyways."

Celestia narrowed her eyes. "And what are you implying with that, Aza?"

"All will be revealed in due time, Celestia. For now, I have something for all of you."

Something immediately began materializing on the ground in front of everyone. When it finished, they saw it was a set of eight unlit torches bundled together with a piece of twine.

"You each get one torch; these will come into play later tonight. Oh, and by the way, two things to note Celestia/Twilight. One, this isn't your native Equestria, but rather an alternate version with some minor differences. Two, I'll be taking over your typical responsibility of raising/lowering the sun/moon."

Celestia sighed. "Very well."

"And with that settled, good-bye, kinda, sorta."

". . . so," Twilight spoke up, to which everyone returned their gazes onto her, "how about if Celestia and I show you all around; maybe find a place for everyone to sleep?"

Everyone else nodded their agreement, and Twilight proceeded to give them a tour of her hometown. Despite the absence of her friends, being back in Ponyville greatly helped ease Twilight's mounting stress and fears.

"Wow, this sure beats da heck outta mah tree dome," Sandy proclaimed.

It was about mid afternoon. Twilight had finished giving her tour of Ponyville to the group and headed back to Golden Oaks afterward along with Sandy. The two of them decided it was only fitting that they both take up residence in Twilight's tree library seeing as how they both lived in tree homes. With the exception of Celestia, who'd flown off to Canterlot to retrieve a few things, everyone else in the group had taken up residence in one of many houses scattered throughout Ponyville. Twilight said they could do so only if they promised not to wreck anything, as the homes still belonged to all of her friends. They readily agreed, though Twilight was dubious about SpongeBob nonetheless, based on what Sandy said regarding his tendency to get into trouble.

"Is that taking into account the fact that it's likely now a smoldering crisp?" Twilight replied to Sandy's proclamation. "No offense, of course."

"None taken," Sandy answered while they climbed the stairs to Twilight's bedroom, "and no; whoever carved out this beauty easily puts mah pappy ta shame."

Twilight giggled. "So, I take it you'll enjoy staying with me while we're here?"

"Yer darn tootin' Ah will!"

Twilight paused momentarily in response, smiling wryly as she let herself get lost in thought. They were now at the top of the staircase looking into Twilight's bedroom; Sandy was impressed with how well designed and furnished it was. She took notice of the lavender unicorn's silence and turned to face her, seeing a far away look in her eyes.

"Hey, y'all okay there Twilight?"

Twilight snapped back to reality and blushed slightly. "You share accents with one of my best friends, Applejack. Whenever you talk, I can't help but be reminded of her."

Sandy smiled. "Well, ain't that a good thing?"

"It is," Twilight replied sheepishly, "but it feels a little awkward to hear that country talk come out of someone else's mouth."

Sandy frowned. "You miss your friends, huh?"

Twilight nodded. "And it certainly doesn't help that I'm back here in Ponyville and unable to count on them for support."

"Hey, don't fret Twilight." Sandy patted Twilight's back a couple times. "Y'all can count on the rest of us every bit as much as you can your friends back home. We'll get each other through any n' every challenge Aza throws our way, I promise."

Twilight looked up into Sandy's eyes and smiled. "Thanks for the pep talk Sandy; I really needed it."

"Yer welcome," the squirrel replied. "Now, y'all got a spare bed fer me?"

Samus sat atop a hill just outside of Ponyville proper, gazing into the distance at the city of Canterlot nestled alongside the Canterhorn. She was waiting for Celestia to return from her errand to the capital city; the solar princess said she had something that could provide a power increase to her Varia Suit. Samus couldn't even begin to guess what it was, but she readily welcomed anything that could help her survive Aza's sadistic games. Additionally, she was curious as to how well magic in Equestria could work in tandem with her home's advanced technology. If Ridley showed up, especially, she wanted to be armed to the teeth upon facing him.

Samus was interrupted from her thoughts by the sound of approaching footsteps behind her. Turning around, she saw James Bond casually strolling up the hill towards her; hands in his pockets and gazing up towards the sky. She turned to look back at Equestria's capital city as he stepped up next to her.

"So, how goes it?" he asked.

"Fine."

James sat down on the grass next to her. "It's quite beautiful, this place, isn't it?"

Samus sighed. "What do you want, James?"

"Just looking to engage in a friendly conversation with you." He smiled when she briefed a glance over to him. "After all, we have quite a bit in common with each other."

Samus turned to look at him. "You said you're a government agent; I'm a freelance bounty hunter. There's a difference between the two."

James shrugged. "True, but we're driven by the same desire, are we not?" He returned Samus' gaze. "Or am I correct in assuming you act more out of vengeance than justice?"

Samus broke her gaze from him and returned to watching Canterlot. "That's none of your business."

"On the contrary," James replied. "Given our current predicament, everything about all of us is each other's business. Besides, I'd be lying if I said vengeance didn't sometimes appeal to me as well."

Samus briefly quirked an eyebrow in response before spotting the distant silhouette of Celestia flying out of Canterlot back toward Ponyville. She knew it was Celestia because the group of eight were (to their knowledge) the only life forms currently inhabiting the solar princess' home planet. James spotted her too, but continued talking regardless.

"When I said we have a lot in common I wasn't referring to our occupations." Samus returned her gaze to him as he continued. "I too lost my parents at a young age and was subsequently orphaned." He lay back on the grass with his hands under his head. "Perhaps a rephrasing of my choice of words is in order; our lives draw many parallels with each other."

"How'd you lose your parents?" she asked.

James smiled, clearly happy that Samus was returning his interest in her. "They had an accident while mountain climbing; I was eleven when it happened. I lived the rest of my childhood with my aunt; nowhere near as exciting as living with an alien race, I must say."

Samus deadpanned. "At least you still had family; I meant what I said about losing everything to the Space Pirates."

James shifted his gaze back to her. "You're wrong on the latter."

"What?"

James sat back up and looked Samus squarely in the eyes. "Unlike you, I have no one to blame for my parent's deaths. I lost them not at the hands of another life, and not due to anyone's greed, jealousy, or hatred. They just died in one of reality's many unfortunate happenstances. You, on the other hand, lost them precisely due to another's greed, and therefore have something to pin blame on for their deaths. You have a purpose to your killing, Samus; with every Space Pirate that's slaughtered you feel a twinge of happiness saying you're that much closer to avenging your parents' deaths. I, however, have no such scapegoat. I don't feel anything from killing enemies other than pity; they plotted world conquest, I was sent in, we met, I ended his or her life, and that's all there was to it."

Samus fell silent for a moment, trying to process everything she'd just been told. When she finally found her voice, she found herself speaking in a much softer tone than before.

"But you still have purpose, James. With each life you end, your world is that much closer to achieving peace. Is that not worth fighting for?"

James sighed. "It most certainly is, but . . . I didn't become 007 entirely out of my own free will."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, you readily took up the role of intergalactic savior because you have a personal stake in it all. I, however, had little to no choice in the matter. I only became a 00 agent because I never once believed it was possible to make something better out of myself. Believe me when I say being a spy was never my dream job as a lad, and I suppose I'm correct in assuming being a bounty hunter was never your dream job before losing your parents?"

Samus looked downcast. "No, of course it wasn't."

James rested a hand on Samus' shoulder, to which Samus gasped slightly before returning his gaze.

"In case it wasn't obvious already, I'll be blatant in asking you. Would you be willing to ally with me throughout all this? Have my back if I have yours'?"

Samus again processed what she'd been told before answering in a warm tone. "Sure thing, James."

She then proceeded to lightly hug James, a gesture that caught him off guard, but he smiled regardless. It was then that they both heard a heavy flapping sound emanating from above. Looking up, they spotted Celestia descending toward them, finally back from her trip to Canterlot. In her telekinetic aura was a golden box adorned with several jewels, all of which shined brightly in the gleaming sun.

"I'm sorry," she said, "am I interrupting a moment of intimacy here?"

Samus chuckled as she broke away from James. "No Celestia, we were just comparing and contrasting our tragic lives with each other. Would you care to join in? After all, you'd have quite a bit to say."

Celestia cleared her throat sheepishly. "Never mind. Anyway, can we talk in private?"

James laid back down on the grass. "I'll be here napping if you ladies need me."

With a nod, Celestia began walking toward a nearby grove of trees with Samus following close behind. Once they were a sizeable distance from the forest's edge Celestia stopped and sat down on her haunches, gesturing for Samus to do the same.

"So," Samus said as she sat down, "what's in the box?"

Celestia used her magic to open the chest containing five necklaces and a tiara. Each one had a different colored gem embedded in the front, each in the shape of a certain object. While the Elements themselves were familiar, Celestia noted that four of the accompanying gems were different from their respective counterparts back home; Magic and Generosity had the same lavender magic star and purple diamond that she was familiar with, whereas Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness, and Laughter had a blue orb, a yellow arrowhead, a green treble clef, and an orange feather, respectively. Celestia briefly pondered who the elemental bearers of this Equestria might be before answering Samus' question.

"These are the Elements of Harmony," she replied. "As I said before, these are the artifacts used to defeat the greatest of my world's enemies."

Samus picked up the Element of Laughter and examined it. "They're pretty," she mused, "but how are they supposed to power up my suit?"

Celestia traded Laughter for Honesty and sighed. "While I do believe a way can be found to make your suit's technology work in tandem with the elements, there's another reason for why I brought them here."

"Do tell," Samus replied.

"Certainly." Celestia used her magic to fit the Element of Loyalty around her neck, right above the Alicorn Amulet and leaving no more room for anything else. "I can tell you're still hesitant to put absolute trust in me or anyone else here." Samus deadpanned before her eyes widened when Loyalty glowed briefly.

Celestia smiled. "In order for one to wield an Element of Harmony they must possess the required trait to a certain, but very much high, degree. As you can see, Loyalty has accepted me as its bearer."

Samus blinked. Where is she going with this?

"But there's always strength in numbers," Celestia continued as she used her magic to levitate Honesty in front of Samus, "and I have a strong feeling you'll be able to wield Honesty no problem. With these two elements, a perfect trust can be forged between us; do you accept?"

Samus stared at the hovering element in front of her, unsure as to the truth of Celestia's claims. Eventually, she decided no harm could come out of it and nodded her head in agreement.

"Do I just put it on?" she asked.

"Yes, just place it around your neck and Honesty will immediately judge you."

Samus grabbed Honesty and, slightly hesitantly, placed it around her neck just above the neck rim of her Power Suit. Once it was firmly in place, she waited a moment for Honesty's judgment. It took a little bit longer than it had for Celestia, but eventually Honesty radiated the same glow for a moment. Samus looked up to meet Princess Celestia's smiling face.

"I promise to stick by your side no matter what," she proclaimed.

She was telling the truth, no, the complete and utter truth; this is what Samus felt in her heart in response to Celestia's promise. The sensation she felt from Honesty's confirmation was unlike anything she'd ever experienced before. It felt deeper than the sensation which accompanied use of her Power Suit, which was activated whenever she willed it to. Samus couldn't think of anything more basic than willpower that could serve as the medium for Honesty's power, but she decided not to gleam for information on the subject as it just wasn't worth the time and comprehension.

"So, do we have a solid alliance now?" Celestia asked, extending a hoof out.

Samus smiled as she grasped the proffered hoof with her hand and shook it.

"Of course."

C'mon, c'mon, I need this . . . . . . *sigh* maybe I should just stick to the basics. Alright, I can do this . . . . . . YES!!! Now, how well can I control this thing? . . . . . . Looks like I need some practice. Meh, I should still be able to adequately conduct council tonight. Speaking of which . . .

It was now close to dusk. Normally, Twilight would be in her tree home reading a book at this time. While she was indeed in her beloved library, instead of reading a book she was busy showing an ever curious Sandy how unicorn magic worked. Said squirrel was busy taking notes as Twilight demonstrated her telekinesis, all the while asking questions that would normally irritate the lavender unicorn for being common knowledge.

"So, the carbuncle acts as da transmitter and receiver?"

"Eeyup," Twilight replied, channeling Big Macintosh.

"Fascinatin'," Sandy said. "That actually reminds me of somethin' SpongeBob told me he-"

Sandy's sentence was cut off as, in but an instant, the sky outside changed from the orange hue of twilight hour to the pitch black of night. The sensation of transitioning from dusk to night in a second was foreign even to Twilight and Celestia, the latter of which always took care to keep the change gradual so as to not upset the natural order. With no other living creatures occupying Equestria, however, such care wasn't needed.

"Everyone," Aza's "voice" emanated from everywhere at once, "Gather in town square; the next phase of my experiment is about to begin."

Sandy looked to Twilight, who returned her gaze.

"Finish this later?"

"Eeyup."

The two dropped their holdings and proceeded to leave Golden Oaks, a knot forming in both their stomach's all the while in fear of what might happen next.

From inside their chosen house, Yugi and the pharaoh were debating which of them should be in control for the next phase of Aza's experiment. Both had a gut feeling that Aza's plans entailed something different from what had already been thrown at them. The sentient universe had already split them up once for individual challenges, and if it wanted to do something like that again they doubted it would ask them all to congregate first. There was also the matter of the torches Aza had left for them, for what purpose they hadn't a clue to.

. . . Pharaoh, maybe it would be best if you took over for now.

What makes you say that, Yugi?

I've been thinking lately; you haven't gotten to know everyone as well as I have.

. . . I suppose not.

Remember when I forced you to bond with Tea for a day?

Heh heh, yes, I do.

You were quite nervous, if I remember correctly.

I'll admit I was fearful since up to that point I hadn't come out for any reason other than to duel in your place when things got too dangerous. I wasn't sure how your friends would take to me, but I'm thankful you had me forge bonds with all of them.

Think you can do the same now?

Would I have your support?

That goes without saying.

Then let's do it.

Everyone arrived in town square not long after Aza's announcement. Some came with others in tow, such as Samus, Celestia, and James from Ponyville's town limits, and Twilight and Sandy from Golden Oaks. Frank and SpongeBob were already in town square at the time, sparring, and only stopped once everyone else had arrived. The pharaoh was the only one to arrive alone, in body, at least. As soon as everyone was present, Aza spoke up.

"Now then, let's start this next phase, shall we?"

"Do we have a choice?" Frank asked, sarcasm obvious in his tone.

"No, you don't. For this next phase, you will all need one of the torches I've provided."

Nothing more needed to be said; everyone made for the torches once the bundle was unwrapped. They were all the same in appearance, the generic wicker design seen in Hawaiian-themed restaurants and whatnot. Once everyone had selected a torch, Aza spoke up again.

"Now, I have good news and bad news for all of you. Since I can't give you the bad without also spoiling the good I'll give you the latter first. The good news is that one of you will be released from my experiment and returned to your own world tonight."

The reactions on everyone's faces to its proclamation was exactly what Aza expected. Twilight, SpongeBob, and Sandy perked up and their faces split into grins seemingly wider than should've been possible. Everyone else, especially Celestia and the pharaoh, had mixed reactions that Aza could tell stemmed from the belief that there were strings attached. Not necessarily true, but things never are simple in reality and this phase was no exception.

"What's the bad news?" James asked.

If Aza had a face, it would've smirked at this point. "The bad news is you all have to make the choice as to who leaves."

Immediately, everyone's faces changed to confused expressions.

"What do you mean?" SpongeBob asked.

Again, if Aza had a face it would've smirked. "Allow me to give you all a rundown on tonight's proceedings. First, you all will take some more time to chat amongst yourselves; social-strategy will come into play here. When I give the command, you'll then proceed into the Everfree Forest where we will conduct Tribal Council. I'll explain the proceedings of Tribal once you get there, but I'll tell you now that you'll each cast a single vote for whomever you wish to see leave. Whomever receives the most votes will have their torch snuffed out and be sent home immediately. Know that your decisions at Council will affect what happens later down the line, so be wise in choosing who you vote for; the last thing you'd want is to be left with no supporting allies for future challenges."

Everyone stared blankly for a few seconds before becoming sheepish as their brains processed everything Aza just told them. On one hand/hoof, they all wanted to leave ASAP; on the other hand/hoof, they were afraid of being stuck there without anyone whom they could fully trust. They all looked nervously to each other with eyes that said 'Hey, can you help a friend out and send me packing?' or 'Would now be an inopportune time to ask for an alliance with you?'. All the doubt and distrust being shared by everyone delighted Aza immensely, as this was exactly what it hoped would happen in conducting this phase of its experiment.

"Well, have fun."

Severing Ties

The atmosphere of town square following Aza's announcement was quite paradoxical. Everyone present had been delighted to hear one of them would be returning home, but the news that they would be choosing who went left them all feeling a mixture of confusion, doubt, and fear. There had been a brief thought in everyone's minds to lobby for their own evictions that easily fell by the wayside with the knowledge that everyone else might attempt the same in response. Aza relished in observing such brilliant contradictions play out.

They all want to go home but they need a majority vote from everyone for it to happen. They want to get a majority vote by openly lobbying to everyone but are afraid it'll make them look selfish, resulting in failure. Not only that, but they haven't bonded as tightly with some as they have with others, making things a little more complicated. There's also the fact that whoever they vote off now could've been useful at some point in the future, thus making them a wasted asset. Alliances will be key here, as will voting blocs for deciding a majority vote without complications. It'll be easier to lobby for a smaller group's votes then the whole entire gathering. All of it serves to make them stay of their own free will, but against their desires simultaneously.

Pure brilliance.

Aza observed the group of eight split into three smaller groups. One group was comprised of Celestia, Samus, and James and had congregated on the front steps of Ponyville Town Hall. The second group was made up of Frank, Sandy, and SpongeBob and were currently lounging in the middle of town square, staring up at non-existent stars. The last group was a pairing of Twilight and the Nameless Pharaoh's spirit and had relocated to under a nearby awning over some random house's front door. Aza had considered allowing Yugi and the Pharaoh to cast separate votes at Council so as to avoid a deadlock, but ultimately decided against it as the two would undoubtedly vote together thus giving them too much power.

Aza listened as the groups talked amongst themselves about the upcoming vote.

"So, who're you all voting for?" SpongeBob asked Sandy and Frank from where he sat.

"Ah don't know," Sandy replied. "Ah'm thinkin' we oughta jus' vote amongst ourselves and hope everyone else throws a few votes our way so one of us can leave."

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Frank said. "No one will get a majority vote if some of us don't agree to sacrifice our own chances at freedom."

Sandy slammed a fist onto the hardened earth. "Dang nabbit! This is too confusin'. How're we 'posed ta decide on who should go?"

All three of them fell silent for a moment. The stress brought about by the conflicting thoughts in their minds was taking its toll on all of them. None of them wanted to stay by any means, but they all knew the decision of who to vote for would be infinitely easier if they did. At last, SpongeBob broke the silence.

"Guys, how about we vote for James?"

Sandy and Frank stared at him. "Why?" Frank asked.

SpongeBob turned to return their stares with a determined look in his eyes. "He saved my life; pooling all our votes for him is the least we could do to thank him."

"I guess so," Frank replied, a wistful smile adorning his face. "I'm still finding it hard to believe he took down Adam with a single shot. He'd always block every bullet I shot at him with his chainsaws; the cheap jerk."

"Well he did," SpongeBob continued, "and sending him home is the least we could do to thank him."

"I 'pose," Sandy said. She glanced across town square toward James' group, then over at Twilight and the pharaoh before returning gaze to her yellow friend. "Ah'm sure Ah can convince Twilight n' Yugi ta vote along wit' us."

"What makes you so sure?" Frank asked as he tossed a rock upwards, catching it as it came back down. "She and Celestia seemed pretty close when I first arrived here, and I find it hard to believe she'd go against her highness' group."

"Because Twilight n' Ah' have been gellin' better than bread n' butter so far; Ah'm sure she'll see things mah way after a little chit-chat." She stood up. "An' 'sides, they don't seem all dat close if'n they're not even chattin' together right now."

"Good point."

"And what about Yugi?" SpongeBob asked.

"If Twilight agrees ta vote alon' wit' us, Ah see no reason why Yugi wouldn't too."

SpongeBob and Frank looked at each other in silence for a moment before shrugging. "Okay," SpongeBob said, "give it your best shot."

"Ah'll give better than mah best," Sandy proclaimed as she began walking towards Twilight and the pharaoh.

"So, what's our plan for tonight?" James asked Samus and Celestia.

The princess and the hunter looked at each other (the former with a wry expression) for a moment before returning their gazes to James. "What makes you think you're with us?" Celestia asked.

James chuckled before properly responding. "Well, I'm standing right here with you two, aren't I?" Neither Celestia nor Samus said anything to which James continued. "I can assure you everyone now thinks we're in cahoots because of that triviality, so why not confirm their beliefs by voting together?"

Once more Samus and Celestia glanced at each other. Even though Samus had already made a pact with James, she could see in Celestia's eyes a wariness about adding the British spy to their "Harmony alliance". Samus didn't blame her, however; spies in any world will be conniving little sneaks, and she guessed Celestia had prior experience with such a people.

They both turned back to James. "Why do you want to ally with us?" Celestia asked.

James shrugged. "I guess because I can relate with you two the most."

Celestia's face turned to puzzlement for a second before realization struck and she raised an eyebrow. "Do you truly believe my rule of Equestria parallels that of your own government, Mr. Bond?"

James shrugged again. "I may not have the faintest clue on that account, but it is something we all have in common; why not stick together because of it?" He pointed at the group consisting of Frank, Sandy, and SpongeBob across town square. "After all, it's plainly obvious those three have ties based around their common interest in martial arts." He then pointed toward Twilight and the pharaoh. "And princess, am I correct in assuming Twilight's clinging to Yugi because she's interested in how his world's magic compares to your own?"

Celestia nodded with a smile. "She's always been quite the studious bookworm."

James withdrew his hand. "Then let's make a new pact; one that combines those we've forged with Miss Aran here."

Celestia's smile turned into a frown as she shuffled sheepishly. It was clear the solar princess was still dubious about the proposal, so Samus decided to put Honesty to use again to calm her nerves.

"Can we trust you to have both our backs when in trouble, James Bond?" she asked him.

"Of course," James said with a smile. "It goes without saying that I'll always lend my services to any ally in need of them."

Samus felt no deception in his words. She turned to Celestia. "We can trust him."

Celestia sighed. "Alright then, I'll agree to your proposal, Mr. Bond." She glanced briefly down to the chest housing the remaining Elements of Harmony. "Though, I'm not sure you'd be able to wield any of the remaining elements."

"That's okay," Bond replied before pulling out his Walther PPK. "This is all I'd need anyway."

Celestia stared at the gun in concern. "Please be careful with that."

James rolled his eyes and put the gun away again. "So, who should we pool our votes for tonight?"

"Whatever our decision," Samus spoke up, "it should be to the benefit of the seven remaining people."

"Agreed," Celestia replied, looking back towards her faithful student, "and while I'd like to see Twilight safe and sound back in our own Equestria, if we're to prevent a deadlocked vote tonight I believe we'll need her help."

"Now who'd be the best choice to vote for?" Samus asked.

Celestia was about to answer when James beat her to the punch. "I believe ousting SpongeBob would be the best course of action for tonight's vote."

Celestia and Samus turned to him (the former with a surprised look). "Because of his water helmet, right?" Samus asked.

"Correct."

"I agree; what about you, Celestia?"

Celestia paused, mulling over their words. While it was true SpongeBob was at the greatest risk among them all due to needing his water helmet for survival, Celestia was still hesitant to oust him. Before, and even more so after, SpongeBob unleashed his surprise strike on Frank when the latter asked him to spar, Celestia could sense a genuine benevolence radiating from the yellow sea sponge. He reminded her very much of Pinkie Pie back home, minus the party-throwing obsessions; though, he did seem to share the party pony's ability to twist physics at will as evidenced by the aforementioned surprise strike. To that end, Celestia was confident SpongeBob could wield the Element of Laughter just as well. While she could argue against voting for SpongeBob, she didn't want to come off as tyrannical to her allies. Besides, SpongeBob's liabilities would probably outweigh his assets even while wielding the Element of Laughter.

"Alright," Celestia replied as she rose to all fours, "I'll go talk to my faithful student and Yugi about joining us in ousting Mr. Squarepants." She levitated the Element of Magic out of the chest and began walking toward Twilight and the pharaoh.

Aza's announcement of tribal council had left Twilight deeply depressed. She was elated at first to hear someone would be freed from Aza's sick games and returned home, but the idea of having to choose who to oust was disheartening to the young unicorn. It was even worse than the time she had to pick which one of her friends to take to the Grand Galloping Gala. She hated Aza for what it was doing to them, but also knew nothing could be done to stop it. She'd just have to play along and hope everyone would eventually make it back home safe and sound.

"Twilight?"

Twilight glanced up to see the pharaoh looking down at her with a look that could only be described as steeled concern.

"Yes, pharaoh?" she replied.

"You've been quiet for some time now." He sat down on the ground so they were looking at each other eye-leveled. "Is something bothering you?"

Twilight huffed. "Yes, pharaoh. How am I supposed to choose who to vote for tonight? I want everyone to return to their respective homes safe and sound, but how am I supposed to decide who I want to see leave more than the others?" She gestured towards the other two groups of people around town square. "It's clear those two groups are going to come to us looking for support, meaning the choice will be ours as to who leaves. My fear is whichever group we turn down will hate us afterwards."

The pharaoh sighed. "I understand your pain, Twilight. I too have had to make many tough decisions ever since Yugi solved the Millennium Puzzle and released me. I fear the real reason Aza forced everyone to split up earlier was to break up any potential we had of staying united throughout all of this."

Twilight closed her eyes and sighed. "What do we do, pharaoh?"

Before he could answer, they heard the sound of approaching footsteps. They looked to see Sandy approaching with a smile on her face and waving her squirrel paw in greeting.

"Howdy, y'all," she said.

"Hi Sandy," Twilight replied, glumly.

"Hello," the pharaoh replied.

Sandy noticed Twilight's tone of voice. "Is somethin' wrong, Twilight?" she asked.

Twilight closed her eyes again and sunk her head. "You're here to ask us to vote with you at council, aren't you?"

Sandy couldn't help but be surprised; both at how easily Twilight discerned her objective as well as how negative she seemed to feel about it. But after taking a moment to think about it, she realized it was pretty obvious Twilight and the pharaoh would be the swing votes that decided who was ousted at council. So, she decided honesty was the best course of action for gaining Twilight's support.

"Yeah, Ah am," Sandy said sheepishly. She pointed back towards Frank and SpongeBob. "The three of us 're votin' fer James tonight, as a thank-you fer savin' SpongeBob earlier."

Twilight sighed. Sandy looked to the pharaoh for approval to continue talking, which he gave her with a simple nod. She turned back to Twilight.

"Ah'm sorry if all this is gettin' ya down, Twilight." She put a comforting paw on Twilight's back as she continued. "Is there anythin' I can say that'll make ya feel better?"

Twilight said nothing for a while, but Sandy and the pharaoh waited patiently for her reply. When she finally gave it, her voice's tone wasn't any less glum.

"Can you promise me none of you'll be mad about my decision tonight?"

Sandy smiled. "Of course Ah can, and Ah'll make sure as sugar Frank and SpongeBob promise da same thin'."

Sandy felt happy when Twilight smiled in response to her promise. She then turned to the pharaoh again. "Of course, da same goes fer ya too."

The pharaoh nodded with a small smile of his own. Sandy then turned to leave.

"Well, see y'all in a little while," she said, waving good-bye as she left. Twilight and the pharaoh waved good-bye in turn and resumed their chat.

"Should we vote for James?" Twilight asked.

"Let's hear out the other group," the pharaoh replied.

Twilight agreed and the two of them waited for one of the other three's group to come asking for support. They didn't have to wait for more than about a minute before Celestia approached the two of them, the Element of Magic held in her telekinetic grip. Twilight didn't bother looking at the perfect doppelganger of her Element of Harmony, instead looking straight into the soft, loving eyes of her longtime mentor. It was all she could do to avoid looking at the accursed Alicorn Amulet still around her neck.

"Hello, princess," she said, glumness returning in her voice.

"Hello, my faithful student," Celestia replied. She looked at the pharaoh. "And hello to you too, Yugi."

The pharaoh nodded with a smile. "Hello, Celestia."

Celestia smiled in kind and looked back down at Twilight. The smile on her face vanished when she saw Twilight's gloomy expression. She didn't need to question her about it, however; she could tell Twilight was still confused and disappointed with her request for the Alicorn Amulet. She briefly debated whether she should attempt to gain Twilight's support by revealing the truth behind her decision before deciding it wasn't worth putting Twilight into a deeper depression just to secure her vote. To reveal the truth behind her decision would ultimately lead to Twilight calling everything she'd learned about friendship into question; something the sun princess couldn't allow to happen. Besides, she was confident she could gain her student's support just by playing off the bonds they'd formed over the years.

"I suppose I don't need to explain why I came over here?" she asked Twilight.

Twilight shook her head. "Who are you voting for?"

"SpongeBob." Celestia wrapped a comforting wing around her student. "But listen, Twilight, don't think I'll hold it against you if you don't vote along with my group. Your freedom of choice exists here as much as it does in our own Equestria. Just know that I always strived to achieve two things by taking you under my wing. The first was to aid your growth into a pony capable of wielding the Element of Magic and making good use of its power; i.e. freeing my sister of the darkness plaguing her heart."

Twilight managed to smile at that before speaking up. "Speaking of the Element of Magic." She pointed at the necklace still suspended in Celestia's telekinetic grip. "It seems I still exist and wield it in this alternate Equestria."

"You and Rarity," Celestia replied with a smile of her own. "The other four have different symbols on the front, indicating different bearers than the rest of your friends."

"That reminds me," Twilight said. "How were you able to get Honesty and Loyalty to accept new bearers so easily?"

Celestia put a hoof to her chin in mock contemplation before smiling again. "Much about the Elements of Harmony is shrouded in mystery, Twilight, suffice to say they can easily change bearers when desired, so long as the person embodies the required trait enough to be accepted. Perhaps, when we return home, you can research the Elements a bit more thoroughly than what's been attempted already."

Celestia felt true happiness in her heart when Twilight beamed in response. "Do you really mean that?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes, but only after we've returned home, which leads me to my second point." Seeing that Twilight was now feeling better, Celestia unwrapped her wing from around her as she continued. "By taking you under my wing I hoped to help develop you and your fellow bearers into role models."

"Role models?"

"Yes, Twilight." Celestia rested a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "I wanted to use you and your fellow bearers as an example of what friendship between normal ponies can accomplish. After Luna's revolt and subsequent banishment, my subjects started believing themselves as insignificant to shaping Equestria's future and became all the more dependent on me to do so myself. By granting the Elements to you and your friends I hope to show the whole world that everyone, regardless of authority or strength, has the power to shape their future, and that embracing the Magic of Friendship will ensure that future is a bright one."

While Twilight struggled to hold back happy tears, the pharaoh couldn't help but be reminded of the time he teamed up with Judai Yuki and Yusei Fudo in their duel against Paradox. Much like how Celestia believed Twilight and her friends could make their world's future a bright one, Yusei believed he and his friends could achieve the exact same with their world's future, and with his and Judai's help they ensured Yusei would get his chance at doing so.

Twilight and the pharaoh returned their attention to Celestia as she continued.

"What I'm saying, Twilight, is that everything I do is for the benefit of society as a whole and that applies even now. In fact, decision-making here is a lot less strenuous since there's only eight of us to worry about. My group has decided to vote for SpongeBob at council because his inability to breathe without his water helmet makes him a great liability." Celestia levitated the Element of Magic in front of Twilight. "If you wish to join our voting bloc then put this on; I have no doubt whatsoever that you'll be able to wield this Element of Magic just as well as your own back home."

Twilight looked down at the necklace floating in front of her as she contemplated whether or not she should accept Celestia's offer. One would think she'd need no incentive whatsoever to ally with her longtime mentor/second mother, and under most circumstances she'd accept Celestia's offer without question. But Twilight's eyes kept shifting past her element to the amulet around Celestia's neck, thoughts of which brought nothing but despair to the lavender unicorn. She still hadn't gotten over her shock and outrage at Celestia's request for it, particularly because a nagging thought in Twilight's head kept accusing Celestia of hiding something from her regarding it. All these conflicting thoughts left Twilight's mind scrambled, but still cohesive enough to give Celestia an answer.

"Can I have until council to think about it?" she pleaded.

Celestia smiled. "Of course you can, Twilight." She brought the necklace back to her side. "I'll keep the offer open indefinitely."

Twilight nodded in understanding as Celestia turned back to her group and walked away. The pharaoh waited until she was out of earshot before turning back to Twilight.

"So, should we vote for SpongeBob, or James?" he asked.

Twilight took a moment to clear her head and sighed. "Pharaoh, you decide who goes; I'm not taking sides in this."

The pharaoh's eyes widened slightly in surprise before he returned to his typical stoic expression. "Why not?"

Twilight sighed again. "Because things have been getting increasingly complicated ever since we first arrived here and my comprehension levels have finally reached their breaking point." She looked up at the pharaoh with a solemn expression etched into her features. "To be honest, pharaoh, I don't know what to believe anymore. I feel as if Celestia has a veil of secrecy surrounding her request for the Alicorn Amulet that she won't let even me bypass. It's like she doesn't trust me to the same capacity here that she always did back home, which is, in turn, waning my own trust in her. As logical as voting with her group might be, I can't bring myself to join her when I'm being kept in the dark like this."

Twilight levitated her torch from off the ground and began trotting toward the outskirts of Ponyville. "I'll be waiting by the Everfree Forest; whoever goes tonight is your choice, pharaoh."

The pharaoh kept his eyes trained on Twilight until she'd crested a hill sitting between Ponyville and the forest. Afterward, he leaned against the building's front door and began pondering to himself on who to vote for. Almost immediately, however, Yugi spoke up in his thoughts.

So who'll you vote for, pharaoh?

We should determine our vote together; just because we only get one doesn't mean it should be a solo decision.

Speaking of which, I'm concerned about Twilight; is there anything we can do to help?

I'm not sure, Yugi. If Celestia is indeed hiding something from even her faithful student, I sincerely doubt she'd be any more open with us.

True; I just hope their falling out with each other doesn't affect the rest of us.

I hope so too, Yugi.

"Twilight?" Sandy asked.

"Yes, Sandy?"

"Somethin' don't feel right 'bout this place."

"Compared to the rest of Equestria, it isn't."

The group of eight was currently trudging through the Everfree Forest en route to Tribal Council as per Aza's command. Just like its counterpart back home, the decrepit nature of this Everfree Forest unsettled those who ventured through. Out of the group, Twilight was the only one who had traveled through enough to become immune to its unnerving quality. Even Princess Celestia was currently on edge as she'd avoided returning to the location of her sister's banishment to the moon ever since enacting the deed, though she'd heard many stories about the dangerous creatures that took up residence in the decrepit forest over time. Twilight's immunity to the unease permeated by the forest, however, was built through many visits to one particular denizen for tea and, on occasion, helpful advice.

"Hey, Twilight." SpongeBob pointed with his torch toward Zecora's tree home. "Does someone live there?"

The group continued walking as Twilight answered with a smile. "Yes, my zebra friend Zecora lives there. A zebra is-"

"Actually," SpongeBob interrupted, "I already know what zebras are . . . from firsthand experience."

Twilight gave him an incredulous look. "Firsthand experience from underwater?"

"And gorillas . . . "

" . . . wha-?"

Sandy interrupted her next. "Ah'll tell y'all 'bout it later if'n yer still interested." She took one last look at the tree hut as it disappeared from sight through the trees. "Jus' how many of y'all Equestrians live 'n tree homes, anyway?"

Twilight smiled. "Just me and Zecora as far as I'm aware."

The rest of the journey was mostly uneventful. Every now and then one of the group would ask Twilight something regarding the Everfree Forest's aesthetics and/or history, and while she'd answer as best she could with the former, she redirected questions on the latter to Celestia. The solar princess, however, would shy away from most of these questions much to her student's annoyance, as well as Yugi and the pharaoh's disappointment. In fact, it wasn't until Samus asked Celestia about her grievances with answering the questions that she finally relented.

"This forest rests upon the land in which Nightmare Moon and I battled before I used the Elements to seal her in the moon." She sighed. "My anguish over those events has kept me from returning to this place, or even answering questions relating to it."

While everyone nodded in understanding, the pharaoh had a sudden bout of realization.

That's it!

Pharaoh?

Yugi, I know how we can heal the rift between Twilight and Celestia.

Really? How?

The pharaoh was about to reply when a flickering firelight emerged through the trees. After walking a few more meters through the trees, the group found themselves in a grassy clearing with lit tiki torches adorning the edge all around; about one every few meters.

I'll explain later, Yugi; it appears we've arrived at council.

The group made their way further into the clearing, analyzing the setup around them. Dead center in the clearing, constructed over a patch of dry, grassless dirt, was a blazing fire pit made of rocks and charcoals. On one side sat a row of eight makeshift chairs carved from rock, angled so as to curve slightly around the fire pit while leaving enough room to walk through. On the other side stood a tall pedestal also carved from rock, next to which began a dirt path that led straight across the clearing and into the surrounding trees. Situated perpendicular to the rock pedestal and the fire pit was another dirt path that led into a plain grass hut; inside was a wooden vanity, upon which sat a lit candle and a wooden jar of sorts. Both dirt paths were flanked on either side by a series of lit tiki torches about three-fourths the size of those surrounding the clearing.

"What an odd setup this is," James remarked.

"It may seem odd to your short-sighted eyes, Mr. Bond, but everything here is built with a purpose. Speaking of which, all of you dip your torches into the fire pit so they're alight."

Everyone did as Aza commanded. All at once they approached the fire pit and dipped their torches in, bringing them back out once lit and all the while Aza explained its purpose.

"If there's one thing that perfectly symbolizes life itself, it's fire. In every society, fire is key to keeping people alive and well. As long as fire exists, so can life; when there's no fire, life itself is doomed. To that end, your existence in this experiment of mine will be represented by your lit torches here at council. Should you be voted out by your tribemates, your torch will be snuffed, and you'll return home. Am I clear?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good. Now, place your torches into one of the holders behind the row of seats and sit down in front of it."

Everyone once again did as Aza commanded. The order went (from left to right): James, Twilight, Frank, Celestia, the pharaoh, SpongeBob, Samus, and Sandy.

"Now then . . ."

It was then that a figure began materializing above the pedestal across from the fire pit. Everyone watched, spellbound, as the figure took shape until it was finished and hovering above the pedestal. It was a truly bizarre sight; five differently colored spheres arranged in a cross-like pattern. The topmost sphere was colored red, the center one colored blue, the lowest one colored yellow, the leftmost one colored white, and the rightmost one colored black. All of this, however, was three-dimensional and all the group of eight could see. What they couldn't see was the series of two-dimensional limbs connecting the spheres to each other, as well as the one-dimensional makeshift hand resting directly in front of the blue sphere. The entity floated above the rock pedestal in total silence, unnerving the group of eight more than the Everfree Forest had managed to earlier.

"What are you?" Twilight asked the strange thing.

"It's me, Aza."

Author's Note

SO, SO, SO sorry for the extra-long wait guys. Between a week long reunion with my extended family (which is roughly the same size as Applejack's, seriously), registering for online school courses, working on the official sequel to HUMAN By: Twilight Sparkle, and sleeping I haven't had anywhere near as much time to work on this as I did with previous chapters. Rest assured though that I have absolutely no intention of ever ending this fic unless you guys want me to, in which case you'd request both Celestia and Twilight to be voted out. Right now, though, the first boot has been decided and will be the focus of next chapter, Tribal Council.

Please point out any spelling/grammar errors, plot holes, or general sloppiness in my writing and I'll happily fix it. :D

Tribal Council

". . . What?"

A snicker sounded. "Don't overwork your brain, Twilight; allow me to explain. That thing is of my own creation instead of imported from another universe. I created it using a little piece of my own basic components to which all realities share. Originally, I wanted to create something more definitive and complex, but it proved too difficult to maintain control over for the required length of time to conduct council. The entity before you is the best I could accomplish under those restraints, though I have to say it does adequately symbolize the concept of everything."

"How da y'all control it?" Sandy asked.

"The same way you all control yourselves."

" . . . With brainpower?"

"More basic than that, Sandy; willpower, which the center sphere acts as. Extending out in front of it is the "hand" with which to interact with the environment. Are there any more questions concerning me and my little puppet?" Twilight's hoof instantly shot up. "Yes, Twilight?"

"What would happen if your puppet was destroyed?" she asked.

"Matter cannot be created or destroyed, Twilight, which is what my puppet is made out of."

Twilight snorted in irritation. "Okay then, what would happen if it got hit straight on by a magical blast from my horn?"

Celestia glanced over at her student in panic. "Twilight, don't provoke it!"

"It'd be a waste of time and energy, Twilight. No matter how many times my puppet may dissipate I can always reconstruct it. If you thought I'd implode or something upon its annihilation then you were sorely mistaken.

Twilight huffed and crossed her fore hooves in front of her.

"Now then, before we get to the voting let's discuss the intertribal relations amongst you eight. Aza gestured toward the group by shifting the puppet's black sphere over until it was "pointing" at them. Everyone's eyes focused on it in turn as having a physical presence to direct their words at was undoubtedly better than talking to Aza itself.

"Twilight, you were elated when Celestia was roped into this experiment, which is understandable, given how strong a bond you two already shared. At the same time, Celestia's well-being isn't at any less risk as the rest of you. Is having her support worth putting her in danger for, Twilight?"

Twilight looked down and sighed. "No, it isn't worth it."

Celestia could easily sense the disdain in Twilight's voice as she answered.

"At the same time, SpongeBob and Sandy, you two are in an identical boat. While it's clear things aren't going so well for the two equines, I sense little animosity between you two. What do you think makes your relationship stronger than theirs?"

"Well," SpongeBob said, "I don't know what's going on between Twilight and Celestia, but Sandy's a good friend who'd always have my back no matter the situation. So, I can't really answer your question."

"Ah think Ah can," Sandy said to no one in particular. She faced SpongeBob as she continued. "The difference between us an' them is dat Twilight n' Celestia have a student-teacher relationship while we have a best buds kinda thing between us. Ah'd imagine relationships 'ould be more strenuous if'n they're between two people who ain't equal."

"Yeah, true," SpongeBob mused. The sponge and squirrel shared a good laugh for a while after that, to which Twilight and Celestia found irritating at first before giving in and chuckling along slightly. Eventually, the four of them stopped their fit of laughter enough for Aza to continue its prodding.

"Frank, you've taken quite a liking to the undersea duo. Is that solely because the three of you share a love of martial arts, or is it due to their friendly nature?"

Frank shifted in his seat as he replied. "Both; we just clicked, you know?"

"And what about you, James? Of the three late arrivals, you're the only one who hasn't grown close to the person whom you met first. Is that because you and SpongeBob just don't 'click'?"

James shook his head with a smile and turned to look at the yellow sea sponge. "It can't be denied that Mr. Squarepants is a good kid; he surely and truly is. However, common interests are indeed important for crafting friendships, to which I found the princess and Miss Aran had more in common with me than he did."

"What say you, Samus? Did you find yourself to have a lot in common with Mr. Bond?"

Samus shrugged. "Aside from our governmental ties, a little. We both lost our parents at a young age, and grew into something we wouldn't have otherwise as a result. Truth be told, however, he . . . kind of reminds me of someone from my past."

Almost everyone turned to look at her in surprise, James quirking both eyebrows at the sudden admission. "That's new," he remarked. "And who might the anonymous acquaintance be?"

"He wasn't just an acquaintance," Samus replied, looking downtrodden. "He was something . . . different, but more than a mere acquaintance nevertheless." She cupped her hands under her chin. "He wasn't quite as humorous as you, James, but he did harbor the same dark, apathetic, "complete the mission, no matter the cost" vibe that you seem to give. The fact that you remind me of him is the main reason behind my acceptance of your alliance offer."

Everyone listened to Samus with rapt attention. Once she'd finished speaking, Celestia found herself smiling at the last thing Samus had said. It was almost identical to her own reason for reaching out to Samus for an alliance. Thinking that, she spared another glance down to the Alicorn Amulet still around her neck. Her smile disappeared, however, upon remembering Twilight's disdain for her for requesting it.

. . . Alright, for Twilight.

Aza had sensed Celestia to be deep in thought and, pretty sure what she was thinking, decided to prod her next.

"Celestia, despite your close relationship with Twilight, it's clear you two have done nothing but drift apart since arriving, and seemingly all because of that amulet you requested which, by the way, you haven't bothered using at all. You told Twilight you wanted as much power at your disposal as you could get, and since the Elements of Harmony would've been useless at the time, it made sense to ask for something that, while latent with corrupting influence, provided the wearer with immense magical strength. Yet, you haven't taken advantage of it, and all it's done is made Twilight more distrustful of you. Have you not used it because of a lack of opportunities? Are you actually afraid of succumbing to its influence? Or were you lying to Twilight when you explained your reason for requesting it?"

Celestia sighed. "Clearly, requesting this thing was a mistake on my part; I see that now." Glancing over to Twilight, she saw her (previously most faithful) student looking at her solemnly out of the corner of her eye. "If I relinquish possession of it, Twilight, can I expect the rift between us to heal?"

Everybody turned to look at Twilight, genuinely curious as to her answer. The lavender unicorn herself kept her gaze on Celestia as she unlatched the amulet from around her neck to show she was serious about giving it up. After thinking it over for a few moments, Twilight lifted her head with a small smile. "It'll help, yes, but I'll need some time to think this all over before my trust in you is fully restored."

Celestia smiled. "Of course, Twilight, take as much time as you need."

She then unwrapped the amulet from around her neck, levitating it over to Aza's puppet and dropping it onto the rock pedestal. The amulet vanished a moment later as Aza returned it to the universe from which it'd been retrieved.

"And that leaves just Yugi and the pharaoh left to prod; quite the unique relationship you two have. From what I've gathered, yours' is that of student-teacher merged with traditional friendship ties; essentially what Twilight and Celestia wish they had but just can't make work."

Both equines scowled at Aza's puppet in response as it continued.

"Since it works so well for you two, maybe you could share the secret to the success of yours?"

Their curiosity piqued once again, everyone now turned to face the pharaoh. He was taken aback by Aza's suggestion at first mainly because he wasn't sure he could rightly answer. But after mulling it over for a few moments, the pharaoh came up with what he believed to be a reasonable answer.

"All I have to say is this," he said, turning to look at Twilight and Celestia."The success of a student-teacher relationship is determined by two things. The first is how well the student can learn from their teacher, while the second is how well the teacher can, in turn, learn from their student."

Twilight and Celestia mulled over the pharaoh's words before Aza spoke up again. "Words of wisdom if I ever heard any; well said, pharaoh. And with that the voting shall commence; here's how it's going to work." Aza pointed the puppet's white sphere toward the grass hut across the clearing. "One by one you'll walk along the dirt path into the hut, inside of which are parchments, a marker, and an urn with which to cast your votes. You cannot vote for yourself, and you must write the actual name of whomever it is you're voting for. Once finished, I'll retrieve and read the votes to you all; whomever receives the majority will have their torch snuffed and then must leave the tribal council area immediately by way of this path." Aza pointed the black sphere down the path next to the rock pedestal leading into the trees. "From there, they'll be returned home safe and sound. Clear?"

Everyone nodded.

"Alright then, it's time to vote; James, you're up."

**********

You're a good kid, SpongeBob, but you're at the greatest risk out of everyone. If Aza wasn't forcing us all to do this, I would've loved to get to know you better. As it is, though, you're much better off leaving first. Don't worry, we'll make sure Sandy returns home safe and sound as well.

. . . . . .

I may go to my grave never having repaid the debt I owe you for saving my life, James. Hopefully, Yugi and Twilight are siding with me and my friends, because then at least that debt will be partially repaid when you leave. Here's to hoping that happens.

. . . . . .

This vote should make it clear I refuse to side with either group.

. . . . . .

I sincerely hope this vote turns out to be the correct one.

Once all the votes were cast, Aza had its puppet retrieve the urn containing them. It set the urn down onto the rock pedestal and removed the lid.

"I'll now read the votes."

Everyone tensed as Aza's puppet fished out the first vote. While Aza already knew who'd received the most votes, it kept the parchment's blank side facing the group so as to draw out adequate suspense. Aza could see it was working as almost everyone was fidgeting in anticipation. Once satisfied, Aza spoke while the puppet turned the vote around for them to see.

"First vote is for . . . SpongeBob."

Said yellow sponge flinched slightly in response before relaxing a bit as Aza read the second vote.

"Second vote is for . . . James."

The British spy merely raised a quizzical brow in response while Aza's puppet fished two more votes out of the urn.

" . . . James . . . SpongeBob; we're tied at two votes each for James and SpongeBob."

Two more votes were fished out.

"Another vote for SpongeBob . . . and another vote for James; that's three votes each."

Both groups of three tensed up as the next vote was fished out of the urn. It was easy to guess the last two votes were Twilight and Yugi's, so they naturally assumed the next vote would reveal who was getting voted out. They were all shocked when the vote was revealed to them.

" . . . Yugi; that's three votes each for James and SpongeBob and one vote for Yugi/the pharaoh."

The pharaoh deadpanned as everyone else turned to stare incredulously at Twilight, who responded by using her telekinesis to turn everyone's heads back toward Aza's puppet, her own gaze already there waiting for the deciding vote. She didn't have to wait long, and as Aza's puppet fished out the last vote Twilight released her magical grip on everyone else, not needing it anymore.

"And the first person voted out is . . . SpongeBob."

There was a collective sigh from everyone in James' group while Frank and Sandy hung their heads in distress. The pharaoh kept his deadpanned expression while Twilight shrugged to herself, being more or less apathetic to his decision.

"SpongeBob, you need to bring me your torch."

"Can I say something to everyone first?" he asked.

"Whatever."

SpongeBob turned to look at everyone as a tear rolled down his cheek. "I'll always have a place in my heart for each and every one of you. My only regret is I wasn't able to repay you for saving my life, James."

James gave him a dismissive wave with his hand. "Don't dwell on it," he told him.

"I won't," SpongeBob replied, and turned to his squirrel friend. "Come back home safe and sound, Sandy; I look forward to hearing about what happens after I leave."

"Don't y'all worry yer pretty little spongy head 'bout me," she replied.

SpongeBob chuckled. He then turned his head to Frank, a smile adorning his face. "I'll definitely miss you most of all."

"Same here," Frank answered, smiling himself.

SpongeBob kept his smile the whole time he retrieved his torch and carried it over to the rock pedestal where Aza's puppet waited with a snuffer to extinguish the torch's flame. SpongeBob inserted the torch into the designated hole and looked up at the puppet.

"SpongeBob, the tribe has spoken."

The puppet then lifted the snuffer over the torch and, in one fluid motion, brought it down and extinguished the flame.

"It's time for you to go."

SpongeBob nodded and, with one last wave goodbye to everyone, proceeded down the dirt path. Everyone kept their gazes on him as SpongeBob reached the tree line and disappeared through, returning home to Bikini Bottom in turn.

"Well, that was certainly an eventful first council; I look forward to seeing what comes of it. Grab your torches, head on back to Ponyville, and watch out for the zombie horde I just released in the forest."

Everyone froze in response to that last bit. Then a snicker sounded.

"I kid, I kid, I know you're all too exhausted right now for that. Anyway, good night."

Scowling in irritation, everyone grabbed their torches and began making the long trek back to Ponyville through the Everfree Forest.

Author's Note

Like I said, your votes determined who got booted.

In case it wasn't obvious, I used a different text color for everyone when they cast their votes, even the ones that weren't shown. It shouldn't be hard to guess who's who, especially those who stated who they're voting for.

Anyway, this fic will be put on hold for a bit while I work on the sequel to HUMAN: By Twilight Sparkle. Be sure to check that out too once it's published.

Please point out any spelling/grammar errors I make and I'll be sure to fix them. Otherwise, please comment on what you think of this chapter and/or the entire story in general. To my knowledge, nothing like this has ever been attempted in the history of crossovers, on this site or any other.

A Plan Is Hatched

The journey back to Ponyville from Tribal Council was . . . quiet. No one said anything regarding what transpired there, preferring instead to keep their thoughts to themselves rather than risk upsetting someone. The group of now seven people had plenty on their minds, not the least of which being happiness for SpongeBob's departure. While everyone was glad that the little yellow sponge was returned home safely, some were doubly glad that their biggest liability was gone and the group was that much stronger as a result. Not all of everyone's thoughts were joyous, however.

Everyone, minus Twilight of course, was shocked at how the lavender unicorn voted against Yugi, her own ally, for no discernible reason. What it said about her to them, however, was mixed at best. Everyone couldn't tell if Twilight cared for either group enough to vote for or against them, or even whether or not Yugi was indeed her ally. All the conflicting theories and implications surrounding her decision was too much for everyone to handle, and by the time the group returned to Ponyville everyone had given up on trying to make sense of Twilight's vote.

Twilight herself, however, could sense the dread she'd stirred up with her surprise decision. Once they reached town square, she got up on the center fountain and spoke up.

"I suppose everyone would like some answers regarding my vote, wouldn't they?"

Everyone nodded except for the pharaoh, who did nothing but stare stoically at her in anticipation of her answer.

After a heavy sigh, Twilight resumed speaking. "Here's the truth; I was afraid. Afraid of how your opinions toward me might've changed if I chose to side with either group. I do care for all of you and want nothing more than to see all of us return home safe and sound, but by voting for or against either group I'd be giving preferential treatment to someone over another person, and I can't bring myself to do that." She looked down at the pharaoh. "Pharaoh, the only reason why I voted for you is because I couldn't vote for myself, and voting for anyone else other than SpongeBob and James would've still amounted to choosing sides."

The pharaoh nodded. "I understand, Twilight, and I don't blame you for being too confused and afraid to join either group."

"I don't blame you either," Celestia said, then turned her head to everyone else. "And I'm sure everyone else feels the same way; right?"

After a few moments of consideration, the remaining four people nodded in agreement. Seeing this made Twilight a bit happier, and she stepped down from the fountain to approach Celestia. "Thanks for understanding," she told her mentor.

"You're very welcome," the solar princess replied, then leaned forward to whisper into Twilight's ear. "You're still free to join my alliance whenever you so wish."

Twilight smiled. "Perhaps, but I still need some time to think over the whole Alicorn Amulet request thing."

Celestia nodded. "Like I said earlier, take all the time you need."

With everyone's confusion cleared up and their spirits raised a bit, most of the group proceeded toward their selected houses to retire for the night. Celestia took flight towards Canterlot Castle, having chosen to continue sleeping there for the time being. The only one who didn't move right away was the pharaoh, who kept track of which house Samus entered before he and Yugi conversed.

So, pharaoh, you mentioned something about a plan to fix things between Twilight and Celestia?

Yes, Yugi, and we'll need Samus' help for it.

Why?

Remember when we were walking to council, how Celestia only answered Samus' question and no one else's?

Yeah.

I sensed a great power at work within the Element of Honesty during that time, which leads me to believe Samus used it to make Celestia answer her question truthfully.

I guess that makes sense; Celestia did say the Elements of Harmony are the most powerful magic artifacts in Equestria. So, Honesty lets the user force others to be honest when questioned?

That appears to be the case, which means if Samus questioned Celestia about why she requested the Alicorn Amulet from Aza, she'd have no choice but to answer honestly.

But pharaoh, there's two hiccups in that plan. First of all, what if Twilight doesn't want to know Celestia's motives by 'tomorrow' and instead forgives her without asking?

That would be nice, Yugi, but it'd be good to have a failsafe should she ask and Celestia refuses to give answers by her own accord.

Fair enough. Also, what if learning Celestia's motives only worsens their relationship? What if there's a good reason why Celestia kept it hidden from Twilight?

That thought crossed my mind a plethora of times, Yugi; it truly did. However, the way things currently stand we can't afford to have animosity between our allies; it'll only serve to hinder the group whenever Aza decides to blindside us. Should the situation only get worse after learning Celestia's motives, we'll work to continue healing the rift between her and Twilight. All that matters is that things get patched between them before it becomes too great of a problem to fix.

. . . Alright, sounds good to me.

The walk back to Golden Oaks was as quiet as the trip back from council to Ponyville. Twilight and Sandy said nothing to each other the whole way there and all the while they prepared for bedtime. It wasn't until both had slipped under the covers of their respective beds that Twilight broke the silence.

"Sandy?"

The squirrel lifted up her head to stare at the egghead. "Yeah, Twilight?"

Twilight breathed deeply before replying in a sincere tone. "Do you want me to join the alliance you and Frank have?"

Sandy was puzzled. "Why d'ya ask?"

Twilight turned her head toward the window, deciding to pretend there was a beautiful, star-filled sky out to see. "I only wasted my vote tonight because I was so confused as to what consequences there'd be to choosing sides. Being from a world in which unicorn magic is mere fantasy, I can only imagine what you think of someone like me, who has magic as their special talent and even wields the Element of Magic itself." Twilight turned to face Sandy. "I imagine you must think I'm an all-powerful demi-goddess or something, am I right?"

Sandy thought for a moment before answering. "Ah don't rightly know what ta think 'bout somethin' I can't try out fer myself, but what does that have ta do with yer vote tonight?"

"Everything," Twilight replied. "Magic is a wondrous thing but there's some things it can never hope to achieve, Foresight being one of them."

Sandy blinked for a moment before realization hit and she nodded in understanding. "Ah see," she said. "Y'all couldn't see into da future and gauge what decision would be fer da best, so y'all chose neither side an' instead chose an inconsequential route."

Twilight nodded. "That in addition to what I said earlier about not giving any preferential treatment to any one group; as you can imagine, dealing with the strain of both was too much to bear."

Sandy laughed. "Ya, I reckon it'd be."

Twilight chuckled briefly before continuing. "But, if you want me to, I'll abandon that line of thinking and join you and Frank come next Tribal Council."

Sandy eased her laughter and looked to Twilight with a serious, but soft gaze. "Twi, y'all can do whateveh ya want, but da fact remains that Frank an' Ah are going at da next two councils, lest Aza throw a wrench in that course. It don't matter whether ya join r' rally against not jus' us but any group, so long as y'all care 'bout our well-bein', which Ah recall ya stated back 'n Town Square if'n Ah'm not mistaken."

Twilight smiled. "I meant what I said back there."

"Then quit yer gripin' an' cheer up already!" Sandy playfully threw a pillow at Twilight. The lavender mare caught it in her magic and levitated it back over to the squirrel.

"Alright, Sandy," she said. "I'll stop dwelling on it."

"Good." Sandy re-fluffed the pillow and rested her head on it once more. "Now let's get ta sleep."

Twilight smiled and did the same, falling sound asleep just a few minutes later.

"So, this is what ponies use instead of doorknobs."

James studied the front doorlock to his selected house with great interest. He'd been curious for a while as to how ponies could use technology and tools despite lacking hands. Granted, a different universe would probably abide by a different set of rules for reality, but James had a feeling evolution still applied here in Equestria. Whether or not it did was none of his concern, but regardless, he couldn't help but be impressed at the ingenuity of the doorlock he was currently studying.

Instead of a knob, the locking mechanism used a 'button' of sorts that one would push in instead of turn. The metallic button was about 15 centimeters across and depressed slightly, which James deduced was to keep accidental openings from happening if somepony leaned against or barricaded the door. Had the group not been forbidden from vandalizing anypony's houses, James would've loved to take the door apart and see the inner workings of the locking mechanism. As it were, though, he just shrugged and pressed his hand against the doorlock to open it.

The first thing James realized upon entering the house was how quaint everything seemed. Of course, the town didn't seem too advanced judging by its exterior, but seeing how simple everything was inside the house helped drive the point of just how rural Ponyville was. Everything seemed straight out of 19th century Britain or America, with the notable exception of a stereo system tucked away in one corner.

I wonder what kind of music they listen to? Ah, I probably wouldn't fancy it anyway.

Yawning, James made his way to the couch and plopped down onto it. Judging the thing's length, James determined he'd need to prop his feet on the armrest to be comfortable. That was fine with him; James had suffered much worse sleep arrangements throughout his life. Making himself comfortable, he set his Walther PPK onto the nearby coffee table and rested his head against the other armrest, hoping a good night's sleep awaited him.

Frank sat down in a chair within the living room of his selected house and proceeded to take his socks and shoes off; he never was comfortable sleeping with them on. He then proceeded to take off his jacket and hang it up on a nearby coatrack. He briefly wondered why the ponies of Equestria would need coats when they already had natural coats of hair to keep them warm, but decided it wasn't worth looking into. After all, odds are he wouldn't be sticking around much longer, so no need to study how pony society functions.

Setting his camera down on the room's obligatory coffee table, Frank sprawled out on the couch and began pondering all of what'd happened that day. To go from covering wars, to a zombie outbreak, to being roped into a game of multiversal proportions was nothing if not extraordinary; the fact that he'd killed a giant, fire breathing pterodactyl dragon-esque creature with a simple machete was just the cherry on top of his life's sundae. But all the same, there was something that'd bothered Frank ever since he learned the truth to the situation.

"Frank, you must've been infected somehow."

Frank remembered Isabella's words crystal clear, and despite having been given a drug to stop the parasite growth in his bloodstream he knew it only lasted so long. He heard what Aza said about time not flowing within it, and Frank didn't doubt the sentient universe. What concerned him, however, was what would happen should Aza decide to let time flow. Frank was sure that the only thing currently keeping the drug from wearing down was the fact that time didn't flow in Aza, thereby acting as a second barrier to the parasite's growth in his bloodstream.

But if there was one thing everyone had agreed upon in regards to Aza, it was that the sentient universe couldn't be trusted. It had already shown a willingness to put them in harm's way, not to mention the fact that it clearly got enjoyment out of toying with everyone. Aza did whatever it wanted, whenever it wanted, and with whomever it wanted. Coupled with the fact that it essentially had all of existence at its disposal made Frank and everyone else beyond unnerved and forced them to comply with Aza's demands lest they face certain doom.

If Aza wanted to, it could let time flow and put everyone at risk of being infected if I succumb to the parasite. Actually, Aza could put ALL life in danger since it has access to the entire multiverse. If I turn into one of those damned walking corpses, if it wanted to Aza could spread the parasite all throughout the multiverse. Aza could end all life if it wanted, and all because I was careless enough to let myself get infected. No, no, Aza wouldn't do that . . . would it?

Needless to say, Frank had trouble getting to sleep.

Celestia flew over the landscape between Ponyville and Canterlot with naught but sleep on her mind. The solar princess had in fact been interrupted from sleep when Aza roped her into its sadistic game to begin with; it was a wonder she'd kept herself awake and alert up until now, though that could be attributed to all the shocking revelations regarding the situation's enormity. Now that her mind had finished processing them, Celestia was all too eager to let go of her worries and return to sleep's warm, comforting embrace where sweet dreams hopefully awaited her.

Celestia flew straight to Canterlot Castle and landed on her, or rather this Equestria's counterpart of her, balcony. Stretching her wings a bit to relieve the achy muscles, Celestia stepped inside 'her' room and looked around. When she'd come by earlier to retrieve the Elements of Harmony, she hadn't bothered entering the castle through her room; the quickest way to the Chamber of Harmony was through the castle's front doors. As such, Celestia didn't take the time to see what differences existed between this room and her familiar one back home.

Looking around it now, however, Celestia could see that very little was different. The bedspread had the familiar gold silk with fluffy white trimmings as hers' did, the vanity was wooden and rotting along one side like hers' was, and Philomena's cage was also situated next to the window so as to allow the fiery bird passage outside when desired. Among other things, this room was almost perfectly identical to hers'. The one exception to this was that the doors leading to the bathroom and the outside hallway were in mirrored positions along their respective walls. This didn't bother Celestia, though, since the room felt familiar enough to grant her a peaceful night's sleep.

As Celestia prepared to climb into bed, a thought struck her. A naughty, sinister, totally irresponsible for a princess of Equestria to think of, thought. With a slight mischievous smile, Celestia walked over and opened her bedroom's door before stepping outside. Looking down the hall a ways, she spotted the familiar dark blue door to Luna's bedroom. Giggling like a school filly, Celestia pranced to the door and pushed in the doorlock. The door opened with a gentle creaking sound that indicated it needed a good oiling.

Now, what kind of secret shame/s might this Equestria's Luna have?

Upon entering her sister counterpart's room, however, Celestia glimpsed yet another major difference between this Equestria and hers'; the Elemental Bearers' identities being the first. On one side of the native moon princess' room, sitting atop the solid brass vanity across from the bed (which was still the dark blue coloration with stars sewn into the fabric that Celestia remembered) was a television set seemingly straight out of Twilight's HUMAN trilogy. Many wires and plugs ran from the box-like device and into the small space behind the vanity, where Celestia deduced the electrical outlets were; a quick peek under the vanity confirmed this.

Upon closer inspection of the fictional-turned-real device, Celestia noticed a second, much smaller device sitting next to it on the vanity. Whereas the television had a box-like design and several buttons jutting out near its base, this one had a sleeker design with rounded edges and only a couple of buttons jutting out from one side. A couple more wires were plugged into the other side, one of which connected the device to the television while the other ran behind the vanity to the electrical outlet. Celestia racked her brain trying to remember if Twilight's HUMAN trilogy mentioned anything about such devices.

Ummm . . . oh, that's right, they're called video game consoles. So, this Equestria's Luna is into gaming, apparently. And this console is called . . . PONii U. Hmmm, interesting name, though I don't get its meaning.

Celestia took one final look at the alien setup before deciding she'd seen enough to satisfy her curiosity. The presence of fictional technology in this Equestria wasn't surprising at all. After all, with infinite universes anything's possible; Aza just happened to choose a version of Equestria in which such technology existed. Still, Celestia couldn't help but wonder what other differences from her Equestria this one had, and whether she need worry about them endangering the group's safety. All this and more the solar princess pondered as she left Luna's room and returned to her counterpart's, intent on resting up in preparation for whatever challenges Aza threw at the group the following day.

The first thing Samus did upon entering her selected house was commit the interior layout, including every possible vantage point, to memory. In the absence of map stations, it was all the bounty hunter could do to keep herself aware of her surroundings. Once finished, she allowed herself a moment to rest and sat down on the living room couch, but sat back up upon realizing the weight of her armor was liable to snap the couch cushions' springs in half.

Shrugging to herself, Samus proceeded to disengage her Power Suit; once it'd fully retracted she sat back down. Looking down at the couch cushion, Samus experimentally rubbed a hand across it a few times. It had been so very long since she'd gotten a chance to rest on an actual couch rather than her ship's pilot seat, or a Galactic Federation infirmary bed, that she'd practically forgotten what one felt like. Then again, she wasn't sure whether these pony made couches were of the same material as those back home, but from what little she remembered of them compared to what she could feel through her Zero Suit right now, Samus figured they were roughly the same.

This beats my ship's seat by a longshot. Speaking of which . . .

"Aza," Samus said, knowing the sentient universe could hear her, "what did you do with my ship?"

After a brief moment of silence, Aza answered. "I can't quite remember right now, my memory seems to have slipped." The joking tone it spoke with irked Samus. "I suppose I could take a break from my victim search to look for it; feel free to insert closet rummaging sounds while seeing to your company."

Company?

A knock sounded at the front door, to which Samus turned to look curiously at it. The idea that she was being treated like this house's actual owner was only a little amusing; mostly Samus was confused to who would need to visit her now of all times. As she thought about it a bit more, however, the possibility that Aza was setting a trap for her seemed all the more likely. Deciding not to take any chances, Samus re-donned her Power Suit and aimed her Arm Cannon at the front door, ready to strike if this was indeed a trap.

Another knock sounded.

"Come in!" Samus called.

The door opened, and once she saw who it was Samus lowered her Arm Cannon. "Yugi, what're you do-, which one are you, Yugi or the Nameless Pharaoh?"

"The latter," he replied, stepping into the house, "but you may refer to me as 'Yugi' if you wish."

Samus shook her head. "I'm alright with 'pharaoh'." The both of them were silent until Samus shifted awkwardly and spoke back up. "Ummm . . . would you like a seat?"

The pharaoh nodded and took a seat at one end of the couch. Samus took a moment to once again disengage her Power Suit while the pharaoh watched the transformation with disinterest. She sat down at the opposite end of the couch and looked to him.

"So, what do you need?" she asked.

The pharaoh sighed briefly before replying. "It's what Celestia and Twilight need, and that's your help with healing the divide between them."

"Really?" She was genuinely confused. "Didn't they just do that themselves? And even if not, what help could I possibly be?"

"It may appear like they did, but the tensions boiling between them aren't surface deep." He turned to face Samus. "You remember Celestia relinquished the Alicorn Amulet at council, right?"

She nodded in reply. "They seem to have a bad history with it, don't they?"

"Indeed, and ever since Celestia requested it shortly after we first came here Twilight's been losing trust in her for not revealing the true reasons behind that decision."

"I can tell." Samus shifted on the couch slightly before continuing. "But where do I come into the picture?"

The pharaoh pointed to the Element of Honesty which still adorned her neck. "Celestia gave you that element to gain your trust, but it's also the key to revealing the truth behind her motives." He retracted his hand. "I'm very familiar with magic energies being used to affect one's mind, and I can sense such power emanating from Honesty."

Samus held a hand up to the necklace and lightly stroked it. "I can't really explain how I do it, but this necklace lets me distinguish between the truth and lies in a person's words." Samus thought about what all Celestia said when she gave her Honesty; one thing immediately stuck out to her. "Celestia said something about how Honesty and Loyalty used in tandem would create an unshakeable trust between their bearers, or something along those lines."

"I think that might be exactly what's happened," the pharaoh said as Samus stopped stroking Honesty. "I also sensed similar power emanating from Loyalty to what I've bared witness to back home, namely the power of dominance over the mind." Samus quirked a curious eyebrow while the pharaoh elaborated. "I believe bearing Loyalty allows Celestia to exert control over others' willpower to keep them from betraying her. With her bearing Loyalty and you Honesty, neither of you is capable of deceiving or betraying the other; in other words, there's nothing to hide between you two."

Samus took a minute to wrap her brain around what the pharaoh was saying before nodding slowly in comprehension. "I get what you're saying," she told him, "and I think I understand why my help is needed. You want me to prod Celestia with questions pertaining to her request of the Alicorn Amulet so she reveals the truth behind her decision."

"Exactly; will you do it?"

"Of course." Samus gave a half-hearted smile. "The last thing any of us needs is distrust between other group members. I assume you'll have Twilight present to listen to Celestia's answers?"

The pharaoh nodded. "I'll be sure to conduct damage control should Twilight take her answers the wrong way."

Samus nodded in approval. "Where should we converge for this exchange?"

"Might I suggest Sweet Apple Acres?"

Samus and the pharaoh instinctively looked up. "Where?" the pharaoh asked.

"It's an apple farm just south of Ponyville where one of Twilight's friends lives and works. I suppose she couldn't be expected to show you all every single place of significance to her during that tour she gave. Anyway, that would be the ideal place for your little meet up."

Samus frowned. "Ideal for you, I take it?"

A hearty laugh sounded. "Actually, it's the ideal place for everyone. For one, apples are often used as a symbol of truth, at least from the majority of universes I've bore witness to. Another reason is that's where your ship will be put once I get around to it. Lastly, that's also where I plan on putting my newest victim once chosen; you can consecutively bring them up to speed while exposing Celestia's little secret to her student. Is that enough incentive for you?"

Aza's tone irked Samus something fierce, but the thought of getting her ship back kept the bounty hunter from getting any more vocal regarding her displeasure. "Fine then," she said and looked to the pharaoh, "that's where we'll go."

He nodded in acceptance. The two then exchanged goodbyes and the pharaoh left Samus' selected house for his own. On the way there, his mind swam with thoughts about what Celestia's big secret could be and what Aza's latest victim would be like. These thoughts stayed with him even after arriving at his destination. Before switching control back to Yugi, he voiced his biggest concern to him.

Yugi, is what I'm doing the right thing?

What do you mean?

What I mean is, am I crossing the line by getting more people involved with Twilight and Celestia's affair?

Pharaoh, there's really no consequences to our actions here, so the line is pretty blurred to begin with. Besides, Samus didn't have to agree to help if she felt against it. If getting involved comes back to haunt anyone, it's their own fault.

Well, let's just hope this doesn't come back to haunt anyone.

Agreed . . . you know, letting you stay in control is bringing to light a whole new side of you.

Really?

Sure. After all, the Spirit of the Nameless Pharaoh everyone knows back home wouldn't go out of his way to heal a soured friendship like you're doing.

You're right, Yugi, but I'm doing it because we need unity between everyone in the group if we're to survive Aza's 'experiment'.

Even so, it's nice to see that you care.

. . . Thanks, Yugi.

You're welcome, pharaoh.

With that, the pharaoh switched control back to Yugi, who proceeded to enter the house and get ready for a good night's sleep.

Okay, who could I add to spice things up considerably? It has to be someone who'd willingly stay put in Sweet Apple Acres until they're found and get acquainted with the group come morning. I should also avoid putting in anymore humans until some get voted off, though I suppose it wouldn't matter if they were merely humanoid in appearance.

Now that I think about it, the newcomer should want to stay of their own free will straight from the start. The next few vote offs are set to be Frank and Sandy unless something I haven't predicted occurs, which I'd greatly welcome. If whomever I choose doesn't want to play this game they'll be ousted following Frank and Sandy, and while things would surely get interesting after that I refuse to submit myself to boredom until then. Maybe I should just let them vote both off at the next council . . . no, I can't show weakness to them.

Alright, who fits my requirements? . . . No. No. No-wait!

. . . Perfect.

Okay, now that that's taken care of time to find that elusive TARDIS and The Doctor. I'll catch you one day, Doctor, mark my words.

. . . *yawn* Huh, where am I? Am I back on Earth? How'd I get here this time?

. . . Wait a minute, something's off about this place. It's almost as if-*sniff*-are those apples I smell?

. . . "THEY ARE!!! And there's so many of them! If this is a dream, don't wake me up!"

*pick* *munch* *munch* *munch*

"Oh yeah, that's the stuff." *munch* *munch*

Author's Note

After a little hiatus so my creative juices could recharge, the greatest crossover ever conceived is back and itching to please. Don't expect regular updates, however, as I've now got school's iron grasp to contend with, in addition to other fics I'm developing. But like I've said, you'll choose when this story comes to an end, and I've got plenty of ideas to work with until then.

Point out any spelling/grammar mistakes, plot holes, or general laziness in my writing and I'll be sure to fix it ASAP.

Universe Of The Dead

Yeah, take that you stupid cyborgs! POW! POW! POW! Look at you, dropping like flies to those humans! How pathetic can you be? Very, that's how much so. If I had a nickel for every one of you Terminators that falls so easily to the human resistance, I'd be . . . uselessly rich. Meh, not like I care anyway; I'll just take something if I want it. Nothing can convict me; insert evil laugh here.

Well, looks like they're done fighting for now. Better check on the rats . . . I see they're still sleeping soundly. I wonder what would happen if I never raised the sun for them. Would they stay asleep forever? Would their bodies know when to wake up in the absence of sunlight? I do wonder what Luna was thinking when she wanted to plunge Equestria into eternal night. If only I could read minds . . . should I rope in Luna and ask her? Nah, only eight at a time.

Alrighty then, I'd better raise the sun for them. Okay, make this as dramatic as possible, Aza.

"And Aza said, LET THERE BE LIGHT!!!"

Sunlight shone through the window on the second story of Golden Oaks, bathing the bedroom where Twilight and Sandy slept in a golden luminescence that continued to grow as the sun rose higher above the horizon. Eventually, the light reached the sleeping faces of the mare and the squirrel. Twilight was immediately woken up and cracked an eyelid open, closing it again in response to the bright sunlight shining in her eye. Sandy, however, wasn't jostled and instead stayed deep asleep in spite of the sunlight shining onto her eyes.

Twilight stayed in bed for a few more minutes before stepping over the bedside and walking over to the bathroom to take a shower. She hadn't a clue whether the running water would still work, but figured if it wasn't she could always either try to fix it or wash off in the swimming hole outside of Ponyville, assuming it existed in this Equestria. She stepped into the shower and used her magic to pull the lever for hot water. To her immense relief, water shot out of the showerhead and onto her. With a small smile, Twilight levitated a loofa and soap from the nearby shelf and started cleaning herself.

About a minute into her shower, Aza's voice sounded from above.

"Hello, Twilight Sparkle; how goes it?"

The lavender unicorn furrowed her eyebrows and scowled, but said nothing in response. The last way she wanted to start the morning was converse with the omnipotent sadist. Instead, she continued scrubbing away at her body.

"Get up on the wrong side of the bed?"

She stayed silent.

"I know you're more talkative than this in the morning back home."

Still no response.

"Well, anyway, I just wanted to-"

"Aza?"

A moment of silence followed before Aza replied. "Finally gonna talk, eh? Alright, yes?"

Twilight levitated some shampoo over and squirted it into her mane. "Do you honestly believe any one of us would care to make idle chitchat with you?"

Another moment of silence followed before Aza's reply. "I'm afraid I don't quite follow you."

Twilight replied while rubbing the shampoo into her mane. "Aza, only people on some level of friendship with each other strike up casual conversations. If you think any of us sees you as a friend in any capacity, then you're sorely mistaken."

"Then tell me, Sparkplug, what am I to you?"

Twilight took a moment to rinse out her hair before answering. "You are, and always will be, an enemy." She stepped out of the shower and levitated a towel over. She continued while drying herself off. "You've taken us from our homes, put us in multitudes of danger, and pitted us against each other all in the name of your 'experiment'. Don't bother playing nice to us, because we know it's a load of horseapples."

There was a pregnant silence as Twilight finished drying herself off and hung the towel back onto its rack. It wasn't until she'd returned to her room, where Sandy was still asleep in bed, and pulled a book off the shelf to read that Aza finally responded.

"Perhaps you're right, Twilight; I am but your guys' enemy."

Twilight said nothing and turned a page of the book.

"But," Aza continued, "there'd be many benefits to seeing me as a friend instead."

Twilight stopped, then looked straight up in confusion. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Think about it, Twilight. You can befriend everyone I pull into my experiment to your heart's content, but they are merely pawns; expendable and almost totally worthless. A queen, on the other hand, has vast power at its command because it's closer to the master than the pawns. Should you regard me as a friend, you can expect to receive a queen's power in turn, so to speak."

Twilight took a moment to digest all it'd said before snorting and returning her attention to the book. "Even if a pawn becomes a queen, it's still just a playing piece."

"That is true," Aza replied, perfectly neutral in tone. "But would you rather be a weak pawn whom can easily be taken out, or a queen whom has the best odds of surviving?"

Twilight said nothing, but the slight downcast look in her eyes told Aza she'd gotten the message crystal clear. "Anyway," Aza said, "take time to think it over after you're done patching things up with Celestia. Speaking of which, Yugi and Samus are on their way over right now to help with that."

That last part gave Twilight pause. She set the book down and turned to look upwards again. "Pardon?"

"Yugi and Samus hatched a plan to force Celestia to reveal her true motives for requesting the Alicorn Amulet last night. Together with you, they plan on enacting it at Sweet Apple Acres, which also happens to be where my newest participant is currently pigging out on all the apples."

Twilight's eyes widened. "Wait, what did you say?"

"You heard me correctly, Twilight Sparkle. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to watch cowboys and space aliens duke it out."

"Wait! Aza, who's the newest participant!"

It didn't answer, to which Twilight growled in annoyance. She levitated the book back onto the shelf and rushed downstairs, the loud clopping of her hooves somehow managing not to wake Sandy. Just as she reached the stairs' landing, a knock sounded on the front door. Twilight used her magic to open it, revealing Samus and the pharaoh.

"Twilight," Samus said, "we-"

"Yeah, I know." The lavender unicorn rushed through the door past them. "C'mon, we need to find Aza's next victim ASAP and let them know what's happening." She began running in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres.

Samus and the pharaoh looked to each other for a moment before taking off after her.

Being awoken by the sun's light was something Princess Celestia hadn't experienced since before the day she assumed command over it. In essence, her own internal sleep clock told what time morning would start. To that end, waking up like a normal pony would felt weird to the solar alicorn.

The sun's light pierced through Celestia's room's window and shone on her sleeping face, waking her instantly. After getting over the weirdness of not having brought forth the day, she sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She then got out of bed and, after stretching her legs a bit, proceeded to take a shower. On her way, she mulled over what had happened the previous day, especially how things were between her and Twilight when she'd left Ponyville.

I hope Twilight has forgiven me wholeheartedly by now, she thought while stepping into the shower.

"So, that's Sweet Apple Acres?" asked Samus.

She, Twilight, and the pharaoh stood at the front gate of Applejack's home; Twilight just wished the orange mare herself was there. On their way there, she explained to the others how Aza told her of their plan to interrogate Celestia on her true motives for requesting the Alicorn Amulet. When she asked what the plan itself entailed, Samus and the pharaoh explained how Samus would use Honesty to make Celestia answer their questions truthfully, but only if Twilight really wanted to know her teacher's motives. Twilight answered that she did, and thanked the two for their assistance in patching things up between her and Celestia.

Of course, their plan took a backseat to finding the new arrival and informing them of what was happening, as well as asking if they'd be willing to aid in overcoming whatever challenges Aza threw at them.

"Yep," Twilight replied, using her magic to open the gate and hold it open for them. They stepped through, to which Twilight followed and shut the gate. "Aza said the person it roped in was eating the Apple family's apples; we need to stop them, then let them know what's happening."

"Alright," the pharaoh replied, "let's split up. If any of us finds him/her, bring them back here and wait for the other two to return."

"Actually," Samus replied, "how about if I go fetch Celestia while you two look? Just to save us some time."

Twilight and the pharaoh shared a look before returning their gazes onto her. "Um, Samus," Twilight said, "Canterlot is miles away, up on that mountain." She pointed to the Canterhorn, alongside which they could just make out the sight of Equestria's capitol city. "How are you supposed to make it there . . . well, 'today'?"

The green visor of Samus' helmet hid the wry smile she adorned in response. "Normally, I'd just use my ship." She briefed a glance skyward, her frown also hidden behind her helmet's visor. "However, I do have another option to work with." She patted the legs on her Power Suit. "One of the upgrades in here is what's called the Speed Booster. True to the name, it quadruples my running speed after enough acceleration is built up." She glanced in the Canterhorn's direction. "I can probably get there in ten minutes, then be back with Celestia after another thirty, since I'd have to ride on her back for the return trip."

Twilight stared blankly for a moment before turning to the pharaoh. "What do you think?" she asked him.

"It's a sound plan," he replied. "My only concern is that something might happen to you on the way, to which we'd be powerless to help you."

Samus waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about me. I've trekked planets by my lonesome which boasted some of the most hostile conditions imaginable; compared to those, this will be a walk in the park."

Both Twilight and the pharaoh mulled this over for a moment before nodding their agreement. "You'll know where to find Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked.

"The giant palace, I'd assume." Twilight nodded again. "Then I know where to look." She went back through the gate and stretched her legs a bit, readying herself.

"We'll try to find Aza's next victim before you return," Twilight said.

Samus nodded. Twilight and the pharaoh watched as she then broke out into a light jog, which quickly picked up speed as she began running. Then, in a split second, a yellow ethereal trail in her image appeared behind her as the Speed Booster was activated and Samus shot off into the distance. Twilight and the pharaoh were able to follow her for only a few seconds before she disappeared from sight.

She could give Rainbow Dash quite the run for her money, Twilight mused internally.

"Alright," the pharaoh said, "let's find Aza's next victim."

Twilight nodded and the two of them took off in separate directions across the orchard.

"Well, looks like Twilight left," Sandy mused out loud as she eyed the empty bed across from her.

She'd woken up just a scant few moments after Twilight left Golden Oaks. Waking up naturally and not by the sound of an alarm clock was something the squirrel only experienced at the end of hibernation back home. It then occurred to Sandy that it'd been a long time since she'd even stepped foot on dry land back home, yet the sensation hadn't felt alien to her at all since yesterday. Then again, her tree dome did count as dry land in a way, so that was most likely the reason why nothing felt different.

Sandy took a moment to rub the sleep out of her eyes before getting out of bed. After stretching her body for a bit she proceeded to take a shower. Upon finishing and redressing, she decided to pass the time waiting for Twilight to return by browsing through the library. She descended the stairs and made way to the shelves upon shelves of books lining the oaken walls of Golden Oaks.

Let's see here . . . Modern Spellcasting, nah . . . Art of the To Do List, don't rightly need it . . . HUMAN-wait a minute!

Sandy pulled the oddly titled book off the shelf and examined the front cover. Her eyes widened in surprise at the name of the book's author.

Twilight Sparkle . . . wrote this?

She opened the book to one of the first few pages and took it over to a nearby chair. She sat down and began skimming through each passage. The more she read, the more her eyes widened and her jaw slackened. Even though she was only skimming each page, Sandy could make out boatloads of detailed and intrinsic text describing humans and their history on Earth. The level of detail in the book was so great that Sandy was sure Twilight had help in writing the book. Looking back to the first page, Sandy's suspicions were confirmed when she read the dedication note.

For Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and my #1 assistant, Spike. Thank you for helping me write this masterpiece of literature; you're all the best friends an egghead like me could ask for.

*knock* *knock*

Sandy flinched at the sudden sound.

"Ms. Twilight!" called James' voice from the front door. "May I come in?"

Sandy relaxed. She was about to respond when she remembered the book held in her paws. It made clear to her that humans were pure fiction in Equestria, born out of the collective imagination of Twilight and her friends. She didn't know what that meant for humankind's existence, or whether it was even something to worry about since Aza made it blatantly clear the multiverse theory was true, but the last thing she wanted was to cause distressful awkwardness for any of the group's four humans by showing them Twilight's book.

Sandy stood up and returned the book back to its place on the shelf. More knocking sounded.

"Y'all can come on in!" Sandy shouted, returning to the chair.

The front door opened, to which James Bond entered. "Well hello, Ms. Cheeks," he said, shutting the door behind him. "Is Twilight not here?"

Sandy sat down and shook her head. "She weren't in 'er own bed when Ah woke up; Ah figure she up an' left fer whateveh."

"I see," James replied. "Ah well, I was hoping she could show me where I could wash my suit; it's getting too dirty for my liking." He walked over to an adjacent chair from Sandy's and sat down. "I suppose we could make idle chitchat until she returns."

"Sure, Ah guess." Sandy crossed her legs and began twiddling her thumbs as she looked downcast. "So, what's on yer mind, James?"

James quirked an eyebrow. "Are you okay, Ms. Cheeks? You seem rather . . . antsy."

"Well, why shouldn't Ah be?" She looked all around the library, as if searching for some anonymous threat. "After all, we're in constan' danger."

"True," James replied, "but you're especially so now, and the inside of your helmet is fogging up with sweat."

He was right. Sandy could feel sweat running through her fur and see the fog forming on the inside of her helmet. Grumbling to herself, Sandy proceeded to remove her helmet. She then placed it on a circular table in between their chairs.

"Anyway," she said, a slight irritable tone lacing her words, "Ah asked y'all a question."

James stared blankly for a second before nodding. "Indeed you did. For my answer, I'll say I've been thinking about what should happen back home if I die here." He crossed his legs and looked up in thought. "I suppose MI6 won't care either way when they have eight more 00 agents at their disposal, but I'd still like to think I'm invaluable to them."

Sandy blinked. "Y'all really think yer boss won't care if'n ya jus' disappeared 'thout a trace?"

James smiled a cruel smile and shook his head. "There are times when I think she'd rather me die in the line of duty then return to HQ and make advances on her colleagues." He looked back at Sandy. "If I don't make it back home alive, odds are more people would be happy than saddened."

"But . . . y'all still wanna return, right?" Sandy asked, tensing up a little.

James smiled a lighter smile. "That goes without saying, of course."

"Oh, okay." Sandy relaxed a little. "Fer a second there, Ah thought y'all had a death wish."

"Perish the thought, Ms. Cheeks." James stretched a bit before continuing. "In all honesty, I find it very amusing to see my boss get so worked up whenever I rustle her jimmies."

Sandy chuckled. "Helps deal wit' da pain of yer job, don't it?"

"Quite," James replied.

*knock* *knock*

James and Sandy turned to the front door. "Y'all can come in!" Sandy shouted.

The door opened to reveal Frank who looked quite worse for wear; his eyes had plainly visible bags under them and were only half open, while his hair was unkempt and messy. He waved his hand to Sandy and James and spoke.

"Hey guys, is *yawn* Twilight here?" He took a step into the library, staggering a bit as he tried to keep his legs from falling asleep. "I want to talk with her about something."

Sandy and James shared a look before Sandy replied. "Sorry, Frank, but Twi wen' out fer somethin'. No idea wha' though, since she didn' leave a note r' anythin'." Her face fell into one of concern. "Are y'all 'right, Frank? 'Dja not get any sleep 'er somethin'?"

"Yeah," Frank replied as he used one hand to shut the door and the other to rub some sleep from his eyes. He closed the distance between them, working extra hard to keep himself balanced. "I was up most of last night thinking about something, which is why I wanted to talk with Twilight."

"Well, Ah'm sure y'all are welcome ta hang out here 'til she gets back." She raised a curious brow. "What 'dja wan' ta talk wit' her anyway?"

Frank took a seat in the only unoccupied chair and shook his head. "Don't worry about it; I just want to ask her if she could help me with something."

Sandy and James shared another look. Before anything more could be said, however, yet another knocking sounded from the front door.

" *sigh* Y'all can come on in!" Sandy shouted.

Silence.

All three turned to each other with befuddled expressions. The knocking sounded again, and this time Sandy noticed something odd about it. Rather than a couple of moderate taps, it seemed whoever was knocking was instead lazily pounding their appendage against the oaken wood door. This coupled with their lack of response confused the group of three, almost to the point of unnerving them.

Sandy was about to get up and open the door herself before James shot up out of his seat and pulled his Walther PPK from its holster. He motioned for Sandy and Frank to stay where they were as he approached the door. The MI6 agent cautiously closed the distance between himself and the door, taking careful baby steps so as to not alert whomever was knocking. He held his gun out, poised to fire should the need arise, but also in such a way that he wouldn't accidently shoot them if startled.

As soon as he reached the door, James put his ear to it and listened. While he didn't expect to be able to hear much of anything, instinct said to use all of his senses when searching for possible threats. Hearing nothing, James reached for the doorlock and ever so carefully unlocked it. Then, with a gentle push, he swung the front door open.

There was nothing there. Sighing, James lowered his gun and was about to turn around when a flicker of movement in his eye's corner caught his attention. Squinting his eyes in its direction, James watched as a humanoid figure in front of a nearby house lumbered its way around, staggering with each step taken. It looked to be wearing human clothes, but James was too far away to make out any specifics. Then, another figure appeared from around the corner of another building, identical to the first. Then another. And another. In just a few moments, Ponyville went from almost deserted to bustling with activity by these . . . these . . . . . .!

"James?" Frank asked, standing up to which Sandy followed suite. "Is something wrong?"

Without a single spoken word, James quietly closed the door and turned around. He began walking toward the stairs leading to Twilight's room, gesturing with his head for them to follow. Sandy and Frank briefly shared a worried glance before following him. Once they reached the stairs' landing and James sat down on Twilight's bed, his facial expression completely blank, Sandy and Frank strode over to the balcony.

Stepping out onto it, Frank and Sandy peered out over the town of Ponyville, curious as to what had apparently unnerved the British spy so much. Looking down onto the grass streets of Twilight's hometown, Sandy's eyes went wide and her pupils shrank to the size of pinheads, whereas Frank's eyes just narrowed in recognition of what he saw.

"And in Golden Oaks, weighing in at an averaged total of 450 lbs., we have Sandy Cheeks, Frank West, and an apparently out-of-commission James Bond. And throughout the rest of Ponyville proper, currently weighing in at 1200 lbs. but ever-increasing, we have zombies!"

Twilight ran blindly through the vast orchards of Sweet Apple Acres, her hooves pounding against the earthen ground as she swiveled her head around in search of Aza's newest victim. All she had to go on was that this new victim was male and that he was pigging out on the orchard's apples. Despite the situation at hoof, Twilight still felt a sense of responsibility for keeping her friend's, alternate version or not, produce safe from thieves. She knew whomever Aza had dragged into its experiment was likely lost, confused, and wanted food badly, but that didn't give him the right to take what belonged to this Equestria's version of Applejack. Not that Twilight had any intention of berating him for stealing, again given the situation, but she did intend to make clear to him that Sweet Apple Acres' apples were off limits not just to him, but everyone whom Aza roped into its experiment.

All the while she ran throughout the orchard Twilight wondered what the new participant would be like. With the entire multiverse at its disposal Aza could, quite literally, pull in anything anyone could imagine. Knowing this, as well as the sadistic universe's apparent fondness for humans, Twilight realized she could possibly meet her original character from her HUMAN series, Warren Zaccaro. The idea of meeting the character she created, face to face and in person, gave Twilight a momentary pause in her running. Would he be exactly like she described him? How would he react upon hearing she created him in her own universe? Would he freak out and have an existential crisis? Would he understand the multiverse theory? Twilight remembered how she'd written Warren as having a neutral, apathetic viewpoint towards almost everything, but she wasn't sure if that included 'meeting your god'. Twilight gave an awkward grin at the thought of being looked upon in such a light; her modesty made it impossible to enjoy such idolization of her person.

Twilight was pulled from her meta musings by a shuffling sound coming from behind a tree up ahead of her. Knowing it had to be Aza's newest victim, Twilight ceased her gallop and began tip-hoofing onward so as to not startle him and risk getting attacked should he be armed and dangerous. Once she came within a few meters of the tree, Twilight called out to him.

"Hello!?"

Silence.

A slight shiver traveled down Twilight's spine, but she kept her brave face and called again. "I know you're there! Who are you!?"

Once again there was silence. The fear Twilight felt grew ever stronger as she began fantasizing what this new person was like. Was he a ghost? Invisible? Shy? Was he waiting to ambush her when she came too close? All of these theories and more flashed through the lavender unicorn's mind while she tried mustering the courage to continue onward.

Suddenly, a groaning sound resonated from behind the tree, startling Twilight a bit before she raised a curious brow. "Um . . . are you okay?"

". . . Urgggh, my stomach," said a raspy voice.

Her fear now subsided, Twilight cantered up to the tree, fully curious as to who/what was behind it. Looking around the bark, her eyes widened at what she saw. Leaning against the tree was a figure humanoid in shape but naught in anything else. Its skin was light gray and it had a spiky blue mane. The arms were abnormally long and ended in black clawed hands, one of which clutched the thing's stomach as if in pain. The mouth was big enough that Twilight could fit her entire head in, and she cringed at the sight of the razor sharp teeth it hosted. The creature was wearing what appeared to be a black leather outfit, with rings on its fingers and pierced in its left ear, and a belt with a skull-shaped symbol on the front. What especially unnerved Twilight, however, were the stitch marks around its neck, as if the thing's head was chopped off and then sewed back on.

The creature turned its head to her, and Twilight recoiled a bit at the sight of the thing's eyes; they were yellow with red pupils like Discord's, except not mismatched. The creature opened its mouth, revealing bits and pieces of apple stuck to its teeth.

"How can you hear me?" it asked.

Twilight got over her shock and took a moment to relax herself before answering. "You kept making sounds; I followed them." She looked up into the tree above them. "Hopefully, Applejack won't notice anything."

". . . What?"

Twilight looked back down at the creature, who adorned a creepy smile despite his confusion. "I bet you have a plethora of questions, don't you?"

The creature stared blankly for a moment, which only served to unnerve Twilight due to its face, before replying. "Yes, I do. Care to answer them?"

Twilight smiled wryly. "It's going to be a lot to take in, but I can answer most, if not all of, your questions in less than a few seconds."

"How?" the creature asked, tilting his head.

Twilight charged magic into her horn. "Just stand still and don't panic." She leaned her horn towards the creature's forehead. "This won't hurt a bit."

"Wait, what are-"

The creature was cut off as Twilight's horn made contact with his forehead. A surge of new memories flowed into its brain at a rapid pace. Every single image, sound, sensation, and more that Twilight experienced between first waking up in the blackness and the present time was copied and transferred to the creature's mind. Once done, Twilight took a moment to relax her brain of the accompanying aches after performing such an intense spell. The creature, meanwhile, stared blankly again as he processed all of the new memories Twilight imparted onto him. After a few moments he looked down at her with the same creepy smile as before.

"Wow, Twilight, you've been through quite a lot of hell," he stated.

A corner of Twilight's mouth lifted into a smile. "You will too, now that you're here." She lifted a hoof in greeting. "Now that you know all of our names, would you mind telling me yours?"

The creature shook her hoof with his free clawed hand. "I'm the Shinigami Ryuk."

". . . Mind explaining what a Shinigami is, Ryuk?" Twilight asked.

A chuckle sounded from Ryuk, eliciting a confused stare from Twilight. "How about if I show you?" Ryuk broke away his hand and lifted it up to Twilight's forehead. "You're not the only one who can impart memories onto others, Twilight."

Twilight blinked, then slowly nodded. "Okay."

Ryuk placed his hand onto Twilight's forehead, just below her horn. In an instant, Twilight felt a rush of memories course through her brain. In no time at all, she knew everything about Ryuk; his past, his purpose, everything. And what she learned paralyzed her with fear.

As soon as Ryuk removed his hand from her head, Twilight scrambled backwards on her hooves, putting about five meters of distance between them.

"Please don't kill me," she whimpered.

Author's Note

Here's a little Christmas present to all of you who patiently awaited the next part of this story. Enjoy. :D

Point out any and all spelling/grammar errors and I'll gladly fix them.

Backfired

Ryuk would've frowned had his mouth not been stuck in a constant smile. "What makes you think I'd kill you?" he asked Twilight, who'd taken it upon herself to put about five more meters of distance between them.

The lavender unicorn trembled and stuttered as she spoke. "B-b-because y-you're a g-god of d-de-death."

The Shinigami tried to shrug his shoulders, but they were stuck up against the tree he was leaning against. Ryuk took a moment to apply some pressure to his stomach before answering. "Even Shinigami will discriminate, Twilight; I've been given no reason to kill you, so I won't. Besides," he reached to his side and pulled out what Twilight recognized as his Death Note; it had a skull emblem on the front of a cross which took up the entire space of the front cover while the book itself was latched onto Ryuk by a chain made up of miniature skulls, "Death Notes only work on humans. Even more so, judging from what you've shown me using your . . . magic, I guess, laws of reality and all that science mumbo-jumbo doesn't apply here." He set the Death Note back down and beckoned Twilight closer. "Now, I'd appreciate some help in getting rid of this awful stomachache I have, so stop worrying and come help me."

Twilight said and did nothing other than continue trembling. Ryuk sighed in annoyance and lifted his Death Note back up. "If it'll make you feel better enough that you'll make me feel better, I'll toss this thing far, far away so you aren't frightened." To prove his point, he weakly chucked the Death Note about fifteen meters through the trees; he didn't see where it landed. Ryuk then turned back to Twilight. "Feeling better yet?"

Twilight said nothing in response, but she did begin taking foal steps forward toward the Shinigami. Her fear hadn't lessened by too much of the death god himself, but now that he'd gotten rid of his Death Note Twilight was at least willing to lend a helping hoof, though she was still afraid of what would happen in case she accidently hurt him. She closed the distance between them and began using her magic to examine Ryuk's stomach.

". . . Well, Ryuk," she said nervously, "from what I can gleam using my magic, it appears you're suffering from an extreme case of indigestion." She looked around them for any apple cores, but couldn't find any. "Were you eating the apples whole?"

"I was, but that wouldn't explain why I'm feeling like this." He took another moment to settle his aching stomach with a clawed hand before continuing. "Back in my world, I eat apples whole all the time and it's never caused this."

Twilight tapped her chin in thought. "Well, maybe . . . wait." She looked up towards the sky. "Aza, is time still non-existent here?"

"Indeed it isn't, Miss Sparkle, but everything is subject to change here so don't hold your breath."

"Whatever," she replied, and returned her gaze to Ryuk who was looking upwards himself. "Anyway, I know what's causing your indigestion, Ryuk. Since time isn't flowing, your body can't break down the apples leaving them to hang in your stomach." She furrowed her brows. "Speaking of which, this orchard belongs to my friend and her family. I won't blame you for eating them since you were probably scared and hungry when you first arrived here."

"You're half right," Ryuk interrupted, chuckling.

Twilight rolled her eyes and continued. "I'll cure your indigestion only if you promise to keep your hands off these apples, okay?"

"That's gonna be a hard promise to keep," Ryuk stated. "After all, apples are like a Shinigami's drugs; they're all too addicting."

"The fact that you can't enjoy them without suffering like you are now should override that." Twilight leveled a stern gaze with him. "Do we have an agreement?"

Ryuk stared blankly ahead for a moment before nodding in response. With that taken care of, Twilight set to work curing him of his indigestion.

So, this is Canterlot, Samus mused internally as she stared at the grand expanse of Equestria's capital city.

The space hunter had reached the Canterhorn in a little less than ten minutes from where she started at Sweet Apple Acres in Ponyville. After traversing the open plains between the two she followed the train tracks up and through the mountain until eventually reaching Canterlot Station. Upon exiting, she immediately began heading towards the castle which rose up behind the cityscape, making it plainly visible. Samus didn't rush, however, wanting to take in the city's sights as well as commit its layout to memory should the need arise. During her walk, Aza decided to converse with her.

"So, Miss Aran, how do you like Canterlot?"

She shrugged. "Out of all the places I've seen, this isn't anything too special."

Aza snickered. "Don't say that to Celestia; she might be hurt if you do."

Samus rolled her eyes. "As if you care."

"Hey, I only want my victims to be happy while they're here."

Samus stopped walking and gazed upwards. It couldn't be seen, but her eyes held a look of pure, unbridled rage. "How can you honestly expect any of us to be happy when you've roped us here against our will and are making us face life-threatening hazards, not to mention the fact that you're pitting us against each other every chance you get?"

". . . Oh look, you're already at the castle. Boy, no-time sure flies when you're having fun. Well, bye!"

Before Samus could so much as quirk a confused brow, the scenery around her changed from a cobblestone street with buildings on either side to a grassy area with statues all around. Samus swiveled her head around in confusion for a moment before realizing Aza had moved her. For a moment she was afraid it'd moved her somewhere far away from her destination, but looking upwards revealed she'd been moved to Canterlot Castle.

"Samus?" called a familiar voice from behind her. "When did you get here?"

Samus turned around to see Princess Celestia laying on the grass in front of a brown, grassless patch of earth, staring wide-eyed at her in surprise. The space hunter recomposed herself before walking forward.

"Aza just moved me here," she explained to the solar alicorn, kneeling down so they were at eye level. "I was actually coming here to fetch you so we can all meet Aza's newest victim together."

"Ah, I see," Celestia replied, nodding her head. "And what kind of person are they like?"

"We haven't found them yet," Samus replied back. "Twilight and Yugi were searching for them when I left. They've probably found him or her by now, so let's head on down to Ponyville and make introductions."

"Sure thing," Celestia agreed, then stood up and stretched her wings. She spared one more glance down to the patch of earth before lowering herself so Samus could climb up onto her back. Once the space hunter had a firm grip on her, Celestia took off into the sky and began flying toward Ponyville.

For the first few minutes of their flight, neither Samus nor Celestia spoke a word to each other. There wasn't any reason to talk anyway, as they both knew what was going on and what to do next. But eventually, aside from the sound of Celestia's wings flapping and the wind rushing past them, the silence was too much to bear and Celestia spoke up.

"Aza left behind Discord's statue."

Samus lifted her head up in response. "What was that?" she asked.

Celestia looked back to her; with the lack of air traffic Celestia didn't need to worry about colliding with something. "Remember what I said yesterday about Discord, the spirit of chaos and disharmony from my world? About how he was turned to stone twice? That brown patch of earth was where his statue was kept."

"I see," Samus replied with a nod. "And since it's not there anymore, you're saying Aza didn't rope him in along with this alternate Equestria?"

"Correct," Celestia affirmed. "I assume Aza did it to stay true to its word about there only being eight of us here at any one time, but who can say?"

"Gee, I can," Aza said from above, irritation clear in its tone, "and yes, that's why I left him behind."

"Whatever," Samus groaned.

"That's not the kind of tone I'd use to get your ship back, young lady."

Samus shrugged. "In all honesty, I kinda like riding on Celestia's back here; I can go without my ship."

There was a brief moment of silence. "Very well then," Aza said.

"Now then." Samus turned back to look at Celestia. "About what we were discussing, does it really matter whether Discord is here or not?"

Celestia turned her head back and thought long and hard about her answer. When she eventually gave it, her tone was one of wistful sorrow. "I guess it doesn't."

"You're darn right it doesn't," Aza agreed. "Here, I'll bring you two straight to Sweet Apple Acres, free of charge."

Instantly, the landscape beneath the two of them changed from vast, grassy plains to apple tree-laden fields. Looking around Celestia spotted the pharaoh, Twilight, and another figure who Celestia realized was Aza's newest victim standing near the orchard's front gate.

Well, at least they're still alive, Celestia thought, and began descending towards them.

The pharaoh leaned against the front gate to Sweet Apple Acres, patiently waiting for Twilight to return. He had scoured every inch of his selected section of the orchard and hadn't found anyone new who could be Aza's next victim. As per the plan, he'd returned to the front gate waiting for Twilight to return so they could regroup in case she didn't find Aza's newest victim herself. He didn't have to wait long, for soon after he'd arrived the pharaoh spotted the unmistakable form of Twilight emerging through the trees. Upon closer inspection, he could see another figure hovering behind her, and its appearance left him intrigued.

Yugi was too, and he let the pharaoh know right away. What do you think it could be? he asked.

I can't even begin to guess, Yugi, the pharaoh replied. After all, Aza has all of existence at its disposal, so it really can rope in anything it wants.

Twilight and the figure were closer now, affording Yugi and the pharaoh a better view of the floating humanoid creature.

But whatever it is, the pharaoh continued, it would appear Twilight has befriended it.

Looks like it, Yugi replied.

Twilight and the creature closed the distance between them and the pharaoh who got off the gate and walked up to them, keeping his eyes on the creature.

"So, this is Aza's newest victim?" he asked Twilight, already knowing the answer but wanting some confirmation all the same.

"He is," Twilight said with a nod, and turned to him. "Ryuk, if you please."

Ryuk nodded, and held out his hand to the pharaoh's forehead, who reflexively stepped back. "No need to be jumpy, pharaoh," Ryuk said, "I'm just going to impart some memories onto you."

The pharaoh stared for a moment before retracting his step backward and nodding. Ryuk reached his clawed hand out to his forehead and tapped it. All at once, both Yugi and the pharaoh received all the same memories Ryuk had shared with Twilight earlier. After receiving them, the pharaoh stared wide-eyed at Ryuk for a moment before returning to his usual stoic expression.

"Well . . . nice to meet you, Ryuk," he said, extending out his hand in greeting.

The Shinigami chuckled. "Same here," he replied and shook the pharaoh's hand.

Twilight nodded in satisfaction. "Well, now we just need to wait for Celestia and Samus to return." She turned to look up at the sky.

"Hey, Twilight?" Ryuk said.

Twilight sighed and turned back to him. "Yes, Ryuk?"

The death god was probably trying to look confused, but the fact that he constantly smiled made it impossible to pull off convincingly. "Shouldn't we head back to Ponyville? Based on what you showed me earlier, there's three more people there for me to introduce myself to."

Twilight nodded while turning back around to look up at the sky. "And we will, just as soon as I take care of some business with Celestia."

Ryuk would've quirked an eyebrow if he could. "What kind of business?" he asked.

"It isn't anything you need to worry about, Ryuk," Twilight affirmed.

Ryuk was about to retort when the sound of flapping wings sounded from behind the group. Turning around, the three of them saw Celestia with Samus riding on her back descending towards them. The solar alicorn kicked up a small cloud of dust as she gently landed upon the ground, after which Samus dismounted from her and stretched her arms.

Celestia didn't move, from her spot or otherwise, and instead fixated her eyes on Ryuk. He, in turn, locked his gaze onto her. Having made eye contact for no more than a few seconds, the two could easily recognize the look in each other's eyes. It was one of vast wisdom and boredom achieved from living many, many years and seeing multiple time periods come and go in a metaphorical blink of an eye. They could immediately tell the other was of divine significance, but not whether they were benevolent or malevolent in nature. From what they could gleam from each other, however, it was clear to both that as powerful as they might be, Aza put them both to shame in omnipotence. For that reason, the two silently agreed to cooperate with each other in overcoming Aza's challenges.

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight exclaimed. "How did you get behind us?"

The solar alicorn broke eye contact with Ryuk and faced her student. "Aza decided to do us a favor and shorten our flight back here." She returned eye contact to Ryuk. "And you must be its latest victim."

The Shinigami nodded. "Twilight's told me a bit about you, Celestia." He chuckled a bit. "Moving the sun must be quite a job, huh?"

Celestia chuckled herself. "Indeed it is . . . what's your name?"

"Here, I'll show you," he replied, and began striding over to her. Twilight followed alongside him while charging magic into her horn, intending to do the same for Samus.

Celestia and Samus stood still as Ryuk and Twilight used their respective powers to impart selected memories onto them. After they were done, Samus adopted a fearful expression in response to learning Ryuk's purpose while Celestia kept a neutral expression, though she was mildly perturbed to learn Ryuk was a god of death.

"Well, now that that's out of the way," Celestia said, turning toward the front gate, "let's inform the others of your arrival, Ryuk."

"Hold on, princess," Twilight said.

Celestia stopped in her tracks and turned back around to her student. "Is something wrong, Twilight?" she asked, stoically.

Out of her eye's corner, Twilight saw the pharaoh nod his approval to her. Looking at Samus, she saw the space hunter touch two fingers to the Element of Honesty, signaling she was ready to begin the interrogation. Twilight took a deep breath and answered Celestia.

"Regarding the proposal to join your alliance, I've given it plenty of thought and . . ."

Celestia perked up a bit. "Yes, Twilight?"

Twilight hesitated for a moment, afraid of the notion of demanding things from her second mother-figure. A quick glance to both the pharaoh and Samus and their continued silent encouragement, however, gave her the final confidence boost to follow through with the plan.

". . . and I'll agree to join only if you answer a few questions."

Celestia tilted her head a bit in confusion before realization hit full force and her face adopted a concerned frown. "Twilight, I know what you're thinking, and while I understand your curiosity you must understand that there're some things better left unans-"

"Why did you request the Alicorn Amulet in the first place?" Twilight interrupted her.

Celestia furrowed her brows. "Twilight Sparkle, do not interrupt me when I'm talking to-"

"Why did you request the Alicorn Amulet?" This time it was Samus whom asked the question.

Celestia blinked in confusion for a moment, unsure why Samus had asked the same question as her student. She soon realized why, however, when the magic of Honesty began invading her brain, compelling her to answer truthfully. Afraid of the invading sensations, and also that she might let slip something bad, Celestia called upon the magic of Loyalty to make Samus stop using Honesty on her. She called upon the laden magic of the necklace she was currently wearing and, with near perfect focus and strength, invaded Samus' own mind and began commanding her to cease what she was doing.

The space hunter, not one to ever surrender, poured more focus into her channeling of Honesty's magic while simultaneously doubling over in mental anguish from trying to overcome the foreign sensations of servitude Loyalty was invoking within her. She lifted off her helmet in response to a rising headache and proceeded to hold the sides of her head in a vain attempt to soothe the growing pains. The feeling she felt wasn't unlike that of her corruption of phazon during the crisis, although this was worse as while phazon only gradually corrupted her mind and body, the force of Loyalty's magic invading her mind came hard and all at once. Samus didn't let up on Honesty's magic, but the force and careful precision of Celestia's use of Loyalty's continuously made it clear that she was fighting a losing battle.

While the two bearers fought for dominance of the other, Twilight, the pharaoh, and Ryuk looked on with varied expressions. Twilight had almost been brought to tears from seeing Samus in so much pain just because Celestia was being abnormally stubborn in keeping the truth hidden from her. Yugi and the pharaoh, however, were more concerned about the plan to get Celestia to reveal the truth behind her request of the Alicorn Amulet. They hadn't anticipated that Celestia would actually fight back against Samus', whom she'd trusted enough to bestow the Element of Honesty to, interrogative efforts.

Things aren't looking too good, pharaoh; it doesn't look like Samus can overcome Loyalty with Honesty.

You're right, Yugi. Arrgh! To think she'd be so stubborn; this could put the entire plan into jeopardy if we don't think of something quickly.

Got any ideas?

. . . . . . I do have one idea, but I know already that no one's going to like it.

What is it?

*sigh* A shadow game, Yugi.

WHAT!?

Like I said, I knew it wouldn't be well-received, but it's the only other option we have to follow through with the plan.

. . . . . . Can you ensure Celestia remains safe?

It's not up to me whether she's harmed as a result of playing, Yugi; only she can control whether she's hurt or not. As much as I hate doing this, we have no other option.

Alright, when do we start?

When the time is right, Yugi.

"Hey, pharaoh?"

The pharaoh was pulled from the conversation by Ryuk's voice to his left. He turned and stared up at the floating god of death with a bemused expression.

"You kinda spaced out there; are you alright?"

The pharaoh nodded. "I'm alright." He then returned his gaze onto the magic duel between the two bearers and frowned. "But it looks like Samus can't win this fight."

"Yeah, what exactly is happening here, anyway?" Ryuk asked, scratching his head. "I mean, I understand the basic gist that Celestia's hiding a secret which Twilight wants to know about, that you and Samus are both helping, and that your plan is falling apart at the seams quicker than a hastily stapled together comic book, but what are the two of them doing right now?"

The pharaoh spared an irritated glance at Ryuk before letting out an exasperated sigh. "They're battling for influence over the other using their Elements of Harmony. The plan revolved around using Celestia and Samus' trust to make Celestia reveal her motivations regarding her request of the Alicorn Amulet, with Samus invoking the power of Honesty to make Celestia answer Twilight's questions truthfully. However, Celestia's resorted to using Loyalty's magic to make Samus subservient to her, meaning her desire to help is being broken apart piece of piece."

"I see," Ryuk mused. He then turned to look at him. "Shouldn't we, I don't know, help Samus then?" He lifted a clawed hand and pointed at the almost beaten space hunter, barely able to keep herself up off the ground. "She's not looking too good right now, after all."

"My backup plan is a risky endeavor, and I'd rather not resort to it until the first one has truly and utterly failed."

Ryuk stared at him for a few moments longer before returning his gaze back onto the scene before them. Sounds interesting . . .

At that moment, Samus finally succumbed to Loyalty's influence and collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. Celestia, little to no worse for wear, sighed in exasperation and turned to look at Twilight who was looking downcast.

"I know this may be hard for you to understand, Twilight," she said solemnly, "but my reasoning for requesting the Alicorn Amulet isn't a concern. You know me, Twilight; I would never associate myself with something so vile unless for a good reason. I just can't tell you what that reason is."

Twilight sniffed, then looked up at her. "Why not, princess?" she asked, struggling not to stammer. "Don't you trust me?'

The solar alicorn pursed her lips. "It's not that I don't trust you, Twilight, it's just . . ."

"Just what?"

Celestia tried to open her mouth to speak, but couldn't. She tried again another time, only to find her lips shut tight. After a third time heralded the same results she gave up and turned around. "We need to inform the others of Ryuk's arrival."

"PRIN-urk!"

"Twilight?" Celestia turned back around, only to find herself overcome by an incredibly powerful magical energy which swept through her brain, blinding her.

"Twilight!?" she called. "Are you okay!?"

"Princess . . ." called the lavender unicorn from directly in front of her.

"Twilight? What happened?" Celestia tried using a magic spell to let her see again, but whatever magic at work was blocking her own.

"I didn't want to do this," the pharaoh said from off to her right, "but you've given us no choice, Celestia."

"Yugi!? What's happening!? Why can't I see!?" Celestia called.

She heard a heavy sigh sound from where he was, followed by something which chilled her to the bone. "This is a Shadow Game, and if you want to escape with all your senses intact, you'll play by the rules."

"What are you talking about!?" Celestia shouted, her tone clearly one of panic. "Where's Twilight and the others?"

"The others aren't playing," the pharaoh replied. "Twilight, however . . ."

At that moment, Celestia's vision returned to her. The empty darkness she'd seen previously was slowly replaced by a blackness with a blotch of lavender in the middle. She immediately recognized the blotch as Twilight, but as the darkness lifted more she quickly realized things weren't peachy keen.

The two ponies were situated in the pans of a gigantic balance scale with a pitch-black backdrop all around them. Standing on a platform off to the side was the pharaoh, a glowing symbol shaped like an eye upon his forehead. His face held an expression of stern forthrightness with a subtle trace of hesitance. Looking above Twilight, Celestia went wide-eyed at what she saw. A dark purple flame flickered about three meters above Twilight's head. Looking above her own head, however, heralded a different sight; two keys, both roughly hoof-sized, floating in midair.

"Stay still, Twilight!" Celestia called. She attempted to fly off the pan she was on to make Twilight's lower away from the flame, but to her shock and frustration she couldn't move her hooves. Looking down, she saw that her hooves were shackled to the pan with big iron cuffs.

"It's no use, Celestia," the pharaoh said. "Those who play a Shadow Game are bound to play it to the end. Whether the two of you come out of it unscathed is entirely up to you."

Celestia scowled. As much as she wanted to blast him right then and there with a magic beam, the solar alicorn was too afraid of what might happen to Twilight as a consequence. Seeing no way out, Celestia visibly deflated. "What do I have to do?" she asked.

"Here's how the game will work," he said while turning to look at a sobbing Twilight. "Twilight will ask one question at a time, and your job is to answer them truthfully. For every false answer you give, the scale will tip the balance on your side, causing Twilight to rise closer to the flame. For every truthful answer you give, your side will rise closer to the two keys. When you're close enough to reach them the game is over."

Celestia looked downcast for a moment before staring at Twilight with worry. "Is she truly in danger, pharaoh?"

He sighed in exasperation. "I'd rather not do this, but it was the only other way to heal the rift between you two. The truth will come out, Celestia, or Twilight won't make it out of here alive."

Celestia felt her lip quiver and a tear roll down her cheek. She took one last look at Twilight, then at the fire suspended above her head before nodding. "Okay, let's play."

The pharaoh nodded himself, and turned to look down at Twilight in anticipation of her first question.

If things start going wrong, Yugi, I'll shift control back to you.

Okay.

"Help me with this, Sandy," Frank said to her from across the room. He was trying to lift one of the armchairs they'd previously been using.

"Sure thin', Frank," the squirrel replied, and set down the table she was currently carrying. She quietly walked over to him and lifted the opposite side of the chair from him.

The two began carefully walking toward the front door, quiet so as to not make any noise and attract the moaning, rotting undead shambling around outside. Upon reaching the front door, and all the furniture currently propped up against it, they carefully set the armchair against a more exposed portion and backed away.

"Hopefully this'll hold 'em," Frank mused.

"Ah sure as heck hope so," Sandy agreed, retrieving the table and setting it against the door as well. "No zombie's gonna make a meal of me."

Frank crossed his arms and inspected the blockade they'd put together. As soon as they'd learned Aza had brought zombies into Ponyville, the two set to work gathering every scrap of furniture Twilight's library had and propping it all against the door. Where once the library's reading room was nicely decorated and accommodating, now there was an empty room containing naught but rows of filled bookshelves. The downstairs and upstairs remained relatively untouched as most furniture within was affixed to the floor and/or walls. Regardless, Frank and Sandy managed to scrounge quite a lot together, and in case the zombies learned they were in the library they'd have to bust through the blockade made from it all.

"Say, where's James at anyhoo?" Sandy asked.

Frank shrugged. "As far as I know, he's still up in Twilight's room." He uncrossed his arms and looked up the staircase. "He's been awfully quiet, though."

"Ain't that a good thin'?" Sandy asked non-plussed.

Frank shrugged. "The least he could've done was come down to help or at least ask what we could do to keep ourselves alive."

"Well, may-"

*BANG*

The sudden noise coming from upstairs made both Frank and Sandy jump in alarm.

"What in tarnation!?" Sandy exclaimed.

*BANG* *BANG* *BANG*

"James!" Frank called, and began heading up the stairs to which Sandy followed.

Reaching the stairs' landing, the two looked around for the British spy before finding him out on the balcony with his gun in hand, pointed down towards the street. He pulled the trigger.

*BANG*

"What the hell!?" Frank shouted, and rushed over to him. He wrestled the gun out of James' grip before throwing it against the far side of Twilight's room and grabbing him by the shoulders. "Are you trying to get us killed?"

James said nothing, merely looking downcast as his legs gave way and he collapsed to the balcony's wooden floor. Frank groaned in exasperation and peered over the balcony railing. A large hoard of zombies had gathered below and were surrounding a good chunk of Golden Oaks, staring up at him hungrily with blank, lifeless eyes. Among the crowd were a couple of fallen zombies, shot down by James.

"Great, now them varmints know we're here," Sandy said from his left. Frank turned to look at the squirrel and saw her face was one of irritation mixed with fear. "Any ideas, Frank?"

Frank took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "As long as they don't start piling against the door, we'll be fine."

At that moment, both Sandy and Frank felt a slight tremor travel through the floorboards under their feet. They both looked at each other in confusion as the vibrations gradually grew in intensity to the point where they needed to squat to remain balanced. From inside, the sounds of books and other miscellaneous things falling unto the floor were heard. Above them, the tree's branches shook leaves loose which fell around the two. The vibrations soon grew so intense that Frank and Sandy were forced to sit on their knees to avoid toppling over like dominoes.

Suddenly, a large fountain of earth shot up in front of them. Accompanying this was the sound of at least a few zombies groans' changing pitch, making them sound almost like screams. Nervously, Frank and Sandy peered through the railing and onto the ground. What they saw almost made them collapse alongside James, who was still in a catatonic state next to them.

Sticking out of the ground among the zombie horde, three undead sticking out of its mouth, was the head of what appeared to be a giant, worm-like creature with three lower jaw bones and one upper jaw. Before either Frank or Sandy could think to ask what it was, the creature retreated back into the ground, pulling the zombies with it for consumption. A couple more tumbled into the giant hole the creature left behind while the rest of the horde kept eyeing the two of them up on the balcony, completely oblivious to what just happened.

Frank and Sandy stared down at the ground in silence for a few moments before Sandy finally managed to utter two, very profaned words.

"Tartar sauce."

Repairs & Revelations

Crushing sadness. Hopelessness. Deep depression. All of these sensations and more were experienced by Twilight as she stared down at her hooves shackled to the scale's pan she stood upon. The dark purple flame flickered silently above her, giving off none of the crackling sounds that a typical fire would. All around the gigantic scale was endless blackness, not unlike when she'd first woken up in Aza's clutches. The only difference was that, here, the agony of countless tortured souls emanated from all directions. It couldn't be heard or seen, only felt through one's spirit. Any other person in the same situation would likely have collapsed under the insufferable strain of so much pain and suffering.

None of it affected Twilight, however, for her mind had already experienced more of both than anypony her age should be made to endure. Everything from Aza's sadistic musings, to Celestia's request of the Alicorn Amulet and refusal to explain the true reasoning of, and now the Shadow Game that the pharaoh had forced them both to play had all put Twilight on a steady decline down a hill of despair, to which she'd now reached the bottom of. The only consolation to be had was that, unless Celestia allowed her prized pupil and pseudo-daughter to die, she would finally come clean with her secrets. Even so, Twilight had doubts that their relationship would ever completely heal afterwards.

Once the pharaoh finished explaining the game's rules, Twilight looked up at her mentor with misty, puffy red eyes and furrowed brows. To Celestia, she imagined her face looked like one of fury. In truth, had she been allowed more time to get over her sorrow, Twilight was sure she would have been furious at her mentor right now. The look on Celestia's face was one of heavy concern mixed with regret. Twilight couldn't help but snort before asking her first question.

"Celestia, it's time you came clean," she said in a resolute tone. "My first question is the one you've neglected to truthfully answer ever since we first got here: why did you request the Alicorn Amulet from Aza?"

A brief silence followed, during which time the implications of the situation seemed to finally dawn on everyone. All realized that there was no way out for Celestia. Either she let loose her secrets, or Twilight's life would be that much closer to its end. Celestia looked downcast for a moment as she carefully considered her words, and how they'd affect her and Twilight's relationship. Finally, she looked back up with a neutral expression.

"I needed courage," she answered, in a completely even tone.

Twilight barely had time to raise a confused brow before she was momentarily startled as the scale shifted, raising Celestia up a bit and lowering herself down by the same amount. Once it stopped and Twilight had regained her balance she looked back to Celestia with a wry frown.

"Courage?" she said.

"I was scared, Twilight," Celestia admitted, and Twilight recoiled a bit upon seeing a few tears drop from the alicorn's muzzle, "scared that I would die here from Aza's sadistic games. Once we learned exactly what the situation was and that there was no way back home . . . the fear I felt then surpassed anything I'd ever experienced before." She glanced up to Twilight with tear-ridden eyes. "I know how much you look up to me, Twilight, and how you'd react to seeing me so afraid. I needed all the courage I could get so that you never lost yours." She glanced down again and resumed bawling her eyes out.

Twilight stared wide-eyed at her mentor, completely at a loss for words as her brain attempted to process all of what she'd been told. The pharaoh glanced down at them indifferently, but all the while hoping things would turn out alright in the end. Eventually, Twilight replied to Celestia's admission.

"I don't blame you, princess," she muttered.

Celestia took a moment to wipe away her tears and stand up straight. "What was that?" she asked.

Twilight gave a small smile. "I said 'I don't blame you'," she repeated. "In all honesty, princess, you should've been afraid."

Celestia sniffed before replying. "What do you mean, Twilight?"

"Princess, one would have to either be insane or have iced blood to not be scared of the situation we were put in." She chuckled while shaking her head. "I mean, Aza can pull anything it wants from the multiverse and set it upon us. We could die in the most horrific of ways here, ways we could never even imagine." She cast a small glare at the pharaoh. "And not necessarily by Aza's doing, either."

The pharaoh softened his gaze a bit. "I have no doubt that Celestia will continue being truthful during this Shadow Game, Twilight," he replied. "If there's one thing that's guaranteed, it's that your life and well-being are more precious than that of her secrets."

"He's right, Twilight," Celestia said, drawing Twilight's gaze back to her. "Regardless of anything that I've done here, nothing matters more to me than making sure you remain safe and sound." She grimaced as she continued. "I'll answer every single question you ask truthfully, but be warned that the answers I give could open up a window of understanding the likes of which you may not be able to comprehend."

Twilight stared blankly for a moment before nodding. "Okay," she said. "Here's my next question: how was the Alicorn Amulet supposed to give you courage?" She frowned. "It's nothing but a cold, wretched monstrosity that corrupts all who tap into its power."

Celestia sighed. "That is true, Twilight, at least for non-alicorns." She then fixed her student with a somber gaze. "As for how it was supposed to give me courage . . . well, let's just say it belonged to somepony very close to me before it found its way into the hooves of your rival."

The scale once again shifted in Celestia's favor, bringing her a little bit closer to the keys. A heavy frown spread across Celestia's muzzle when it became clear to her that several more questions would need to be answered before she could reach the keys. While she had every intention of being truthful with her answers, she still wanted to end the Shadow Game as quickly as possible without divulging too much information to Twilight.

The lavender unicorn tilted her head in confusion. "And, who is this pony?" she asked. "What's their name?"

Celestia's eye twitched in irritation. For once, I wish Twilight wasn't so inquisitive, she mused internally before answering, "His name is Solis."

The scale shifted again only this time, to everyone's shock, in Twilight's favor, bringing the startled unicorn closer to the flame.

"What the hay, Celestia!?" she shouted, a scowl now adorning her face. "You just said you'd keep being truthful."

"Wait-no, Twilight! I didn't-" Celestia stuttered before shaking her head and turning to glare up at the pharaoh. "Yugi, what's the meaning of this!? I know I was truthful with my answer!"

The pharaoh shook his head. "Half-truths aren't acceptable in this Shadow Game, Celestia." He fixed her with a gaze that clearly showcased his concern underneath his stern expression. "I have no doubts that it was intended as truthful, but you must choose your words carefully if Twilight is to remain unharmed."

Celestia continued scowling at him for a moment before visibly deflating and turning her sullen head toward Twilight, who had her eyes narrowed at the solar alicorn. "What is your next question, Twilight?"

Twilight never let up on her accusatory glare as she asked her next question. "What's Solis' real name?" Her words had a slight venom to them that Celestia cringed at. Seeing her once faithful student treat her in such a way pained the white princess heavily.

Not wanting to risk the scale raising Twilight any higher up, Celestia decided to not hold back any details with her answer. "His birth name was Solis," she explained, trying her best to maintain a degree of stern forthrightness in her tone. "However, he now goes by the name Malefic."

The scale tilted, this time in Celestia's favor, putting her back at about where she was before the previous answer she gave. Letting out a sigh of relief, she turned to smile at Twilight only to find herself confused at the unicorn's own look of confusion.

"You said 'he now goes by'," Twilight said, "as if he's still alive."

Celestia's eyes widened in panic as sweat began forming on her brow. "Did I say that?" she said, trying her absolute hardest to keep an even tone of voice, only just barely succeeding. "Sorry, I didn't mean to imply anything other than he changed his name from Solis to Malefic."

". . . Okay then," Twilight replied, a hint of suspicion in her tone.

Celestia let out another sigh of relief at having successfully maneuvered her way out of at least one, potentially damning question.

"Here's my next question," Twilight continued. She fixed Celestia with a gaze that, while softer than the icy glare she'd been casting before, was still lacking in any real compassion. "What was your relationship with Solis, or Malefic, or whatever his name was?"

Celestia smiled wistfully as she closed her eyes in remembrance. "He was my adopted son," she answered. The scale lifted in Celestia's favor once again, putting her about halfway to the keys.

Twilight's eyes widened in surprise and her jaw went slack. "You had a son?" she gasped out.

Celestia nodded sagely. "Adopted, but I loved him as if he were my own flesh and blood." Her eyes turned a little misty as she talked, her sentimentality shining through despite the heartache she was feeling earlier. She wiped away a tear with a wing and looked to Twilight with a pensive frown. "Can we please change the subject of this discussion, Twilight? This is a memory lane I have not traversed in so long, and I'd prefer not to start now."

Twilight retained her shocked expression for a moment before shaking out of her stupor and returning her mentor's gaze. She regarded her for another moment before looking over to the pharaoh with a questioning stare.

"It's entirely your decision, Twilight," he said, emotionless as to show nothing in regards to his personal opinion on the matter.

Twilight regarded him also for a moment before looking down in contemplation. When she finally looked back up to Celestia, Twilight's face was one of stern resolution. "Celestia, I'm sure my questions have opened up a lot of old wounds, and I can see now what you meant earlier in regards to your answers being mind-blowing, but you need to trust that I'll be okay knowing these things." She smiled solemnly. "After all, knowing that we're still at the mercy of a sadistic, omnipotent universe dwarfs any revelation either of us could share with each other, wouldn't you say?"

Celestia stared blankly in thought as she mulled over Twilight's words before finally nodding in acceptance. "Very well, Twilight, but please be careful all the same. There are indeed old wounds regarding the topic of my adopted son, some of which have never truly healed."

"I understand, Celestia," Twilight replied, "and I promise to be mindful of your feelings from here on out." She turned to look up at the pharaoh. "How many more questions do I have?'

The pharaoh looked down at the scale for a moment in silent judgment. "It will take three more truthful answers to tip the scale far enough for Celestia to reach the keys," he replied stoically.

Twilight nodded and turned back to Celestia. While she pondered her next question the pharaoh spoke to Yugi.

As soon as the game is over, Yugi, I'm switching control back to you.

Why?

After forcing them into this Shadow Game, I sincerely doubt they'll be comfortable around me for a while.

I understand, pharaoh.

Thank you, Yugi.

"Alright, here's my next question," Twilight finally said, drawing the pharaoh's attention back to the game. "Why did you give the Alicorn Amulet to Solis?" A sheepish smile adorned her muzzle and her cheeks turned a light shade of crimson. "Like I said, I'm mindful of your feelings, but a parent giving their child something that corrupts other ponies sounds, well . . ."

"Negligent?" Celestia supplied.

Twilight's blush only deepened as she nodded.

Celestia giggled softly. "I can't say I blame you for thinking that," she said. "Without knowing the whole story, it certainly would seem like the work of a rotten mother." Her mouth set into a grim line as she continued. "As for why I gave the accursed thing to him, it's because I had absolute faith that he'd keep it safe from power-hungry ponies such as Miss Trixie Lulamoon." She shook her head. "As for how it ended up in her possession, I cannot say, but all that matters is that it's no longer being used for nefarious purposes."

The scale shifted in Celestia's favor. Two more questions and she'd be able to reach the keys. Twilight had her next question already decided, and waited for the scale to stop before asking it.

"That's a lot of trust to have in a pony to give them something so evil," she said with a small frown. "What was Solis like as a pony?"

"A lot like you, actually," Celestia replied, smiling. "He was inquisitive and loved learning new things, and prior to meeting me he was rather anti-social, preferring instead to busy himself with books." The corners of her smile fell. "If it's any consolation, I'd be willing to trust you with the amulet as well, my faithful student."

Twilight's reply was cut off by the scale once again as it lifted Celestia closer to the keys. The amount of distance between them enclosed until there was naught but a few hoof-lengths separating them. Just one more question and the Shadow Game would be over.

"Well, this is it, Twilight," Celestia replied once the scale stopped moving. "Let this last question satisfy the last of your curiosity."

Twilight contemplated for what seemed like hours as she poured through all the unanswered questions she still had. To hear that Princess Celestia had a son, adopted or not, was a huge shock to her, and her natural curiosity had demanded she learn everything about this pony so as to expand her knowledge. Only the sight of Celestia's sorrow-stricken face from long-buried memories resurfacing because of that curiosity kept it partially at bay.

She returned Celestia's gaze once again. Her longtime mentor, second mother, princess, and above all friend had a look in her eyes that spoke of many things; regret at having been so distrustful, apologetic for the same reason, and pleading for her student's forgiveness. Twilight's heart melted at the sight; in an instant, she felt all her natural curiosity evaporate and be replaced with humbleness. She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, calming herself and refocusing her brain from curiosity to compassion. After taking a bit longer to come up with her final question, she gave Celestia a small smile and spoke in a tone to match.

"Here's my final question, princess," she said, barely loud enough for Celestia and the pharaoh to hear. "Can you promise from now on to have complete trust in me?" She shied away for a moment before continuing. "It hurts to think that you'd keep secrets from me at a time like this, and knowing that you have is even worse. The only way we're going to be able to work together to survive Aza's experiment is if we both have total, unwavering trust in each other." Her smile grew a bit bigger. "So, what do you say, princess; do we have an agreement?"

Celestia's composure almost broke again as her lip quivered with excitement and small tears began streaming down her cheeks. Eventually, she calmed down enough to hang her head with a smile of her own. "I guess I just needed a little reminder that my authority means nothing here," she whispered. She then returned Twilight's gaze. "Yes, Twilight; we do indeed have an agreement."

The scale shifted for the final time in Celestia's favor, lifting the solar alicorn up high enough so that they floated directly in front of her face. She wasted no time in grabbing both in her mouth, to which the magic aura surrounding them vanished.

"This Shadow Game is over," the pharaoh said, drawing both ponies' attention. "Celestia, you're now free to use your magic on the keys."

Celestia nodded in understanding and enveloped both of the keys in a golden aura, bringing them out of her mouth and floating one down to Twilight who enveloped it in her own lavender aura. The two ponies were about to unlock their shackles when the pharaoh spoke up again.

"Celestia? Twilight?"

They both looked to him. "Is something wrong, pharaoh?" Twilight asked.

The pharaoh took a moment to regard them both before sighing heavily and looking downcast. "I apologize for resorting to such a tactic as forcing you two into a Shadow Game." He shook his head. "I'll be switching control back to Yugi once we're done; I know you two would rather not contend with my presence after such."

The ponies stared with placid expressions at him for a while before Twilight let out a soft chuckle which clashed with the dark, brooding atmosphere of the Shadow Game. "Apology accepted, pharaoh," she said cheerily.

"I accept your apology as well," Celestia stated, smiling gently. "Dangerous as it was, it's what healed the rift between my faithful student and me, so to that I thank you."

"Me too," Twilight continued, then added, "just don't ever do it again."

The pharaoh stared blankly before closing his eyes and smiling himself. "Thank you both," he said humbly, "and . . . well, you're both welcome." He chuckled. "I promise another Shadow Game won't occur, Twilight; you have my word."

The ponies nodded in unison. "Alright," Celestia said, "let's introduce Ryuk to the rest of the group."

The others nodded and both mares inserted their respective keys into the locks on their shackles. Not a second after they turned them did Celestia feel the same magical sensation from before sweep over her brain, once again blinding her for a few moments before the scene around them returned to the blue Equestrian sky, the sun shining brightly overhead. Celestia looked in front of her to see Twilight rubbing her eyes, only to let out a surprised gasp as the solar alicorn rushed forward and swept her into a giant hug.

"I'm so glad you're safe, Twilight," she whispered, squeezing Twilight with both her wings and fore legs.

Twilight felt disoriented for a second before all her senses returned in full and she returned the hug. "Thanks for agreeing to trust me from now on, Celestia," she answered.

"And I have every intention of keeping that promise," Celestia replied. She broke the hug and stared her student straight in the eyes with a pensive smile. "Just promise me you'll keep your curiosity to a minimum from now on."

Twilight chuckled. "It's a deal, princess," she replied sweetly, and nuzzled her mentor's wing. Celestia did the same, letting a tear flow down her cheek and drop to the ground.

The pharaoh watched their exchange a few feet to their side before switching control back to Yugi. He too watched their exchange for a moment before looking around for Samus and Ryuk. He eventually spotted them by Sweet Apple Acres' front gate, both looking rather bored as they leaned against the wooden fence.

"Hey, you two!" Yugi called to them while waving his hands. "We're done over here!"

The two of them looked up to Yugi and began walking toward him after a couple of seconds.

"We were worried about you two," Samus told him once she and Ryuk closed the distance between them. She looked past him to the two hugging ponies. "Is everything patched up between them?"

Yugi nodded. "It is, but the pharaoh won't be coming out for a while after this." He held a hand up to the Millenium Puzzle in thought for a moment before turning to Ryuk. "So, did anything interesting happen while we were 'busy'?"

Ryuk shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing really interesting, but Samus here sure had a lot of questions for me regarding my role as a Shinigami." He chuckled. "It's only natural, I guess."

"Right," Yugi replied with a nod, then turned to Samus. "So, are we set to head back to Ponyville?"

"In a minute." The three looked to see Celestia approaching from behind with Twilight in tow, the former with a pained expression on her face and the latter looking perfectly neutral. Once they closed the distance between them, Celestia turned to Samus and pursed her lips before continuing. "I'm sorry I subjected you to so much agony, Samus; would your forgiveness be asking too much out of you?"

The space hunter stared back blankly for a few seconds as she mulled over what Celestia said. Finally, she walked up to the solar princess and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Princess Celestia, I've suffered greater agonies throughout my life than I think you're capable of topping. I've experienced the loss of my parents, my foster parents, and the one person who ever truly understood my anguish of having lost them." She smiled coyly and shook her head. "You have nothing to be sorry for, princess; I would've done the same thing if I were in your position."

Celestia returned Samus' gaze with her own shocked expression. Eventually, however, it settled into a thankful expression and Celestia gave her a small smile. "Thanks, Samus." She then let her gaze fall onto the Element of Honesty which still hung around the human woman's neck, to which she perked back up as she remembered something. With a flash of her horn, she summoned the box containing the remaining Elements next to her and opened it.

"Twilight," she said, drawing the lavender unicorn's attention, "now that we're 'starting over' more or less, I suppose it's only fair that I make this offer to you again." She opened the box and levitated the familiar Element of Magic out and presented it to Twilight, who stared at it with a stoic expression that betrayed no emotion. "Would you like to join my alliance, my faithful student?"

Twilight said nothing for several long moments, during which time everyone present knew her young mind was working overtime to work out the best possible course of action and all foreseeable consequences that could arise from either accepting Celestia's offer or refusing it once again. Celestia herself watched her student contemplate with a neutral expression, but internally she silently pleaded with her to accept the Element of Magic so as to confirm that the rift in their relationship was, in fact, truly healed.

"Well, Celestia," Twilight finally said, "maybe I-"

She didn't finish her sentence as her ear suddenly flicked and her eyes went wide. "Wait, do you hear that?" she asked everyone, turning to them.

"Hear what?" Yugi asked confusedly.

"I don't hear anything," Ryuk stated.

"Me neither," Samus added with a shrug.

Celestia was about to ask Twilight for her decision when her ear flicked as well. "Wait," she said, looking out across the landscape, "I hear it too."

"You probably can't hear it because of your rather limited hearing," Twilight reasoned with the non-ponies, quickly adding "no offense" before they could frown.

"Well, what is it then?" Samus asked, priming her arm cannon. "And, more importantly, should we be worried?"

Twilight pursed her lips. "I don't know," she replied. "It's coming from the direction of Ponyville, but other than that I can't discern too much about it."

"What can you discern about it?" Yugi asked.

Twilight followed her mentor's gaze to the land beyond Sweet Apple Acres. "Only that it's slowly moving our way," she stated, then looked to Celestia in concern. "Should we be worried, princess?"

Celestia stared for a few more moments before sighing and slumping her shoulders. "Let's just head back to Ponyville," she said to the group. "Keep your eyes peeled the whole way."

Everyone nodded and began making way toward the front gate. They didn't get very far before Celestia suddenly stopped, kicking up a cloud of dust that sprayed across the backs of Yugi and Samus. "Wait, everyone," she said. Everyone stopped and turned to her, looks of concern adorning all their faces. "It's moving faster now, whatever it is."

Before anything more could be said, another sound began emanating from the front gate, one which the non-ponies did hear. It was the sound of wood banging against wood in rapid succession. A look at the front gate confirmed this was indeed true, as the wooden planks that made up the fence were rattling within their sockets of the vertical support posts. With every second that went by, the rattling grew louder and louder, until it eventually could be heard all the way from inside the Apple family homestead.

"What's going on!?" Twilight cried out.

Celestia was about to reassure her that everything would be alright when she was stopped by the sight of something from beyond the gate. Only with her incredible height could she see the small wall of rising dirt moving toward the fence that would go unnoticed had it not been moving so incredibly fast. Celestia briefed a glance up to Ryuk who was floating in the air, only to see him looking at the thing as well. His fixed blank expression remained and yet Celestia could tell that behind it the Shinigami was afraid of what was happening.

"Look!" Celestia heard Samus shout from her right.

The solar princess made to turn her head, managing to barely catch one of the wooden support posts as it sank into the ground, causing the horizontal wooden planks to crack in half and uselessly fall to the ground.

Instinctively, the group began backpedaling away from the fence, only to collectively shout in surprise and fall backwards as a giant plume of dirt shot out of the ground around them.

"Twilight!? Twilight!?" Celestia shouted as she desperately scrambled to her hooves. "Are you alright!?"

"I'm fine, princess!" Twilight called from somewhere nearby. "What happened!?"

"I don't know!" Celestia replied. She frantically swiveled her head around to locate everyone else. "Is everyone else alright?"

"I'm a-ok Celestia!" Yugi replied.

"Me too!" Samus called as well.

"Woah, that's one giant worm!" Ryuk stated.

Celestia frowned. "What're you talking abo-" Celestia stopped herself upon seeing what lay in front of her where the dirt plume shot up. For all its outward appearances as a worm, it was simply too huge for her to consider it as anything other than a monster. It laid on the ground facing her, and despite its lack of visible eyes Celestia couldn't help but imagine it was boring into her soul with a vehement gaze all the same.

"What the heck is that thing!?" Celestia heard Twilight shout from nearby, followed soon after by the lavender unicorn rushing to her side and hugging the solar princess.

"I don't know, Twilight," she replied, wrapping a wing around her student. "But it doesn't appear to be sentient judging from its behavior."

Almost as if in response to her assertion, the creature opened its maw and out slithered three snake-like tongues with mouths of their own. The two ponies' eyes widened in alarm as the snake-tongues began moving toward them, to which they furiously retreated while still facing toward it so as to keep it in their sights. Celestia saw that, while Ryuk remained hovering in the air above the monster creature, Samus and Yugi were standing on either side of it, ready to bolt if it turned toward them.

Eventually, the snake-tongues seemed to reach their limit and stopped approaching Twilight and Celestia, to which they stopped moving and simply stared at the enigmatic creature before them. It retracted its tongues and began backing into its hole . . .

"Hello, my little lab rats! Uncle Aza's back to check up on you- what the heck is that thing?"

. . . Only to come back out and rear its head up with a screech in response to Aza's exclamation. The creature rocked its head back and forth in apparent agony for a few moments before slumping its head onto the ground with a gigantic thud, sending a wall of dirt spraying all over Twilight and Celestia. The two ponies took a moment a shake the dirt loose before looking up at the sky with hardened scowls etched onto their faces.

"Would you mind explaining what this is for, Aza?" Celestia asked, doing little to mask the venom in her tone.

"Hey, don't blame me for this!"

Once again, the creature reared its head in pain following Aza's exclamation. Everyone briefed a glance to it before returning their attention skywards.

"Are you saying you didn't bring this thing here?" Yugi asked.

"Yes," Aza replied with total conviction, eliciting another screech from the creature, "let me reassure all of you that I'll announce any and all additions to your group well beforehand. The fact that I didn't announce whatever that thing is before means I didn't bring it here."

While the creature screeched in pain yet again, Samus spoke up. "So, what you're saying is," she pointed to the creature with her arm cannon, "this thing was already here when you roped this planet into yourself?"

"Exactly." Another screech. "Omnipotent as I am, I can still fall to carelessness and, as a result, miss certain details such as Mister Loudmouth there." More screeches.

Twilight's eyes went wide in response as she glanced down at the creature. This thing is native to this Equestria!?

"That doesn't explain why you didn't tell us about it sooner," Celestia said with furrowed brows, drawing Twilight's attention back upwards. "There's no way you could've missed seeing it for this long."

"Well, I can't explain why I managed to miss it straight away, but I was busy with something else just now and, as such, couldn't know what was happening to all of you."

"What were you busy with?" Ryuk asked, still floating.

"Nothing that concerns any of you."

Everyone sans Ryuk glared icily at the sky in response. It was then that Twilight realized the creature hadn't been screeching for a little bit and lowered her gaze to it. The creature appeared to still be alive, but judging from the way it was lazily sprawled across the ground on its side Twilight figured it'd fallen unconsciousness.

Maybe it's extremely sensitive to sound? she mused internally just as Yugi spoke up.

"Aza, are there any more of these things burrowing underground around here?"

There was silence for a moment before Aza finally said, "There's only two more, and one of them is terrorizing Ponyville."

"Where's the other one?" Samus asked.

"In Appleloosa."

". . . And where is that?"

"Don't worry, it's a town far to the west from here," Celestia said to her. "The two here are a bigger concern."

"Speaking of which," Yugi said, lowering his gaze to the creature, "how should we deal with this one?"

"Let's worry about that later," Twilight said. She looked upwards. "Aza, are the others okay?"

"At the moment, yes, but I doubt they'll be okay for long with that thing, wait for it . . . worming around!"

". . . Can you bring us back to them, please?" Twilight asked with forced pleasantness.

A deep sigh sounded. "Fine."

Author's Note

It's that time again, everyone. Time to vote to decide which character/s get/s sent home next. You can either give them in the comments below or, if you'd rather your vote be kept private, just PM them to me. Remember, literally EVERYONE'S vote is taken into account when writing the following chapter, so don't blow the chance to affect this story's course.

Hooray for democracy!

Also, in case you're curious about the whole 'Celestia has an adopted son' thing and where it comes from, check out this story. Be warned, though, as it's incomplete.

Bloody Wrap Up

Frank and Sandy were sitting in a couple of chairs by Twilight's bed where James was resting, making sure to keep a close eye on him after what had happened earlier, when the lavender mare and the others materialized behind them soundlessly.

"Sandy? Frank?" Twilight said, drawing both their attention.

"Oh, howdy Twilight," Sandy muttered very unenthusiastically.

"Yeah, hi," Frank said, not much chipper than Sandy.

"Are you guys alright?" Yugi asked them. "Aza said one of those giant worm creatures was terrorizing you guys and James."

"Yeah," Sandy replied with a nod, "but that ain't all of what's been buggin' us lately."

"What do you mean?" Celestia asked.

Frank pointed toward the room's balcony. "Take a look," he said.

The group turned as one to the balcony, then briefed a concerned glance back to Frank and Sandy before stepping out onto it and peering down at the ground. Celestia and Twilight both recoiled at the sight that greeted them while Samus, Yugi, and Ryuk just watched it with interest.

Most of the zombie horde had since dispersed after Frank, Sandy, and James retreated inside Golden Oaks out of their sight. The ones that stayed, however, were left victim to the worm monster which had already managed to thin out the horde by a considerable amount. Whereas before there were zombies by the dozens swarming Golden Oaks' trunk, now there was but a scant few numbering in the single digits with a couple being dragged into the monster worm's mouth by its snake-like tongues, which the impromptu audience above got to see in explicit detail.

"Now I'm glad we can't eat anything while we're here," Twilight remarked as she watched the scene unfold, her face turning a light shade of green.

"I concur, Twilight," Celestia said, grimacing as the worm retreated underground with its undead prey. "My heart goes out to both the people whom those zombies used to be, as well as the citizens of this alternate Equestria for having to deal with those subterranean monsters."

"That's very nice of you to say, Celestia."

The group turned to see that Frank had joined them in watching the carnage on the ground. His face had a neutral expression, though everyone guessed the photojournalist had a lot of mixed thoughts in his mind, the emotions of which he was doing his best not to let show to them.

The group stared at him for a few moments before returning to watch the shambling corpses littering the streets of Ponyville around the library. They kept this up for a while before Samus primed her arm cannon.

"Well, if no one else is going to do something about these eyesores," she said, hoisting herself up onto the balcony's ledge, "then leave it to me; I'll take care of these rotting bastards swiftly and without mercy."

"Are you sure you'll be okay, Samus?" Yugi asked, plainly concerned. "What'll you do about that giant worm creature if it decides to attack you?"

From behind her helmet's visor, Samus smiled coyly. "Don't worry about me," she said, and patted one side of her suit, "this thing's got a specially-designed weapon for any and every type of enemy." She looked out over the streets of Ponyville, surveying her soon-to-be dead again victims. "Aside from that overgrown earthworm I can take out all of these guys with just my arm cannon, and I've got a plan in mind for how to deal with it as well if it attacks me."

"Alright then," Celestia said with a nod, "we'll leave you to it, but please be careful all the same."

Samus replied with a nod herself, then proceeded to leap off the balcony and to the ground below, just aside the group of zombies still hovering around Golden Oaks. The sound of shots firing down below began while the rest of the group made their way back inside.

"So," Frank said, eyeing Ryuk with interest, "who's the new guy?"

"Yeah," Sandy said as she scrutinized the god of death, "just who are you?"

Ryuk turned to Twilight, silently asking for permission to let them know. The lavender unicorn nodded her approval, and Ryuk floated over to Frank, his hand outstretched.

"Whoa pal," Frank said, holding his hands up defensively, "ever heard of personal space?"

Ryuk chuckled. "Twilight isn't the only one here that can impart memories onto others, which is what I'm trying to do right now." He tilted his head curiously. "Do you have haphephobia or something?"

Frank sighed. "No," he replied, and beckoned him closer, "get on with it."

Ryuk complied and closed the distance between them. He then reached out and lightly touched Frank's forehead with a single digit, select memories imparting a moment later. Frank, like most of everyone else, momentarily stared wide-eyed in alarm before settling down and looking at the death god with a neutral expression. Ryuk then did the same for Sandy, to which the squirrel reacted the same as Frank.

"Now then," Ryuk said once done, turning to the sleeping form of James Bond on Twilight's bed, "what about him?"

"Leave him alone for now," Frank said, waving a dismissive hand in James' direction. "He's not ready for another shock after what he's been through."

Twilight frowned. "What happened to him?" she asked, concerned.

"The poor fella plum near went crazy after seein' them zombies outside," Sandy explained, looking downcast. "He's the one that ended up lurin' them over here by tryin' ta shoot 'em all dead again."

"I suppose it's to be expected," Celestia said, turning to the sleeping spy with a pitying expression. "From what he's told us, it sounds as if such a threat as the living dead is non-existent where he's from, so to see it now must've dealt a huge blow to his sanity."

"Definitely," Frank said with a nod, turning to James himself, "and it was so great he passed out just a little while ago." He then turned to Twilight with a wry expression. "You don't mind if he uses your bed, do you?"

Twilight smiled and shook her head. "I don't mind, and I'm sure that this Equestria's version of me wouldn't either." She turned to face James herself. "He can stay as long as he needs to."

"Good to hear," Sandy replied, looking a bit exasperated, "'cause Ah've got a feelin' he's gonna be there fer a while."

"Well, a while can't be more than what would equate to five or six hours if time existed here," Aza said, catching everyone by surprise momentarily, "because that's when the next Council happens, so I suggest you cure him of his mental instability as quick as you can."

Everyone briefly frowned upwards before turning to James. The British spy slept soundly in Twilight's bed, his chest rising and falling at a rhythmic pace and his breathing coming out regularly. He looked, for all intents and purposes, at peace, and everyone was extremely hesitant to break him out of such a state. Everyone remained silent for a short while until Frank spoke up.

"Well, we've got plenty of time to do that." He turned to Twilight. "But for now, can we talk, Twilight?"

The lavender mare returned his gaze with a small smile. "Sure, Frank," she replied. "What about?"

". . . Can we talk in private?" Frank sheepishly replied back.

Twilight's smile fell into a frown. "Um, well . . . okay; how's downstairs sound?"

"That's okay," Frank answered, and began making way toward the staircase.

"Wait, Twilight," Celestia said, drawing everyone's attention. The solar alicorn approached her student and charged up her horn, summoning the Element of Magic a second later. Celestia floated the tiara over to Twilight, and continued. "Before we're interrupted again, what's your answer to my proposal?"

Twilight stared at the tiara for but a few seconds before smiling and taking it in her own magic. She then floated it over her head and set it down. A soft glow immediately shined from it, signaling Magic's acceptance of its 'new' bearer.

"Thanks, Twilight," Celestia said, doing her best not to start crying tears of joy.

"You're welcome, princess," Twilight said softly, then turned back to Frank. "Okay, let's go."

Frank nodded, and the two quickly disappeared down the staircase. The remaining five did and said nothing for several moments, only the sounds of Samus' distant cannon fire breaking the silence. Finally, Ryuk turned back to James and spoke up.

"Well, I guess we've got nothing else to do other than wake him up." He turned to everyone individually for a brief moment, searching for an eager face among them. "Any volunteers?"

No one said anything for several long moments, which irritated Ryuk despite his face not showing it. "Fine, I'll do it," he said, and began approaching the bed. "But who knows how he'll react to seeing a Shinigami when he wakes up."

"On second thought," Celestia said, quickly stepping in front of him, "I'll do it."

"That's the spirit," Ryuk said, more condescending than jovial in tone.

Celestia looked him square in the eyes. "Just make sure he doesn't see you until I've had a chance to reassure him."

Ryuk nodded and floated up through the ceiling, which startled everyone briefly before returning their attention to Celestia. Everyone watched as she approached the bed and gently nudged the sleeping spy with her muzzle. He stirred lightly, but didn't wake up. Celestia nudged him a little harder, and James groaned before finally cracking an eye partially open.

"James?" Celestia said soothingly. "Are you okay?"

He slowly opened his eyes the rest of the way and sat up. James then took a moment to rub the sleep from his eyes before focusing on Celestia. "What happened?" he groaned.

The solar alicorn smiled wryly. "It seems you suffered quite the psychological breakdown upon witnessing Ponyville's newest visitors," she replied.

James stared confusedly at her before a look of realization crossed his face. "Ah yes, the living dead," he said, trying and failing to sound totally non-chalant. "Not something I'm used to seeing, of course."

"As I figured," Celestia replied. She then wrapped a wing around his body. "Are you okay now, though? Can your sanity stay strong from here on out?"

James sighed and hung his head. "I'm out of my element in dealing with such a threat." Celestia retracted her wing as James laid back on the bed. "I honestly doubt I could stay strong under current circumstances."

Celestia frowned. She was about to provide a counterargument when Yugi beat her to the punch.

"You managed to stay strong when you first arrived here," he said with a soft smile while approaching the bed. "Sure things are a little more dangerous right now, but isn't that what spies live for?"

James let out a small laugh. "Being a spy entails many things that would spell death for the reckless or uninformed." He turned to face away from everyone. "This, however, is above and beyond anything I thought I'd ever have to face in my career." He sighed. "For once in my life, I don't feel up to the task at hand."

"Ah, quit yer whinin'!" Sandy chastised him with a furrowed gaze. "Y'all can take down baddies plottin' world domination but get scared by a couple'a walkin' corpses? Get the anchors outta yer pants and help Samus outside!"

James sighed in irritation. Sandy just rolled her eyes and stormed off to the balcony, leaving Yugi and Celestia alone with him.

"You know, James," Yugi said, almost as softly as Celestia as he held up the Millennium Puzzle around his neck, "I felt the same way the first time I completed the Millennium Puzzle and realized what fate had in store for me and my friends." He smiled wryly. "To be perfectly honest, I thought I'd signed my own death warrant at first."

James shifted uncomfortably in the bed while Celestia briefly turned her attention to Yugi as he continued. "But I realized quickly that the more support I got from my friends, the better a chance I had at overcoming whatever challenges fate threw our way. The same holds true now, because no matter what Aza decides to hit us with we'll all have each other to help shoulder the load."

Yugi smiled warmly as he continued still. "I don't expect you to help with the zombies outside after what you've gone through, but we'll need your help in the future. Just know that we'll return that help in kind, always."

James said nothing in response for several moments, all the while Yugi and Celestia waited anxiously for him to do so. They hoped that the British spy would come to his senses and realize that he wasn't useless in the current situation.

"I see you're quite skilled at pep talks, Yugi," he finally said, and turned to face them with a smile. "I won't lie and say that your words haven't made an effect on me, but I would prefer to stay inside for now." He lifted up part of the bed covers. "If, for no other reason, than this bed being too comfy for me to part with it."

Celestia fought back hard the urge to snort out a laugh while Yugi just maintained his kind smile. "That's okay," he said, briefly glancing at the bed with interest before returning his gaze to James. "One last thing; we need to introduce Aza's newest victim to you."

"So you do," James replied with a nod. "Well, bring them in then."

"Be warned, though," Celestia said, looking rather nervous, "he's rather creepy at first glance, and his background may seem alarming at first. Rest assured, though, that he is indeed an ally of ours." She looked upwards. "Ryuk, are you still there?"

The Shinigami phased through the ceiling of Twilight's bedroom. James looked up and could only raise a curious brow at the newcomer.

"I see you weren't kidding about the 'creepy' part," he mused.

"Believe me, there's Shinigami much scarier than me where I come from," Ryuk said with a chuckle. He held up a clawed hand to James' forehead. "How about if I show you?"

James wasn't given time to protest as Ryuk touched a finger to his forehead, instantly imparting his select memories into the spy's brain. Yugi and Celestia winced in anticipation of James' reaction to knowing what Ryuk was, hoping he didn't have another nervous breakdown as a result.

To their immense relief, James only looked briefly shocked before tilting his head curiously. "So, you can kill people just by writing their name down in a book?" he asked.

"In a Death Note," Ryuk clarified, "and there's a lot of rules to take into account when using one, but yeah, that's the basic gist of it."

James smiled and shook his head before laying it down on the pillow. "What's next, I wonder?" he said out loud, possibly so Aza could clearly hear him.

The sentient universe didn't speak next, however; Celestia did.

"Well, I'm glad to see that things are looking brighter for us."

"Yeah," Ryuk said. He then began floating toward the balcony. "I'm gonna go watch Samus."

"And I'm finding myself quite tired all of a sudden," James added as he turned his head to one side again. "Wake me when it's time for Council."

Once again silence descended upon Twilight's bedroom, with only the echoes of Samus' shots being audible once again.

"So, what do we do now?" Yugi asked Celestia.

The solar alicorn turned to him with a neutral expression. "Actually, Yugi," she said, her tone perfectly calm, "I would like to speak with you in private for a moment."

Yugi tilted his head. "About what?" he asked her.

"Come," Celestia replied, gesturing with her head toward the bathroom. She began walking toward it, only to stop and turn back when Yugi didn't follow.

Celestia frowned before the blush on his face made her realize why he was hesitating and she giggled. "Don't worry, Yugi; I only ask that we talk in the lavatory because it's the one room that's currently unoccupied."

Yugi's blush relaxed and he sighed. "Right, sorry," he replied, and scurried after her. Celestia held the door open for him before stepping inside herself and closing it.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Yugi asked, taking a seat on the bathtub's rim.

"Something that I've been formulating ever since Aza brought this alternate Equestria into itself," Celestia replied as she sat down upon the shag carpet adorning the floor. She maintained a serene expression as she continued. "I already made the offer to Samus, and just now Twilight accepted it as well."

"You mean the thing with the Elements?" Yugi asked.

Celestia nodded. "Yes, and now I'd like to make the same offer to you." She charged up her horn and summoned the box containing the remaining Elements of Harmony. Using her magic to open it, she levitated out the Element of Kindness.

"Wow, really?" Yugi asked, taken aback in surprise. "But why me specifically?

"An Element of Harmony can only be wielded by someone who exhibits its associated trait to a notable degree," Celestia replied, letting the corners of her mouth turn upwards. "After your impressive display of compassion toward James just now, I have little doubt that you can wield the Element of Kindness, Yugi."

She levitated the necklace over to him and he grasped it in his hands. "Just put it around your neck," Celestia continued, "and if it glows then Kindness has judged you to be worthy of possessing it."

"Okay," Yugi said, and lifted it to his neck, making sure to avoid clasping it around the strap securing the Millennium Puzzle to his neck. He locked it in place, and soon after Kindness let off a bright glow like Magic had done earlier.

"I thought so," Celestia said with a smile, nodding in satisfaction. "Now we're that much closer to having a full set of bearers; only Generosity and Laughter remain."

Yugi stared at Kindness in thought for a moment before turning back up to Celestia. "So, does this mean I'm officially part of your alliance now? he asked.

"Indeed it does," Celestia confirmed. "However, don't think you're bound by my rules or anything of the sort; we all have equal authority here." She looked forlorn for a brief moment as she spoke this.

Yugi let his eyes wander down to the Millennium Puzzle hanging below Kindness. The pharaoh had listened to the entire exchange, but hadn't said anything or reacted in any noticeable way to Celestia's offer.

". . . Celestia?"

"Yes, Yugi?"

"Is this offer for both me and the pharaoh, or just me alone?"

Celestia frowned. "What do you mean?"

Yugi sighed, and met her concerned gaze. "I'm asking if you consider both of us allies, or just me alone?"

Celestia stared blankly for a few moments, trying to figure out the meaning behind Yugi's question. When it finally dawned on her, however, Celestia couldn't help but give a small smile.

"I take it you're worried about what I think of the pharaoh now after the Shadow Game, right?" she asked.

Yugi nodded in reply.

"Don't fret over whether my thoughts toward the pharaoh are different now because of one questionable action, Yugi." Celestia shook her head. "Besides, all turned out well in the end, didn't it?"

"Yeah, it did," Yugi replied, some trepidation in his tone.

"Then all is good," Celestia affirmed, standing up and turning to face the door. "And to answer your question, the offer extends to the pharaoh as well as you."

Yugi smiled. "Thanks, Celestia," he said.

Celestia nodded. "Well then," she said, opening the bathroom door, "if you need me, I'll be keeping watch over Samus in case she finds herself in trouble." She stepped out, leaving the bathroom door open.

I'm rather surprised Celestia was willing to make such an offer after what I did to her and Twilight.

Yeah, I was kinda surprised too, but at least we know now that she doesn't hold resentment for what you did.

Because she said the offer extended to both of us?

Yeah.

I hope you're right, then, because there'll come a time when I have to wear Kindness myself and she'll have to see me as an ally in your stead.

I'm positive she'll be willing to do that.

We'll see, Yugi, we'll see.

"So let me get this straight," Twilight said from where she stood, the barricade still up meaning she and Frank had nothing to sit down on, "you've got parasites in your bloodstream that'll turn you into a zombie if left unsuppressed for too long?"

Frank, leaning against one of the tree's wooden walls, eyeing the interior indifferently, nodded his head. "Pretty much, yes," he said. "Though, as long as Aza doesn't let time pass here they won't be able to grow, so there's no reason for us to panic yet."

"'Yet'," Twilight repeated, and leveled a furrowed gaze at him, a slight scowl crossing her features. "Why didn't you tell us this when we first met?"

Frank sighed. "Because we didn't know all of what was happening then," he replied, keeping his expression neutral while returning Twilight's gaze. "Besides, if I told you I was a walking liability, no, a walking biohazard, would you or anyone else have wanted anything to do with me?"

Twilight pondered this for a moment before visibly relaxing her face and sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. "Probably not," she admitted. "But why are you telling me this now, and why me alone?"

"Because I've got a favor to ask of you," Frank replied, looking very serious, and slightly hopeful. "Can you fix me with your magic? If not, I've got another favor to ask of you."

"And what would the second favor be?" Twilight asked.

"Vote me out."

"What!?"

"You heard me," Frank replied, exasperation clear in his voice. "Aza could let time pass whenever it wants, and it wouldn't take long after that before I'm a shambling corpse like the ones outside." Frank gestured with his head towards the barricade, and the zombies that lumbered around Ponyville still getting picked off by Samus on the other side of it. "Better to be safe than sorry, after all. So, can you do it, are am I gonna be getting my torch snuffed tonight?"

Twilight scuffed a hoof across the floor while looking downcast. "Most spells are made to serve a single function, and I know for a fact that none exist for such a case as yours." She sighed. "I'm sorry Frank, but take solace in knowing that I'd waste no time curing you if I was able to."

"I'll take solace in knowing that I'm not putting anyone in danger, regardless of how that's achieved," Frank replied, smiling softly.

Twilight stared solemnly back at him. "Thanks, Frank," she said softly. "I'll talk to everyone else about voting you out tonight."

Frank nodded in acceptance as the shots from outside ceased. He then stood up to stretch before making way toward the front door barricade. "Sounds like Samus is finished," he said. "Let's put this stuff back."

Twilight nodded in agreement. She began heading toward the barricade herself when she caught sight of something in her eye's corner on the bookshelf; a misaligned book.

Odd, she thought, I know all these books were aligned properly the last time I was in here.

Twilight changed direction and approached the book. She was about to push it back into place with a hoof when she caught sight of its title, and promptly froze stiff.

HUMAN? Why is it . . . wait, did someone take it out to read!? Panic gripped her as she began fantasizing about who could've done such a thing, as well as whether any of the actual humans among the group knew that she and her friends had written it. Even if it was her alternate self's possession, it wouldn't take much to figure out that she'd also written it back in her own Equestria.

Maybe it doesn't matter, she eventually reasoned. Anything can exist in the multiverse, even metaphysical links to other parts of it. Surely they'll understand that it isn't a big deal.

She lifted her hoof up to push it back into place, then hesitated. She stood there in silence, the only audible sound being Frank shifting furniture around behind her. Finally, after what felt like forever, she lowered her hoof and used her magic to pull the book out of its place.

I'd better be safe, though, she thought, and made way toward the basement.

Twilight pushed in the doorlock leading to Golden Oaks' basement and opened it. She then tossed the book in with her magic and closed the door again. Feeling more relieved now, she began helping Frank dismantle the barricade.

Ryuk and Sandy watched from the balcony as Samus unleashed her assault upon the shambling corpses stalking the streets of Ponyville. The hunter fired upon the zombies mercilessly, not stopping until each one slumped over re-dead, with or without their head intact. Blood splattered everywhere, easily visible against the bright green grass, and fleshy chunks of some of Samus' more unlucky targets littered the ground for meters in all directions.

Princess Celestia stayed up in the air, keeping a watchful eye out for any stragglers Samus missed, as well as the worm creature they'd encountered before. The subterranean monster hadn't been seen since the group arrived, and the longer it went unseen the greater the sinking feeling in Celestia's stomach became as she thought something bad was in store for them.

Eventually, Samus popped the head of what appeared to be the last remaining zombie and knelt down to catch her breath. Fallen zombie corpses were scattered all up and down the main street of Ponyville, and the smell was so strong that had she not been wearing her helmet Samus would've undoubtedly gagged.

"I believe that's the last of them!" Celestia called from above, drawing the hunter's attention. "Let's head back to Golden Oaks and inform everyone!"

Samus nodded and stood up before beginning the task of stepping around slain corpses to reach the library. She hadn't taken more than twenty steps before a sudden rumbling emanated through the ground, causing her to stumble a bit before regaining balance.

"Is something the matter!?" Celestia called down to Samus, the knot in her stomach tightening as fear gripped her.

Samus flashed a thumbs up to her, only to immediately flail as the ground beneath her collapsed and she fell into an enormous pit below.

"Samus!" Celestia shouted, and quickly descended to the pit's edge and peered over the side. "Are you okay?"

Samus took a moment to get to her feet before nodding her head. She then looked at the earthen walls of the pit around her in confusion. "Where did this come from?" she asked through the helmet, just barely audible to Celestia's ears.

"I'm not sure," the solar alicorn replied. She then charged up her horn and enveloped Samus in her magic. "I'll get you out, Samus, just hold on tight!"

Samus nodded again and didn't struggle as Celestia began levitating the hunter out of the pit. Suddenly, one of the worm monster's snake-like tongues shot out of the wall and latched onto Samus' ankle.

"Samus!" Celestia shouted. "Hang on!"

She began increasing the strength of her telekinesis, pouring every last iota of magic she had into her pull. But just as Samus was being lifted up again the monster's two other tongues also shot out and wrapped around Samus' waist, quickly pulling the hunter toward the earthen wall. Celestia didn't let up, however, and only kept increasing her magical output to match the monster's physical strength.

Samus soon found herself in a tug-of-war between the alicorn and the worm, with neither side willing to hand her over to the other. All the while they pulled, Samus herself contemplated the best course of action.

Okay, what are my options here? I know my suit can withstand most digestive tracts, so if I end up getting eaten by this bastard I'll be fine. Then again, I don't know if this thing is special in that regard. Okay, time to- oh yeah, it's hiding in the dirt. Crap, so much for using my scanner.

Samus was briefly jostled from her thoughts when Celestia's grip on her loosened, allowing the monster to pull her closer to the earthen wall.

"Urgh," the solar alicorn grunted, sweat pouring from her brow as she kept pulling with all her might. "Don't . . . worry, Samus; I've . . . got this."

Doesn't look like it, Samus thought as she inched closer to the dirt wall where the oversized worm waited to consume her. Looks like I'm gonna have to kill this thing right here and now. Alright, what should I use?

By now Samus was just a scant few inches from the earthen wall, the snake-tongues' 'heads' being all that was visible of them. Celestia was on her knees at this point, no longer able to stand as both the combined stench of so many slain zombies around her and the strain of prolonged telekinesis put an extra heavy burden on both her mind and body. Nevertheless, she continued pouring every last bit of strength into pulling with her magic.

"Celestia," Samus said, to which the solar alicorn could barely hear under all the strain she currently felt, "I need you to let go of me."

"No, Samus," Celestia grunted. "I won't let you go."

"I've got a plan to kill this thing," Samus argued, "but I need you to let go of me for it to work."

"How certain are you that it will work if I do?" Celestia asked. She could feel the last of her strength slipping away as she spoke.

Though the solar alicorn couldn't see it, Samus smiled coyly behind her helmet. "I'm one hundred percent positive," she replied. "Just get far away from this area quickly so you aren't harmed by the explosion."

Samus was right up against the dirt wall of the pit by now, the monster lying in wait within it to consume her. Finally feeling the last of her strength ebb away, and trusting Samus to come out alive, Celestia released her telekinetic hold on the hunter and slumped to the ground in exhaustion. She watched as Samus was pulled through the dirt, causing it to cave in a bit as she disappeared from view.

"Princess Celestia!"

The solar princess flicked her ears in response to the sound of Twilight's voice behind her. She slowly turned her head around to see that, indeed, her faithful student was galloping like a madmare toward her along with Ryuk, Sandy, and Yugi. Celestia tried to turn her whole body around to face them but her strength was still too diminished to succeed, and she collapsed again on her stomach as they reached her.

"What happened!?" Celestia winced at Twilight's shouting so close to her. "Where'd this pit come from!?"

"Twilight," Celestia wheezed out as she desperately struggled to get to her hooves. "We need to get away from here, now."

"Why?" Yugi asked, then looked into the pit. "And where's Samus at?"

"Underground," Celestia replied, and tried again to get to her hooves, this time with more success. "She said there's going to be an explosion."

"Wait, what?" Sandy asked, staring at the ground in panic.

Ryuk chuckled. "You'd better get running then, guys," he said.

"Or better yet," Twilight started with a smile, and charged magic into her horn. She then cast a force field around the group, making sure to encompass the ground under their feet/hooves so as to ensure absolute safety. "Let's watch."

Yugi looked at the barrier in concerned curiosity. "Are you sure this thing will hold?" he asked.

"As long as the explosion doesn't happen right under us, then all is good," Twilight stated matter-of-factly. She then turned to Celestia with concern. "What exactly happened, princess?"

"Samus fell into the pit and was attacked by the worm monster," Celestia explained, no longer wheezing as her strength returned to her. "I tried to pull her back out, but the creature was too strong."

Twilight's eyes widened in surprise at that. "Really?"

"I'm not as almighty as some would claim, my faithful student," Celestia replied, smiling wryly. "Do you remember the wedding, and my fight against Queen Chrysalis?"

"Yeah, I remember," Twilight replied, wincing at the memory.

"Having to pull against that which is lodged in solid ground isn't something I'm accustomed to doing," Celestia continued. "Much less doing so in the company of several dozen horrid-smelling corpses."

Twilight looked around at all the fallen zombies laying around on the ground and grimaced. "Yeah, I imagine that would be kinda ha-"

Twilight was cut off by a hard tremor which shot through the ground underneath them, instantly knocking everyone except Ryuk to the ground. Right next to a cottage along the street, a giant plume of dirtied blood and guts shot out of the ground accompanied by a rising dome of white light. Everyone shielded their eyes while Twilight's shield was bombarded by flesh and dirt, managing to stay intact all throughout its duration. Everyone waited until the barrage ended before opening their eyes to see the devastation.

They were nothing short of amazed by what they saw. The explosion created a second pit right next to the cottage about the same size as the first, but far enough away that no structural damage was in danger of occurring. Further adding to the carnage littering the ground was the bloodied remains of the monster. Bits and pieces of its body could be seen scattered among the area, the innards within clearly visible for all to see.

But everyone's attention was drawn elsewhere, specifically, to an orange spherical object laying upon the ground just a few feet away from the pit. Everyone then watched, amazed, as the object transformed into the tall, bulky form of Samus. The hunter took a moment to inspect her surroundings before spotting the group and waving to them.

Twilight immediately dispelled the shield. "Samus!" she called, and the group began running across the bloodied ground towards her. "What did you do!?"

"I used a Power Bomb," Samus replied once they neared her. She wasn't willing to remove her helmet due to the stench of all the corpses around them. "I can lay them when in my Morph Ball form, after which they explode, as you just saw."

Ryuk whistled. "I'll say, it's more fun than writing names in a book, that's for sure."

"Just how many functions does that suit have, anyway?" Sandy asked in amazement.

Samus shrugged. "As many as I can find," she replied coolly.

"What?"

"What the heck!?" Everyone turned up at Aza's sudden exclamation. "Sweet me, what happened to you all!?"

"I slaughtered every last zombie you brought here, as well as one of those giant worms," Samus replied, wearing a deadpanned expression behind her helmet's bloodied visor. "Don't tell me you weren't expecting this to happen?"

"Yeah, but this is more . . . well, gruesome than how I thought you'd deal with them."

"You're talking like you weren't paying attention to us," Twilight mused, arching a brow. "What were you doing just now?"

"Meh, nothing worth talking about."

No one bought his reply, but they all decided not to inquire further and began making way toward Golden Oaks, careful to avoid slipping on the blood and guts coating the ground.

"Listen, guys," Twilight said along the way, drawing everyone's attention to her, "there's something I need to say before tonight."

"Sure thing, Twilight," Celestia said. "What is it?"

The lavender mare looked downcast for a moment before adopting a resolute expression. "It's about Frank . . ."

Well, I'd better start visualizing how Council should look this time.

Since I went for a suspenseful, moody atmosphere last time, I should probably go for something different to keep the lab rats on their toes. So then, what shall I subject them to this time?

Hmmm . . . something more comical and bizarre would be a nice change. Alright, time to search for such a something.

. . .

. . . Perfect.

Fallen Star From The Future

Author's Note

This chapter contains major spoilers for this fic. If you haven't read it then you're doing yourself a disservice, because it's a masterpiece compared to this story.

Co-written with Sharaloth

Fallen Star From The Future

A lavender magic aura enveloped the front door of Golden Oaks and pushed in the doorlock, opening the door itself a moment later. In walked the new group of eight people, the newest member of which was carried by Twilight on her back, freeing her to use her magic on the door. The yellow creature which Aza had roped into itself back at the colorful block temple had fainted soon after waking up to see Twilight staring down at it. The group decided to wait for it to wake up again before letting it know what was happening.

“I hope Frank can cure himself,” Twilight said, stepping into the room’s center and turning to face everyone else. “Thanks for agreeing to vote him out, you guys.”

“Eh, he wanted it,” Ryuk said with a shrug.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine, Twilight,” Celestia said, smiling kindly. “Right now, though, we need to focus on our own safety.”

“I agree,” Yugi said. “We still need to take care of that other worm monster too.”

Everyone instinctively turned to Sandy, but the squirrel was too busy staring down at the floor with a sad expression to notice them. Everyone figured she was still reeling over Frank’s departure, since the two of them had grown rather close over the past day, and so decided to leave her alone.

“We should rest for now,” Samus said. She then pointed to the yellow creature still in Twilight’s grasp. “Should we entrust care of it to you, Twilight?”

The lavender unicorn nodded. “Leave it to me,” she said. Twilight then thought for a moment and turned to James. “We’re getting a little overcrowded here, it seems; sorry if you still wanted my bed.”

James said nothing for a few moments as he regarded her. Eventually he smiled and shook his head.

“It’s okay, Twilight,” he replied. “I understand this is your house, so far be it from me to mooch any more off of you. Besides,” he glanced to the yellow creature, “whatever that thing is, they need the accommodations more than I do right now.”

Twilight smiled in response before saying “Thanks” and turning toward the stairs. She only took a few steps before memory kicked in and she turned back to Sandy.

“Hey, Sandy, you coming?” she asked the squirrel.

Finally, Sandy snapped from her trance and she returned Twilight’s gaze. “Uh, sure,” she weakly muttered, and followed Twilight up the stairs.

“I’ll be going as well,” Samus declared, and briskly walked out the door. “Good night.”

“Me too,” Yugi added as he followed Samus. James was quick to follow behind himself, grumbling a bit about finding a house with a more suitable bed.

Ryuk was about to leave as well when Celestia stopped him with a hoof on his shoulder. The Shinigami turned to regard her.

“Is something wrong?” he asked, confused.

Celestia didn’t respond right away, instead charging up her horn and summoning the box containing the remaining Elements of Harmony; Laughter and Generosity. She levitated the Element of Laughter out of the box and presented it to Ryuk, who now looked more surprised than confused.

“Uh . . . thanks?” Ryuk said, scratching his head.

“I’m sure this comes as a complete surprise to you, Ryuk,” Celestia replied, smiling kindly. “However, and this is something which I’ve observed about you ever since we first met today, I believe you’re fully capable of wielding the Element of Laughter. Of course, it’s your choice and your choice alone, and I’ll respect it no matter what.”

Ryuk stared intently at her for a few moments, then at the necklace floating before him for the same amount of time. Finally, he shrugged and grabbed it out of the air. Celestia watched, a wide smile split across her features, as Ryuk clasped the Element around his neck. After a second it glowed brightly like all the others, signalling its acceptance of the Shinigami as its new bearer.

“Huh,” Ryuk said with a tilt of his head, “part of me thought that was going to hurt.”

Celestia did her best to hold back a giggle.

“So, what should I do now that I’m wearing this thing?” Ryuk asked her.

“For now, just help us overcome Aza’s challenges,” Celestia replied, still smiling. “Which reminds me, where’s that, uh, Death Note was it?”

“That’s right,” Ryuk replied with a nod. “You aren’t thinking of using it, are you? Because I know for a fact it won’t work here.”

Celestia shook her head. “Even with a complete set of Element Bearers, we need every last scrap of aid we can acquire.” She levelled a serious gaze at him. “Even if it doesn’t work right now, we have no idea what usefulness it may hold in the future, so it would be wise to keep it readily available at all times.”

Ryuk took a moment to mull over Celestia’s words before replying with, “I guess that makes sense.” He turned to the door. “I’ll go get it.”

“Thank you,” Celestia replied, watching him exit the library. Her ears then flicked in response to the sound of hoofsteps, and she turned to see Twilight descending the stairs, a wry expression on her face. “I take it you heard everything?”

The lavender unicorn nodded. “And saw everything.” She reached the landing and began approaching Celestia. “I’ll admit, Ryuk never struck me as a potential Bearer of Laughter.”

Celestia smiled cheekily. “Perhaps we should take that to mean your sense of humor is rather flat?”

Twilight stopped suddenly in her tracks and looked to Celestia with a slight blush in her cheeks. Celestia only laughed and continued with, “Worry not, Twilight; you’re perfect just the way you are.”

“Er, thanks princess,” Twilight said sheepishly while scuffing her hoof. “Anyway, Sandy’s gone to bed and the new creature is resting in this Equestria’s Spike’s basket, so we’re alone until Ryuk gets back.”

“Indeed,” Celestia replied with a nod. “What should we do until then?”

Twilight tilted her head in confusion. “You’re asking me?”

“Of course,” Celestia replied. “After all, this is your home, which makes me your guest and you the host.”

“Oh! Well . . .” Twilight trailed off as she lost herself in thought of what she and the princess could do to kill time. After a few moments of silent contemplation, she turned to Celestia and said, “I know we already talked about this, princess, but how about we compare notes on our lives back home? We might find something that confirms whether or not we’re from the same Equestria if we do.”

Celestia mulled over Twilight’s suggestion for a few seconds before nodding in agreement. “Alright, let’s do it.”

Nodding herself, Twilight went to fetch some parchment and quills.

C’mon Doctor, where are you? You’ve gotta settle down in some universe sometime.

. . . Nope.

. . . Not there.

. . . Or there.

*sigh* This is too boring, time to mess with the guinea pigs.

“Okay,” Twilight said while using her magic to scribble some words onto her parchment, “I can confirm that I was accepted into your school after successfully hatching Spike from his egg.”

Celestia nodded and scribbled some words onto her own parchment. “And I can confirm that I accepted you after quelling your magic surge and undoing all the effects it caused.”

Twilight blushed a little as she continued with, “Right, and that’s when I recei-”

”I see you’re still hung up on that identity crisis thing between the two of you,” Aza interrupted, briefly startling the two mares. ”Is it really worth mulling over, anyway?” I mean, you’re both familiar enough with each other that it shouldn’t matter whether or not you’re both from the same Equestria.”

Twilight and Celestia looked up with furrowed gazes. “The only reason we’re hung up on it is because of your refusal to reveal the truth to us,” Twilight replied, a hint of frustrated anger in her tone.

“And it does matter whether we’re from the same Equestria,” Celestia continued. “All of what we’ve experienced and learned here has changed us to an enormous degree, Aza. To return home without someone to confide in would leave one or both of us vulnerable to go mad with the knowledge we’ve accrued during our stay here.”

“Not knowing much of anything about the psychology of corporeal entities, I’ll take your word on that,” Aza replied. ”However, and by no means am I claiming to know you two this intimately, maybe you two don’t want to return home?”

Celestia and Twilight could only stare blankly at the ceiling in response, too dumbstruck to say anything.

”Allow me to elaborate,” Aza continued. ”If my memory serves me well, and I have no reason to doubt that it does, you gave Twilight permission to extensively study the Elements of Harmony upon returning home, right Celestia?”

The solar alicorn slowly nodded. “Yes, I remember that from earlier, but what does that have to do with our desire to return home?”

”Quite a lot, actually,” Aza replied. ”And here’s somepony who can help you realize just what I mean.”

Immediately, a figure began materializing in front of the two mares. They watched with interest as it took on a definitive shape which they were all too familiar with; an Equestrian pegasus mare. She was sleeping with her head rested in her hooves, and her red mane was suffering from a severe bedhead. Her coat was white like Celestia’s, though with a slight creamy tint to it. What was of particular interest to Twilight and Celestia, however, was the mare’s Cutie Mark; a circle with an angular seven pointed star inside. It was quite unlike anything either mare would’ve expected to see on a pegasus.

”Just so you know,” Aza spoke up, drawing the two mare’s attention away from the pegasus, “she’s only a temporary addition to the group, so don’t bother telling her anything about what’s going on.”

“Who is she?” Celestia asked.

”Well now,” Aza replied with a hint of cheekiness, “that’s for her to tell you, isn’t it?”

Celestia and Twilight glanced back down at the pegasus mare. Her chest rose and fell rhythmically with her breaths, and a contented smile stretched across her muzzle. She looked to be enjoying a peaceful slumber, to which both mares were hesitant to wake her from.

”Well, I’ll leave you three to chat for now,” Aza said. ”Ciao!”

Twilight and Celestia stared at the sleeping mare for another few moments before Celestia finally sighed and said, “Well, we might as well gleam some information from her.” She began to approach the sleeping mare.

“Are you sure, princess?” Twilight asked concerned. “What if she’s hostile?”

Celestia flashed her student a sly smile. “Rest assured, my faithful student, that I’m prepared for such a possibility.”

“If you say so,” Twilight replied as she watched Celestia use a hoof to gently nudge the sleeping mare.

She let out a soft grunt and shifted her head a bit. Celestia gently nudged her again, to which the mare’s eyes slowly cracked open, revealing them to be of a bluish color. Taking a moment to rub the sleep from her eyes, the pegasus slowly stood up on all fours and stretched, to which the sound of cracking joints could be heard.

“Hello, miss,” Celestia said kindly. “Who might you be?”

The mare arched a confused brow while stretching and opened her eyes fully. Immediately, they widened in shock and surprise upon seeing Twilight and Celestia staring expectantly at her. She began stuttering while pointing a shaky hoof at them, to which Twilight tilted her head in confusion.

Is that a good or a bad sign? she asked herself.

“Is something wrong, miss?” Celestia asked as the mare continued stuttering. “If so, please don’t hesitate to-”

“Celestia?” the mare croaked, interrupting the solar alicorn. She must have realized this, as she quickly clasped a hoof over her mouth. Her eyes widened in what was clearly fear.

Celestia refrained from rolling her eyes at the display, having long since grown tired of ponies thinking any little mistake on their part would incur her wrath. She adopted her most serene smile and spoke. “There’s no need to be afraid, miss; we will not hurt you.”

The mare lowered her hoof. Her eyes stared in apparent fascination at both the other two mares, shifting back and forth between them, taking in every little detail of their appearances that she could. This greatly heightened both Twilight and Celestia’s curiosity of the pegasus, as nopony had ever reacted to their company like she was right now.

Twilight cleared her throat. “Miss?” she said, to which the pegasus turned her attention back to her. “Could you state your name, please?”

The seemed to hesitate for a few seconds before saying, “Of course”, and looking at both of them straight on with an expression that clearly conveyed how much she was trying to hide her timidness behind a mask of stoicness, and failing rather humorously in Celestia’s opinion. “My name is Star Fall, or Fallen Star in your tongue.”

Celestia arched a brow. “‘Your tongue’?” she inquired.

Star Fall’s mask fell away, being replaced with a sense of panic as she swiveled her head around the room, as if only just now realizing she wasn’t where she was prior to being roped into Aza by the sadistic universe.

“Where am I?” she asked suddenly, returning her attention to Twilight and Celestia.

Twilight frowned. She was still torn over whether to reveal the situation to this mare, Star Fall, or attempt to fabricate a lie and hope that Aza did intend on returning her home after a short while. Having to decide right then was especially nerve-wracking, helped none by Star Fall’s expectant gaze.

“You’re in a dream,” Celestia replied just as suddenly. Twilight turned to her in shock, and likely would’ve spoke out against her mentor’s statement if not for the authoritative glance she cast her way.

“A . . . dream?” Star Fall said, uncertain. She took a moment to scrutinize her surroundings some more before resettling her gaze on the two mares in front of her. “Everything feels very real.”

Celestia nodded. “My sister has told me that’s the typical response ponies give upon being told they're dreaming.”

Star Fall tapped her chin in thought. "It does make the most sense, I suppose," she mused. After a few moments she slumped over and sighed, a frown splitting her features.

“Why the sad face, Star Fall?” Celestia asked with a tilt of her head.

“You two mean so much to me,” the pegasus replied, looking up at them with a wistful smile, “and I’ve thought a lot about what I’d say to you two, given the chance.”

“Really now?” Celestia inquired. “Well, dream or not, we’re right here and willing to listen.” She turned to her student. “Aren’t we Twilight?”

“Y-yeah,” Twilight stuttered. Her gaze instinctively shifted to the door, then to the stairs before resettling on Star Fall. “I’m very interested in hearing what you have to say.”

Celestia nodded and turned back to Star Fall. “We’re ready when you are,” she said, settling down to listen.

Star Fall nodded, and turned to Twilight. “Well, the first thing I should say is that it's a thousand years after your time, Twilight. So much has changed, including the language, which is what I meant by ‘your tongue’.”

Twilight’s eyes widened in shock while Celestia spoke. “The highlights should do just fine.” She gave the pegasus a warm smile. “Take your time, we will wait.”

Star Fall sighed, hanging her head. "Okay. Okay. The most important thing is probably the Schism."

"Ominous," Celestia commented. "Tell us about it."

"Over eight hundred years ago, uh, my time," Star Fall began, "there was a catastrophe. It destroyed civilization, knocked us into a dark age, and divided Equestria permanently. We call it the Schism. It began with ponies fighting each other over, well, over you." She gave the princess a sheepish smile. "You and your sister had very different ideas on how Equestria was to be governed. Some supported you and the monarchy you had created, while others supported Luna and her ideas of democracy. It was peaceful at first, and you both kept it that way. But, well, you had to leave, and it got bad."

"Leave?" Celestia asked. "Why would I abandon my little ponies in such a state?" Twilight nodded her agreement with the question, her attention fastened on Star Fall, who shifted nervously under her gaze.

"There was an enemy coming," Star Fall explained. "A Goddess, like you, who had to be stopped, but you couldn't be in the world to do it. You and Luna merged with your cosmic bodies, the sun and moon, and watched for her coming.” She adorned a somber expression. “In Equestria, leaving only fanned the flames of the argument. It wasn't long before ponies took up arms and began fighting each other, both claiming their side had divine blessing. They spent decades fighting each other, and they dragged all the other races of the world into it. Griffins sided with the monarchists, Changelings with the rebels, and with their help the fighting became more brutal than ever."

"That's terrible!" Twilight gasped. "It's just so . . . senseless! Why would they do that to each other?"

"Ponies will fight for ideology," Star Fall said. "And kill for religion."

"I’ve never claimed to be a god, demanding obedience and worship," Celestia said, furrowing her brows a tad. "I would not approve of such a religion in my name.”

"Honestly? I don't think you had a choice," Star Fall said. "Especially not after you were gone. Ponies chose to believe in you. I believe in you. For most of us that belief is . . . it's a beautiful thing. Uplifting.” She sighed in exasperation. “But sometimes it can be twisted, and I think that's what happened during the Schism. Religion and politics just got so tangled together that nopony could separate them."

"I see," Celestia said, smoothing her expression back to serenity. "But we've wandered from your story. Please continue."

"Okay.” Star Fall took a moment to breathe deep before continuing. “The fighting between the two sides rose to incredible levels of violence. Magic and technology beyond anything before or since was unleashed, wiping cities and entire regions off the map. Every peace treaty was just a moment to catch their breath before each side was at each other’s throats again. It was only after forty years of fighting on and off, two generations of near-constant warfare that the Destroyer first appeared."

"Was this the enemy I left to confront?" Celestia asked.

Star Fall nodded. "The Shadowed Alicorn: Nightmare Umbra. She was a distant figure at first, appearing in the skies over battlefields. Then entire companies of soldiers would vanish when she appeared. The stories say she was terrifying. I met her once, when she was at her weakest, and trust me when I say that word fails to convey just how much fear she inspires.” Star Fall shuddered just from thinking about her run-in with the evil alicorn. “She was invincible, and both sides thought she was working for the other. It was because of her that both sides decided they had to completely wipe out the other, and quickly, or be overrun themselves.”

By this point, Twilight’s stomach had twisted itself into several knots. Hearing all of what Star Fall was saying had Twilight tempted to rush upstairs to her bedroom and lock the door. Only the knowledge that things would very likely get complicated if she did so kept her rooted where she sat next to Celestia as Star Fall continued her tale.

"They gathered all of their armies and faced each other in the Everfree regions. Before they could sound the first charge, however, Umbra appeared between them. She told them how their war gave her strength, and how this fight would give her the power to conquer the entire world. The generals didn't believe her. They ordered the attack, but both sides targeted her first.”

“They didn’t stand a chance, did they?” Celestia asked.

Star Fall shook her head. "She laid waste to the armies sent against her, none of which could even make so much as a scratch on her person. She gained power from the violence and struck out at the world. She sundered the earth, changing the face of Equestria forever. She smote the skies, and pegasus control over the weather was broken. She touched all living things, holding their hearts with her power, and nearly killed the entire world."

Twilight was now on the verge of crying. Celestia, while still maintaining a neutral expression, also struggled to hold back a few tears. “Please, go on,” she urged Star Fall.

"You saved us," the pegasus said. "You and Luna came together in the skies. The sun and moon combined their light, pouring their power down to cage the Destroyer. You struck her down and took her power. You couldn't keep holding it yourselves, though, so you needed a way to contain it. That’s when you reached out to the world and took the magic that infused it, then wrapped that magic around Umbra's power so that it could never return to her. The power spread out between the two clashing armies, stretching all across Equestria and halfway across the world, becoming what we call the Everstorm. It rages even now, a nearly uncrossable barrier dividing the nightlands and the sunlands from each other."

"So after all that you still didn't come together?" Twilight asked, incredulous. "You all nearly died because you didn't stop fighting!"

"It wasn't that easy," Star Fall replied solemnly. "The Storm separated us, and the aftereffects of Umbra's binding devastated everyone. All the old hierarchies and cities were laid to waste. The entire world fell into chaos. There were no more monarchists and rebels, because there were no more governments at all. So many had died and so much magic was lost that everything fell apart. No one knew what was going on outside whatever little community they managed to scrape together. Enormous storms raged across the land, and pegasi couldn't stop them. Droughts, famine and disease were everywhere, and no unicorn or earth pony could do anything about it.”

The pegasus took another deep breath before continuing. "It took hundreds of years for the world to settle down and civilization to come back. By that time all we had left were scraps and legends from the Schism and the times before. Only one thing held us together: our Goddesses. In the north we worship Celestia first, while in the south they worship Luna first. So the two sides became the sunlands and the nightlands, respectively. Then the Solar Kingdom managed to unite the many lesser kingdoms and cities of the sunlands under one ruler, and the city-states of the nightlands formed an alliance they called the United Lunar Republics. Equestria has the same political and religious divide as before, but it’s held apart by the constant reminder of what happened last time."

There was silence for a long moment as Celestia and Twilight absorbed this information. Finally, Twilight spoke. "Why didn't they use the Elements of Harmony on Nightmare Umbra?"

"We didn't know about them," Star Fall answered. "In fact, no one did until very recently. Rainbow Dash and Applejack, your friends, have suddenly appeared in my time and no one knows why. Dash told me about the Elements, but that was the first I had ever heard of them. The only tangible proof of their existence that I’ve found is Harmony Theory.”

“Harmony Theory?” Twilight said.

“A book that you wrote, er, will write, Twilight,” Star Fall answered. “I found it in the possession of a crook named Max Cash and we, that being me and my superiors as well as your friends, believe he’s using the book’s information to acquire and corrupt the Elements for whatever plans he has in his twisted mind.”

While Star Fall shuddered at the thought of Max Cash, Twilight’s attention was fixated on what Star Fall had said about how she’d written this ‘Harmony Theory’ book that still existed after the apocalypse. It reminded her of the conversation she had with Celestia the day before, the one that Aza had spoke of just before roping in Star Fall.

"Much about the Elements of Harmony is shrouded in mystery, Twilight, suffice to say they can easily change bearers when desired, so long as the person embodies the required trait enough to be accepted. Perhaps, when we return home, you can research the Elements a bit more thoroughly than what's been attempted already."

“Hey, Fallen Star?” Twilight said to the white pegasus.

Star Fall looked to her with a nervous grin. “Yes, Twilight?”

“The way you’re talking about Harmony Theory makes it sound like the book was written as a collection of all my future research on the Elements.” She tilted her head curiously. “Is that true?”

“We aren’t entirely confident, but that’s what all the evidence we have is pointing towards,” Star Fall replied. She scowled and lightly stomped her hoof. “I had the damn book in my grasp, but Max Cash got it back before I could read anything of value!”

“Did you manage to read any of it at all?” Twilight asked, her tone oozing with curiosity.

Star Fall slumped over again. “Just one passage at the end." She looked back to Twilight and Celestia with a nervous expression. “It read as follows; ‘Nothing can stand against the Elements. Not even my faith. I’m sorry, Princess. I’m so sorry.’”

“Well, that’s . . . concerning,” Celestia commented with a grimace. Twilight, on the other hoof, was staring blankly at nothing, her eyes shrunk to pinpricks and jaw threatening to come unhinged from her mouth.

“I agree,” Star Fall said, her mouth’s corners lifting into a smile. “But don't worry, everything will-”

The white pegasus was interrupted as something materialized little more than a scant few inches from her hooves. It had a blue cylindrical base and a dome top with rods sticking out in all directions, from which a bright light emitted.

Before anypony could think to guess what it was, the dome part suddenly rose into the air and burst into a cloud of gas. The gas had the effect of putting Star Fall back to sleep, and she collapsed to the floor with her legs splayed out around her. She vanished a moment later, presumably having been sent back home.

”Don’t want to let her know this isn't a dream, now do we?” Aza quipped. ”I hope you’ve both learned something from this special encounter. Good night!”

Silence reigned for a few more moments before the door opened and Ryuk walked in, his Death Note clutched firmly in his clawed hand. He noticed the two mares gaping at the floor in front of them, to which he tilted his head in confusion.

“Did I miss something?” he asked.

Deadly Waters

If he could, Ryuk would've frowned at the sight of Celestia and Twilight staring agape at seemingly empty space. Though time was non-existent there, Ryuk knew he hadn't been gone for very long, so he was curious as to what could've spooked the two ponies since he left.

When neither mare answered the Shinigami's question Ryuk walked up to them and, after securing the Death Note at his side, laid a hand on both mare's withers before giving them both a good shake.

"Huh! Wha-?" Celestia said, coming out of her stupor at the same time as Twilight, who shouted, "I didn't do it, I swear!"

Ryuk tilted his head curiously. "Is everything alright, you two?" he asked, genuinely concerned. "Did something happen while I was gone?"

While Twilight began breathing deep to calm her shaking nerves, Celestia returned Ryuk's gaze and gave him a small smile.

"Oh, Ryuk, you're back." She let her gaze fall to the black book at his side. "So, that's your Death Note, is it?"

Ryuk nodded. "It is," he confirmed. The Shinigami then looked at Twilight, who had recomposed herself and was staring sorrowfully down at the floor, then back to Celestia. "What happened while I was gone? You two were all zoned out just now."

Celestia shook her head sagely. "Don't worry about it, Ryuk," she answered. Using her magic she opened the front door. "For now, just find a place to stay for the night."

Ryuk stared blankly at Celestia for a while before shrugging. "Suit yourself," he said, and exited through the open door, which Celestia closed following his exit.

"Princess?" Twilight whispered, earning the solar alicorn's attention.

"Yes, Twilight?" she replied, turning back to her.

Twilight kept her gaze trained on the floor for a few more moments before returning Celestia's gaze. The solar alicorn frowned at the hurt look in her student's eyes. "Everything Fallen Star said," she croaked, "could it all be because of m-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Twilight," Celestia commanded, her expression turning stern as her tone hardened. "I'm well aware of the possible implications of what she informed us, but blaming yourself for events which have yet to unfold is inexcusable for any student of mine."

Twilight shrank under her mentor's harsh gaze. Celestia realized her blunder and took a deep, relaxing breath before continuing. "My apologies, Twilight. The idea that my little ponies would stoop to bloodshed has me a bit riled up, and hearing you beginning to blame yourself for it all isn't helping matters." She stopped for a moment, thinking a few things over, before sighing and continuing again. "Let's discuss this further in the morning. For now, I just want to get a good night's sleep."

". . . Okay," Twilight said weakly, and made for the staircase leading to her room.

“Twilight?” Celestia said.

“Yes, princess?” she replied, turning to look back at Celestia.

"Would it be alright if I stayed here for the night?”

Twilight blinked once in surprise, then tilted her head curiously. “Why?”

“I’ve decided to remain with the group from now on, so I can be at the ready for whenever trouble presents itself to everyone else.” Celestia smiled. “I ask if I may sleep here only because I’d rather be as close to you as possible, if that’s alright?”

Twilight returned the princess’ smile with her own. “Thanks, princess.” The lavender unicorn then lead the solar alicorn upstairs. Sandy was already asleep in the guest bed, her helmet discarded and resting on the floor beside it. The creature was deep asleep as well, curled up in Spike's basket next to Twilight's own bed.

Stepping toward the bed, Twilight suddenly realized something and stopped.

"Twilight?" Celestia said, looking at her confused. "Is something wrong?"

The solar alicorn watched as Twilight scuffed a hoof across the ground and turned to look back at her, her face sheepish and a deep shade of crimson. "I kinda only have one bed to spare," she replied, feigning a smile.

Celestia stared blankly for a few moments before realizing what Twilight was getting at, to which she lightly chuckled and shook her head. "It's okay, my faithful student," she said, settling down on the wooden floor and folding her fore legs. "I will sleep on the floor if you're too uncomfortable with sharing a bed."

"What!? No, no, prin-" Twilight shouted before cutting herself off, remembering there were others sleeping in the room. She lowered her voice to a harsh whisper and continued. "I'm okay with sharing a bed with you." Her blush only deepened. "Really, I am."

"Your face says otherwise," Celestia pointed out, suppressing a giggle. "But with utmost seriousness, Twilight, I'll be fine." She sighed wistfully. "Remember that my authority and status both mean nothing here, to which I'm no different from any other guest." She rested her head in her fore legs and closed her eyes. "Goodnight, Twilight."

Twilight stared briefly in shock at her, amazed by how easily Celestia was willing to give up sleeping in an actual bed in favor of her bedroom's dirty, wooden floor. Eventually she nodded in acceptance and climbed into her bed, pulling the covers up to her chin and resting her head against the pillow, facing towards Celestia.

"Goodnight, princess," Twilight whispered, and shut her own eyes.

Nope . . . nope . . . nope . . . that’ll likely kill me . . . nope . . . nope.

How hard can it be to find an unstoppable force of destruction amongst all these realities? *sigh* Don’t lose your cool over this, Aza, just keep searching.

. . . Nope . . . nope . . . nope . . . nope . . . hmm, I’ll save that for later . . . nope . . . nope . . . ooh, this looks promising.

While Celestia, Sandy, and the creature slept soundly in their respective beds Twilight hadn't been able to get so much as a wink of sleep since climbing into bed seven 'hours' ago. Quite the contrary, in fact; the lavender unicorn was more restless than she’d ever been in her life. Twilight's mind was aflutter with nothing except everything Star Fall had spoke of earlier, and she'd done her very best to push all the unwanted thoughts out so she could fall asleep. But no matter what she tried, the tale of evil and destruction which the white pegasus had weaved continued to haunt her conscience like a mental parasite, sucking away any chance she had of falling into sleep’s soothing embrace.

Eventually, Twilight sighed in defeat and pulled herself out of bed, taking care to step softly on the wooden floor so as to not wake any of her guests. Keeping her noise level to a minimum, she trotted across the room and out onto the balcony, whereupon she sat down and stared thoughtfully up at the starless sky.

The only reason why Celestia and Luna wouldn’t seek the Elements’ aid is if they were either lost or proven to be unreliable against an enemy. Judging from Fallen Star’s story the former seems more likely, but that doesn’t explain why nopony would even remember them. If ponies a thousand years in the future know about me and my friends then why don’t they know about the Elements? After all, we aren’t of any particular importance otherwise, and even if that was to change we’re still best known for wielding the Elements against Nightmare Moon and Discord, so ponies should still have a record of them along with us.

The lavender unicorn rolled onto her back, shifting her gaze to the top of Golden Oaks. The only plausible explanation is that we intentionally buried all traces of their existence, and the only reason we’d have for doing that is finding out they were harmful or unreliable in some way, shape, or form. Twilight furrowed her brows. If that’s true, then I must’ve documented whatever it was in Harmony Theory. Or wait, it could’ve been an alternate Twilight Sparkle that did it. But then why would Aza bother to bring Fallen Star here if she doesn’t come from the same space-time continuum as me? Is Aza only trying to make me think I’m going to help bring about the Schism if me and Celestia return home? All I would have to do is refrain from studying the Elements and all would be good. Wait, no, if an inherent danger existed in them and revealed itself I’d still have to study the Elements for diagnostic purposes. She sighed and rolled back onto her barrel, staring up at the starry sky. I'm not going to be able to sleep until . . .

Twilight blinked. She blinked again. She then rubbed her eyes and gave her head a good shake, thinking she was seeing things. When she returned her gaze skyward, however, she saw the same thing as before. Whereas the sky was previously pitch black with nothing except the moon to break up the darkness, a total of five stars now dotted the sky and helped the moon to light it.

“Wha-?”

Twilight was interrupted from her confused stupor by the sound of scampering feet emanating behind her. She quickly turned her head just in time to catch a glimpse of the yellow creature’s lightning bolt tail disappear down the stairs. The question of what the stars were for was temporarily forgotten as Twilight ignited her horn and teleported into the library’s main room. She reappeared right in front of the creature, who skidded to a halt at her sudden presence and backed up slowly, baring its teeth.

“Don’t panic,” Twilight said in a placating manner, “I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Pika-chuuu,” the creature growled.

Is that all it can say? Twilight wondered.

“Listen, whoever, or whatever you are,” she said, taking a single step forward, “I need to-Ahh!”

Twilight cut herself off as the creature suddenly darted forward, a white light trailing from its back, and around her to the door. The sudden action was enough to make Twilight falter, and she fell hard on her rump.

“Oww,” she moaned.

The creature, meanwhile, reached the library’s front door, hitting it head on but failing to break it open.

“Pika,” the creature said simply.

Twilight turned around just in time to see the creature’s lightning bolt tail turn as hard as steel. She then watched as the creature swung its tail dead center into the wooden door, instantly smashing it to pieces. Twilight normally would’ve been shocked by such an action, but she’d taken it upon herself to take care of the creature and letting it out into this alternate Equestria would be inviting trouble.

As soon as the wood pieces finished clattering to the ground, the creature made a mad dash for the outside world beyond, only to be restrained by Twilight’s magic. The creature struggled hard against its magical restraint, thrashing every which way in a futile attempt to escape.

“It’s no use,” Twilight calmly informed the creature. “Now, like I said I need to-”

Twilight once again cut herself off, this time in response to a sparkling of electricity emanating from the creature’s red cheeks.

“Pika-CHUUUUUUUU!” The creature shouted as it let loose a large mass of lightning straight towards Twilight.

“Ah!” she cried, and jumped to the side to avoid the strike, which collided with the wooden floor and left a big, black scorch mark.

The sudden loss of concentration caused Twilight to lose her magical grip on the creature. Now free, the creature dashed through the obliterated doorway, only to disappear in a flash of green light.

“Wait!” Twilight cried. She rushed forward through the doorway herself, only for the sight of Ponyville to be replaced by a clear, blue sky meeting the ocean along the horizon. Before Twilight could comprehend what had happened, she felt herself fall. It was a short drop, however, for she impacted her rump on a wooden surface once again. “Oww.”

After once again recovering from the pain, Twilight stood herself up and took stock of her surroundings. Right away she realized she’d been relocated onto a boat out at sea, plainly obvious by the ocean water she could see over the stern, as well as the gentle bobbing motion she felt the boat make under her hooves. A swivel chair was bolted to the deck in front of her, a safety belt wrapped around it, indicating someone had been sitting in it. Hooked onto the belt was a fishing rod, its line cast into the water.

What kind of fishing boat needs this setup? Twilight wondered.

Her ear flicked in response to a noise from behind her, and she turned around to see the yellow creature preparing to smash through a glass window inside the wheelhouse with its tail. Twilight sighed and trotted into the wheelhouse, instinctually blinking when the creature smashed the window sending glass shards everywhere. It then hurried through the hole it made and, with a good spring, jumped up onto the fly bridge above the wheelhouse.

“Good luck trying to escape,” Twilight whispered sarcastically. She took a moment to survey the equipment lining the wheelhouse, and found it too alien for her to use. With another sigh, Twilight trotted back outside and stared up at the sky.

“Aza!” she screamed. “Where did you put us?”

No answer came.

“Aza!” she tried again.

Still nothing.

Stomping her hoof in frustration, Twilight ignited her horn and teleported up onto the crow’s nest. She squinted her eyes against the sun’s light and swept her gaze across the oceanscape in search of any land stretch she could possibly find. But a full three hundred and sixty degree turn revealed sight of nothing but endless ocean.

“So much for giving us a break,” Twilight grumbled.

“Pi-pikachu!”

Twilight peered over the side of the crow’s nest to see the creature staring up at her in anger. Twilight shot it a furrowed gaze in return.

“I’m going to guess you’re not happy about being stranded in the middle of the ocean,” she said. “Well, neither am I, and if we’re to have any chance of escaping from this unscathed we need to work together.”

The creature only continued glowering up at her. Twilight charged up her horn and teleported down to the fly bridge, making sure to put as much distance between herself and the creature so as to not provoke it again. It worked, for the creature refrained from attacking her, though refused to avert its eyes from her or drop its expression of rage.

“I can quickly show you all of what’s happening,” Twilight continued, speaking slowly so the creature could process her words, “but only if you trust me when I say that’s all I’m going to do.”

The creature stood stock still for a while as it judged the sincerity of Twilight’s words. Twilight waited patiently, not wanting to rush things and risk being burned to a crisp by the creature’s electrical powers.

It’s going to take some work keeping this thing under control, Twilight noted wryly while she waited.

“Pika-pi,” the creature responded, relaxing its posture.

“Does that mean yes?” Twilight asked.

The creature nodded.

“Great,” Twilight said with a smile. She lit up her horn and approached the creature, who stayed in place but still gave Twilight a look of suspicion. “Now, I promise this won’t hurt at all.”

The creature fidgeted as Twilight lowered her horn to its forehead, clearly hesitant to believe her. Its fears were proven unfounded, however, as the touch of Twilight’s horn to its forehead heralded no pain in the slightest, only a wave of memories showing everything regarding the situation and what Twilight had experienced as a result. The creature stared blankly ahead as all the memories came rushing in, the sheer amount almost too much for its brain to process all at once. When the transfer was complete the creature continued to stare blankly ahead, now more out of shock and disbelief than mental strain.

“Hey,” Twilight said, “are you okay?”

The creature shook free of its stupor and nodded. “Pika-pi.”

“So, what’s your name?”

“Pikachu.”

Twilight tilted her head, confused. “That’s your name?”

Pikachu nodded.

“Is it the only thing you can say?”

Pikachu nodded again.

“Well, um . . .” Twilight shifted uncomfortably. “. . . Are you a male or a female? Nod once for male and twice for female.”

Pikachu nodded once.

Twilight smiled momentarily before settling into a frown at a new realization. “It’s going to be hard to communicate beyond yes or no questions,” she noted.

Pikachu didn’t reply, rather sighed in exasperation. Suddenly, the boat rocked to one side, causing both to lose their balance, with Twilight landing on her barrel instead of her rump for a change. The boat rocked back and forth gently in the water for a few moments before standing still again.

“What was that?” Twilight asked herself.

“Pika-chu,” Pikachu muttered.

The two stood up and peered down to the water, looking all along the boat’s length on both sides, but saw nothing.

Something else is definitely here with us, Twilight thought, shifting attention to the stern.

“Pi-pikachu!”

Twilight looked back at Pikachu, who was facing the ship’s bow. Following his gaze, Twilight saw movement a little ways out in the water. She squinted her eyes to see it better, but it was unneeded as the object was moving straight towards the boat, allowing her to see it better as it came closer. Twilight’s eyes shrank to pinpricks when she realized exactly what was coming straight for the boat; the triangular fin was a dead giveaway.

The shark swam just to the side of the boat along its entire length, affording Twilight and Pikachu full view of its twenty-five foot, dark green body. Its tail bumped against the side of the boat a couple of times as it passed, sending small vibrations through the boat that Twilight and Pikachu couldn’t tell apart from the shivers that went up their spines from seeing the enormous predator.

Ponyfeathers, Twilight thought with a whimper.

All was destruction.

Equestria, once a land of magic and harmony, now a barren wasteland devoid of life. The Canterhorn, once a majestic, awe-inspiring peak upon which Equestria’s capital sat, now a shell of its former beauty. The crumbled remains of Canterlot lay buried in a shallow grave of mountain rocks.

The surrounding landscape was charred beyond recognition. Entire forests were burnt to a crisp and once grassy plains now sat unmoving in the wind’s pull, having been incinerated to the roots.

The normally bright blue sky was enveloped in billowing dark clouds moving of their own accord, blocking the sun’s rays and shrouding the land in perpetual darkness.

“Hahahahahahahahaha!”

From high above, a cackle reverberated throughout the landscape, reaching across the land to every single corner of Equestria. But there was no one to hear it.

Suddenly, a figure emerged through the clouds. Its presence would’ve brought untold levels of despair and dread to any who bore witness to it, but this was literally impossible now. The figure was equine in shape, and covered from head to hoof in concealing darkness. Its mouth slowly opened, revealing teeth sharper than that of a normal pony, more akin to a dragon’s.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Another, much louder, cackle reverberated throughout the landscape. The figure descended to the scorched earth below, landing gracefully upon the decimated remains of Canterlot.

“All is destruction.”

The equine surveyed the landscape for what could’ve been forever. It was impossible to tell since time itself was no longer relevant. The equine gazed upon the land’s destruction, its expression one of satisfaction underneath all the shadows which shrouded it. It continued its observation while picking up a sharp piece of wood from the rubble it stood upon.

“This is the end.”

It plunged the wood into its chest.

“No!”

Celestia sat up with a gasp, panting heavily as a bead of cold sweat ran down the length of her body. Her heart rate spiked for a brief few moments, only to slowly settle down once again as the solar alicorn herself recovered from the nightmare. Some deep, calming breaths and Celestia was recomposed.

“Land’s sakes, Celestia, what’s gotten into ya!?”

Celestia gave a firm shake of her head and looked up to see Sandy staring down at her with a concerned expression. Noticing the brightness of the room, Celestia turned to look at the window and saw that it was daytime. She took a moment to sit up on her haunches an, after rubbing the sleep from her eyes, replied to the squirrel.

“My apologies, Ms. Cheeks.” She gave her a small smile. “It was just a nightmare, that’s all.”

Sandy tilted her head. “Must’ve been some nightmare,’ she mused. “Y’all were tossin’ and turnin’ in yer sleep fer a while there; nearly scared the livin’ daylights outta me.”

“Now you know how I felt just now,” Celestia chuckled. She looked around the room, and quickly noticed Twilight, as well as the creature, were missing. “Where are Twilight and the creature?”

Sandy shrugged. “Don’t know,” she admitted. “Ah figure they’re probably downstairs are somethin’.” She regarded the solar alicorn for a moment, noticing how pensive she seemed. “Are y’all sure everything’s alright, Celestia?”

Celestia fidgeted, her lips pursed as she shied away from Sandy’s gaze. “It’s nothing which should concern anyone except me and Twilight,” she replied.

Sandy would’ve pressed her to elaborate, but a call from downstairs interrupted their conversation.

“Celestia!? Twilight!? Sandy!?”

Celestia turned to the staircase. “We’re upstairs!” she called back.

The sound of three pairs of footsteps rushed up the stairs, and a moment later Samus, Yugi, and James emerged at the landing. Yugi and James’ faces held expressions of concern while Samus’ helmet concealed her own.

“Where are Twilight and the creature?” James asked, a little more hastily than was typical for him.

“We don’t know,” Celestia replied, shaking her head. “Why do you ask?”

Yugi pointed back down the staircase. “The library’s front door was ripped to shreds when we arrived,” he explained. “There’s also a scorch mark on the floor that looks like something burned.”

Celestia’s eyes went wide with surprise. “Oh no,” she muttered.

Before anything more could be said, the solar alicorn charged up her horn and teleported downstairs. She rushed to the front door and, after a brief inspection of the damage, shot through the doorway and into the corpse-ridden streets of Ponyville.

“TWILIGHT!” she shouted, using the Royal Canterlot voice for the first time in so long. “WHERE ARE YOU!?”

No answer.

“TWILIGHT!”

Still nothing.

Celestia took to the air and began searching from above Ponyville for her student as the others stepped out of the library themselves, careful to avoid stepping on splintered wood pieces.

What happened here? Yugi wondered.

It’s impossible to say for sure, the pharaoh replied. At any rate, we should help Celestia with searching.

Right.

Yugi turned to the others. “C’mon, we need to help her,” he said, then took off running down the street.

“I’ll check the south side of town,” Samus said, and began running down the opposite street.

James turned to Sandy. “Should we check the forest?” he inquired.

Sandy nodded. “That’s about the only place left to check . . .” Then Sandy noticed something; specifically, someone’s absence. ‘Hey, where’s Ryuk at?”

The Shinigami had decided to leave Ponyville upon realizing all the houses were ‘boring as hell’ and look for a more interesting place to stay.

It was a new idea for the god of death to take up a residence as his own. In the Shinigami realm, where residence was a useless concept due to Shinigami having no possessions other than Death Notes, he would typically wander aimlessly throughout the dreary landscape looking for something to keep him from getting so bored that he dropped his Death Note into the human world.

Again.

The only time a Shinigami could ever claim to have actual, structural lodging as their own was when they dropped a Death Note into the human world and it was claimed by a human. The Shinigami would essentially live with that person as was required of them until they either relinquished ownership of the notebook or the person reached the set time of their death, but never would the Shinigami think of that place as ‘home’.

The idea of having a house all to himself was a new, but all the same interesting, idea to Ryuk. Even if Ponyville didn’t appeal to his tastes, he was willing to scour all of Equestria until he found a place which did. He spent the whole night searching, moving east on foot so he could better see everything. He passed by plenty of towns along the way, yet none had a place which appealed to him, to which he’d just keep walking non-stop.

I should ask Celestia and Twilight if there’s any ‘haunted’ mansions in Equestria. Ryuk chuckled. Those were always fun to mess around in and scare people.

The sun had risen by the time Ryuk reached Equestria’s east coast. The salty smell of sea air filled his nostrils as the Shinigami crested the last sand dune prior to the beach. The ocean stretched out before him, brightly illuminated by the rising sun. The water was very calm with only small waves gently lapping the shoreline, and the air’s placidness was broken only by a very slight breeze that Ryuk couldn’t see reflected across the sand below him, rather he felt it through his hair.

Hmm, well, looks like this is it. Ryuk shrugged his shoulders. Guess I’d better go back and see how the others are doing.

Ryuk was about to turn around and head back the way he came when a slight flicker of movement out in the water caught his attention. Turning his head toward the spot, he held a hand up to his forehead and squinted against the sunlight. A portion of water, about five hundred yards from the beach, was churning violently and creating a foamy mass upon the water’s surface.

As Ryuk continued watching the action his curiosity as to what it could be grew exponentially. Remembering that the eight group members, and the unintended addition of the two worm monsters, were the only known life forms on the planet, the Shinigami was especially excited to see what new addition the sentient universe had abducted from its home. That curiosity gave way to awe as a dark shape began emerging slowly from the water, silhouetted perfectly against the rising sun behind it.

Ryuk’s amazement, however, turned into concern as the figure didn’t stop rising out of the water. It continued growing, reaching a hundred feet in height as it took on a more definitive shape. Ryuk’s eyes would’ve bulged out of their sockets if they could, and the Shinigami took a tentative step backwards as the colossal figure before it reared its enormous head, revealing two large reptilian eyes that seemed to bore straight through him despite not even facing in the Shinigami’s direction. Such was the power they spoke of, and Ryuk was on the verge of whimpering just at the sight.

Crap, he thought.

The Shinigami took to the air out of reflex, and fear, wanting to get away from the creature without delay. Flapping his wings as hard as he could, the Shinigami made a mad dash back the way he had come, intending to warn Twilight and the others of the gigantic monster that had joined Aza’s game.

Unfortunately, Ryuk’s decision to fly allowed the creature a perfect view of the fleeing Shinigami. Having sighted other life after being lost and confused in an empty ocean for longer than it was comfortable with, the beast let out an earth-shattering roar and stepped out of the ocean onto the beach. After taking a moment to stretch its massive limbs, shaking entire buckets of water off which bombarded against the sand, the monster gave chase.

Kaijucraft

The door to Sugarcube Corner was enveloped in a golden aura and flung open with a resounding slam, revealing the panicked face of Princess Celestia who rushed inside and craned her neck around, searching for her faithful student.

“Twilight!” she called. “Are you in here!?”

No answer.

Celestia did a quick sweep of the ground floor before rushing upstairs and doing the same, but with no better luck. A bead of sweat trickled down her frustrated gaze as she sailed through the second floor window and moved to the next building.

So far, the solar alicorn had covered about twenty percent of Ponyville’s buildings and hadn’t found hide nor hair of Twilight Sparkle. Adding to her worry was the fact that the yellow creature was also missing and the damage done to the library’s door, both of which left her equally as confused. She didn’t question it, however, since she could ask Twilight once she found her.

All the same, Celestia couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that whatever happened to her student was somehow connected to the event’s of last night with Star Fall. She also realized they could be entirely unrelated, and not knowing whether they were did nothing to ease Celestia’s rising fear that her student was lost or even hurt.

“Twilight!” Celestia called while throwing open the next building’s front door. “Please answer me!”

Silence.

“Arrrgh!” Celestia slammed the door shut and galloped like a madmare to the next house.

She repeated the process for several more blocks, checking at least a couple dozen more residencies in doing so, but still finding no evidence of Twilight’s presence in any of them. Celestia’s desperation reached its peak by the time she’d covered three fourths of Ponyville, and a steady torrent of tears streamed down her face as she landed atop Town Hall.

“Twilight!” she screamed, calling upon the Royal Canterlot voice.

Even if the lavender mare had heard her, a reply from her would’ve gone unheard by the solar alicorn. But Celestia was too blinded by panic to remember this, and she continued calling for Twilight repeatedly until she eventually ran out of breath. Reduced to wheezing pants, Celestia collapsed to the roof on her barrel.

The solar alicorn remained there for awhile, too exhausted both physically and mentally to do much of anything other than bawl her eyes out. All the confusion, panic, and despair that arose from not knowing where her faithful student was coalesced and sent Celestia’s mind into a chaotic maelstrom of mental agony. Thoughts of Twilight churned through her brain, many of which were less than savory. The thought that her precious student, the daughter she never had, the little filly she raised into such a strong-willed mare could be lost, hurt, or even dead pained her to no end. Not knowing exactly what happened made things all the more troublesome for her, and her physically exhausted state only compounded her misery

Throughout her anguished state, Celestia had her surrounding environment completely tuned out, and so she hadn’t noticed the figure descending above her.

Twilight . . .

All of a sudden, Celestia felt a heavy, yet warm sensation flow through her. It hit her body all at once, but her brain was easily the most heavily affected area. Celestia felt all of her despair and fear slowly ebb away in response to the sense of happiness which invaded her. So strong was it, in fact, that she felt a smile creep across her features at the same time her tears ceased flowing.

“You okay there, princess?” a familiar voice said from above.

Celestia’s eyes shot wide open as she craned her head upward to behold sight of a familiar God of Death. “Ryuk!?” she exclaimed.

“That’s my name,” he replied with a chuckle before looking down at the Element of Laughter which wrapped around his neck. “So, I guess it worked?”

Her strength now returned to her, Celestia stood up on all fours and looked up at Ryuk in curiosity. “You used Laughter on me?”

“Well, you were crying,” Ryuk pointed out. “I already tried calling to you a few times, but apparently you were too busy wallowing in despair to hear me.”

Celestia sighed and used a wing to wipe away some tears. “Twilight’s missing, as is the yellow creature,” she said. “I’ve been searching all of Ponyville for her, but haven’t found a single trace of either her or the creature.”

“Well that sucks,” Ryuk said plainly.

Celestia kept smiling as the last of her sadness wiled away into nothingness. “Thanks, Ryuk, for cheering me up.”

“Heh, you’re welcome,” the Shinigami replied. He glanced down to the Element of Laughter around his neck. “I don’t know exactly how I did it, but somehow I did.”

“The Elements respond to the will of the Bearer,” Celestia replied simply. “The simple act of wishing me happiness would’ve been enough to activate Laughter’s joy-inducing property.” She blinked, then sighed. “That sounded like something Twilight would say, especially if-”

“Listen, now really isn’t the time to dwell on small things,” Ryuk interrupted, “especially when we’ve got a much bigger problem to deal with.”

Celestia furrowed her brows. “Finding Twilight is hardly a small problem,” she spat.

“Maybe.” Ryuk pointed to the east. “But we’re still kinda screwed if we don’t do something about that.”

Celestia needed only to look eastward herself to instantly see what exactly Ryuk was worried about, and the sight of it made her jaw drop like a lead weight.

Off in the distance, silhouetted by the rising sun, was a bipedal behemoth of a creature advancing towards Ponyville. By the time Celestia’s attention was focused entirely on it, the creature was close enough that the tremors caused by its footfalls could be felt underneath Ponyville. The creature’s arms were held out in front and its furrowed gaze seemed to return Celestia’s own shocked one.

“Uh, Celestia?” Ryuk said, poking the solar alicorn’s withers. “You gonna say something or what?”

Celestia shook herself free from her shocked state and turned to Ryuk. “Go tell everyone we’ve got more company,” she instructed. She then spread her wings and prepared to take off. “I’ll see if I can get on friendly terms with them.”

“Okay,” Ryuk replied with a nod.

Nodding herself, Celestia launched into the sky and began flying toward the giant creature. As she closed the distance between them, more details about it came to light. The first thing she noticed was just how muscular the thing’s arms appeared were despite their relatively small size compared to the rest of its body. Its skin was scaly, suggesting the creature was some sort of reptilian, though not one which bore any sort of resemblance to what Celestia was familiar with. The most standout characteristic of the new arrival, however, was undoubtedly the line of spikes along the creature’s back and tail.

All of it combined to give the creature a menacing appearance which unnerved Celestia more and more the closer she got. At one point she considered turning back and hoping the creature left them alone, but hardened her resolve with the reminder that, for all she knew, the creature was perfectly benign.

A creature of that size and girth would be an invaluable ally for sure, Celestia thought as she neared its head. Hopefully, it can be reasoned with.

The creature’s attention shifted from straight ahead to Celestia as she hovered just meters away from its face.

“Greetings!” she called. “What is your name!?”

The creature gave no response, verbal or otherwise, as it eyed Celestia with a death-defying glare that sent slight chills up her spine.

Steeling her nerve, Celestia continued. “I’m sure you’ve got a lot of questions right now, and I don’t blame you if you’re a little on-guard with my presence. I can explain the current situation to you, but I need your cooperation in exchange.” She gave the behemoth a friendly smile. “Do you accept my offer?”

The creature did and said nothing for a moment as it eyed Celestia. It then let out a low growl, and opened its massive maw before letting out a massive stream of atomic fire straight towards the solar princess.

“Ah!” Celestia yelped. She quickly flew out of the attack’s range, letting it pass underneath her and harmlessly dissipate some distance away.

Before Celestia could regain her bearings, the creature let out a tremendous roar which, at such a close range, would’ve shattered her eardrums had Celestia not folded them back and firmly pressed her hooves against them for additional protection. When it finished roaring the creature resumed its lumbering walk, its head passing just a scant few inches underneath Celestia as it passed.

I guess it isn’t friendly, Celestia mused internally. I’d better warn everyone.

She took off towards Ponyville, passing overhead the creature and hoping it didn’t try to strike her again.

Wherever Twilight and the yellow creature are, perhaps they’re safer than all of us.

“We’re not gonna die, we’re not gonna die, we’re not gonna die, we’re not gon-”

“Pika!?”

“Please don’t eat me!” Twilight screamed. She frantically backpedaled across the wooden floor of the wheelhouse until she bumped into the dining booth along one side. Her heart beat furiously in her chest and she curled up into a ball underneath the table, silently praying for the shark to leave her alone . . .

“Pika-pikachu!”

Twilight blinked. Then again as she heard tiny footsteps slowly approaching her position. Her body still trembling with fear, she peeked out from her hiding position to see Pikachu staring at her with concern in his eyes.

“Pikachu?” he said, coming closer.

It took a moment for Twilight to realize she wasn’t in danger, to which she let out a sigh and crawled out from under the table.

“Sorry Pikachu,” she apologized, standing up straight. “I’m just a little freaked out after seeing that shark.”

Pikachu tilted his head quizzically. “Chu?”

“Oh, how are we going to get out of this?” Twilight moaned. She began pacing back and forth across the wheelhouse, her mane becoming more frazzled with every step. “We have no contact with everyone else, no idea how to operate this boat, and there’s no land for dozens of miles!” She briefly stopped pacing to press a hoof to her forehead to dull a growing headache. “What. Are we. Going. To do!?”

Pikachu stepped forward and let a crackle of visible lightning flow through his cheeks. “Pika-Pika Pikachu!” he declared.

Twilight turned to face the electric mouse with a blank look. Pikachu continued speaking to her in his own language while simultaneously pantomiming himself using his electric attacks on the shark to kill it, which would at least make their task of reaching dry land non-hazardous. At the end of it, Twilight’s expression had turned into one of horror.

“Are you crazy!?” she shouted, making Pikachu’s ears fold back out of reflex. “You’ll risk frying the boat if you shoot lightning too close to it.” She grimaced. “Not to mention, you’d have to be in such close proximity to the shark in order to hit it, and I’m not letting either of us get that close to it.”

Pikachu waved a dismissive hand. “Pika-chu,” he said. The electric mouse began running out the wheelhouse, only to be held back by Twilight’s telekinesis. Pikachu struggled against the magical hold, but it was a fruitless endeavor.

“I’m sorry, Pikachu,” Twilight said solemnly, stepping alongside him in the air. She turned and matched his furrowed gaze with her own worried one. “I could never forgive myself if you ended up getting killed.” She lifted the corners of her mouth up into a smile. “Come on, let’s see if there’s anything we can do to operate this boat.”

Pikachu stared at her for a good, long moment, resentment plainly visible in his eyes. Eventually, however, he deflated and nodded his agreement. Twilight lowered him to the deck and turned back inside, to which Pikachu, begrudgingly, followed behind her.

“What were y’all thinkin’ leadin’ a giant lizard monster here!?" Sandy shrieked, causing everyone else to wince in reflex. "Who knows what kinda trouble it could cause?”

Ryuk sheepishly twiddled his thumbs as he stared down at the ground. The group had assembled in front of the library at Ryuk’s insistence, whereupon he told them all the details of what he did the previous night all the way up to his encounter with the reptilian behemoth and subsequent retreat back to Ponyville.

“I didn’t think it’d follow me,” the Shinigami replied, looking quite nervous in spite of his permanent smile. “But can you really blame me for being scared? I mean, it’s big enough to trample every single building here effortlessly.”

“Which it’ll only get ta do ‘cause y’all let it follow you here!” Sandy shouted.

“That’s enough, Sandy,” Samus interjected, stepping between the two. “Pinning blame isn’t going to solve anything.”

“Samus’ right,” Yugi said. “We need to put together a plan to protect both ourselves and the town in case this unexpected arrival is hostile.”

“I agree,” James said with a nod. “For now, though, we should wait for Celestia to return.”

Everyone else nodded their agreement and waited for the solar alicorn to return. After a while, the group began to feel the booming footsteps of the titanous lizard approaching. Each footfall sent an enormous tremor through the ground, growing stronger and louder each time. Hearing the footfalls draw closer was incredibly unnerving for the group of five, but they still waited patiently for Princess Celestia, confident she hadn’t abandoned them.

Their confidence was proven sound when the solar alicorn eventually appeared in the sky above Ponyville, coming down to land beside the group once she’d located them. Folding her wings to her sides, Celestia sighed deeply and spoke.

“It appears our new arrival isn’t interested in cooperating with us,” she stated solemnly.

The others shared glances with each other for a moment before Yugi asked, “Are you sure, Celestia?”

Celestia nodded. “I attempted to reassure it, but the creature rejected my offer for peace,” she explained.

“Well, I guess we’ll have to fight it,” Samus said, cocking her arm cannon. “Just leave it to me again; I’ll drive it back.”

Celestia shook her head. “I can’t let you do that, Samus.”

“Why’s that?”

“When I said the creature rejected my offer for peace, I neglected to mention exactly how.” Celestia grimaced as she continued. “The creature launched an attack at me in the form of an energy beam from its mouth. I don’t know the exact nature of its power, but I can guarantee one thing; you’ll get annihilated before you can deal any kind of significant damage to it.”

“Well, that’s reassuring,” Sandy said sarcastically, earning an exasperated glare from Celestia. “Now what’re we gonna do?”

”The only way to beat a kaiju is with another of equal size,” Aza said in a subdued matter-of-fact tone. ”As for where you can find another one, head inside Golden Oaks and you’ll find the answer.”

Everyone shared a curious glance once Aza had finished speaking, all confused as to the exact meaning of the universe's words. After a few moments of silent contemplation amongst themselves, they filed inside one after another through the still-shattered doorway, all while the lizard monster’s giant footfalls continued to shake and rattle the earth under their feet/hooves.

Celestia entered first, and upon entering she immediately noticed something which hadn’t been present earlier. On the center table, right in front of the wooden pony bust, was a metal tin with MONSTER BLOOD: SURPRISING MIRACLE SUBSTANCE printed on the front. Everyone else soon noticed it as well, and only grew more curious as a result.

“Mind explainin’ what the deal here is, Aza?” Sandy asked.

”Open the tin and see for yourself,” Aza replied.

The group gathered around the table, all their eyes focused on the enigmatic metal tin. Yugi reached out and, with a strong twist of his wrist, unscrewed the lid. Everyone peered inside the now open can and were either confused by the sight that greeted them or outright disgusted. Inside was a slimy, glowing green substance that pulsed like it was breathing. Needless to say, no one knew what to make of the strange slime.

Noticing the blank looks on everyone’s faces, Aza elaborated. ”This, my little lab rats, is how you’re going to repel Gojira, that giant lizard. The only way to beat a giant monster is with another one, and this Monster Blood will allow you to become one simply by consuming some of it.”

Everyone’s eyes instantly shot wide and they all looked upwards with gaping mouths.

”Oh, don’t give me that look. You all should be expecting this kind of thing from me by now. Be glad I’m not forcing you to fight with torches and pitchforks. There’s only one case in which that could work, and it's not against Gojira.”

“How do we know this ‘Monster Blood’ is safe to use?” Yugi asked. “And how are we supposed to revert back to normal once done?”

”As always, Yugi, whether or not you trust my word is entirely up to you. I know everything about everything that I abduct, and I can say with one-hundred percent certainty that there are no ill side-effects to using this Monster Blood.”

“But you were oblivious to the existence of those worm monsters,” Ryuk pointed out.

”. . . Shut up.”

Samus reached into the tin and experimentally poked the Monster Blood. Her armored finger sank into the green slime, leaving a stain when she retracted it but otherwise behaving typical of a slimy substance.

“It seems harmless enough,” she announced, wiping her finger on the table.

”Well, I’ll leave you lot to decide who gets to fight Gojira,” Aza said. ”I’m very much looking forward to seeing the resulting brawl.”

And all was silent again as the group of six silently contemplated what to do next, all the while Gojira’s giant footfalls thundered in the distance, each step rattling every loose object in the library and forcing everyone to regain their balance. The kaiju’s footfalls got louder and more intense with each step, indicating it was heading straight for Ponyville.

“I guess we don’t have a choice,” Celestia finally admitted, sighing in defeat. “We can’t let that giant lizard destroy Ponyville, so one of us is going to have to eat this-” Celestia made a wretched face as she gestured inside the metal tin, “Monster Blood, and fight it.”

“Now wait just a darn minute,” Sandy spoke up. “Why don’t we all eat it and fight together? Strength in numbers an’ all that.”

“We’d only be giving it more targets to hit,” Celestia replied, “and I’d rather minimize the destruction caused by colossal titans exchanging blows with each other.” She looked out the front doorway wistfully. “This may not be my Equestria, but I still wish to keep it intact.”

“Fair enough, Ah guess,” Sandy replied. “So, who’s gonna fight Goj-what’s-his-name?”

Another heavy silence fell upon the group of six as they all stared down at the metal tin with grimaces. All of them did their best to muster the nerve to volunteer, but such resolve was hard to maintain upon seeing exactly what they would have to ingest.

Things stayed this way for a while, during which time Gojira’s footfalls came so close it sounded as if the kaiju was stomping around just outside the library. The resulting vibrations had become strong enough that a few books fell off the shelves, impacting the wooden floor with hard thuds.

“I suppose if no one else is willing,” James finally said, reaching out to the tin, “then I’ll volunteer myself to fight our unwelcomed guest.” He clutched the tin in both hands and lifted it towards him.

“Are you sure, James?” Samus asked. “Do you really think you stand a chance?”

James snorted and turned to her with a cheeky smile. “A better question would be whether all of you can avoid any collateral damage we may cause.” He ignored the worried looks everyone gave him and turned around to walk outside. “Well, wish me luck.”

“Right, good luck, James,” Celestia said.

The group of now five turned and ascended the stairs, intent on witnessing the upcoming battle for themselves. James sauntered through the shattered front door, whistling a merry tune as he placed the tin by the doorway and reached inside to scoop some of the Monster Blood out. He took a moment to roll the mound he picked up into a neat little ball before popping the entire thing into his mouth in one bite, then took another moment to swish it around in his mouth before swallowing.

Hmm, it tastes . . . limey, he thought.

And he began to grow.

"Okay, I think I've finally figured this thing out," Twilight announced as she reached for the ignition switch.

"Pika-pi," Pikachu huffed from where he sat behind her on the fly bridge.

Twilight gripped the ignition switch key in her teeth and turned it to the left. Immediately they heard the sound of an engine rev up below them.

"EEEEE!" Twilight squealed in delight, to which Pikachu instinctively folded his ears back. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"Pika-chuuu," Pikachu sighed. Then his ears flicked in response to an approaching presence. "Pika?"

"Alright, now we just need to figure out how to drive it to the nearest shore," Twilight said once she'd recomposed herself. She observed the various components and dials that made up the control panel, looking for the one that would make the boat start moving.

Oh boy, it's going to take a while to figure out what all this stuff does. Well, I'd better get started if we're-

Twilight was interrupted from her thoughts when the boat lurched violently to the left, causing both her and Pikachu to lose their footing and fall onto the fly bridge's deck. Before they could stand back up the boat lurched to the left again, sliding them across the deck and plunging Twilight over the side while Pikachu used his small digits to grip the wood.

"Ah, NOOO!" Twilight screamed before impacting the water with a loud splash.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu screamed. He hopped down to the lower deck and up onto the railing. The boat lurched once more while he was in the air, after which it stopped entirely. "Pika-pi pikachu!"

A few moments passed without anything happening. Then Twilight broke the water's surface near the boat's stern with a gasp. "Please, help me!" she shouted, flailing her legs.

"Pika-pi!" Pikachu called, and hopped over to the stern railing. "Pika-pikachu!"

Twilight immediately began frantically paddling her way back towards the boat, all the while shouting panicked pleas for her life. Pikachu made to stick his tail over the railing so Twilight could hoist herself up, but stopped when his ear flicked again. The shark was approaching again, no doubt going after the now vulnerable lavender unicorn. This time, however, Pikachu could pinpoint exactly where the predator was approaching from; directly underneath the boat.

Steeling his resolve, Pikachu jumped into the water. He let himself sink a bit before opening his eyes and turning around to face the oncoming threat. Through the semi-clear water the streamlined shape of the shark could be seen approaching at a moderate pace just to his right. More details became clearer as it came closer, including its pitch black eyes and open jaw filled with sharp, serrated teeth that could easily tear either Pikachu or Twilight to shreds.

The shark seemed not to notice Pikachu's sudden presence as it didn't change course toward the electric mouse. Pikachu furrowed his brows and swam to the side so he was directly between the shark and Twilight. This time the shark took notice, if the sudden swipe of its head was any indication, as it came ever closer. Pikachu began gathering energy up in his tail, making it hard as iron and colored appropriately.

When the shark was little more than ten feet away Pikachu made his move. Turning his body around a few times to build up momentum, the electric mouse swung his tail right at the shark, aiming for its snout. The attack connected dead center, ringing through the water with a loud smash. The shark recoiled from the attack, abruptly turning away from Pikachu and gliding smoothly through the water, where it eventually disappeared out of sight into the watery depths.

Pikachu waited for what equated to several seconds, on guard in case the shark came back. Eventually, however, the need for air outweighed his concern and he quickly broke the ocean's surface with a gasp. After taking in a few sharp breaths he looked around for Twilight. The lavender mare was against the boat's stern, desperately trying to hook a hoof over the side and hoist herself up and over. Pikachu quickly swam over and used Twilight's head as a platform to get himself onto the boat.

"Pika!" he immediately shouted, and swung his tail over the side.

Twilight wasted no time in clutching his tail with her mouth, to which Pikachu winced in slight pain but kept himself composed lest he unintentionally electrocute her.

"C'mon, huwy uf!" Twilight shouted around his tail.

Mustering every last ounce of strength he had, Pikachu began lifting the shaking unicorn out of the water. He had to push hard against the railing with his legs to keep himself from being pulled back into the water, made no easier by how wet they now were. He persevered, however, and slowly but surely brought Twilight onto the railing.

Twilight immediately fell to the deck as soon as she touched down and quickly scrambled across the wooden surface. She backed herself up against the wall next to the wheelhouse's entrance and curled up into a little ball, shaking like a leaf with her pupils shrunk to pinpricks. She said nothing but incoherent ramblings, though Pikachu thought he heard something along the lines of "Water is good. Water is life. Remember that, Twilight, and don't let anything convince you otherwise."

It took Twilight several 'minutes' to stop both her trembling and traumatic ramblings, eventually regaining enough composure to address Pikachu directly.

"Pi-pikachu" she stuttered, still shaken a little. "Thanks for saving me."

Pikachu smiled wistfully. "Pikachu." He hopped off the railing and over to her as Twilight stood up on all fours, taking a moment to orient herself before turning to the electric mouse.

"We need to get this thing going before that monster shows up again," she affirmed. "Hopefully nothing goes wrong, but if it does," Twilight's gaze turned intense, "can I count on you for support?"

Pikachu returned her own intense gaze with a determined one of his own. "Pika-pikachu," he replied, balling his hand into a fist and letting off a few sparks from his cheeks.

"Great." Twilight smiled, and turned to look up at the fly bridge. "Alright then, let's get the Orca to land, shall we?"

Pikachu tilted his head in confusion. "Pikachu?"

"Oh, right, that's apparently the name of this boat." Twilight pointed back to the stern. "I caught a glimpse of it when you were hoisting me up. I don't know what the name means, but it sounds very 'ocean-ish', doesn't it?"

Pikachu shrugged. "Pika-pika."

"Well, at any rate-" Twilight charged up her horn, teleporting the both of them up to the fly bridge in front of the control panel, "-let's see if we can't figure out how to drive this thing."

She resumed her inspection of the various dials and gizmos on the control panel while Pikachu stayed alert in case the shark came back, or something even worse decided to cause trouble for them.

Dairanto Kaiju: Gojira vs 007

The earth shook with every footfall Gojira took as he walked at a steady pace across the green landscape, heading straight towards the small town lying next to the forest. It looked so innocent to the kaiju, so simple and harmless. And yet, it was an unnatural abomination.

Gojira’s rage swelled the closer he got to his target. His eyes narrowed and he let out a low growl while taking a particularly rough step, sending up a small plume of dirt and rocks around his feet. He pictured himself smashing every last building until naught but unidentifiable rubble remained, a rather easy task for him but no less satisfying. He wouldn’t stop with the town either, not as long as there existed unnatural blemishes upon the earth’s surface for him to annihilate.

As he got closer still, Gojira noticed something rather odd about the town. Amongst all the buildings was a single tree, tall and with a wide trunk, indicating it was fairly old. The sight of a single speck of natural beauty amongst all the garbage confused Gojira immensely, but his confusion was short-lived as, very soon after, a figure began rising out from behind the tree.

Gojira watched as a lanky, bipedal figure of an odd variety slowly grew from behind the tree until it was nearly as tall as him. Gojira couldn’t make a guess as to what exactly the creature was, but he immediately knew it was an enemy, as its entire person was covered in an unnatural taint that further enraged the kaiju.

As soon as the Monster Blood finished taking effect on him, James Bond took a moment to inspect his new, enlarged body. As far as he could tell, nothing else had changed, including his Walther PPK, which James found interesting to note. He then looked down at Ponyville around him and, after musing how it now looked like a children’s toy set, carefully stepped around the buildings, softly so as to not cause everyone else to lose their footing inside Golden Oaks.

Making his way out of Ponyville in front of Gojira, James straightened his bowtie and adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves before regarding his opponent with a smug gaze.

“Well, aren’t you a sight?” he jokingly asked with a chuckle.

The monster didn’t respond, instead just staring blankly at him.

“Not a talker I see.” James’ thoughts briefly went elsewhere before returning to the situation at hand. “Well, that’s a nice change of pace for sure.”

Meanwhile, back inside Golden Oaks, the rest of the group huddled together on the balcony, watching the scene unfold before them, some with trepidations, and others with confidence in James.

“Ya’know, Ah’m startin’ ta have second thoughts ‘bout this,” Sandy said, worriedly.

Yugi stared at her with confusion. “If you’re worried for James’ safety, why didn’t you say something when he volunteered?” he asked her.

Sandy looked downcast. “Ah’m sorry guys,” she said to everyone. “Ah’ve been down in the dumps since Spongebob left, even more so now that Frank’s gone too.” She sighed. “Ah guess the stress of losin’ them’s messin’ with my head in more ways than one.”

“It’s okay, Sandy,” Celestia said. She walked over and wrapped a comforting wing around her. “Don’t think you’re to blame if something happens to James. Truthfully, I’m sure all of us are at least slightly worried for him.”

“She’s right,” Samus said. “In fact, now that I have the benefit of hindsight, I’m really mad at myself for not volunteering.”

“I’m sure we’re all disappointed with ourselves,” Yugi said. “But that’s only because we’re now more assured that there’s no risk in taking the Monster Blood. James took it without any assurance that something bad would happen, and that makes us look worse by comparison.”

“Indeed it does . . .” Celestia trailed off as she lost herself in thought.

Samus turned to Ryuk. “Anything you want to add?” she asked.

Ryuk looked up in thought and scratched his chin for a moment before looking back down at everyone. “How come I can’t eat apples without getting indigestion here, but the same thing didn’t happen to James when he ate that Monster Blood?”

Celestia instinctively opened her mouth to answer, but found herself at a loss for words and closed it.

Yugi’s eyes widened. “You don’t think . . .?”

A loud rumble interrupted the silence between them. Looking ahead, the group of five noticed the battle had begun, Gojira having fired an atomic blast which James had successfully dodged.

“Let’s worry about that later,” Samus said. “Right now, let’s just hope and pray James can drive that thing back.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, and focused their attention on the titanic clash between Gojira and James.

“Okay, I think I’ve got it all figured out,” Twilight said as she tapped the boat’s throttle. “This switch is what lets the boat move, while this—” she tapped the boat’s gearshift, “—is what determines which direction the boat moves.”

Pikachu wasn’t listening, for he was keeping a sharp ear in case the shark returned. Of course, it was hard to stay alert when the boat’s engine was still revving down below, but he managed to keep focused all the same.

Twilight pulled at the throttle switch, which made a sharp clicking sound as it slid into place, and then reached for the gearshift. She experimentally pushed it forward a bit to test her theory, and the boat made a small, but still noticeable movement in that direction.

Twilight let out a long-winded sigh of relief. “Mom. Dad. Thanks for the collective intelligence genes.” She glanced back to Pikachu. “Are you ready to go, Pikachu?”

Pikachu glanced back and gave an approximation of a thumbs-up with his tiny digits. Suddenly, he snapped his gaze forward, and adopted an aggressive stance while letting a few sparks fly from his cheeks.

“Pika-chuuuu.”

“It’s coming back, isn’t it?” Twilight inquired. She didn’t wait for Pikachu to reply, and reached for the gearshift . . .

“PIKA-PI!”

Twilight’s hoof shot back as she fell onto her back, caused by the boat’s sudden backward lurch. Behind her, Twilight heard the sounds of both rushing water and Pikachu’s frantic cries. She quickly rolled over onto her barrel just in time to see Pikachu fall over the side of the fly bridge.

“Don’t worry, Pikachu!” Twilight called as she stood up, adjusting her balance in accordance to the boat’s new slanted position. “I’m coming!”

Twilight lit up her horn and teleported down into the wheelhouse, and immediately froze stiff at what she saw through the door. The shark was indeed back, and had flung itself over the transom. It’s neck pushed against the wooden stern, forcing it below the waterline and flooding the deck as a result.

The shark’s snapping jaw rested a scant few feet away from Pikachu, who was frantically trying to claw his way back up, but kept being impeded by the slippery slope. The shark’s eyes were rolled back, now as white as its namesake, giving the beast an especially terrifying visage.

“Pika-chu!” Pikachu cried, trying to climb up once again.

Twilight wasted no time in using her telekinesis to lift Pikachu up and out of harm’s way through the door into her waiting hooves. She then propped herself up against the nearby bench, under the window, and began hyperventilating. The shark continued its assault against the boat, shoving it further down into the sea while spilling countless gallons of water onto the deck, tipping the boat further back all the while.

A look of panic flashed across Twilight’s face. “The shark’s sinking our only means of getting back to shore with us on it, as well as keeping us out of the water.” A strand of her mane curled out of place. “Oh, what are we going to do now!?”

Pikachu wiggled himself partway out of Twilight’s grip, enough for him to look up into her eyes with a determined expression, while safely shooting off some sparks.

“Pika-Pikachu.” He pointed to his cheeks, then in the shark’s direction. “Pika-pi-pikachu!”

Twilight stared long and hard at Pikachu. Internally, she weighed the risks of Pikachu’s plan, as well as whether or not there’d still be a boat if it ended up working. Eventually, the realization that they’d lose the boat anyway if they did nothing won out, and Twilight sighed while setting Pikachu down onto the floor.

“Be careful, okay,” she warned. “The last thing I want is for you to get killed after I just had you safely in my hooves.”

Pikachu reached up and patted Twilight’s hoof. “Pika-chu.”

Water began spilling into the wheelhouse at that moment, to which Twilight stood up and pointed upwards.

“Just so I’m safe,” she said, to which Pikachu nodded.

Twilight lit up her horn and teleported up onto the fly bridge. She immediately grabbed onto the crow’s nest pole and held tight. Pikachu tread along the rising waterline, making his way toward the door. Peeking his head outside, he caught a glimpse of the shark retreating back underwater. Instantly, the boat righted itself, and all the water which had been spilled into the stern came rushing into the wheelhouse. Pikachu quickly moved out of the oncoming wave, watching as it rolled across the floor of the wheelhouse.

The boat rocked back and forth a few times as the water leveled out, eventually coming to a rest slightly tilted to the left. Twilight felt the boat continue sinking under her hooves, and quickly realized it had suffered structural damage somewhere below the waterline.

“The boat’s still sinking!” she shouted. “Hurry, Pikachu!”

Pikachu crossed the deck and hopped up onto the transom. Scanning the waters in front of and directly beneath him yielded no sight of the shark. Pikachu tentatively dipped his tail over the edge and slapped it against the boat’s hull a few times.

“Pikachuuuuu!” he cried.

Nothing. He tried a few more times, but still nothing came to him. Pikachu was about to try again when his ear flicked in response to something just on the edge of his senses. After taking a moment to pinpoint the source, Pikachu looked straight ahead and saw the shark’s fin slicing the water’s surface, heading straight towards him.

Taking a battle stance, Pikachu waited for the shark to come closer, all while building up as much electricity as he could in his cheeks. The shark’s fin cut like a knife across the water’s surface, gradually picking up speed, surely for the purpose of ramming the boat. Closer it came, continuing to pick up speed, churning the water as it went, and sending white seafoam on either side of its path.

As it came closer, Pikachu felt adrenaline rush through his body in preparation for what could possibly be his most devastating Thunderbolt ever. He hadn’t felt so excited in his whole life, not from any battle he’d ever been in, and it brought a smirk to his face, the corners of which hidden behind the building electricity in his cheeks, which shined with yellow brilliance that could almost rival that of the sun itself.

Eventually, Pikachu spotted the gray, streamlined shape of the shark beneath the water’s surface. With his target now in sight, Pikachu took aim and lifted his arms.

“Pika-chuuuuuuuuuuu!” he cried, bringing his arms back down to his sides as he unleashed his massive Thunderbolt.

The massive attack zig-zagged through the air with blinding speed, its width no less than one whole meter, heading straight toward the oncoming predator. The Thunderbolt struck true, striking the shark right on its snout and sending a brilliant yellow glow out in all directions which was easily visible for many miles.

The shark thrashed in response to the electricity surge through its body, churning the water very violently as, one by one, each of its senses were utterly destroyed. The shark saw, felt, and smelt nothing while the Thunderbolt fried every inch of its massive, twenty-foot body. Its rough skin turned a shade of charcoal black, even popping open in a few places, and its soft, white underbelly split open, the Thunderbolt’s sheer power managing to eviscerate the shark.

The Thunderbolt continued for a good ten seconds, and by its end the shark was well and truly dead. Its body twitched a few times as the electricity continued coursing through its burned carcass. The shark silently floated for a few seconds, unmoving with only the force of the ocean keeping it aloft, before the lack of forward momentum took its effect and the shark began sinking into the depths. It stayed visible for a minute in the sun’s rays, then fell out of sight entirely, the only sign of its existence being a small bunch of bloody entrails still floating lazily in the ocean’s currents near the surface.

Pikachu panted with exhaustion, the adrenaline coursing through his body beginning to settle down, staring at where the shark had been some couple dozen or so feet away from the boat. Finally, he calmed down from his adrenaline high, and Pikachu collapsed onto the transom with a groan, completely spent. So tired was he, in fact, that he didn’t react to the waterline suddenly reaching his stomach, or the sound of rapid hoof falls from behind him.

“Pikachu!” Twilight cried with joy. “You did it!”

Pikachu couldn’t reply as he felt himself being enveloped in Twilight’s magic and turned around to face the beaming mare. He did notice, however, that the Port side stern was half submerged underwater, and still sinking.

“Thank you so much, Pikachu!” Twilight cried again, and snuggled him like a plushie.

“Pikaaa,” Pikachu replied weakly, a small smile crossing his face.

“Now we don’t have to worry about being eaten,” Twilight said, setting Pikachu back down. She then looked around at the sunken stern with a slight frown. “Although, from the looks of it, sailing back to shore could be a little troublesome.”

“Pika-pi,” Pikachu sighed.

Twilight smiled again and patted Pikachu on the head. “Take note I said ‘could be’, not ‘will be’.” Her gaze traveled up to the tiara which she wore. “The Element of Magic will get us out of this mess.”

His strength starting to return, Pikachu slowly got up, wobbling a bit before righting himself, and tilted his head curiously. “Pika-chu?”

Twilight giggled. “You’ll see,” she replied. Twilight then headed back into the wheelhouse, urging Pikachu to follow her. “Now come on, we need to source the damage quickly if we want to save this boat.”

“Pi-pikachu,” Pikachu replied with a nod, and followed Twilight inside.

The two quickly found the hatch leading down to the engine room and opened it, jumping down and landing with a couple of splashes. The engine room was flooded hoof-deep, the water level slanted as a result of the boat’s position, and rising fairly quickly. From what Twilight could see, the engine itself was mostly untouched by the water, meaning it should still function after they fixed all the damage.

“Alright, let’s look for the leak,” Twilight said.

“Pika,” Pikachu replied with a nod.

The two set to work locating the leak. Their search was made slightly easier knowing it had to be where the water was most heavily concentrated against the hull. They felt along the submerged wall for rushing water, adjusting their balance every once in a while as the boat’s slant increased gradually.

Eventually, Pikachu felt a small stream of water against his stubby hand, near where the floor and wall met.

“Pikachu!” he shouted.

Twilight rushed over and stuck her hoof in where Pikachu had his hand. Feeling the rushing water, Twilight gestured for Pikachu to step back, which he did so without hesitation. Twilight then lit up her horn, and pointed it at the spot where her hoof was. Immediately, she felt the magic take effect under her hoof, fusing the breached section of hull with itself, thereby closing in the hole so the water could no longer rush through. The process took only a few seconds, and as soon as Twilight finished, the boat settled into position where it was, gently rocking back and forth in the ocean’s currents.

“Well, that takes care of that,” Twilight said. “Now we just have to drain all this water out of the boat.”

“Pika-pika,” Pikachu said, depressedly.

“Don’t worry, Pikachu,” Twilight said, smiling. “It won’t take that long, probably no more than fifteen minutes’ worth of time.” Her smile grew solemn. “In fact, how about you leave it entirely to me? It’s the least I can do to repay you for saving my life.”

Pikachu flashed a thumbs-up. Nodding, Twilight lit her horn up again, and encased a large section of water with it, probably a hundred gallons worth, and lifted it up before condensing it all into a perfect sphere. With a flash, the water sphere was gone, and a second later they both heard a large splash from outside.

“See?” Twilight said. “Easy-peasy.”

Pikachu smiled and nodded, just happy he could take a well-deserved break.

The two giants stared intently at each other, sizing the other up. Gojira stood poised and ready for battle, his hands out in front and feet ready to move at a moment’s notice. James stood much more casually, hands hanging idly by his sides and feet pointed straight ahead. They both stood still as statues, waiting for the other to make the first move.

Finally, his patience gone, Gojira shot another blast of his atomic breath straight at James’ face. With a smirk, James dodge-rolled to the side, his suit picking up dirt and grass stains as he did so. The projectile shot off into the distance, harmlessly dissipating mid-air some miles away. James landed right-side up and quickly drew his Walther PPK, firing off several shots in rapid succession straight at Gojira’s own face. The super-sized bullets sounded off with ear-piercing booms to the group watching from Golden Oaks, forcing them to cover their ears lest their eardrums explode.

Gojira took the full brunt of about half the bullets, but none of them managed to make so much as a scratch against his tough, scaly skin. Instead, Gojira only got increasingly angry with each strike against his head. Once the last shot had impacted him, Gojira turned toward James, not bothering to aim correctly, and fired yet another blast of atomic breath. The blast roared past James, impacting the ground some hundred feet away, sending large volumes of dirt and rocks up in a geyser formation, as well as causing a large-scale tremor to shoot through the ground.

The rest of the group felt its effects, and everyone accept for the airborne Ryuk fell to the wooden balcony with pained grunts.

“Is everyone okay?” Celestia asked, getting back to her hooves.

Everyone replied with a yes and stood up as well, then returned their attention to the battle unfolding before them.

James, realizing his gun was useless, decided to get up close and personal, employing close combat as his new offensive tactic. Putting away his gun, James stood up and quickly charged at Gojira while he was still distracted, then delivered a vicious backhand to Gojira’s head, followed by a hard kick to the stomach.

The kaiju was only mildly fazed, however, and responded with a tail swipe on James’ hip, sending him tumbling to the ground. James attempted to get up quickly, only to be slashed across the face by the spikes on Gojira’s tail with another swipe, which left a bloody gash across his face.

“You’re becoming quite bothersome,” James whispered under his breath. Then he smirked. “Two can play at that game.”

James performed a leg sweep on Gojira’s feet, making him fall onto the ground alongside the British spy. James kept his momentum going, getting himself to stand upright in a squatting position. Placing his hands on the ground, James then proceeded to do a forward somersault, his feet slamming onto Gojira’s stomach. The kaiju let out what sounded like a soft, pained wheeze in response.

James finished his maneuver and landed back on his feet, standing up to his full height. He then looked down pitifully at Gojira, and tsked while shaking his head.

“Such a bother, indeed,” he said.

Gojira gave no signs of life, merely laying on the ground with his eyes closed, and mouth slightly open. James experimentally nudged Gojira’s body with the tip of his shoe, trying to elicit any kind of reaction. Gojira just lay there, apparently beaten.

James snorted, and turned around to return to Ponyville, when all of a sudden Gojira’s tail came around and performed the same tripping tactic on him, making James tumble to the ground, landing on his back. He winced in pain, the surface under him feeling particularly hard, and his face scrunched up in agony, accompanied by a soft cry of anguish.

While James was down, Gojira got back onto its feet and turned to face down at him. After staring for a moment, his expression betraying a hint of annoyance, Gojira let loose another atomic blast straight down at James. The British spy managed to roll out of the projectile’s way with only a dozen or so meters to spare, but the impact, much like before, sent a gigantic tremor through the ground, instantly knocking everyone but Ryuk down once again.

“Is everyone alright again?” Celestia asked, standing up again.

Everyone nodded again, but as they were standing up Sandy suddenly winced in pain, and dropped back down.

“Gah!” she cried. “Ah must’ve sprained my ankle.”

“I think I might have as well,” Yugi said, rubbing his left ankle a bit. “I think I can still walk just fine, though.”

“Good fer you,” Sandy said through clenched teeth.

“We’d better stay sitting if this is going to keep happening,” Celestia said.

Everyone nodded and sat down on the balcony, except Ryuk, who continued to float in the air, watching the battle with great interest

“Hey, Ryuk,” Yugi said. “How come you can fly without beating your wings?”

Ryuk looked up in thought for a moment before replying with, “I’m not sure. I guess it’s just a Shinigami thing.”

“How come you know so little about your own species?” Samus asked.

Ryuk chuckled. “Because humans are far more interesting than us.”

Everyone simply stared at him for a few moments, waiting for more. When he said nothing else, they all stared at each other for another moment before returning to the battle before them.

During their chat, James and Gojira had ceased fighting in order to take a much needed rest. Gojira had his knees bent forward slightly, though his posture was otherwise unchanged, and seemed to be waiting for his atomic breath to recharge after so much use. James knelt low, one hand balled into a fist and resting on the ground, while the other lay on his thigh. He panted heavily with exertion, no doubt tired from having to move and react to so many of Gojira’s atomic blasts. A bead of sweat dropped from his forehead, landing onto the back of his hand, and James wiped it off on his pant leg before staring up at Gojira with a judgmental gaze.

So, my gun doesn’t work, hand-to-hand combat barely makes an impact, and he has a fearful number of those atomic energy breaths. Meanwhile, I’m practically at my wit’s end trying to stay alive. I can’t last much longer going at him like this. I need a different strategy.

James gave Gojira a good once-over, trying to spot any potential weak points over his body, all the while watching his head out of his eye’s corner in case he attacked again. While he didn’t find anything in the way of a visible weakness, one detail in particular caught his attention; the lower portion of Gojira’s tail was free of spikes.

Hmm, perhaps I could . . . yes, that might just be kooky enough to work.

James pulled his gun back out of its holster and held it out in front, barrel pointed straight at Gojira’s head. He didn’t fear the gun, but Gojira’s attention shifted from James to it, curious as to how exactly his opponent meant to use the harmless weapon against him.

Gojira got his answer when James quickly, but with a casual flair nonetheless, tossed the gun behind the kaiju. He followed the gun’s path as it tumbled across the ground, each bounce making large indentations in the ground as it went.

His distraction a success, James sprinted across the ground toward Gojira. He quickly grabbed ahold of Gojira’s head, taking care to avoid his back spikes, and viciously slammed him to the ground. Gojira’s head impacted hard with the ground, sending a large dirt plume up and showering them both. Gojira’s body fidgeted a few times, shaken from the attack, but unharmed otherwise.

After a couple seconds, Gojira tried to stand up, but was promptly kicked hard in the stomach by James, sending him back down. Enraged, Gojira lashed his tail out, attempting to trip James again, but the spy reacted fast and stepped firmly on Gojira’s tail, well below the spikes. Gojira thrashed under James’ weight, trying to break free, but another hard kick to the stomach ended that.

“Well, this has been fun and all,” James said, his tone less humorous than his speech, “but, really, you’re not welcome here.”

With that, James reached down and grabbed ahold of Gojira’s tail, then took his foot off. Gojira thrashed a bit in response, but since he was unable to stand up, yet another kick in the stomach was enough to make him still again. James next reached down to one of Gojira’s feet and grabbed ahold of it as well. The kaiju’s scales felt unusual to James, almost charred in texture, somewhat like that of a burn victim’s.

Bracing himself against the ground, James then heaved as he tried to pull Gojira. The kaiju was extremely heavy, and even though his own strength had increased as a result of growing equal in size, James felt like his back would give out at any moment. He inched Gojira’s body across the ground, the kaiju offering up no resistance now that both his foot and tail were incapacitated.

James pulled at Gojira for a few moments, panting with strain all the while, before turning his body around. He then began swinging Gojira around himself, the heels of his feet keeping him propped up so he too could spin, while Gojira’s weight kept him from falling over forward. James felt the strain of pulling Gojira himself slowly ebb away as gravity took over, and he even cracked a smile as a childish sense of playfulness filled his heart, the first he’d felt in longer than he could remember.

If M could see me now . . .

Once enough momentum was built up, and James was facing east away from Ponyville, he let go of Gojira’s foot and tail, instantly falling backwards onto the ground. Gojira hurtled through the air, uselessly flailing his limbs as he sailed over the green fields of eastern Equestria, gradually shrinking in size until, eventually, he disappeared into the sunrise.

“Pika-chu!” Pikachu shouted from the crow’s nest.

Twilight, using her magic to operate both the ship’s steering wheel and gearshift, craned her neck over the fly bridge. A wide smile crossed her features when the sight of land greeted her eyes, no more than ten or so miles dead ahead of them. Whether or not the land was part of Equestria she couldn’t tell, but it was still preferable to being stranded in the middle of the ocean.

“Boy, I can’t wait to tell everyone what happened,” Twilight said, gaining Pikachu’s attention. She then thought for a moment, before looking back at the approaching landmass with a concerned frown. “They’re definitely going to be worried sick about us if they’ve noticed we’re gone.”

Pikachu silently nodded, and also looked back at the approaching landmass. The two remained silent for a while after that, content to just enjoying the breeze from the moving boat, as well as the beautiful, glistening ocean around them. The calming aura was enough to make Twilight forget, if only for a short time, that she was far from safe. At any moment another threat, possibly one even worse than the shark, could show itself and put she and Pikachu’s lives in jeopardy.

Despite multiple conversations with Aza, and getting to know the genderless, sentient universe better with each one, Twilight still couldn’t grasp the true form of its character, both literally and metaphorically. Everything relating to Aza, from the people it abducted, to the schemes it set up and demanded they follow through with, had no sense of consistency to it. Even Discord, a creature that was the very embodiment of said term, paled in comparison to Aza’s level of randomness.

Twilight could only speculate that, as the very definition of omnipotence, Aza’s interests would naturally be farther spread than her mortal mind was capable of comprehending. The thought of being denied access to any knowledge made Twilight feel inadequate, and only the calming scenery afforded to her by the boat managed to quell that sense.

The boat eventually neared the coastline, and Twilight could make out a small island a little ways off to her right, a couple miles away from shore. Though she wasn’t absolutely sure, Twilight thought she recognized it as the Isle of Tao, located off of Equestria’s east coast. This brought a smile to her face, as that meant, if it was true, then she could easily get Pikachu and herself back to the group in Ponyville.

“Pikachu!”

Twilight turned her attention back up to Pikachu. “What is it, Pikachu!?” she called.

Pikachu gestured ahead, pointing skyward. Twilight followed the direction of his tiny hand, and quickly noticed something which contrasted with the blue, cloudless sky above. A large figure, darkish-purple in color and well over fifty meters tall, was flying through the air in their direction.

Twilight briefly panicked, thinking the figure would crash into the boat, but her mathematical side quickly realized its trajectory would make it land far behind them in the water. Her mathematical side was correct, for the figure passed right over them, eventually landing in the water about five hundred yards behind the boat, sending an enormous wall of water up into the air.

Twilight and Pikachu stared at the spot where it landed, watching until the water eventually settled, before turning to look at each other.

“You don’t think . . .?” Twilight said.

Pikachu shrugged. “Pika-pikachu.”

Twilight blinked, then returned her attention to the steering wheel. “Looks like we’ll be swapping stories once we return.” She grimaced. “Hopefully, they aren’t too worried about us.”

Pikachu only nodded in agreement, and the two continued on course without another word.

Reunification & Relocation

“Ah, finally,” Twilight said, stepping off the boat onto the sandy shore. “I never thought I’d be so happy to touch sand.”

Pikachu hopped off the boat next to her, making a small thud in the sand, and happily shifted his foot around, digging it in a bit. “Pi-pikachu.”

Twilight took a moment to stretch her body before surveying the surrounding area. They had landed on a small, secluded beach with a moderately thick forest in front of them. This, coupled with the island she’d seen earlier, had her all but convinced they were on the eastern Equestrian coastline.

“Alright, Pikachu,” she said, looking down at him with a large smile, “if we’re where I think we are, it should only take us about two hours’ worth of time to make it back to Ponyville, assuming we keep moving, and nothing unexpected gets in our way.”

Pikachu smiled back briefly, then frowned as he turned back to stare out at the vast ocean they’d just sailed on. “Pika-pikachu, pi-pika-pi.”

Twilight followed his gaze. Though she saw nothing, she had a strong feeling Pikachu was referring to whatever they’d seen flying from the mainland into the ocean earlier. She hadn’t gotten a good look at it, but Twilight was fairly certain that it was a living creature, which left her both curious, as well as frightened about the group’s status.

“Whatever that thing was, we’ll find out from everyone when we get back,” she said, turning to face inland again. “Well, let’s get going then.”

Pikachu nodded, and turned to face inland as well. The two began walking steadily across the sand, but didn’t take more than a dozen steps before Aza suddenly spoke up.

”I’m impressed with you, Twilight. You too, Pikachu. I didn’t think you’d make it out of that predicament quite so fast, much less with all of your body parts intact.”

Twilight held back the urge to scream out a sleuth of profanity at Aza, instead growling under her breath for a moment before replying with, “Don’t speak to us.”

“Pika-pikachu!” Pikachu exclaimed, glaring daggers up at the sky while electricity crackled in his cheeks.

”Yeah, I didn’t think you’d be so forgiving of me for that little surprise,” Aza replied, sounding not the least bit sorry. ”Anyhoo, I’d rather not watch the two of you trudging across Equestria, so allow me to make things easier for both of us.”

A green light briefly flashed a few paces in front of Twilight and Pikachu. Twilight’s eyes grew wide as she recognized this as what happened when she and Pikachu were transported onto the boat from Ponyville.

”Just step into the teleporter and you’ll find yourself on the outskirts of Ponyville,” Aza explained. ”With this in place, any one of you can freely travel between Ponyville and the beach at your leisure. I’ll also leave the Orca where it is, in case your sea legs start acting up.”

Pikachu tilted his head. “Pika?”

“Sure, whatever, thanks,” Twilight said quickly, practically seething. “C’mon Pikachu, let’s get going.”

Pikachu nodded, and followed behind Twilight as she stepped forward. The green light flashed as both of them stepped into it, leaving the beach completely deserted, save for the Orca boat, once more.

After taking a moment to pick himself up and brush off some dirt from his suit, James went to fetch his gun from where he’d thrown it. Upon doing so, he took the three step journey back to Ponyville, careful to avoid stepping on anything, and knelt down in front of the library where everyone was waiting.

“Sorry it took so long,” he whispered, his voice coming out as normal to them, “but time doesn’t fly when you’re battling a giant, atomic-breathing lizard.” He chuckled.

No one else did. Instead, James noticed all of their faces adopt expressions ranging from concern to fear.

“Is something wrong?” he asked, frowning.

Everyone suddenly became interested in the balcony underneath them. “If there’s something you need to tell me,” James said, a little more sternly, “then tell me, right now.”

After another moment of uncomfortable silence, Celestia stepped forward. “We realized something of particular concern during the battle,” she began. “As I’m sure you remember, it was discovered, thanks to Ryuk, that any attempt of ours to eat food or drink will be met with indigestion, due to the absence of time’s flow here.”

James nodded. “Yes, I remember,” he said.

“You had to eat that Monster Blood in order to grow big,” Ryuk spoke up. “But, you don’t look like you’ve got indigestion.”

“That’s because I don’t,” James said. “But, I understand the point you’re trying to make, and I agree that it is of great concern.”

“It ain’t the only one,” Sandy said through gritted teeth.

James turned his gaze to her, and grimaced upon seeing Sandy clutching her ankle. “Are you okay, Ms. Cheeks?” he asked.

“Eh, just a little sprain I got when y’all were slammin’ each other around.” Sandy gave him a dismissive wave. “Don’t think it’s yer fault or nothin’.”

“Can you walk?”

Sandy tried standing up, only to cringe in pain and sit back down after only a second.

“I see,” James said. He appeared to stare into space for a moment before speaking again. “Well, let’s worry about one thing at a time.” He looked skyward. “I trust you have a method of turning me back to normal?”

”Well, I was going to refrain from telling you that I don’t know whether that version of Monster Blood will wear off, but then I found something which makes that question irrelevant.”

A pair of sticks materialized two feet in the air above the balcony, in front of everyone, and clattered to the ground unceremoniously. Looking down at them, everyone noticed it was a pair of gold chopsticks with ornamented ends. Celestia used her magic to levitate them in front of her face, inspecting them for any peculiarities. Finding none, she looked skyward and spoke.

“What is this?”

"Those are the Changing Chopsticks, princess,” Aza answered. ”All you have to do is point them at James and call their name, and voila, he’s back to his normal size.”

Celestia looked back down at the chopsticks in her magic grip. She then looked around to everyone else, silently asking if there were any concerns they wanted to voice.

“Go ahead and do it, Celestia,” James said, nodding. “I won’t blame you if anything unsavory happens.”

Celestia remained silent for a moment, her thoughts becoming pre-occupied with something else, before she looked back up to James.

“Very well,” she said. She positioned the chopsticks so the eating ends were pointed at him. “Changing Chopsticks!”

No sooner did she speak the object’s name than a beam of yellow light shot out from the eating ends. The beam struck James center-face, causing him to flinch slightly in response, and began working its power on him.

Everyone watched, with varying levels of excitement and awe on their faces, as James’ body began shrinking back to its original size. Thankfully for him, James didn’t shrink down in mid-air, keeping his feet on the ground all throughout the transformation. The Changing Chopsticks were quick to finish, and James breathed a huge sigh of relief upon noticing he was unscathed. Looking up at the group, he flashed a thumbs-up at them.

”Now to clean this mess up.”

Everyone then watched as, in an eye’s blink, all the zombie corpses which had been littering the streets of Ponyville for the past day disappeared without a trace. The Changing Chopsticks also disappeared from Celestia’s magic grip, and the princess, along with everyone else, shifted their collective attention to the sky again.

”Well, now that you’ve defea-”

“Where’s Twilight!?” Celestia interrupted, a scowl crossing her muzzle.

”Oh relax, Celestia,” Aza said, not sounding remorseful in the least. ”She’s perfectly fine. A bit shaken after going through a life-threatening ordeal, but fine nonetheless.”

“Where. Is. She?” Celestia ground out. Everyone turned with wide-eyed stares at her, instinctively taking a step away, except for Sandy, who crab-walked instead.

“Hello!? Everyone!?”

“Pikachu!?”

Celestia’s ears flicked, and she went wide-eyed herself. Settling down, she turned in the familiar voices’ direction.

“Twilight!?” she called. “Where are you!?”

“Princess Celestia!? We’re in Town Square!”

“Hang on, I’m coming!”

Celestia was airborne an instant later, and everyone watched as she proceeded to zip off the balcony over some buildings. After a moment of searching the ground, she quickly spotted her student with the yellow creature by the fountain, both waving up at her with smiles on their faces.

Celestia beamed, and dashed down toward Twilight. The solar alicorn practically dive-bombed her student, throwing her fore legs around Twilight in a massive hug. Twilight, for her part, stayed composed, and even returned the hug with a smile.

A few tears trickled down Celestia’s cheek. “Thank goodness you’re all right,” she whispered.

“I almost wasn’t,” Twilight replied, to which Celestia gripped her tighter. “I’m so sorry for causing you so much trouble.”

A soft chuckle escaped Celestia’s mouth. She held Twilight in front of her, affording the lavender mare a look at her mentor’s tearful, relieved expression, and replied between sniffs.

“Never change, Twilight,” Celestia said, choking back a sob.

“You too, princess,” she replied, softly. The two mares began nuzzling each other.

Pikachu watched the entire exchange with a smile, happy to see such a warm union be reunited, thanks in no small part to him. Then his ears flicked in response to something approaching. Remembering there were more people present than just him and the two ponies, Pikachu calmly turned around to see the rest of the group closing the distance between them. He was confused to see Sandy being helped along by Samus, the former draping an arm over the latter’s shoulder while one of her legs limped along. Yugi also appeared to have a slight limp, but was still able to walk just fine.

All five of them, however, had their attention fixated on the trio, but was split between watching Twilight and Celestia sharing a moment, and Pikachu, who they’d still yet to be introduced to. The five of them stopped a few feet away from the group, and began waiting for Twilight and Celestia to finish. Every now and then they’d give Pikachu a curious glance, or a friendly smile, to which he’d always respond with a friendly smile himself and a little wave.

Finally, Twilight and Celestia broke from their embrace, and the two of them, along with Pikachu, congregated with the group of five.

“Oh boy,” Twilight said, taking a deep breath, “have we got a story for you all.”

“I doubt it could be any more absurd than the one we’ve got,” Samus replied.

“Yeah, I had a feeling that giant⋯ whatever, didn’t fall into the ocean by accident,” Twilight replied back.

Ryuk chuckled. “Wait until you hear how it ended up there.”

“Let’s exchange stories back at the library,” Celestia said. “Then when we’re done, I have something I wish to discuss with everyone.”

Everyone nodded their agreement, and they began heading back to Golden Oaks.

”♪Takin’ out the trash!♪ ♪Takin’ out the trash!♪”

”⋯ Okay, now that that’s done, how’re the specimens doing?”

“-and that’s when we went through the teleporter, which, thankfully, brought us here.”

The group of eight sat around the main room in Golden Oaks. Twilight and Celestia shared the couch while everyone else either sat in an armchair, or stood leaned against a wall, except for Pikachu, who sat on the couch’s armrest next to Twilight.

Everyone was rapt with attention throughout Twilight’s story, listening to every word she spoke with their total, undivided attention. During the more intense parts, Celestia would tighten her wing’s grip subconsciously, only easing it when Twilight stopped speaking and stared at her.

The more Twilight spoke, and everyone heard about Pikachu’s role in everything that transpired, the more fascinated they became in the electric yellow mouse. A few times they cast awed glances toward him, to which Pikachu would stand tall and proud, soaking in their admiration.

“Sounds like you two had quite the scare,” Ryuk said once she finished.

“Believe me, Ryuk, ‘scare’ is more than just an understatement,” Twilight replied, leaning back against the couch with a heavy sigh. “Even with all the adventures I’ve been on with my friends, no terror I’ve ever felt before can hold a candle to what I experienced today.” She took a moment to press both fore legs up against her face, covering her eyes as if trying to purge them of some unspeakable terror, before leaning forward again and finishing up with, “I didn’t think before it was scientifically possible to be ‘scared to death’, but now I’m not so sure.”

“I’ve seen it done a few times,” Ryuk stated, earning him deadpanned stares from everyone else, which he ignored and finished with, “Anyway, it sounds like you had quite a thrill ride; wish I could’ve been there.”

“From what you already told me, it sounds like things were ten times more dangerous here,” Twilight noted, turning to Sandy. “Are you sure you’ll be okay with that leg?”

“It hurts somethin’ fierce, but Ah reckon I’ll be just fine,” Sandy replied. She rubbed her sprained ankle a bit, while looking down at it solemnly.

“And you—” she turned to James, “—I can’t believe you’d risk your life to combat a giant lizard monster, let alone do it by eating that—” she made a wretched face as she looked to where the tin sat on the center table, lid shut firmly, with its label on full-display for her to read, “—Monster Blood.”

James smiled and shrugged. “Someone had to do it, and no one else was volunteering. Besides—” his tone took on a more wistful edge, “—it was a nice change of pace from what I’m used to dealing with.”

“And we’re all grateful to you for taking that chance, James,” Celestia spoke up. “In hindsight, I admonish myself for being so fearful.”

“Yeah, I was more scared than I should’ve been,” Samus said, looking idly down at her arm cannon. “I would’ve stood a much safer chance against Gojira, but I didn’t volunteer because I feared my suit would be destroyed, and I can’t do much of anything without it.”

“I think us being scared for any reason is perfectly justifiable, given our situation,” Yugi said, looking around to everyone. “Still, I also have regrets about not stepping up to the plate.”

“Well, the important thing is we’re all safe,” Twilight said, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “Also, now that we’re together again, we’re at our strongest efficiency.”

“About that,” Celestia spoke up, earning her everyone’s collective attention, “there’s a few things I’d like to discuss regarding our future course of action.”

Everyone gave Celestia both a nod of agreement and their full attention. The princess took a moment to clear her throat before speaking.

“First of all, before I forget,” she turned to Pikachu, “from the bottom of my heart, thank you for saving Twilight’s life, Pikachu.”

“Pika-pikachu,” Pikachu said with a dismissive wave and smile.

“Second,” lighting up her horn, Celestia summoned the Element of Generosity in front of her, the last Element to be given a bearer, “is the matter of this.”

Turning to face James, Celestia levitated the necklace over to him. James grabbed it out of the air with both hands, and stared at it, confused, before lifting his gaze to Celestia, who urged him to put it on.

Everyone watched with fascination as James lifted the golden jewelry up and over his head, wrapping it around his neck, and waiting. A few seconds passed with nothing happening, then a faint glow began emanating from the Element, which steadily increased in prominence until eventually becoming bright enough that James was forced to shield his eyes as he looked down upon it.

Eventually, the glow dissipated, and the necklace sat wrapped around James’ neck, just like all the others in the room on their respective bearers.

“And with that, the Elements are complete,” Celestia announced.

James raised a hand and gently rubbed the golden material which made up the necklace, noting how it felt especially warm to his touch. It had a particularly odd texture, but he failed to find a suitable comparison for it, to which he just shrugged and gave Celestia a pointedly curious stare.

“I wouldn’t have thought I’d be considered generous enough to wield this Element,” he confessed. “Was volunteering to take that Monster Blood really enough to convince this thing that I am?”

Celestia shook her head. “Like I’ve said before, an Element of Harmony can only be used by a person who embodies the designated trait to a significant degree,” she explained.

Celestia nodded her head to each of the other bearers in the room, including herself, and continued. “This is the case for everyone who’s currently wielding one, proven by the Elements’ acceptance of them as their respective bearers. Over the course of our time together, I’ve come to notice these traits being exhibited by you all, which is why I had you all put on an Element to see if it would accept you. It’s extremely fortunate that they did, and now that we have a full set of bearers, working in perfect harmony, we’re that much better prepared for anything thrown our way.”

”Provided, of course, that I don’t take them away from you,” Aza spoke up.

Everyone instinctively turned their collective gaze upward. Celestia adopted a wry expression, and was about to respond when she was interrupted by something materializing above the room’s center table, just above the wooden equine bust. It came together to form Aza’s puppet, looking just the same as before, and silently floated in place while it’s creator continued speaking.

”I’ve decided to keep my puppet here at all times, so you have something to direct your conversation towards,” Aza explained. ”Don’t expect it to change appearance, however, for I quite like how it looks.”

Everyone stared blankly at it, saying nothing, unsure how to react.

”Well?” The puppet crossed its white and black spheres together in front of the blue one.

Celestia cleared her throat, and focused her attention on the puppet. “Like I said before at Tribal Council, Aza, you brought the Elements here along with this Equestria. If you didn’t want us to use them, you would’ve left them behind.” She adopted a neutral expression while continuing. “If you want to take them away, there’s nothing stopping you, but doing so would be an admission of carelessness on your part.” She shrugged. “Just saying.”

Everyone gave Celestia incredulous stares for her brazen declaration, especially Twilight, who looked utterly stupefied at her mentor’s apparent reckless abandon. Aza was silent in response, and the puppet offered no way of reading its mood, lacking any facial features whatsoever.

When Aza did speak, it was in a calm, measured tone of voice.

”It doesn’t matter whether I let you keep them or not, because no matter how strong you all become, there will always be something in existence which even your combined might cannot overcome.”

Celestia held her neutral expression. “Perhaps, but it won’t matter until you find that certain something.”

Which I will, eventually,” Aza replied. ”But for now, I’ve decided to change how things will proceed from now on.”

Everyone gave the puppet a collective dubious stare. “What do you mean?” Yugi asked.

”For starters, there won’t be any more Tribal Councils, but I’ll still allow certain people to go home through a new method that I won’t disclose here for the sake of surprise.” The puppet seemed to make a shrugging motion with its white and black spheres. ”Originally, I was going to conduct a yarn-themed council tonight, but now I’ve grown bored of them, so I’ve opted for a method of elimination that’s more exciting for me to watch.”

Of course it’d be for you, everyone thought simultaneously.

”There’s one more change that I’ll be making, but I’ll reveal that tomorrow morning. Right now, however, I’ll let you all decide who to oust, as a group.” The puppet brought its black sphere forward momentarily before retracting. ”You may proceed.”

Everyone stared blankly for a moment at the puppet, everything Aza had said slowly registering in their minds, to which they weren’t sure whether to be afraid or scared of what it might mean moving forward. Eventually, they turned to face each other, and waited for someone else to speak.

Eventually, Sandy did so, preceded with a heavy sigh. “Guys, Ah think it’d be best if’n y’all let me go.”

Everyone turned their attention to her, with expressions ranging from surprise, to shock, to understanding.

“Is it because of your leg?” Celestia asked. “I admit to being no doctor, but I’m fairly confident a sprain like yours will heal relatively soon.”

Sandy shook her head. “That’s only part of my reasoning,” she replied. She then looked around the room to everyone else, giving them an apologetic look, like she figured they were all upset with her right then. “Seeing Spongebob and Frank leave really got to me emotionally, ya know? Don’t get me wrong, Ah think y’all’re great people, but Spongebob is a near and dear friend o’ mine, and Frank was somebody I found a lot of common ground with. Not having them around anymore just makes me feel emptier inside, and that’s not going to help us when up against tough obstacles. Plus, it makes sense to keep everyone with an Element together, and between me an’ Pikachu, Ah figure he’s the more useful, if’n yer story is anything to go by, Twilight.”

Pikachu didn’t respond verbally, merely giving Sandy a wistful smile, while Twilight looked to Celestia. “Princess?”

“Her logic is sound,” Celestia said. She turned to everyone else. “What do you all think? Should we oust Sandy?”

Everyone nodded their agreement.

”Well, then it’s settled,” Aza said. ”Is there anything you wish to say before leaving, Ms. Cheeks?”

Sandy made to shake her head as if to say ‘no’, but then stopped, taking a moment to think.

“Yeah, actually,” she said. “Twilight, could ya come over here fer a sec’?”

Twilight nodded, and quickly made her way to Sandy. Everyone watched as Sandy knelt down to Twilight’s eye level, and leaned forward to whisper in her ear.

“Don’t y’all be afraid of what might happen if’n anyone sees that book you and yer friends wrote. Given all that’s happened, there’s no way it could faze ‘em.”

Confused at first, Twilight quickly realized what Sandy was talking about, and could only stare mutely at her in response. Sandy giggled softly, and stood up before facing the puppet.

“Okay, Ah’m ready!”

Almost immediately, Sandy’s body began disappearing before everyone’s eyes. The suddenness of it caused Twilight to stumble backward in surprise, but she recovered quickly, just in time to join everyone else in waving Sandy goodbye as the bipedal squirrel turned around to do the same, smiling wide even as her face was disappearing. Before long, Sandy was gone, leaving everyone else with tearful, smiling faces.

They all took a while to collectively wish Sandy well in recovering from her sprained ankle. Eventually, Twilight took her seat again, and the discussion resumed once more.

“Anyway,” Celestia said, wiping away a tear with her wing, “there’s one last topic I wish to discuss with you all, and that’s my proposal for a relocation.”

Everyone collectively tilted their heads in confusion at that, to which Celestia proceeded to explain.

“We’ve been in Ponyville for the majority of our stay here. As a result, whenever Aza gives us another hazard to deal with, we only endanger the town by staying here. We’ve already allowed more damage to occur than I’m comfortable with⋯” She glanced to the front door, which was still a scattered mess of splintered wood on the ground, while Pikachu sheepishly rubbed his head. “To prevent more from occurring, it is my suggestion that we relocate our group someplace more isolated.” She looked around to everyone. “What do you all say?”

“It sounds well and fine enough,” James said with a shrug. “I’m guessing we’d be relocating someplace detached from civilization, though?”

Celestia nodded. “That’d be most preferable.”

“That sounds like a great idea, Princess,” Twilight beamed. “Where did you have in mind?”

“There’s a grassy plain just southwest of Canterlot that I usually see from my bedroom’s balcony,” Celestia said. “It’s about fifty or so acres big, with treelines surrounding it on all but one side. It should be more than big enough to accommodate all of us.”

“Will we have to sleep on the ground?” Yugi asked. “Not that I’m against it, just curious.”

“I imagine it’d be a little risky to sleep on the ground,” Samus said. “At least, with those worm monsters still prowling around out there.”

“I understand your concern, Samus,” Celestia replied, “but it’s very unlikely we’d have to deal with either of those worm monsters while there, what with them being so far away from my suggested location.” She turned to Yugi. “As for the question of sleeping on the ground, there’s several outcroppings of rocks scattered across this field, which might also help us in case those worm monsters do show up.”

“Pi-pikachuuu,” Pikachu sighed, looking exasperated.

“So, is everyone on board with my idea?” Celestia asked, looking around to everyone again.

Everyone took a few moments to think over Celestia’s suggestion. The solar alicorn bit her lip, worrying they’d disagree. Then she felt a hoof on her withers, and looked aside her to see Twilight smiling reassuringly up at her. This put Celestia’s fears to rest, to which she wore her own smile, thankful to see that her own student really did fully trust her again.

What do you think, pharaoh? Is it a good idea?

I can’t imagine we’re any safer here than we’d be where Celestia is proposing we go to. Even if the only reason for doing so is to keep this Equestria’s infrastructure safe from harm, we don’t have anything to lose by following through with it.

You’re right, and hey, pharaoh?

Hmm?

I think it’s about time you got in control again.

You think I’ll be welcomed?

If you want, we can wait a little while longer, but you really need to come out again at some point.

I know, Yugi. I just hope Celestia and Twilight won’t react unfavorably when I do.

I’m pretty sure they won’t.

I hope you’re right.

“The pharaoh and I are all for the plan,” Yugi announced.

“I guess I am too,” James said. “Though, I’ll admit my back might have a few complaints about it.”

“I agree,” Samus said. “With the plan, I mean; I can sleep on rocks just fine.”

“Pika-pikachu!” Pikachu exclaimed.

Ryuk shrugged. “Sure, you can count me in too.”

“Then it’s settled,” Celestia said. She stood up and gestured to the wrecked front door. “Let’s get moving immediately. It’s mostly even terrain from here to there, and it shouldn’t take more than a couple hours’ worth of time.”

“Speaking of which⋯” James spoke up. Everyone watched as he turned to face Aza’s puppet. Narrowing his eyes, he asked, “Did you bring the flow of time here?”

Everyone’s collective gaze then turned to the puppet, each one holding some trepidation for the answer Aza would give.

”I’m assuming this is about why the Monster Blood worked,” Aza replied, while the puppet stuck its black sphere out, as if pointing at James. ”Your worries are unfounded, for while I did indeed import the flow of time for it to work, I only kept it for a single minute.” The puppet seemed to draw its white and black spheres into itself while dipping its red sphere forward. ”You’re all not really going to complain about losing one measly minute of your lives, are you?”

No one said a word, instead looking downcast with neutral expressions. Ryuk, however, began fidgeting nervously, and a hint of concern showed in his eyes.

”Rest assured, it’s not something I’m going to make a habit out of. I might do it again somewhere down the line, but never for any substantial amount of time.”

As if I’ll ever believe that, everyone thought simultaneously, before Celestia cleared her throat and spoke up.

“Well then, let’s be off, shall we?”

Everyone nodded, and, one by one, left the library. Twilight levitated the tin of Monster Blood alongside her, giving the whole thing a good, clean inspection as she walked out the door. Pikachu hopped up onto Celestia’s back, and the princess kindly nuzzled him before stepping over the scattered wood splinters on her way out. James, Yugi, and Samus followed behind her, leaving Ryuk as the last one to leave.

As the Shinigami floated his way over to the door, Aza’s puppet came up behind him, to which Ryuk glanced back with a worried frown.

“Were you serious about only letting time flow for a minute?” he asked.

”Any objections you’d like to raise against it?” Aza asked, keeping its voice concentrated just on the two of them.

Ryuk shook his head. “I’d rather not die,” he stated.

”I thought so.”

“You coming, Ryuk!?” Twilight called.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming!” Ryuk replied, and floated out the door, with Aza’s puppet following right behind.

Oh boy, they are so going to flip when they see what's coming next.

Floodgates Open

Kirby stirred in response to something gently nudging him. Yawning the last of his sleep away, the pink puffball stretched his little limbs and cracked open his eyes. A pair of blue ones stared back down at him, blinking in surprise. Kirby opened his eyes all the way, allowing him to see the creature in full. It was bipedal in shape, with a head of curly, brown hair, light skin, and five-fingered hands. The creature wore clothing consisting of a white tunic and navy blue tights, brown sandals, a laurel crown around its head, and several shiny accessories of various colors and sizes.

Kirby tilted his head, regarding the strange, but probably still delicious, creature with childlike curiosity. It only stared blankly back at him for a moment before shrugging and holding out a hand in greeting, “Hi, my name’s Pit.”

Kirby looked at the proffered hand with a critical eye, judging whether it might be tasty. Finding it to not be very appealing, visually at least, Kirby turned his attention to their surroundings. From what he could tell, he wasn’t in Dream Land anymore, or at least no part that looked familiar. They were situated in a grassy clearing with a few scattered rock clusters, and a forest surrounding on most sides. A small speck of sunlight shone above the trees, bathing part of the clearing in a warm splendor which felt good on Kirby’s body. Rising above the trees was a tall mountain, and upon closer inspection, Kirby saw a collection of spires rising from the top.

“So, what’s your name?”

Kirby turned back to the snack, then spent a few moments digging his name out in the ground.

Pit shook his head at the attempt. “Sorry, but I⋯ kinda can’t read.” He sighed depressedly.

Kirby furrowed his brows and huffed. He crossed his arms and turned away from the snack, visibly disgusted.

“Hey, it’s not like I don’t want to learn!” Pit exclaimed. He sighed in exasperation and continued. “Look, I need to ask you something, have you seen Lady Palutena? She looks kinda like me, but taller, and has long green hair with matching green eyes.”

Kirby shook his head no.

Pit deflated. “Oh man, why did this have to happen?” He cupped his hands around his mouth. “Lady Palutena! Can you hear me!? Where are you!?”

No answer.

“Lady Palutena! Please, answer me!”

Still no answer.

Pit sat down, resting his head on his arms crossed over his knees. “Well, at least I’m not alone this time.” He turned to the pink puffball, who had started wandering around the clearing. “At least this thing isn’t trying to blast me apart.”

Meanwhile, Kirby had begun to search the clearing for a less annoying snack. It quickly became clear that there wasn’t anything remotely appetizing in plain sight, so Kirby decided to check behind the nearest rock cluster. Peering around the side, Kirby was greeted by the sight of another creature, sleeping on the ground. What drew Kirby’s attention, however, were the long green hair and shiny accessories adorning its clothes.

Kirby stared at the creature for a moment, remembering what Pit said about looking for someone that matched this description, before his face fell into an expression of resolution. Kirby waddled up to the creature and swallowed it whole. His mouth now bloated, Kirby headed back to Pit, the added weight making his steps sluggish.

“Woah, why’re you holding your breath?” Pit asked upon his return.

Kirby spat the green-haired creature out, coming out first as a small yellow star before transforming into the creature, which fell to the ground with a soft thud between them.

Pit’s eyes widened and a large smile spread across his face. “Lady Palutena!” he cried in joy. he bent down and gently shook Palutena’s shoulders to jostle her from her slumber.

Palutena’s eyes cracked open after a few moments, and she let out a little yawn before looking up at him.

“Pit, what-” she noticed the look of relief that washed over his face, “-is something⋯wrong?”

“I was afraid I’d lost you again,” Pit said. His face turned serious. “But yeah, something is wrong.” He turned his head all around them. “We’re not in Angel Land anymore, for starters.”

Palutena looked around herself, quick to realize they weren’t in her palace, or even anyplace she recognized. “How did we get here?” she asked.

“I don’t know.” Pit pointed to the pink puffball. “But we’re not alone.”

Palutena followed his gaze. “Heh heh, it’s pretty cute,” she mused.

“It just carried you to me in its mouth,” Pit replied, rubbing his head sheepishly.

“. . . I’ll pretend I didn’t just hear that.” Palutena straightened her hair while continuing to speak. “So, what’s its name?”

“Well, he wrote it out for me.” Pit pointed to the place in the dirt where the creature spelled out its name. “But, well, you know⋯”

Palutena read the name out loud. “Kirby.”

“Hiiii!”

Both Pit and Palutena jumped in response to Kirby’s reply, the puffball having joined them without either noticing.

“Geez, don’t do that again!” Pit cried.

Kirby responded by inhaling Pit into his mouth and spitting him out. The angel was visibly shaken as a result. Kirby waddled off again while Palutena laid a comforting hand on Pit’s shoulder.

“Listen, Pit,” she said, earning his full attention again. “Regardless of whatever’s happening, I need you to be strong.” She smiled softly. “You are my one and only Guard Captain, after all.”

A sense of calm washed over Pit’s features, quickly replaced by his usual jovial spirit. “Don’t you worry, Lady Palutena! I’ve never let you down once before, and I don’t plan on starting now!”

“That’s good to hear,” Palutena said with a chuckle.

Pit clapped his hands together. “Alright, so what’s the plan?”

“First things first, we, meaning you, need to scout the area.” Palutena followed up her statement by bringing her hands together and then drawing them apart, producing her staff in a burst of bright light, which she grabbed out of the air. The blue orb at the end began glowing, and Pit felt the Miracle of Flight begin to course through his wings in response. “Let me know where to guide you, and rest assured if anything goes wrong, I’ll bring you back here immediately.”

“Thanks Lady Palutena,” Pit said before taking to the air. Palutena sat down on the grass and used her staff to open a window in front of her that showed Pit’s point of view.

Meanwhile, Kirby had resumed his quest for a snack, having decided to check beyond the clearing. Kirby strode over to the nearest gap in the trees and slipped through into the forest. He then searched a large portion of the forest floor for something that looked tasty, finding nothing of the sort.

Determined, Kirby ventured deeper into the forest, eventually coming across a large lake. The water was crystal clear and the sun’s light made the surface shine with a reflective glimmer that Kirby stared in awe over, quickly forgetting his quest for a snack. Deciding a swim would be nice, he approached the water’s edge and tentatively tapped his foot upon the surface. Finding it to be of decent temperature, Kirby hopped in with a jovial cry, making a light splash. He slowly sank under the water, his eyes quick to adjust to the watery depths. Looking around, Kirby found the lake bottom to be covered with lots of plantlife completely alien to him.

Kirby swam for a little while, casually bobbing through the water, occasionally letting a small inkling of wonder as to where he was cross his adolescent mind. In the end, he decided, all that mattered was being someplace with plenty of food. Good food, not like the yucky snacks he’d met already.

Eventually, Kirby returned to the surface, breaching the water with a small gasp. He then began swimming back to shore, but hadn’t taken more than a few strokes when a swarm of bubbles began rising in front of him. Kirby stopped and stared at the bubbles, wondering what kind of creature could be down below.

His answer came in the form of a scaly, green head that peeked above the water’s surface with a low set brow ridge and small, fish-like eyes. Below the surface, Kirby saw a bipedal body attached to the head, much taller than him, swimming idle.

The two stayed still for several seconds, silently observing each other, before the creature reached a webbed hand out from under the water to poke Kirby in the forehead. Kirby frowned at the sharp feel the creature’s hand had, feeling a small slice of pain where it poked. When the creature continued to poke Kirby all over his body, he let loose a puff of air right into the creature’s face, momentarily blinding it, and allowing Kirby to pass it on his way back to shore.

The creature let out an angry growl upon recovering, quickly locating the pink puffball and giving chase. It had no trouble keeping pace, being such a highly-advanced aquatic creature, and managed to reached the shoreline a scant few seconds behind its target. Stepping onto the shore, however, meant losing its advantage. A small part of the creature thought about forgetting the puffball and returning to its home, but its voice was drowned out by the burning desire to show the little thing why it shouldn’t be trifled with.

Kirby waddled as fast as his little legs could carry him through the forest, his arms naturally sticking up on either side of him as a result. At one point he stopped to check behind him for the creature, only to hightail it as he saw the creature moving at a steady jog towards him, a fierce look in its eyes that made it clear to Kirby he would suffer if caught.

The two continued their chase all through the forest, eventually breaking out into the rocky clearing. Pit had returned from his scouting and was conversing with Palutena when he caught sight of Kirby running towards them.

“Whoa, what’s wrong Kirby?” he asked.

Kirby ignored him and instead continued past them without stopping. Pit and Palutena gave each other a look before they heard a furious cry from behind them. They turned around just in time to see the creature spring through the trees and make a mad dash toward Kirby with its arms outstretched.

“What the- hey, leave him alone!” Pit shouted.

He rushed the creature, tackling it hard to the ground, resulting in a brief struggle before Pit managed to secure a firm enough hold with his hands. The creature struggled to break free, lashing out wildly at Pit with its own hands. Twice it managed to tear a bit into Pit’s wings, to which the angel winced in pain both times, but didn’t break his hold.

“Lady Palutena!” Pit called.

“I’m on it!” Palutena raised her staff and pointed it at them, its tip lighting blue once again. “Miracle of Capture!”

A giant multi-colored ball of energy shot from the tip at them. Pit let go of the creature and rolled out of the way just before it reached them. The energy wrapped around the creature from head to foot in a cage pattern before materializing into an actual, wrought iron cage. The cage settled onto the ground with the creature trapped inside, who continued its fight for freedom by pounding frantically against the bars, grunting with exertion all the while.

Palutena watched it with interest for a moment before looking to her Guard Captain. “Are you all right, Pit?” she asked.

Pit got up off the ground and brushed himself off. “I’m fine,” he answered, then turned to the creature. “Man, what is that thing? And why was it chasing Kirby?”

“Let’s focus on what matters first,” Palutena stated. “You said you saw some train tracks outside of this forest, correct?”

Pit nodded. “It looked like they lead up the mountain to that city. Do you want me to fly up there next?”

“Actually, I was thinking it’d be best if we all went together.” Palutena levitated the cage over to her, giving the creature a disapproving glare as it reached through the bars in an attempt to grab her. “We don’t know anything about this place, and for all we know this thing might be capable of breaking free. If that happens, I want to be there to cage it back up, and I can’t do that if I’m busy guiding your flight path.” Using her staff once again, she produced the bow of her namesake, which latched itself onto Pit’s wrist. “Looks like I’ll be joining you for the action this time. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Trust me, I don’t mind at all,” he replied with a sheepish smile. “Alright, let’s go.”

“Wait, where’d Kirby go?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah⋯” Pit cupped his hands together and called out, “Kirby! Where’d you go!?”

The little puffball poked his head out from behind the nearest rock, smiling upon seeing the creature was captured. He scurried out from his hiding place and over to them, and the creature reached his arm through the cage in a futile attempt to grab him. In response, Palutena lightly struck the creature’s hand with her staff, making it whimper in pain and retract its hand back into the cage to nurse it.

I might be overestimating this thing, she thought.

“Listen, Kirby,” Pit said, “we’re gonna go check out that city up on the mountain. You wanna come with us?”

Kirby smiled, and nodded eagerly.

“Alright then, let’s do this!” Pit exclaimed.

He began heading in the train tracks’ direction at a quickened pace, which Kirby followed with his own, and Palutena levitated the cage alongside her as she brought up the rear. The creature was quiet as it sat in the cage doing nothing except breathing deep, exhausted breaths, spent from pounding against the cage so much.

The group quickly made their way through and out of the forest, immediately finding the train tracks upon exiting. On the other side was another section of forest, which the tracks cut straight through the middle of. Turning left down the line, the group saw the tracks lead into a tunnel in the mountainside in the near distance. The group was about to head that way when the creature suddenly bolt upright in the cage, making a low humming noise as it looked the opposite way down the line.

“Hmm, something the matter?” Palutena asked. Pit and Kirby stopped and turned to see what was happening.

The creature continued to blankly stare down the line for a few seconds before it began pulling at the cage’s bars again. Only this time, it did so in a more relaxed manner than its previous attempt, its pulling more focused and with a lot more serious effort. The bars still held firm, but nevertheless the creature didn’t stop its struggle, and all while keeping its gaze down the line.

“What’s gotten into it?” Pit asked as he approached.

“Maybe⋯” she followed the creature’s gaze, “⋯something else is coming.”

“Really?” Pit cocked his head cocked his head. “But it can’t be a train.”

Kirby also followed the creature’s gaze and squinted his eyes. Down the line was a bend around the forest, from which he saw a small flicker of movement emerge. That small flicker increased in prominence against the forest backdrop, and it wasn’t long before Kirby could make out distinctive colors. Those colors each took on their own distinctive figure as they drew closer, eventually revealing themselves to be more people.

“What should we do, Lady Palutena?” Pit asked, eyeing the approaching group cautiously.

Palutena took a moment to think before replying. “We’ll meet them head on. If they’re friendly, we might be able to get some answers out of them. If not⋯” she turned to Pit with a sharp gaze, “⋯be ready to fight.”

“You’ve got it!” Pit cheered.

Palutena turned to Kirby. “Would you mind helping us out if things turn bad?”

Kirby nodded, his eyes fiercely narrowed.

Palutena turned to the creature with a cheeky smile. “Don’t you worry little guy, we’ll protect you.” She giggled.

The group began heading down the line to meet the other group. There was a brief moment when they stopped, likely just noticing the group of four, before continuing toward them at a quicker pace. As the two groups got closer, more details of the other group became clear to Palutena’s group.

There were eight people total, of various sizes. All of them were completely alien to Pit and Palutena, though, they recognized four of them as a pair each of winged unicorns and humans, but even then they looked vastly different from anything they’d ever seen. Kirby, especially, was enthralled by the sight of so many alien beings, and was quick to judge the likeliness of each one’s tastiness based on appearance. The creature merely watched the approaching newcomers with increasing curiosity, its attempts to escape completely forgotten in light of this new development.

Once the two groups were within a few meters of each other, they stopped in their tracks. Everyone’s collective gaze turned to observing the opposing group’s members with silent curiosity. No one advanced or retreated while they stared, waiting for the opposing group to either attack or say something. But no one did, and a long silence stretched between them as a result.

That silence was broken when the lavender unicorn stepped forward, earning a surprised glance from the others. The group of four watched as the oddly-colored equine cleared its throat and spoke to them in a level, feminine voice.

“My name’s Twilight Sparkle,” it said. “What’s yours?”

“It’s scary to think the things that Fallen Star described could actually occur in Equestria,” Twilight said softly, hanging her head in sorrow. “To think ponies would turn against each other, let alone do so with murderous intent . . .”

Celestia wrapped a wing around Twilight’s withers, being careful to avoid knocking the sleeping Pikachu off her back. “It is a troubling prospect, indeed,” she replied. She kept her gaze upon Twilight while she talked, only taking occasional glances forward to keep her hooves centered between the rails so she didn’t trip. “To my knowledge, nothing resembling this ‘Nightmare Umbra’ she described exists in my Equestria’s past or present.”

Twilight turned her gaze up to her, head cocked in curiosity while her face remained sorrowful. “She said you and Luna left in order to prepare for her coming. Maybe it’s a new threat? One we’ve yet to face?”

“Perhaps,” Celestia muttered. She returned her gaze forward. “But the notion of us leaving in response to her leaves me confused. Luna and I aren’t capable of foresight, only contemporary visions. This leads me to believe one of two things: either the Celestia and Luna Fallen Star spoke of are alternate versions of my sister and I that do have foresight, or we had actually known Nightmare Umbra as a contemporary.” She shook her head. “If the former is true, then we need not worry, since that means the events which lead to the horrors Fallen Star spoke of are long since passed and no longer possible.”

“And what about the Elements of Harmony?” Twilight asked, briefly glancing up at the tiara upon her head. “She made it sound like they have a strong connection with whatever happened. Not to mention, my alternate self had written an entire book about them, the last line of which being anything but reassuring.” She slumped as she walked, her sorrow showing even greater in her features. “It feels awful not knowing whether we’re set to return to a doomed Equestria.”

Celestia sighed, and retracted her wing. “I understand your misery, Twilight,” she said with measured neutrality. “I’d love to know the whole story myself, but until Aza tells us we’ll have to let it go.” She gave Twilight a soft smile, earning one from her in turn, which pleased the alicorn. “The last thing any of us need is another ‘Want it Need it’ incident.”

Twilight’s smile turned sheepish as a blush crept across her cheeks. “Right,” she said, and returned her gaze forward after taking a moment to rebalance the tin of Monster Blood on her back.

“Something bothering you two?”

Both mares turned to see James walking just a little ways behind them, eyeing them curiously.

“It’s nothing, James,” Celestia said, shaking her head dismissively. “Please, don’t inquire any further.”

James arched a brow in response before shrugging. “If you say so.” He stepped up between them and put his hands into his pockets, letting his gaze wander around the trees on either side of them. “So, how much farther is this new place?”

“I’ll know when we can see the mountainside tunnel this track runs into,” Celestia replied. They approached a curve in the rails. “In fact, we should be able to see it around this bend.”

Yugi stepped next to her. “I’ve been meaning to ask, why’s there only one set of tracks?” he asked.

“Because Equestria has only one train to use them.” Celestia grinned amusedly. “And it appears this version does too.”

“Why’s that?”

Twilight, ever eager to share knowledge, spoke up before her mentor could. “Equestria isn’t a very large country, at least not in regards to population. While the country is a little more than five hundred square miles in size, very little of it is actually inhabited. Equestrian settlements are so spread thin, yet densely populated in their own right, that it only needs a single train to run an efficient railway business.”

“That’s completely different from what I’m used to,” Yugi said.

“I as well,” James said. He turned to Twilight. “Does Equestria use it for goods trains as well?”

“Only occasionally, since each settlement is usually fairly capable of getting by without imported goods.” Twilight scrunched her face in thought. “Come to think of it, I've never even seen a freight yard anywhere.”

“There's actually one located within the Canterhorn,” Celestia explained. “I had intended to build it out in the open, but if there’s one thing you can count on from nobles, it’s their inability to put function over form.” She shook her head morosely. “Regardless, it exists, but unless you like glancing outside while in a tunnel, odds are you’d never see the siding which leads to it.”

“Fascinating,” Twilight muttered.

The group went silent after that as they rounded the bend. Sure enough, some distance away was the faint outline of a hole carved into the mountainside. The ground didn’t elevate along the way, meaning the tunnel started right at the mountain’s base. This, along with the forest running parallel to the tracks on both sides, made the entire scene look almost foreboding in its appearance.

“Alright,” Celestia said, gesturing toward the forest left of the tracks, “our destination is through those trees.”

“Wait, stop!” Twilight said, to which everyone froze where they were in response. She pointed straight ahead down the line. “Look.”

Everyone looked to where she was pointing, and their eyes widened upon sight of four distinct figures moving down the line towards them. It was impossible to make out any specific details, but it obvious to everyone that they were real people. Everyone turned to Aza’s puppet with varying expressions ranging from rage, confusion, and annoyance, except for Pikachu who remained asleep.

“Care to explain, Aza?” Twilight ground out.

”What? Surely you didn’t think I wouldn’t find a replacement for Ms. Cheeks, now did you?”

“Why would you need four replacements!?” Twilight screeched, waking up Pikachu in the process.

“Pika-pi!”

”Well, why not? The more the merrier, after all.”

Twilight growled in frustration while tilting her head back and shaking her hoof. Everyone else wisely gave the unicorn a wider berth, just in case she went spell-crazy. To her credit, Twilight kept her composure, merely sighing before returning her gaze forward. “Fine then, let’s go welcome our new fellow prisoners.”

The group resumed their pace forward, occasionally throwing irritated glances back toward Aza’s puppet in sharing of Twilight’s frustration. Though much more subdued, everyone shared thoughts of lashing out at Aza for abducting such a sizable number of additional people. Aza did and said nothing in response as the puppet trailed behind them.

The group kept walking until they were within just a few meters of the newcomers. The bulk of everyone's interest fixated on the scaly green creature being held in the floating cage at first, but eventually settled on the group as a whole, who did much of the same all the while.

Eventually, Twilight stepped forward, to the others’ surprise, and cleared her throat.

“My name’s Twilight Sparkle,” she said to the newcomers. “What’s yours?”

The two humanoid creatures shared a glance while the pink puffball focused its attention on Aza's puppet. The caged creature stayed silent, but remained attentive to the exchange.

“I’m Pit, servant of the Goddess of Light, Palutena,” the shorter humanoid finally said, pumping his fist while unbridled enthusiasm laced his words.

“That’d be me,” the taller one giggled, pointing her staff at herself.

Twilight stared for a moment before nodding. “Okay, and what about you two?” She looked back and forth between the pink puffball and the scaly creature, who she settled her gaze on with some discomfort. “And why are you in a cage?”

“That’s Kirby,” Pit said, gesturing to the puffball. “And that—” he pointed to the creature, “—we don’t know, but we put it in that cage because it tried to attack us.”

“Really?” Twilight looked surprised. “It doesn’t look very aggressive.”

“Trust us, it is,” Palutena said. She set the cage on the ground and regarded the group of eight with curiosity. “You’re all quite a colorful bunch, in more ways than one.”

”You’re welcome.” Aza’s puppet gave her a curt bow.

The sudden omnipresent voice startled the group of four. They looked all around in search of its origin before Twilight’s next statement brought their collective attention back unto her.

“You’re not gonna like this,” she said depressingly, then turned to the group. “Ryuk?”

The Shinigami nodded and floated up to her. Twilight turned back to the newcomers and lit her horn. “Now, hold still please,” Twilight said to them. “This won’t hurt at all . . .”

Crisis Of Infinite Crossovers

Upon receiving Twilight and Ryuk’s imparted memories, the group of four took a while to register everything they’d just been made privy to. Their reactions after the fact weren’t unexpected, with Kirby and the creature now looking at Aza’s puppet with no small amount of trepidation, Palutena holding an expression of slight disgust as she looked downcast, and Pit balling his fist while a deep scowl formed over his features.

“Your fear and hatred is understood,” Celestia said as she approached the newcomers. The four of them turned their collective attention to the alicorn, their discomfort lessening somewhat in response to her naturally calming aura.

Celestia gave them all a serene smile as she gestured to everyone in her group. “We’ve all felt the same since being abducted ourselves. To some extent we still do, even. But we’ve learned to accept the situation and work together to overcome everything Aza puts upon us.” She extended a hoof in greeting to Palutena. “We’d appreciate your willingness to join us in that regard.”

Palutena stared blankly at the proffered hoof for a moment, confused, before realizing the meaning and shook it with her free hand.

“Of course we will,” she replied, returning Celestia’s smile. “Right, Pit?”

Pit pumped his fist and shouted, “Of course we will!”

“Yoo!” Kirby followed, giving a cute little twirl on his feet.

The creature said nothing, it having taken to huddling against the back of the cage, eyes fearfully fixated on Aza’s puppet.

“That’s great to hear,” Twilight said. She turned to Celestia. “So, how much farther to our new base?”

Celestia was about to mull it over when a sudden tremor shook the ground, causing everyone to stumble a bit.

“What was that!?” Pit cried.

“You don’t think it’s Gojira again, do you, princess?” Twilight asked.

Another, more powerful tremor shot through the ground. Celestia used her wings to lift herself off the ground before replying. “I'll check it out. Everyone, stay right here.” She flew up into the sky, giving both herself and Pikachu immunity to every succeeding tremor, each one being stronger than the last.

"Hey, Twilight?" Yugi said.

Twilight turned around. "Yeah?"

"You never did explain how we actually use the Elements, did you?"

Twilight thought about it for a few moments. "No... I guess I didn't."

“How exactly do we use them together?”

Twilight stared blankly for a few moments, before a hesitant frown crossed her muzzle and she sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. “Well, you need to permit their natural magic to connect with your individual spirit, which is achieved through a series of metaphysical altercations between your brain’s reserves of—”

“Twilight?” Samus interrupted. “Try to make it short and simple, please. As much as you can.”

“I concur,” James said with a nod. “I don't understand all that magic science babble.”

“Agreed,” Ryuk declared. “You lost me at ‘metaphysical’.”

Twilight sighed in exasperation. “Look, it doesn't really matter," she replied. "If it's Gojira, then we can beat him again without using the Elements. If we ever need to use them, I'll be sure to let you all know right away how they work. And I'll make sure to keep my explanation simple and with as few syllables as possible."

She felt a tap on her withers, and turned around to see Pit giving her a confused look.

“Um, what are you talking about?” he asked.

“Oh, don’t you worry,” Twilight said with a smile. “We've been through a lot the past couple days. Whatever happens, we'll be able to keep the whole group safe.”

“Don’t think I can’t help!” Pit replied. He pulled the two halves of his bow apart and made a brief show of slashing the air with them like swords. “I’ve single-handedly defeated more monsters than you can imagine! Nothing can stop me!”

Twilight chuckled at Pit’s enthusiasm. “I don’t doubt it,” she replied, smiling earnestly. “Still, it’d be better if you left this to us.”

Pit was about to retort when Celestia suddenly returned to the group. She landed with a small thud just in time to stumble as yet another tremor shot through the ground.

“Is it Gojira again?” Twilight asked.

Celestia shook her head. “In all honesty, I haven’t the faintest clue what it’s supposed to be.”

“What do you mean?” Samus asked.

“I’ll show you,” Celestia replied.

Everyone watched as Celestia lit up her horn and produced a flat image in the space next to her head. Palutena, Pit, Kirby, and the creature watched with no small amount of fascination at the display, while everyone else focused more on what the image itself showed.

Looking down from a birds’ eye perspective, the image showed a gigantic, white humanoid creature wearing, of all possible things, sailor garb. It had a portly figure which appeared to be constructed out of marshmallows, and a blank, happy expression on its face. The giant was lumbering around next to the Canterhorn, doing nothing of particular ill repute. It seemed to be lost, which was understandable.

“Aw, it’s so cute,” Palutena cooed.

Celestia snorted. “Wait for it⋯”

The image dived towards the odd giant. It stopped in front of its face, which filled up the entire image as a result, and held there. A few moments of silence passed, the projection having no capacity for sound. Suddenly, it turned to the side to see the creature’s right arm balled into a fist and barreling towards it. The image veered away just as it sailed past, giving way to the fast approaching ground, whereupon the group stood by the train tracks.

“As you can see, the creature attacked me,” Celestia said, dispelling the projection. She let out a sigh and rubbed the bridge of her muzzle. “I suppose this is yet another challenge, Aza?”

”Part of one, at least,” it replied.

Everyone paused for a moment, then gave the puppet a collective suspicious glare. “What do you mean by that?” Yugi asked.

”Oh, you’ll see soon enough.” Aza snickered as the puppet simultaneously shook ever so slightly. ”For now, though, perhaps you should concentrate on getting rid of Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, hmm?”

Celestia increased the intensity of her glare before rolling her eyes. In her eye’s corner, she briefly noticed Palutena whispering something to Pit.

“So, how should we deal with this threat, princess?" Twilight asked.

Celestia was about to respond when her ears swiveled in response to a sound from her right. She turned that way just in time to see Pit soaring into the air, his white wings glowing blue with divine energy. Palutena’s staff glowed the same color as she watched his point of view through a window not too dissimilar to Celestia’s prior mental projection.

“What are you doing!?” Twilight shouted, alarmed.

“Leave this to us,” Palutena replied, calmly.

“Excuse me, Miss Palutena,” Celestia said, trotting up to the goddess.

Palutena turned to regard the alicorn with a sweet smile, no trepidation whatsoever on her features. Everyone watched with interest as Celestia approached her and cleared her throat before speaking.

“I understand you’re a powerful entity in your own right. I am too, since I control the sun where I come from.” Despite not quite coming up to Palutena’s eye level, Celestia showed no hesitation in leveling a stern glare up at her as she continued. “That aside, power alone won’t see us to safety. If we want to survive, we need to work together as a team.”

“Oh, we’ve got more than just power working with us,” Palutena replied sweetly. “Trust me, we can handle this.” She turned back to the window and waved her staff once left, to which the view did the same and brought Stay Puft into frame.

Celestia sighed, and muttered something incoherent before turning to Aza. “Would it be possible to get back the Changing Chopsticks?” she asked, almost pleadingly.

Twilight cocked her head. “Wait, what are you—”

”If you’re thinking about shrinking Stay Puft, forget it,” Aza replied, interrupting Twilight. ”That'd be way too easy of a solution, now wouldn't it?”

"Actually, I was planning to grow big with the Monster Blood, then shrink myself with the chopsticks afterward."

"My answer is still no. I already saw a most spectacular daikaiju battle earlier; I don't need to see another one so soon."

Celestia sighed again, and a contemplative expression crossed her face; no doubt she was putting the pieces of a plan together in her mind. All was silent for a few moments as everyone waited for Celestia to speak up again. But it was Palutena who eventually broke the silence.

“Aim for the eyes."

Everyone turned to her, confusion etched into each of their faces. “Come again?” James asked.

Palutena blinked, then turned to the group with a bashful expression. “Oh, my apologies! I wasn’t speaking to any of you.” She pointed at the window. “I was just telling Pit where to shoot Stay Puft to drive him away.”

That got everyone’s attention. They quickly gathered around Palutena and gazed through the window. While the second person perspective made everything shaky and hard to make out, it was still clear to everyone that Pit was easily holding his own against Stay Puft.

“Interesting setup you’ve got here,” Twilight noted, giving the window a once-over before returning her attention to the image. The marshmallow giant swung a fist at Pit, only to recoil as a light arrow impacted his eye. Stay Puft staggered back a bit, holding a hand up to his damaged eye, while the image moved slightly up and down and a flash of Pit’s fist pump came into frame. “How’d you know to aim for the eyes, anyway?”

Palutena gave her a sly smile. “Let’s just say wisdom is my specialty,” she answered.

Celestia felt something spark in her brain. What it was, she didn’t know, but getting across to Palutena that teamwork was vital for survival became her number one priority at that moment.

“Samus,” she said, turning to the hunter, “climb on my back.” She crouched down to allow for it. “We need to help Pit.”

Samus nodded. “Sure thing.” She side-stepped around everyone and got up onto Celestia’s back, gripping her withers for support.

“Be careful, princess,” Twilight warned, giving her mentor a look of deep concern.

“I will, Twilight,” Celestia replied with a smile. “Keep an eye on everything down here; we’ll be back soon.”

With that, she took to the sky. Everyone watched her and Samus fly up and over the treeline whereupon they disappeared from sight. Then they turned back to Palutena, who hadn’t reacted whatsoever to Celestia’s action, merely continued to wave her staff and stare intently through the window.

“No objection from you?” James inquired.

Palutena shrugged. “If she’s that insistent on helping, I won’t argue.” She briefly adjusted the red fibula on her hip, then looked into the window and said, “Don’t worry about them, just concentrate on driving back Stay Puft.”

Everyone stared for a bit before an awkward silence descended upon the rest of the group. “Sooo... now what?” Ryuk asked.

Twilight shrugged. “I guess we just wait for—”

Twilight stopped when both her and Pikachu’s ears twitched in response to a soft, almost imperceptible rumbling under their hooves and feet, while the creature bolted upright, and the three of them turned their attention to the mountain.

“Is something wrong, Twilight?” James asked, as he and the rest of the group followed their gaze.

“There’s something else coming this way,” she said, an air of mild concern in her tone. “And it’s coming from the mountain.”

“Pika-chuuu.” Pikachu narrowed his eyes and fell into a battle stance.

Yugi squinted his eyes at the mountain, but didn’t notice a single dot of movement to indicate something was there. “Where exactly is it?" he asked.

Twilight was about to reply that she didn’t know, but was halted when the rumbling became more pronounced, enough so that everyone could feel it. Some of the rocks between the rails even shook a little.

“Wonder what it could be?” Ryuk said, genuinely curious.

“Pika-pikachu,” Pikachu said, letting off some electricity in his cheeks.

“Whatever it is, we’ll see soon enough,” Twilight said. “It’s heading our way.”

A few moments after she said that, a burst of steam shot out of the tunnel, from which a blue train emerged. It moved at a brisk pace down the tracks, chugging soft and steadily. Everyone stared transfixed at the colorful locomotive, specifically, the expression of confusion it wore on its face.

A long moment of awkward silence descended upon the group, during which everyone got a good look at the newcomer. They had a short stumpy dome and funnel, red lining, small blue wheels, and a yellow “1” painted on the side. Certain members of the group recognized them as being a tank engine, due to its lack of a tender, yet got the impression that the engine was very strong in spite of its small build.

Decreasing momentum made the tank engine slow down as it neared the group, eventually coming to a stop just a few yards from them. It stared at the group for a moment, shifting its eyes between each and every one of them, which they found especially creepy, before speaking to them in a youthful voice.

“What the bunker are you all supposed to be?”

No one said a word, merely continued to stare at the sapient train while their brains tried desperately to acclimate to its existence. Even Palutena was distracted from her task of guiding Pit for a moment, only returning her full attention to him after he shouted to her.

“Sorry Pit, I got distracted for a moment.” She spared another glance at the engine and breathed a deep, relaxing sigh. I can already tell this is going to be a harsh trial.

“Is anyone going to answer me anytime soon?” the train asked, sounding annoyed. “I’d like to know where I am and what’s going on sooner rather than later.”

Ryuk stepped up to Twilight and leaned into her ear. “Why aren’t you letting him know?” he whispered.

Twilight turned to him with a bemused expression. “And where am I supposed to use my spell on him?” she inquired. “Last I checked, trains didn’t have brains.”

“Good point,” Ryuk replied, shrugging. “Still, we gotta do something.”

Twilight sighed and nodded. “I know.” She looked up at the train, wilting slightly under the intensity of its glare. “So, uh... what’s your name?” she asked with a sheepish smile.

“I’m Thomas,” he replied.

“Nice to meet you, Thomas,” Twilight replied. The awkwardness of the reality that she was conversing with a train dawned on her, and she shuffled her hooves with enough sheepishness to match her smile. “You... I love your blue paintjob.”

Thomas’ glare relaxed a bit. “Blue is the only proper color for an engine as important as I am,” he said, matter-of-factly.

Ryuk shrugged. “Doesn’t look that cool to me.”

Thomas huffed, and blew steam at him. Ryuk staggered back a bit in response, while everyone else flinched.

“As I was saying,” Thomas said, “I’d like to know where I am, the sooner the better.”

Twilight sighed. “It’s a long story, and I’m not sure how to explain it to you, so can you just wait a little while?” she asked. “I promise we’ll explain everything soon, just not right now.”

Thomas groaned. “Confusion and delay are both such a bother,” he said, sounding depressed.

“Now then—” Twilight turned to Aza’s puppet with a look of fury, “—Aza, how many more people are you planning on abducting right now?”

A snicker sounded. ”Oh, you don’t know the half of it,” Aza replied.

“Cinders and ashes, what was that!?” Thomas asked in alarm, but everyone ignored him.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” James asked.

Everyone stared at the puppet intently, awaiting a response, but Aza remained silent.

Suddenly, realization dawned on Twilight, and her expression changed from furious to horrified. “Are you saying there’s still more people you abducted that we haven’t met yet?” she asked.

”I’m not saying anything.”

A flash of yellow light erupted from Yugi’s Millenium Puzzle, briefly shielding him from everyone’s gaze. The light cleared to reveal the pharaoh scowling in disgust at Aza’s puppet. Everyone froze stiff at the pure, unbridled hatred radiating off of him.

“Your sadistic pursuits are despicable enough without being secretive, Aza, ” he ground out. “Tell us how many there are, right now!”

A palpable silence descended upon the group. They all stared wide-eyed at the pharaoh, jaws agape and minds abuzz at the sudden turn of events. Mostly, however, they were afraid his outburst would cost them dearly.

”Okay then, I’ll tell you, but only my way,” Aza replied, and everyone relaxed. ”Per my estimate, the total combined weight of everyone in Equestria that’s not currently part of the group is about... actually, I’m no mathematician, so I’ll just say ‘a whole lot’.”

Everyone immediately tensed up at Aza’s words. Twilight sputtered incoherent mumblings in between eye twitches. James began turning his head every which way, possibly in search of more approaching newcomers. Everyone else had reactions ranging from rage to frightful curiosity to revulsion.

”And since I know you’re going to ask why,” Aza continued, paying no mind to their reactions, ”I did it because, since you all work so well together by now, I needed to increase the scale of proceeding challenges to accommodate for your collective strength. Think of this one as a scaled-up version of that fetch mission I had you go through at the beginning.”

Everyone who wasn’t a part of the mission in question only had a vague idea of what had happened based on imparted memories, and felt nothing but mild concern toward Aza’s comparison. Twilight, Yugi, the pharaoh, and James, however, looked utterly horrified in response. Not so much over having to seek out and recruit more unknown people to the group, but instead at the thought of being split up again. Memories of what happened the first time surfaced, as well as the second-hand accounts of everything they hadn’t witnessed, and it all served to defuse any sense of bravado the group previously had.

Through the silence which followed Aza’s announcement, Twilight frantically searched her mind for something, anything, she could use to negate any chance of disaster arising from this new development.

Stay calm, Twilight. Stay calm and think this through. We came out of it just fine the first time, and we can definitely do it again even if the scale’s been upped. She looked to Palutena, who had resumed her work at the dimensional window, and Twilight saw the pensive frown on her face, no doubt a remnant of her reaction to Aza’s declaration. But Palutena and her group only just arrived, and even if she and Pit are close-knit they still haven’t ‘melded’ with the rest of us. Even more so for Kirby, and especially so for whatever that thing in the cage is supposed to be.

Twilight suppressed a shudder before continuing her inner monologue. Aza can be goaded if one of its oversights is brought to light, as Celestia has shown. If I can find one myself, with a little planning I might be able to guarantee our safety as we retrieve everyone else that’s been abducted. If I can’t do that, than maybe I can offer to retrieve everyone by myself in exchange for everyone else’s safety... Suddenly, Twilight’s eyes lit up, and her dour expression changed to one of hope. Wait, that’s it!

“Everyone,” she said, earning their collective attention. She turned to Aza’s puppet as a sly smile crossed her muzzle. “I can take care of this new fetch mission all by myself.”

“Wait-what?” James said. “How?”

“You haven’t gone suicidal, right?” Ryuk asked.

Twilight shook her head. “I can come out of it perfectly alive and well,” she declared, cockiness filling her voice. “In fact, I can do it without even needing to do it myself.”

Everyone blanched at that statement, utter confusion visible on all their faces.

“Pika pi pikachu?” Pikachu asked, tilting his head curiously.

”I fail to see how you plan on achieving that,” Aza commented dryly.

“I can, and I will,” Twilight replied, her unusual cockiness still on display. “Faster if you provide me with a teleporter back to that beach.”

Silence reigned briefly as Aza considered her request. Eventually, a green light flashed in front of Twilight, momentarily taking her by surprise.

“Thank you,” she said, and turned to the group. “I’ll be back soon. Keep watch over things while I’m gone.”

And with that, she stepped through the teleporter, disappearing in another green flash. Everyone stayed silent for a while longer, processing all of what just happened, before Pikachu noticed the pharaoh kneeling on the ground, eyes closed and downcast.

Pikachu hopped over to him, earning the pharaoh’s attention, and looked up at him with a friendly smile. “Pika pikachu. Pi pika pika, pi pikachu.”

The pharaoh returned the smile, and softly patted his head, earning him a happy squeal from the electric mouse.

That was unexpected.

I’m sorry, Yugi. My anger finally reached its breaking point and I couldn’t stay silent any longer.

Well, do you want to switch back?

...No, I think it’s time I start contributing to the group again.

I’m glad to hear that. So, what do you think Twilight’s plan is?

I couldn’t even begin to make a guess. We’ll find out soon enough, though...

“Talk about deceptive,” Pit muttered as he approached Stay Puft. The marshmallow giant lumbered around the mountainside, heedless of Pit at first, but the sound of his wings flapping made it turn around to regard the young angel. “No one would think something so adorable could be so deadly, unless there’s more to this thing than just its size.”

“I’m sensing divine energy at work inside of it,” Palutena said, her voice reverberating through Pit’s head. “Whatever this thing really is, it’s safe to assume it can’t be reasoned with, so don’t hold back.”

“Alright!” Pit flew to within fifty meters of Stay Puft, just out of his reach but close enough to shoot the giant. “In the name of Lady Palutena, I will defeat you! Prepare to face the light!”

Stay Puft stared at Pit with his unblinking gaze. A short silence stretched between the two before Stay Puft took a lumbering step forward and swung his arm right at Pit. The angel dodged with ease, then fired off a couple of arrows from his bow. Both shots hit the creature’s chest, impacting with bursts of light but dealing no damage. Stay Puft lunged forward with another jab, and again missed before being pelted by another couple of arrows which dealt no damage.

“Man, who knew marshmallows could be so durable?” Pit said, dodging another swipe. His wing almost got clipped by the creature’s fist. “How am I supposed to drive Stay Puft back if I can’t hurt him?”

“Try aiming for the eyes,” Palutena said, a little bit louder than usual.

“The eyes, huh?” Pit nodded. “Alright.”

Pit positioned himself so he was directly in front of Stay Puft, again just out of his reach. He waited until Stay Puft had raised his head before drawing his bow for another shot. Sticking his tongue out in concentration, Pit took careful aim while Stay Puft prepared to throw another jab at him. Lining his shot with Stay Puft’s left eye, Pit fired before he could throw it. The arrow collided dead center with another burst of light which was accompanied by a howl of agony from Stay Puft as he staggered back and held an arm to his eye.

“Oh yeah, perfect shot!” Pit said gleefully, pumping his fist.

Stay Puft lowered his arm, revealing the extent of damage his eye had suffered. The arrow had blown up a small section near the pupil, with chunks of marshmallow hanging off his eyelids. The hole it left revealed an inky blackness within the creature, interrupted by an occasional flicker of purple light.

At the same time, Pit noticed a more subtle change overcome Stay Puft. His happy, playful expression took on a darker, almost sadistic edge. The benevolence it previously held was a huge juxtaposition to Stay Puft’s hostility, whereas now it felt more in-line with what Pit expected from a villain.

“Don’t think I’m done with you yet!” Pit yelled, and readied another shot.

The flicker of light behind Stay Puft’s eye suddenly grew in frequency as he let out a monstrous, challenging roar.

Pit lined up his shot with the damaged eye and fired. Before the arrow could reach its target, however, Stay Puft covered his damaged eye with a hand. The arrow harmlessly dissipated upon impact.

“Don’t think you can hide from the light!” Pit shouted as he readied another shot. He changed the direction of his shot, aiming for Stay Puft’s other eye, and fired.

The arrow collided with its target much the same as the first, and even dealt a similarly-sized injury. Stay Puft even reacted the same way, letting out another howl of agony and staggering back a bit. Upon recovering, Pit noticed the same purple light flickering from the new injury.

“Like I said, you can’t hide!” he said.

Once again, Stay Puft glared at Pit. This time, Pit almost shuddered from the pure, unbridled malice that radiated from his stare.

“You’ll be roasting in a nice, hot bonfire when I’m done with you!” Pit fired another arrow at Stay Puft’s newest injury. Stay Puft brought up his hand for another successful block.

Pit didn’t let this deter him, and he quickly fired another shot at Stay Puft’s other eye. The giant marshmallow man brought up his other hand to block this one too, and held it there.

“Oh no you don’t!” Pit sectioned his bow and rushed forward. He flew up to Stay Puft’s right hand and slashed away with reckless abandon. The blades did no more to damage Stay Puft’s hands than the arrows, a fact that only became apparent when Stay Puft raised his other hand to smack Pit away, which he only managed to dodge by a hair’s length before retreating back a safe distance from Stay Puft with frantic breaths.

Man that was close! he thought.

Just then, Pit heard wings flapping from behind. While keeping Stay Puft in his peripheral vision, he turned to see Celestia approaching with Samus riding on her back.

“What are you two doing here!?” he called.

Celestia stopped and hovered a few dozen feet from him, and affixed her gaze to Stay Puft. Samus carefully stood upon Celestia’s back and primed her arm cannon.

“We’re here to help!” Celestia replied.

Pit only stared, waiting for her to continue, possibly to say she was joking. When she said nothing, Pit looked to Palutena for clarification.

“Is it really a good idea for them to be up here, Lady Palutena?” he asked.

“Don’t worry about them,” she replied, again louder than usual. “Just concentrate on driving back Stay Puft.”

“Why’re you speaking louder than usual?” Pit questioned.

“Oh, sorry,” Palutena replied, her voice back to its normal volume. “I don’t usually have people with me in person when I speak to you like this, and I thought it might be good to keep everyone down here assured that everything’s under control.”

“Yeah, well, we might have a bit of a problem with that,” Pit replied sheepishly. “Any way I can get Stay Puft to stop blocking all my shots?”

Palutena seemed to pause in consideration for a while before replying. “Stay Puft’s shown himself to be very adept at nullifying divine energy, meaning whatever force it’s harboring is stronger than our own, or at least your light arrows.”

“It’s scary to think there’s something stronger than you,” Pit confessed.

“Given where we are right now, it shouldn’t be a surprise,” Palutena replied, sounding calm as ever. “Regardless, that doesn’t mean we can’t beat it, just that we need a new method.”

“Any ideas what else I can try?” Pit asked.

Silence.

“Lady Palutena? Did you hear me?”

More silence.

“Lady Palutena!”

Finally, Palutena replied in a low voice, “Sorry Pit, I got distracted for a moment.”

“By what?”

Another brief moment of silence followed before Palutena said, “You’ll see when you return.”

Pit hung his head with a depressed sigh. Great, more surprises.

“Getting back to Stay Puft,” Palutena continued, “we need to either find another weak point on his body, or somehow make him remove his hands so we can continue attacking his eyes. If I had to wager a guess on which is more likely to work, it’d be the latter, if only because I’m not sure what kind of anatomy a giant marshmallow man is supposed to have.”

“But you always know everything about our enemies!” Pit said.

“My knowledge is only as great as our world, Pit,” Palutena replied, sounding rather forlorn in her tone. “We’re about as far away from home as we can be right now, up against a monster from another universe entirely, so my knowledge is very limited.”

Pit sighed again, this time in exasperation, before asking, “Any ideas on how I can make him drop his guard?”

Palutena didn’t reply for a long while, but Pit could hear faint whispers as she attempted to discern a viable strategy. The fact that it was taking so long for her to come up with something, when she usually had a strategy at the ready, unnerved Pit. He grew increasingly anxious the longer she went without replying, evidenced by the little beads of sweat trickling down his face. His wings twitched in nervous anticipation, the sudden movements camouflaged among their pattern of flaps, letting loose a few feathers each time.

“Listen, Pit,” Palutena finally said, “I want you to ask Celestia and Samus if there’s anything they can do to help overcome Stay Puft’s guard.”

Pit glanced over to the two of them. They’d been floating quietly in the air since they arrived, switching their gazes between him and Stay Puft periodically, but never saying anything. Looking at them, Pit could see a strong level of both anxiousness and determination in Celestia’s features, while Samus’ helmet kept him from discerning her mood, but he guessed she was feeling the same way.

“Sure thing,” he finally replied, and flew over to the girls.

“How’s the situation?” Samus asked.

Pit made note of how awesome her Power Suit looked before replying. “His eyes are his only weakness, as far as we know, and I managed to deal some pretty big damage to both. But now he keeps blocking all my shots so I can’t deal anymore damage.”

“Oh, I can help with that,” Celestia said as her lips curled into a smirk.

Pit watched as her horn lit with a golden aura, followed by the entirety of Stay Puft’s left arm. Celestia then tried levitating it away from his eye, but the combination of both Stay Puft’s divine nature and his active resistance to her telekinesis made it harder than she anticipated. Her smirk faltered as she poured more magic into her horn, hoping she could overcome Stay Puft’s resistance through sheer strength.

Slowly but surely, Stay Puft’s hand levitated away from his eye, leaving it exposed once more. A few beads of sweat dripped down Celestia’s face as she struggled to maintain her hold on Stay Puft, her head visibly shaking through it all.

Through her mouth’s corner, she whispered, “I don’t know how long I can keep my hold, so please, act quickly.”

Pit and Samus both stared for a moment with no small amount of concern before nodding and turning to face Stay Puft. Pit drew another light arrow while Samus activated her Power Suit’s missile launcher. Both aimed at Stay Puft’s exposed eye and fired simultaneously. The two projectiles sailed right alongside each other and impacted Stay Puft’s eye just a few inches apart. The combined blast from both shots added to the previous injury, creating a hole which occupied almost the entirely of Stay Puft’s left eye. Marshmallow chunks blew out from the impact and sailed through the air to the ground below, and the purple light grew in prominence to the point where it almost seemed to escape the confines of Stay Puft’s eye and venture into the open air.

The wail of agony Stay Puft let loose in response to the massive blow was deafening, and Celestia and Pit were forced to cover their ears, the former losing her telekinetic grip on Stay Puft, while Samus’ helmet was able to nullify the sound.

Stay Puft clutched a hand to his annihilated eye as he staggered around, knocking over a few trees and causing a small landslide as he settled his other hand on the mountain for balance. He stayed like this for a while, unmoving and utterly silent, before standing up and breaking out into a brisk walk away from the trio, heading west toward the setting sun. He never once looked back at them, but they kept their eyes fixed on his retreating form until he slipped below the horizon.

After a few moments of silence, a large smile broke out on Pit’s face and he pumped his fist into the air.

“Victory!” he shouted, and formed a ‘V’ with his fingers.

Celestia, still spent from her enormous magic usage, tiredly said, “Indeed, we are victorious.”

“At least until that freak of nature decides to return,” Samus said.

“Yes, that is true.” Celestia took a deep, calming breath before adding, “And we’ll need to work together again whensoever that time comes.”

Pit nodded. “That was amazing how you just forced his hand away,” he said. “I gotta say, having telekinesis would make slaying monsters much easier.”

“Yes, I suppose it would,” Celestia replied, allowing a small, satisfied smile to cross her muzzle at his praise. “And great shots, both of you.”

“That was the first missile I’ve used during this whole adventure,” Samus noted, looking down at her arm cannon as the missile launcher retracted. “Now I’m down to one hundred and ninety nine.”

Pit’s jaw dropped. “How do you fit so many into that thing?” he asked, incredulous.

Samus turned to him and smiled behind her helmet’s visor. “Probably the best feature about my Power Suit is how retractable every piece is. While there is a limit to how many I can store, space is hardly an issue.”

“Amazing,” Pit gaped.

“We’ll have plenty of time for cultural exchanges later,” Celestia spoke up. “For now, let’s return to the group and inform them of our success.”

With a nod from both Samus and Pit, the three began their descent.

“Lady Palutena, we’re done with Stay Puft… for now,” Pit whispered.

“Good job, Pit,” she replied, relief clear in her tone.

“Good job for all of us.” Pit glanced over at the two females with a small twinkle in his eye. “They’re so awesome!”

Palutena giggled. “Careful that you don’t fall head over heels, Pit,” she said. “We’re not going to be here forever.”

“Yeah yeah, I know.” Pit’s eyebrows knitted as a thought occurred to him. “You said something about there being a ‘surprise’ for us when we got back, right?”

Palutena sighed. “Yes, there is.” The exasperated tone with which she spoke left Pit confused until she added, “Promise me you’ll stay calm and collected upon your return, okay Pit?”

He cocked his head in curiosity. Must be something really strange if she’s worried I’ll lose my mind.

“Sure thing, Lady Palutena.”

“Thanks,” she replied. “Because you’re about to see it…”

The three flew over one last section of forest before sighting the group. Their collective attention immediately went to the blue tank engine sitting on the tracks just beside everyone. Pit, though surprised by the new arrival, didn’t find anything particularly strange about it aside from the odd paint job. Other than that, and the yellow number ‘1’ painted on the side, it looked like just an ordinary train.

Palutena waved to them as the three fell in for a landing. Once they’d all touched the ground, Samus hopped off of Celestia’s back and they looked to everyone else. Pit noticed they all looked a little too distraught, but before he could ask what was wrong James spoke up.

“Miss Palutena says you three drove back the giant marshmallow freak,” he said, giving each of them an appraising look. “And apparently without so much as a scratch.”

“It was quite easy once we used our combined strength on Stay Puft,” Celestia said with a small smile, giving Palutena a sideways glance which the goddess of light ignored. “He will almost certainly be back, however, so we’d best prepare ourselves immediately.”

“Yeah, about that…” Celestia, Samus, and Pit turned to see Ryuk twiddling his thumbs and looking at them with what was probably the closest he could ever have to a legitimate frown. “We kinda have a bigger problem to worry about first.”

“What do you mean?” Samus asked.

“Well, you see—”

Ryuk was cut off by a sudden loud whistle from the train, steam shooting from said component into the air, making everyone flinch and the three latecomers go wide-eyed with alertness.

“I demand to know what’s happening right this instant!” an irate voice shouted.

“W-what was that!?” Pit stammered.

The sounds of pistons pushing and gears turning emanated from the train as it moved backward, allowing the three latecomers to see its face for the first time, eventually stopping a few feet behind them. Their eyes almost bugged out upon seeing the train had an actual, lively face like they all did, and the scowl it shot them would’ve been frightening had the shock of seeing a sapient train not taken ahold of them. Only when James began speaking did they snap back to reality and turn to him, instinctively stepping away from the train out of a mix of both fear and awkwardness.

“Celestia, Samus, Pit,” James said, turning to each of them as he said their names, before gesturing to the train, “this is Thomas, the latest addition to this whole roundup.”

“Really?” Celestia turned back briefly, only to wince upon seeing Thomas’ scowl and turn back. She was about to ask Twilight why she hadn’t used the memory spell on Thomas, only to realize that her student wasn’t among the group, or even anywhere in sight.

“Where’s Twilight?” she asked, doing her best to quell the growing sense of worry in her heart.

Everyone seemed to falter in response, their expressions turning either nervous or angry. Celestia knitted her brows and approached them with a determined stare, Pit and Samus following behind while Thomas slowly chugged forward along the tracks.

“If there’s something you’re not telling us,” she said, her tone one of stern forthrightness, “than tell us, right now.”

After a few moments of hesitation from the group, Ryuk stepped forward and spoke while twiddling his thumbs. “Well, Twilight was okay last we checked. She just went to do… something.”

Celestia frowned. “What sort of something?”

Ryuk rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. It was more than clear to the three that he was nervous about something; even his perpetually smiling face was unable to conceal this from them.

“Thomas isn’t the only newcomer,” he finally said.

Celestia blinked for a moment. “...Can you be a bit more specific?” she asked. “Are you referring to Palutena’s group, Stay Puft, or…?”

“What Ryuk means is, according to Aza, there is an indefinite number of victims currently unaccounted for here in Equestria.” The pharaoh walked up to them, his face calm with the barest hint of irritation in his eyes. “Thomas, Stay Puft, and Palutena’s group are only the beginning.”

“Wait, seriously!?” Pit exclaimed, and turned to Palutena. “Is that true, Lady Palutena?”

Palutena nodded her affirmative.

“Oh great,” Pit groaned. “How are we supposed to round them all up?”

“That’s the interesting part,” James said. “Before she left through a teleporter, Twilight said she could take care of that all by herself.”

Celestia’s eyes bugged out. “She honestly said that?”

Ryuk nodded. “Not just that, but she was talking all high and mighty the whole time she spoke, so she’s pretty confident whatever she has planned will work.” He chuckled softly. “Almost like a certain someone I used to know, now that I think about it.”

Celestia turned to Aza’s puppet, which floated motionless a few dozen feet from everyone next to the tracks, having not moved at all since she returned with Pit and Samus. While Celestia despised Aza for abducting such a great quantity of people, deep down she knew it was bound to happen eventually. When she spoke, in spite of her anger, she did her best to convey the same calm, practiced tone of voice which she often used when speaking to her subjects back home.

“Aza, after what Twilight and I just went through, I need assurance that she’s alright. I’m disappointed in what you’ve done, don’t get me wrong, but right now I only want to know that Twilight is safe and sound. Where is this teleporter she went through, so I can make sure she’s alright?”

Aza gave no response, verbal or otherwise, immediately. Celestia’s mouth twisted slightly into a frown as a small, hardly audible curse against the sentient universe escaped her lips. Everyone else traded glances between her and the puppet as the air became thick with tension. Even Thomas watched the scene with interest, his previous frustration having been temporarily shelved.

Celestia was about to repeat herself when Aza finally replied. ”Uh… yeah, Twilight’s okay. Really, she is.”

Everyone blinked in unison for a moment, surprised by the timidness in Aza’s tone.

Celestia reigned in her surprise and cleared her throat. “Thank you for that,” she said, “but I’d prefer to see her in person.”

”Yeah, wait a little and you’ll get just that,” Aza said, still sounding none too chipper. ”She’s coming back even now.”

“Why do you sound so sad, Aza?” Celestia asked, tilting her head. “This isn’t like you at all.”

The puppet crossed its spheres and hung the top red one down a bit, as if sulking. ”Don’t talk to me.”

Everyone exchanged confused glances at Aza’s uncharacteristic behavior. Then a green light briefly flashed a few yards away from the tracks, and out stepped Twilight, a satisfied smile etched into her features.

“Hi everyone, I’m back,” she said, happily. Then she noticed Celestia and smiled even wider. “Princess! Did you deal with Stay Puft?”

“Indeed we did, Twilight,” Celestia confirmed with a nod. “Where did you go? And what is this plan everyone says you came up with?”

Twilight’s smile turned into a smirk. “Oh, it’d be better if I showed you,” she replied coolly. She stepped back into the teleporter, disappearing in another flash of green light, before reemerging a moment later, seemingly unchanged. “I proudly present, the solution to our problem!”

Another flash of green light, out of which stepped, to everyone’s collective shock, another Twilight. The lavender duplicate was a picture perfect replica of the original, every single detail being an exact match. She even held the same smirk as the first Twilight as she stepped beside her and stared at everyone. The one and only difference between them was that the second Twilight didn’t wear an Element of Magic tiara.

Everyone went completely slack-jawed at the scene before them. Even the creature, who seemed to possess little in the way of sapience, stared at the lavender duo with an expression that one could easily interpret as dumbfounded. Celestia, however, recovered from her stupor first, having realized exactly what Twilight did.

“You used the mirror pool,” she said, just above a whisper.

“That is correct, princess,” the duplicate said, earning a stern glare from the original. “What? I’m not allowed to speak for myself?”

Before anything more could be said, another green flash of light came from the teleporter, and out stepped another Twilight, also a perfect copy of the original minus the Element.

“Hey, uh, me,” she said, looking between the two of them, “can we hurry this up? The rest of us are getting kinda antsy about waiting on that beach.”

“Sure, sure, tell them to come on through,” the original Twilight said. The third Twilight stepped back through the teleporter while the original turned to the second and said, “C’mon, let’s make some room for ourselves.”

The second one nodded, and they moved to the side just as the teleporter began activating in quick succession. Every time it flashed, another Twilight would step out, which would then step aside to allow the next Twilight clear passage through. The original Twilight worked to keep her duplicates neat and organized, forming a line of them along the tracks. When the first line of them reached a certain distance, Twilight began directing them into a new line behind the first, and continued to do this every time each line reached the same distance.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group watched the scene unfold in shocked awe, Twilight’s plan slowly coming to light in their heads. Celestia, especially, found herself amazed by her student’s ingenuity. She always knew Twilight was a smart pony, but even she never thought her student would be capable of conceiving such a simple, yet effective solution to their recent problem. By the time the last Twilight had stepped through the teleporter and into line, Celestia’s shock had melted away and been replaced by a strong feeling of pride at having such a gifted student.

“Okay, listen up!” Twilight said to her duplicates, to which they all gave her their undivided attention. “You all know what the situation is, and you also know what my plan is. But I’m going to repeat myself for everyone else’s sake, and for the fact that I’m not sure whether the Mirror Pool could’ve messed something up and blurred some of your memories.”

Twilight took an authoritative posture before continuing. “Your mission is simple: locate any and all abducted persons you find and bring them back. Use the memory spell on them once found, and if they haven’t got a brain to use it on, then explain the basic situation to them before escorting them back to the group. If they prove to be hostile and/or villainous, use whatever measures necessary to subdue them. Am I understood?”

“Affirmative!” her duplicates all replied in unison.

“Good, now fan out and find everyone!”

Twilight’s duplicates followed her command and took off in random directions, doing their best to keep a respectable distance from one another as they ventured into the thickets of trees on either side of the tracks. It wasn’t long before they’d all disappeared, leaving only the original Twilight with the group.

“Twilight?”

The unicorn turned to see Celestia approaching her, a small smile gracing her muzzle as she walked with her wings folded against her sides.

“Everything’s taken care of now, princess,” Twilight said with utmost confidence.

“Yes, it does seem that way,” Celestia said with a nod. “For now, anyway.”

“How’d you make copies of yourself?” Pit asked as he joined the two mares. “And how can I do that myself?”

“Easy there, Pit,” Palutena said as she too joined them. “The last thing we need is any more surprises caused by cloning mirrors.”

Celestia arched a brow in curiosity. “You’ve had experience with one before?”

“It’s a long story,” Palutena replied, waving a dismissive hand. “And it’s not particularly important.”

“Actually, now that the current crisis is more or less averted,” Twilight said, “I’d love to hear some more about your lives back home.” She turned to everyone else as well. “In fact, why don’t we just talk with each other for now? We’ve been fighting to stay alive for the past few days so much that we haven’t taken much time to just sit down and chat. After all, we all come from different universes, so sky’s the limit for interesting stories about our pasts.”

Everyone took a while to consider this, giving Aza’s puppet a few aside glances. The puppet remained unmoving, and Aza kept quiet the whole time. Twilight interpreted the silence as confirmation that Aza was sulking, which she took some personal pride in.

“It would be nice to just relax and chat,” James finally said, smiling softly.

“Yeah,” Samus agreed. “I’d love a break from all this crap.”

“We might not have gone through as much as you all,” Palutena said, wrapping an arm around Pit’s shoulders, “but nevertheless, Pit and I would love to make casual conversation.”

“Actually…” Pit spoke up, only to be silenced by a stern glare from Palutena. “Oh, alright, we’ll just talk,” he said, pouting.

“Well, seems like everyone’s in agreement here,” Twilight said. It was then that she noticed the pharaoh had come out of the Millenium Puzzle. “Welcome back, pharaoh,” she greeted with a smile.

The pharaoh nodded his head, giving a soft smile in return. “It’s good to be back,” he replied.

Twilight walked up to him and reached up to lay a comforting hoof on his shoulder. “Don’t think I have any hard feelings about what happened yesterday,” she said, soothingly. “Really, it’s not worth getting worked up over.”

The pharaoh nodded again. “Thank you, Twilight,” he whispered.

Nodding herself, Twilight set her hoof back down and turned to everyone. “Alright then, let’s head on over to that clearing and chat.”

Everyone was about to head off when a sudden, sharp whistle rang through the air. Turning back, the group saw Thomas looking at them with a deadpan stare. Twilight blinked for a moment, then a blush formed over her cheeks as she realized what he was getting at.

“Err, sorry Thomas,” she said, sheepishly, and walked toward him. “I’ll explain things right now.”

“I’d appreciate that,” Thomas replied with a snooty air to his voice.

The whole group watched as Twilight began explaining the basics of their situation, while throwing in a few details where appropriate and giving examples of the kind of danger Thomas could expect during his stay there. Thomas’ expression went through several phases throughout Twilight’s explanation: first confusion, then horror, followed by disgust, until finally settling on hatred as he turned his gaze to Aza’s puppet.

“Despicable…” he muttered.

“That’s putting it mildly,” Pit said, rolling his eyes.

“Alright.” James clapped his hands. “Now that we’re all up to speed, let’s get a move on, shall we?”

“I can’t go anywhere without rails,” Thomas noted with a frown. “And, if it isn’t too much trouble, I’d rather not be left alone.”

“Leave that to me,” Celestia said. Her horn lit up in a golden aura, as did Thomas. The tank engine let out a yelp as he was lifted off the tracks and brought over to the group, stopping just a few feet from Celestia’s half-smirking face. “There, problem solved.” She turned to everyone. “Now then, let’s get moving.”

With a collective nod from everyone, they all made their way into the forest leading to the clearing. Aza’s puppet, however, took a few moments to follow, and when it did its posture was noticeably droopy.

This… didn’t go as I’d planned.

Author's Note

I strongly suggest you read this blog right now for some important information about Singularity's future.

Guest Chapter: Respect Your Elders (Dirty Bit)

Twilight - or one of her many clones, at least - stopped when she felt she’d traveled a good enough distance away from where all the clones had dispersed. Ascertaining her current position, she found herself down the base of the mountain from an undetermined side and far off into a plain, but a lovely meadow with a few stray trees scattered throughout.

It wasn't hard for her to remember that she had a mission rather than be distracted by the scenery surrounding her, but it was hard for her to be dedicated to travel so far without any sign of potential prisoners like her original counterpart and her friends. An annoyed grunt escaped her lips as she continued trotting along the meadow.

"One would think that finding one out of an indeterminate amount of captured individuals in a dimension similar to Equestria would be easy, especially if they would be close by!" she complained to herself aloud. Twilight looked left and right while traveling forward and let out a sigh when there was still neither hide nor hair of any intelligent life.

Oh, how she prayed that she would find somebody intelligent.

Suddenly, Twilight's left ear twitched as she caught the sound of snoring farther up ahead. She squinted her eyes to catch a tree larger than the ones she saw in the distance, with a shaded silhouette propped next to it. The clone beamed at the thought of finally succeeding in her mission as she used her energy to gallop forward towards the source of the sound.

Twilight felt a sense of accomplishment as she drew closer, but it slowly vanished along with her energy when she got a better look at what she was running towards. She slowed to a stop upon finding a rather large human sitting on the ground with their back resting against the left side of the tree.

Upon closer inspection, the human appeared to be male, and a rather old one, to boot. He was seen with tan skin and gray hair, complete with a beard. A scar was seen over his left eye. His attire consisted of a white tuxedo with a blue shirt and green tie, covered by a large white coat with red and black shoulder pads and sleeves that was worn like a cape. The old man was snoring loudly, and was seen with a nose bubble that inflated and deflated with each snore, much to Twilight's disgust.

While the thought of finally meeting another individual was rewarding, Twilight remembered to proceed with caution. She couldn't be sure if the elderly human could possibly be a threat despite being asleep. Making note of the distance between herself and the human, Twilight lit up her horn and focused on a small branch above her, prying it out before using to gently prod the human's cheek.

"Hello?" the clone whispered, feeling slightly anxious with anticipation. "Wakey wakey." When the human didn’t wake up, Twilight added a little more force to her prodding. Surprisingly, there was still no progress then, prompting her to hit the human's forehead with the stick. "Come on. Wake up already, no one should be able to sleep for that lo-"

As quick as a flash, the human unconsciously grabbed the stick with his left hand, startling Twilight with the new development. With a deep grunt, the human quickly swung his left hand towards the tree. The area that was struck shattered into splinters as the tree fell over, causing Twilight to yelp as she scampered back towards a safer distance.

She watched the human slowly rise from his sitting position, dwarfing Twilight with ease while dropping her prodding stick as he stirred from his slumber. The human then covered his mouth with his right hand as he let out a loud yawn, then stretched his arms upward. Meanwhile, Twilight stared wide-eyed at the awakened human as her body tensed from the display of strength. After the human rubbed his eyes he opened them, baring his teeth in an irritated expression.

"Hey, who had the gall to wake me up?" he asked in a deep tone that was rasped with age. The elderly human looked around and took in his surroundings as his expression turned blank. To his left, grass and trees; to his right, even more grass and trees. He paused for a moment before he tilted his head with a confused expression on his face as he scratched his temple with a finger. "Am I dreaming or something?"

So far, the human seemed harmless to Twilight. She decided to swallow her anxiety and take initiative to properly introduce herself, clearing her throat to grab the human's attention.

"Excuse me, sir, but is it okay if we talk?" she asked in the kindest way possible. Twilight flinched when the human paused before looking down at her.

"Huh?" was all the human could say. He stared at the pony below him and noticed the change in her expression, but paid it no mind as he pulled up his left sleeve. Ignoring the look of fear on the pony's face, he proceeded to pinch his left arm with his right hand. After a brief grunt of pain, the human paused again.

Twilight's fear faded when she took in the human's gesture, and wondered if he seemed like an eccentric old man. She went to go speak further...

"EEEEEEHHHHHHHHHH~!?!?" the human bellowed in shock as his eyes widened, once again taking Twilight by surprise as she reeled backward on her hindlegs.

"I'm not dreaming… I'm not back at Marineford," the human said in dreadful realization, then clenched his fists as he darted his head left and right. "Where… Where the hell am I!? What is this place?" He then focused his sight on the pony in front of him, and his eyes narrowed as he pointed a finger at her. "You there! Pony! What is this place!? Did you kidnap me!?" he barked angrily.

"N-No! I swear, I was not responsible for your relocation! In fact, you're one of many that have been abducted from their homes!" Twilight instantly replied, as if her life depended on it. "I was just sent here to find you and gather you up with them!"

The human growled at the explanation, but then noticed the sincerity in the pony's eyes that was coupled with her fear. Perhaps she was telling the truth, since she didn't seem so threatening in appearance. But he had to be on his toes now that he was in No Man's Land. He decided to calm down for now and crossed his arms as he looked down at the trembling pony.

"You said I was one of many, right? How exactly do you know this?" he interrogated calmly. Twilight dropped down to all fours before taking a deep breath and looking up at the human.

"Because I am, too. Or, more technically, my original. There's plenty of me to go around at the moment, and we're on a scouting mission, per se," Twilight explained, trying to appear as friendly as she could. "There are others with her, all of which staying in a group, and… well..." Twilight sighed in frustration before she held up a hoof, gesturing for the human to come down to her level. "I'd like to give you the whole story in a flash, if you're willing to trust me."

The human raised an eyebrow with a questioning grunt before kneeling down and bending his body forward so that his head was close to Twilight's. Her horn began to light up, much to the human's wonder.

"Just bear with me; this will only take a second." Twilight brought her horn toward the human's temple and just like that, memories poured into his mind in a metaphysical cascade. His eyes widened as he took them all in, then reeled himself back when Twilight was finished, holding his head with his right hand.

"Whoa… That was too weird, and I've seen all sorts of weird stuff in my day," the human uttered before shaking his head and looking down at Twilight. "So, you're a clone, huh?" he said before he clenched his fists and grinned, his eyes full of wonder. "And a pool did this? That's amazing!" Twilight was taken aback by the human's change of behavior, but considered him friendly, since he didn't attack at all.

"That's the Mirror Pool for you." Twilight chuckled before righting herself, her fear having faded. "I'm sorry for the rude awakening, not to mention introducing myself earlier. My name is Twilight Sparkle; one of her clones, as you know. What's your name?" The human stood up correctly and crossed his arms again.

"Bwahahaha! You have nice manners for a pony." He pointed a thumb at himself with a gruff, but friendly expression on his face. "The name's Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp, but you can just call me Garp."

"Oh, you're a figure of authority?" Twilight asked, somewhat curious about his background.

"Yeah. I just got back to headquarters after I failed to catch my grandson." Garp chuckled to himself. "Wonder what the little troublemaker's up to right now..."

"Wait, your grandson? Why are you pursuing your own family?" Twilight asked, befuddled at the aspect of a family that fights amongst themselves.

"Simply put, he's a pirate; a captain, no less. He's already got a good bounty on his head after catching the attention of the Navy. I'd even show you a wanted poster if I had one on me," Garp explained nonchalantly before scoffing. "If only that bastard Shanks hadn't corrupted his mind, he would've made an excellent marine like me." He shrugged as he grinned. "But, I shouldn't be too bitter about that. I'm glad that I raised him to be strong enough."

‘He really is eccentric’, Twilight thought. ‘First Garp curses the fact that his own grandson is a fearsome pirate, then says he’s proud of how strong he became... I guess he still cares about his grandson despite the supposed bad blood they share between each other.’ Deciding to digress from the matter, Twilight forced a smile.

"Well, now that we've gotten to know each other, perhaps you'd like to follow me back to the others so they can get to know you as well?" She noticed Garp looking away with a frown on his face.

"Alright, but I gotta say, I still need time to adjust to this whole thing. This Aza fellow picked the wrong time to just swoop me off my feet and away from my home..." The vice admiral bared his teeth before raising a shaking fist towards the sky. "And my job! I was in the middle of some very serious work back at HQ, you jerk! Come out and fight like a man!" Twilight stared blankly at Garp's outrage.

'But you were just sleeping when I met you...' she thought to herself before shaking off her confusion. "I know I shouldn't say this, especially since I feel your pain, but there's no point in shouting at Aza right now. I really gotta get you back to everyone else so I know I've filled my quota." Garp's fist trembled before he calmed down again.

"Alright. Might as well get acquainted with my fellow prisoners," Garp said before a dry chuckle escaped his lips. "This is kind of ironic, when I look at it."

"Don't worry, you'll be with friends soon enough," Twilight said with a smile. "Just follow me, and we'll try our best to sort this whole thing out with the others." She looked over at the large mountain in the distance and hummed to herself. Squinting her eyes up at the higher areas, she noticed a thicket of trees and perked up. "Oh yeah! I came from the forest up there. Maybe everyone's still up there."

Garp followed Twilight's gaze and nodded to himself before he began to stretch his legs. The clone took notice and tilted her head before blinking.

"Wait a minute. You're not actually thinking of running up the mountain, are you? Wouldn't it take too much of a toll on your body?" Twilight asked in concern, only to be rewarded with a small fit of laughter as Garp continued to stretch.

"Come now, Twilight. I might be old, but that doesn't mean I'm helpless." He finished stretching and approached Twilight, kneeling down to pick her up in his arms before he rose up and grinned at the elevated destination. "Just hold on tight and leave this to me."

Before Twilight could question Garp's confidence, she felt her body press hard against his chest as the vice admiral started moving incredibly fast with a look of hardened determination on his face. All she could do was scream as Garp moved across the meadow and onto the mountain like a blur.

The only good thing about her mission ending was that at least Garp wasn't trying to kill her intentionally.

Author's Note

This guest chapter is courtesy of the top hat-worshiping zebracorn known simply as Dirty Bit. Check out his other works, such as War Criminals, if you liked this chapter.

Together We Ride

“What is it with these brambles!?”

Of all the copies Twilight had made with the Mirror Pool, this one had the misfortune of choosing to head straight through the Everfree Forest, which — even in this alternate Equestria devoid of dangerous creatures — still proved hazardous. The thorns pricked and poked her with reckless abandon, leaving scratches and cuts of various severity all across her body, staining her coat red with her own blood in many places.

The thought of teleporting had crossed her mind once or twice, but not knowing where in the Everfree she could end up — and possibly getting lost as a result — kept the clone from doing so. Also, she swore she’d heard a faint call for help in the direction she was currently heading, so she knew trudging through the brambles — much as they hurt — meant going in the right direction.

Eventually, and much to her relief, the clone stepped out of the bramble patch and into a clearing. The forest canopy was thick, only letting a sliver of sunlight shine through. Willow snags permeated the edge of the clearing, their twisted branches reaching around like clawed, dead hands searching for unsuspecting victims to drag to the murky depths of some cold, dark place.

Twilight stepped into the clearing, taking a moment to shake some bramble remnants out of her hair before looking around in search of a break in the snags to continue her trek. Suddenly, a twig snapped to her left, and she spun around just in time to see a blue and purple blur disappear behind one of the snags.

“Hello!?” Twilight called. “Are you all right?”

Silence.

“I understand if you’re scared!” she continued, taking a step closer to the snag. “But there’s no need to worry!” Another couple of steps, then she began walking toward it, slowly in case trouble jumped her.

Nothing happened as she approached the snag, but as she neared it she heard someone whispering under their breath. All she could make out was one word, or rather, a name she guessed, that being ‘Lyn’.

“Please don’t be afraid of me,” Twilight said. Carefully, keeping her horn at the ready in case something happened, she stepped up to the snag and peered around its trunk.

She only barely dodged the sharp, metallic lance which shot at her face. Stumbling back with a yelp, Twilight fell aside the snag on her back, quickly scrambling to her hooves before shouting, “I said I’m trying to help!”

Silence.

Twilight breathed an exasperated sigh before continuing. “Look, whoever you are, I get that you’re scared. You’re away from home in a strange place with no recollection of how you got here.” She re-approached the snag, turning halfway around the trunk, keeping her head back a safe distance. “The same thing happened to me— er, well, the original me. And everyone else.” She smiled. “I can take you to a whole group of people who can empathize with you, but you have to trust me when I say I mean you no harm.”

Another minute of silence passed, throughout which Twilight could hear more faint whispers coming from around the snag. The person was clearly of the nervous variety, and possibly a warrior of sorts if the lance was any indication. Twilight made a mental note to tell her original self to keep a close eye on this person once they got back.

Finally, she heard leaves rustle, followed by a tall, bipedal figure stepping around the trunk. It was a human, and the lithe figure along with the long, purple hair it sported indicated them to be female. They wore a loose-fitting white top with a brown pouch strapped around the waist and long, fingerless turquoise sleeves, an armored blue tunic, and thigh-length blue boots strapped tight on their legs. The lance they held in their hands was very similar to the ones Twilight was accustomed to seeing Princess Celestia’s royal guards wield, but bigger as a result of their taller human stature.

Twilight took another step forward, putting on what she hoped was a reassuring smile as she resumed speaking. “My name is Twilight Sparkle; what’s yours?”

The human girl stared blankly for a moment before looking down and muttering, “Um… I’m Florina.”

Twilight leaned forward a little. “I’m sorry, what was that?”

They looked to the side so one eye was covered by their hair. “Um… my name is Florina.”

Twilight shook her head. “Didn’t quite catch that.”

The human was silent at first, but eventually breathed deep and turned back to face Twilight, their expression a little more hardened. “My name is Florina.”

“Florina, huh? That’s a lovely name.” Twilight stepped forward some more, to which Florina instinctively raised her lance a little, causing her to stop where she was. “Like I said, you’re gonna have to trust me if you want to be okay here.”

Florina seemed to shrink in on herself, but nonetheless lowered her lance and held it at her side, standing upright. “Sorry, I won’t do it again,” she said, very softly.

Twilight smiled. “Good. Now, there’s something I need to do so you’ll understand where you are and what’s happening.” She lit up her horn. “I need to tap my horn to your forehead. You might feel a little dizzy, but I promise nothing truly harmful will happen to you.”

Florina stared at Twilight’s horn with a wondrous look in her eyes, and nodded her approval before bending down to Twilight’s eye level. She gently tapped her horn against Florina’s forehead, letting her select memories transfer. Once she was done, Twilight stepped back a little to give Florina some much needed space to digest everything she’d imparted.

The effect was as she expected. Florina’s eyes gained a faraway look for a second before she clutched her lance — hard enough that her knuckles turned white — and collapsed into a quivering pile on the ground, mumbling panicked ramblings under her breath. Twilight waited for a few minutes until she’d calmed down a little before walking over and placing a comforting hoof on Florina’s shoulder.

“There there,” she said, stroking her shoulder. “Everything will be alright. I– no, we promise.”

Florina flinched in response. Twilight raised a curious brow at that, but said nothing and continued stroking. Once she felt Florina had calmed down enough, she stopped and gestured back the way she’d come. “So, how about we get going? We’ve got a bit of a journey back to base camp, but I’ll be able to teleport us a fair ways once we’re out of the Everfree Forest.”

Florina slowly nodded. “Okay,” she whispered, and stood up, still clutching her lance as tight as she could.

The two of them began heading for the treeline, side by side. They’d only taken a couple of steps before Florina was startled by a sudden flicker of movement through the trees. She stumbled back out of reflex, gripping her lance even tighter.

“What’s wrong?” Twilight asked.

“There’s something else here,” Florina replied in a half-whisper.

“Really?” Twilight followed Florina’s gaze into the trees. “Is it a friend or a foe?”

Florina said nothing, instead shifting her lance into a strike ready position. Twilight followed suite, lighting her horn with an offensive spell, pointing ahead at the forest. “Who’s there!?” she called.

Silence.

“You don’t have to be scared!” she continued, edging closer to the trees. “We don’t want to hurt you, so if you’re confused about where you are, then please show yourself or say something!”

More silence.

Twilight looked over to Florina. The human girl’s breathing was irregular and her legs were quivering. The fear present in her eyes was very pronounced, and Twilight could only guess how feeble she’d be without her lance, which seemed to be her only source of courage.

Suddenly, Florina’s eyes bulged and she took a step back. Twilight’s ears then perked in response to a twig snapping from in front of them, and she swiveled her head back, only to freeze up at what she saw.

Standing at the tree line, facing them with nothing but a black, toothy maw dripping with saliva, was a creature that looked like something straight out of a nightmare. Its head was elongated and dome-like, curving over its black, humanoid body, standing around seven feet tall. Moving tentatively through the air beside it was an extra long, snake-like tail that ended in a sharp, deadly-looking barb.

Twilight was too surprised by the newcomer’s terrifying appearance to say anything at first. Florina stayed much the same, gripping her lance so tight her knuckles must’ve popped a few blood vessels, looking ready to bolt at a moment’s notice.

Eventually, with a deep, relaxing breath Twilight mustered the resolve to speak to the newcomer. “H-hello,” she stuttered. “I-if you’re lost and scared, then please don’t be.” She took a hesitant step forward, to which the creature didn’t react. “The situation right now is a lot more complex than it may seem, but I can explain everything really quickly, and you’ll feel a lot better afterwards.” She allowed herself a small smile, hoping her nervousness didn’t make it look too awkward. “Is that alright?”

The creature did and said nothing, aside from breathing and continuing to drip thick globs of saliva onto the ground before it. The air became thick with tension during the reigning silence as Twilight waited for an answer and Florina kept her fear-ridden eyes on the creature.

Suddenly, the creature shot its tail straight at Twilight, cutting through the air like a hurtling sharp spear. She was caught off guard by the suddenness of the attack, having been given no warning at all. She was only able to dodge in the nick of time, and even then she felt the creature’s tail slice a part of her flesh as it passed, eliciting a wince from her.

Twilight rolled along the ground, coming to a stop at a willow’s base before getting to her hooves. She felt a wetness on her cheeks, and a rub of her hoof showed she was bleeding. She didn’t have time to process that fact before spying the creature’s tail rushing with another attack, the air whistling past it as the knife-like appendage sailed with blinding speed toward her head. Twilight wasted no time in grabbing the creature’s tail with her telekinesis, stopping it just a hair’s length from her face.

What followed was a reverse tug-of-war as the creature tried to force its tail forward to impale Twilight’s face while she pushed it back. The creature was impeccably strong to be able to fight against her mental prowess with pure brute strength. Back and forth its tail was pushed, Twilight taking a slow intake of panicky breath as she poured more power into her telekinesis every time the creature’s tail came close to her face.

Eventually, Twilight’s hold began to waver as her magic ran thin, allowing the creature to gain airspace. Twilight poured every last remaining ounce of magic she had left into her hold, but to no avail as the creature’s tail inched ever closer to her face, tip poised to impale her skull. Twilight could only watch as it came within a hair’s length from the space between her eyes, which were wide and panic-stricken. Once she felt the last of her magic dwindle and her hold break, she shut them instinctively, anticipating the hard squishing sound of bones being crushed and flesh being ripped in unison.

That sound came, but not from her.

Upon realizing she was still alive and well, Twilight opened her eyes, which widened considerably at what she saw. Sticking out of the creature’s chest, coated with yellow ooze, likely the creature’s blood, was the tip of Florina’s spear. On the ground in front of it, a large pool of the yellow gunk lay splashed outwards from it, and no sooner did Twilight notice it then steam began rising from the ground everywhere it had landed. The creature stood stock still out of muscle shock to being impaled, frozen stiff like a statue. It stayed like that for a few seconds before starting to paw at its chest with its spindly arms, futilely attempting to push the spear out.

Twilight managed to tear her gaze away from the creature and crane her neck to look behind it. There she saw Florina with her hands still on the spear, face holding a grimace while her eyes were closed and facing away from the creature. Her grip remained tight as the creature struggled a little, and even pushed the spear in a little further with a barely audible grunt of exertion, eliciting a pained moan from the creature.

The creature let out a series of low howls as it continued pawing at its chest. Its movements gradually weakened, however, until its arms eventually went limp. Then, with one final breath, the creature slumped over onto the ground, dead.

Twilight stared wide-eyed at the creature’s corpse for a moment before casting her gaze up at the girl who’d killed it. Florina stood rooted to the spot while keeping her grip on the spear’s length, while her eyes seemed to be looking at some distant point beyond Twilight.

Eventually, Twilight managed to regain her composure and began approaching Florina. She kept her steps slow and careful, as she didn’t want to startle the seemingly traumatized girl. Florina showed no reaction to her as she came closer, and even when Twilight was literally right in her face she still didn’t acknowledge the unicorn’s presence.

“Florina?” Twilight said, shaking the other girl a little with her hoof. Still no response. Another shake. “Florina! Snap out of it!”

Florina finally seemed to come out of her daze, blinking once before turning to look down at Twilight. Her eyes widened a little upon seeing the cut across Twilight’s cheek. “You’re bleeding,” she said, softly, but with no small amount of worry.

“I’ll be fine,” Twilight said, wiping at her cheek again. She looked down at the creature’s carcass, wincing at the wretched sight but keeping her composure. “Well, at least that thing is no longer a problem, though, I would’ve preferred we didn’t kill it.”

“I’ve never much liked killing living creatures either,” Florina said, and began pulling her spear from the creature’s chest. “But I’ve learned from experience that some people are better off dead, and if they seek to do harm to my friends and allies, I shouldn’t hesitate to strike them down first.”

Twilight suppressed the urge to shudder, memories of the incident with the shark attacking the original playing through her mind. “Yeah… I guess that’s good justification.” She looked down at the creature, a small frown crossing her muzzle. “I just hope that thing didn’t have any loved ones back home.”

“Me too,” Florina said as she pulled her spear free from the creature’s chest, only for her eyes to bulge at the sight which greeted her. The spear tip was gone, leaving only the wooden length and a small stump where it once connected to the tip. Small puffs of steam rose from the wooden stump, as well as from the hole in the creature’s chest, while a faint sizzling sound could be heard from inside. “Oh my…”

“It appears this thing’s blood is acidic,” Twilight said, her tone taking on a studious vibe. Then she noticed Florina looking wistfully at her now destroyed spear. “I’m sorry, was that spear special to you?” she asked.

Florina shook her head. “No, I have many more just like it. It’s just…” Twilight watched as she again seemed to shrink in on herself, letting the destroyed spear fall to the ground as she placed both her hands against her chest in what looked to be a feeble manner, while her eyes gained a look of worry. “Now I have no way of fighting back against anything that tries to hurt me,” she finished with a small whimper.

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Twilight said with a little smirk. She let her horn shine with a little magic, drawing Florina’s curious gaze to it. “My special talent is magic, and I’ve got plenty of spells at the ready in case anything decides to jump us. This creature was just a little faster than I can handle on my own, but rest assured I’ll keep us both safe on our way back.”

Florina smiled. “Thanks, Twilight,” she said.

Twilight then resumed heading back the way she’d come, gesturing for Florina to follow her, which she did.

“So, Florina,” Twilight said, now sounding casual despite what had just happened, “tell me a little about where you’re from. What’s your home universe like?”

Florina gazed up in thought for a few moments before replying. “Well, it’s a little dangerous, but also very exciting.” Her smile widened a little. “And it’s very easy to find new friends to help you fight against evil...”

Twilight smiled as well. Just like home…

Meeting With A Master

“Well, that’s strange,” Twilight said, looking over the hilltop in front of her. “I know it’s right over this hill.”

The Twilight clone had decided to retrace the original’s hoofsteps, wanting to look for new arrivals back in this alternate Equestria’s Ponyville. The journey took her past the spot where the second tribal council had taken place, in the unusual temple made of colorful bricks. Its height would’ve made it visible over the hill it sat next to, but she could now see it was no longer visible over the hill’s crest.

“Strange…” she muttered. “I wonder...”

She began ascending the hill, slowly and deliberately, so as to conserve her energy in case the need to run became apparent.

“Maybe my original misjudged the height of that temple.” She stuck her tongue out while casting her gaze upward in thought. “If the height of this hill from the east side is about twenty meters, and the temple could be seen from a distance of about forty meters that way, then– what the hay!?”

Twilight stopped in her tracks the instant she reached the top. Her eyes bulged and her mind shut down in response to what she saw in the field where the strange brick temple was.

Was.

The bricks themselves were still there, arranged in neat little piles separated by color across the field. The weird torches that her original had seen before were snuffed, the plasticy fire no longer alight, and were piled up a fair ways away from all the bricks. It was what had arranged the bricks that gave Twilight pause.

Floating in the center of the field, currently sorting through some red and green bricks, was a human-shaped hand. It was pure white, and the point where the wrist would have connected to an arm instead cut off and faded into nothing. It floated a few feet in the air, its movements smooth and graceful as it picked up and placed bricks to its liking.

Twilight stood still, slack-jawed at the sight before her, before eventually giving her head a good shake and setting off down the hill, donning an exasperated smile. Definitely the strangest newcomer yet. Actually, I’m surprised we haven’t encountered stranger yet.

The massive, floating hand took no apparent notice to her as Twilight crossed the field toward it, carefully stepping around the piles of bricks while casting appreciative glances at each one for their superb neat and tidiness. The hand continued to ignore her presence even as Twilight stepped right beside the pile it was currently sorting. Given the fact that the hand was sorting all the bricks by color, Twilight reasoned it had to possess some form of vision, despite lacking visible eyes.

“Hello?” she said, keeping her voice calm and steady. “How are you?”

The hand said nothing, its movements holding to its current bobbing pattern in the air, not even so much as a twitch in response to her statement.

Twilight frowned. “If you’re confused and scared, I’m here to let you know what’s happening and give support in case you need it.”

Still no response.

Twilight’s brow furrowed. “Are you alright, is what I’m asking?’

Still nothing.

“Hey, are you even listening to me!?” She stepped around the brick pile so she was directly facing the hand. “Do you have any idea what kind of situation you’re in right now!?”

The hand finally seemed to acknowledge Twilight by stopping in the middle of sorting another piece. Twilight ran through a list of offensive spells in case this creature turned hostile. The hand seemed to pause in its floating for a moment, becoming almost statue-like, before continuing with its sorting.

”I know why I’m here,” it said in a booming, masculine voice.

Where is that voice coming from if it has no mouth? “You do?” Twilight asked. She quirked a brow. “How?”

”The power to view other universes is among the rarest any living being can have.” He scooped up a bunch of red and orange blocks from those respective piles and began stacking them on the ground. ”I am one such being, and while I may lack the ability to relocate persons between universes myself, I know that such is the fate that has befallen me, and I assume you too.”

Twilight blinked. “... Er, well, yes.” Who is this guy? “That’s pretty much what’s happening. There’s lots of us who’ve banded together to fight back against Aza’s twisted games, and I’m part of a party sent out to round up more people.” Feeling a little more confident, she took a step forward. “Would you like to join us, Mister…?”

“Just call me Master Hand,” he replied. By now, his structure had begun to take a shape which Twilight couldn’t help but find familiar. ”And to answer your question, no.”

“Why not?” Twilight asked with sincerity. “There’s strength in numbers and–”

Twilight was interrupted when Master Hand suddenly turned toward her. One of his fingers extended outward and shone with a blue light. A laser then extended from it, striking the earth beside her and ripping through the ground for several meters while sending up a plume of dirt and rocks. He did it so fast that Twilight didn’t have any time to react, either in surprise or defense. Once her mind caught up to her, however, she turned to look, slack-jawed, at the ripped earth beside her.

”My power alone will keep me safe from harm. I need no allies.” He then resumed stacking the bricks.

Twilight managed to tear her gaze away from the line of ripped earth next to her and back to Master Hand, adopting a concerned tone in her voice as she gave her reply.

“Okay, you are powerful. But who’s to say Aza won’t find something that even you can’t beat? Power alone is only so great. Strength in numbers can accomplish so much more. I have no idea who you are, but I, or at least my original, would forever hate… us, I guess, if something happened to you.

“At the very least, could you come with me so we’ll have everyone accounted for? You don’t have to actually join our group if you don’t want to, but we’d very much appreciate it if you came so we could help should the need arise.” She smiled warmly. “What do you say, Master Hand?”

Master Hand appeared to consider her plea, stopping his stacking once again. Eventually, he resumed, saying nothing all the while.

Twilight sighed in exasperation. “Look, I’m not leaving without you, so I hope you enjoy having company.” With that, she sat her rump onto the ground, adopting a bemused expression as she watched Master Hand continue his work.

He’s way too stubborn for his own good. He might be more powerful than any of us, but no doubt Aza could and would throw something more powerful at him if it wanted to challenge him like the rest of us. But no, he thinks he doesn’t need any help. He can make statues of Samus for as long as he wants but it won’t change– wait a minute!

Twilight stared, unbelieving, at the sight before her. The bricks Master Hand was stacking had begun to take shape as a tall, red and orange bipedal figure. Though it currently lacked the green arm cannon and visor, the colors and general shape made it clear that it was, without any doubt, Samus Aran.

“Wait, that’s Samus you’re making!” Twilight exclaimed, wide-eyed, as she got to her hooves.

That gave Master Hand pause. He turned toward her, and despite lacking any and all ability to express emotion, Twilight felt a sense of incredulity emanating from him then. ”How do you know Samus Aran?”

“She's part of our group,” Twilight explained. “She has been for a few days.”

Master Hand shot over to her, to which Twilight tensed in response. ”Truly? Samus Aran is among your number?”

“Yeah, I'm not lying.”

“... Very well, I shall join your group.”

Twilight blinked, not comprehending his words at first, before her face brightened. “Really? You mean it?”

”I reserve the right to be by my lonesome when I so wish,” Master Hand stated. ”But yes, I shall indeed join your group.”

“That’s great!” Twilight said excitedly, clapping her hooves together. She then looked around the field, at all the bricks laid about, and rubbed her chin. “Actually, could we bring these bricks too? We could use a decent shelter.”

Master Hand snapped his digits, to which a blue glow began emanating from every brick in the field. Then, they simultaneously shrank to about one fifth their original size. Afterward, he proceeded to gather them all into a single pile before scooping it up. ”Lead the way,” he said, his speech apparently unimpeded despite carrying so many bricks.

Twilight nodded and proceeded back the way she’d come, Master Hand following right behind. “By the way,” she said, turning back to him, “how do you know Samus?”

”As I said previously, I possess the ability to glimpse alternate universes,” Master Hand replied, shifting his load a little as he floated up the hill. ”Samus happens to hail from one of my favorites.”

Twilight tapped a hoof to her chin. “Interesting…”

Author's Note

Sorry if this one was too short for your liking after having to wait almost three months for an update. I'll do my best to dedicate more time to writing chapters for this story in the future.

Mechanical Rhythm

On a grassy hill overlooking the Equestrian plains, there lay an unconscious youth. He wore a multi-color sweater underneath a red vest with metal additions and strap on shoes, and shin guards underneath his shorts.

At his side lay a red sword with a round, multi-layered glass opening in the hilt.

He stirred.

“Mmmm.” He blearily opened his eyes, blinking away his sleepiness, before sitting up and stretching his arms with a satisfied yawn.

“That was a good nap.” He smiled. “Alright guys, let’s–”

He stopped. There was no one beside him.

“What the…?” He turned his head every which way, only to see nothing but a sea of grasslands all around him. “Where is everyone?”

Looking up into the sky also revealed nothing but an endless blue expanse, dotted with the occasional cloud. Am I not on Kyoshin anymore?

His hand brushed up against something. Looking down, he smiled wide upon seeing the sword beside him, no worse for wear. He picked it up and activated it, making the length split apart and bringing forth a blue blade of light from within. He gave it a few good swings and, satisfied that all was well, deactivated and sheathed it. He then glanced around again, frowning at the lack of any familiar surroundings.

If I’m not on Kyoshin, then where else could I possibly be? I hope everyone’s okay, wherever they are.

A flicker of movement in his eye’s corner brought his attention to a spot down the hill, on a dirt path leading from a peaceful-looking forest. From the treeline emerged three purple specks, grouped together and heading his way. Squinting his eyes, the youth could make out equine bodies, and horn-like appendages protruding from their heads.

I’ve never seen creatures like that before.

The creatures stopped. The youth watched as they turned to face one another, apparently in conversation.

If they’re sapient, then I might be able to learn where I am from them. I’d better approach with caution.

Nodding to himself, he set off down the hill, one hand primed and ready to draw his sword should the need present itself. As he drew nearer to the strange creatures, he could make out their arguing, and it filled him with some comfort to know they might be able to answer his questions.

“Listen, we need to split up to cover more ground faster.”

“Exactly, but let me cover Whitetail Woods.”

“Why you?”

“Why not me?”

“The only reason you want Whitetail Woods is because it’s smaller than the Everfree or Froggy Bottom Bog.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“We’re the same pony, so I know it is.”

“Alright, that’s enough you two. We’ll each cover a third of every location around here, including Whitetail Woods. Does that sound fair?”

“Sure.”

“Alright. Let’s–”

“Um, hello there?”

The three creatures jumped in surprise. They then turned to see the youth standing a little ways away, looking confused. Their eyes widened before their mouths turned upwards into large smiles at seeing the new arrival.

“Can you tell me where I am?” the youth asked.

“Oh, no problem!” one of the creatures said excitedly. She then began walking toward him, lighting up her horn. This surprised the youth, making him take a step back out of reflex. “I just need to use this spell–”

She never got to finish her sentence. It happened so fast the youth was left in a state of shock. All he saw was the creature walking towards him, followed by a colorful streak, and then the creature swelling up like a balloon before imploding into a stream of purple energy that then flowed through the air into the far distance.

“What the…” Was all he could say upon recovering, before turning to see the other two creatures looking in the direction the shot came from, unbridled rage etched into their faces. He followed their gaze, and his eyes widened at what he saw before his expression also turned angry and he grabbed his sword.

Heading their way was a collection of dark blue and gold machines. Some were bipedal with a single arm ending in claw-like appendages, while others were more spider-like, scurrying across the ground on four legs. The largest one, bringing up the rear of the group, carried itself using its tentacle-like appendages, some of which ending in giant pincers.

Kishinhei.

One of the creatures turned to him. “Whoever you are, get to safety.” She turned back, adopting a combative stance and lighting up her horn, as did the other one. “We’ll deal with this threat.”

“No, I’ve got this,” the youth stated. He unsheathed his sword, and brought it in front of him, whereupon the blade of blue light activated. “You get yourselves to safety; I can deal with this myself.”

Whatever the creature’s reply was the youth didn’t hear, as he immediately charged toward the approaching Kishinhei, letting loose a fierce battle cry. The Kishinhei converged together to meet him head on.

They stood no chance.

The youth didn’t slow down as he approached. Instead, he jumped high into the air and brought his sword down on the frontmost cluster of Kishinhei. The blade ripped through their mechanical bodies like tissue paper, cleanly slicing through them and scattering loose flakes of paint and metal across the ground. The youth then jumped back a few feet, safely out of the resulting blast as the felled Kishinhei exploded together in a display of smoke and electricity. With the thick cover of smoke, he took a moment to rest and catch his breath.

If I’m not on Kyoshin anymore, then why are there Kishinhei here? Did they come with me? Who would want to do that?

A glowing red light piercing through the smoke snapped him from his thoughts. He flipped backwards, out of the Kishinhei's reach before splitting it in half in another explosion. More Kishinhei approached as the smoke dissipated, only to be slain one after another by his sword, accompanied each time by an energetic cry from the youth.

It wasn’t long before a huge bulk of the Kishinhei forces were reduced to a scattered field of scrap parts. Tired from battle, the youth knelt on the ground, using his sword as a crutch as he surveyed his work. The only Kishinhei left standing was the giant, tentacled one without a clear front end: the M71.

“Amazing…”

He turned to see one of the creatures walking up beside him, staring at the field of mechanical debris with her jaw agape. “Even I’d be hard-pressed to take on so many foes with magic,” she said in a half-whisper.

“How long have you been dealing with these things?” the other creature asked, trotting up along his other side, her face almost a mirror image of her double’s.

“For myself, only just recently,” the youth replied. He turned back to the M71, which remained about thirty meters from them, unmoving except for its tentacles which trailed through the air in anticipation of his next move. “My kind, the Homs, have been at war with those things for a very long time.” He held up his sword. “Only the Monado can efficiently fight them.”

“Interesting…” The creatures both gave the Monado an inquisitive glance before turning to the remaining Kishinhei with determined expressions. “We’ll help you take down this last one.”

The youth sighed, and readied the Monado. “I can’t ask you to put your lives on the line, whoever you are,” he replied, then stood up. “Leave this to me.” He took off running.

“Wait!” one of the creatures called.

But the youth didn’t stop. His strength returned, he charged at the Kishinhei, Monado primed and ready to kill with a fiery vigor. The M71 sensed his approach, and shot its tentacles towards him, open and ready to grab him. The youth bobbed and weaved around them as they struck, sometimes striking them out of rage, slicing cleanly through them and letting the appendages fall to the ground.

Once he’d cut a clear path to the main body, the youth charged forward, ready to finish the vile machine like he’d done once before. But his charge was cut short when he found himself launched into the air by a sudden force below him. It happened so suddenly that he lost his bearings for a brief moment, but managed to keep his grip on the Monado.

Looking down, he saw what had happened. The M71 had hidden one of its tentacles under the ground, striking when he passed over it. It was an all too familiar tactic of the tentacled machine that the youth had foiled once before.

Why didn’t I get a vision this time?

The tentacle seized its chance and lunged for him. The youth reoriented himself in the air and met the appendage head-on, slicing it just below its head with one good slash, to which it fell unceremoniously to the ground with a clunk. The youth followed, sticking his landing with a slight flourish.

No time to worry about that now. This thing needs to die.

“Mister! Watch out!”

The youth turned to see the two creatures rushing toward him, the horn of one alight. The sound of ripping earth made the youth turn around, only to find another tentacle emerging through a hole in the ground, sailing through the air toward him. He raised the Monado, ready to block the attack, but flinched when a burst of wind sailed past him. A purple ball of energy sailed through the air, impacting the tentacle with a boom, creating a wall of smoke as fragmented pieces littered the ground.

“Mister, are you alright!?” one of the creatures said. It came around and began examining the youth’s body while the other took up a battle stance in front, facing down the M71 as it approached through the smoke. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

The youth sighed, and gave her a small smile. “I’m fine. Just… a little shaken, is all.” He got up, wobbling a little before righting himself and glaring at the M71. “This thing will be tricky to deal with if I don’t get any visions,” he muttered.

“Listen, mister,” the guarding creature spoke up, “I understand if you’ve got a bad history with this thing, but let us help you take it down.”

“We can use our magic to bind it in place, allowing you to destroy it with your sword,” the other proposed. She smiled up at him. “Does that sound like a good enough plan to you?”

The youth put a hand to his chin in contemplation for a few seconds. These creatures were unknowns to him, their power level a mystery, but they wouldn’t be offering to help if they couldn’t back up their claims. But the Kishinhei had already killed one of them, and with a single shot too, so they weren’t very strong in body. He didn’t want to see either of them meet the same fate.

He hadn’t gotten a vision since waking up. What that meant, he didn’t have the faintest clue, but it made tackling the M71 trickier than he felt he was comfortable with on his own.

“Alright, we’ll work together,” he finally replied, glancing down at the creatures. “But keep your distance. This thing’s tentacles can pop out from under the ground at any second, but they can only reach so far. If you can really incapacitate it, then stay far enough away that it can’t reach you.”

The creatures nodded. “Alright,” they said in unison.

“Let’s do this!” the youth followed and readied his sword.

The three of them charged forward. The creatures turned to either side of the M71, while the youth charged straight for it, hoping to distract it so it didn’t go after the others. His tactic worked, as the M71 shot all of its tentacles straight for him. The youth proceeded to hack and slash at all of them, severing each one cleanly and letting them litter the ground behind him.

“Do it now!” he called once all the tentacles were severed.

On one side of the M71, the first creature gave a determined smile. “With pleasure!” she called.

She activated her horn in a purple aura, and the M71’s body was enveloped in the same glow. She then lifted it up into the air with her telekinesis, her magic straining under such a heavy load. Along with the main body, a couple of tentacles were pulled out of the earth underneath it, which flailed and writhed in the air like a couple of worms. Grunting in exertion, she then proceeded to flip the M71 onto its side before cutting off her telekinesis. The Kishinhei crashed to the ground, kicking up plumes of dirt and rocks as it got buried partially into the ground. Its tentacles, shaken a little by the fall, started to push against the ground to right the main body.

“Your turn, other me!” she called to her double.

“This’ll be a snap!” the second creature said.

She lit her horn in the same purple aura. The M71 attempted to use its tentacles to hoist itself upright, only for the creature to immobilize them all with its telekinesis. The M71 fought back against her magic, but she held firm, and turned toward the youth.

“Finish it off!” she shouted, smirking in delight.

“I’ve got it!” the youth replied.

On the Monado glass central piece, a purple kanji appeared, followed by the blade’s length extending a little. The youth charged forward, letting loose another battle cry as he jumped into the air, bringing the Monado down on the Kishinhei’s body. The blade struck true, slicing the M71 apart straight down the middle. The youth landed on the ground and rolled to the side as the two halves of the M71 fell over and exploded in another shower of sparks and mechanical components.

Good riddance…

“Mister, are you okay!?”

The youth heard scampering hooves approach him as he got up, knocking some torn wires and gears off of his person. Looking down, he noticed a small piece of scrap metal was embedded into his calf, from which a small amount of blood trickled down his leg.

He was okay.

“Yeah,” he said, and clutched the scrap metal piece. With a grimace of pain, he wrenched it free from his calf and tossed it aside, ignoring the increased current of blood trickling from the now open wound. “It’s just a scratch.”

“Let me see,” one of the creatures said as she trotted around in front. She used her strange powers to lift his leg up so she could see the wound. She grimaced. “That… is not a scratch.”

“Listen, don’t worry about it,” the youth replied. He then raised his hand and placed it over his wound. A faint green glow began emanating from his hand.

“Um, what are you doing?” the second creature asked as she came around to join her double. The two of them watched him in curiosity, contemplating what he might be doing, and what kind of power he might be employing.

“There we go,” the youth finally said. He lowered his hand, revealing to the creatures that his wound was no longer present, his flesh having completely closed up. The only sign he’d even had a wound was a small indent – little more than a few inches long – across his calf.

“Fascinating,” both creatures said in unison before the first creature looked up to him. “Listen, mister, there’s a lot you don’t know, but we have the means to get everything across quickly and efficiently.”

The youth sighed. “Alright then.” He turned to look at them. “What’s happening? Where am I?”

The creature opened her mouth to say something, only to pause for a second before lightly smacking her head. “I’m sorry, we forgot to introduce ourselves.” She extended her hoof. “Twilight Sparkle.”

The other creature did the same. “Ditto.”

“My name’s Shulk,” the youth replied, shaking both their hooves. He tilted his head, studying the Twilights. “So, why are there two of you?”

“First things first,” the first Twilight said, lighting up her horn and stepping even closer. “I hope you’re okay with massive info dumps because this one’s gonna come like a ton of bricks.”

Shulk could’ve sworn he felt a bead of sweat drip down his forehead. I hope that’s just a metaphor...

Battle Of Frenemies - Part 1

When the lab rats had declared their intent to ‘relax and chat’, a layer of astonishment poked up beneath the disdain Aza had felt over being outsmarted by Twilight Sparkle. Here they were, an infinity away from home, with the possibility of danger literally at each and every moment. Of course, Aza had figured overcoming all of its challenges unscathed would instill a strong sense of confidence into them, but to so casually disregard the omnipresent danger and just socialize like acquaintances?

Amazing. Truly astonishing.

The group was currently amassed on and around the cropping of rocks in the clearing. With the exception of Kirby, Pikachu, and the creature — the former two choosing to attempt to communicate with the latter, to little success — everyone sat or lay down on the rocks in various relaxed positions, taking turns recounting tales from their pasts and commenting on others’, sometimes earning a shocked gasp or chuckle from the group.

“A magic mirror that creates creatures of darkness,” Twilight said, slightly shuddering. “Sounds terrifying for sure.”

“Not so terrifying now that it’s smashed into a million pieces!” Pit said, lightly pumping his fist. “No monster generator can withstand an angel’s power!”

Palutena giggled. “Yes, Pit, you’re that strong.”

“It still sounds incredibly fascinating,” Twilight continued. “Even the Magic Mirror Pool can only make exact duplicates of living beings. Anything that can give a clone some semblance of individuality is fascinating.” She smiled at Pit and Palutena. “The more I hear about your world, the more I’d love to see it for myself.”

Twilight’s eyes took on that studious glint that Celestia recognized as her student’s academic curiosity bubbling to the surface. While Pit and Palutena returned the unicorn’s smile and gave their thanks, Celestia found herself staring down at the rock, only sparing a brief, furrowed gaze at the divine duo.

“You’re jealous, aren’t you?”

Celestia turned to her side where Ryuk lay on the rock on his side, head propped with an arm as he stared up at her with his awkward, fish-like gaze. His low whisper meant that nobody else heard him while they listened to James recount a story of his own; something about a high stakes card game.

A small, barely noticeable hint of red adorned her cheeks. “I don’t know why you say that,” she replied, turning to face toward Twilight. Seeing her student rapt with attention for James’ story made her lips lift into a little smile. She’d truly come a long way from the socially distant, apathetic mare she’d once known.

“Well, that look you were giving Miss Goddess and Angel Boy didn’t look very friendly,” Ryuk calmly replied, never turning his gaze away from Celestia. “Or are shows of tolerance different for magical talking equines?”

Celestia took a moment to rub her temples, attempting to stifle the resulting headache before it ever stood a chance of forming. “Why do you care, anyway, Ryuk?” she asked.

Ryuk shrugged. “Divine rivalry sounds like an interesting thing to see.”

Celestia paused. Her stare became unfocused as she momentarily mulled over Ryuk’s words, and the insinuations behind them. Jealous? Her? No, how could she be? Twilight’s interest in Pit and Palutena was simply her studious spirit at work. Their grievances since arriving in Aza’s twisted little game had been resolved, for sure, so what reason could she possibly have to be fearful that Twilight forget her for them?

Celestia came out of her reverie and turned to stare at Palutena. The green-haired goddess was resting her chin on her hands, listening intently to James’ story and keeping a small, but genuine smile on her face. Every so often she would react with a soft, kindly giggle, everything about her behavior sounding like she was wholly interested and excited to listen.

Realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Everything about Palutena; her kindness, playful demeanor, and all around benevolence — it was like staring at her reflection in a spiritual mirror.

“Um, Princess?”

Celestia shook her head, coming out of her thoughts. Looking up, she saw Twilight looking at her with a worried expression. Everyone else was still listening to James’ story, paying them no heed.

“I’m sorry, Twilight,” Celestia replied. “I just spaced out for a moment.”

Twilight tilted her head. “Something on your mind?”

“You could say that,” Celestia said with a nod. She then stood up and approached Palutena, drawing her attention, followed by everyone else a moment later as James paused his story. “Might we talk privately for a moment?”

Palutena blinked. She then turned to see everyone else in a similar shared state of confusion. “Um, sure, I guess,” she replied, before standing up and following Celestia off the rock formation.

The pharaoh turned to Twilight. “Is something bothering Celestia?” he asked.

Twilight shrugged. “She seemed out of it for a second there, but I don’t know what could be bothering her, especially after everything we’ve already been through.”

Ryuk chuckled, drawing everyone’s attention to him. “Oh, I’m sure she’s fine,” he said, a playful air to his words. “In fact, I’m thinking things are gonna get a bit more interesting when they return.”

Everyone just stared at him, completely silent.

“... Anyway,” James said, breaking the silence, drawing everyone’s attention back onto him, “that’s about it for my story. Who’s next?”

Everyone looked between each other, silently confirming that they’d all had a turn telling a story. All but one.

“Thomas hasn’t had a go yet,” Twilight said.

Everyone turned to the blue engine, anticipation written clearly in their features. Thomas spent a few moments thinking about what this group of diverse and bizarre creatures might be interested in hearing from a simple little tank engine like him. His mouth turned up into a cocky grin when he settled on one story in particular that he’d heard soon after first arriving on Sodor.

“Once an engine attached to a train, was afraid of a few drops of rain…”

While they retreated to a spot in the clearing wherein she was sure they’d be out of earshot, Celestia thought about how exactly to voice her concerns to Palutena. Ryuk’s insinuation that Palutena was a rival to her own leadership did indeed resonate with her concerns, and, while she hated to admit it even to herself, jealousy was indeed a part of it. But not entirely.

As shown by the encounter with Stay Puft, Palutena was also the leading type; as befit a goddess, indeed. The last thing Celestia wanted was for them to be dueling for leadership of the group, so she resolved to get the two of them on the same page to avoid any warring between them.

Once she felt they were far enough away from the group, Celestia stopped and turned around to Palutena, who stared back with a neutral gaze. She opened her mouth to speak–

“So you’re worried I’m going to upstage you?”

Celestia blinked. Her mouth hang open, frozen mid-movement as her mind processed Palutena’s words. Eventually, she sighed and nodded. “How’d you guess?” she asked.

Palutena’s lips lifted into a coy smile. “It doesn’t take a Goddess of Wisdom to figure that out. Why else would you single me out for a talk right after we almost butted heads taking down that giant marshmallow man?”

Celestia couldn’t help but chuckle, lifting a hoof to her mouth. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Her face fell into her practiced formal expression, the one she always wore when dealing with foreign diplomats to appear professional and business-focused. “So, yes, we must learn to act as co-leaders if we are to survive.”

Palutena cocked a skeptical eyebrow. “Normally, I would agree wholeheartedly with that mindset, but this,” she gestured all around them, “isn’t the type of situation where that belief holds water. Aza can throw whatever it wants at us whenever it wants, leaving us without time to deliberate and put together a course of action.”

Celestia paused to mull over Palutena’s reasoning. “... That is true, I suppose.”

“I’m not saying you’re ill fit to lead, Celestia,” Palutena continued, smiling softly. “Far from it, you’re obviously a great leader if Twilight speaks so highly of you. But in these circumstances, action is more valuable than words, and taking action is something Pit does better than anyone with my guidance, which I’ll happily share with everyone else.”

Celestia paused for a few moments, before looking down at the ground with her teeth gritted.

Palutena frowned. “Are you alright? My sincerest apologies if that came off as rude. I didn’t mean to insinuate that you–”

“It’s… alright.” Celestia returned her gaze; Palutena almost thought she saw the beginning of a tear in her eye. “Actually, you’re absolutely right, the burden should be on your shoulders.”

Then Palutena saw that, yes, Celestia had a tear in her eye. It fell from the alicorn’s eye and gently rolled down her cheek, falling to the ground before more tears began forming in her eyes and she started lightly crying. It was a shocking sight to Palutena. In the little time they’d known each other, never once did she envision the solar alicorn as being capable of losing her composure in the presence of equals. It didn’t take much to deduce the reasoning behind the princess’ sudden breakdown.

“There’s another reason why you value your leadership position, isn’t there?” she asked.

Celestia sniffed and rubbed her eyes with a hoof, before nodding. “Sorry, sorry,” she said, “I lost myself there.” She took a moment to recompose herself, taking a deep, calming breath before fixing Palutena with a solemn gaze. “Is it that obvious?” she asked.

Another coy smile. “Goddess of Wisdom, remember?”

Celestia giggled softly. “Right then.” She shifted her attention back to the group, where everyone was huddled around Thomas as the tank engine seemed to be taking his turn at yarn-weaving. Twilight, as she expected, was rapt with attention, listening intently with those wide, studious eyes she loved so much. “Twilight and I are very close, as I’m sure you’ve deduced.”

Palutena nodded.

“Back home, I like to take ponies under my wing from time to time, raising them to be sort of third wheels in the Equestrian government. Sometimes they even ascend to alicornhood. It’s one of many ways that I try to endear my subjects to me, to alleviate any fears they might ever have about being ruled by the one pony that controls the sun itself.

“Being my student, Twilight is very special to me. She hasn’t made it a secret how much she idolizes me. I’m not perfect, but I want to set a good example for her, just like all of my subjects, so I do everything in my power to show her that I’m a good leader.”

Palutena nodded again. “And that applies even here.”

Celestia nodded. “Not to the same extent as back home. We’re all equals here, after all.” She turned her attention back to Palutena. “But still, I need to be Twilight’s role model, for her sake.”

“And you’re afraid I’m going to replace you in that regard?”

Celestia looked to the side. “Perhaps a little bit,” she whispered.

Palutena shook her head, before walking forward and placing a hand on Celestia’s withers, causing her body to tense. When she spoke to the alicorn, it was with the same kind, motherly grace that Celestia always tried to retain for her subjects, to help quell their fears of her.

“You’d be surprised how much I can relate to you, Celestia. In reality, Pit’s just my Guard Captain, but I hold him as dear to me as a mother does their child. I don’t know if you think of Twilight in the same light, but our bond is strong like yours. Unlike you, however, I’m not responsible for the well-being of an entire race of people, at least not directly. Pit’s the one who takes down bad guys, I just give him advice and the power needed to accomplish that.

“But like you, I’m very mindful of how Pit perceives me. Truth be told, there’s a lot of things I keep bottled up because I’m afraid he’ll lose faith in me if I say them. Pit’s loyalty to me is strong, but his strength comes from his genuine belief that I have the best intentions. If I let slip the wrong thing, that strength could falter, and considering Pit’s the glue that holds my army together, losing him would be a huge problem.”

Celestia frowned. “So you want to be the leader for the same reason as me?” she asked. “To retain your role model status for Pit?”

“That’s one reason,” Palutena answered with a nod. “But I honestly believe that the burden of leading this group should be mine. Again, I don’t doubt your capability, but it’s for the best this way.”

Celestia furrowed her brows. “If you believe I am capable, then why is it for the best that you lead? I can take action when the situation calls for it just fine.”

Palutena held her hands up in a placating manner. “Again, I don’t doubt your capability. But the Goddess of Wisdom is best suited to lead the charge against unknown threats that can pop up from anywhere and everywhere.” She lowered her hands and tilted her head, smirking a little. “But if you think you’re suited to the task, then why don’t we settle this impasse fairly? Leader to leader?”

Celestia tilted her head as well. “And… how are we to do that?”

Palutena shrugged. “I d’unno. Have you got any ideas?”

Now it was Celestia’s turn to smirk. “You’re the Goddess of Wisdom, not me.”

“Oh, you,” Palutena said while puckering her lips.

”I can help you with that.”

The two ladies turned around to see Aza’s puppet floating above the ground, facing toward them if the way its top sphere was tilting down at them was any indication.

Their attention shifted to below Aza’s puppet, where something was forming out of thin air. Looking closer, they noticed the new objects appeared to be some sort of cushions, one colored green and the other yellow. They had slots built into one side that Palutena figured one’s hands would go in. Once fully materialized, they dropped to the ground with soft thuds.

Celestia and Palutena shared a confused look before looking back up to Aza’s puppet, which merely pointed behind them. Turning around, they saw a large, wooden platform standing a few inches above the ground near the rock formation. The rest of the group hadn’t yet noticed, still busy listening to Thomas’ story.

”The rules are as follows;” Aza continued, drawing their attention back to it, ”the two of you will battle 1v1, sumo style, as you try to knock each other off the platform. No magic or divine powers or flying or anything other than your pure raw strength is allowed. Whoever wins becomes the de facto leader of my lab rats. Sound fair enough for you two?”

“A rather uncouth contest,” Celestia noted, cocking a curious brow. “Also, how do you expect me to participate if I can’t use my magic to move the cushion?”

“I’ll allow that much.”

“It’s not quite what I would’ve expected, but I suppose it’s as good a method as any,” Palutena said, and turned to Celestia with a slight smirk. “How about it, Princess?”

Celestia adopted a similar smirk. “Let’s do it, Goddess.”

With that, they picked up their respective-colored cushions and made way toward the wooden platform.

“... And so, they ended up having to use, of all things, a passenger’s bootlaces!”

The group erupted into various levels of laughter, with Pit and Twilight’s being the loudest while the pharaoh and Samus just smirked, laughing more so internally.

“Ah, another splendid story,” James remarked, giving a slow clap, which was soon followed by everyone else. “Never would I think that a talking train would have such engaging tales to tell.”

“I’ll say,” Twilight agreed with a nod.

Thomas smiled and closed his eyes, letting the praise soak in. Whether it was shunting trucks or spinning yarns, he was really useful at everything.

Any further commentary was cut off when Aza’s puppet materialized in front of everyone, making them flinch back in surprise.

”As great as storytime undoubtedly is, please direct your attention over here.” It pointed with its right sphere limb behind Twilight. Turning to look, the group saw the wooden platform set onto the grass, before their attention was drawn to Celestia and Palutena approaching it, carrying cushions of sorts.

Everyone adopted looks of confusion as they glanced back up to Aza’s puppet, prompting Aza to explain.

”As those two have a bit of a friendly rivalry brewing, I decided they should settle it in a manner that befits two ladies of such divine stature.” It paused for a moment. ”...That being sumo-style wrestling.”

No one said anything in response. The casual tone with which Aza announced the unfolding activity conflicted with how utterly absurd said activity was for Palutena and Celestia. Even they themselves paused in their preparations to stare deadpanned at Aza’s puppet.

Finally, Twilight spoke up. “That’s, erm… interesting, I guess.” She rubbed the back of her head, looking sheepish.

“Hey, wait a minute,” Pit spoke up, pointing at Celestia. “Wouldn’t Celestia have the advantage, being four legged and having telekinesis?”

Palutena giggled. “Oh, don’t worry about me, Pit,” she assured. She jerked a thumb over her shoulder at the solar alicorn, donning a playful smile. “Princess Sunbutt over there’s gonna be sunny side up when I’m done with her.”

Celestia matched her playful smile. “You wish.” She stepped onto the platform, readying her cushion.

“I do wish, Princess.” Palutena stepped onto the platform herself, readying her own cushion.

“Princess?” Twilight spoke up with a frown, earning Celestia’s attention. “Are you sure about this?”

Celestia paused for a moment. Her gaze went downward for a moment, losing herself to her thoughts. When she returned her gaze to Twilight, the playfulness in her features was mixed with ironclad resolve. “Don’t worry about me, Twilight,” she replied, and turned back to face Palutena. She held her cushion up to her face, her eyes narrowing with focus. “Just sit back and enjoy the battle.”

Twilight shifted nervously on the rock. “If you insist…”

“Are you feeling okay, Twilight?” the pharaoh asked from next to her.

Twilight sighed. “I’m fine,” she said. “I guess… I’m just not used to seeing Princess Celestia like this.”

“Seeing her engaged in close combat?” Samus asked from behind her.

“Yeah…”

Their collective attention was drawn when Ryuk chuckled from his spot on the rock. Turning, they saw him still lying with his head propped on his hand, looking down at the two battlers with his never-changing gaze, yet, the three of them could sense his enjoyment of the proceedings.

“This is gonna be very interesting,” he said. “If only I had some apples…”

At that moment, Aza’s puppet rematerialized above their heads. ”That reminds me…”

Everyone’s attention shifted as something began materializing next to the rocks. Looking over, they noticed the emergence of a water dispenser, like the kind one would find in a building lobby, filled with clear, sparkling water.

Everyone only stared at it, confused, for a few moments before casting their collective gaze back up to Aza’s puppet. “Mind explaining what that’s all about?” Pit asked, as Pikachu and Kirby joined the rest of the group up on the rocks, curious of the proceedings.

”It doesn’t concern you, Pit,” Aza replied. ”Nor does it concern Celestia, Palutena, or Ryuk, or any immortal. The water in there,” the puppet pointed at the dispenser, ”is from a ‘fountain of youth’; one of many that exist throughout the multiverse. I’d suggest that the rest of you take a couple of gulps as soon as possible, because I’ve just imported the flow of time and won’t be changing it back now that you can keep yourselves from aging while here.”

Aza’s words took a few moments to register in everyone’s minds. When they did, their eyes became dinner plates as they glanced back to the dispenser. The suddenness of Aza’s announcement was enough that everyone was too shocked to make a mad dash to grab a cup.

Finally, Twilight broke the silence, taking a deep, relaxing breath. “Well, thanks for being considerate, Aza,” she said, before lighting her horn.

”Of course, Twilight.”

The lavender glow of Twilight’s magic surrounded the water dispenser, levitating it off the ground and bringing it closer to the group. Twilight’s magic then pulled out seven cups from the cup holder and filled them up, one by one, passing them to every mortal of the group, even ones she could only assume were mortal: Kirby, Pikachu, and the creature– the latter still locked up in Palutena’s cage.

“How often do we need to drink this water to keep from aging?’ James asked, looking down into his cup with a raised brow.

”One cup every day,” Aza replied.

Pikachu sniffed his cup, tilting his head curiously. “Pika-chuuu.”

“I don’t suppose I could bother you for a water tower, if you’re being so generous?” Thomas asked.

A moment of silence passed.

”There.”

Thomas arched a brow, shifting his gaze from side to side. “Where?’

”Back on the tracks.”

Thomas’ face drooped.

“Wait a minute,” Samus spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention. She turned all around the group, her expression confused and slightly fearful under her helmet. “Where’d Ryuk go?”

Everyone turned to look where Ryuk had previously been, seeing that, indeed, he had disappeared. Looking around the clearing also revealed no evidence of the shinigami.

“Where’d he run off to, Aza?" Twilight asked.

The puppet made a ‘crossing arms across chest’ motion with its black and white spheres. ”I’m not telling,” it sing-songed.

Twilight briefly scowled before returning her attention back to Celestia and Palutena. The two were still poised with their cushions held in front, their features both full of determination as they stared each other down, like a couple of cowboys in a stand off.

”I’ll reiterate the rules for everyone,” Aza spoke up. ”Our two combatants will square off against each other, using only their cushions to attempt to knock each other off the platform. No magic, divine powers, wings, or any bodily contact is allowed. Whoever wins will be the de facto leader of the group. And as for the loser...

Everyone turned their collective, curious gaze to the puppet.

”... they’ll be sent home.”

Battle Of Frenemies - Part 2

Author's Note

Before you read this chapter, I have two announcements to make:

Every character who gets ousted from this story will eventually be brought back.
If you're working on a guest chapter for this story, I strongly suggest you get around to finishing it soon, as I'll be bringing all the characters together within the next few chapters, at which point guest chapters will no longer be accepted. I'll make a blog post announcing the actual deadline at some point in the future, but don't dilly dally if you want to add X character/s to the story.

Battle Of Frenemies - Part 2

The very instant Aza said the flow of time was imported, Ryuk’s mind went toward all the sweet, juicy, ripe-for-the-picking apples back at Sweet Apple Acres. Going for so long without one of those tasty little morsels had been agonizing him ever since Twilight barred him from eating any. Truth be told, he would’ve put up with another case of indigestion just to relish in the extraordinary taste of her friend’s apples once again. Sure, eating was pointless for shinigami, as anything they ate inevitably turned to ash in their stomachs, but dammit they were so good!

Knowing now that he could consume those apples without Twilight having to know about it, however, Ryuk was more determined than ever to have some more. Luckily, everyone else had been too caught up with the upcoming battle between Palutena and Celestia to notice him slip away on his quest. As much as he would’ve loved to see the ensuing catfight, apples were totally worth missing out on it.

Ryuk followed the train tracks leading back to Ponyville, occasionally stopping to look over his shoulder in case one of the group had actually noticed him leave and were tailing him.

Eventually, he reached Ponyville Station. Taking a moment to remember what direction Sweet Apple Acres was in, he made the trip across the rustic town, licking his lips every now and then in savory anticipation of the juicy treats waiting for him.

Finally, Sweet Apple Acres came into view as he crested a hill. The barn stood as silent and unoccupied as it would always be within Aza’s clutches. The rolling hills filled with apple trees stretched into the distance, and Ryuk wasted no time in stretching his wings and flying off the hillside straight for the nearest row. It wasn’t until he was just over the front gate that he stopped, and though his eyes couldn’t convey it, he was shocked by what he saw.

There were no apples. All along the entire row of trees, not a single apple hung from the branches. Looking further back, he noticed the same held true for the next row. And the third one. And the fourth.

As far as he could see, literally every single apple had been picked clean from every single tree. Moving closer, more rows of trees came into view, each one as barren as the last.

What the hell? Ryuk thought as he floated through the orchard, staring confused at all the appleless apple trees. Any trace of sorrow he might’ve felt over losing his treats was beaten out by his confusion over why they were gone. Perhaps one of Aza’s latest victims was hungry and had stumbled across the orchard before one of Twilight’s clones had found them?

Ryuk continued floating through the orchard, keeping his eyes peeled for any trace of movement through the sea of fruitless trees. Suddenly, his eyes snapped back to a tree just a couple of rows over. Looking over, a speck of red contrasted against the surrounding greenery. Moving closer, he found a single red apple hanging from the tree between a forked branch, possible explaining why it went unnoticed by whatever had devoured the rest of its juicy brethren.

Well, what’s one apple when the entire orchard’s been wiped clean?

Reaching up, Ryuk neatly picked the apple off the branch. He took a moment to inspect it, finding it clean of bruises and wormholes. Holding it up to his mouth, he was about to drop it in when he heard a soft thump from behind him.

Turning around, he saw a sight that only managed to confuse him even more. Standing a few feet away on the ground was a small, gray biped. It’s skull consisted of a beak-like upper jaw and a smaller lower jaw with hook-like protrusions on its mandibles, and lacked any visible eyes. Its tail was short and stumpy, with a little orange coloring. The creature looked like a really strange dinosaur, or a two-legged bird having undergone a really freaky mutation.

Kinda looks like that worm thing from before, Ryuk mused.

The creature then opened its mouth, and a long red tongue, coated with strands of saliva, slid out. It then began sliding across the ground back and forth, like a slippery feline’s tail. Ryuk stared blankly down at the ugly little thing, then at the apple in his hand.

... Nah.

In one fluid lotion, he tossed the apple into the air, where it fell straight into his open maw. He took a moment to relish in the mouthwateringly juicy taste that he’d missed for so long, before swallowing with a contented sigh.

Just then, a speck of motion in his eye’s corner caught his attention. Turning, he saw another of the strange creatures appear from behind a tree, also dragging its tongue across the ground just like the first. Then another appeared behind another tree a little ways away, its tongue in an identical motion.

Ryuk watched it for a second, interested, before shrugging and turning around to head back the way he’d come, only to stop cold in midair.

The gray bipeds numbered in the hundreds, covering the ground around the apple trees every which way he looked. Many of them were mimicking the first three with their tongues, while the majority were using their bodies as makeshift staircases that reached up into the trees. A few stragglers had separated from the horde and were sauntering toward the farm.

... Well, this could be bad.

The mixed reactions to Aza’s condition of the showdown between Celestia and Palutena delighted it greatly. Especially that of Twilight and Pit, who both began shouting a wide and colorful selection of insults at it, their voices melding together in a splendid cacophony. The pharaoh, James, Thomas and Pikachu all wore expressions of mixed anger and disbelief, while Samus’ surprised stare was hidden behind her helmet. Kirby and the creature, however, appeared not to have any particularly strong emotions, instead looking blankly at Twilight and Pit as they alternated between damning Aza and pleading with their respective comrades not to accept the battle.

But it was Palutena and Celestia’s reactions that drew the most interest from Aza. The two godly ladies only held neutral gazes at it, their expressions completely unreadable, and their previous fighting stances relaxed. After a few moments without doing or saying anything, they turned their gazes back to each other, remaining neutral.

“Don’t do it, Lady Palutena! We don’t need to go along with this at all!” Pit shouted.

“How could you even entertain that kind of condition!?” Twilight snarled, glaring icy daggers at Aza’s puppet. “Are you really that heartless!?”

“Twilight, Pit,” the pharaoh said, looking between them. He stood up and rested a hand each on their shoulders, with no reaction from either of them. “Stay calm.”

“He’s right, you two,” Samus agreed, also standing up and moving to get between them and Aza’s puppet. “Getting all riled up won’t help anyone in any way.”

Twilight and Pit remained silent, though their expressions became noticeably more irritated.

”I don’t know why this is coming as a surprise, anyway,” Aza spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention to it once again. ”This experiment, for the most part, is all about bringing together beings from universes far spread and seeing how well they get along and work together. The only reason I brought both Celestia and Palutena along with you two was to make your group dynamics a little more interesting.” The puppet brought its black and white spheres together, slightly covering the top red sphere, in a mock equation of folding one’s hands in front of their mouth. ”I’ve already sent three of you home before, anyway. The method of elimination is different, but the idea is the same regardless.”

“It’s not the same thing!” Twilight practically screeched. “Before you were letting us come to an agreement amongst ourselves to who to vote out. Now you’re forcing us to fight each other!”

“Twilight, that’s enough,” Celestia spoke gently, before turning to Aza’s puppet. “I accept your condition.”

Twilight turned to her teacher, wide-eyed. “Princess!?”

“I do too,” Palutena said.

“L-Lady Palutena!?” Pit stammered. “Why would you–?”

“Whichever one of us ends up losing will explain,” Celestia said, cutting him off, as she and Palutena shared a knowing smile. They then got back into their fighting stances, and Celestia’s face broke out into a confident grin as she levitated her cushion up in front of her face. “I’m ready whenever you are, Palutena.”

Palutena mimicked her action, while her face broke into a similar confident grin. “Then let’s do this.”

”3… 2...1, GO!”

Neither Celestia nor Palutena rushed the other on Aza’s mark. They stood their ground, but with every passing second would jerk their bodies as if they were going to rush their opponent. They kept their cushions held up in front of their chests, but because of their height difference, Palutena’s cushion came up to about Celestia’s head.

Everyone on the rocks sat still, fully attentive to the ensuing battle. But while everyone else merely looked on with rapt interest, Twilight and Pit wore expressions of anxiety. Confusion, concern, and many other emotions swirled through their heads, but all they could do was watch and hope that their respective ruler came out on top so they wouldn’t have to leave.

Finally, Palutena took a few small steps toward Celestia before rushing her. Instinctively, Celestia raised her cushion to her head to match Palutena’s own, but was surprised when Palutena lowered her cushion and instead slammed it against her chest, sending Celestia falling backwards onto the wooden platform and making her drop her cushion. She landed with a hard thud, bouncing once against the wood before coming to a rest mere inches from the edge.

“Princess!” she heard Twilight cry from the rocks.

Celestia made to stand up, but her eyes widened upon hearing Palutena’s rushing footsteps against the wood toward her. Her cushion had landed just a few feet away, she saw. Thinking fast, she enveloped it in her telekinesis and brought it up to block Palutena’s slam against her backside.

The two cushions shook against each other, edging back and forth as each lady tried to make ground against the other.

Palutena angled her legs as best she could, anchoring herself against the wooden platform. Her arms quivered under the strain of fighting against Celestia’s telekinetic hold on her own cushion. “You’ve got some pretty strong magic there, Celestia,” she commented.

“Thank you,” Celestia replied with a smile, before her eyebrow furrowed a bit, and her face adopted a slightly smug expression. “You’re not the only one with both brawn and brains, however.”

“Is that s–” Palutena was cut off when, suddenly, Celestia pulled her cushion away, cutting the force between their cushions. As a result, Palutena found herself falling forward, the green grass rushing to meet her face. If even a part of her fell outside the platform, she would lose.

In an eye’s blink, she had the side of her cushion pressed against her chest. The opposite end impacted the wooden platform, making her wince a little at the resulting pressure against her breasts. In her eye’s corner, she saw Celestia’s cushion swinging through the air right toward her back. A simple flip over allowed Palutena to dodge the blow, and, rolling over a few times, put some distance between herself and Celestia.

With a few deep gasps, Palutena stood up, her lips lifting into an exhausted smile. “I’m gonna hang in there as long as you are,” she stated, her resolve clear in her tone.

Likewise, Celestia stood up, panting slightly herself. “Indeed, we’re evenly matched, it seems,” she replied.

The both of them stared each other down, unmoving, for all of two seconds before rushing forward with their cushions held up. Once again, they found themselves deadlocked as they strained with all their might to push back their opponent.

No one could tell for how long they stayed like this, locked in place, unmoving except for their shaking limbs. Everyone watching from the rocks remained focused on the battle for a long time, but after what they assumed was probably a half hour of neither side gaining ground, their interest began to fade and their attentions shifted to other things. The only ones whose interests didn’t waver were Pit and Twilight, their gazes never once leaving the fight as they silently prayed for their respective superior.

From where he sat, the pharaoh stared down at the ground next to the rocks, lost in his thoughts.

Is something on your mind? Yugi asked him.

Yes. It’s about what Aza said earlier.

Which part?

Aza said this experiment was mostly to see how well we all could get along. The wording makes me think there’s more to it that Aza’s not telling us.

That’s right, Aza did seem awfully conscience about wording it like that.

If we could find out what that other reasoning is, it might prove invaluable information for us at some point in the future.

We should ask it after this fight’s over.

Right.

At that moment, Thomas seemed to come out of a light snooze he’d been in. Letting out a big yawn, he turned to everyone. “This is all rather boring, quite frankly,” he said, his sleepiness coming through in his voice. “I’d appreciate a good run to stretch my wheels, but I need a driver and fireman.” His mouth turned up into a light, wistful smile. “By any chance can anyone help me with that?”

“Sure, I can be your driver,” Samus said, standing up and stretching her arms. “Someone really needs to look for Ryuk, anyway.”

“Thanks,” Thomas said.

Samus turned to James. “You wanna be his fireman, James? We might need some extra strength in case Ryuk got himself into trouble.”

James snorted. “Apologies, but I’d rather not get my suit covered in soot,” he replied. He took a moment to straighten his suit’s collar and adjust the cuffs before pulling out his PPK, giving it a disappointed shake of his head. “Besides, I’m out of ammo.”

“Okay then…” Samus turned to look at everyone aside from Pit and Twilight. “Anyone else feeling up to the task?”

“Pika-pika-chu!” Pikachu said with a smile. He hopped off the rock, landing next to Samus with a flourish. His red cheeks crackled with electricity as he struck a determined pose. “Pika-pi!”

Samus nodded. “Alright, let’s go.” She turned to Aza’s puppet. “Mind giving us a hand?”

”Whatever.”

With that, Thomas, Samus, and Pikachu disappeared, surely reappearing at the tracks where they’d head off to begin their search for Ryuk.

After that, things were mostly quiet for a while, the only sounds being Palutena and Celestia’s shared grunts as they continued to trade blows with their cushions. But aside from Twilight and Pit, everyone else had completely lost interest in the fight. The pharaoh contented himself pondering over Aza’s hidden motives for conducting its experiment; James busied himself tossing the can of Monster Blood in the air; Kirby and the creature just fell asleep.

Eventually, Celestia and Palutena found themselves in another deadlocked embrace, their strength once again equal as they tried to push each other back off the platform. Neither of them could tell how long they’d been battling; definitely longer than either thought they were capable of lasting in a fight of strength and aggression.

“Still going strong?” Palutena asked, the strain clear in her voice.

“Of course,” Celestia replied, equally strained.

But the truth was quite different. Celestia was magically potent, as anypony meant to raise the sun needed to be, but her strength was nearing its end. Maintaining a simple levitation spell for an extended period of time was no problem for her, but the addition of applying force to the cushion for an extended period of time was costing her too much mental energy. More than she had ever believed she was capable of. Looking into Palutena’s eyes, she could tell the Goddess of Wisdom was feeling similarly exhausted, but far be it from her to claim to know the physical limitations of a genuine goddess.

She spared a glance over to the rocks, where Twilight and Pit were the only ones still watching the battle. Celestia saw the nervous anticipation clear as her day in Twilight’s eyes. No doubt, her student was silently supporting her, fully behind Celestia coming out victorious in the battle. No doubt… she didn’t want Celestia to leave her behind.

Celestia continued staring at Twilight for a few seconds, before turning back to Palutena. “I have one favor to ask of you.”

Palutena’s eyebrows rose a little from their furrowed state. “What would that be?”

Celestia’s face adopted an expression of wistful nostalgia. When she’d first met Twilight, the whisperings of fate told her the little filly was a special pony in many ways, that she would be the one to save Luna from her jealousy and hatred. She was right, and Twilight had even gone on to protect Equestria several more times, both with the strength of her friends as well as her own. And each subsequent encounter with an enemy of Equestria only further instilled the belief that Twilight didn’t need Celestia’s guidance. Even now, an infinity away from home, it was clear Twilight had the strength to fight her own battles.

“Promise you’ll keep Twilight from going crazy without me.”

“Wait, what do–whoa!”

Celestia cancelled her telekinetic hold on the cushion. As a result, Palutena lurched forward with the loss of the opposing force, slamming her cushion square against Celestia’s chest. Celestia toppled backwards as a result, falling against the wooden platform before sliding off onto the ground.

“No, Celestia!” Twilight shouted.

“Yes! You did it, Lady Palutena!” Pit cheered.

The collective attention of everyone — except for Kirby and the creature — turned back to the platform. Pit and Twilight jumped off the rocks, running over to their respective partners; Pit threw his arms over a still-confused Palutena, while Twilight knelt down to Celestia’s eye level from her laying position on the ground.

“Celestia, are you alright?” she asked.

A small smile crossed Celestia’s muzzle as she stood up, using her wing to brush some dirt off her body. “Yes, Twilight. I am alright.”

“How could you lose!?” Twilight cried. Tears began to well up in her eyes.

“I knew you could do it, Lady Palutena!”

Celestia and Twilight turned to see Pit embracing Palutena in a hug. The Goddess of Wisdom herself, however, only stared blankly at Celestia, her expression unreadable. She stayed like that for a few moments, completely ignoring Pit wrapped around her body, before her expression furrowed a little.

“You let me win, didn’t you, Celestia?”

Twilight’s eyes widened and she let out a soft gasp. Everyone else’s attention was now firmly on Celestia as they awaited her reply.

Celestia let out a soft chuckle. “I did, yes.”

“You let her win!?” Twilight practically shrieked, forcing Celestia to fold her ears back. “Bu-But why? You could’ve beaten her, I know you could’ve.” She pressed her face into Celestia’s chest, her tears streaming down her face and wettening Celestia’s fur. “I-I don’t want you to leave.”

She continued crying into Celestia’s fur, her body wracking with sobs as mountains of sorrow swelled to the surface of her heart. She had been so sure that Celestia would win, that she’d stay and help her through Aza’s sick games. How could Celestia just give up like this!?

She felt Celestia’s muzzle press against her head, nuzzling her. Twilight relished in her teacher’s soft touch, wanting desperately for them to stay like that. When Celestia eventually broke away, Twilight felt like shrieking again, but couldn’t find the strength to raise her voice above her sobs.

“Consider this my greatest test to you, Twilight,” Celestia said.

Twilight looked up into her mentor’s eyes. Normally, she’d expect to see that motherly calmness Celestia was known for reflected back, but not this time. Outwardly, Celestia had taken on a neutral demeanor, but her eyes betrayed something Twilight couldn’t identify. It made her feel calm and collected, just like Celestia was the master of doing whenever Twilight started to fall victim to her own paranoia and doubt, but there was something deeper there. Something Twilight couldn’t identify right away, but nonetheless found comfort in.

Celestia then turned around and walked over to Pit and Palutena, the latter having pried the former off of her person, eliciting a sheepish blush from Pit. The two of them turned their attention to Celestia as she approached, and watched in interest as she used her magic to unclasp the Element of Loyalty from around her neck and float it over to Pit. The young angel took the Element, looking down at it with confusion before returning Celestia’s gaze, silently asking for an explanation.

“I want you to wield that Element in my stead,” she explained. “Twilight will fill you in on the specifics of how to properly use it should the need arise, but suffice to say it will accept you as its new Bearer.”

Pit adopted a sheepish smile. “Er, well… I appreciate it, Celestia, but jewelry isn’t really my thing…”

Palutena placed her hand on Pit’s shoulder, drawing his gaze. “Put it on, or I’ll tell everyone about what happened last week between you and Viridi,” she said with a cheeky smile.

Pit’s eyes shot open in fear. “No, please don’t! Okay, okay! I’ll put it on!”

Both Celestia and Palutena giggled as Pit fumbled with the Element, trying to secure it around his neck and squeaking every time it almost fell out of his shaky grasp. Finally, it came together in a brilliant glow, secured firmly around his neck. “There,” he wheezed.

“It looks good on you,” Palutena cooed, to which Pit’s blush deepened.

”Well, Celestia, as I said, the loser of that battle would be sent home,” Aza announced. ”You have one minute to say whatever final few words you want to say to everyone before then, starting now.”

“Very well,” Celestia said. “I don’t have too much to say, at any rate.”

She turned to look at everyone with a friendly smile. “To everyone gathered here from across the realms of existence, I am honored to have met such a diverse lot of people and learned many things as a result. I wish you all the best of luck in your coming trials.”

She then turned to Palutena. “Palutena, I entrust Twilight to your care. Please treat her as if she were your own child, as I have.”

Palutena nodded. “I promise, Princess.”

Celestia nodded in return, then turned toward a clearly emotionally conflicted Twilight. She placed a comforting wing over her student’s withers, to which Twilight adopted a small smile herself. “The reason why I let Palutena win is because of what Star Fall told us,” she started, to which Twilight’s ears perked up in interest. “The details are unknown, true, but if my little ponies can fall to violence and bloodshed without Luna and myself, then it’s imperative that I be there alongside my sister to prevent such a future from ever coming to pass.”

She stroked Twilight’s withers, her smile turning wistful as she continued. “I know it might seem scary being here without me, but look around you.” Twilight followed Celestia’s hoof as she gestured around them at everyone. “We’ve made new friends in our time here. These people will look out for you the same way I’ve always looked out for you, so there’s no need to be afraid.”

Twilight looked around at everyone, at all their sincere, genuinely comforting expressions. Celestia was right, she realized. Everyone they’d met since being roped into Aza’s twisted experiment was a good person, and had proven their strength and willingness to help each other when in need. They’d already overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles; even without Celestia, surely they could continue their quest to survive Aza’s games.

… Yes, that was the feeling from before: assurance. Assurance that everything would be alright with or without Celestia’s presence. Twilight held that feeling deep in her heart, absolutely refusing to part with it.

“You’re right,” she said finally, before turning back to Celestia with a wistful smile. “I’ll miss you so much, still.”

Celestia smiled and nodded. “As will I,” she replied, before turning to Aza’s puppet. “I’m ready now.”

Hmm, oh, right, sure. Abra-kadabra, hullabaloo.”

With that, Celestia slowly disappeared from Aza’s clutches, never once averting her warm gaze from Twilight until she was entirely gone from view.

For a few moments afterward, everything was silent, while everyone stared at the spot where Celestia had been. Eventually, their collective gaze shifted to Twilight, who slumped to the ground and was visibly crying, yet still smiling.

Palutena walked over and knelt down, putting a comforting hand on her withers. “Will you be okay, Twilight?” she asked.

Twilight nodded, using a hoof to wipe away some tears. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be fine,” she said, before turning and walking away from the rocks. “Just… give me some time alone, okay?”

Palutena nodded. “Of course.”

Everyone watched Twilight until she disappeared from view within the surrounding treeline, but they weren’t worried. After everything they’d been through together, in their hearts, they knew she’d be alright.

Shrieker Uprising

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Magical Girls & The Merc With The Mouth

There were two girls inside Everfree Castle’s entrance hall.

The first one’s attire simply consisted of a plain black robe and dress shoes. The other wore a white button shirt with a red cravat and blue wristbands, a blue and white mini skirt with blue stockings, and red pumps. The first girl’s eyes were brown, while the second’s were blue. Both girls had long, brown hair.

In the first girl’s hand was a long, pointed stick, while the other held a book. They stood against opposite walls from each other, facing each other with fierce determination in their eyes.

The second girl opened up her book, giving it a quick read before raising her hand. A vortex opened above the first girl’s head, and she looked up to see a rock about as big as her come through. That one was quickly followed by several more, tumbling out of the summoning vortex in a lethal shower.

The first girl smiled, and raised her wand. “Wingardium Leviosa!” she called with a swish and a flick.

All at once, every single rock halted its fall, as if gravity itself had been stripped away from each one. There they hovered in midair, unmoving, while the first girl casually walked out from underneath them, keeping her wand pointed at them all the while. Once she was a safe distance away, she turned around and retracted her wand. Gravity once again took hold, and all the rocks loudly tumbled to the floor, kicking up ancient dust as they piled atop each other before settling down.

She turned to the second girl and gave her a coy little smile as she playfully tapped her wand against her shoulder.

The second girl sighed before returning her own, more exhausted smile. “I shouldn’t hold back, should I, Hermione?” she asked.

Hermione stopped tapping, and nodded. “If you’d be so kind, Charlotte.”

Charlotte nodded herself, her expression turning confident. “Then here goes.” She gave her book another quick glance, before raising her hand again.

A shape began taking form in the air between them. It was humanoid in stature, but as more details filled themselves in, it was quickly apparent that it wasn’t— anymore, at least. A skeleton, animated as if it was still fully sapient, emerged between them. Despite its eye sockets being empty, its gaze still fixated on Hermione as it reached to its chest and broke away one of its ribs.

Hermione could only stare in mixed confusion and horror at the macabre display, wondering what exactly her opponent was getting at by summoning such a pathetic adversary, while also fighting to hold back a surge of vomit at the sight of it breaking itself apart. The skeleton chucked its rib at her, to which she ducked, letting it sail over her head and shatter against the wall behind her.

“Wha–?” Before Hermione could say anything more, she found yet another bone hurtling towards her. She sidestepped out of the way, raising her wand at the skeleton. “Petrificus Totalus!”

Instantly the skeleton’s body went rock stiff, its bony hands slapping against its sides and its feet coming together. It then fell backwards, shattering apart upon impact with the floor and scattering all of its bones, only for them all to fade away as the spell was undone.

Charlotte turned a page in her spellbook.

Hermione raised her wand again. “Expelliarmus!”

Charlotte’s eyes widened in surprise as her spellbook was blasted out of her hand, sailing through the air before landing open a fair distance away, near the ajar front door of the castle. Blinking, she turned back to Hermione, only to find her wand pointed at her. Hermione grinned slightly as she began closing the distance between them.

“I must say, you are a worthy duel opponent,” she remarked. Her tone was devoid of sarcasm, but still had a playful air to it. She finally closed the distance between them, and poked Charlotte’s chest with her wand. “But raw power isn’t enough to win a magic duel.”

Charlotte nodded. “You’re right,” she said. “But…” The corners of her mouth lifted as she flitted her gaze over Hermione’s shoulder.

Hermione noticed this, and made to turn around. “What are you–?”

Click

Hermione froze. Even after all she’d been through in the world of magic, she still recognized — and feared — that sound. The circular, metallic touch against the back of her neck reaffirmed her conclusion.

She lowered her wand.

Charlotte’s smile grew bigger. “... I never got famous for solely relying on power.”

“... You summoned the skeleton to distract me so you could cast another summoning spell, didn’t you?”

“Mhmm.” Charlotte stepped around her, bading that Hermione look back.

Hermione turned her head, slowly, since the exact nature of the summoning spell was unknown to her, and she didn’t want to risk setting off the gun. Holding the gun to her neck was another skeleton, this one dressed in purple robes. Charlotte waved her hand, to which the skeleton pointed the gun away from her and fired at the ceiling, before it disappeared in the same manner as the first summoned skeleton.

It was then that Hermione realized she was holding her breath. Letting it out, she turned fully around, watching as Charlotte went to retrieve her spellbook. “You have some interesting magic at your disposal,” she said. “Magic as overwhelming as yours just doesn’t exist where I’m from.”

“Yours is pretty interesting, too,” Charlotte replied. She reached down and picked up her spellbook, wiping off some dust before she tucked it under her arm and turned back to Hermione. “Yours seems to be purposed more for utility than combat. I’d describe it as finessed, whereas mine is more bombastic.”

“I agree,” Hermione said, nodding. “Clearly, we’re not from the same realm of existence.”

“Clearly,” Charlotte agreed. “Any ideas why?”

Hermione tapped her chin, thinking for a while over all the gathered evidence they had regarding their situation, which admittedly wasn’t much. One moment she was on her way to class at Hogwarts, the next she was in a run down shell of a castle. Charlotte’s own story was shockingly similar to her own, and the fact that she’d come from Dracula’s castle was solid confirmation that the two girls hailed from different planes of existence.

As to how or why they’d gotten there, she couldn’t say. Anything she came up with was only theory, as everything about their current situation went beyond her understanding of magic. She could only come up with one, seemingly ludicrous explanation for what was going on, but anything was better than nothing.

“Well, seeing how we’re both from different dimensions, it’s only fair to assume that something beyond the borders of existence itself pulled us from our respective realities and brought us here. For what purpose, however, I don’t have a clue.”

Charlotte pondered that for a moment before nodding. “That makes sense, I suppose.” She turned her head around, really taking in the decrepit state of the castle for the first time since arriving. Wherever they were, it was most likely long abandoned. “We should probably go outside and get the lay of the land. Maybe see if there’s anyone else around here.”

“Good idea,” Hermione agreed.

The two girls made their way toward the front double doors, pushing them open and stepping outside. Looking around, the first thing they noticed was the large ravine separating the castle grounds from a dark, quite menacing-looking forest on the other side. A rope bridge crossed over, but the side closest to them was severed and likely hanging somewhere far below.

Suddenly, a shape emerged from the treeline across the ravine. Both girls turned to see what it was, wand and spellbook at the ready. They were both quite shocked when the shape turned out to be a purple equine creature. A horn protruded from its head, and its mane was a two tone of pink and dark violet. Its eyes were purple and almost extraordinarily large.

The creature stopped as it took notice of Hermione and Charlotte. No one moved for a good while, waiting for the other side to speak first, all while the two humans whispered to each other.

“Is that a unicorn?” Charlotte mused.

“It certainly bears close resemblance,” Hermione replied. She wrinkled her brow. “But the unicorns I know of aren’t as small or colorful as this thing. Or sapient, which this one looks to be.”

“It doesn’t look particularly hostile, at least.”

“Maybe…”

Suddenly, the unicorn smiled and shouted, “Hello!”

Temporarily shaken, the girls regained their composure and waved back. “Hello!” Charlotte answered back.

“You girls alright over there!?” The unicorn asked.

“We’re okay!” Hermione answered cheerily, although internally she was feeling slightly weirded out to be talking to a creature which was not sapient back home.

“Gimme a sec! I’ll be right over there!”

The unicorn’s horn lit up and, in a flash of light, she disappeared, only to reappear in another flash just a few feet between the girls, making them jump a little.

“Wow! So you can teleport?” Charlotte said.

The unicorn nodded. “And more.” She sat down on her rump and held out a forehoof to each of them. “My name is Twilight Sparkle. Nice to meet you both.”

Charlotte and Hermione both accepted a hoof and introduced themselves.

“So, I imagine you’re both confused about where you are and what’s happening?” Twilight asked.

“We think we have a basic idea,” Charlotte said, and proceeded to explain her and Hermione’s theory regarding what was happening.

By the end of her explanation, Twilight’s stunned expression told them they were very much right. Both girls felt a surge of pride in having used their brains to good effect.

“That’s… right.” Twilight pressed a hoof against her head, seemingly overwhelmed by their intelligence. “Wow, you two are really smart.”

“I’m not called ‘the brightest witch of my age’ for nothing, after all,” Hermione said proudly.

“Still, I should fill you in on the details so you’re up to speed.” Twilight lit up her horn and stepped closer to them, gesturing for them to bend their heads.

Charlotte looked at her horn with interest. “Some sort of memory transference spell, I’m assuming?”

Twilight nodded.

“I’ve never heard of a simple spell being able to transfer memories,” Hermione said, also taking interest in Twilight’s horn. Already, she was proving to be more interesting than the unicorns in the Dark Forest back at Hogwarts. “But I do know a charm to take them away.”

Twilight touched her horn to Hermione and Charlotte’s foreheads one at a time. Once the memory transfer was complete, their expressions turned to mixed ones of awe and sympathy. After everything the group had gone through, Twilight figured it was only natural that these very clearly studious girls would be interested to learn more about all the various people they’d met. She wished she could do just that, but there just wasn’t any time to sit down and learn more about each other when the literal omnipresent threat of danger existed. But, knowing herself, the original Twilight was more than likely doing exactly that right then.

“So, you’re actually a copy of the original ‘Twilight Sparkle’, huh?” Charlotte said.

Twilight nodded again. “Mhmm.”

“That’d sure come in handy,” Charlotte mused. Having an entire legion of identical copies of herself to aid in the fight against Dracula would make things appreciably easier. Having someone to discuss the applications of quantum magic theory to basic utilities would be nice too, since she wouldn’t have to explain the definition of every word with more than two syllables, unlike a certain friend of hers back home.

“So, shall we get go–” Twilight cut herself off as her ear flicked.

“Is something wrong, Twilight?” Hermione asked, genuinely worried.

Twilight turned her head around a few times, before settling her gaze around the corner of the castle’s front wall. She took a combat stance, lighting her horn. “There’s someone else here with us,” she whispered.

Hermione and Charlotte followed Twilight’s gaze. Nodding their understanding, they drew out their wand and spellbook, respectively. Together, the group of three slowly made their way toward the corner, being extra careful with their steps so as to not alert whatever was hiding from them.

They pressed against the front wall, and Twilight edged closer to the corner. She drew in a deep, relaxing breath, and poked her head around.

Nothing was there. Just a few bushes.

Hermione and Charlotte poked their heads around as well. “There’s nothing here,” Charlotte said.

Twilight looked downcast for a moment. “Yeah, maybe I’m just hearing things.”

“But, aren’t horses supposed to have, like, super advanced hearing or something?”

The girls all blinked at the very masculine voice coming from above their heads. Their gazes shot upward, only to find a very red, very inhuman face staring back down at them.

“... Hello,” Twilight said, cautiously.

“And a very merry konnichiwa to you too, Starbutt,” the figure replied.

“Well, I—hey!” Twilight shot him an indignant glare.

“Oh, I'm going super easy with the insults. This fic's rated Mature, and my vocabulary is like a beautiful rainbow of colors, so don't get me riled up.”

“... What?”

The figure stepped back away from the wall, stretching his hands over his head and popping some loose joints back into place. The three girls turned to get their first good look at the newcomer, who was a fair bit taller than all of them; probably in his mid to late twenties. He wore a full red and black bodysuit, with white covers over his eyes. A couple of gun holsters were strapped to the suit, along with two sheaths fastened to his back holding twin katana blades.

A long, almost awkward silence stretched between everyone as the girls watched the newcomer casually stretch and inspect his katanas. Collectively, they felt uneasy around him, perhaps due to the fact that he had appeared out of nowhere, as well as his previous weird choice of words. His guns and blades less so.

At last, the newcomer turned and appeared to regard the girls with idle curiosity. “So, what’s a couple of pretty little girls and a mutant freakazoid unicorn like yourselves doing here, anyway?” he asked.

“Hey!” Charlotte shouted. “I am not a girl.”

The man looked bemused. “Says the sixteen-year old.”

“I am a lady!”

“Sure, sure you are not.”

Charlotte held up her spellbook, ready to cast a spell, only for Hermione to put a hand up to stop her. Begrudgingly, Charlotte lowered her spellbook.

“Who are you?” Twilight asked the man.

The man shrugged. “Wade Wilson. The Merc with the Mouth. Deadpool. Take your pick, horse lady.”

“I am a pony.”

“What’s the difference?”

Twilight looked indignant. “There’s a big difference. First of all, ponies are–” Twilight cut herself off when the man started mockingly flapping his hand, and she snorted.

“Listen, Deadpool,” Hermione started, stepping forward, “we’re in an incredible situation that could see us die at any given moment if we don’t work together. Now’s not the time to be insulting each other, so please stop.”

Deadpool let out a short, sarcastic laugh and slapped his knee. “Die!? Haha, right, good one.” He followed up with a longer bout of laughing, before he settled down and returned Hermione’s bemused glare with his own, hardened gaze. “I know your type, little girlie. You think you know everything about everything. You don’t. You take every chance you can to flaunt your intelligence about things you do know, and keep quiet about anything you don’t.” He stalked right up to Hermione and locked eyes with her. “Do you know what I’m capable of, missy? What I can do to you and anyone who gives me shit? Go on, tell me.”

Hermione said nothing, continuing to lock gazes with Deadpool. Her hand gripped tight around her wand, her knuckles whitening. Twilight and Charlotte got ready to restrain her, as much as the small voices in their minds kept telling them to sit back and enjoy the show.

“Fine, tell me why you’re better than us,” Hermione finally said.

Deadpool clapped his hands. “Even better, I’ll show you.” He then pulled a gun out of his holster, making everyone instinctively take a step back, unsure what he was going to do. But they were all utterly shocked when Deadpool put the gun against his neck and pulled the trigger, splattering flecks of blood across the grass in front of him.

All three girls stood petrified, horrified by the suicidal display. Any and all annoyance they felt was instantly gone, replaced by concern for Deadpool’s well-being. That concern turned to confusion when he remained standing upright, without a single sign of distress or agony at having shot himself.

Deadpool then put his gun back in its holster and proceeded to turn to the side, affording all three girls a full frontal view of the gunshot wound in his neck. They felt bile rise up in their throats when they saw the wound closing itself up before their naked eyes; regenerative tissue. As if to further disgust them, Deadpool stuck a finger into the wound and jiggled it, making ‘bidibidibidi’ noises.

“Oh god…” Charlotte turned around and threw up a little onto the grass.

“Now that that’s settled,” Deadpool started, pulling his finger out of the wound just as it finished closing up, and turned to the girls, “it looks like the author’s put us in a bit of a predicament, doesn’t it?”

Twilight arched a brow. “Say that again?”

“So horses don’t have super advanced hearing?”

“No, you just said…” Twilight took a deep, relaxing breath. Clearly, Deadpool was one of ‘those’ kinds of people. Better to just ignore the random nonsense he spouted, lest she lose her sanity. “Never mind. Listen, we’re now involved in something incredibly dangerous, and we need to band together if we all want to…” she paused, considering her choice of words in light of Deadpool’s earlier demonstration, “... come out of it completely unharmed.”

“I E not me.”

Hermione crossed her arms. “Totally barbaric.”

“I heard that Lil’ Miss Know-it-all!”

“Anyway,” Twilight said, hoping to defuse any more forthcoming arguing, “I can very easily show you all of what’s happening if you’ll let me touch my horn to your head.” She lit her horn and began approaching him.

Deadpool held up his hand, to which Twilight stopped. “Hold on, let me guess,” he started. He then began ticking off points with his fingers. “There’s some big bad guy; he wants to take over the world; and only the chosen alliance of heroic heroes can stop him. That it?”

“Actually no,” Twilight replied.

“Oh, well then–” Deadpool lowered his head “–zap away horse lady, or whatever you’re gonna do.”

“I keep telling you, I’m not– oh, forget it.”

She closed the distance between them and touched her horn to Deadpool’s forehead. The expected silence from him as his mind processed the new information followed. But only for about two seconds.

“Wow, this author is in waaaaay over his head here.”

“Might you please explain to us what you’re talking about with that?” Charlotte asked, having recovered from her vomiting. “And what’s a ‘fanfic’?”

Deadpool appeared to ignore her, instead turning around with one hand on his hips and the other scratching his chin. “Times New Roman isn’t really my style…”

“Hey, listen to me!”

Deadpool continued staring off into space for several seconds. Annoyance showed clear across all three girls’ faces at Deadpool’s total disinterest to their questions. The three of them silently collectively decided to ignore his random ramblings.

Finally, Deadpool turned back to the girls, and for once, seemed to regard them with actual, genuine interest. “So you’re all good guys, right?”

They all blinked.

“... Yeah,” Twilight said. “If you wanna put it in such simple terms, we are.”

“Okay then!” Deadpool clapped his hands together. “Seeing as how I’m stuck here and can kick the ass of anything and everything that looks at me funny, let’s go and help out the group before they all get torn to pieces!”

All three girls smiled wide. “Of course,” Twilight said. “Just gimme a sec, and…” She lit her horn, and in a flash, all four of them disappeared, reappearing on the other side of the ravine.

Hermione, Charlotte, and Deadpool all felt dizzy for a few seconds afterward. Teleportation sickness always got better with repeat trips, but Twilight figured walking the rest of the way would be preferable.

“Whoa,” Hermione said, rubbing the spots from her eyes. “That was… something.”

“Interesting,” Charlotte said, similarly temporarily blinded.

“That’d better not leave any sparkle rainbow whatever on my suit.” Deadpool inspected himself all over, like he was checking for signs of some kind of disease.

“Let’s get a move on, then,” Twilight said as she turned toward the Everfree Forest. “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”

“Good thing the chapter’s about to end,” Deadpool said, sighing. “‘Cause otherwise I’d die of boredom. And then you’d all be doomed because what do you have to defend yourselves with? Magic? Stupid! There’s nothing that a few well aimed bullets can’t solve. Except cancer. And world hunger. Wouldn’t that be something? Being able to solve all the world’s problems with guns. Of course, a lot of people already think that way, but not me! I’m only in the business to get my revenge on that one little slimeball who tricked me and any of his little idiot minions that try to get in my way…”

“Please tell me one of you has a spell to shut him up,” Charlotte whispered to Hermione and Twilight.

“I could if I wanted to,” Twilight whispered back, “but consider it a sacrifice so as to not provoke him into using his guns on us.”

“As much as I want him to shut up as well,” Hermione said, “I have to agree with Twilight.”

Charlotte sighed. “I really hope my nerves can endure the journey.”

2 - Finishing Battle

Ash Williams revved his chainsaw, the whirring noise of its deadly, Deadite-slaying chain music to his ears. Except this time, it wouldn’t be used to slay Deadites, not that the little shits he was currently staring at were any more pleasing to look at. Things were about to get very bloody indeed; not that he cared anymore, after all he’d been through.

“Give ‘em hell, everyone!” he called, before rushing forward through the trees with the rest of the crowd

The ugly little toads quickly took notice of the approaching cavalry, and met their charge head on. The group plan initiated, with everyone splitting up into parties no bigger than two members each. The creatures split up in turn, bobbing and weaving through the trees as they sought out random targets.

Quickly the air filled with the sounds of gunshots, squishing flesh, and various other sounds Ash failed to recognize, his chainsaw’s whirring like a soft whistle against the maelstrom of noise. Having so many trees around for sound to bounce off of only made it worse, and Ash had a feeling he’d go partially deaf once everything was finished and everyone had copious pints of blood coating their bodies.

A couple of creatures came charging around a tree towards Ash, their shrieks drowned by the chaos around them. Ash aimed his shotgun and shot two rounds, one each into the monsters’ snouts. Blood sprayed all across his front as the monsters’ corpses were blown back by his gun’s blasts.

“On your right!” called a voice.

Ash turned his head just in time to witness another monster getting punched by a tall, gray-haired man wearing a white tuxedo. The monster was a mere couple feet away from Ash’s head as it got punched, or, more accurately, its face smashed into a bloody, baseball-sized pulp, before careening through the trees under the force of the blow.

“Gotta keep your eyes open and sharp if ya wanna live,” the man said in a calm, yet hard tone.

Ash snorted. “Try giving me eyes in the back of my head.” He capped off his statement by ramming his chainsaw into the gut of another charging monster, sending up a shower of blood and orangish, yellow guts flying everywhere, before he let the body fall limply to the ground.

A couple more creatures went sailing through Ash’s field of vision, before slamming against a couple of trees, their bodies flattening under the impact with two wet splats, sending more blood and guts everywhere. Ash turned to see the tall man crack his knuckles, before regarding Ash with a hard, yet sincere smile. “Name’s Monkey D. Garp,” he said. Without a flinch of his arms, he sent a brutal back kick into the jaw of another creature approaching him from behind, granting it a similar fate to the previous two. “Just call me Garp.”

Ash, to his shock, felt himself mentally recoiling under the casual nature with which the man acted in tune with his violent actions. Clearly, this man, ‘Garp’, had seen his fair share of battles. And if the superhuman strength he was exhibiting was any incentive, the last thing anyone with common sense wanted to do was get on his bad side.

Ash did his best to hide his fear, returning Garp’s smile with one of his own. “Name’s Ash,” he replied, and took aim at another creature which was about to charge a young, purple-haired girl supporting a blonde-haired young man from behind. “Ash Williams.”

He pulled the trigger. The creature was sent hurtling back a ways, while the accompanying spray of blood left a crimson splatter against the back of the girl’s weird-looking clothes, going unnoticed by her as she helped the blonde man out of the forest, away from all the fighting.

“I’ll watch your back if you watch mine,” Garp said, as he smashed his fist down atop the head of another creature, smashing it into the earth and leaving a fan-shaped scatter of blood extending from its head across the forest floor. “Deal?”

“Deal,” Ash replied, and mimicked his new partner by slamming his chainsaw down onto the head of a creature, cleaving it in two and painting the surrounding greenery and his clothes in beautiful, bodiless crimson.

“On your left,” he heard Garp say.

Ash retracted his chainsaw and, without even looking, swung it to his left. He was about one foot away from making contact when a yellow lightning bolt raced through the air, striking the creature in the side of its head. The creature’s agonized cry was quickly cut short as what Ash had to assume was brain matter shot out the other side of its head. As the creature was in mid jump, its now lifeless body continued hurtling towards him, only to be halted and severely torn up by his chainsaw, before dropping pathetically to the ground.

Ash turned to where the lightning bolt had come from. Up in a nearby tree was what looked like a yellow rat with a lightning bolt-shaped tail and red cheeks. Ash watched as the little rodent shot another bolt of electricity towards a trio of creatures, striking through all of them and sending them collapsing to the forest floor like a line of dominoes.

Ash’s brain quickly became a scrambled mess trying to register what he’d seen. Of course, it wasn’t the strangest thing the entire multiverse could’ve thrown at him, but it was a paradoxical sight all the same. Never at his most feminine had he ever envisioned something so ungodly adorable, and yet, the fact that it could shoot electricity contradicted so heavily with such a cute visage that Ash struggled to think of a word to describe the creature.

But one thing he knew for sure, and that was Garp was far, far less intimidating now.

Charlotte and Hermione only ran a short distance along with the crowd before stopping behind a tree, taking refuge behind its particularly thick trunk. Peering around it, Charlotte saw that most of the crowd was meeting the creature swarm head on with various kinds of attacks. All of the Twilight clones had chosen to crowd around the sleeping form of the original Twilight in front of a big, blue train with a face. Such a sight momentarily baffled her before she shook herself back to her senses; her previous conceptions of reality no longer mattered, now that she was in an entirely different one altogether.

“We’d better keep our distance as much as possible,” she said, observing the total chaos of the unfolding battle.

Hermione nodded. “Right. Let’s make our magic work in tandem.”

“Agreed.”

The two stepped out from behind the tree, standing side by side, Hermione with her wand held out and Charlotte with her spellbook open. A group of about five creatures noticed their presence, and immediately bolted towards them in a ‘V’ formation.

Charlotte held up her hand. “Rock Riot!” she called.

The air thrummed with power as a portal appeared up in the air in front of them. A large collection of rocks quickly came tumbling through toward the ground.

“Expelliarmus!” Hermione called with a flick of her wand.

The first rock was sent hurtling through the air under a tremendous, invisible force. It slammed into the frontmost creature, crushing its skull and sending it flying backwards into a nearby tree with a sickening crunch.

“Expelliarmus!”

The second rock followed suit, smashing into another creature for an instant death blow. This process was repeated three more times, Hermione taking extra care to aim correctly so as to not accidentally hit anyone else in the group with friendly fire. Eventually, all the creatures were little more than grotesque lumps of crushed flesh and bone scattered across the forest floor.

Wasting no time, the two girls found another tree to hide behind, a little closer to the thick of the fighting. Without any suitable close range combat capabilities, they needed to keep a fair distance to both be safe and fight effectively.

Charlotte quickly spotted another pack of creatures secluded from the rest. For whatever reason, they were dragging corpses of their dead brethren away from all the fighting, a little ways down the train tracks through the trees. She had no idea what that could mean, but whatever it was for couldn’t be good for the group.

She stepped out from behind the tree, Hermione following right behind. Charlotte pointed out the group of monsters, and raised her hand, ready to cast a spell.

She then jumped at the feeling of someone clasping a hand over her shoulder, joined by Hermione, as a very familiar, even moreso unpleasant voice shouted in their ears.

“So what neato magic trick are you girls going for now, hmm!?”

Both girls broke away from Deadpool’s grasp, turning around and showing him their combined disgruntled expressions.

“What the hell are you doing!?” Hermione practically shrieked.

“Umm, watching you cast magic?” Deadpool tilted his head. “That’s what you were doing, right?”

“Don’t sneak up on us like that!” Charlotte said.

Deadpool just stared at them for a few moments, his mask making it impossible to gauge his expression. Eventually, he raised his finger up as if in sudden realization. “Right. Right. You two aren’t immortal, so of course you’d be more uptight about being snuck up on in the middle of a battle. Alright, I got this.”

Charlotte and Hermione held their disgruntled expressions as Deadpool walked forward, pushing past them towards the secluded monsters. The girls’ expressions then changed to puzzlement as Deadpool’s pace turned rather casual as he stalked up to them, then to disgust as they noticed the creatures had started munching on the carcasses of their dead brethren. Deadpool did nothing to indicate he was similarly revulsed, instead pulling out one of his guns and firing three rounds into the backside of one of the creatures, earning him a squeal of pain from the creature with each one.

The other creatures looked up from their cannibalistic buffet and towards Deadpool just as he replaced the gun and pulled out his twin katana blades. The creatures let out a joined chorus of ear-piercing shrieks that joined those of their brethren throughout the battle area, before jumping through the air towards Deadpool, mouths open wide and ready to grasp their prey.

Deadpool cracked his neck to loosen some joints, sighing with content. “Nothing like a good ass-whooping to get ya going in the morning.” He looked up, his mask shifting as he quirked an eyebrow. “Isn’t it currently supposed to be nighttime by this fic’s timeline?”

The creatures were a mere two feet away from him in the air. The first one hadn’t a chance to scream as its head was sliced neatly in half by a swift stroke from Deadpool’s first katana. The second one met its end by losing its rear to Deadpool’s second blade. With expert precision and swiftness barely visible to the naked eye, the remaining creatures were quickly reduced to scattered, neatly sliced chunks of flesh. Deadpool’s blades, once clean and shiny, were now a handsome shade of crimson that the mercenary stopped to admire for a moment before sheathing both blades and turning to face the two girls, relishing in their looks of mixed awe and revulsion.

“And that, ladies, is how you totally kick a–oof!”

A sudden force to his back cut Deadpool off as he found himself thrown face first to the ground. His first thought was how odd it was that he, fucking Deadpool!, was caught off guard by a seemingly brainless, instinct-driven little shit of a monster. His next thought was he couldn’t let himself look incompetent in front of a couple of kids. Quickly he tried to push himself to his feet, only to be slammed into the ground by a second blow that completely knocked the wind out of him. He then felt a sharp pain on his left shoulder blade— well, ‘sharp pain’ was relative, as he’d long since learned to ignore such sensations after his body had adopted so many bullets. Still, it was clear the creature saw him as a potential breakfast platter, which was foolish of it, but still a potential problem for him to be without a vital limb for more than two minutes.

Deadpool reached with his right hand down toward the pistol holster at his hip, only to feel another sharp pain right over it as another creature bit into his right side.

“Oh, come on!” he screamed and proceeded to repeatedly slam his fist into the creature’s head. The creature let out a few grumbles of acknowledgment to the action but didn’t loosen its grip.

Another sharp pain told Deadpool a third creature had bitten into his left leg. He stopped punching and tried to shake the creatures off, but found them too heavy to do so. The sound of tearing flesh and a sudden onslaught of agony told him he’d just lost about thirty or so pounds of flesh. Fortunately, he still had fifty percent of his limbs, so he still had the means with which to kick the creatures’ ugly little asses.

Dual screams of fear reminded Deadpool of Charlotte and Hermione’s presence, Looking up, he saw Charlotte had her hand raised and her hair blowing as the air thrummed with power, while Hermione had her wand raised. Both girls had horrified expressions plastered across their faces, and Deadpool found himself surprised they even still cared about him.

The girls muttered words Deadpool failed to hear over the sounds of battle. Suddenly, the creature at Deadpool’s right froze stiff, standing upright like it’d just seen a ghost, before falling over to the ground with a soft thump. Two arcs of green energy formed behind Charlotte and rushed forward past her, striking the remaining two creatures and hurtling them back a ways, freeing Deadpool.

“Oh my gosh, are you okay!?” Charlotte shrieked as she and Hermione rushed toward him.

From where he lay on the ground, Deadpool flashed them a thumbs up with his right hand. He rolled over, affording him sight of their relieved faces. “Healing factor makes me pretty much immortal, remember?” He gestured toward the new gaping holes in his body, quickly closing up thanks to said healing factor. “And, uh… thanks for helping me out, I guess?”

“You’re welcome,” Charlotte replied, though her tone only sounded half-genuine. Both she and Hermione turned toward the bulk of the fighting; most of the creature’s numbers had begun to noticeably dwindle. “Let us handle the rest, Deadpool. We’ll protect you while your flesh regenerates.”

Deadpool snorted a laugh. “Thanks, but no thanks.” He pressed both hands firmly into the ground, using every last ounce of strength to hoist himself to his one foot, being forced to hop like a rabbit while he pulled out his gun and aimed it at the creature horde. His brows dipped in a show of confidence, showcased clearly on his mask. “Neither rain nor sleet nor snow nor amputation gets in Deadpool’s way where killing and justice is concerned.”

The girls rolled their eyes in bemusement, and the trio made their way closer to the horde. Every few steps, Deadpool would fire a few rounds into the closest creature and, despite being forced to hop on one leg, had excellent accuracy, needing only one shot to kill one creature each. Charlotte and Hermione continued their paired magical tactics, with Charlotte summoning bursts of power in various shapes and forms, and Hermione directing it towards the horde for extra devastating results. Their efforts proved fruitful, as a sizeable chunk of creatures were slain by the time they approached someone in an orange and yellow armored suit, shooting at the creatures with some sort of gun attached to one arm.

Charlotte and Hermione came up on either side of the figure, drawing their attention.

“Petrificus totalus!” Hermione called with a flick of her wand.

A small cluster of creatures before them stopped cold in their tracks, before falling over onto their sides. Charlotte opened her spellbook and, after consulting it for a moment, made a gesture toward the paralyzed creatures. A blue circle of magic appeared in the air above them, from which a volley of icicles descended, goring the creatures and pinning their bodies to the ground. All the while, the suited figure watched the magical display, whatever reaction they might’ve had obscured by their helmet.

“We’ll back you up,” Hermione told them.

The figure only continued to stare at them from behind their visor, though Hermione and Charlotte were too busy preparing another magical combo to take much notice. Another cluster of creatures noticed the group and quickly rushed forward. Hermione raised her wand, and was about to cast another petrification spell when the suited figure held up a stalling hand.

Confused, both girls watched as the figure trained her suit’s arm cannon on the rushing creatures. A quick series of whirring noises emanated from their suit, before a round of blue energy shot forth, impacting the creatures dead on. Almost instantly, their bodies turned white as a thick sheet of ice covered them from snout to foot. A couple of them fell over from the rushing momentum, causing their snouts to break off upon impact with the ground.

Charlotte and Hermione were utterly transfixed by the display, amazed by the technology this person possessed. They were snapped from their awe by another short series of whirring noises coming from the figure’s suit, to which the barrel of the suit’s arm cannon changed shape. They once again took aim at the creatures’ newly frozen bodies, and out from their arm cannon shot a slim, metallic projectile with a purple tip. It sailed through the air almost faster than they could follow it, before striking the creatures with explosive force, sending frozen chunks of flesh everywhere.

The arm cannon returned to its normal state, and the armored fighter turned toward the girls. “Thanks for the backup,” they said in a neutral, yet unmistakably feminine voice. “Can you watch my back?”

Both girls nodded their agreement.

“Don’t think you can leave me out of all the fun!” Deadpool said as he hopped up alongside them. His missing body parts had grown mostly back, though he was still missing his left foot, forcing him to reorient his balance every few seconds.

Charlotte and Hermione spared Deadpool only a brief glance, while the figure held out her hand to the three of them. “I’m Samus Aran,” she said.

The group of three quickly introduced themselves to the armored woman, before they turned to face the rapidly dwindling horde of creatures, their faces all set into determined expressions as they drew out their weapons.

Another small horde of creatures took notice of the four, and rushed them. Samus trained her arm cannon on them, while Hermione and Charlotte prepared another magic combo, and Deadpool aimed dual pistols at the creatures. All battle able, focused, determined, and mentally calculating the correct timing with which to hurl their attacks at the mindless carnivores.

With an earth-shattering slam, the creatures were all squashed under the trunk of a large tree. The suddenness of the impact made everyone’s heart skip a beat as they recoiled backward a bit. Whatever questions their minds could’ve produced were quick to subside as confusion took root in response to seeing the tree trunk lift up off the ground, revealing the creature’s flattened corpses with blood splatters spread out all around them.

The group of four turned to see the base of the tree being held up by a young, yellowish-skinned boy wearing a green jacket, red and white-patterned shirt, and baggy blue pants. Most disturbingly — even more so than the fact that he was lifting a tree easily ten times heavier than his body weighed — was the fact that his face lacked a visible chin.

“Begone, vile mutants!” the boy cried, his face mixed with panic and determination. “I, Ed, shall vanquish you all in the name of Luthor!”

Another group of creatures began rushing him. The boy, Ed, raised the tree above his head and, without a single hint of building momentum, swung it like a bat at the creatures. The sound of crushing bone and sinew could be heard over the battle as the tree smashed each creature all at once, before sending their corpses flying through the air above the surrounding treeline.

The group of four watched the scene with muted surprise. Once it was over, Deadpool broke the silence. “I’d hate to be the sap who tries bullying that kid.”

The sounds of continued battle finally registered to them, and the group of four rushed to take down another cluster of creatures, putting the bizarre sight out of their minds.

Master Hand couldn’t say he didn’t like the thrill of battle and not be lying. Whether he was pitting his creations against each other, or battling against them himself (and letting them win to make them feel better) for his amusement, the joy of beating each other up in the name of good fun was his all-time favorite pastime.

The carnage he was currently witnessing was something different. No fun. No playfulness. Just raw instinct screaming at these people to fight back, lest they be ripped to pieces and devoured like a chicken platter.

Master Hand had no such fears, even if he hadn’t the ability to levitate out of the creatures’ reach. But he couldn’t bring himself to join the fight. He wanted to help these people, familiar or not. And yet, something about all the carnage, all the bloodshed, just felt wrong to him. But to his relief, the group seemed to be doing an adequate job of routing the creatures on their own, so perhaps he wouldn’t need to join the fray after all.

Such a thought fell to the wayside as he scanned the clearing, horror overcoming him as he spotted a stray creature charging Lady Palutena from behind, unnoticed by both her and Pit, while everyone crowded around the blue tank engine with a face were too preoccupied with talking to each other to notice she was in danger.

Master Hand formed a gun shape with his fingers and, with an uncharacteristically soft bang, a missile shot from the tip. The monster quickly became a scattered mess of blood and guts, coating the back of Palutena’s dress. The Goddess of Light and Wisdom made no action of having acknowledged her averted demise, continuing to fight alongside Pit in clearing out the nearest portion of the horde to them.

At that moment, an idea came to Master Hand. Quickly, he floated across the clearing to the divine duo, stopping just behind Palutena and going unnoticed by either of them. With a snap of his fingers, the colorful bricks he’d saved appeared before him, still miniscule as per the effect of his power. Another snap, and they returned to their original size, falling into a pile beneath him.

Master Hand got to work laying out the bricks in a square shape on the ground, trying to work swiftly while being careful not to make any blunders, all while ignoring the sounds of battle around him. Once he finished the first layer, he got to work stacking another one atop it, each click of the bricks sending a joyful chill throughout his body.

A third layer followed the second, which was then followed by a fourth. Then a fifth. He was in the middle of constructing the sixth layer when Palutena finally noticed his presence.

“What are you doing?” she asked. Her tone was calm, yet laced with surprise.

”Building you a platform with which to stand on,” he replied, not looking up from his work. ”You were almost rushed by one of those creatures, but that won’t be an issue with this.”

He clicked the last brick into place, completing the sixth layer. He then turned to face Palutena, expecting to see her beautiful smile, but was instead met with a confused frown.

“Um… thanks, I guess?” She shifted her gaze back toward the fight, raising her staff to launch three consecutive bursts of light projectiles at an approaching creature, before turning back to him. “And you are?”

”Never mind that for now.” Swiftly, he knocked Palutena off her feet and caught her in his palm, earning a surprised yelp from the goddess. Ignoring her cries and thrashing, he lifted her up and gently dumped her onto the platform.

“I didn’t say you could touch me!” she said, getting up and smoothing out her dress. She fixed him with a sharp glare that soon changed into a half-smile, half-apologetic expression. “But still… thanks for looking out for me.” She quirked an eyebrow. “But how come? We don’t know each other.”

”You don’t know me, but I know you very well, Palutena, Goddess of Light and Wisdom.”

“... I’ll ask why later. Right now…” She turned around and took aim at another small cluster of creatures with her staff.

A tingle of excitement shot through Master Hand. He’d just spoken to the Palutena, Goddess of Light and Wisdom! And even more, Pit, Pikachu, Samus Aran, Kirby, and Shulk were all there as well! To have so many of his favorite fighters gathered together before him in the flesh was a dream come true. Not the constructs he was used to, but the actual, genuine articles. Being ripped from his own reality was totally worth it for that lone fact.

As the battle wore on, Master Hand shifted his focus between all the rest of his familiar fighters. Pit fought at the foot of the brick platform, using the familiar Palutena Bow in its dual sword form to hack and slash at small clusters of creatures. Kirby had opted to stay out of the fight, instead focusing on a green, bipedal creature locked up in a cage which seemed rather small for the poor thing, given how he had to hunch over to avoid having his head bump the top. Across the clearing, he spotted Pikachu raining lightning bolts down on creatures within the surrounding treeline, aided by two rather gruff-looking human men, one of whom seemed to be getting a little too much pleasure out of using his chainsaw. A little further away, Samus Aran was joined by two human girls tossing magic around like nobody’s business, as well as a red-suited man with a mask wielding his guns and blades with expert precision.

Just as well, Master Hand found himself fascinated by all the new styles of combat displayed by all the unfamiliar people from worlds he’d yet to glimpse. He felt his creative juices flowing, watching the different types of magic, physical blows, and the various strategies employing them to fight against the monsters.

I believe I might have some new fighters to consider for the next Smash Bros tournament.

The clearing was quick to descend into chaos as everyone charged forward, lashing out at the nearest monsters either with reckless abandon or strategic planning. Both methods resulted in a flurry of motion as weapons and magic met flesh, brutally skimming the creature horde from various angles, yet only adding to the cacophonous orchestra of their shrieks with gunshots, wt splatters, and other sounds of fighting.

Florina was quite used to such a scenario, albeit against humans instead of monsters. Despite her timid personality, she would’ve briskly joined the fray to aid everyone in the battle. But she was completely defenseless without her lance, meaning she’d only be a liability. All she could do was help the blonde-haired boy with the oddly-shaped red sword away from the fighting. It had been apparent to the group that he wasn’t fit to fight with the way he struggled to keep to his feet, using the sword to shakily prop himself up while breathing heavily, his face tomato red.

Florina wrapped the boy over her shoulder, earning her a soft “Thanks”, to which she smiled and nodded before beginning to guide him through the trees. The monsters were all focused on everyone actively fighting, which excluded the people gathered around the big blue thing with the face on the line of wooden planks held together with metallic lines. Florina didn’t bother thinking about the alien technology, choosing instead to shuffle forward as quickly as possible.

At one point, she heard a quick scampering of footsteps coming up behind her, and her face went wide with terror as she knew it was a monster charging her. Panic set in for a moment, only to evaporate as she heard a distant bang, followed by a soft thud behind her as well as a soft splatter of liquid on her clothes. Biting her lip, she picked up her pace, gently urging the boy to move faster as well.

Standing beside the blue thing was a tall, dark-haired man wearing strange clothing, as well as a frightening creature with fish-like eyes and black wings. They had their eyes focused on the surrounding battle, but once they noticed the pair they both rushed to meet them.

“I got you, kid,” the man said as he wrapped the boy’s free arm over his shoulder, the sword still clutched in his grip. “Come on.”

The four of them made their way back to the blue thing. Florina helped the man lift the boy into an opening built into the back side. The boy fell over onto his back, his sword coming to rest beside him as his breathing became more regular.

“Are you, um, feeling better now?” Florina asked, doing her best to speak loud enough to be heard over the nearby sounds of battle.

“Yeah, I am,” he replied, his voice winded. “Just need to rest for a bit.”

Florina breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. In her eye’s corner, she noticed the man and creature looking down at her, to which her smile fell into a soft frown. “Uh, um… hello.”

Looks of curiosity crossed the two strangers’ faces, and Florina resisted the urge to shrink away from them. She may be in an unfamiliar world, and with no way of defending herself, but these people were in the same situation as her and should be treated as allies. With that in mind, Florina stayed rooted to the spot, although she felt her face flush a little.

Eventually, the man spoke up. “Perhaps introductions are in order.” He gestured to himself. “The name’s Bond… James Bond.”

The winged creature spoke up next. “Ryuk.”

“I’m Florina,” she replied with only a hint of shakiness

The blonde boy weakly raised a hand. “Shulk.”

“Shulk…” James turned to him, his expression betraying a hint of concern. “What’s wrong with you?”

“From what Twilight told me, me being ripped from my homeworld is itself the reason why I’m so weak,” Shulk replied. With a couple more breaths, he lifted his body to sit with his legs hanging over the edge of the platform. “This world and mine seem to operate under a completely different set of physics, which is having an adverse effect on my metabolism.”

Both James and Ryuk simply nodded in understanding. Florina, however, grew worried. “But you’ll be okay, right?” she asked. “With a little rest, maybe?”

Her heart pained at the grim look Shulk’s face adopted. “I might not have much time left if I’m not returned home soon.”

”Oh, that won’t be a problem.”

A bizarre figure emerged out of thin air above their heads. While James and Ryuk’s faces remained neutral, Florina’s mouth hung slightly ajar at what she saw. A floating collection of orbs of various colors joined together by some invisible force in the shape of a cross. Down the middle from top to bottom were red, yellow and blue, while white and black ones were held aside them.

The figure brought itself down, coming to rest at everyone’s eye level. The voice spoke up again, but while it seemed to come from everywhere at once, Florina realized the bizarre collection of colorful orbs in front of her was the speaker, going by how James and Ryuk had their gazes squarely on it. Shulk seemed to figure this out as well, staring at the sight with a shocked, yet curious gaze.

”For the newcomers, my name is Aza; the one who brought you all here. The form you see before you is merely my puppet, made from the barest touch of physics, for I am the entire universe in which you inhabit.

I’m well aware of how your world functions, Shulk. When I brought you here, I made sure to bring your home, the Kyoshin, here as well– we all needed a change of scenery, anyway. You won’t die here; I’d never let myself be responsible for killing someone I roped into this little game. That said, you all need to kill off these shriekers before you all get to see the Kyoshin.”

Everyone watched as the air in front of James began filling itself in, a number of small black objects materializing before falling to the ground. They were each thin and flat, about the size of her hand. James’ eyes widened in apparent recognition, and he bent down to pick them all up.

Florina then watched as he pulled out another black object in an L shape from inside his clothing. He then proceeded to pull out a similar-looking flat object from inside it, before replacing it with a new one. Florina figured it had to be some sort of weapon, and if Aza was willing to give one to James, then maybe it’d be willing to give her both her pegasus and a replacement lance!

“Why didn’t you give me more ammo earlier?” James asked Aza’s puppet.

”Because I was busy scouting out the multiverse. Found some pretty interesting stuff for my trouble, too, but I’ll show you later.”

Florina stepped forward. “Um, Aza…” She trailed off, unsure how to properly address the sentient universe.

Aza’s puppet turned toward her. ”Yes?”

“Could I, um… have my pegasus here with me? And a replacement lance. Um… I’d like to fight too.”

A short silence stretched between them, the sounds of battle becoming white noise in the background. It suddenly dawned on Florina that she’d just asked a favor of a being that could smite her with incredible ease. Politely, of course, but her sense of vulnerability suddenly manifested itself with her hanging her head, front bangs obscuring her face. “I… I… um… if that’s okay with you,” she whispered.

A series of hearty laughs brought her attention back to Aza’s puppet, which seemed to bounce in tune to each guffaw, while everyone watched in puzzlement.

Eventually, Aza’s puppet seemed to take an upright posture. ”Ah, Florina, your timidness and fighting spirit really are an unusually harmonious combination.”

Florina could only stare deadpan in response. Then she noticed Shulk, Ryuk, and James briefly shift their collective gaze to her in her eye’s corner, to which she instinctively shrunk in on herself.

”As for your request, I’ll let you fight, yes, but with something far more interesting than what you’re used to as a pegasus knight.”

Once again, an object materialized in the air before everyone, dropping to the ground at Florina’s feet. She stared at it in confusion. The object was about the size of her head and made of curved, dark green wood. It took her a few moments to recognize the object in question as a mask, indicated by the holes where a person’s eyes and mouth would be.

She heard a ‘tsk’ from beside her. Turning, she saw James running off toward a tall, colorful platform in the middle of the clearing, atop which a green-haired woman stood, shooting projectiles down at a cluster of creatures, with a giant white hand floating behind her.

”He’s never one to give British people a good name,” Aza remarked.

Ryuk shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve seen worse.”

“He has the exact same accent as me,” Shulk said to no one in particular.

Florina ignored them, picking up the mask and examining it. It was like nothing she’d ever seen back in Elibe. But even beyond that, nothing about it seemed particularly noteworthy. She ran her fingers over the front, finding the smooth, wooden texture to be of exceptionally high quality. Whoever made the mask was a true craftsman, but she failed to see what combative purpose it could serve.

She gave Aza’s puppet a questioning look. ”Just put it on; you’ll see what I’m getting at. You’ve always aspired to be more confident, haven’t you? Consider this a shortcut to achieving that goal.”

Florina considered this for a moment. Of course, she strove to have more confidence in herself and her abilities, but trusting Aza’s word seemed too risky to be worth it. Who knew what putting on the mask would actually do to her, and whether or not it would spell harm for herself or everyone else? The risks were great, probably more than she was comfortable taking.

She thought it over for a few moments, before her face set into a determined expression. If it meant doing her part in the battle, then the risk was worth taking. If she was to have confidence in herself, she first needed to have trust in her conscience. No matter what happened, she had to believe she could never become an inhumane monster.

Breathing a sigh of determination, she raised the mask to her face. Before she could make it touch, it quickly stretched forward and attached itself to her skin with a will of its own. She cried out in surprise and tried to pull it off, but found it unwilling to move. She felt the power, both strange and intense course through her, running through her body with ferocity to rival that of a Heaven Seal.

The power proved to be too great for her, and she collapsed to the ground, her body convulsing while her panicked cries changed to soft moans.

Ryuk and Shulk watched the display with interest and horror, respectively, while Aza merely laughed as the puppet bounced up and down in an appropriate fashion.

“And I thought I was a sadist,” Ryuk remarked.

James walked briskly towards the colorful platform, holding his PPK in one hand while stashing all the spare clips in his coat pockets with the other. Thankfully, none of the creatures came rushing towards him, granting him a stealthy trip around one side of the platform. He pressed himself against the bricks, shuffled his way to the corner, and peered around to check the situation.

The pharaoh and Pit were both battling their own respective hordes a little ways ahead. Up on the platform, Palutena was aiding them with magic energy blasts or whatever she was using, while some giant, freaky hand hovered around doing nothing to help aid in the fight.

Even though he was very lightly armed in comparison to everyone else, James knew he needed to do his part to keep the horde away from Shulk, and to a lesser extent Ryuk and Thomas.

But especially that Florina girl.

James noticed a couple of stragglers around the creature cluster Pit was fighting. Taking aim, he fired three rounds into the nearest one’s head, felling it instantly. The sound seemed to attract the rest, as they began turning in James’ direction. He quickly ducked around the platform’s wall, then waited a few seconds before peeking back out to find them once again preoccupied with the others.

James fired a few more rounds into another creature’s head, then ducked behind the wall again. This repeated one more time, after which James had to reload his weapon. The next time he peeked out, however, saw him staring down a trio of creatures rushing towards him. He quickly ducked behind the wall again and waited for them to turn the corner, his gun poised and ready. They turned, and he pressed his finger against the trigger.

There was the sound of whistling wind, followed by a meaty squelch as something long and thin sailed into James’ view, impaling each of the creatures neatly like a kabob. James blinked, disbelieving. The object in question was a wooden spear attached to a small, metal chain, with purple and blue patterns running along the length, freshly stained red by the creatures’ blood. Adorning the length’s end was a pair of white feathers that were arranged into the shape of angel wings.

James turned to see who the culprit was, and was half-convinced he’d been knocked unconscious to be seeing what stood before him.

The figure standing before him had the same strange, light clothes Florina was wearing. They were the same height as Florina. Their long, wavy hair was the same shade of light purple as Florina, although now the front bangs obscured their eyes. Their face, however, was what gave him pause. Instead of a regular cream-colored skin tone, the figure’s face was grassy green.

James watched, wide-eyed and rooted where he stood, as the chain attached to the spear began retracting, quickly bringing the spear back into the figure’s waiting hand. They then began marching forward toward the platform.

“... Florina?” James whispered as she passed him.

She didn’t stop, instead continuing her march. James found himself able to move after another couple of seconds, and stepped around the wall to follow her.

He watched as Florina strode a little ways in front of the platform before stopping. The pharaoh and Pit’s respective hordes took no notice of her. She held up her winged spear, took aim, and threw it at the nearest couple of creatures. They were impaled much like their brethren before, their short squeals of agony before dying enough to attract the attention of a sizable cluster of creatures from both hordes. Florina retracted the spear again before storing the entire length and chain in her hair, as if a pocket of hammerspace was contained within.

All the creatures she’d roused grouped together into a third horde, and immediately charged straight at her.

Florina knelt down and grabbed a tuftful of grass in each hand. She lifted them up, and James’ eyes nearly bulged when a large, rectangular section of the ground in front of her came up as well. She flapped it like a blanket before setting it back down on the dirt. Each individual blade of grass appeared to stand up straighter once the ground was put back down.

It soon became apparent why. The first creature that stepped onto the affected section of ground cried in pain as its foot was pierced by a clump of grass like a bunch of knives. Every single following creature met the same fate, rushing momentum causing them all to pile atop each other, leaving the bottommost creatures to be further impaled onto more grass blades. They all squirmed in place, struggling to break themselves free from the grass while crying out in collective, pained agony. Eventually, the creatures all succumbed to their injuries, going silent as death fell upon them.

All the creatures that bypassed the affected ground continued their charge towards Florina. She stood her ground, hands at her sides and posture unflinching. James finally snapped himself out of his awe and levelled his gun at the approaching horde. Although, he could tell Florina was just waiting for the right time to strike.

His hunch was confirmed when, in yet another display of cartoonish physics, Florina pulled a — very medieval-looking — iron hammer that looked to weigh about twenty times her own weight right out of thin air. Immediately, a set of metal spikes jutted from one side of the hammer, neatly aligned and each sharpened to a fine point. James was surprised to feel a small amount of pity for the creatures swell up in his heart for what he knew was to follow.

Florina brought the hammer down on the first cluster of creatures with a giant thud and a spray of gore. Not an ounce of reaction showed in her features, largely a result of her altered face being obscured by her hair. The remaining creatures stopped in their tracks, apparently scared by the display of power they’d just witnessed. Florina took the opportunity for another shot, making another cluster of creatures disappear under her hammer.

Finally, the creatures seemed to realize they were outmatched, as they turned and began running away to join their brethren in fighting the rest of the group. The length of Florina’s hammer retracted into the head, and she brought it down into her waiting open palm. The head sprouted a pair of giant, white angelic wings, before fluttering away in a paradoxical display of gentleness. It trailed behind the retreating group of creatures, quickly catching up and stopping directly above them.

The section for the handle folded out, revealing a tiny black void. There was a low rumbling sound, before a long, thin spear with silver ornaments and angel wings shot from it in a blur of motion, impaling one of the creatures to the ground. It struggled for a bit before going limp. Another spear quickly descended, killing another creature before two more together followed. Then three more. Five. Ten.

Soon a veritable shower of spears was raining down on the horde, keeping speed with the creatures as they ran away in formation, covering enough space so as to not let a single one escape. Every single creature ended up getting impaled, some by multiple spears, each squealing in pain before going silent as death claimed them.

Its work done, the hammer head flew back to Florina, where she petted it like a dog before stashing it in her hair. She looked out over all the carnage she’d wrought, her gaze still hidden behind her hair. James found himself afraid to move, to make any sudden movements. The power Florina had just displayed was both incredible and horrifying. Never in a million years would he want to risk surprising her and get an accidental spear to the face.

Florina continued staring at the sea of bodies for a few more moments, before turning around and making her way back toward the platform and James. Now that they were facing each other, James found the nerve to meet her halfway.

“Color me impressed, Florina,” he said, disgusted with himself for how shaky it sounded.

Florina gave no verbal response, merely tilting her head up, her bangs parting so she could meet James’ gaze. He visibly recoiled at the pair of monstrous green eyes which stared at him. The timid little girl from before was nowhere to be seen in those eyes, replaced by a cold apathy that sent shivers down James’ spine.

James took a step back out of reflex, his brain telling him to put distance between him and the thing in front of him. The action prompted a small chuckle from Florina, the hollowness of it making James’ skin crawl. Florina then threw her head back and let loose a bout of maniacal laughter that, unfortunately, the surrounding sounds of battle failed to drown out.

James instinctively covered his ears, visibly trembling at the awful, soul-wrenching cackle, like she’d been possessed by a vile witch demon. Whatever happened to her, he knew it was the fault of that mask she’d been given. The noble voice in his head was shouting to tear it from her face, an action he was struggling to muster the courage to take. That mask was from another universe; whatever kinds of deadly protection powers it might have were an unknown to him. He wouldn’t have any way to defend himself should it retaliate if he attempted to remove it from Florina’s face.

He thought it over for a few seconds, ultimately deciding it was only fitting for him to die now, after having taken so many lives back home. He rushed forward and grabbed ahold of Florina’s face, interrupting her extended laughter.

“Florina! Get this damn thing off!” He gave an experimental tug on the mask, only for it to remain stubbornly attached to her face, stretching like elastic with wet, fleshy sounds. Everything about the mask’s power seemed like something out of an American animated cartoon, or a cheap comic book.

Florina cried out in pain, and tried to punch James in the face. He freed one hand to block it, then freed the other to deliver a light slap across her face, stunning her momentarily.

“There’s something wrong with that mask.” He grabbed ahold of the mask again and gave a harder tug, but to no effect. “Listen to me!”

Florina broke free of James’ hold, staggering back and rubbing the spots where he’d grabbed her. When she spoke, her voice was deep and menacing. “I… I…” Her gaze went down to her trembling hands. “I…” Suddenly, all the menace in her eyes retracted, replaced by a softness that seemed far more characteristic of the girl.

Her hands went behind her head. There was a flash of green light as the mask came off in her hands, it’s elastic properties on display as sections popped free of Florina’s skin one by one. The mask returned to its original shape, and Florina’s face returned to normal, her eyes wide and panicked. Her hands trembled fiercely, making it hard to keep a grip on the mask.

After a few seconds she shut her eyes tight. With a soft cry, she hurled the mask across the clearing, where it disappeared under Aza’s power before it managed to hit the ground. Florina’s entire body was shaking by now, a look of utter horror splashed across her face, as if she’d just been violated by some unspeakable evil.

James just stood in place, transfixed by Florina’s response to being free of the mask. Only after a few seconds did he remember the battle that was going on, and he rushed forward toward her.

“Come on, let’s get back to Thomas,” he said, reaching to take Florina’s hand.

Florina just kept shaking while muttering gibberish under her breath. James just tsked and grabbed her hand. Florina’s eyes bugged out for a second, before they closed and her entire body went limp. James caught her as she went down, lifting her up in his arms and pressing an ear against her mouth. She was still breathing, just unconscious.

James lifted her up and turned around back towards Thomas, being careful where he placed his hands on her. All around him, the battling started dying down. He’d had enough, though. The last thing he’d want to do is waste all his newly gained ammo. A reliable gut instinct told him he’d be needing it sometime down the line.

Thomas awoke to a scene of mass carnage. All across the clearing the once lush grass was stained red with blood, while the carcasses of countless creatures were littered about like a lot of scrap. He witnessed several members of the group, along with many new faces, taking down the last few remaining creatures. Many were red in the face and looking in need of a good rest. James had gone to help clear out the creatures as well, it seemed, and Thomas could feel someone resting in his cab. Ryuk confirmed his presence with a long, seemingly bored sigh from somewhere beside him.

Being unable to help had left Thomas with nothing better to do than sleep. The creatures couldn’t turn him into scrap, so he didn’t need to worry about being torn apart while asleep. Still, even now Thomas found himself wishing he could help out. Ever since his unwillful arrival, he’d felt quite useless. Without his driver and fireman, he couldn’t move and aid everyone. Even Samus and Pikachu couldn’t be expected to keep taking up the job in their absence, he knew. It all served to make Thomas very sad, but seeing everyone okay kept a spark of joy lit within him.

His gaze wandered around the clearing, looking at everyone in the group before settling on the most bizarre sight of them all. A massive, floating hand alongside Palutena atop a platform of colorful bricks. The entire thing was queer to behold for sure, but even so the hand on its own. It served to remind Thomas just how off the rails he currently was. It would be quite a story to tell the other engines upon returning home, but of course they’d just call him silly without believing him.

He must have been staring for too long at the hand, because it started floating down towards him. How it could know he was staring, Thomas had no earthly idea.

”I suppose I amuse you to some degree if you’ve been staring at me for so long,” it said upon reaching Thomas.

Thomas blinked, unsure how to respond. “... You are a bit queer,” he finally managed to say.

”Aren’t we all to each other?”

“... I suppose so.”

”Call me Master Hand.”

“Thomas.”

Master Hand floated a little closer, shifting his disembodied form from side to side, as if inspecting Thomas all over. Thomas felt strangely uncomfortable under such alien scrutiny.

”I assume you’re unable to fight given you’re just standing here?” Master Hand asked.

“I need my driver and fireman to move,” Thomas explained. His gaze turned downcast, and he sighed pathetically. “I would like to help, of course.”

A brief silence followed before Master Hand said, ”I believe I can make your wish come true.”

Thomas looked up at him, surprised. “Really? How so?”

Master Hand turned upside down, curling his fingers inward. Thomas watched with fascination as a multi-colored ball took shape in his hand. It was as queer as Master Hand himself, but equally beautiful. Its color continuously shifted across the entire rainbow spectrum, while a golden light surrounded the circumference. Most striking of all was the black cross that ran across the southwest corner.

”This is a Smash Ball. Contained within this ball is power. Power to tear armies asunder, level mountains, and fell the mightiest of titans!”

Thomas just stared.

”... Or, in your case, it will allow you full control over your… body, I suppose we could say.”

“Well, then I’ll be glad to take it!”

”Very well.”

Master Hand drew himself back, Smash Ball clutched firmly in his grip. Confused at first, Thomas’ eyes widened upon realizing what he was doing. “Wait, st–”

The ball impacted Thomas’ front buffers with a sound not too dissimilar to glass shattering. He had instinctively shut his eyes, but opened them again upon realizing he wasn’t hurt. Looking down, he was amazed to see his front end was enveloped in the same multi-colored glow as the Smash Ball. Golden wisps at the edges of his peripheral vision indicated the rest of him was glowing as well.

More surprising, however, was the sensation of power coursing through his internal components. It was a completely alien feeling, but it felt great! New awareness of all the levers and gauges inside his cab, and how they connected to all the gears, valves, and pipes inside him. A roaring fire crackled in his firebox, bursting with precious, steam-making energy.

Experimentally, Thomas tried pulling a random lever in his cab. To his amazement, it moved in accordance to his will. The realization that he could now move by his own willpower struck like lightning, and Thomas pulled the throttle lever down hard. His wheels began spinning, slow at first but quickly picking up speed. Smoke shot through his funnel, clouding the sky in a zip streak as he shot down the line.

It was the most incredible feeling he’d ever experienced. Receiving his own branch line was nothing compared to moving under his own power. That time he’d accidentally crashed through the stationmaster’s house had been a sharp reminder that he needed his driver and fireman for both his own and everyone else’s safety. All of that was forgotten under the current feeling of bliss bubbling up inside him, his long-buried conceitedness resurfacing as he reveled in this new sense of empowerment.

Eventually, he remembered why he’d sought to move under his own power, and came to a controlled stop nearby a couple of creature hordes battling the pharaoh and Pit. The two were holding their own against the monsters, but Thomas was determined to lighten their loads. A plan forming in his mind, he let off a great burst of steam, hoping to draw the creatures’ attention. It worked splendidly, as a large cluster turned to face him. The tops of their heads opened up for a purpose unknown to Thomas, before folding back down and the group charged at him.

Thomas quickly reversed down the line, feeling bothered by how slow his wheels were to start up in comparison with the creatures’ adept speed; he needed all the space he could get for a running start. The creatures followed him down the line, chasing him passed everyone else. A few creatures split off to fight them, but the majority kept chasing Thomas. Slowly but surely, he gained distance from the group, finally coming to a stop almost directly in front of the entrance to the mountain.

He threw the throttle lever hard forward. Again his wheels were slow to pick up speed, all while the creatures continued advancing towards him. But he quickly found himself careening down the line, his wheels pounding the rails with unnatural strength. Thomas revelled in the power flowing through his parts. He could easily pull a dozen Express trains with this much strength all by himself. Gordon would be so jealous!

Thomas’ thoughts returned to the present as he came within a few yards of the creatures. They were making no attempt to dodge out of the way, much to Thomas’ confusion and relief. Thomas’ buffers smashed into the first creature, sending vibrations all throughout his frame, while the creature was swept underneath where his undercarriage proceeded to squash it. The force of the impact made him violently rock from side to side, and for a moment Thomas was afraid he’d topple over, but thankfully managed to stay on the rails.

The following creatures were spared a similar fate as Thomas plowed through them, simply being flung through the air before landing with sickening, bone-crunching thuds on the ground. Whether they were killed by this or by Thomas slamming into them didn’t matter. They were dead, and Thomas felt proud to have helped out.

He made his way back to his original spot where Master Hand was waiting for him. Just as he stopped, the glow surrounding him faded away, and Thomas felt his connection to all the controls inside his cab disappear along with it. For a moment he was disappointed, but his buzz over having been useful quickly reasserted dominance

“Thank you very much for the opportunity to help,” Thomas told Master Hand with a smile.

”My pleasure, Thomas.”

Thomas then felt the person in his cab shift. There was a series of audible groans, before a retching sound accompanied the splash of something wet and chunky across the floor of his cab. Thomas’ initial confusion gave way to disgust when he realized what happened.

”Are you okay, Shulk?” Master Hand asked, shifting his attention to Thomas' side.

The person, Shulk, stumbled out of Thomas’ cab. Thomas felt him press a hand against his boiler while slowly making his way forward. “I’ll be fine once all the fighting is done and I’m back on Kyoshin,” he said between wheezing breaths.

”Well, that shouldn’t take much longer.”

“Good,” Shulk replied, coming into Thomas’ field of vision. He was red in the face and clearly exhausted, using a queer-looking red thing to prop himself up. “I can’t go on much longer at this rate…”

“Pardon me,” Thomas said, drawing Shulk’s attention. “When you’re feeling better, might you clean up the mess you made in my cab?”

Shulk just stared for a moment, deadpanned, before replying, “Yeah, sure.”

“Thank you.”

”It looks like the fighting's starting to wrap up.”

Author's Note

Note: I'm using the word 'queer' by its original definition, meaning 'strange' or 'odd'. The Railway Series used it under this definition, having originated in the 40s, hence why I'm doing the same with Thomas' dialogue.

A New World

The first thing that registered to Twilight upon waking was the cacophony of various noises going off all around her. Subdued at first, they grew louder and more blaring as she came out of the realm of unconsciousness. Bangs and explosions and people yelling enough to rattle her eardrums, making her fold her ears back while scrunching her face in irritation.

“Oh good, you’ve come to,” came her own voice.

Confusion briefly took hold of Twilight before memories surfaced. The Mirror Pool clones, the creatures, her shield, everyone fighting…

Her shield!

Twilight’s eyes snapped open and she sprung to her hooves. Immediately, she recoiled at the scene before her.

The clearing had been transformed into an all out battleground. Everything was a flurry of motion as everyone from the group — as well as many new faces — fought horn and hoof against the horde of monsters, using attacks ranging from simple to devastating, some comprehensible and some she couldn’t grasp the true form of at a glance. To her immense relief, the only carcasses she saw littering the ground were those of the creatures. But the sheer number of them, and all the blood and gore that was spilt as a result, made her cringe a little. Further compounding her discomfort was the heavy scent of death that hung in the air, assaulting her nostrils and making her eyes water slightly.

Her Mirror Pool clones had formed a protective circle around her, wither to wither with guarded stances. Every now and then a creature would come charging at them, only to be zapped into oblivion by a clone’s magic beam. One of them spared a glance back to Twilight.

“Are you okay?” she asked, before returning her gaze forward.

Twilight felt a wave of nausea wash over her, causing her to momentarily lose her balance. Shaking it off, she addressed her doppelganger. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Just a little woozy.” She cast her gaze over each of her clones, noting that none of them seemed to be experiencing fatigue like she was. “How about you all?”

“We’re all feeling okay,” another clone spoke up.

“Good,” Twilight replied with a nod. Whatever the cause for her fatigue, confusing as it was, it was fortunate that it didn’t affect her clones. Maybe because they were made of pure magic without any organic physiology? She cast the thought aside and turned her attention to the battle, which was starting to wind down as the last remaining creatures were being picked off.

Looking around, Twilight was surprised at the small number of new faces which had joined. She’d expected newcomers numbering in the triple digits from the way Aza had spoken before. Although, the possibility that there were still more people that went unnoticed by her clones was very much real. Her panic was very brief, however, quickly replaced by a trusting suspicion that Aza would give a hint to that being the truth if it was. It would just be up to her to recognize it.

She continued mulling to herself while idly watching everyone wipe out the horde. She had to admit, it was a little surprising how easily the newcomers were able to harmonize and cooperate with the group in fighting back. Some of them looked a little bit on the gruff side, strictly judging from their appearances. But thinking it over — as strong as the power of friendship was — she had to concede that the will to survive in the face of lethal adversity was even stronger. She could only be grateful that all of her and her friends’ enemies weren’t heartless, instinct-driven predators.

Eventually, the last creature met its demise, its shriek of agony cutting off to leave the clearing in total silence. Several moments passed while everyone caught their breath and relaxed their aching muscles, while Twilight’s clones relaxed their guarded stances and turned to face her, grim expressions splitting their muzzles. They didn’t need to be told what was about to happen to them.

“Thank you all for your help,” Twilight announced as she started charging magic into her horn. “And it’s the least I can do to refer to you all as ‘you’ rather than ‘me’.”

“It was my pleasure,” came their collective reply.

Twilight lowered her head, and from her horn a beam of lavender light shot forth, hitting a clone square in the chest and exploding it into a wisp of pure lavender magic which then shot off through the air back towards the Mirror Pool. She swept her head from side to side, cleanly disintegrating all her clones and sending them to their place of birth. She stood stock still for a few moments afterward, her brain a scrambled mess of emotions and thoughts. She sat down while rubbing her temples with her hooves, trying to relieve some lasting ache. Her ears swiveled in response to some approaching footsteps, but she didn’t bother turning to see who it was. Finally, her headache dissipated, and she let out an exasperated, but no less relieved sigh.

“Are you feeling okay?” came the pharaoh’s voice, accompanied by a hand gently clasping her withers.

Twilight sighed again and turned to face him. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just… a little disappointed I passed out, is all. At least everyone managed well without me.”

“What happened to make you pass out?” he asked.

Twilight placed a hoof under her chin in thought. As far as she knew, she had enough magical stamina that she should’ve been able to maintain the shield for far longer than she did. The only thing she knew that could cause such a sudden onslaught of magical fatigue would be a change in the volume of ambient magic in the surrounding atmosphere. It was such a rare occurrence back home, and only under incredibly slim circumstances that she dismissed the thought of it happening now by pure chance.

“I don’t know,” she replied. “But whatever it is, I think Aza’s to blame, albeit unintentionally. It must’ve pulled in something that’s taking away from the volume of magic in the air of Equestria. Something big.”

The pharaoh touched a hand to the Millennium Puzzle around his neck. “I'm feeling something strange with the Millenium Puzzle. What do you suppose it means?”

Twilight shook her head. “I have no idea.” She noticed in her peripheral vision everyone else was making their way over to Thomas. “C’mon,” she said. “Let’s go meet all the new faces.”

The pharaoh nodded, and they joined the rest of the nearly doubled group as they clustered in front of Thomas. To Twilight’s concern, everyone migrated into one of two groups on either side of the track. On the left was everyone who’d already been part of the group, while all the new faces gathered on the right side. She and the pharaoh stood directly across from Thomas on the tracks.

The silence that stretched between everyone was palpable. Looking at everyone, Twilight saw expressions ranging from fear to sheepishness to uncertainty across their faces. Not that that was a surprise. Having such a large crowd join the existing group was bound to cause some diffusion of responsibility between both parties. But before she could speak up herself, a gruff-looking man with a chainsaw attached to his arm and wearing tattered clothes did so.

“So, now what?”

Everyone turned their attention to him. A younger girl with brown hair and blue clothes spoke next. “Well, now would be a good time to introduce ourselves. After that, we need to organize ourselves into a cohesive force if we’re going to survive this predicament.”

Palutena nodded. “That’s a good idea. And with such a huge increase of people, it might be a good idea to have a designated leader from now on; someone with good tactical skills.” She was about to continue speaking, but Pit interrupted her.

“You’d be perfect, Lady Palutena!” he said in his characteristically cheerful tone. “You’re the one who put together that plan for taking down those shriekers, after all!”

Palutena blushed. “Well, sure, but–”

“Hold up a minute!” a red-suited man said, stepping forward and drawing everyone’s attention. He removed a gun from its holster and gave it a playful twirl around his finger. Twilight cringed, afraid it might accidentally go off; a sentiment shared by many others in the group, judging from their expressions. “Now, I appreciate a well thought out game of chess as much as the next guy, but there’s no need s’long as you’ve got an immortal badass merc with perfect aim.” He threw the gun up into the air, and with an almost flirtatious flourish perfectly twisted his hip so it landed back into its holster on the way down. “Just point me toward the foe and I’ll point my guns directly between their eyes. Whether or not they get a bullet depends on my ammo count. But that’s why I’ve got these babies!” He pulled out his twin katanas and struck a few over-exaggerated poses before sheathing them again.

“Did you already forget what happened literally just a few minutes ago?” another young girl with brown hair and black robes asked, annoyance clear in her tone. “If it hadn’t been for Charlotte and me, you’d have been eaten alive, Deadpool.” The first girl nodded her agreement.

The man, Deadpool, was about to reply when James spoke up next. “No matter how much of an expert marksman you are, there’s plenty of things that bullets can’t take down. And that’s me speaking from experience.”

Deadpool let out an exaggerated huff of annoyance. “Well, way to be ungrateful. Here I was willing to do all the work by myself because I’m such a nice person, always looking out for innocent lives, and then you all have to rain on my hero parade.”

“Yeah, no offense kid,” an older-looking, gray-haired man in fine attire said, “but I’m not putting my life into the hands of someone wearing clothing that stupid. Not that I would need to, anyway.”

“Hey, there’s a practical reason why I wear all red,” Deadpool said, a hint of rising anger in his tone. “It’s so bad guys don’t see me bleed. And you say my clothes are stupid!? Have you looked in a mirror lately? Unless your idea of a hot date is pummeling suckers into the ground, you’re never gonna get a girl with stained clothes.”

“I didn’t choose to wear this before getting pulled here!”

“Neither did I! But at least my outfit is appropriate for the situation, so I guess I’m more practical all-around.”

“More like crazy.”

Deadpool’s eyebrows dropped and he gripped one of his swords. Everyone’s expressions changed from indignance to shock at the action, while the older man just snorted with derision.

Twilight watched the entire exchange with a knot growing in the pit of her stomach. She was afraid this might happen once the fight was over, and if more people kept being added, that would only make it increasingly harder to keep the group harmonious with itself. And the last thing that would benefit their continued survival was infighting.

“Okay guys,” she said stepping forward. “Let’s all just calm down and–”

“I’m with Garp on this one,” the tattered-clothed man interrupted her. “In fact, we’re better off without a leader. We didn’t need one to put together that plan just now to take out all those monsters. Besides, we’d just end up throwing the idea out the window sooner or later.”

“I’m telling you!” Pit said. “Lady Palutena is the best for the job.”

Palutena put a hand on his shoulder. “Pit, please...”

“Clearly we’re not getting anywhere like this,” the black-robed girl said. “So let’s just vote on who the leader should be to make it fair.”

“A sound idea in theory,” James said, “except there’s a clear divide between you newcomers and us, I suppose we could say, veterans. That wouldn’t exactly be fair.”

“Well, we need to figure something out,” the blue-clothed girl, Charlotte, said, exasperation clear in her voice.

“Everyone, can we take things one step at a time–”

”If a leader is needed, I will gladly take up the position!” the giant floating hand boomed with gravitas. ”I may not look it, but my wisdom is vast and creativity infinite, not to mention my incredible power. We have no need to fear with me in charge.”

The tattered-clothed man snorted. “Like hell I’m gonna listen to what a giant talking hand has to say.” Twilight noticed the subtle flick of his eyes down towards his chainsaw arm. “Then again, I’d say that about anyone and everyone at this point.”

“So are you saying you want to lead this group?” Samus asked beneath her visor.

He snorted again. “I’d only end up getting you all killed.”

An indignant expression crossed the black-robed girl’s face. “And do you have any reason to oppose leadership other than being stubborn and close-minded?”

The man turned to regard her with a cold, hard stare full of apathy. “I’m being realistic, miss. And believe me, I need a healthy dose of that in my life after all the shit I’ve been through.”

Deadpool put his hands on his hips. “And how much shit would that be? And from what animal or animals? An elephant? A whale? Something big because you look like you’ve crawled through a whole lot of it and wrestled in it and–”

Everyone flinched when the man pulled out his shotgun and aimed it squarely at Deadpool’s face, making the red-suited man stop talking. “Enough.”

Deadpool just laughed and slapped his knee. “Go ahead and shoot, big boy. It ain’t gonna kill me.”

“It’d be worth it to blow off your head to get a few minutes reprieve from your shit.”

“You mean my absolute gem of a mouth?”

“Like topaz.”

“Topaz!? You little–”

“Wait!”

Twilight had her mouth open and ready to plead once more for everyone to stop bickering. She closed it, and joined everyone else in tracking their eyes toward the latest speaker: a youngish-looking boy with yellow skin and no chin. He wore a mask of determination, his facial features twisted into a picture-perfect example of clarity and confidence. Twilight’s heart skipped a beat as she realized everyone had stopped bickering, their full attention on the boy. She smiled, hopeful that he’d be able to talk some sense into them.

Seconds passed without the boy saying anything, while everyone continued staring expectantly at him. His features didn’t change even a little, his entire body rigid like a statue, frozen in its heroic stature. Twilight’s smile, at first bright and hopeful, fell a little more with each second of the boy’s bout of silence. Her ears flicked in response to some shuffling sounds from the group– no doubt their patience was beginning to wear thin.

Finally, the boy’s features tightened up a little and he raised his finger in the air. Twilight’s heart skipped another beat thinking he was about to say something profound, only for her enthusiasm to instantly deflate when his stare suddenly turned deadpanned.

“Wait, wait… yep, I lost it,” he said.

The resulting silence was almost deafening. For a moment, Twilight entertained the thought that everyone would be too dumbstruck by the boy’s odd behavior to continue bickering. Her hopes were quickly dashed, however, when Deadpool drew a deep, exasperated sigh.

“Kid, you’ve got problems.”

The robed girl narrowed her eyes. “Look who’s talking.”

“Oh, trying to out smartmouth me, are you little miss?” Deadpool retorted.

“I’m only speaking the truth.”

The tuxedo-wearing man, Garp, stepped forward. “I vote we bail on the leader plan. All in favor?” When no one raised their hands, he snorted. “Then I’ll volunteer to be the leader. All opposed?” Instantly, Deadpool shot a hand up into the air. “All in favor?” Various expressions of uncertainty crossed most everyone’s face, but no one raised a hand. “Seriously?”

“Who would want a leader dressed up like you are?” Deadpool snarked.

“You don’t have a leg to stand on.”

“Not that I need any, which is why I’m the perfect choice.”

“All that means is you’d need constant saving.”

“Never say I–”

Twilight’s heart sank as she watched the group devolve into bickering, shouting venomous insults at each other which all blended together, polluting the air with toxic noise. What little solace she felt came from the fact that a few members were silent, looking at the situation with expressions that showed how equally disheartened to the situation they were as she was, most of them part of the pre-existing group with only a few outliers, like the light purple-haired girl wearing a short dress and an armored breastplate.

Twilight turned to the pharaoh; his expression was more frustrated than upset. “What do we do?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I don’t know what we can do other than use our magic to force them to listen.” He turned to her, and his expression turned greatly hesitant. “I’m sure we’d rather not resort to that.”

Twilight nodded. “Right.” She turned back to the squabbling group. Thinking about it some, she decided she was grateful things weren’t turning violent. “But I’ll be honest, I’m not sure how else we can harmonize such a massive group like this.”

“Me neither.”

Twilight’s attention was then drawn to one of the new members of the group; a young, blonde-haired human boy with strange clothing and holding an equally strange-looking red sword in his hand. He had been leaning against Thomas throughout the group’s previous exchange, but now he was kneeling down on the grass. Looking closely, Twilight saw him breathing heavily, his face red as a tomato.

With a flash, she teleported herself next to the boy, an unusual bout of post-teleportation nausea washing over her coming out of it. Shaking herself free of it, she leaned over to meet the boy’s eyes. “Hey, are you okay?” she asked.

The boy breathed a few more times before lifting his head to meet her gaze, forcing a half smile. “I’ve been better,” he answered in a soft, tired voice.

“What’s wrong?” Twilight asked as her ears swiveled in response to footsteps approaching from behind— likely the pharaoh coming to join her.

The boy heaved a great sigh before talking, pausing to catch his breath between words. “You’re the original Twilight Sparkle, aren’t you? Your clone told me about what’s happening, why I’m here. From what I understand, this world operates under a completely different set of physics than the one I come from. In my world, a substance called ether is the building block of life. A lack of ether in the surrounding environment causes me ether deficiency, which is why I’m so weak.”

“Are you at risk of dying?” the pharaoh asked from behind Twilight, a question she herself agreed with. Her eyes went wide with horror over the boy’s well-being, but she relaxed when he shook his head.

“I thought so too at first, but I haven’t been getting any worse since that battle just now first started. It means there must be a source of ether somewhere in this world that’s sustaining me.”

It took a few seconds, but realization hit Twilight like a train. Her own magical fatigue had to have been caused by the addition of something big draining away magic from Equestria. That something could very easily have been the boy’s home, which would also explain why he wasn’t dying.

The pharaoh knelt down next to her, looking with concern down at the boy. “What’s your name?” he asked.

The boy smiled. “Shulk. Pleased to meet you.”

“Well, Shulk, I guessing we only need to get you to the source of this ‘ether’ in order to make you better, correct?”

Shulk nodded. “Aza said it’d only bring us there after the battle was won, but it hasn’t yet.”

“I think I know why,” Twilight said. She turned around and stared at the still bickering horde behind them. She had no doubt about it— Aza was too busy enjoying the group’s disharmony to keep its promise. To that end, she needed to get them to cut it out. “Pharaoh, I think we have no choice but to resort to magic to get them to stop.”

She didn’t bother waiting for an answer. Her horn lit in her lavender aura as she specifically extended her magic to the people who were arguing. Their bodies were enveloped with her magic, and she exerted her telekinetic control over each of them simultaneously. Their bickering cries were abruptly cut short as she forced all their limbs to snap to their sides and their bodies to rise a couple of feet in the air. The looks of confusion mixed with terror plastered across their faces had little effect on her. Maybe because she hadn’t really gotten to know them yet, or maybe because she’d finally grown too fed up with everything that’d happened since Aza’s game started that she no longer cared about her self-image. The looks of shock everyone else was giving her managed to strike a little truer. She weathered their silent criticism and stepped up to the group, turning everyone in her magic grip around so they could face her.

With a deep, exasperated sigh, she began talking. “I’m going to be upfront and say all this bickering needs to stop. For everyone’s sake.” She turned to regard everyone with a hard stare that she hoped would communicate the severity of her words. “I, as well as everybody else who’d already been here, managed to survive as long as we did without needing a designated leader. Now, clearly with more people, that’s less likely to work, but bickering like bratty foals isn’t going to solve the issue. Instead, we’re going to act like responsible people and discuss the issue with civility, but only after we’ve made Shulk better. Am I clear?” She regarded them all with another hard stare.

No one verbalized any kind of response, but half of the people in her grip gave slow nods of acceptance. That was good enough for her, so she gently set them all down on the ground and cut off her telekinesis. Their faces held sheepish expressions for a few long moments after the fact, no doubt feeling uncomfortable after having been marehandled by a complete alien being. Knowing this, Twilight patiently waited for the silence to stop and for everyone to start making up.

Finally, Charlotte broke the silence with a simple, “She’s right.”

Everyone else nodded their agreement, although Deadpool’s was clearly more than a little begrudging.

“I also agree with Garp,” Palutena said, stepping forward. “We don’t need to worry about who’s going to lead this group for the time being. We wouldn’t know who’s best to be leader until we’ve all gotten to know each other better.” She smiled at everyone. “Does that sit well with everyone?”

Another round of nods from everyone.

”Well, that was certainly diffused sooner than I had hoped,” Aza said, its puppet materializing in the air above everyone’s heads.

“You!” Garp shouted with unrestrained rage clear in his tone. “Send us all back home right now!”

Aza’s puppet turned down towards him. “Or what?”

Garp responded simply by cracking his knuckles, to which Aza just laughed sardonically. ”I hate to break it to you, but that’s just my puppet. I’m an intangible entity, one that doesn’t feel pain on any level. You’d just be wasting your time.”

“I’m willing to try anyway,” Garp replied in a low growl.

”Bring it on, old man.”

“Enough!” Twilight cried, drawing everyone’s attention. She turned her gaze to Aza’s puppet. “Aza, you promised to bring us all to Shulk’s home after the battle was over. So do so, please.”

“Yes, please,” she heard Shulk say behind her, voice still tired, yet polite.

”Fine then. Everybody ready?”

“Why wouldn’t we be?” Ash asked in a dry tone. “It’s not like we have anything left to wrap up here because a certain something dragged us from our homes with nothing but the clothes on our backs and whatever we happened to be carrying.”

”... Fair enough.”

The world around everyone began changing. The trees and train tracks faded away, while the grass beneath them widened to cover a larger area and the distant mountains of the Canterhorn vanished from view, while the beautiful blue sky dipped down to eye level and wrapping around everyone’s view.

A gentle breeze immediately brushed against Twilight’s face, blowing through her mane and sending a pleasant chill down her spine. Her pleasure only lasted a few seconds before a sudden wave of dizziness washed over her, making her sway on her hooves a bit before she managed to right herself.

The volume of magic in the air had dropped considerably as a result of the transition from Equestria to Shulk’s home. She’d been fully expecting it, but still found herself underprepared for the drop of magic in the surrounding atmosphere. What that could mean in regards to her ability to fight down the line, she couldn’t say. Almost instinctively, her hoof went up to touch the Element of Magic perched upon her head. She could draw upon its power if she needed to, but…

“Wow, where are we?”

Twilight was brought out of her musings by the question. Bringing her hoof back down, she began to fully take in the new scenery around her.

The group was situated in a grassy field, with sections of wooden fencing lining the edge directly in front of her. The blue sky beyond at first indicated the ground beneath the group was on an incline, only for Twilight to quickly realize that she was standing even level, which meant they were really, really high up. Turning her head around revealed a small plateau with a tunnel entrance carved into its rocky side. Stretching high above in the distance were tall cliffs covered atop with foliage.

The rest of the group finished getting their bearings before everyone crowded together around Thomas, who was looking particularly dismayed. Likely the result of losing his rails, Twilight figured. To her relief, Shulk was already looking much better than he’d been before, given how much more energetic he seemed to be, as well as the bright, determined smile he wore.

“Looks like you’re feeling much better now,” she vocalized her observation to Shulk.

Shulk nodded and rolled his free arm. “Yeah, now I can help out.”

“So, this is your home?” Palutena asked.

Shulk nodded again. “It actually rests on an ancient, dead titan called the Kyoshin.” He gestured with his sword towards the cave entrance. “Going through that cave will take you to Colony 9, my hometown, which rests at the Kyoshin's heel. This–” he gestured around them, “–is the kneecap.”

Upon processing that information, Twilight’s eyes widened, as did most everyone else’s in the group. “Wait, so you’re saying you actually live on another living being?” Pit asked, voice filled with awe.

“Well, only its corpse, but yeah...” Shulk rubbed his head a little, his expression turning a little sheepish. “I guess none of you can relate, then?”

“That is super weird and almost capable of an innuendo,” Deadpool said.

“It certainly sounds like your world has an interesting history to it,” Charlotte said, and Hermione nodded her agreement.

“And what about that– sword, is it?” James asked.

Shulk held his sword in both hands, tilting it sideways so everyone could look at it clearly. “This is the Monado,” he started, before a deep, contemplative look crossed his face. It was a look that Twilight recognized from second-hoof accounts of her friends. Whenever she was trying to solve a puzzle, or put together a plan, she’d been told her face would turn exactly like Shulk’s currently was. This ‘Monado’ must’ve been quite a mystery to him, one he was very determined to solve. “There’s a legend that says it was once wielded by the Kyoshin itself in opposition to another ancient titan called the Kishin.” He turned around and gestured toward the expanse of sky beyond the field. “Normally, you’d be able to see the Kishin from here through the atmosphere, but it seems it wasn’t brought here. Both it and the Kyoshin fought and eventually died, which was how our worlds came to be.” He once more looked down at the Monado contemplatively. “There’s a race of creatures called Kishinhei, born from the Kishin, that have been attacking my home for as long as can be remembered. This sword is the only thing that can effectively fight them, and I’ve devoted myself to wiping them all out for what they’ve done to me and my loved ones.” He gripped the Monado tightly, his knuckles turning white while his face became a pained grimace.

Twilight caught the hidden meaning in the subtle action; Shulk wanted revenge. Aside from everything he’d just recounted about his world, which was certainly fascinating and made her want to learn more, Twilight could see a sense of hurt in Shulk’s eyes that she’d only been privy to a few times in her life. It was the look of someone who’d suffered a terrible tragedy and was letting the resulting anguish dictate their actions. Twilight knew that was unhealthy, but far be it from her to pretend she understood the full extent of Shulk's pain. The most she could do was lend a sympathetic ear… and potentially be a good friend.

Which shouldn’t be too hard; everything she’d learned about his home was utterly fascinating, and in no alternate universe would Twilight leave her curiosity out to starve.

“Well,” Palutena spoke up, “your world sounds very interesting, Shulk.”

Shulk smiled. “Thanks.” He looked around at everyone. “So, I guess now’s where we all introduce ourselves?”

Twilight nodded. “Right.” She set her launches down on the grass, relishing in its cool touch, and beckoning everyone to do the same. “I’m sure we’re all very excited to learn all about each other's worlds, aren’t we?”

There were various responses of half-murmured agreements or grunts of neutrality, and everyone formed a neat circle on the ground. The introductions started, and as they went on, a growing sense of relief and hope coursed through Twilight. The group was coming together in harmony, which was good for their ability to fight effectively. And the bigger the group, the stronger they’d all be in dealing with whatever threats Aza threw at them.

A gentle breeze blew across the plains, its existence only possible thanks to the passage of time which allowed the climate of Kyoshin to flourish and change. It blew from some cliffs near the northwestern edge of the thigh, sailing across the landscape, whistling through a deep valley of rock, eventually making its way towards a steel bridge stretching across a lake with tall, flattened rock formations jutting from the water, themselves connected by a series of smaller, less sturdy rope bridges. The wind swept across the ground, only to find itself blocked by a massive wall before it could meet the lakeside, forcing the cool air to accumulate against the large, scaly object.

Its eyes snapped open.

Scaly arms — short, muscular, and charcoal black — slammed the ground, kicking up a spray of dirt and rocks. A grunt of exertion escaped from the creature’s mouth as it hoisted itself up. It dug its legs into the ground, finding good purchase in the sturdy soil around it. Slowly, but surely, it lifted itself off the ground and upright, using its spiked tail for added balance. It took a moment to reorient itself before taking stock of its surroundings.

The daikaiju, despite its immense size, was surprised to find itself dwarfed by the canyon walls on either side of the lush fields it stood upon. It had seen mountains before, but the confined space of the valley made it feel small in comparison. It was an unfamiliar feeling, one that the daikaiju did not like.

A flash of remembrance struck. It recalled finding itself in unfamiliar territory, without any sign of life, before it found itself facing off against one of the little humans which had somehow grown to match its own size. It had been grabbed by the tail, then swung around repeatedly before being flung through the air and everything went dark.

The daikaiju took another look at its surroundings, noticing an unnaturally made bridge in front of it. A look behind revealed nothing of interest, so it decided to venture forward to see what it would find. Above all else, it wanted to fight the titanic human again, to prove itself as the greatest force to ever exist.

It took a single step onto the bridge. Immediately, it heard faint, crunching sounds on the edge of its hearing. Quickly it drew back its foot, watching as the bridge’s framework snapped, making the entire thing slide a few meters down out of place. The daikaiju took no notice of the destruction it caused, instead searching for another path to the other side of the lake. It spied a path to its right, leading down to some lush, green fields. It took off in that direction, each lumbering step shaking the earth and causing loose rocks to fall from the surrounding cliffs.

Nothing would stop it. It would always reign supreme.

All of her worries had evaporated, and a wide, satisfied smile split Twilight’s muzzle as she looked over the clearing from beside Thomas. The blue engine had dozed off again, mumbling gibberish that she could only assume correlated with his job back home. Soft scrubbing sounds emanated from his cab, along with faint whisperings of ‘’This is disgusting’” and “I’m sorry, Thomas.”

The introductions had finished; everyone knew who everyone else was. Now, the group was spread over the field, socializing with each other in small groups. Hermione, Charlotte, Palutena and Pit were showing off and studying their differing magics. Deadpool seemed to be having a conversation with Pikachu and Kirby, although Twilight could only speculate how involved the latter two actually were. Samus was showing off various functions of her suit to Master Hand, while Ash and Garp watched with mixed fascination and glee in their eyes. Ed was staring at the creature still trapped in Palutena’s cage, wide-eyed with reverence and, to Twilight’s slight disgust, some drool hanging down his mouth. The pharaoh, Ryuk, and James were trying to console a visibly shaken Florina; given what she’d apparently done back during the battle with the shriekers, with how timid and shy the girl was, it was only natural for her to be so spooked— Twilight had to smile at how much Florina reminded her of Fluttershy, thinking that they’d probably make fast friends if they ever met.

It was what she liked to see— people befriending each other, learning about one another and, in this case, coming together as a cohesive force capable of toppling the greatest of foes. Whatever Aza had planned next for them, no doubt it would be bigger and more challenging than anything thus far, so they would need to become bigger and stronger to match.

“Alright, I’m done,” Shulk’s voice came from behind her.

Twilight turned to see Shulk stepping out of Thomas’ cab, his Monado in one hand and a soot-stained cloth in the other, the latter newly-coated orange with Shulk’s barf. He chucked the cloth back into Thomas’ cab and joined Twilight in staring out at everyone. They stayed like that for a few minutes, before Shulk spoke up.

“Hey, Twilight, can I ask you something?”

She turned to him with a smile. “Sure, Shulk, what is it?”

Shulk’s eyes tracked up to the Element of Magic resting on her head. “You said that thing grants you increased power, even when it’s not combined with the rest of these ‘Elements of Harmony’. But you haven’t used it the whole time you’ve been here even once? And why would Aza let you all keep them if they’re that powerful?”

Twilight’s smile fell a little and she turned her gaze downward. When it had been her turn to introduce herself to all the newcomers, she’d told them all about the Elements of Harmony, how powerful they were, and everything about why and how some of them were wearing these alternate versions. She’d told the newcomers that they either hadn’t needed the Elements so far or couldn’t have used them, but Shulk had seemingly seen through her half-truth. With how similarly logically-minded he was to her, she realized she shouldn’t have expected anything less.

With a sigh, she replied. “It’s a little complicated. To put it simply, I heard something from someone that’s made me uneasy about using them.”

A short silence followed while Twilight ruminated to herself. Everything had been going so well for the group for so long, that she’d actually managed to forget the Elements were readily available to them for half the time. Even seeing them wrapped around people’s necks, she could forget they were there with how well they’d faded from her subconscious.

But, she realized, that couldn’t last forever. If the conflicts Aza generated for the group kept escalating like they’d been for a while, at some point they’d likely need the full power of the Elements in order to safely overcome it. What that might entail for her and the rest of the bearers, she couldn’t even begin to guess.

“And you don’t really know how they work?” Shulk asked, pulling Twilight from her thoughts. “You never really sat down and tried to study the Elements in a scientific manner?”

Twilight returned her gaze to him. “Most of the time the Elements are with Princess Celestia. Recently back home, she did put them under my care, but even if it’d ever crossed my mind to figure out how exactly they work, I haven’t really had the time to do so.”

Shulk sat down on the grass, holding the Monado out in front of him and once again gazing contemplatively at it. “I’ve dedicated my life to studying this thing, hoping to uncover its secrets. I’ve had it safely secure in my lab for over a year, trying to figure out all the secrets it holds.” He trailed off, and an amused smile crossed his face. “It’s funny, though– since I set out for revenge against the Kishinhei, I’ve actually learned more about the Monado than I ever managed to uncover studying it through more traditional means.”

Twilight cracked a smile to match Shulk’s own. “I guess field experience is the best method, after all.”

Shulk laughed. “Yeah, maybe.”

Twilight put a hoof to her mouth to stifle a giggle, before she gave the Monado a studious gaze. “So, you can see visions of the future with that thing?”

Shulk nodded. “Yeah, but I never had any on Equestrian soil. Now that we’re on Kyoshin, I might start having them again.” He absentmindedly ran his fingers along the sword’s length, lost in his thoughts. “I still don’t know why I have them, but I hope I figure it out someday.” He smiled and turned to Twilight. “In the meantime, I’ll use them to help protect everyone in the group, just like I do with my friends back home.”

“Glad to hear that,” Twilight said with a nod. “And you can count on everyone else to do their part as well.”

“Glad to hear that,” Shulk mimicked. “But I take it you’re still hesitant about using the Elements?”

Once again, Twilight’s eyes tracked up to the tiara resting on her head, her features turning uncertain. “I… I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe.”

“I understand why you don’t want to,” Shulk continued. “Truthfully, I’m just curious to see it in action. From the descriptions you gave, I’d love to study it for myself.”

Twilight smirked. “Aside from the rainbow, all it does is engulf everything in a blinding white light. I don’t know what you plan to study in that.”

Shulk laughed. “I’d find something, don’t worry.”

The two fell into silence after that, continuing to watch everyone intermingle. After a while, Twilight stopped paying attention and retreated into her innermost thoughts, where she contemplated her stance regarding using the Elements.

Thinking it over some, she started to wonder if maybe she was being unjustly paranoid. The source of her anxiety was but a single quote written by an alternate version of herself, and an incredibly vague one at that. The Elements were powerful beyond measure, capable of returning harmony to a chaos-ridden world, or purging the inner darkness from a tortured soul. What else they could do was an unknown to her, but her alternate universe counterpart seemed to believe that the Elements themselves were a threat, not the people that could wield them. That implied the Elements had some degree of sapience to them, but nothing she knew about them indicated as such. Of course, that could all change if she actually did take the time to study them in greater detail.

Twilight was brought out of her musings by Shulk tapping on her withers. Turning to look up at him, she followed his gaze across the field to Palutena’s cage which still held the green aquatic creature. The cage was violently rocking from side to side, and Twilight could hear strange, clearly agonized cries emanating from it. Ed’s expression of awe had changed to panic, and he’d put a fair bit more distance between himself and the cage. Looking around at the group, she saw that everyone else had noticed.

“Ed! What’s happening to the creature!?” Twilight called. “Is it hurt!?”

Ed didn’t respond, seeming not to hear her as he continued staring wide-eyed with panic at the creature, his legs even trembling.

With an exasperated sigh, Twilight galloped over to the cage. She heard Shulk following right behind her, and everyone else in the group, minus Thomas, rushed over as well. Twilight made it to the cage first, and what she saw inside almost made her trip over her own hooves onto the ground.

The creature, once only as tall as an average adult human and could easily fit in Palutena’s cage, was now pressed firmly against the bars, portions of scaly flesh squeezing between the bars. Its body had grown almost triple in size, and now it was struggling to breathe if the low, rasping noises coming from its mouth were anything to go by.

A chorus of footsteps heralded the rest of the group’s arrival, and Twilight heard a few shocked gasps from behind her. Turning around, she quickly spotted Palutena in the crowd.

“You need to release it, quickly!” she shouted.

Palutena only mirrored everyone else in the group, staring at the creature with a mixed expression of shock and horror.

“Palutena!”

She snapped from her trance with a shake of her head. “Uh, right, of course!”

Palutena’s staff appeared in midair in a shimmering light display and she grabbed it. With a simple wave, the cage dissolved in a show of brilliant, golden energy, and the creature collapsed onto the ground.

Indeed, Twilight realized, the creature had grown significantly since she’d last paid attention to it. Its body was now roughly four meters tall, based on her estimates from its current crouching position. Its low rasping sounds were replaced with a sound she could only assume signified relief, judging by how low and subdued it was, combined with its now soft, regular breathing. For only a brief moment, she wondered how it’d grown so massive, but the sight of a familiar, upturned tin can on the ground next to it told her exactly what had happened.

“It ate all the Monster Blood,” she said, loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Wait, you mean that stuff you said turns anyone who eats some giant?” Charlotte asked.

“I can’t believe we forgot about that stuff,” Samus said.

“But why isn’t this thing much bigger?” James asked. “When I used it, I grew titan-sized in no time at all.”

“Maybe this thing’s biology isn’t adapting to it as fast,” Shulk suggested.

Deadpool stepped through the crowd and stalked towards the creature. “I don’t know why you’re all so worried. Bigger don’t mean better, after all.” He strode up to within a few feet of the creature and reached a hand out to stroke its face. “Hey now, Willy, let’s be friends, alright? We’ll get along really well, you and I. Just because you’re bigger now doesn’t mean you–”

Deadpool was cut off by the creature’s hand reaching out and wrapping around his neck, eliciting a choked gasp from the mercenary. Everyone watched, horrified, as the creature then proceeded to slam Deadpool repeatedly onto the ground, screams of anger from the creature mixing with the gory sounds of Deadpool’s internal organs and bones being crushed and squashed like a sack of potatoes. After what had to be at least three dozen slams, the creature finally seemed to calm down, lifting Deadpool’s mangled body up to his eye level.

“Okay, I should’ve seen that coming,” the mercenary wheezed out.

The creature then dropped Deadpool onto the ground, before sweeping its gaze across the petrified crowd. Its eyes locked past Twilight, and, despite the lack of a clearly defined facial expression, she felt waves of unrestrained rage rolling off of it. Turning around, she understood why; the slightly furrowed look of Palutena’s face indicated she also knew exactly what was on the creature’s mind.

Pit rushed in front of Palutena. In a flash, he split his bow into its two-bladed halves, taking a battle stance and glaring defiantly up at the creature. “We can take this thing down, no problem!”

“Agreed,” Charlotte said, holding up her spellbook.

Garp cracked his knuckles. “No way I’m gonna let this thing get the better of me.”

Soon, everyone was primed for combat, quickly forming a phalanx in front of the creature, who only continued glaring icy daggers at Palutena. The air was thick with tension as both sides stood stock still, waiting for their opposition to make the first move.

All that tension was instantly diffused when the ground shook, causing several people, including the creature, to lose their balance and fall onto the ground. Twilight stood her ground at first, only for a second tremor to send her toppling over. Tremor after tremor shot through the ground, eventually toppling everyone who managed to stay upright at first, and effectively preventing them from getting back up as the tremors steadily grew in strength.

“What the hell is happening!?” she heard Ash call.

As if in response to his question, a giant white hand appeared over the edge of the cliff facing into the endless blue sky. It came down and gripped the edge, before a second hand appeared and followed suit. Everyone’s attention quickly shifted from the creature to the new arrival, just in time to see a very familiar head decked in sailor garb with a hole in its face peek over the edge.

“It’s Stay Puft!” Twilight called.

“Wait, that’s the thing you all were going on about!?” Garp asked, his face twisting into an expression of doubt. “It doesn’t look so bad.”

“It’s no big deal!” Pit said as the gargantuan marshmallow man hoisted itself up and over the edge. He brought his blades in front of him, reforming his combat stance. “We took it out before, and we can do it again!”

“Hold on, Pit!” Palutena said, clasping a hand onto the angel’s shoulder. “We don’t have as much space to fight it here as before. It’d be too dangerous to fight here where someone could get thrown over the edge of the cliff.”

“She’s right,” the pharaoh said as Stay Puft stood up on one leg. “We’re better off regrouping somewhere safe before we decide whether we need to worry about Stay Puft.”

“Hold on,” Ash spoke up, turning towards Master Hand. “You’re a demigod, aren’t you? Why don’t you tear through that thing with your power?”

Master Hand’s body seemed to deflate a little in response, before he said, ”I… would rather run away.”

“Uh, guys,” Samus said, panic starting to grip her voice. “We’d better get a move on. Right now.”

Everyone’s attention instinctively shifted back to Stay Puft. The mammoth marshmallow stood at its full height, looking down on the group with unbridled rage burning clear in its single remaining good eye. More specifically, it looked down at Pit and Samus, no doubt wanting vengeance on the two for their combined parts in the previous fight against it. Neither looked particularly daunted by Stay Puft’s cold, murderous gaze, however, remaining cool and stoic as they, along with everyone else, waited for Stay Puft to make a move.

An ear-piercing wail broke through the clearing. Everyone, including Stay Puft, turned to see the creature charging towards the titan with surprising speed. Once it was within a few yards of Stay Puft, it leapt through the air with its arm outstretched, aiming at Stay Puft’s thigh.

It struck true, its webbed hand sinking into the marshmallow texture of Stay Puft’s body without a sound. Stay Puft remained unflinching, however, the attack seemingly doing nothing to faze or injure it whatsoever. The creature seemed to realize this, as it tried to pull out its arm, only for the sticky texture of Stay Puft’s marshmallow body to refuse to let go.

“Okay, now’s our chance; we need to get out of here,” Twilight said, drawing everyone’s attention back to her. In her eye’s corner, she saw Stay Puft rip the creature from its leg and proceed to examine it with casual curiosity, all while it struggled to break free. It couldn’t last, she knew. “Shulk,” she continued, turning to him, “is there anywhere we can go that’s safe?”

Shulk closed his eyes for a moment, deep in thought. “Well, we’d be safest if we retreated into Tephra Cave.” He nodded his head toward the cave entrance in the nearby rock face. “But, even if we can move Thomas, there’s no way we could fit him through there. We could make a break for Gaur Plains, but we’d be at risk of being followed, and we’d still potentially be unable to bring along Thomas.”

Everyone turned to the blue tank engine who, despite everything that had transpired in the past few minutes, was still peacefully sleeping with a wide smile on his face.

”Let me help you with that.”

Thomas quickly vanished before everyone’s eyes, before Aza’s puppet appeared in his place.

”The deed is done,” it said simply.

Stay Puft stopped its examination of the creature and dropped it to the ground. The creature didn’t have any time to react or get up before Stay Puft kicked it forward, sending it careening into the rock face with a sickening crunch, paralyzing it for a moment before it limply fell over onto the ground.

“Yeah, we’d better get out of here,” James said, urgency rising in his voice.

Pikachu nodded. “Pika-pi!”

“Eh, this is getting kinda boring anyway,” Ryuk said.

As one, the group bolted for the entrance to Tephra Cave, with Twilight and Shulk in the lead.

“Wait!” Twilight suddenly called while coming to a sudden halt.

Everyone stopped and turned their attention to her. “W-What is it?” Florina asked.

Twilight stayed silent for a long moment, the gears of contemplation turning in her brain. When she came out of her thoughts, she turned to Shulk. “You said this ‘Gaur Plains’ is up ahead over the rock face?”

Shulk nodded. “Yeah, but why do you ask?”

Twilight turned to address the rest of the crowd. “That’s where Thomas is, I’m positive.”

“Wait, what makes you so sure?” Hermione asked.

“Yeah, we’d be ten times safer in that cave!” Ash said.

Twilight opened her mouth to reply, but another tremor shook the ground beneath them. Turning around, the group saw Stay Puft once again looking down on them with a predatory gaze unmarred by its mangled marshmallow eye socket.

“No time to explain!” Twilight cried, and lit her horn.

In a flash, the entire group disappeared off the field, quickly reappearing about five feet above the plateau behind them. Everyone but Master Hand and Ryuk fell hard onto the ground, minor cries of agony coming from everyone who landed on a body joint or more. Quickly everyone got up and composed themselves.

“What the hell was that for!?” Garp yelled.

Twilight shook her head. “Sorry. Sorry. I didn’t mean to teleport us into midair. The ‘ether’ of Kyoshin must be messing up my magic.”

“Why did you even do it in the first place!?” Ash asked.

“Call it a hunch,” she replied simply.

Before anyone could press her further, Stay Puft took notice of the group’s new position and took a giant, lumbering step forward, quaking the ground and very nearly toppling everyone over again.

“We don’t have time for this!” the pharaoh shouted. “Everyone, run!”

The group was all too happy to oblige. As one, they bolted away from Stay Puft. Cutting through the plateau was a dirt path leading into a great canyon. They followed the path, managing to turn a bend into the canyon just as Stay Puft stepped up onto the plateau.

Dairanto Kaiju 2

The group exited the canyon to a sight that normally would’ve been awe-inspiring. An ocean of lush green grass extended well into the distance, broken up by the occasional rolling hill hollowed out to form an arch. Tall cliffs surrounded the plains on all sides, rock formations jutting out to form overhanging arches high above in the distance. Beyond the plains was the beginning of a thin forest. In the middle of the plains was a stone post, likely to serve as a distinguishable landmark amongst the more generic natural landscape.

No one in the group paid any attention to the scenery, stopping together beyond the canyon entrance to momentarily catch their breaths before Twilight spoke up.

“Does anybody see Thomas anywhere!?”

Everyone’s eyes tracked across the plains, searching for a spot of blue amongst the sea of green.

”Over there!” Master Hand said, pointing to the right.

Everyone tracked their eyes to where he was pointing. Sure enough, they spotted a speck of blue set against the rightmost cliff, just beyond an arched hill. They wasted no time in sprinting across the grass towards the tank engine, just as they heard Stay Puft traversing the canyon behind them. To their collective relief, the group managed to reach Thomas just as Stay Puft emerged onto the plains, oblivious to their current position. The blue engine was still fast asleep, blissfully ignorant of its repositioning.

Once again the group momentarily paused to catch their breath, after which Shulk asked Twilight, “How did you know Thomas would be here?”

A furrowed look crossed Twilight’s face. “Let’s just say I’ve caught on to Aza’s patterns of behavior.”

”Took you long enough,” Aza said as its puppet materialized in front of everyone.

“Fuck you,” Ash said.

”Gee, language much?”

“Don’t care.”

Pit stepped forward. “So why are we here, Aza?” he asked, gripping his blade tightly.

”You’ll see in a few seconds.”

Sure enough, a new set of tremors were soon to join the ones generated by Stay Puft’s gargantuan footsteps. Everyone in the group, as well as Stay Puft himself, turned to watch as a new figure emerged above the treeline beyond the plains, one which was very familiar to about half of the group.

Gojira plowed through the trees like they were toothpicks, toppling them and snapping the ones he stepped on like twigs. He strode forward almost mechanically, his face unchanging and unobservant of his surroundings. That is until he took notice of Stay Puft standing on the opposite end of the plains, at which point he stopped, locking gazes with the other titan.

The group watched as the two titans just stood there, their stares like knives cutting the air between them like soft butter and filling it with a heavy tension fit for the gargantuan beings. A gust of wind blew across the plains, whistling ominously through the grass as if by divine order to build up the inevitable clash between Stay Puft and Gojira.

Gojira broke the silence with an ear-piercing roar, before launching himself forward, each step creating a mini earthquake. Stay Puft held up his hands, shifting his body to prepare for the tackle. Gojira struck with the full brunt of his body, breaking Stay Puft’s block and knocking the marshmallow titan back into the canyon. He managed to keep himself upright by gripping the sides of the canyon, and delivered a swift frontal kick to Gojira’s chest, knocking the other titan over onto his back.

Stay Puft righted himself, then proceeded to jump onto Gojira’s chest with the full force of his body. Gojira made a sound with its mouth in response that could’ve been the wind being knocked out of him. Stay Puft proceeded to jump two more times, but was just coming back down the third time when Gojira opened his mouth, letting loose a stream of atomic breath right into his eye, causing him to stagger back and hold a hand up to the missing side of his face.

Enormous chunks of marshmallow blew from the impact, sailing through the air in all directions. One of the larger chunks was aimed squarely at the group hugging the cliffside. A cry reverberated throughout the group as they attempted to scurry out of the way, but were too late. The marshmallow matter struck with such force that a good majority of them were thrown back against the cliff wall, their bones shattering upon impact and–

“Everyone, get behind me!” Shulk cried, the blue light disappearing from his eyes.

Everyone turned to him. “Something wrong?” Ryuk asked.

“Just get behind me, hurry!” He activated the Monado, to which a purple symbol that Twilight recognized as a Neighponese character appeared on the glass disk embedded into the hilt.

Confused, everyone quickly filed behind Shulk, but their confusion turned to terror when a giant chunk of marshmallow came hurtling towards them. Shulk held the Monado’s blade in front of him, his body unmoving while his face furrowed in concentration. When the marshmallow matter was about twenty feet away, he sprang into action. Leaping into the air, he met the sweet projectile with his blade raised over his head, slashing down to cleave it in two. The marshmallow halves changed course to impact the cliff walls on either side of the group, smashing the rocky surface with all the force of two dynamite blasts, sending rocky debris scattering across the grass.

The group watched the entire scene with gaping mouths. Shulk landed back on the ground, before sheathing the Monado and slinging it across his back. He turned back to the group. “Is everyone okay?”

Everyone was too stunned to say anything at first. “Uh, yes, I think so,” Twilight said, breaking the silence. Around her, everyone murmured their affirmation.

Shulk nodded. “That’s good.”

”That was an impressive display, Shulk. Consider me amused.”

Everyone turned to Aza’s puppet. “Is this the only reason why you wanted us to be here?” Samus asked, gesturing to the continuing battle between Stay Puft and Gojira. “Because unlike last time, we don’t have any personal stakes in this fight. The two combatants could kill each other off for all we care, so why should we care to watch?”

”Hey, at least you have the option to watch it. That’s a good thing, right?”

Nobody replied. Somewhere in the crowd, Twilight heard a cough over the continued sounds of the titanic battle.

”Anyway, I came across something very interesting during my travels throughout the multiverse.” The puppet turned in Twilight’s direction, to which she raised a curious brow. ”Something which Twilight might find especially interesting.”

“Enough with this bullshit, Aza!” Garp cried. “Send us home!”

”Hmm… no, I won’t,” Aza said simply.

Garp scowled, cracking his knuckles.

”Yeah, sure, try that,” it continued in a mocking tone of voice. ”Anyway, I really do mean it when I say what I found is interesting. Although, if your understanding of infinity is correct, it may not be such a surprise.”

A new figure materialized on the ground before the group. Details filled in to eventually reveal a young human girl with long auburn hair, wearing red flannel pajamas. She was asleep, her eyes closed and her chest steadily rising and falling.

Confused glances were cast throughout the group, no one knowing what to make of the new, seemingly unnoteworthy arrival.

”And now time for a classic maneuver.”

A plastic pitcher full of water materialized above the girl’s head, tipping over to pour the contents onto the girl’s sleeping form. For added measure, Aza moved the pitcher along her length to drench her entire body. The girl was starting to stir awake by the time it’d finished.

Twilight rolled her eyes at Aza’s choice of an alarm clock, before stepping toward the girl, her features turning soft. The girl’s eyes fluttered open, revealing them to be green and unfocused.

“Hi there,” Twilight said, smiling kindly.

The girl blinked. “What the—?” Then her eyes widened and she sat up. Annoyance crossed her features as she shook her head, shaking water droplets free and lightly spraying Twilight in the process. “Why am I all wet!?” she cried upon finishing.

Twilight gave her a sympathetic look. “It’s a long story.” In her eye’s corner, she saw the rest of the group beginning to approach the two of them from over the girl’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

The girl took a moment to wipe off her face before replying. “Gah, now I’m gonna need to hair dry before I…” She blinked a few times, clearing her vision. When her eyes focused on Twilight, a mask of confusion crossed her face. “Twilight? What’re you doing in my…?”

The girl trailed off, having noticed her likely alien surroundings. Twilight, meanwhile, was frozen in place, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. This girl knew her name.

This girl knew her.

A single glance up at the group told Twilight many of them were thinking the same, judging by their similarly surprised expressions. Except for Kirby and Ed; the former’s blank expression showed they didn’t really understand what was happening, while the latter’s eyes were superglued to the battle between Stay Puft and Gojira.

“What the–? Where am I? How did I get here?”

Twilight brought her attention back to the girl. Now she was looking around frantically, panic starting to settle in her eyes.

Twilight gave a soft sigh. She lit her horn, intending to cast the memory transfer spell, but Aza’s puppet caught her attention. It waved a sphere hand back and forth in front of itself as if signaling ‘no’. Confused at first, Twilight soon realized this was likely a copy of the Fallen Star situation; Aza was going to return this girl to her home after she’d fulfilled her purpose for being here, whatever that was.

The girl’s gaze swept over the group, and she muffled a small gasp. “What the hell…?”

A thunderous crash sounded through the air. Everyone turned their heads to the battle to see that Gojira had slammed Stay Puft into the opposite cliff across the plains. Looking at the girl, Twilight was almost convinced the girl’s eyes were going to pop out of their sockets with how much they were bulging at the sight of the two titans.

Twilight decided she couldn’t let the girl be horrified any longer. Reaching out, she laid a comforting hoof on her shoulder. The girl gave a start at the touch, before turning around to face Twilight with a somewhat more relieved expression.

“Everything’s alright,” Twilight soothed. “This is all just a dream.”

The girl blinked. “... A dream?”

Twilight’s smile twisted into a little smirk. “Does any of this seem realistic to you?”

The girl looked at her surroundings, including the stunned faces throughout the group, and the battle which was starting to turn one-sided in Gojira’s favor. “Yeah, you’re right. But it feels so real.”

Twilight pulled her hoof away as the girl got up to her feet. She rubbed her eyes one more time as if wanting to make sure they weren’t playing tricks on her. “It’s a weird dream, though. It’s not like I went on a pop culture binge before bedtime.” She pointed out a few people in the crowd while listing off their names. “Yugi Muto from Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pikachu from Pokemon, Hermione Granger from Harry Potter. I know some of them are Nintendo characters, like Samus, Pit, Palutena, Kirby, Shulk, Master Hand, and I’m not sure but I think the purple-haired girl is too.” She froze, her eyes set upon Ash. Her mouth broke into a wide grin, and she rushed forward, past everyone and up to him. He jerked back in response before his face grew confused when she clasped her hands around his lone one. “Oh my gosh, Ash Williams!”

Ash blinked. “Um, yeah, that’s me,” he said, uncomfortably. “Do I know you?”

The girl giggled. “My name’s Erin Olsen,” she answered, lifting their hands a little higher. “I’m, well… I guess you could say I’m a huge fan of yours. I can’t tell you how, but can I hear more about your adventures slaying Deadites? Please?” Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

Everyone was still like statues by this point, looking at the scene before them. Twilight, as well, struggled to make sense of the girl, Erin Olsen’s, bizarre behavior. Calling upon what few sparks of electrical signals still worked properly in her brain, Twilight knew she shouldn’t have been surprised when Aza could summon literally anything.

And yet, she found herself at a loss for a clear-cut response to the scene before her, much less words to describe it. All she could do was take a deep breath and reorganize her thoughts.

“Um, yeah, sure,” Ash said, discomfort still clear in his tone. He glanced around at the group as if silently pleading for help of some kind. When none came, he uncoupled Erin’s hands from his own and began guiding her away from the group.

Twilight tracked them with her eyes, watching as Ash guided Erin closer to the cliffside, out of earshot from the group. Twilight then saw several members of the group approach her, looking down at the ground with contemplative faces. She didn’t need to think twice about what was on their minds. Everyone else had either returned to watching the titans battle or were just lounging about, seemingly bored if their expressions were anything to go by.

“Well, that was... strange,” the pharaoh said once they’d reached Twilight.

“That’s the understatement of the millennium,” Pit said, his eyes still wide.

Hermione nodded. “For sure.”

“Pika-pi,” Pikachu followed up.

Twilight nodded as well, then turned to Ash and Erin. Ash appeared to be regaling Erin with a tale from his past, while Erin listened intently, her beaming grin stretching from ear to ear. A ghost of a smile had formed on Ash’s face, so he was likely overcoming his previous discomfort if only a little.

“That girl, Erin... she knows us,” Twilight commented. “But it’s weird, she seemed to know me a lot more personally than the rest of us.”

“She seemed to know the rest of us from third-hand sources,” Hermione observed, placing a finger on her chin. “But the way she worded it was weird; Harry Potter is just one of my best friends like I said before.”

“It’s strange,” Palutena said. “I feel like I’ve heard the name ‘Nintendo’ before.”

“Yeah, me too,” Pit agreed.

”Well, the answer should be obvious, shouldn’t it?”

They all turned to Aza’s puppet as it hovered over to them. ”For what purpose did you summon that girl here, Aza? Master Hand asked.

”Like I said, anyone who understands the concept of infinity should already know this; anything and everything exists in the multiverse. Any combination of atoms and any direction they can possibly take are accounted for throughout all of existence. The same applies to abstract concepts like ideas and destiny, such as the existence of real people in one universe being fictional characters in another.” Aza’s puppet faced everyone aside from Twilight. ”As you all saw, Erin knows many of you. That’s because within the universe she hails from, all of you exist as fictional characters, created by and belonging to various people and/or companies. Twilight, however–” the puppet gestured to her with one of its spheres, “exists as a real person in her universe.”

A few moments of silence passed between the group as they all absorbed the information Aza gave. Once she’d fully digested all the info, Twilight found herself unsure how to respond to or even think about it. On one hoof, it all made perfect sense that anyone in the group would exist as fictional characters in other universes— she was sure she existed as fiction in multiple universes just as well. She’d even wrote herself and all of Equestria as fiction created by humans in her HUMAN trilogy, as a meta joke.

What really threw her off was why Aza specifically singled her out as being the ‘real’ one when it could’ve, presumably, just as easily pulled someone from a universe where they all existed as fiction. Looking at everyone else, she caught more than a couple of them casting uneasy glances her way. Was Aza trying to generate friction between her and everyone else by placing her on a higher pedestal? Well, that wasn’t going to work if she had anything to say about it.

“Yeah, that’s interesting alright,” she said, her voice heavy with resolve. She stepped forward. “And I’m sure we all understand how the multiverse works. There must exist a universe where we all exist as fictional characters. There must also be a universe out there where I’m the only one here who exists only in fiction. But none of that matters right now, because here and now, we’re all on even ground. We’re all stuck here until you decide to let us go, and we’ll all keep fighting together as a cohesive unit until then.”

All throughout her speech, Twilight saw the uncertainty melt away from everyone’s faces. If Aza had indeed tried to create tension within the group, it had failed.

”Very true, Twilight,” Aza replied. ”But I have yet to find them if they do. And believe me, I’ve been searching non-stop.” It paused for a moment. ”... Perhaps infinity is not timeless.”

Everyone cocked their heads at that last statement.

Their attention was quickly diverted when they heard Ed shout, “Ooh! Ooh! A third monster!” At the same time, a new set of tremors began adding to the dual layers of Gojira and Stay Puft’s battle.

Confused for a brief moment, Twilight’s eyes shrank to pinpricks when realization struck. “Oh no.”

The green creature, now as large as both Stay Puft and Gojira, came striding out of the canyon. Any injury it might have sustained in its previous encounter with Stay Puft seemed to be inconsequential. Its movements were slow and methodical, likely as a result of not being used to having such a huge body. Its eyes were dark and focused, the creature’s gaze boring into Stay Puft as it approached the marshmallow titan. As Stay Puft was preoccupied with fighting Gojira, it didn’t see the creature approaching from behind.

As the creature came fully into view, everyone’s attention was drawn to a spot of red perched upon its shoulder. No one needed a second guess as to who it was.

“This is just like ‘Lizard Man from Dimension X meets Fish Woman from the Space Abyss’!” Ed shouted, eyes sparkling and mouth beaming. “Are they gonna get together by the end?”

“Why is Deadpool riding that thing’s shoulder?” Charlotte asked no one in particular.

“I don’t think that’s a question worth pondering,” Hermione said, mouth turning down slightly.

“Agreed one hundred percent,” Garp said.

“I think he has our best intentions in mind, though,” Twilight remarked. “He’s probably got a plan in mind to stop the fighting, even if it’s wacky as heck.”

Deadpool sat on the creature’s shoulder, arms crossed and a proud, confident smile under his mask. The creature’s movements were slow and controlled enough that he wasn’t in any danger of falling over. His nerves tingled with anticipation of the epic clash about to unfold.

He drew a giant whiff of air, letting it out with a sigh of content. “Nothing like a good titan ass-whoopin’ to kick off a new regeneration.” He put a finger to his chin. “Oh wait, that reference won’t work until next chapter. Maybe even the one after that.”

The creature reached Stay Puft quickly enough, unnoticed by the overlarge children’s mascot, as it was too busy fighting Gojira. As soon as it was within reach, it reeled its arm back for a straight punch. Deadpool clapped his hands, eyes sparkling with excitement. “That’s it, Willy! Knock his fucking head off!”

The creature gave a low growl which, due to its increased size, came out more as a booming roar. It threw the punch straight at the remaining half of Stay Puft’s head. The blow connected, impacting with a wet splat, and ripping through to the other side. Chunks of marshmallow careened through the air, splattering across the plains.

“Now that’s a worthy innuendo!” Deadpool laughed.

Stay Puft’s now headless body froze in place. Gojira stopped its next attack, eyes gaining a glimmer of curiosity as it stared at its defeated opponent. A purple mist rose out of Stay Puft’s neck, swirling in the air for a few moments before dissipating into nothingness. The body then fell forward, crashing to the ground and kicking up a huge plume of dirt.

A thick silence stretched between the two remaining titans for several moments. Deadpool kicked his feet back and forth, whistling as he waited for a reaction from either kaiju. When Gojira’s eyes began to take on a menacing glint, he unsheathed his katanas.

Gojira let out a mighty screech, the sound reverberating through the air and rattling Deadpool’s eardrums with how relatively close it was. Not that he cared, as he wouldn’t be needing to listen to what he was about to do.

As soon as he came out of his screech, Gojira stomped forward toward Willy, mouth lighting up with the telltale blue of radioactive breath. Deadpool lunged forward, springing off of Willy’s shoulder and straight toward Gojira’s throat, his katanas stretched out in front of him. They cut through cleanly and effortlessly, the fleshy, metallic shink pleasing to Deadpool’s ears.

The action elicited no reaction from Gojira, no doubt on account of the notable size difference between them. Deadpool began using his katanas like climbing picks, gradually making his way up the side of Gojira’s mouth just as the lizard titan let loose a stream of radioactive breath. Deadpool could feel the extreme heat even with an entire throat of flesh separating him and it, but he didn’t let it bother him as he ascended Gojira’s neck. Since he didn’t hear a thunderous cry of agony, he assumed Willy had managed to dodge Gojira’s blast.

Deadpool eventually made his way up onto the other titan’s shoulder. From there he made his way up the back of Gojira’s head, all the while holding with all of his might in response to whatever jerky head motions Gojira made. Never once did Gojira make any indication he’d noticed Deadpool’s presence on his person. Having multiple stab wounds, even from swords so small, should’ve made Gojira at least itch and feel the need to scratch. Apparently, titans really did feel that high and mighty to not even bother reacting to the petty wounds inflicted by so-called ‘lesser beings’.

But Deadpool was no less a force of nature than even the mightiest titan. What he lacked in size, he more than made up for in power and ability. And he was immortal— can’t be high and mighty without good ol’ fashioned immunity to dying.

He finished scaling Gojira’s head, coming out on top and placing his hands on his hips in a triumphant pose. He took a good, long whiff of the air. “Smells fresh and radioactive. Just the way I don’t like it.” He glanced over to see Willy throwing another punch, with Gojira raising a hand to block it. The impact made Deadpool stumble a little, but he stood firm.

“A good, solid negative one point five.” Deadpool tsked, shaking his head. “Based Richter would be ashamed.”

He sheathed his swords and pulled out his guns, cocking each of them with a satisfied smirk. He then dashed forward, running across the top of Gojira’s head before jumping and flipping dramatically through the air, sticking his landing on Gojira’s mighty snout. He held his guns out and pointed them directly at the titan’s eyes.

“Bullet-shaped bullets with a side order of painful pain coming right up.” He blinked. “This author really sucks at writing for me if he thinks that’s the least bit funny.”

He pressed the triggers on both guns, letting loose streams of gunfire into both of Gojira’s eyes. He started at the base and worked his way upward, going side to side and covering as much eye matter as possible.

Deadpool moved so fast Gojira’s reaction was delayed, but soon enough he was howling with agony, lifting a hand to try to swat Deadpool off his snout. Deadpool quickly jumped off just in the nick of time, passing by the hand as it came up and feeling the accompanying burst of wind. He plummeted down to the ground, his hands wrapped behind his head while crossing his legs in a relaxed pose.

“All up to you now, Willy.”

He crashed to the ground, the sounds of many shattered bones and ripped muscle fiber accompanying the impact. The pain was immense, shooting through him like a thousand metallic stakes being hammered all at once to pitch an enormous tent. Not that it managed to affect him at all, and his healing factor would patch him right up soon enough, so he could just relax and enjoy the battle above him.

Speaking of which, it was currently shaping up to be a very one-sided fight, all thanks to his amazing battle tactics. Gojira was still stumbling around blinded, while Willy was gearing up for a major beatdown.

The green amphibian reared his arm back and delivered a devastating blow to Gojira’s jaw, connecting with a loud, sickening crack that echoed against the surrounding cliffsides. Gojira didn’t even have time to scream in pain before Willy let loose a barrage of punches and kicks to each and every one of Gojira’s limbs and chest, each one knocking him a step back towards an open section of land between two cliffs overlooking the vast, empty sky beyond.

Deadpool turned his head away from the action towards the group. Surprisingly, most of them weren’t watching the battle, talking amongst themselves instead. The mentally challenged yellow boy appeared to be the only one rapt with attention on the battle. Looking closer, he noticed a new face among the group; a somewhat attractive young woman wearing red flannel pajamas with auburn hair, talking with Grumpy McAshole Williams.

He looked back just in time to see Willy shove Gojira over the side of the Bionis’ leg. The giant lizard gave a screeching howl as he fell over the side out of view. Willy watched as his defeated foe plummeted for a few seconds before turning around and beginning to make his way back toward the center of the plains.

Willy didn’t get very far before a giant glob of some purple substance materialized in the air before him; specifically, his open mouth. He inhaled a huge chunk of it, while the rest splashed across his scaly chest.

Nothing seemed to happen at first. Deadpool thought maybe whatever that purple gunk was was just a fluke, but upon closer inspection, he thought he saw Willy visibly shrinking in size. A couple seconds later he realized that was exactly what was happening. Willy quickly noticed as well, letting out a drawn-out groan that could’ve been an expression of confusion as it continually shrank. A couple minutes later, he was back to his normal size, swiveling his head around, as if he couldn’t comprehend what had just happened to him. That would’ve made sense, Deadpool figured, considering his clear lack of sapience.

Might as well try to comfort him, Deadpool thought as he began making his way over to Willy. Probably gonna end up impaling him on my sword by the end of it, though.

“How did it feel to have your hand possessed by a ghost?”

“Like a violation of a very sacred and personal right of any human being.”

“And how did it feel to be possessed by a deadite?”

Ash pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don’t remember anything about it, so I’m gonna say it felt like shit.”

“Yeah, I can relate to that feeling.” A brief flicker of discomfort flashed across Erin’s features, but she quickly shrugged it off and asked, “And what about traveling through time?”

Ash resisted the urge to recite some very profane sentences while possibly spitting in Erin’s face. The question of how she knew about his adventures fighting against the various shit the Necronomicon threw at him was at the forefront of his mind at first, but it quickly gave way to annoyance over Erin’s apparent lack of social awareness regarding his interest in talking about said adventures.

Then again, Twilight had apparently convinced Erin that this was all a dream of hers, so he supposed it made sense she wouldn’t treat him with the same kind of respect she would a real person. Still, he needed to end this before he felt compelled to slap her upside the head.

“Listen, Miss Erin, I appreciate that you’re a big fan of me or whatever, but I’d rather forget about all the crap I’ve gone through. Think we can talk about something else?”

“Right, right, sorry,” Erin replied, waving a hand apologetically, yet retaining a smile. “I’m just a huge fan of the Evil Dead, but yeah, I understand if you want to talk about something else.”

Ash cast a sideways glance toward the giant monster battle on the plains next to him. From the looks of things, the green reptilian creature was about to push Gojira off the edge of a cliff. “So you’re completely uninterested in that giant freakshow circus over there?”

Erin turned to the giants as well. She stared for a couple moments before shrugging. “I’ve seen a bunch of Godzilla movies already, so that’s nothing too special. I’ll admit, though, pitting him up against Gillman is kinda strange.”

“You seem to know a lot about all of us, huh?”

Erin seemed to deflate a bit, her gaze turning down as her expression turned hesitant. “I’ll stop talking about it if you want. I’m just happy to be able to meet you in person.”

“You’re one of a kind.”

Erin giggled in response. Ash resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

There was a moment of silence following their exchange. A thought occurred to Ash— one that tied a knot in his stomach. Aza had brought Erin into this little game for some purpose, and just like everyone else, there was no way to know how long she’d be here. Eventually, she’d realize she wasn’t dreaming. What her response would be to that, he didn’t know but figured it wouldn’t be very enthusiastic.

“Excuse me for a moment,” he said. “I need to talk with Twilight for a minute.” He turned and began making his way to the group.

“Sure thing,” he heard Erin say behind him.

Ash strode across the grass to the group. Very few people were actually paying attention to the last seconds of the giants’ battle, instead just lounging around and/or talking with each other. Aza’s puppet floated some distance away, looking about as stupid as a bunch of colorful spheres held together by nothing could be.

Twilight was chatting with a few people when she noticed him approach. She turned away from them to address him. “Hello, Ash, is everything going fine with Erin?”

“For now at least,” he replied. He cast a wary glance back at the young woman. She’d taken to idly glancing around the plains in a half-interested manner. “But things are gonna get awkward when she finds out this isn’t all just a dream.”

“Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure that isn’t going to happen,” she replied.

Ash could only stare deadpan at her certainty. Even everyone else with them looked equally baffled.

“Why?” Pit ventured to ask.

“Aza’s done this once before,” Twilight explained. “It didn’t want me to use my memory transference spell, which means it won’t let Erin find out the truth before it returns her home. And it won’t return her home until she fulfills whatever purpose it brought her here for” She rolled a hoof while her mouth dipped down a bit. “I’ll admit I could be wrong, but it’s not like there’s anything we can do about Erin ourselves aside from keeping her safe.”

“Well, I hope you’ve got a plan in case you’re wrong,” Ash said.

A noticeable glimmer of fear crossed Twilight’s eyes. Ash didn’t comment on it, but it certainly didn’t fill him with confidence.

“We have a winner!”

They all turned their eyes to Ed. The boy’s blank expression had disappeared, replaced by one of youthful wonder as he stared across the plains. They followed his gaze to see Gillman, darting his eyes around in confusion. Ash was a little surprised to see the giant reptilian freakshow visibly shrinking before his eyes, and a couple gasps to his left indicated a few other people were as well.

Deadpool was visible as well, staring up at the shrinking giant, seemingly completely unfazed based on his stoic body posture. Whatever happened to cause it to start shrinking, Ash didn’t know or even care. He was just glad to see most of their biggest problems were solved, though, Erin was still going to be an issue.

That thought brought up another, and he turned to Twilight. “Hey, Twilight?”

She turned to face him. “Yes?”

“You said Aza brought Erin here for a purpose? What exactly is that?”

“Remember how Erin seemed to know who we all were, despite us not knowing her in turn? And how, unlike everyone else, she seemed to know me personally?” Ash nodded. “My best guess is that Aza wanted to drive a wedge between us by placing me on a higher pedestal than everyone else.” Her mouth turned upward into a slight smirk. “Needless to say, it didn’t work.”

“You think that’s what it was playing at?” Ash asked. Her explanation made sense, and yet, it felt too random even for Aza. “Couldn’t it have just tried framing one of us for something if it wanted to do that?”

“I’m a little confused as well,” Palutena spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention to her. “Aza’s actions have been nothing if not random: the people it brings in, the challenges it makes us face, how often we’re placed somewhere new—” She looked to Twilight, “—and yet all we’ve been told is that this is part of an experiment to see if people from different universes can co-exist together.”

Twilight nodded. “Yeah, which is why I thought maybe Aza tried this latest trick as a test of sorts.”

“I suppose that makes sense, but…”

“Lady Palutena?” Pit ventured.

Palutena shook her head. “If this is all just for a test, or even just for the sake of sadistic amusement, then why make a big show out of it?” She gestured to the green creature, almost fully returned to his normal stature. “That battle was more for us than Aza, but why? Why go to such lengths just to grab our attention?”

“A good question, indeed,” the pharaoh said. “I, too, wonder if there isn’t more to Aza’s motivations than it’s let on.”

Silence fell between everyone for a short while. Ash could tell the discussion was probably provoking deep, philosophical questions in their minds. He himself couldn’t care any less what Aza’s ultimate goal was or whatever. All he cared about was surviving and getting home. And protecting everyone else, of course.

While the group thought in silence, Deadpool could be seen supporting the creature — ‘Gillman’, as Erin had called it — as the two made their way back to the group.

“Hey, you’re all alive!” Deadpool said once they were within earshot. “Didja like the show? Not every day you get a front row seat to such a titanic display of badassery.”

Ash rolled his eyes. Deadpool must’ve seen the action, as he continued with, “Oh, you think you could match that Ashley?”

“C’mon you two,” Twilight said, annoyed, as she stepped forward between them. “Let’s not start this up again.”

“I don’t care one way or another,” Ash replied to Deadpool, ignoring Twilight’s protest altogether. “Yeah, it was impressive, but not exactly the kind of thing someone would do unless they’re insane.”

“Or has regenerative powers,” Deadpool added playfully.

Ash felt a nerve in his head twitch. One or two blood vessels probably burst just then. He contemplated shooting Deadpool square in the head to see if his power could even piece his splattered brain back together, but a sense of apathy washed over him before he could reach for his gun. He wasn’t the only one who was annoyed by Deadpool’s grating personality, but he was the only one that was still letting it get under his skin. If everyone else could tune him out, then he could too. And hey, he’d finally be rid of him whenever Aza decided to end the ‘experiment’ and send them home.

Ash breathed a deep, relaxing sigh, and said, “Whatever works for you.”

“Oh, believe me, it works for me, a whole lot.”

“Oh my gosh! Deadpool!”

Everyone turned to see Erin Olsen practically bolting across the ground towards them. She bobbed and weaved between everyone else and made her way up to Deadpool, her eyes sparkling with reverence.

Deadpool slightly flinched back in surprise at the sudden invasion of his personal space, saying, “Yep, that’s my name. Also known as The Merc with the Mouth. Got a job for me? Or are ya here just to admire my beautiful costume.” He lightly pinched the fabric before letting it snap back into place. “Took me awhile to get it just right, but it was so worth it. It really goes well with my MO: kill everything and let the Editor-in-Chief sort it out.”

Erin put a hand to her mouth, stifling a giggle. “I’m a big fan of yours, is all.”

“Ah, always nice to meet an adoring fangirl.” Deadpool gently shrugged off Gillman, freeing up both hands to pull his twin guns out of their holsters, giving them a twirl. “No lady can resist a man with a full load.”

Erin’s cheeks grew red, as did everyone else who understood the double entendre. “Yep, you’re the real thing,” she said. “Well, for a dream, at least.”

“Dream or dreamboat?”

Erin held back a small laugh. “Yeah, sure you are—”

She paused mid-sentence, her eyes drawn to Gillman as the aquatic monster had approached her and was currently eyeing her with animal-like curiosity.

“Whoa there, Willy, whatcha got on your mind?” Deadpool asked.

Gillman took a few steps forward, closing the distance between himself and Erin, who backed away in response while holding up her hands placatingly. Gillman made a low sound that Ash couldn’t discern the meaning of, before reaching out with surprising speed and grabbing one of Erin’s arms.

“Ah! What the heck!?” Erin screamed.

Everyone’s reaction was to flinch back in surprise before taking battle stances. Erin gave a good shake in an attempt to break her arm free, but Gillman’s grip held strong. She tried again with no success, before wildly flailing her arm in a mad bid to dislodge it while simultaneously putting her other arm to use pushing against Gillman’s chest.

A few members of the group stepped forward, including Ash, to lend their assistance to Erin, only to pause in response to Gillman’s next action. He gingerly lifted up a hand to Erin’s cheek, prompting her to squeak in both terror and surprise, and gently poked it.

Erin stood stock still, unmoving, her eyes glued to Gillman as he repeatedly poked various points all over her face. All fear was gone from her eyes, replaced with bewilderment. Ash thought he caught a few unintelligible mutterings under her breath. Everyone else in the group bore similar expressions, their battle stances relaxing a little as their minds tried to make sense of what their eyes were showing them.

After a few moments, Gillman stopped poking Erin’s face and moved his hand up toward her hair, running his webbed fingers through it from the front all the way to the back, messing it up a little.

“What… what…?” Erin trailed off.

The next couple of seconds happened so fast that Ash almost couldn’t keep up. Her eyebrows furrowed with anger, Erin balled a hand into a fist and proceeded to deliver the meanest left hook Ash had ever seen from a woman in his life. Everyone who hadn’t been paying much attention to the unfolding confrontation now had their eyes riveted to the scene.

Gillman’s head snapped back from the blow, but Ash’s ears didn’t hear anything break. Gillman staggered back, howling with pain and holding a hand up to the affected area of his cheek. Recovering from the blow, he stared at Erin seemingly deadpanned, as his amphibian face didn’t allow for emotion on the same level as a human. But Ash got the sense that he was more surprised than anything, given how quickly his pain seemed to ebb away.

Everyone fully relaxed their battle stances, the situation clearly resolving itself without their aid. Indignance crossed Erin’s face for a brief moment as she glared daggers at Gillman, before sighing and turning around to the group.

“I’m all right, everyone,” she assured them, her fist uncurling. “Don’t worry about me.”

“Wow, that was an impressive blow,” Pit said, awed.

Garp laughed. “My kinda girl.”

The group filled with murmurers of agreement.

“I’ve seen better,” Ed said, walking up to join everyone.

The group turned their collective confused faces to Ed as he walked between everyone and up to Gillman, who regarded him curiously.

“First of all,” Ed started, pointing to Gillman’s face, “his face should be smashed in with lots of blood and spit.” He then grabbed Gillman’s arm and raised it up, eliciting a startled sound from him. “Furthermore, she could’ve done a lot more to the rest of the body; making the bones stick out of the skin would be a great start.” He dropped the arm and pointed toward the creature’s shin. “A kick to the shin would’ve been a better alternative.” He tsked.

Ash blinked. Everyone else in the group blinked, but no one harder than Erin.

The young woman rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “Ah, sorry, I guess?”

“All is forgiven, fellow displaced,” Ed said. He retreated from the center of the group without a word, turning back around with a neutral gaze.

Everyone watched him with anticipation clear in their eyes, waiting for him to say something else. He didn’t, resulting in a long awkward silence that Deadpool eventually broke.

“Well then—” He stepped over to Gillman and clasped a hand over his shoulder, drawing the creature’s attention, “—how about we go somewhere else and have a chat? Take it from me, buddy, what you just did ain’t the way to get a girl.”

He gently nudged Gillman to follow him. The creature didn’t seem to comprehend the meaning, so Deadpool clasped both hands over his shoulders and began forcefully dragging Gillman away from the group. Gillman struggled and wailed, but Deadpool was apparently quite physically strong, as he managed to pull Gillman away with little effort. The group watched them head off for a bit before turning back to each other.

“That was… awkward,” Samus said, clearly disturbed in her tone.

“Quite so,” James agreed.

“Pika pi,” Pikachu echoed, nodding.

“Oooh?” Kirby looked upwards, seemingly deep in thought about something. Probably food.

“Eh, that was all a little too boring for my taste,” Ryuk said. “Honestly, I’m getting a little tired of being here.”

Erin turned to him. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“Oh! Uh, nothing.”

Erin stared at him for a moment, then shrugged, and turned to Twilight, smiling greatly. “Well, this has been a lot of fun. I’m definitely gonna tell real life you about this the next time we meet.”

Twilight’s smile was about as awkward as everyone had felt just a minute ago. “Yeah, you do that.” A noticeable bead of sweat dripped down her brow.

Ash felt much the same way. Without anything else to distract her, Erin would eventually learn the truth about the situation. If she was going to stay with the group, however, at least she’d shown a fondness for some members of the group, so she might not go hysterical over learning the truth.

Such a situation would never come to pass, however.

A second after Twilight’s answer, a strange object materialized on the ground in front of Erin. It was a small blue cylindrical shape tipped with a bright light. Nobody had any time to react to its sudden presence before it launched up into the air in front of Erin’s face. She staggered back, surprised, before it exploded in her face with a soft pop, releasing a cloud of white smoke.

“What the—?” was all she had time to say before her eyes closed, and she fell to her knees.

Her body began fading from existence even as she fell forward, like a moving spectral image. Her face was about two inches from the ground before her entire body faded from view, meaning she had been returned to her home universe by Aza.

Although he knew this was how it looked when Aza’s victims were returned home, as this was his first time witnessing it, a small part of Ash was worried something had gone wrong or Aza was lying or something.

“That was… rather undignified,” James said.

“Well, that’s how Fallen Star was incapacitated when she was returned home,” Twilight remarked. Ash had no clue who she was referring to but didn’t bother saying anything. “Although, I agree that it doesn’t come off particularly respectful.”

“Eh, honestly, I was kinda hoping she’d learn the truth,” Ryuk said, bringing everyone’s shocked gazes unto him. “I mean, it would’ve been interesting, at least.”

“You wanted her to learn the truth, but you didn’t tell her yourself?” Charlotte asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ryuk shrugged. “I’d rather not get on your bad sides.”

“You came a little too close for comfort just now,” Hermione whispered under her breath. Only because he was standing next to her did Ash hear, whereas Ryuk was too far away to.

“So, now what do we do?” Samus asked.

Twilight cleared her throat. “Well, assuming Deadpool can make that creature shape up—”

“Gillman,” Ash interrupted. At everyone’s questioning gaze, he added, “That’s what Erin called it.”

Twilight blinked. Then she nodded. “Alright then. Assuming Deadpool can make Gillman shape up, there’s nothing left for us to take care of.”

“Assuming, of course, Aza is well and truly done with us,” Palutena said.

”Like that could ever happen,” Aza said, its puppet materializing in the air between everyone.

Ash noticed a few faces turn angry at the sight, but unlike previously, more people in the group looked to be exasperated than disdainful. Mostly the people who’d been here the longest, he realized— they must’ve grown tired of being mad at the sentient universe. ”Existence is boundless. I could keep this going for all of infinity if I wished.”

“Can’t you just let us go home, please?” Florina whimpered, surprising a few people. The timid little pegasus knight had been quiet for a long while. “I want to see my loved ones again.”

”Even better, I could bring them along to join the festivities!”

Florina’s eyes went wide and panicked. “No! No! Please don’t! Please!” A look of resignation crossed her face following her plea. She crossed her arms over her chest, looking downcast, before looking up at the pharaoh when he placed a hand on her shoulder.

He flashed Florina a comforting smile, before turning to address Aza’s puppet. “You have overlooked one thing, Aza,” he said, his voice radiating with authority. “We are all mortal, and so we could choose to end our lives long before you can keep us here for eternity.”

Some members of the group looked shocked at what he said, but Ash could only agree. No way he was spending eternity under the thumb of some omnipotent sadist. As bad as deadites were, he’d much rather fall victim to one of their ugly-ass faces then spend his entire life constantly at Aza’s mercy. And looking around the group, there were others who appeared to agree with him.

”I suppose you’re right,” Aza conceded but hastened to add with a devious tone of voice, ”Then again, I could easily remove the passage of time, as well as anything you could use to kill yourselves. Don’t think for a second that I wouldn’t, either. I’m not likely to get bored anytime soon.”

“Not that it matters, anyway,” Garp said, stepping forward towards the puppet. He brought his hands together, cracking his knuckles, while his lips fell into a serious frown. “Here’s your ultimatum: release us right now, or you’ll get the shit beat out of you. Don’t think for a second that I wouldn’t, either.”

Aza laughed, the puppet moving in tune with each guffaw. ”Since when did you become a parrot, Garp? Perhaps you’ve been hanging around one too many pirates, eh?” Garp’s face barely twitched in response. ”And it seems you already forgot that my puppet here isn’t actually a part of me, hence why it’s called a puppet.”

“I’m willing to give it a try, still,” Garp replied, rolling his shoulders.

“Please reconsider, Garp,” Palutena said, closing the distance between them and clasping a hand onto his shoulder. “We don’t need to go picking a fight we can’t win.”

Garp didn’t match her gaze as he casually shrugged off her hand. “I’m a more proactive kinda guy, in case I haven’t made that clear enough.”

”You’d do well to listen to the Goddess of Wisdom, Garp.”

Garp smirked. “I’ll take brawn over brain in this case.”

He took off at breakneck speed toward the puppet, eliciting gasps from everyone. The puppet didn’t move as Garp leaped up and reeled back his right arm, clenching his fingers together.

”You really are a fool.”

Garp shot his fist forward, aiming directly for the center sphere in the puppet.

”You’re wasting your ener—”

CLANG

Time itself seemed to slam the brakes as the sound rang throughout the group. Ash’s mind went blank for a second, while the lingering tones from Garp’s impact filled the otherwise dead silent air. A multicolored flash shot through the air, and in the close distance, Ash heard a soft, earthy thud, then another, and a third and final one. A low moan of agony emanated from everywhere.

Ash’s brain caught up with him, and he once again became aware of his surroundings. Everyone in the group was as still as a statue, their eyes wide and staring off into space. Slowly, one by one, they too recovered from their shock. Garp, meanwhile, was kneeling on the ground, nursing his right hand with his left. The former was red and slightly swollen and must’ve hurt quite a bit if Garp’s pained facial expression was anything to go by.

Ash managed to swivel his head in the direction the puppet had flown. It had landed on its side a small distance away, nearby a small, flowing stream. There wasn’t a dent or a scratch or anything on its surface to indicate it’d been injured, but Aza’s continued moans clearly showed that the strike had hurt.

Then Ash’s mind rewound a bit. The sound of Garp’s fist striking Aza’s puppet had produced a sound more akin to the ringing of a gong, but that was only his best approximation for the wholly alien sound. He couldn’t have expected a normal crunch of bone and flesh where there weren’t any, but the sound the impact did make was all but incomprehensible. It unnerved him, sending a slight shiver down his spine, but he managed to shake off his discomfort with some effort.

“What just happened?” Pit asked, breaking the tense silence.

Twilight glanced at the puppet, her shock melting away a little, being replaced by confusion. “I think… Aza’s hurt? What?”

“But how can that be?” Palutena asked no one in particular.

The puppet made a motion akin to that of a person hoisting themselves up off the ground using their hands. It gently hovered back into the air, doing nothing for a moment before it turned around to face the group.

”I… I…”

Garp stood up, managing a smile through his mask of agony. “See what I mean? I’ll do even worse if you don’t— Gah!” He knelt down again, looking at his swollen right hand with disdain. “Damn. That really did a number on me.”

“Looks like I missed a lot of excitement, huh?”

Everyone turned to see Deadpool and Gillman walking back to join them. Gillman’s eyes were rooted to the ground as if he was ashamed to be facing the group again. Deadpool must’ve managed to get him to shape up somehow.

“So,” Deadpool continued, looking between Garp and Aza’s puppet, “it looks like you two went at it or something. Mind if I get in on the action?” He unsheathed his swords, pointing one of them at Aza’s puppet. “I’m in the mood for multi-colored sushi right about now.”

”I… I…” Aza repeated.

“Aza, what’s going on?” Twilight asked, a noticeable hint of worry in her tone. Whether that was legitimately for Aza’s well-being out of some sense of over-kindness, or worry Aza might lash out at them for hurting it, Ash couldn’t tell. He himself was worried Aza might retaliate against Garp with something the burly man couldn’t stand up against.

But this didn’t happen. Without a word from the sentient universe, Aza’s puppet vanished before their eyes. A few extra seconds of tense silence passed by as everyone waited for some kind of response, but nothing came.

“Well shit,” Deadpool said, sheathing his swords. “I could’ve gotten my master slicer achievement at long last.”

Charlotte rushed over to Garp, kneeling down and inspecting his hand. “Does it feel broken at all?” she asked. “I have a spell that could fix it if it is.”

Garp laughed, shaking his head. “Don’t worry about me, kid. I’m tougher ‘n I look, and I know I look pretty tough already.”

Charlotte huffed. “I am not a kid.”

Hermione stepped beside Charlotte and began closely examining Garp’s hand. “What did Aza’s puppet feel like to the touch?” she questioned.

Garp shrugged. “Can’t really say for sure. Not like anything I’ve ever touched before. Hurt like hell, though, that much I can say.”

“Wish I could’ve had a go at it,” Deadpool said while stretching his arms. “My nano-ceramic fiber swords can cut just about anything, maybe even other-dimensional asshats.”

“I think we have bigger things to worry about,” Twilight said as she stepped between the group, glancing at everyone. “Why did Aza get hurt by an attack on its puppet? And it seemed genuinely surprised that it happened. Doesn’t that seem more than a little odd to anyone?”

“Aza could’ve just been lying,” Pit suggested.

Twilight shook her head. “If that was the case, then why did it actively taunt Garp not once, but twice into attacking? Nothing in Aza’s tone suggested it knew it was going to feel the blow, and besides, what would it have to gain by faking agony like that?”

“Those are some very valid points,” Palutena said. “But if Aza truly was surprised, then I think we have something even bigger to worry about.”

“What’s that?” James asked.

Palutena’s lipped turned downward, her usually calm and collected demeanor vanishing behind a mask of grim realization. “If Aza was truly surprised to have been hurt, then it’s possible there’s something else at play here. Something even bigger than a whole sentient universe.”

The full implication of her words took a little while to sink in, but when it did, Ash felt a knot form in his stomach. A quick look at everyone else showed most of them were feeling much the same way. Ed, Kirby, and Gillman just stared deadpanned, seemingly unfazed by Palutena’s hypothesis.

“What could be bigger than a whole damn sentient universe?” Ash asked.

Palutena shook her head. “I have no idea.”

“Heh, so even the ‘Goddess of Wisdom’ doesn’t know everything, huh?” Deadpool snarked.

Ash had to resist the urge to slap a palm to his face. Palutena, to her credit, didn’t so much as look in Deadpool’s direction, her face a continued mask of worry and uncertainty. Nobody else gave a response to Deadpool’s remark, and after a few seconds, the mercenary seemed to shrink in on himself for the first time since he’d arrived. But even that sight failed to ignite a spark of joy in Ash’s heart after what Palutena had said.

A long, awkward, and incredibly suffocating silence filled the air around the group. Everyone was too busy trying to come to grips with the new development of their situation to bother starting up a chat.

But the silence was broken by a great yawn from behind everyone that almost made Ash and a few other people jump in surprise. Turning around, they saw Thomas had woken from his slumber, blinking away the remnants of sleep from his eyes.

The tank engine glanced at everyone, flashing a friendly smile. “Good to see everyone’s still safe and sound.” His eyes wandered behind them to the plains beyond. “Did I get moved? Where are we now?”

Ash waved a dismissive hand towards him. “Eh, somebody can get you up to speed later,” he said. “What are we going to do in the meantime?”

“Honestly?” Twilight said. “There’s not much we can do except bunker down and wait for something else to happen. Aza might just need some time to recover before then.”

“So all we need is an endless supply of food and water, then,” Charlotte said. “And just where are we going to get those from?”

”Leave that to me,” Master Hand spoke up.

With a snap of his fingers, several wooden crates appeared on the ground around him. Each one was marked by a circle with a cross cutting through the bottom left quadrant: his ‘Smash Bros’ symbol.

“Well, that takes care of that,” Twilight said. “But what about that water dispenser containing water from a ‘fountain of youth’? We’re gonna need that too.”

The water dispenser in question suddenly appeared in front of her, momentarily startling her.

“Oh! Uh, thanks, I guess.” She lifted it up with her magic and turned her gaze skyward. “Thanks, Aza. Are you feeling better now?”

No answer came.

Garp snorted. “Sounds like a ‘no’ to me.”

Samus turned to Shulk. “Is there any place nearby that we can use as shelter?” she asked.

Shulk nodded, turning around and pointing along the cliff side behind them. “There’s a cave a short walk that way. It was used by one of my friends back home as a refugee camp; it should be big enough to shelter all of us while we’re here.”

“Well, that takes care of most of our problems,” Ash said. He turned towards the summoned crates full of food. “We’d better start carrying—”

He stopped mid-sentence, his brain cracking in two at the sight before him. Half of the crates had been cracked open, many of their contents spilled across the ground: burgers, drumsticks, milk cartons, ice cream, and many more various food items.

And sitting in the middle of the food pile were Ed and Kirby. Everyone else turned to see the bizarre sight for themselves.

“Wait, how’d you two do that without us hearing?” Twilight asked them.

Ed and Kirby didn’t reply. Ed wrapped his arms around a huge section of the food pile, lifting it up towards his mouth. Ash felt his eyelid twitch when, in a cartoonish manner that was becoming characteristic of the kid, Ed’s jaws expanded to about four times their natural size, before he stuffed the enormous food pile into his mouth. His jaws had difficulty wrapping around the entire lot at first, but a few hard pushes with his hands allowed him to fit it all in. His jaws closed around the foodstuff entirely, his throat expanding to an insane degree as all the food slid down his throat, making — to Ash’s mild horror — a metallic thud when it hit his stomach.

“That hit the spot,” Ed said, patting his swollen belly a couple times.

Kirby, all throughout Ed’s cartoonish disregard for several different laws of physics, had merely been staring with interest at the food beneath their feet. While Ed was patting his belly, Kirby opened his mouth and inhaled so strongly it was like a high pressurized vacuum was stuffed into his throat. All the food under his feet flew into his mouth, disappearing into the dark abyss of his maw, and he unceremoniously closed his jaws with a pop.

“Oooh,” he droned, before closing his eyes and falling asleep, a little snot bubble forming from his nostril.

There had been so many bouts of silence in such a short amount of time, and yet another one was added to that tally as everyone watched the aftermath of Ed and Kirby’s impromptu buffet. Despite still being awake, Ed took no notice of everyone’s collective stupor, staring off into some point in space while wearing a big, dopey grin.

Finally, Hermione sighed. “We’ll need to keep a close eye on them from now on,” she said.

Everyone voiced their agreement.

“Can you conjure up more food crates?” the pharaoh asked Master Hand.

”As many as you all need,” he replied.

“That’s good to hear,” Garp said. He strode over and lifted one of the untouched crates onto his shoulder, then turned to Shulk. “Show us the way to our new shelter, then.”

“Right,” Shulk replied with a nod.

“Wait, what about me?” Thomas asked.

Everyone stopped to stare at him. Uncertainty rose among the crowd for a few moments, before Thomas disappeared before their eyes.

“... I guess we’ll find him at the shelter?” Twilight suggested.

“You’d think Aza would be too depressed or something to keep helping us out like that after what just happened,” Ash said.

“Let’s just be grateful it isn’t,” Charlotte said.

“Agreed,” Palutena said with a nod.

The group gathered together all of the remaining crates, weaker members grouping together to add up their strength. Twilight managed to levitate many crates all by her lonesome, despite her magic feeling wonky as a result of Kyoshin’s alien atmosphere. Ed, proving once again he was a force to be reckoned with despite his average build, was able to carry a good five crates all by himself.

The group’s way toward the shelter was plagued by doubt and uncertainty, but with an underlying sense of harmony and cooperation that, in their minds, would see them through whatever happened next.

Why did it hurt!? It makes no sense! My puppet is nothing but a communication tool! I made it myself!

… Why can’t I recall any memory of making it? I know I did.

… Why am I here? Why do I exist?

Everything’s so blurry to me. Am I sick? What’s my full name? Argh, why can’t I remember!?

… Everything’s becoming… so… dark…

……… Ra… al……...... Liz…... man

Author's Note

Nearing the end here, folks.

Special thanks goes out to Hoopy McGee for letting me use Erin Olsen from his story Project: Sunflower. Go check out that story once you're done with this one.

World Of Gods

Twilight opened her eyes to see the cavernous ceiling of the refugee shelter. The faint sounds of light breathing and snoring echoed came from all around her, becoming clearer as the rest of her senses caught up with her eyesight. She sat up on her sleeping mat, taking a moment to rub the last vestiges of sleep from her eyes before looking around.

The cave system wasn’t the least bit extensive, but spacious enough to comfortably fit everyone. The cave looped around after the entrance with a couple openings covered by shower curtains, clearly meant to be used for privacy, while a long table and chairs sat by the entrance. The sleeping members of the group were spaced apart with a fair amount of room to spare, with the males and females being divided and allocated half of the cave each.

There weren’t enough sleeping mats already in the cave for everyone, so Master Hand had to conjure some up. A glance to her right showed the massive, sentient hand resting in one of the side rooms. He could do anything, seemingly, and it did a lot to reduce the sense of danger she felt being at Aza’s mercy, even if Master Hand was hesitant to get involved in combat. A few conversations with some of her fellow captives over the past three days revealed they had similar thoughts.

Twilight stood up and off her sleeping mat, taking extra care to muffle the clopping of her hoofsteps against the stone floor as she headed for the cave entrance.

A small pond greeted her upon exiting. A strange large, metal object sat in the center. She had inquired Shulk as to its purpose, but he only said it was the ship used to transport all of the refugees his friend had come here with and that he wasn’t as familiar with them as the ships used by Colony 9. His answer had only fueled Twilight’s appetite for knowledge, but she knew better than to prod the young man any further.

A small grassy hill separated the refugee camp from the rest of Gaur Plain. Twilight traversed the hill before entering a small outcropping of trees, venturing through to the plains proper.

The plains were utterly beautiful, a fact which further cemented itself into her subconscious with each journey the group had taken over the past three days. Getting to see all the various landmarks up close and personal had been a delectable treat for her inner academic. Shulk’s world was rich in culture and history and mysteries waiting to be unraveled— she was ashamed to admit to herself that part of her wanted to be sent here after Aza’s game was over rather than return home to Equestria. That wasn’t going to happen, which meant she had to savor this rare opportunity to study an alien world while it lasted.

The fact that things had been completely peaceful over the past three days had certainly made that easy. Ever since the physical altercation between Aza and Garp, the sentient universe had remained completely inactive, throwing no challenges at the group or saying anything to annoy them. A nice reprieve to their collective nerves, for sure, but not knowing what was ultimately going on had kept the group from completely enjoying their newfound freedom.

Palutena’s theory had resulted in a few rounds of group speculation, with everybody spitballing ideas as to what was really going on. No one had come up with a theory that everyone could agree on, or even wanted to agree with, but it was still known between everyone they were trying to interpret laws of reality far beyond their comprehension. All they could do in the end was to wait for something to happen and remain united until they were allowed to go home.

Twilight walked a little distance away from the trees before falling onto her back and splaying her legs out. She relished in the cool touch of the grass under her back while watching the clouds above lazily drift by. She wondered how climate and weather were supposed to work for a bipedal landmass, especially one as incomprehensibly large as the Kyoshin. Shulk had told her the weather changed in accordance with the ether flowing through the titan’s body, with rain, fog, humidity and so on all determined by its patterns and various fluctuations. Twilight deeply regretted she had no way of taking notes during his lectures.

“Kicking back and relaxing, are you?”

Twilight turned her head to see both Shulk and Yugi emerging from the treeline. “Oh! I didn’t wake you guys up, did I?” she asked.

Yugi waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t worry about it.”

“This is the first time you’ve been up before anyone else,” Shulk remarked. The two guys came up and sat down on either side of Twilight. “Something on your mind?”

Twilight shook her head. “Nothing in particular, really. I just happened to be an early riser today.” She closed her eyes and breathed deep, relishing in the peaceful tranquility around the three of them. Memories of picnics with her friends back home rose from her memory banks, the only difference being the lack of food and a blanket, but that could easily be remedied by returning to the refugee camp and pilfering some of Master Hand’s crates. A cool morning breeze blew across the plains, the touch of it against Twilight’s coat sending a pleasant chill running down her spine. “The breeze feels so good.”

A moment of silence passed before Yugi said, “Shulk, is something wrong?”

Twilight blinked, turning her head to the taller boy. His mouth had turned grim and his eyes downcast. Upon seeing both her and Yugi’s worried stares, however, he perked up. “Oh, uh, it’s nothing, really.”

Twilight and Yugi said nothing, merely smiling and nodding.

“Anyway, I’ve been thinking about something,” Shulk continued.

“About what?” Twilight asked.

“If and/or when we get sent home, that would be the last time we get to see each other, wouldn’t it?” A wistful smile split his face while his eyes turned distant. “I’m not sure how to feel about that, to be honest.”

Twilight’s mind, previously relaxed and absorbing the tranquil aura of Gaur Plain, began racing in response to Shulk’s statement.

He was right, that would be the last time any of them ever saw each other. The exact science behind Aza’s displacement of everyone was something she knew would forever be beyond her comprehension, so once everyone was returned home there would be no way they could see each other again. That is unless she discovered a long forgotten spell that actually allowed inter-universal travel, but she’d be a fool to bank on that ever happening.

It was a thought that brought many conflicting thoughts to the forefront of her mind. On the one hoof, getting back home to her friends was what she, as well as everyone else, wanted above all else. On the other hoof, she’d spent so much time with everyone else and gotten to know them very well, that she’d be lying if she didn’t consider them all to be friends as well.

Twilight mused to herself while tuning out her surroundings, trying to decide if she was ready to accept that reality when it inevitably came. She had stronger bonds with certain members of the group than others; Yugi and Shulk, for example, she’d grown quite close with, whereas people like Ryuk and Garp she was a bit more indifferent toward. Having to say goodbye to them would no doubt be a little hard to bear, but she figured she would manage in the end.

The thought of possibly having something to remember everyone by struck her brain. A photograph would be the ideal solution, but she would need a camera and possibly enough film to give everyone their own copies should they want one. Master Hand could conjure one up if she asked, but the giant hand was already doing so much for the group that she wondered if he’d think she was trying to take advantage of his powers if she asked.

Twilight came out of her musings when she realized Shulk and Yugi were calling to her. She turned to look at each of them, and they pointed upwards into the sky. She looked up, not seeing anything unusual at first, but a closer look revealed something that shouldn’t have been there.

A small colorful dot hung in the sky above Gaur Plain, growing bigger and more defined as it came closer to Kyoshin.

It wasn’t until the object was about two hundred feet from the ground that Twilight could clearly make it out, and even then, she struggled to put words to its appearance. The object was maybe half the size of Canterlot Castle, sporting a vague spinning top shape with many bright primary and secondary colors. A few spires jutted down from underneath the object while a single one towered over everything above, with various structures hanging off of the main body. Most striking of all was the giant blue orb hanging in the center, glowing and shining with brilliant radiance to rival the most beautiful of stars. A faint shimmering aura hung in the air around the oddly-shaped structure which Twilight guessed was the result of the giant blue orb.

She spared a glance each to Yugi and Shulk, finding equally awestruck expressions plastered across their faces. She was feeling much the same way. Whatever that object was, it had to be piloted by an intelligent being, but even more unusual was the fact that it appeared to have come out of the sky, likely space itself. What that could mean, Twilight could only make a rough, uneducated guess, but she felt a surge of dreadful anticipation over having to explain what was happening to even more of Aza’s captives.

The craft halted in place once it had reached an altitude of about fifty feet, hovering in place over a section of plains not too far from the three friends. None of them said a word, their eyes glued to the strange craft. Then Twilight’s ears twitched in response to a sound coming from behind her. She turned her head to see Florina stepping out of the grove of trees. The timid pegasus knight hadn’t seen the strange alien craft, her gaze fixed on the trio and giving them a small, friendly smile.

Twilight spared another glance at the craft before turning back to Florina and pointing her hoof up towards it. Florina followed her hoof, eyes bulging when she saw the craft. She hurried over to join everyone, her eyes never once leaving the craft.

“What is it?” she asked, sounding on the verge of panicking. “What’s going on? Are we in danger?”

“We don’t know,” Shulk said without turning around to regard her. His gaze grew more intense and he tentatively reached a hand back to grip his Monado. “But if we’re going to have to fight, we’ll need to wake up everyone else.”

Twilight was about to tell Florina to go do just that when Yugi said, “Wait, look at that!” He pointed up at the left side of the craft.

Two figures were standing upon the deck of the craft, undoubtedly staring down at the group. Their body shapes were that of humans, one of them sporting longer hair than the other, possibly indicating them to be female. Looking closer, Twilight thought she could see something yellow and small bobbing through the air above their heads, trailing shimmering sparkles in their wake. Twilight felt uneasy under their distant stares.

“What are they?” she asked.

“I’d think they were aliens, but they’re clearly human,” Yugi said.

“Aliens?” Florina questioned.

The group’s talk was halted when the three figures stepped over the side of the craft, but rather than falling through the air, a sparkling bubble enveloped them which began gently lowering them to the ground. As they grew closer, details about the newcomers filled themselves in.

Two of them were indeed human, while the third one was a creature Twilight didn’t recognize. It was small, red and star-shaped, with stubby little limbs and beady black eyes, but no other distinguishable features. It hovered over the humans’ heads within the bubble like a buzzing fly, excitedly weaving back and forth.

The two humans looked very formal, especially in regards to their attire. One was a platinum blonde woman wearing a long turquoise dress with star patterns and slippers, a star-shaped chest brooch, star-shaped earrings, a silver crown with red and blue jewels, and holding a star-studded wand. She looked down at the group with a single, brilliant blue eye, while the other was covered by a bang of her hair. Her smile was soft and almost motherly, sending a sudden surge of warmth through Twilight’s heart.

The man beside her wore a brown overcoat, dark blue pants and suit, a white t-shirt, red tie, with the only piece of casual clothing he wore being his shoes— being a pony and thus unused to human footwear, Twilight couldn’t place the exact type. His short brown hair was curly and slightly unkempt, with prominent sideburns running down his cheeks. His eyes were dark brown and showed an advanced wisdom despite his young appearance.

The bubble brought the three newcomers down to ground level a fair distance away before disappearing, letting the two humans land gently on their feet. The man took a moment to straighten the collar of his suit while the woman brushed some hair behind her ears. Together they walked toward the group, to which Shulk partially unsheathed his blade. The action must’ve been noticed by the trio, as they paused in their tracks to momentarily whisper to each other before continuing forward.

“I don’t think they mean us any harm,” Twilight whispered to Shulk.

Shulk was silent for a moment. He relaxed his stance but kept his grip on the Monado. “You’re probably right, but I’d rather still be ready to fight.”

The three newcomers finally stopped once they were a scant ten feet from the group of four. The woman gave a courteous bow before them while the man put his hands in his suit pockets and simply nodded. The floating yellow creature waved a stubby little arm back and forth in greeting.

“Hello,” the woman said. Her tone was both kind and wistful, radiating with solemness, yet wisdom to match that found within the man by her side. “I am pleased to meet you.”

“Same here,” the man said. His tone was a little gruffer, yet still cordial. “And from the looks of things, we have quite the dilemma here.”

“Yeah, a big one!” the red star creature chirped in a feminine voice

Twilight blinked, their greeting somehow taking her back with surprise. She’d expected a little more… uncertainty? Confusion? Maybe a little nervousness at seeing a lavender unicorn. Whoever they were, they must’ve been very familiar with strange alien beings.

“Um, who are you three?” Florina asked.

The woman placed a hand on her chest. “My name is Rosetta. I am the owner of the craft you see hovering above: the Comet Observatory.”

“I’m a chiko!” the red creature said, then giggled. “But my name is Maria! I was named after a super awesome hero!”

The man’s mouth lifted up into a small smile. “Just call me the Doctor.”

Twilight arched an eyebrow. “Doctor who?”

“Exactly,” he replied.

“But—”

“Anyway,” the Doctor said, cutting her off, “you all look like a nice bunch. Mind introducing yourselves?”

Twilight growled under her breath, not appreciating him cutting her off, but let it slide. “My name is Twilight Sparkle.”

“My name is Shulk,” he said, relaxing his grip on the Monado a little. “This is my home: the Kyoshin.” He swept his hand across the landscape around them.

“Yugi Muto,” he said, stepping forward with a smile.

Florina hesitated at first, twirling a lock of her hair as she shied her gaze away from the newcomers. “Um… I’m Florina,” she said after a few moments.

Rosetta fixed her attention on the shy girl. “There’s no need to be scared, Florina. The Doctor and I understand the situation you’re all in, and we want to help you all return home.”

“Wait, ‘return home’?” Twilight said, a small surge of hope shooting through her. “You can do that? Seriously?”

“Oh don’t worry, we’ll explain everything to you all.” The Doctor looked between the four friends. “Is this your entire group? Probably not, I’m guessing.”

Shulk shook his head. “Everyone else is still sleeping in a cave down that way.” He pointed to the grove of trees behind them.

“This is a lovely place to settle down and come together,” Rosetta said, sweeping her gaze across the plains. “It reminds me very much of my home planet.”

“Yes, grass and trees seem to be a constant on every planet that supports life,” the Doctor noted, rubbing his chin.

“Do you really know what’s going on?” Shulk asked them.

“Like I said, we’ll explain everything,” the Doctor replied. “But you’d best get us acquainted with the rest of your group first, right?”

“Um, sure,” Twilight said. She lifted her gaze up to the Comet Observatory, still hovering high above the ground. “Is your ship being controlled or something?”

“My children are keeping it in place,” Rosetta explained. “The Comet Observatory is meant to fly through space, and as such, it isn’t equipped with traditional landing gears.”

“My brothers and sisters are keeping it ship shape and not crashing,” Maria stated with pride.

Twilight made an understanding ‘o’ with her mouth before something she said struck her as odd. “Wait, Rosetta, your children are—”

“So, which way did you say your encampment was?” the Doctor asked, causing Twilight to scowl over being interrupted again.

“Just past this tree grove,” Yugi said, pointing behind him.

“Then lead the way, Yugi.”

The newcomers fell into step behind the group of four, following them through the tree grove and to the refugee camp. A few more group members had woken up and were loitering around at the bottom of the hill leading to the cave entrance by the time they arrived.

One of them was Ryuk, who turned to watch as the group of seven approached the cave entrance. His unchanging expression followed them, his eyes trained on the three newcomers the whole time.

“So we have some new arrivals, then?” he said once they were within earshot.

“Looks like it,” Shulk said, shrugging.

“You’re a curious-looking fellow,” the Doctor said, eyeing Ryuk up and down. “… Shinigami, right?”

Ryuk’s head flinched back a little in surprise. “Y-Yes,” he stuttered. “How did you know?”

“Those in my line of work get to know a wide assortment of peoples,” the Doctor said before stepping inside the cave, Rosetta and Maria following right behind.

Ryuk stared at him for a few moments before turning to Twilight. “He’s certainly taking this situation in stride.”

Twilight sighed. “Apparently he and Rosetta already know what’s going on. Which, considering the lack of anything happening for the past three days, would be great to finally know why that is.”

“I guess.”

It took a few minutes to gather everyone who was awake as well as bring those who were still sleeping out of their slumber. Fortunately, those who were still asleep weren’t the type to make a grumpy fuss over being woken up, and in fact were actually thankful upon learning of the possible chance to be returned home.

Once everyone in the group had given a brief introduction of themselves to the Doctor, Rosetta and Maria they gathered around in a semi-circle outside the entrance to the cave, with the three newcomers standing right at the entryway. Everyone in the group watched them with varying levels of trust, but Twilight could see looking into their eyes a sense of gleeful anticipation. She, herself, was feeling similarly. The faces of her friends back home flitted through her mind, and she smiled at the thought of being able to see them again after what felt like an eternity, even though it had only been about a week.

“So,” the Doctor said, clapping his hands together and scanning his eyes over the crowd, “do I have everyone’s full attention?”

There was a collective murmur of agreement from the crowd.

“Good. First things first, a formal introduction is in order.” He gestured to himself. “I am the Doctor, hailing from the planet of Gallifrey, and to basically sum up my life story: I travel time and space in my Tardis, which you’ll get to see for yourselves later, helping people — mostly humans — with more problems than can be counted on a hundred fingers. Although right now, I must say, I’m in deeper than I’ve been in quite a long time.”

Rosetta placed a hand on her chest. “I am Rosetta, from my universe’s version of Earth. I am the owner of the Comet Observatory which I use to travel through space and watch over the cosmos. My adopted children, the chikos, are my pride and joy, and it’s my job to raise them until they’re ready to become cosmic bodies: planets, comets, stars, and so on.”

Maria waved to the group. “I’m going to become a beautiful comet when I grow up, blazing blue across the skies for thousands of planets!” Rosetta gently stroked Maria’s pointy head, earning her a smile from the perky chiko.

“Now, before we explain what’s going on, there’s something we need to know,” the Doctor said, sweeping his gaze across the group again. “Who’s been a part of this group the longest?” Twilight and Yugi raised a hoof and a hand, respectively. “I need a timeline of all the most significant events that have happened since you’ve been here. Don’t fret over details; just give me the biggest events in as broad a sense as you can recount.”

“Alright then,” Twilight said.

Both she and Yugi stood up and recounted everything that had happened over the past week, all while the Doctor and Rosetta and even the rest of the group listened attentively, despite already knowing what had happened before they joined as a result of Twilight’s memory spell. The Doctor and Rosetta didn’t seem the least bit fazed by any of the outlandish things Twilight and Yugi described, and in fact, only when they mentioned how the last three days had been completely quiet did they start showing more interest.

The Doctor and Rosetta conversed in a hushed tone for a few moments following the debriefing. Twilight could almost physically feel the tension between everyone in the group as they waited for the duo to explain things to them. But even beyond that primal need to not be kept in the dark, Twilight had a vested academic interest in learning more about what was going on. A chance to learn more about how sentient universes was an opportunity she never knew she wanted, and now it was being delivered to her on a silver platter by two apparent experts.

Finally, the Doctor and Rosetta returned their attention to the group. “We suppose it goes without saying you all know how multiverse theory works, correct?” the Doctor asked.

Everyone collectively nodded their affirmation.

“In order to explain what’s going on, we first need to explain a few details you might not be aware of,” Rosetta said. “You’re all familiar with the concept of family trees, correct?”

Most everyone nodded again.

“The multiverse actually abides by a similar structure,” she continued. “All universes stem from a single progenitor, each one its own, solitary branch. Some branches connect to each other, and not always in the same manner. Some group together into giant clusters and some even manage to overlap and mix their contents.” She held a hand up to her mouth which lifted into a soft smile. “It can be rather confusing for the first time learner.”

“It’s all a big ball of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey spacey-tracey,” the Doctor said, earning him a giggle from Rosetta.

“But where does Aza fit into all of that?” Twilight asked.

“We’re getting there, rest assured,” the Doctor said. “The real reason why the multiverse is set up like this is more abstract than you’d think.”

“Indeed it is,” Rosetta said, stifling another giggle. “How many of you have ever written a story? Or just in general created a piece of fiction in your lives?”

The resulting confusion from Rosetta’s question hung solidly in the air. No one said anything, but one look at their faces was enough to know what it is they wanted to say. Twilight, too, was puzzled by the seeming and abrupt change of subject. She was about to raise her hoof to verbalize everyone’s shared question before Ash beat her to the punch, breaking the confused silence.

“What the hell does that have to do with anything?” he asked.

“We’re trying to teach through example,” the Doctor said, a little bit of annoyance creeping into his tone. “I do believe that’s a constant factor in every alternate Earth school, or am I wrong Mr. Williams?”

Ash scowled, before sighing. “Whatever.”

“I understand the confusion,” Rosetta said, warmth and understanding prevalent in her voice, deeply contrasting the Doctor’s. “We've been trying to slowly ease into the meat of this discussion because the answers you seek might not be easy to comprehend. Assuming you even choose to believe them, that is.”

“I think I speak for the entire group when I say we’ll believe whatever you tell us,” Charlotte said. “We’ve all already seen too many things that defy logic and reasoning as we individually understand them.”

Many people in the group voiced their agreement to her assertion.

Rosetta shook her head. “I don’t doubt that, but the facts we have to share go beyond mere logic and science. The Doctor and I actually fear some of you will have existential crises upon hearing our explanation, which is why we’re trying to be careful with how we go about explaining this.”

That heightened Twilight’s interest considerably, while a quick glance around showed many people were baffled by Rosetta’s statement. Silence once again dominated the air around them all, as they were likely once again too confused to say anything. Twilight decided to swiftly cut the silence before it turned awkward and to keep the conversation moving at a steady pace.

“I’ve written a series of novels before,” she said, drawing the Doctor and Rosetta’s attention. “Do you… need me to go into more details about what they were about?”

The Doctor smiled and shook his head. “That won’t be necessary, Twilight. But let me ask: How would you describe the relationship between yourself and the characters in your books?”

Twilight’s confusion only heightened in response. She didn’t let it throw her off, however, and replied with, “I… don’t know? They’re just words put to paper. What are you getting at?”

A coy smile crossed the Doctor’s lips, and he shook his head. “My apologies; I let myself get a little carried away.” He waved a hand at the collective groan that emanated from the group. “Yes, yes, I understand your impatience. Anyway, what I’m getting at is this; creating a piece of fiction is similar to adding a new generation to a family tree, which itself is similar to a whole new universe being created as we stated.”

“So… what?” Garp said. “You’re saying that universes can procreate or something?”

Both the Doctor and Rosetta laughed. “Hardly,” the Doctor answered. “It’s not universes themselves that create new ones, but rather, the people living within them. And if you’ll recall, we stated that all universes are born from a single progenitor. Which means…?” He rolled his hand, gesturing for everyone to figure out the answer themselves.

“That means...” Twilight said before her eyes shot wide in realization. “That means our homes were all created by intelligent beings. By actual, literal gods.”

“Wait a minute, what?” Samus said, as gasps of shock and disbelief emanated through the group.

The Doctor nodded at Twilight. “Pretty much.”

“Wait, so you’re saying we all owe our existences to random schmucks putting words to paper?” Ash asked him.

“Not just books, actually;” Rosetta said, “any and all mediums for telling stories.”

Garp put a hand to his forehead, massaging it a little. “You’ve gotta be bullshitting us.”

Rosetta frowned. “Please refrain from using such vulgar language in front of my children.”

Maria came around to face her. “Why Mama? What’s so bad about saying 'bullshi—'” She was swiftly silenced by Rosetta’s hand covering her mouth.

Rosetta sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Why don’t you return to the observatory? We’ll have a talk later about foul language. Okay?” She smiled sweetly at her.

“Okay, Mama!”

Maria floated up and over the grove leading toward the camp. The group didn’t watch as she left, their attention unfocused as the full implications of the Doctor and Rosetta’s words started sinking into their minds.

By Twilight’s observation, reactions among the group were heavily mixed: Charlotte, Hermione, Garp, Ash, Samus, Florina, and Yugi seemed to be caught somewhere between discomfort and denial; Pit and Palutena looked as if they’d found the answer to a longtime mystery which had been eating away at them; Shulk, Pikachu, and James were clearly in straight up denial; Ryuk and Master Hand’s thoughts were hidden behind their inability to communicate emotions through facial expressions; Ed, Kirby, Gillman, and Thomas were characteristically failing to comprehend what exactly they’d been told.

Deadpool was the only one in the whole group who didn’t appear to be perturbed in the slightest. On the contrary, he had his arms folded behind his head and was laying on the ground, seemingly perfectly content.

A part of Twilight was echoing Garp’s sentiment, though, in a much more polite manner. But another part of her knew that any explanation the Doctor and Rosetta gave them was better than anything they could come up with. The duo certainly believed in what they were saying, and while they hadn’t shown any irrefutable proof that they were correct, the group had no means to disprove their explanation.

“Suppose we believed you;” she spoke up, meeting the Doctor and Rosetta’s dual gazes with her own skeptical one, “where does Aza fit into this?”

“Aza’s ‘birth’, as it were, was the same as any other universe,” the Doctor explained. “It was created by someone from the progenitor universe, and judging by everything that you’ve recounted, it appears Aza was created specifically for this little experiment.”

“So you’re saying Aza is nothing more than a tool to bring us all together?” Palutena asked.

“Something along those lines,” Rosetta replied. Her face turned grim. “But there’s more to tell you that might be hard for you to accept.”

“Honestly, lady?” Garp said. “I don’t think anything you tell us could be heavier than the meaning of life.”

Rosetta’s grim expression turned more intense but lightened up a little when the Doctor placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

He gave her an equally comforting smile before turning to address Garp. “I regret to say it’s much worse than simply being created by random beings that you’ll never meet,” he said. “The truth is that those random beings have quite a great degree of control over not just the physic systems and people of the universes they create, but the chains of causality within them as well.”

Twilight’s eyes bulged at his words while the bottom fell out of her stomach. She turned to gauge everyone’s reactions to his revelation, only to find many of them seemed more confused than anything by what he said— Shulk, Charlotte, and Hermione seemed to be on the same page as her, at least.

Sighing, she decided to explain it to the group. “Causality: the relationship between cause and effect. For example; throwing a bucket of water onto a fire will douse it. The same applies to all the decisions a person will make and the consequences that result from them.”

Some members of the group instantly recognized the implications of what she was saying while comprehension took a little more time to dawn on some others. Ed, Kirby, and Gillman had seemingly completely tuned out the conversation and were instead munching on food conjured by Master Hand, their eyes staring off into space.

“Wait wait wait,” Ash said, holding up his hands and turning back to Rosetta and the Doctor. “So what you’re saying is I lost my friends, my girlfriend, and my hand because some random schmuck made it happen for their amusement?”

“And the same for my parents?” Samus questioned.

“And me losing my best friend?” Palutena followed.

“Times have been especially rough since I arrived at Hogwarts,” Hermione said, casting her gaze downward. “To say nothing of what my friends have gone through in their lives.”

“Dracula has been the scourge of the Earth for centuries,” Charlotte remarked. “To think someone would actually wish that upon my world…”

“All the seemingly random events we’ve been forced to deal with in our time here suddenly make a lot more sense now,” Yugi observed.

“Now hold on,” Garp said, “why should we believe any of that bullcrap? Gods pulling the strings behind our realities as some sick form of amusement? What proof do you have that’s true?”

“It does sound far-fetched, doesn’t it?” the Doctor said, his tone remaining upbeat. “Knowledge of the progenitor universe isn’t something that’s granted all willy nilly. Really, it’s quite a rare blessing. Or a curse, depending on the person in question. Probably more often the latter.”

“The two of us only know about it as a result of our travels across existence,” Rosetta explained, staying calm and serene. “Every now and then we would encounter beings who made weird references to things seemingly beyond our comprehension— pursuit of deeper knowledge led us to the conclusion of the progenitor universe’s existence.”

Shulk placed a hand on his chin. “It sounds like you don’t have any concrete evidence, then.”

”Wait a minute.”

Everyone turned to Master Hand, but he was facing toward the right side of the group— his lack of eyes made it impossible to tell who he was looking at until he continued speaking.

”Deadpool.”

The red-suited mercenary looked up to him. “What up, Master Handjob?”

Deadpool’s lewd nickname didn’t seem to bother Master Hand, who continued speaking unperturbed.

”She said ‘beings who made weird references to things seemingly beyond our comprehension’. That sounds an awful lot like what you’ve been doing the past few days.”

Hearing that brought up memories from Twilight’s subconscious. Instances where Deadpool talked about things like ‘authors’ and ‘fanfiction’ that she’d brushed aside as just nonsense.

The pieces clicked into place. Twilight’s stomach dropped again. Other members of the group simultaneously reached the same conclusion as her, most of the color draining from their faces and their eyes glazing over.

“Yep, you pretty much hit the nail on the head there, Fingerin’,” Deadpool remarked. “Knowing you’re the plaything of some random schmuck with artistic passion and the need for a paycheck ain’t something you’ll readily believe from even your closest friends.” He brought up a hand and waved it towards Rosetta and the Doctor. “But yeah, I’ll vouch for what they’re saying. Whether you believe me is your choice. Actually, wait, no it isn’t.” He barked out a laugh to cap off his statement.

As socially disconnected as Twilight sometimes was from other people, she’d spent enough time with everyone in the group to get a good sense of the general mood they were all feeling at any given time. The depression and despair that settled around everyone were almost thick enough to cut with a knife, and she’d be lying to herself if she said she wasn’t feeling similarly.

What Rosetta and the Doctor were saying had sounded so incredibly far-fetched that, indeed, she was on the verge of dismissing them as crazy. But it made too much sense to not be true, especially regarding Deadpool’s various odd statements since he’d arrived. A small part of her believed there was a higher power dictating everything purely on the notion that she was believing something Deadpool had said at all.

A short period of silence settled among the group, broken only by the continued sounds of Ed, Kirby, and Gillman’s snack time. Twilight took a deep, relaxing breath and set about organizing her emotions, as futile a task as that might’ve seemed.

It was hard to have a definite opinion on what the Doctor and Rosetta were saying. A small part of Twilight actually didn’t want to believe them, but a larger part of her was trying to come to terms with it, to accept the probable reality presented to her. But that brought to light the repercussions such a reality would entail: even if they all returned home they’d still be at the mercy of a higher power, which wasn’t a pleasant thought. Downright terrifying, even.

Then a spark of hope lit up in her chest. Were things really so bad either home or here in Aza’s clutches? They were still alive. They had each other for support. Back home she was living a happy, fulfilling life. Admittedly, she couldn’t say the same for some other people in the group based on their backstories, but they were all strong of character in her eyes. Whatever hardships they were destined to suffer through back home, she had no doubt they would overcome them.

“I can see you’re not taking the news very well,” Rosetta said, drawing everyone’s collective attention back to her. She smiled warmly at them all. “Rest assured, however, that there’s a silver lining to it.”

“And what might that be?” Ash asked, making no attempt to hide his sarcasm.

“The beings of the progenitor universe have control over the chain of causality, true,” the Doctor started. “That said, the exact extent of their control is unknown, and there’s evidence to suggest it isn’t absolute.”

“And what’s that?” Yugi asked.

“Look among you,” Rosetta said. “What species is the most prevalent in the entire group?”

Her question caught the entire group off guard at first, but eventually, Florina answered with, “Um, well, many of us are humans.”

“I’m actually called a homs,” Shulk said.

“Lady Palutena and I only look human,” Pit added.

“Fuck consistency!” Deadpool laughed.

The group ignored him, keeping their attention on the Doctor and Rosetta.

“Admittedly it’s mostly conjecture, but the sheer number of universes dominated by humans is mind-boggling, quite frankly,” the Doctor explained. “It’s not unreasonable to surmise that the progenitor universe’s beings would have a creative bias towards their own species.”

“What relevance does that have to all of this?” Charlotte asked.

The Doctor replied with another question: “Are humans any more intelligent and meticulous than any other known sapient creature?”

“I knew a human who outsmarted an entire police force for years,” Ryuk put out.

The Doctor stared bemusedly at him for a moment before looking back to address the group. “My point is that humans have limited creative vision. Could any of you literally chart out the entire life of a fictional character all on your own? No. They may be directly responsible for creating you and your destiny, but for sure, at least some of your decisions were, indeed, your own to make.”

His words were quick to lighten the group’s collective mood. Twilight looked around and saw wide, relieved smiles on everyone in addition to the one she felt splitting her own muzzle.

“Wait a minute,” Palutena said. “Is there any way for us to know when these progenitor universe humans are influencing us?”

“Wow, a chance to educate the Goddess of Wisdom herself,” the Doctor joked. Palutena kept her smile while playfully rolling her eyes. “Truth be told, there’s no way to know for sure since you can literally put words to anything your mind can think up.”

“But there are ways to get an idea of when your life is being orchestrated,” Rosetta continued for him. “You’ve all had life-changing experiences happen to you, correct.” Everyone nodded in unison. “It’s safe to assume that all of those events were orchestrated. Smaller things like what you decide to have for breakfast, or whether you take the scenic route on a long trip are too minuscule to think up.”

“Well, that’s somewhat reassuring,” Hermione said with clear relief in her voice.

“Yeah,” Ash agreed.

“But how are we supposed to get home?” Samus asked. “From the sounds of it, we can’t until whoever is making all this happen decides to let us go.”

The Doctor smirked. “Yes, that is the dilemma. Really, as long as whoever it is is under no pressure to stop, they could keep us here indefinitely. At least until they themselves die, but then they could just pass us along to one of their friends, and nothing might change.”

Everyone must’ve realized he was joking, as their expressions changed to bemused instead of discomforted. The Doctor waved them off and continued.

“But no, we have reason to believe escape is within our grasp,” he finished.

Rosetta pointed to the Comet Observatory barely hovering within sight of everyone, the top of its center spire peeking over the treetops. “My observatory is equipped with cosmic energy measuring technology. Before the Doctor and I landed here, we were able to pick up an enormous signature coming from somewhere off in the far reaches of space. Considering everything you’ve told us, we believe that energy signature is significant to our situation. Possibly even for getting us all back home.”

“How sure are you of that?” Garp asked, clearly skeptical.

“Does it matter?” the Doctor asked. The question was obviously rhetorical. “You’re all wasting your time doing nothing here anyway. Come with us, and at least there’s a chance we all can return home.”

The group was silent again for a short while after that. In Twilight’s mind, the Doctor was one hundred right; they had nothing to lose by joining him and Rosetta in investigating this energy signature thing. Everyone else didn’t seem quite so eager, however, and it was easy to see why.

The idea was too good to be true. She didn’t believe trust was an issue, given how open and friendly the Doctor and Rosetta were. If everyone else was feeling the same as her, then they’d be perfectly willing to journey into the deepest reaches of space and brave all the potential dangers it might herald if it meant finding a way home.

But there was no guarantee that would happen. Knowing what they do now about the progenitor universe, it wasn’t too hard to believe it was little more than a red herring. It being an actual trap wasn’t a concern in her eyes, as the group had long since overcome any issues regarding courage in the face of adversity. But the prospect of getting their hopes up at the idea of finding a way home only for them to be dashed after a long journey through space was probably every bit as terrifying as facing down whatever cosmic horrors Aza, or whatever was controlling Aza, could throw at them.

Finally, she broke the silence by saying, “I’ll come with you,” and stepped forward to join Rosetta and the Doctor.

“Twilight?” Florina said.

“I’m willing to take this chance,” she said, turning around to face everyone. “I get that you’re all hesitant, but there’s really nothing else we can do except follow this lead and hope and I guess pray that it gets us somewhere.”

There were murmurers of half-hearted agreement and sheepish neck rubs throughout the crowd.

“Well, I suppose that’s settled, then,” the Doctor said, clapping his hands together. “Shall we depart immediately, then? Or might you have some unfinished business you want to wrap up here before we do so?”

No one said anything. “All right then,” he continued. “Let’s get moving.”

“What about me?” Thomas asked.

The Doctor snapped his fingers and pointed at him. “Rest assured, I’ll have something for you within the next two seconds.”

A second of silence followed. Thomas opened his mouth but was stopped when the air between the group distorted. A tall, blue box took shape before them with windows around the upper half, a light situated on top, and the words ‘POLICE BOX’ written against a black bar with ‘Public Call’ written in smaller text.

“Well, that’s another random occurrence,” James remarked. “Why’s there an old-fashioned police box here?”

“Wait for it,” the Doctor said, holding up a hand.

The door to the police box opened, and there was a collective gasp throughout the crowd as a perfect copy of the Doctor stepped out: same clothes, eyes, and hair down to a T.

“What time?” the first Doctor asked the new one.

“A little bit after takeoff,” the new one replied. “You’ll see why soon.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

The two Doctors shared a laugh before the future one approached Thomas, who eyed him curiously. He pulled out what Twilight thought looked like a purple mushroom with a pair of beady black eyes on one side and held it up to Thomas.

“Should I put it in your mouth or in your boiler?” he asked jokingly.

Deadpool gave a sharp laugh. Thomas stared bemusedly at the Doctor.

“I’d like to know what that thing is before you put it in my boiler,” he said disapprovingly.

“Ah, I was just fooling with you,” the Doctor admitted.

He pulled his arm behind him before delivering an underhand throw to Thomas. The mushroom hit his front buffers and instantly disappeared without even a flourish. The resulting effect was so quick that Twilight didn’t have time to fully process it as it happened. Thomas’ entire form seemed to shrink and expand in a series of rapid pulls, almost like his body was made of rubber, before eventually settling down and stopping when he was about one-tenth of his original size.

Thomas’ eyes spun around dizzily as a result of the transformation before eventually settling on the group and bulging. “Why am I so small!?” he cried.

“Because you need to be in order to fit through the door to my Tardis,” the new Doctor explained. He bent down and lifted Thomas’ shrunken frame in his hands, grunting a little with the effort.

He turned to the rest of the group, ignoring Thomas’ cries and speaking loud enough to be heard over him. “See you back at the observatory.”

He turned and headed back into the blue box, the ‘Tardis’, shutting the door behind him. The police box was soon to disappear after, leaving everyone in the group silent and completely at a loss for what to say, if doing so could even be considered appropriate at such a point in time.

“Well,” Ryuk said, breaking the silence, to everyone’s immense relief, “that happened.”

“Indeed it did, Ryuk;” the Doctor said dryly, "happens a lot in my line of work.” He turned to everyone. “Shall we get going, then?”

The group was all too happy to oblige. They quickly gathered together and began the march back to the Comet Observatory. Twilight could almost taste the anxiety in the air between everyone from where she stood near the front. In spite of agreeing to come along, everyone still had reservations about making the journey, not that she could blame them.

They’d made it up the hill when Rosetta came alongside Twilight. The human woman’s strides were long and graceful beneath her ankle length dress, and Twilight wondered how she managed to keep from tripping on the uneven grassy terrain beneath her.

“Might I ask you a question, Twilight Sparkle?” she said.

“Sure, go ahead.”

She pointed to the Element of Magic resting on Twilight’s head. “That is a peculiar tiara you’re wearing there, and it matches the necklaces some of these other people are wearing. What are they?”

“They’re called the Elements of Harmony, and they are, simply put, the most powerful magic artifacts from my world.” She returned Rosetta’s curious gaze. “Why do you ask?”

“Our machine also picked up seven unusual energy signatures coming from here in addition to the one we discovered far out in space,” Rosetta explained. “These ‘Elements of Harmony’ account for six of them, so what’s the seventh?”

Twilight pondered for a moment before the answer struck her and she turned around. “Hey Shulk, could you come up here?”

The young blonde man pushed past the crowd and up to the front alongside Twilight and Rosetta. “What’s up, Twilight?” he asked.

“Your Monado gives off a faint energy signature, doesn’t it?”

Shulk cocked his head for a moment before unsheathing his blade and staring at it while he walked. “Kind of, yeah,” he replied. “It’s not something I fully understand, however. It makes sense, though, given how powerful it is.”

Rosetta placed a delicate finger on the sword’s length and began examining it. She spent the next several seconds looking it over, so absorbed that she almost walked right into a tree but side-stepped it in time.

“I feel there’s something significant about these items…” Rosetta trailed off.

“How so?” Twilight asked.

Rosetta was silent for a moment. “Little more than intuition,” she replied.

Twilight stared back at her for a moment before returning her gaze forward, only to halt in her tracks. The rest of the group halted in place in response.

“What’s wrong, Twilight?” the Doctor asked.

She said nothing. Her eyes remained fixed straight ahead as her jaw opened a little.

Everyone followed her gaze and adopted similar expressions. Standing just outside the grove of trees were four very familiar newcomers standing around looking confused: a white alicorn, a human man holding a camera, and a bipedal squirrel and yellow sponge wearing karate gear, the latter also wearing a helmet filled with water.

Twilight’s muzzle split into a wide grin. “Princess Celestia!” She dashed forward.

The princess turned at the mention of her name, smiling upon noticing her pupil. “Twili–oof!”

The force of Twilight’s tackle hug knocked Celestia back, forcing her to regain her footing. Twilight wrapped her hooves around her chest and buried her muzzle into Celestia’s coat, tears streaming from her eyes while muffled cries came from her mouth.

Celestia took a moment to regain her composure before smiling and wrapping her wings around Twilight. “There there, Twilight, I’m right here for you,” she soothed.

Twilight continued crying for a few more seconds before she lifted her eyes to meet Celestia’s gaze. “You’re my Princess Celestia, right?” she asked, a little nervousness creeping into her voice. “Do you remember all of this?” She gestured at the approaching group.

Celestia nodded. “Yes, Twilight, I remember everything about Aza.”

Twilight’s smile grew even bigger before she re-buried her face into Celestia’s chest. “It feels so good to see you again, Princess,” she choked out.

Celestia was silent for a moment before replying with, “And I concur. Although, I wish it were back home and not here again.”

“You can say that again, Princess,” she heard Frank say.

“Barnacles, not this again,” Spongebob groaned.

“Language, Spongebob,” Sandy admonished.

“Sorry.”

Twilight managed to pull her face away from Celestia and wipe the last of her tears away just as the group reached them. Casting her gaze between the four new old arrivals, the only one who actually looked any different was Frank West. His face was a bit more tired and his hair had started graying a little, but otherwise, he looked the same as he’d been when he left about a week earlier. He must’ve been pulled back from a later point in his life; a few years, from the looks of it.

“Well well, a few more colors to add to the cast it looks like,” the Doctor said, stepping up next to Twilight. He looked at her while gesturing to Celestia. “You know her?”

Twilight nodded. “The four of them were abductees who were returned home earlier in the week,” she explained.

“And dangnabbit, we got pulled back so soon after we both returned home,” Sandy said, making no attempt to hide her irritation.

“How long were you home?” Frank asked.

“About eleven minutes,” Spongebob answered.

“Damn. Eight years for me.”

Celestia glanced over Twilight’s head at the group. “I see a number of new faces among the crowd.” She glanced down at Twilight. “How long has it been since I left?”

“Three days, Princess.”

“I was literally flying down to Ponyville to see if you were back when I was returned here.” She sighed, slumping her shoulders. “It looks like Aza has other plans, it seems.”

“Actually, Aza isn’t responsible for all of this,” Twilight replied.

Celestia quirked an eyebrow— Frank, Spongebob, and Sandy had similar reactions. “Wait, what do you mean by that?”

Twilight felt a rising headache come on— she needed more time to digest the revelations Rosetta and the Doctor gave, clearly. “We’ll explain everything later,” she promised, rubbing her temples with her hooves. “Right now, we’re preparing to head for the deepest reaches of space in search of a way to get back home.”

“Space, huh?” Spongebob said. He nudged Sandy, a playful grin crossing his mouth. “Maybe we’ll meet some aliens.”

“Don’t remind me of the rocket, Spongebob,” Sandy groaned. “But we might actually meet some this time around, yeah.”

James stepped to the front of the crowd. “I’d say we’re all aliens to each other, aren’t we?” he asked with a playful grin.

“... Good point.”

A round of merry laughter spread through the crowd— it helped to diffuse the tension in the air, something that Twilight greatly appreciated.

Once the laughter died down, Rosetta said, “Well then, shall we get going?”

Everyone voiced their agreement.

“I doubt I could make a scoop out of this, but the pictures would still be nice,” Frank said, lifting up his camera. “Count me in.”

“Me too,” Sandy said with rising fervor. “Show me a varmint an’ I’ll give ‘em a good ol’ Texas style butt whooping.”

“You know what I’m gonna say,” Spongebob said casually. There was a brief pause before his lips curled into a sly smirk and he shouted, “I’m ready!” at the top of his lungs.

“Then let’s make haste,” Rosetta said. “Gather around me, everyone.”

Everyone did as instructed. Rosetta raised her wand and waved it in a twirling spin, creating a transparent, shimmering bubble of magic around everyone identical to the one she’d created earlier. Twilight was once again fascinated to see the display of alien magic before her, though, some other members of the group weren’t quite so enthused judging from the couple of whimpers she heard. If the journey through space was to be as long as she figured, she’d want to spend some time asking Rosetta for details about how it worked.

Rosetta flicked her wand, and the bubble started rising, slow but steady. A quick glance among the group showed more than a few masks of anxiety, which worried Twilight a little. If they couldn’t handle a gentle rise into the air, she shuddered to think what their reactions would be to flying through space.

The bubble lifted up and over the edge of the Comet Observatory after a few seconds of ascending. The bubble settled in the air just a few inches above the deck before it blipped from existence and everyone landed on the observatory’s deck. Twilight swept her gaze at her new surroundings, taking in sight of her new home for the foreseeable future.

It was a lot more lively than she expected. Off to the left was a lush green terrace while a cozy sitting area was situated to the right. Between them was a transparent screen displaying what Twilight assumed was a map of the observatory, behind which she could see a giant, glowing orb of blue something. The map itself showed a wrap-around design to the observatory with about half a dozen areas situated across three levels. Bright, primary colors dominated every inch of the observatory, which reminded Twilight very much of some of her Equestria friends’ custom-built homes like the Carousel Boutique and Rainbow Dash’s cloud house.

Hovering through the air everywhere she looked were dozens of chikos of various colors and even a few sizes, chatting and playing. The closest ones took notice of the group’s arrival and began whispering to each other. Twilight was surprised to see how many ‘children’ Rosetta actually had— assuming they were anything like baby foals, having so many must’ve been a real hoofful to care for. Then again, it made sense she had so many given how the cute little creatures apparently turned into celestial bodies.

“Wow, this place looks really nice,” Yugi said.

“Nothing like your rocket, Sandy,” Spongebob remarked.

Sandy nodded. “Yeah, this is way outta even my league.”

A sudden thought occurred to Twilight and she turned to Rosetta. “Wait a minute, if we’re going to be traveling through space, then shouldn’t we be in a closed off area with oxygen?” she asked.

Rosetta turned to her with a soft smile. “Don’t worry, the Comet Observatory is surrounded by a magic veil which provides oxygen to myself and all air-breathing passengers.” She made a sweeping gesture in front of her at the observatory, glancing at everyone. “Feel free to make yourself at home. I understand you’re all capable of providing for yourselves regarding food and water, but we have plenty of star bits to go around for those who are interested in trying chiko food. I would also ask that you refrain from making noise after I’ve put my children to bed. Otherwise, you’re free to wander at your leisure. And don’t worry about falling off the deck; there are safeguards in place to rescue anyone who falls off.”

“Mama! Mama!”

One of the nearest chikos — a green, slightly slender one — hovered over to the group.

“Hello, Laura,” Rosetta said sweetly. “Were you all good while the Doctor and I were away?”

Laura nodded. “Yep. We were all very good!”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“I have a question, Mama.”

“Yes, sweetie?”

“What’s ‘bullshit’?”

There was a brief moment of silence before a round of snickers erupted from the crowd. Rosetta’s eyes bulged briefly before she pinched the bridge of her nose, her smile falling into an exasperated frown.

“Where is Maria right now?” she asked.

“In the kitchen, Mama.”

“Okay then, it appears I’ll be busy for a while.” She turned to the Doctor. “Mind getting the engine up and running?”

A wholesome smile broke out on the Doctor’s face as he stuck his hands in his pockets. “No worries. You go discipline your kid; I’ll take care of everything.”

Rosetta nodded, and took off down the platform, turning right through the reading area and towards a brick, dome-shaped structure a little further away.

Twilight looked to the Doctor. “I don’t want to sound rude, but I’m genuinely curious: Are you two married?”

“Not at all,” he replied, turning to watch Rosetta’s retreating form. “She’s a good girl, definitely a good companion, but no way could I ever stand being a surrogate father for all of these chikos. I’d be driven right up a wall and back down more times than a paint roller.”

Twilight giggled. “That’s easy to imagine.”

The Doctor smiled. “You’re a smart girl, Twilight. Or mare, I guess I should say. I’m looking forward to our time together.” He capped off his statement by gently patting her on the head before taking off in the opposite direction as Rosetta.

“He’s certainly quirky,” Yugi remarked, coming up on Twilight’s left.

“They both seem like very good people,” Florina said, coming up on her right.

Twilight nodded. “I think we’re in good hands being here.”

“Or whatever those chikos have that count for ‘hands’,” Samus said from behind her.

Twilight turned around to face the group. Everyone who she’d met since the beginning of this forced adventure was here with her now. People from different worlds in different universes, brought together to fulfill the sadistic amusement of an omnipotent being with an audience. They’d overcome so many challenges together, gotten stronger both individually and as a collective whole in both spirit and body.

And their journey together was soon to be over.

“Hmm? Are you okay, Twilight?” Florina asked.

Twilight blinked—tears had filled her eyes. She took a moment to wipe them away before regarding the group with the most genuine smile she could ever remember giving in her entire life— one to easily rival the one she had when she first discovered the magic of friendship.

“Sorry, sorry,” she repeated, shaking her head. “I was getting a little sentimental is all.”

“It’s okay to get a little emotional, Twilight,” Celestia assured her. She walked up and nuzzled the smaller mare, earning one in return. “It’s only natural after all the time you’ve spent together.” She spread her wings over the group. “These are our friends, after all.”

Twilight nodded. “Exactly, Princess.”

James joined the two of them, hands in his pockets and a sly, contemplative grin splitting his mouth. “In my line of work, friendship tends to be more of a hindrance than anything,” he said.

Celestia and Twilight both quirked eyebrows at him.

James laughed. “It’s a good thing I’m not on duty, then.” He spread his arms wide. “I’m guessing a group hug is in order, hmm?”

Celestia and Twilight both returned his laugh before settling into his arms. Twilight looked to everyone else; they were staring at the three of them with expressions ranging from bewildered to bemused.

“Feel free to join in, everyone,” she said.

She’d meant it mostly as a playful joke but nevertheless didn’t object when a few members of the group did indeed decide to join them. The ones that didn’t continued standing there, unsure how to react to the brazen display of cuddly friendship. Eventually, and with more than a few exasperated sighs, they too walked over and joined in as best they could with how massive the ring of people had become, topped off with Master Hand lightly resting on top with his fingers gently wrapped around everyone.

The group finally split apart after a few moments, sharing a round of merry laughter before Twilight spoke up.

“All right then, I suppose we should bring you guys up to speed on what's going on?" She nodded to the four returning group members.

Celestia nodded. "Yes, please do, Twilight." The other three nodded as well.

"Well, I hope you're ready for a doozy. It all started when..."

Journey Into The Unknown (Part 2)

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Divine Confrontation

Author's Note

Went back and made more edits to names, specifically the Xenoblade stuff.

Happy fifth anniversary Singularity!

Divine Confrontation

Anxiety cut through the air between everyone as they stood upon the Comet Observatory’s landing platform. The thrum of blue magic in front of them was noticeably winding down as the observatory slowed down, the stars of space becoming clearer with each passing second. Nervous frowns split many faces and various members shifted uncomfortably time and again. The chikos floating through the air around them, while more relaxed overall, still had a noticeable air of uncertainty about them.

Twilight stood at the front of the group along with the rest of the Element Bearers by her side. Out of everyone, they stood the straightest and radiated the most confidence. The pep talk they’d all had earlier did wonders for solidifying their resolve. All except for Ryuk, who was clutching his Element while glancing between everyone, some agitation actually managing to show in his eyes.

“Ryuk, I understand if you’re nervous about helping,” Twilight whispered, though she was sure everyone else could hear with how close they were. “I won’t criticize your morals regarding taking sides or anything, but this is just as much your fight as it is everyone else’s. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t help out.”

“Eh, I’ll still pass,” Ryuk replied. His gaze landed on Deadpool and his eyes illuminated with relief. “Ah, perfect,” he said, floating over to the mercenary.

Deadpool met his gaze as Ryuk removed his Element from his neck and handed it down to him. “Wanna help save the day instead?” he asked.

Deadpool scratched his chin. “That’s the Element of Laughter, right? Sure, why not?” He accepted the necklace but didn’t put it on. “Making people laugh is my favorite pastime next to killing dudes.”

“You need to put it on, Deadpool,” Twilight said.

Deadpool waved a dismissive hand. “Yeah, yeah, I’m just waiting for a big, climactic moment to do so. Don’t get your panties in a bunch.”

Twilight decided it would be smarter not to reply.

The Doctor stepped to the front of the crowd along with the red chiko named Maria, coming up next to Twilight.

“We’re nearing the location of the energy signature,” he said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Rosetta is bringing the observatory to a spot about fifty feet away from its edge. Once the comet’s magic fades away, we should have a clear visual on whatever it is.”

“I must ask;” Celestia said from her spot behind Twilight, “are we prepared in case whatever this thing is decides to attack us first?”

“Not to worry,” Maria said. “Mama has defense systems in place that’ll protect us from anything bad. We’ll all be safe.”

“That’s good to hear,” Ash said.

“Pika-pi,” Pikachu said with a nod.

“If these things are as powerful as you say they are, Twilight,” Samus said, touching the Element of Honesty, “then our defense doubles as a great offense.”

“Indeed,” James agreed, touching his own Element.

“Not to mention, the abilities we all bring to the table combine together into a very potent force,” Charlotte said while holding up her spellbook. “That’s in addition to everything the Bearers can do on their own.”

“Especially if we make great use of teamwork,” Hermione put in.

Garp cracked his knuckles. “Sounds like whatever’s waiting for us is as good as dead.”

“What can I do to help?” Thomas asked from the very back of the group.

Everyone turned to look at him with unsure expressions. The tank engine was smiling so broadly and hopefully that Twilight was heavily tempted to humor him, but decided straightforward honesty would save everyone a lot of grief in the long run.

“I know I speak for everyone when I say we’d love to have you aid us,” she said delicately. “But there’s not much you can do without rails, is there? Sooo…”

Thomas’ face fell. “Yes, I suppose that’s right,” he said dourly.

“Cheer up, Thomas,” Palutena said from his side, laying a hand on his buffers. “Even if you can’t help us by fighting, you can always cheer us on from the sidelines. Encouragement is just as useful as battle prowess.”

Thomas’ frown didn’t go away. He looked to Master Hand hovering above them. “Can you help me like you did the other day?” he asked hopefully.

”You would still need rails, though,” Master Hand pointed out. ”I suppose I could conjure some up for you, but being locked to them would still limit your usefulness against a mobile foe.”

“I suppose so,” Thomas said gloomily.

“Cheer up, blue train with the freakish face,” Ed said, patting Thomas’ buffers. “This’ll be a better show than Monster Island Z: Crossover Mash - A thousand day tourney!”

No one said a word.

The stars beyond the comet’s veil of magic started appearing, drawing the group’s full attention. The veil disappeared after a few seconds while the observatory itself slowed to a crawl before gently coming to a full stop. The vast expanse of space was stretched out for them all to clearly see.

Everyone swiveled their heads back and forth, scoping the area in front of the observatory in search of something out of place. Without knowing the true form of the space anomaly, or indeed if it even had a tangible form, it was harder to know when they might actually be looking at it.

Twilight didn’t see anything before them, even after squinting her eyes. She ran through her known list of spells in search of anything that could help, but nothing came up.

“I’m not seeing anything out there,” she announced to the crowd.

“Me neither,” Yugi said.

“Same here,” James said.

“Are you absolutely sure we’re at the exact spot where the energy signature was emanating from?” Celestia asked the Doctor.

“Have faith that the technology on Rosetta’s observatory is fully functional and accurate,” he replied. “We’re at the right spot, make no mistake about that.”

“Than why isn’t there anything out there?” Garp asked, pointing to the empty expanse in front of them.

“Maybe we need to look through a different set of eyes?” Palutena suggested. “Like the way a spider’s eyesight is different from a creature with only two eyes.”

“Leave that to me,” Samus announced. She stepped to the front of the crowd, facing the space before them.

Seconds went by with nothing seemingly happening. Samus stood still with only a few murmurs from her helmet indicating she was doing something. After a few seconds, she shook her head and turned to face the crowd. “Nothing,” she said.

“What did you do?” Pit asked.

Samus tapped the side of her helmet. “My suit has upgrades that let me see through different light spectrums. To that end, you’d think I would’ve been able to see anything that was there but invisible to the naked eye. Unless whatever we’re looking for is microscopic, then there’s really nothing there.”

“Well that would suck if that’s true,” Frank said, putting his arms behind his head. “Anyone got any ideas?”

Looks of contemplation crossed everyone’s faces. A few moments passed, but no one was coming up with anything.

“... We need to move the observatory forward,” Twilight said, breaking the silence.

“Have you thought of something, Twilight?” Celestia asked.

Twilight lifted a hoof to her forehead, wondering if she was suffering from spontaneous delusion. The idea had just come to her suddenly and for seemingly no reason. Her train of thought hadn’t naturally led to such a conclusion, but she’d voiced it because it made perfect sense in her head despite the fact she had no solid evidence to back it up.

“I… I really don’t know for sure,” she replied, deciding not to tell the whole truth. “But it’s better than sitting still doing nothing, right?”

“That sounds downright stupid,” Ash remarked.

“Well, it’s either do something or nothing and unless someone else can think of something to do I’m willing to take Twilight up on her suggestion,” the Doctor said.

A few members of the group voiced their agreement. No one else made any opposing suggestions.

“Sounds like we have an agreement,” the Doctor said and turned to Maria. “Please tell Rosetta to push forward a little bit.”

“Sure thing!” she replied and floated up to the high deck.

The observatory started moving again a short while later, the veil of magic a little more transparent than it was before. Everyone instinctively drew closer as anticipation firmly took root in their minds. Any number of things could happen at any second.

And something did, but it happened so fast and so quietly that their brains needed a few extra seconds to catch up to the change that happened to the environment.

The starry expanse of space had blipped out of existence leaving nothing but a black void all around them. No distinguishable object could be seen in any direction. The observatory’s magic dissipated, likely due to Rosetta’s surprise at the change, leaving the observatory suspended in place once again.

“What the heck just happened?” Sandy asked.

“Dunno,” SpongeBob said. “But it looks exactly like how things were back when this whole mess started.”

“You’re right,” Celestia said as she swiveled her head to look around. “Perhaps there’s more significance to this state of reality than we were initially led to believe?”

Rosetta floated down to join the group along with Maria and a couple of other chikos. Her lips were pursed and her eyes held a glimmer of concern.

“I fear we may have stumbled into a spot of trouble,” she said.

The Doctor smiled. “Now you’re starting to sound more like me.”

“Now’s really not the time for jokes, Doc,” Garp said, his grizzled features displaying an atypical level of worry for him. “We could be in serious trouble right now.”

“Believe me, buddy, if something was going to happen it would’ve happened within two seconds of coming here,” Deadpool said. “No point in dragging out a scene if it was just leading up to one giant action sequence unless the characters were acting completely stupid and ignorant for whatever reason.”

“The sad thing is he’s right,” Frank said.

Twilight, meanwhile, tuned out the following conversation and stepped to the edge of the platform. They couldn’t see anything directly in front of them, but the observatory was suspended in mid-air, so something could easily be lurking below them out of sight.

A single glance below showed that, sure enough, a single figure was standing on an invisible surface directly below the observatory. She couldn’t make out any specific details from this distance aside from a purple color scheme. But whatever, or whoever it was, it was obvious they were what the group had journeyed through space in order to reach.

“We need to get off the observatory,” she said. She gestured for everyone to gather around her and pointed down to the figure.

“Alright,” Garp said, cracking his knuckles, “let’s give this bastard a rude awakening.”

Rosetta enveloped the entire group in her bubble shield and delicately lifted them off the platform and over the edge.

"Wait, you can move me yourself?" Thomas said to Rosetta.

She nodded.

"Why did you let me get shrunk down earlier?" Thomas asked, nearly wailing.

Rosetta giggled. "The Doctor beat me to it."

Thomas huffed but didn't say anything. The exchange helped lighten the mood among the group.

As they descended, details about the distant figure filled themselves in: reptilian scales; rounded, almost alligator-like snout; webbed hands— a closer look revealed small blunt teeth sticking out from the creature’s mouth. Its eyes were closed until the point where the group touched down on the invisible surface it stood upon about twenty feet away, revealing crimson red orbs devoid of any clear signs of life.

“What the hell is that thing supposed to be?” Ash asked no one in particular.

“It looks a little like Gillman,” Florina observed. “But its eyes are a little scary.”

At that moment, a fang-toothed grin stretched across the creature’s face. It opened its mouth and spoke, but what alerted the group was how the voice didn’t come from the creature itself, but instead from everywhere at once similar to Aza. Unlike Aza, the voice itself was entirely masculine.

”What you see before you is an avatar, not a real living creature. I could go into detail about why it looks the way it does, but that’s not really important now, is it?” A soft laugh echoed through the surrounding void. ”As for looking like Gillman, that’s purely a coincidence, nothing more.”

Hearing the omniscient voice put everyone off at first, but they remained composed. Twilight stepped forward and cleared her throat. “Who are you?” she asked.

”The name of myself or my avatar?” the voice said cheekily.

It took a few moments for the words to fully register. A few gasps of surprised realization rose from the crowd.

“So you’re actually someone from the progenitor universe?” Hermione asked.

“Most likely the one who’s making all of this happen,” the Doctor said, narrowing his eyes at the creature.

The creature gave a bow. ”That’s me alright. The name of my avatar is Razalon The Lizardman. As for my real name, too bad, I’m not telling you.”

Twilight took notice of how the creature’s mannerisms were strikingly similar to Aza.

“So then—” Garp stepped forward, rolling his shoulders, “—you’re the one who can send us all home?”

”Yep.”

“Then do it. Or else.”

Razalon tapped a finger to his chin. ”Hmmm… nah. Not yet, at least.”

“Wrong answer, bud.”

Garp shot forward at breakneck speed, his legs pounding against the invisible surface. The crowd didn’t even have enough time to react in the split second it took for Garp to reach Razalon. He raised his fist, reeled it back, and socked Razalon right in the forehead, blasting the reptilian creature backward a great distance. Razalon bounced a couple times before landing in a tangled heap. The omniscient voice didn’t react to the attack in any way.

“What the hell, Garp?” Frank shouted.

“That didn’t hurt nearly as much as the puppet,” Garp said before replying with, “Not bending over backward is what I’m doing! He’ll send us home if he knows what’s good for him.”

A soft chuckle sounded everywhere. Razalon hoisted himself to his feet and shot a condescending smirk at the crowd. His head showed no signs of damage in spite of Garp’s megaton blow. ”Clearly you forgot everything Rosetta and the Doctor told you. Or maybe you can’t draw the right conclusion based on what I’ve told you? Actually, no, of course you can’t—” His smirk grew wider, ”—I’m not letting you because it’s not particularly in your character to be able to. At least from what I understand of it— I’ll be honest, juggling so many characters, some of whom I’m not entirely familiar with, is a daunting task indeed.

“The body you see before you is, as I said, merely my avatar. Knock it around all you want, it won’t do a damn thing. My real self is safe and sound in front of my computer screen, typing away and listening to music— right now I paused for a moment because most of this stuff I’m thinking up on the fly. Simply put, you’re stuck here until I allow you to go home, and there’s literally nothing you can do to change that.”

Twilight felt a knot form in her stomach which only grew bigger and tighter with each word from Razalon. He was it— the one dictating everyone’s actions, including right at this very moment. Her throat threatened to seize up when she realized even her own thoughts were possibly not her own, but she managed to keep from squealing like a cornered mouse and maintain a brave facade. Razalon had control, so it was just a matter of waiting until he gave them an ultimatum or something, and maybe then he’d be happy to set them free.

“So you’re the puppetmaster, are you?” Ash said, his voice low but challenging. “Mind giving us some proof of that?”

”Well I can make happen pretty much anything I want to, technically, but within the confines of this story I’m limited to just pulling things from other universes. If I overstepped that boundary I’d be breaking the integrity of this story, and that’s something I would never do.”

There were a few moments of silence before Razalon snapped his webbed fingers, which baffled Twilight as the action seemed anatomically impossible. ”Again, I took a break for a while while I came up with this, but this should convince you.” He focused his gaze on Twilight, making her anxiety shoot up. ”Twilight, remember that conversation you and Aza had the other day about leadership where you guys traded some chess analogies?”

Twilight took a deep, calming breath. “I don’t remember all the specifics, but yes, I know what you’re talking about.”

”That whole conversation was a spur of the moment thing from me that ultimately never amounted to anything. I suppose in the back of my mind I thought there would come a point where you started becoming the leader of the group and abusing your authority. I’m sure you know that doesn’t sound like you even when you’re at your worst, hence why I ultimately dropped the idea.”

Twilight gulped. She had a question on the tip of her tongue but was struggling to force it out. She already believed Razalon at his word, and it was exactly that which was making her dread asking her question.

“Twilight?” she heard Celestia say behind her.

Twilight shook her head free of mounting hesitation and wiped clear a few tears that had been forming in her eyes. She needed to be brave and resolute. She could deal with the ramifications of every revelation that had happened later.

“Did you put the idea into my head to move the observatory forward?” she asked softly.

”Yep. I’ll admit to having cheated a bit, but I did it specifically for the purpose of having you ask the question right now.”

“That’s enough,” Shulk said, stepping forward and fixing Razalon with a hard glare. “Tell us what we have to do to get home.”

Everyone stepped forward as well, adopting similar expressions to varying degrees of intensity.

”Well, I need to fill out this chapter with enough content to satisfy my readers, so guess what we’re all going to do before I send you all home?” Razalon clapped his hands together, leaning forward with a playful expression that seemed to be at odds with his face’s scary visage. ”We’re all going to just chat.”

Silence befell the black void for what felt like an eternity. The confusion was like an invisible fog that swept through the crowd, enveloping everyone and hushing them all.

”I’ll admit, I’ve fallen into the trap of lumping you all together into one collective mindset. It’s all too easy when you’ve got about two dozen characters to work with.”

“You want to chat?” Palutena said, baffled.

”Yep.”

Another round of silence.

“Um, why?” Florina asked.

”Well, think about it like this: Have you ever read a story and grown attached to its characters to the point where you wish to meet them face to face? Many people in my world are like that, but it’s especially true with me.”

“But how does that make sense if you’re controlling everything that happens?” Yugi asked.

“Yeah,” Deadpool said, putting his hands behind his head. “You’re pretty much talking to yourself right now.”

”Yes, but keep in mind I’m limited by what I can make you all say.”

“Makes you sound like a pathetic guy,” Garp said with disdain. “Not that I’m believing this shit, anyway.”

Razalon snorted a laugh. ”Yeah, you would say that. At least I think.” His grin turned sly.

Celestia stepped forward and cleared her throat. “So be it,” she said, smiling sincerely. “If you wish to chat, then let us do so, but you must let us go afterward.” A bit of edge crept into her voice as she finished talking.

”Yeah, sure,” Razalon replied in a particularly non-committal manner.

“Well, here’s a conversation topic,” James said. “What was the point of Aza?”

”Ah, that’s a question with a very complex answer.” Razalon beckoned the group closer with a scaly finger. ”Come closer and let me tell you the tale of a ‘pathetic guy’.” It was clearly meant as a joke, but nobody laughed. Razalon seemingly didn’t let it bother him and continued. ”Everything you’ve experienced originated from an idea I had about five years ago. That idea, which itself had roots in a similar idea I had nearly a decade ago, went as such: throw characters from a bunch of different franchises together and go where my creativity takes me. Aza was merely a representation of the dark, sadistic side of me that took pleasure in being omnipotent.

“But over those five years, I changed a lot as a person. I told you some people in my world wish they could talk with the characters they’ve come to admire in fiction, and that wish typically results from a degree of dissatisfaction with the world we live in. In my case, however, I’ve come to legitimately loathe my world and long for the ones you all live in, though, some more than others. I can’t actually visit them, but what we’re doing now is the next best thing in my mind. Although, know that I’m a special case; most people would think I’m weird for doing this.”

“You can say that again,” Deadpool said, shaking his head.

A feeling of deja vu washed over Twilight. The way Razalon was describing himself felt oddly familiar to her in a way she couldn’t immediately place.

Then it hit her like a sack of bricks; the idea of humans being dissatisfied with the world they lived in was a concept she had explored fairly extensively in her HUMAN trilogy. But there was something about the way Razalon was describing it that felt more personal, strangely. An uneasy feeling overtook her as she continued listening.

”But like I said, I’m an amateur. There’s a number of things you all have memories of that were actually the results of me making changes to the story.” Razalon focused his gaze on Rosetta. ”For example, your children are called chikos, but originally you called them lumas.”

Rosetta’s expression turned confused. “Why would that be?” she asked.

”Because different cultures means things like names get changed during localization. I had completely forgotten they were called chikos in their country of origin and didn’t realize this until after I had already made that chapter publicly available. Afterward, I went back and changed all of that while writing the current one, but some things I’m not gonna bother to go back and fix. For example—” He looked to Pikachu and then to Thomas, drawing curious gazes from them. ”I completely forgot to show what the two of you got up to back on the Comet Observatory, so consider yourselves fortunate that whatever you did was entirely your choice.”

Thomas opened his mouth to respond.

“If you say anything about it then it won’t be under your own free will anymore.”

Thomas shut his mouth.

“Okay, this is getting super weird,” Pit said, holding a hand to his forehead. “You’re using all these weird words and I’m feeling really uncomfortable.”

“Yeah, think you could say stuff that actually makes sense?” Frank said.

“Clearly you guys don’t read enough books if you’re disturbed by words like ‘chapter’,” Charlotte said, rolling her eyes.

“I can’t read!” Pit cried.

“It does feel really weird,” Florina said, looking disturbed.

Razalon’s expression turned to pity upon seeing Florina’s downtrodden look. ”Well, you’re all in luck,” he said. ”I decided to have a bit where your words are left unwritten, so you can ask me questions that are all your own and not dictated by me whatsoever!”

“Really?” Yugi asked.

”Yep. Starting… right… now!”

…

”Heck no I’m not.”

…

”Maybe.”

…

”Not over my dead body.”

“Why are you giving such basic answers now?” Hermione asked. “You certainly loved going into detail before.”

”Because that would defeat the whole purpose of making your questions your own,” Razalon explained. ”If I went into more detail, the questions you asked wouldn’t be too hard to decipher, possibly even which of you asked them. By the way, that free bit is over now.” Ed raised his hand. ”Oh yes, finally I can give your characterization a little more depth beyond fictional movie references!”

“What’s under my friend Double D’s hat?” Ed asked.

Razalon paused for a moment. ”You know, I don’t think even the guy who created you knows the answer to that question. Your show ended many years ago, and the question of what’s under Double D’s hat was never answered. Yes, it’s stupid, but that’s the truth of the matter.”

Ed stomped a foot and cried out, “That’s not fair!”

“Why are all of my friends dead?” Ash asked. “I don’t care right now if I’m being manipulated or whatever, just give me the truth.” All the gruff and jadedness was gone from his voice, replaced by solemness.

”Simple: The movie you originate from is a horror movie, and what embodies horror better than losing the ones you love most without anything you can do to change it?”

“And people actually find that shit fun to watch!?” Ash asked, clenching his hand into a trembling fist.

”Watching innocent people getting possessed by demons and torn apart isn’t fun to watch, at least not in a sadistic sort of way. I’m sure you’d agree that horror is every bit as legitimate as any other genre because there’s a certain amount of fun to be had in being afraid. Not to downplay all the stuff you went through, of course.”

“Tell that to my girlfriend,” Ash growled.

”I’m sure she’s in a better place.”

Ash looked down at the ground but didn’t say anything. Frank and Garp lay comforting hands on his shoulders.

“Well, as long as we’re asking questions, I’ve got one,” Yugi said. “Can you tell me more about the pharaoh’s past?” He grasped the Millenium Puzzle.

Razalon shook his head. ”Sorry, but no. I do know about the pharaoh’s past, including his actual name, but I can’t tell you for the sake of maintaining continuity. Rest assured, though, that everything will eventually be revealed to you and your friends.”

“I got a whole load of questions, but I reckon y’all ain’t the academic type,” Sandy said. “Mostly I wanna know what the physics are like in your world compared to mine.”

”Well, there’s no such thing as bipedal, talking squirrels and sponges, for starters. Really, our two worlds are like apples and oranges in terms of physics, since your world operates on what we classify as ‘cartoon logic’. Don’t ask how that works, because honestly, cartoon logic can work however it damn well pleases.”

“Sponges in your world don’t know what they’re missing,” SpongeBob said. He then sang a high note that actually managed to stay on key.

Pikachu stepped to the front so he could clearly be seen. “Pika-pika, pi pi pika, pikachuuu?”

Razalon sighed, putting a hand to his forehead. ”Honestly, I don’t know how long it might take before he realizes his dream of being a Pokemon Master. The people in charge of your show seem hellbent on never letting him actually grow up and win a Pokemon League. But believe me when I say there are a plethora of people who wish this wasn’t the case and actually want him to realize his dream.”

Pikachu crossed his stubby arms and frowned, muttering under his breath.

“All this talk about our creators has piqued my interest—” Palutena said, her eyes alighting with curiosity, “—What kind of people are they like? I imagine their creativity is exceptional if they’re able to create entire worlds filled with amazing and diverse peoples.”

Razalon laughed heartily. ”Really, all that’s about as much as I could tell you. I don’t know any of your creators personally. I’ve seen them through secondhand means like television and stuff, but I’ve never interacted with any of them face-to-face. I can give you guys a basic description of each of them, however:” He then proceeded to tick points off on his fingers, addressing the respective group member or members for each creator.

”Yugi, the creator of your world has a love of tabletop and card games, which shouldn’t come as a surprise considering all the adventures you get into revolving around Duel Monsters; Thomas, your creator’s love for trains was second only to his love for his son, and the lives you and your friends live were told to him as bedtime stories and eventually made into books; Hermione, the magical world you and your friends inhabit was born from the imagination of a woman living a life of hardship but who cherished her family and friends above all else; Samus, Pit, Palutena, Kirby, Florina, Pikachu, Master Hand, Shulk, and Rosetta were made from the collective ideas of several people working under one company, while Charlotte and Frank have the same origin but come from different companies; James’ creator was a retired intelligence officer in World War 2 with a penchant for spy thriller stories, drinking, and smoking; Garp’s creator is a manga artist who has a similar penchant for super wacky characters and humor; Ash’s creator was a down on his luck film director who managed to strike it big with help from some close friends and pure, raw creative talent; Sandy and SpongeBob’s creator was a former marine biology professor who became an animator; Ed’s creator is also an animator who based his work on his own childhood and all the weird ideas you tend to have at such a young age; Gillman is an old movie monster from the nineteen-fifties but there isn’t anything really interesting to say about his creators; the ‘brand’ that Twilight and Celestia are a part of has been around for a while and helmed by different people, but they themselves were born from the conscience of an animator who wanted to give the franchise a creative shot in the arm based on her own fanfiction she’d wrote when she was a child.”

It was like Twilight’s brain had been given a kick in the rump and was peddling her mental hamster ball with fiery fervor. The way Razalon had described her and Celestia’s inception perfectly matched the overall story of the third book of her HUMAN trilogy, the one detailing the humans creating her world through fiction.

Twilight’s stomach did multiple flips as realization fully dawned on her. She turned to Celestia, but the princess didn’t seem to be on the same page as her judging from her expression. Everyone else seemed caught between various states of awe, interest, and resentment. She decided not to say anything and keep her attention on the conversation, but not without feeling ready to throw up.

“What about me, then?” the Doctor asked.

“Literally I forgot to include you in that list just now — again, I’m in a little over my head — and that was the third one of you I forgot, so I decided to add on a little bit more instead of going back because meh.” He shrugged his shoulders. ”You’re the main character of the biggest, longest running television show in the history of British media. The reason why you regenerate is to provide an explanation why your appearance changes every time they need to hire a new lead actor.”

“Fascinating,” the Doctor muttered, rubbing his chin.

“You also forgot about me,” Ryuk pointed out.

“And me, of all people!” Deadpool cried in faux distress.

Razalon sighed and pointed to Deadpool. ”Your creator is a comic artist who doesn’t know the meaning of sensitivity—” He then pointed to Ryuk, ”And I’ll be honest, your creator is something of an enigma. Suffice it to say, though, that he likes complex and morally gray stories.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Ryuk said with a nod.

”But you know, as interesting as your creators are, your fans really take the cake in my eyes.”

“How so?” Celestia asked.

A sly smirk split Razalon’s mouth. ”That’s a rabbit hole you may regret going down, Princess,” he warned. ”Are you sure you want to know more?”

“Well, you’re the one putting words in our mouths,” Deadpool pointed out, “which, by the way, you’ve been doing a mediocre job with me.”

Razalon shrugged his shoulders. ”Fair enough, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

”Where to begin, where to begin.” Razalon tapped his chin, his eyes rolling upward in thought. His sly grin returned. ”Well, I suppose I’ll come right out the gate all guns blazing; there’s a shitload of erotic fanart of many of you.”

Many members of the group reeled back in surprise. Twilight felt blood rush to her cheeks, while a quick glance around revealed many more red faces.

Celestia cleared her throat. “Well, that’s certainly… interesting.”

Charlotte shuddered. “It’s disturbing,” she croaked.

“Not sure I’m good-looking enough for that shit,” Garp said with a laugh. “Not so young anymore.”

”My kind will draw porn of just about anyone, but especially if the character in question is particularly attractive. Among the people in this group, it’s mostly the females who get the triple X treatment, which I assure you is a coincidence. And don’t think you’re excluded just because my kind is human, Celestia and Twilight.”

Twilight’s entire face heated up. All she could say was a simple, “Oh.”

“I… suppose it’s a little flattering,” Celestia muttered.

Deadpool laughed. “Bunch of pervy virgin plebs!”

Razalon turned his gaze to Palutena. ”Personally, I find green-haired girls very attractive. Sucks that I can’t draw for beans.”

Palutena cleared her throat. “Yes, well, thank you for the compliment, but I’d rather not be involved in this highly inappropriate topic of conversation.”

“Y-Yeah,” Pit stuttered, his face redder than everyone else, “treat Lady Palutena with some respect!”

Razalon’s smirk widened. ”Lots of naked portraits of you. Also, people really like to depict you as a lesbian.”

Palutena’s expression turned disgruntled. “Please stop.”

Razalon laughed. ”Yeah, yeah, sure thing.” He winked at her. ”Still, you’re not that bad looking, babe.”

Palutena breathed a deep, relaxing sigh. “Again, thank you for the compliment.”

“Please tell me there’s more to your kind than just perverted desires,” Hermione said, rubbing her temples.

”Well, some people like to pretend they’re married to you guys. That sound better?”

“No, it isn’t,” Charlotte said with a bemused expression.

Florina clasped her hands together and frowned.

”Actually, Florina, most people prefer to acknowledge your marriage instead of making you their own fictional spouse. It might have something to do with you being below the legal age of marriage in my world, but also because people really like you two together.”

Florina’s frown lifted into a smile. “That’s good to hear; I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else besides—”

”Ah ah ah,” Razalon said, wagging his finger. ”If you say who it is than anyone who doesn’t support your marriage will be all over my case.”

“Okay,” Florina said kindly.

“Anyway,” Twilight said, “is there more to say about these ‘fans’ than thoughts of sex, romance, or anything like that?”

”Oh yeah, there’s plenty of intelligent, non-lewdish discussions to be found among my kind… in a sense.”

“Then please tell us more about that,” Twilight said. A quick look around showed people were still reeling from the idea of being lusted over, though, she took a little pleasure in the cute blush Yugi was sporting. That pleasure quickly dissipated when she realized that feeling could be implanted by Razalon.

”One last thing about ‘waifus’ and ‘husbandos’ as they call you guys—” He seemed to relish in the looks of disgust that appeared throughout the crowd before looking at Samus. ”There’s this guy who really, really likes a certain space bounty hunter with a tragic past, enough that he’d go out of his way to support the video game series she hails from. I won’t name names, but he really does want to see more of your adventures, Samus.”

Whether Samus was mulling over Razalon’s words was hidden behind her helmet. When she finally replied after a few moments, her tone had a playful edge to it.

“Well, I’m glad he finds enjoyment in watching me put my life on the line for the sake of everything I know and love.”

”Oh, and he also likes to do this.” Razalon held his hands out and two objects appeared in them. They were dolls; one shaped like Samus, the other in the form of a strange blue creature with seemingly no lower body. He moved each corresponding doll while voice acting for them.

”Oh Arlo, you’re so handsome and kind and awesome!”

”Yeah Sammy, I know it. But I’m only as handsome and kind and awesome as you’re beautiful, smart, and badass.”

”Arlo… will you be mine? Will you stay by my side forever?”

”Samus, nothing would make me any happier than to be with you forever. I love you with all my heart…”

”Oh Arlo…”

”Sammy…”

He then proceeded to bump the two dolls’ mouths against each other while making smooch sound effects.

Twilight found herself caught between awkwardness and mild amusement at the sight. She turned to Samus but couldn’t see anything through her helmet, though, her rigid posture suggested she wasn’t feeling particularly calm. Everyone else seemed to be on the same page as herself.

Razalon finally stopped playing with the dolls and they disappeared from his hands. He swept his gaze across the group before landing on Florina, who flinched at his gaze.

”Before I move on, I would like to say something to you, Florina.” He put a hand to his chest. ”I’ll be upfront in saying this: I have a strong fondness for you. You embody everything I like in a girl, and you’re the closest to my personal favorite out of everyone in this group, even though you’re actually not a prominent character in the franchise you hail from.”

Florina shuffled her feet, looking unsure how to feel about that. “Um, thanks, I think?”

”I actually had a dream with you in it a few months ago. Simply put, we were together, and I was happy, then you disappeared for some reason, and my happiness went down the drain.”

“That’s nice,” Florina whispered, the corner of her mouth lifting a tiny bit.

“Okay okay, I think we get the point,” Ash said. He rolled his hand. “Move along, please.”

”Yeah, okay.” Razalon took a moment to think. ”By the way, I’m just pretending to ponder right now; I already knew I was going to put this out for a while.

”One thing that practically defines fandoms — ALL of them, actually — is how very passionate fans can get over even the most trivial of details about you guys. Like, things you probably don’t even care to know yourselves. Imagine the gods atop Mt. Olympus with computers and keyboards and typing furiously, sometimes incoherently, about what color socks you prefer or your favorite breakfast items.”

“Why would they care about stuff like that?” Frank asked.

“Exactly,” James said. “If they’re borne witness to our many adventures, what interest is there to have in such mundane things?”

”I was just using metaphors,” Razalon explained. ”But honestly? I’d bet my firstborn child that those particular arguments actually have happened somewhere.” Gasps of surprise and shock erupted from the crowd. ”Oh, don’t worry, I don’t ever plan on having children, but let that go to show how confident I am it’s actually happened if I was was going to be a father. My fellow fans really will get into the pettiest of arguments about you guys. Hell, I’m just as guilty of it myself!” He laughed.

“Don’t your kind have lives to live or something?” Garp asked, sounding none too impressed.

Deadpool doubled over laughing, earning him a sharp, confused yet disapproving glare from the burly man. He straightened up after a few seconds, taking a deep, calming breath before placing a hand on Garp’s shoulder. “Thanks for the laugh, buddy.”

Garp quirked an eyebrow. “Sure, whatever, you’re welcome.”

”To answer that question: Some people have more time on their hands, simple as that.”

”And they have nothing better to do with that time?” Master Hand asked.

”Says the guy who does nothing but play with constructs.”

”I have no need of mortal trivialities like food, sleep, and family.”

”And my kind is higher than you, so there you go.”

”... Fair enough.”

“I’d like to know more about the creative process your kind employs to create our worlds,” Palutena said. “Our worlds are so different from each other that I’m curious how they’re conceived by the creators of your world.”

”Mostly it comes down to wish fulfillment and creative expression. My world has such a rich and diverse history, hundreds of cultures, and thousands of spins one can put on any single previously existing idea that it’s easy to pull together a varied group of people such as yourselves. Someone might put out a story or game or both because they want to share those ideas with other people. But others might throw something together for the sake of making a lot of money because believe it or not, creation is just as much a job as it is a passion for all of your creators.” He frowned upon seeing the furious looks throughout the crowd in response to that last point. ”No matter the reason, though, your lives matter, don’t question that.”

“That doesn’t really help,” Hermione said.

”Actually, Hermione, out of all your creators I’d say yours cares the least about money. In fact let me paraphrase a quote of hers: ‘Stories are meaningless if there’s no one to listen to them.’ She definitely cares the most about expressing ideas and seeing people enjoy them.”

“And what about the rest of us?” Yugi asked.

Razalon waggled his hand vaguely. ”Probably a mix of both. Remember that I don’t know any of them personally; I only know so much about Hermione’s creator through second-hand sources. But even if money is a motivation, it still takes creativity and passion in order to create something that people will enjoy.”

“It feels a little weird to have monetary value attached to our existence,” Charlotte remarked.

“No way I’m not worth big bucks!” Deadpool gloated.

”The funny thing is you’re right. Your comics had a movie adaptation a couple years ago that made almost a billion dollars and had a sequel that just recently released. I should also mention that the current year for me right now is 2018 A.D.”[/’i]

Deadpool placed his hands on his hips and his eyes sparkled with glee.

A brief silence descended on the group before Razalon clapped his hands together. ”Well, I think we all deserve a little break, wouldn’t you say? You all haven’t really eaten anything yet today, have you? Why don’t you take a quick lunch break before we continue?”

A long, cloth-covered table appeared between him and the group, quickly followed by a couple dozen chairs and plates and bowls filled with a wide assortment of foodstuffs and plenty of tableware and utensils. The end spot, however, had a simple plate piled high with raw fish which was clearly meant for Gillman.

“Yum!” Ed shouted.

He and Kirby rushed forward at the table with hunger-filled eyes, only for a brick wall to materialize between them and the feast, causing them to crash with their momentum.

”Don’t worry, I’ll provide for you two separately.”

A steel-barred cage appeared a short distance away from the table. Half the space inside was taken up by a ceiling-high pile of food. Ed and Kirby disappeared along with the brick wall, with the two of them quickly re-appearing within the cage. They quickly noticed the haphazardly stacked food and wasted no time in making it disappear.

The group stared at the feast, unsure what to make of the offer. Diffusion of responsibility saw to it that nobody worked up the courage to ask why he made it.

A round of belly rumbles was the signal that saw everyone make their way to the table except for Master Hand and Thomas, who both stayed back. There was an air of awkwardness surrounding them as they all took seats and began putting food on their plates. Pikachu bypassed much of the food and went straight for the bottle of ketchup situated next to a giant plate of burgers. Everyone else helped themselves to a wide assortment of foods suited to their diets, while Gillman was content with shoveling the provided fish into his mouth.

Everyone’s spirits gradually lifted as the meal went on, smiles adorning their faces as they chewed the undoubtedly delicious food crafted by the master chef that summoned it all. Razalon made a single lap around the table, admiring the happy looks on everyone’s faces before joining Master Hand, who made no acknowledgment of the greater omnipotent being.

When Razalon spoke, the range of his voice shrunk to just the space around the two of them. ”I thought this confrontation needed a little mundaneness to offset the earth-shattering revelations. That’s why I made them lunch.” He smirked. ”Not trying to upstage you or anything, rest assured.”

Master Hand said nothing.

”You know, the series you hail from is super popular among my kind. Like, ‘camp-out-for-twelve-hours-outside-the-store-for-a-copy’ popular. The latest installment was just recently announced and people are going apeshit over it.”

”Glad to hear that,” Master Hand replied neutrally.

Razalon blinked, then turned to face the group. ”Yeah, that’s all the writing material I can think up between us.”

Master Hand’s fingers visibly tensed, beginning to form a fist before he relaxed, likely realizing the futility of physical action.

Lunch passed by uneventfully. Every now and then small conversation broke out between members over small, trivial things such as the qualities of unfamiliar foods. A couple times a food fight broke out which was quickly quelled by more level-headed group members. At the same time, Ed and Kirby made quick work of their designated stash and started hungrily eyeing the main group’s food, only for Razalon to deny their request to be let out.

The anxiety and apprehension in the group had noticeably lifted by the time they finished eating. The tension in their faces had melted away as they relished in the normalcy of sitting down and eating, chatting, and joking with friends. One wouldn’t think they had just learned they were the creations of literal gods from another universe and were currently the playthings of one of those beings.

Everyone got out of their seats once they’d had their fill of food and re-converged before Razalon. The table, chairs, and dishes disappeared, as did the cage holding Ed and Kirby, allowing them to join the group. While smiles adorned their faces, their eyes were still filled with conviction.

Twilight stepped forward and cleared her throat. “Is there anything else you want us to do?” she asked. “Because if it’s true that you’re doing all this just to entertain people, their interest is going to run out eventually. Every story has to have an end.”

“Exactly,” Deadpool said. “I’d love to do it all day every day, but even I need a break from putting smiles on people’s faces and bullets in their skulls.”

Florina twirled a lock of her hair. “I really want to see my husband again,” she whispered.

”Well that would melt my heart if I hadn’t made it happen.” Razalon’s smile actually looked sincere for once. ”Well, it’s true that we’re nearing the end of this story, but when one story ends and is successful, sequels are sure to follow.” His smile returned to its familiar cocksure demeanor.

Twilight felt a knot form in her stomach at those words.

Razalon slapped his knee, laughing. ”Ha! The looks on your faces are priceless!”

The sinking feeling dissipated, replaced by a frustrated scowl. Twilight had to stop herself from angrily lashing out, reminding herself that staying calm and composed was the key to returning home unscathed.

“Is that your true intention?” Celestia asked, stepping up alongside Twilight and earning a supportive glance from her student. She stood to her full height, radiating splendor and majesty. “Your kind must have heart, correct? After everything that you’ve done to us, would they allow you to repeat this ‘experiment’ ad infinitum?”

”I’m only still doing this because I want to wrap up this particular story; it’s the last one of my ongoing stories that I haven’t finished yet,” Razalon explained. ”This story hasn’t been super popular, but enough so that I’m motivated to finish it.”

“Then why are you saying there’ll be more?” Yugi asked.

”When I say ‘sequels’ I don’t mean it in the traditional way, but you’ll learn more about that in due time. Right now, I’m trying to remember if there’s anything else I wanted to tell you guys—gonna have to take a break for that.”

“And how long will that take?” Ash asked.

”Clearly you haven’t fully grasped the time physics involved here; what’s one second for you guys could be days for me. Really, I work on all of this for a little bit every day before I go to bed.

“Anyway, I can’t think of anything else, so—” He clapped his hands together, ”What say we end this all off with a bang?”

Silence reigned supreme for a short while.

“Okay,” Frank said. “What do we do?”

”Well, you’ve gone through so much shit already, why not go all the way?” He snickered. ”You’re all heroes in some fashion, so why not save the universe? That’d be a great climax.”

A spark of realization hit Twilight. The Elements of Harmony!

”Well, have fun.”

Razalon waved a hand goodbye before disappearing.

The black void around the group lifted, blue skies and clouds filling in. Twilight felt sand beneath her hooves.

The group frantically searched the area, afraid something could be barreling towards them with deadly intentions. Seeing no immediate danger, the group relaxed and properly surveyed their surroundings.

They were situated on a small sandbar in the middle of the ocean. To the left, they saw the titanous form of Kyoshin towering over everything, while a faint coastline could be seen in the distance to the right that was likely Equestria. The sky overhead was clear and the sun was shining brilliantly. What surprised everyone was the sight of several floating land masses far out in the distance in every direction.

“Where the heck are we?” Pit asked.

“Stranded in the middle of the ocean, from the looks of it,” Garp said.

“Do that again!” Ed shouted gleefully, but everyone ignored him.

Twilight reached a hoof up to make sure the Element of Magic was still perched on her head before turning to address the crowd. “I think we’re going to need the Elements very soon. Everyone with an Element needs to come by my side right now. Deadpool, you need to put yours on right now.”

Deadpool scoffed. “Relax, Twilight, fire isn’t raining from the sky or whatever.” He moved to take a step forward. “Let’s just keep our— What the—?”

His leg refused to move, seemingly cemented into the sand. He pulled harder with a grunt of effort, forcing his leg out. The sand clung to his leg like a wad of chewed bubblegum, which snapped back when he freed himself.

“The fu—?”

Panic gripped the group. Everyone who wasn’t airborne tried to move but found their legs were similarly rooted. Florina pulled her feet out of her boots and stood on them.

“What’s happening?” she squeaked.

Celestia slipped out of her golden horseshoes and took to the air. She made it about three feet before she hit her head against an invisible object, making her scrunch her face in pain. She lifted a hoof up to feel the space above her.

“Is the air solidified?” she wondered out loud.

“Look at that!” Ed shouted, pointing at the water. “Cool!”

Large sections of water were rising like bubbles out of the ocean and floating around aimlessly. Farther out there were waves forming and crashing despite the lack of a shoreline.

Twilight almost jumped out of her skin when a gust of wind actually blew from beneath her. A quick brainstorm and she realized there was only one explanation for all the impossible things that were happening.

“There are multiple systems of physics colliding—” She cut herself off as a massive invisible weight settled on her horn. She fell to the ground on her belly, the force of it unbearable.

“Twilight!” she heard Celestia call before her mentor cried out in agony. A soft thud followed a second later.

”My power...” Master Hand moaned, before another, louder thud sounded.

Twilight tried to stand up, but the sticky sand clung to her coat with an iron grip, effectively immobilizing her. She tried again, harder, but to no effect. All around her she heard the group devolve into pandemonium, those who weren’t personally being affected by the physics convergence calling out to those who were, shouting to be heard over the din of the group’s cacophony.

From her vantage, Twilight could see more land masses, both earthbound and hovering, appearing all around out in the distance. Whether or not any of them were inhabited didn’t matter; the more which appeared the more chaotic the physics convergence was going to get, and the more chaotic it got the greater the danger to the group.

They needed to use the Elements of Harmony.

Twilight turned her head to survey the group. Everyone was caught in the sticky sand, with the taller members leaning over to try and reach smaller members like Pikachu and Kirby to wrench them free. Some had followed Florina’s lead and had pulled their feet free from their shoes to give themselves more leeway to do this. Master Hand and Celestia had their entire bodies stuck in the sand as a result of the physics convergence affecting their bodies just like herself. Another, stronger gust of wind blew from the ground, spraying sand everywhere. More water bubbles were rising from the ocean all around them, and high above Twilight spotted several clouds melting from the bottom like ice cream.

She lit her horn, gritting her teeth to push through the resulting lance of pain, and enveloped her entire body with magic. She pulled with all her telekinetic might, using the full strength of her magic power to wrench herself free of the sand. Her body lifted a few inches in the air, but the sand’s sticky texture refused to release her hairy coat. The pain increased in intensity the harder she pulled, but she continued regardless. This was foal’s play compared to everything she’d already been through.

She felt the sand start to peel off after a few seconds; the effect wasn’t dissimilar to pulling chewing gum off one’s coat. With how painful that was, in combination with the pain in her horn, the temptation to cut off her magic was strong, but she held firm. Inch by inch, the sand peeled away. Twilight gritted her teeth harder to hold back the agonized screams which threatened to break her concentration. Finally, with one final, hard tug, the sand peeled off and Twilight’s body floated freely into the air.

Twilight gritted her teeth, holding back a final scream. She breathed a few deep, calming breaths before her eyebrows furrowed with determination. She levitated herself to where she’d be nearest the most Element Bearers: Pit, Samus, and James. Yugi and Deadpool were situated a little farther away, but the worst part for Twilight had already passed. She set herself down onto the sand, its sticky quality no longer a problem.

Fighting through the pain again, Twilight used her telekinesis to pull both Yugi and Deadpool from the sand and bring them over to the rest of the Bearers. Of all of them, Yugi was the only other one feeling the effects of the physics convergence due to the magic of the Millenium Puzzle. As bad as it was for him, Twilight thought, it must’ve been ten times worse for the pharaoh.

“We need to use the Elements,” Twilight wheezed. Even speaking coherently was proving to be a challenge for her. “They’re the only thing we have that can stop all this.”

“Are they really that strong?” Pit asked. Sweat was forming on his forehead and panic filled his eyes. “I mean, this is affecting the entire universe, isn’t it!?”

“Do it, Pit,” Palutena croaked from behind him. The goddess was on her knees, her staff and shield fallen to the ground and both hands clutching her head.

“So this is the moment everything’s been building towards?” James said, a note of dark amusement in his tone. A soft, yet cruel smile split his mouth. “Let’s do it, then.”

“Save the world, you guys!” Garp cheered.

Ash and Frank simply nodded.

“This is gonna be so cool!” Ed shouted joyfully.

“Pika-pi!” Pikachu called.

”I have the utmost faith in you all,” Master Hand said proudly.

Kirby blinked, then did a little twirl on his feet and smiled at the Bearers.

“Y’all can do it!” Sandy cheered.

“Yeah!” SpongeBob agreed.

Samus looked down at the Element of Honesty and pumped a fist, but said nothing.

Charlotte and Hermione both flashed thumbs up to the Bearers.

“Please, be strong,” Florina encouraged from her spot near the edge of the group, struggling to be seen behind everyone.

Gillman looked at her and, despite not knowing what she said, made a noise that at least sounded positive.

Ryuk scratched his chin. “Now things are getting interesting, at least a little.”

“I’m still not sure I completely know what’s going on,” Thomas said. “But it’s clear things are out of order, so I hope you six succeed.”

Yugi touched the Element of Kindness, but winced in response to a spike of pain and clutched his heart. “I hope this works.”

“Of course it’ll work,” Deadpool said. He lifted the Element of Laughter up over his head and slipped it on. It glowed a brilliant light and clicked into place. “Ha! I knew I was a ‘killer comedian’!” He slapped his knee and laughed.

Rosetta and the Doctor said nothing, but their faces held curious expressions as they watched the scene unfold, the bulk of their attention staying more so with the Elements than their Bearers.

Shulk opened his mouth to say something, but stopped and looked down at the Monado. His eyebrows raised in confusion. “What the—?”

“Twilight,” Celestia said, earning her student’s attention. “No matter the outcome of this, I want you to know that I’m proud of you. Even if this completely fails to fix everything, rest assured that I don’t think any less of you.” She flashed that same kind, motherly smile that Twilight had grown up seeing so much. “I love you, Twilight.”

The pain in Twilight’s horn seemed to vanish, replaced by an enormous surge of warmth in her heart. Her eyes turned misty, and she felt tempted to break down crying, but she resisted.

“Don’t worry, Princess,” she said softly, wiping away the tears. “We won’t fail.”

Celestia let her body relax in the sand, closing her eyes but keeping her smile.

Twilight turned to face each of the Bearers, flashing them her best brave face.

“Let’s do this,” she said with conviction. “You all know how to do this; pour as much willpower as you can into the Elements.”

The five of them each gave an understanding nod.

Twilight closed her eyes, envisioning the power of the Element of Magic. She felt the Element’s power connect with her, beckoning her to pour forth her own. She answered the call, summoning every last ounce of willpower she had and channeling it into the tiara. The power of the Element responded in kind, rippling through her body and lifting her up into the air with its immense volume. She cracked open her eyes to see the rest of the Bearers were rising along with her, their Elements glowing with a magnificent radiant splendor and bringing everyone close together while the rest of the group watched in awe.

Bands of rainbow light stretched between the Elements, centering on the tiara she wore. The coalescing power was familiar to her, its immense weight a force she’d had to bear twice before and could easily bear now, even with the added stress of the interdimensional physics convergence. She didn’t have a shred of concrete proof, but at that moment she believed with every fiber of her being that the Elements were strong enough to fix everything. All doubts she’d had in the past about the Elements were pushed into a dark closet in the back of her mind; she had faith they would save the universe.

Her vision filled with white. Her ears filled with the shimmering whistle of the Rainbow of Harmony. A few seconds later, she blacked out.

Shulk wasn’t paying attention to everything around him; his eyes were fixed on the Monado. He’d felt something from it while everyone was encouraging the Bearers. Something he couldn’t put into words, but that wasn’t too unusual where the Monado was concerned. It wasn’t like his visions where he still had all his senses; it was like a ghostly finger had touched his brain.

He didn’t have time to think about it for very long, however. As the rainbow light exploded from the Elements, the Monado activated on its own, the blue blade of light sticking through the sand. His eyes shot open with alarm. The rainbow filled his field of vision. The last thing he saw before blacking out was an unfamiliar kanji appearing in the Monado’s glass hilt.

Many Beginnings

”Congratulations, everyone! You saved the universe. Then again, it’s not like there was anything living in it besides yourselves, but hey, it was a thrilling climax regardless.

Your long, grueling journey for freedom is almost over. The Great Convergence is done. I’m not throwing any more challenges your way, but this story isn’t quite over yet. Almost, though, but I can still say with complete confidence that your lives will never be the same after this.

But at the end of the day, know that as long as you’re under my control, you’ll live long, happy and fulfilling lives. Consider yourselves lucky I’m the one who did all this; there’s a lot of people in the fanfiction community that have few gripes about killing characters off. There are many alternate versions of many of you that have met their end because an author decreed it. I’m sure that’ll horrify you to no end, but that’s the truth of the matter. Rest assured I have no intention of ever doing that, at least not while any of you are still young and full of life.

One last thing before I let you all wake up: Twilight, you thought there was something familiar about me, didn’t you? I won’t go into detail, but there’s a specific reason for that. I told you my avatar’s name was Razalon while not giving you my real name— my real name exists within your brain. Whether you’ll ever recall it, who knows?

Me, of course! You know, control and all. Hee hee.

Anyway, that’s about all I have to say. I’m looking forward to getting to the end of this just as much as you all are. I’ve been at this for over five years, and I’m eager to move on to greener pastures, just like you all are ready to get on with your lives.

So let’s get on with this!

Twilight cracked her eyes open to find her vision filled with white. Faint, groggy moans of the recently woken sounded all around her. Her body was resting on a flat surface. Many of her joints were aching and her brain felt like it was completely smashed.

One by one she placed her hooves against the ground and poured as much strength into her legs as she could muster despite her body’s protests, hoisting herself up. Her exhaustion fought for dominance as she wobbled a bit upon standing up, but she quickly righted herself and rubbed her temples, bringing a welcomed sense of clarity to her being, and checked her surroundings.

Everyone in the group was here and accounted for, recovering from their unconsciousness. Twilight took notice that the Elements were missing from the Bearers— reaching her hoof up confirmed the same was true for the Element of Magic. After taking stock of their surroundings, Twilight found herself more confused than anything.

They were in a white void. The ground beneath them was indistinguishable and despite the presence of light, no shadows were cast. Standing out against the vast expanse of white were several rectangular holes in the air. Squinting her eyes at the nearest one, Twilight thought she could make out brick and mortar on the other side. Everything was dead silent save for her own breathing and everyone’s footsteps against the invisible ground.

“Twilight?”

Twilight looked to see Princess Celestia struggling to get up.

“Princess!” Twilight rushed over and used her magic to help lift Celestia onto her hooves, earning her a grateful smile from her mentor. “Are you okay?” she asked.

Celestia nodded. “I am.” She turned to glance at everyone. “Everyone else as well, it seems.”

Ash placed his hand against and massaged his forehead. “Could be feelin’ better.” He stood up, rolling his shoulders.

“Dear Neptune, I feel like I’ve had too much ice cream,” SpongeBob droned out from where he lay on his back.

“I feel such a pain in my pipes,” Thomas complained, grimacing.

Everyone took a few moments to fully recover before they too noticed the group’s change of location.

“Where did the sparkly rainbow go?” Ed asked.

“Did the Elements work, Twilight?” Yugi asked.

Twilight rubbed her chin. “I… think so? I mean, everything’s harmonious now, so it did work in that sense, but this—” She gestured to the white void they were in, “—has never happened before. As far as I understand it, the Elements’ method of creating harmony is never to simply erase everything from existence.”

“What are those things?” Samus asked, pointing around at all the floating holes in the air. “Did the Elements create them?”

“They look like dimensional gateways, but I doubt the Elements created them.” Twilight’s head was swimming with questions by now, but after her bout of unconsciousness, she was going to need more time to recover before using any mental energy to try putting answers to any of them. She massaged her temples, attempting to kill a rising headache.

“Wait a minute—” Celestia galloped over to one of the nearest gateways and peered through it. She squinted her eyes for a moment before they bulged out. “I don’t believe it— Twilight, come over here!” She waved her student over.

Twilight hurriedly made her way to her mentor’s side and peered through the gateway. She frowned; all she saw was a darkened room about the size of a small, walk-in closet with a couple of crates stacked against one side.

“I don’t get it, Princess Celestia,” she said, flashing an unsure expression to her mentor. “What is this?”

A look of understanding crossed Celestia’s face. “Ah, yes, you wouldn’t be as familiar with every room in Canterlot Castle.” She gestured with a wing. “That is one of the many supply rooms throughout the royal palace.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “Wait, really!?”

“I’m sure of it,” Celestia replied with a firm nod.

Twilight turned to face the rest of the group, finding them all as surprised as herself. Looks of comprehension dawned and they all began scrambling like ants towards all the nearest gateways.

“So these lead to all of our respective homes?” Yugi asked aloud.

“This is my bedroom closet!” Frank cried with joy, looking into one of the gateways.

“It’s good to see my observatory is safe and sound,” Rosetta said, looking into another.

The group spent the next several minutes checking all the gateways, matching each member with the respective doorway leading to their home. Even after the fact, there was still a large number of doorways leftover; no one was sure what this signified.

Everyone stood in front of their gateway except for Thomas, facing each other but saying nothing. An air of uncertainty filled the white space between them. They could all return home right now, but anyone with adequate intuition could tell something was up.

“What should we do now?” Florina ventured to ask.

”I know I’m not the only one disturbed by the implications these dimensional portals have opened up,” Master Hand said.

“What do you mean?” Garp asked.

“I think I know,” Charlotte said. She jerked her thumb at the gateway behind her. “If these things stay open even after we pass through them, then that means our worlds will remain connected to each other via this place.” She gestured at the white space around them. “That could be really, really bad.”

“Quite right,” the Doctor said before a grim expression crossed his face. “That said, that may be precisely why this place was made.”

A brief silence descended upon the group as his words sunk in.

“You don’t mean—” Pit said.

“This must be what Razalon meant when he said he wasn’t done with us yet,” Twilight finished for him.

”That is correct.”

A new figure materialized in front of everyone. It was near identical to Aza’s puppet, but instead of having each sphere colored differently, all five seemed to be a blend of all the primary colors, making it darkly-colored. It silently hovered in the air, its lack of any facial expression making it impossible to tell where its attention was directed.

“Aza?” Palutena said.

The figure shook its topmost sphere from side to side in a similar manner to Aza. ”I am a Guide, here to provide passage between worlds to the lost or confused.” It pointed at the nearest gateway. ”What you see here are called Windows. As you’ve already ascertained, they allow one to travel between worlds via this hub, the Singularity.”

“Now hold on a minute:” James said, “How exactly do these work? If people can come and go as they please, things could turn hairy very quickly.”

“Yeah,” Ed spoke up, voice quavering. “Meteors would rain from the sky! Grocery stores would be destroyed, and then butter toast would go extinct!” He started sucking his thumb in a feeble position.

Everyone stared blankly at him for a second before Palutena cleared her throat. “He does understand the basic problem we have here.” She turned back to the Guide. “Are you just Razalon talking to us through an avatar again?”

The Guide tilted its ‘head’. ”Who’s Razalon?”

“Never mind, then,” Palutena said, shaking her head. “What measures are in place to regulate travel between worlds, if any?”

”The Windows work by divine order,” the Guide explained. ”If someone from the progenitor universe wills one to work, then so it shall be.”

”And what about if someone tries to get through on their own?” Master Hand asked.

”That is a question I cannot answer. I am sorry.”

The Guide’s non-answer did nothing to relieve the tension filling the air around the group.

”Do any of you have any more questions?”

“How did this ‘Singularity’ come to be?” Rosetta asked.

”It was by divine order that the Singularity was created.”

“Yes, but how was it made?” the Doctor asked. “As in, physically made?”

The Guide pointed at Shulk. ”The young boy’s sword was the catalyst with which the Singularity was created.”

Shulk’s eyes threatened to burst from their sockets. He lifted the Monado to his gaze, his eyes practically screaming with scientific interest.

”Any more questions?”

“I got one,” Frank said. “Why does the Singularity look so boring?”

”That is a question I cannot answer. I am sorry.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Deadpool asked playfully. “It looks like this because Razalon wanted it to for whatever reason.”

Frank shrugged. “Whatever. Good enough for me.”

The group fell silent afterward. Twilight felt she’d had enough time to digest everything that had happened in the past few minutes. The long, arduous challenge of staying alive under Aza’s — make that Razalon’s — rule was over, but things had just taken a turn for the potentially worse. Potentially infinitely worse judging from all the bizarre, nightmarish things other group members described having gone through. It all depended on the beings from the progenitor universe according to the Guide, which left Twilight feeling very apprehensive.

Razalon’s words while she was unconscious surfaced in her mind. According to him, she knew who he was, and she wondered if that was supposed to make her feel more comfortable about the Singularity’s existence. If she could actually figure out who Razalon was, she might’ve been, but nothing was coming to her.

But she supposed this was one of those instances where she’d have to put reason aside and subscribe to faith; she didn’t really have a choice in the matter, anyway. But while they’d all still be at the mercy of Razalon and his fellow creators, and she couldn’t shake her uneasiness over that, another part of her actually felt happy about all this.

“You know, there’s a silver lining here,” she said.

Everyone turned to her. “Twilight?” Celestia said.

Twilight struggled to hold back the tears that threatened to well up her eyes. “We’re still at the mercy of Razalon, sure, but now we don’t have to say goodbye forever to each other. Maybe if we really wanted to, the beings from the progenitor universe will let us come and visit each other whenever we want. As frightening as some of your worlds sound, they’re all very interesting; I’d love to visit them someday, and now we have the chance.”

The group took a few moments to mull over her words. They seemed to be on the fence on the idea.

“Twilight’s right,” Celestia finally said. Twilight gave her mentor a thankful look. “This new development may come with a host of problems, but we should relish in the opportunity to visit each other’s worlds and share our cultures freely. We can also take measures to safeguard our respective Windows against unwanted travelers.”

Charlotte turned to look through her Window. “That’s not gonna be possible for me,” she said, worried. “This Window leads to Dracula’s Castle. It’d be very easy for his minions to get through and wreak havoc if I can’t help kill him.”

“This is the wormhole I got sucked into,” Ash said, examining his own Window; a swirling blue vortex lay on the other side.

“Hey, c’mon guys, don’t be so down,” Deadpool said jovially. “Imagine the crossover possibilities we have here!” He spread his arms wide. “Eat your heart out, MCU!”

Silence reigned for a few moments while everyone continued to think about Twilight’s proposition. Now, however, she saw a lot more smiles throughout the group. It was like a benevolent wave had washed over everyone. A surge of joy filled Twilight now that things were finally looking up after so long.

“I’ll have to work out something with my husband,” Florina said softly, “but I can keep my Window protected.”

“The Marines are gonna have a fit if they learn about this place,” Garp said, looking uncertain. “Gonna have to keep a tight lip.”

“I feel sorry for the poor asshole who accidentally stumbles into this place,” Deadpool laughed.

The group spent the next several minutes exchanging goodbyes and sharing group hugs. The pharaoh even came out of the Millenium Puzzle to join in wishing everyone well. The Guide remained in place, silent; whether or not it was paying attention to the group was unclear. Afterward, everyone returned to their respective Windows feeling in good spirits.

“How am I supposed to return home?” Thomas asked no one in particular.

“The answer should be obvious,” the Doctor answered with a coy smile. He stepped through his and Rosetta’s Window, returning a couple minutes later with a couple of giant mushrooms with eyes in his hands: one purple and the other red. “This’ll get you through in a jiffy.”

Thomas’ eyes bulged at the sight of the mushrooms. “Do not have those touch me.”

“No complaining,” the Doctor admonished.

He threw the purple mushroom at Thomas’ buffers, causing him to shrink the same way as earlier. Thomas glared icy daggers at the Doctor as he came over and lifted him up. The Doctor carried him through the Window, returning a minute later sans Thomas and the red mushroom.

Palutena giggled. “Good thing he’s locked to rails, otherwise he might’ve physically lashed out.”

The Doctor laughed. “Yes, perhaps. I think I could handle myself, though.”

“Well, I suppose this is our final goodbye, then,” Celestia said with a wistful smile.

“Indeed, but even if we’re worlds apart, we’ll always be connected in spirit,” the pharaoh said.

Ash smirked. “You know what? I’ll gladly take that power of friendship crap for once. Given the hell I’m in for, I’m gonna need the support.”

“We’ll give you as much as you need to fight the big, scary demon zombies,” Hermione said, giggling.

Everyone gave a final round of merry laughter.

“Well, I guess that’s all there is to say,” Twilight said. She and Celestia turned toward their Window. “See ya.” She waved everyone goodbye.

Everyone waved goodbye to each other before turning to walk through their own Windows. Twilight and Celestia gingerly stepped through their own side by side, coming out into the supply room.

The two spent the next several minutes standing quietly in the dimly lit supply room, adjusting to the (somewhat) familiar scenery. A part of Twilight was expecting that this was all a dream, that she’d wake up to still be under Razalon’s control with everyone else. She bit her forehoof as a test: nothing happened. She tried again. Still nothing.

“How are you feeling, Twilight?” Celestia asked suddenly.

Twilight found herself unsure how to respond. The change from the Singularity to Canterlot Castle was so understated, as mundane as stepping through the front door of Golden Oaks. After having spent an entire week in another universe, the lack of a grand and epic return home actually felt weird to her.

“I… don’t know?” she replied, placing a hoof to her head. “I guess I’ve gotten so used to living under Aza’s rule that I can’t find it in me to be overjoyed.”

“Then maybe this will help with that.”

Before Twilight could ask what Celestia meant, her vision flashed with white and her surroundings changed: colorful stained glass windows on either side; plush red carpet under her hooves; sky-high ceiling— they were in the castle’s throne room.

Twilight blinked. The sudden change created a mental whiplash that she needed a couple moments to recover from before a broad smile broke out on her face. She looked to Celestia, who returned her smile with her own warm, playful one. She wrapped Twilight in her wings and the younger mare buried her face in Celestia’s coat.

“Sister? Twilight Sparkle? Why are you here?”

The two turned to see Princess Luna sitting on the throne, staring at them confused, while the night guards on either side of her kept their perpetual stoic expressions.

Celestia and Twilight looked at her, then to each other before bursting out laughing, tears streaming down their faces. Luna’s confused follow-ups were drowned out by their guffaws. They managed to pull themselves together after about a minute, during which time Luna had approached them, lip curled in irritation.

“Sister, please explain what is going on,” she asked plainly.

Celestia wiped the remaining tears from her eyes. “I’m sorry, Luna. Twilight and I have been through a lot.”

Luna’s expression turned curious. “Is that so? Pray, what has happened?”

“You wouldn’t believe us if we told you,” Twilight said, shaking her head with a smile.

“My curiosity has been doubled.”

“Very well,” Celestia said.

She launched into a brief recounting of everything that had happened to both her and Twilight: Aza; everyone it’d kidnapped from separate worlds; all the fighting they’d had to do— curiously to Twilight, she left out any and all mention of Razalon. Whether that was because Celestia thought it was pushing the story’s believability or she didn’t want Luna to potentially have a mental breakdown, Twilight wasn’t sure, but she respected her mentor’s decision.

By the end of Celestia’s story, Luna was looking positively dumbfounded. Clearly, she was warring with herself over believing her sister or chastising her for making up silly stories.

“Show me this Window,” she finally said, regaining her neutral visage.

“Of course,” Celestia said, turning toward the throne room doors.

“You two, come,” Luna said to her guards.

The five made their way out of the throne room and through the castle. They made no conversation the entire way, but Twilight couldn’t help but feel a little giddy. She could imagine the look on Luna’s face when she saw the Window for herself.

And she wasn’t the least bit disappointed when they finally made it to the supply room. The Window might as well have been a ghost for the way Luna’s eyes popped upon seeing it. The guards, however, amazingly, managed to remain composed in spite of the earth-shattering sight before them.

The night princess just stared at the Window for a few moments, silent, but clearly contemplative. She walked toward it apprehensively, as it fearing it would explode, and reached a hoof out to touch it; it soundlessly passed through.

“And you say this thing leads to other worlds?” she asked, pulling her hoof back.

“Indeed it does,” Celestia replied. “We’ll need to station a few guards at this doorway.”

Luna nodded. “Indeed.” She motioned to her guards. “You two, wait outside this supply room until further orders.”

The guards each snapped a salute and moved to stand on either side outside the door.

Luna sighed and turned to Celestia. “What have you gotten us into, Sister?”

Celestia giggled and nudged Twilight with her wing.

Twilight took the hint and replied in her stead.

“Possibilities.”

Never The End

Author's Note

Super important blog post regarding this story

The Bricks Of Legend

Without much else to do until Council that night the group of eight took to lounging in Twilight’s bedroom. The lavender mare had suggested at one point that they do something about the other worm monster at Sweet Apple Acres, but everyone reasoned that as long as it didn’t cause them any trouble there wasn’t any point in killing it.

“But we don’t have to kill it,” she countered. “If we take some time to study it we'll surely learn so much about its species, maybe even enough that we can contain or even domesticate the creature.”

James rolled his eyes from the bed. “Yes, truly a carnivorous worm with snake-like tongues makes a most charming pet,” he sarcastically replied.

Twilight furrowed her brows. “Look, if we just-”

“Twilight,” Celestia cut her off, drawing the unicorn’s attention, “we’ll take care of that creature eventually, but a rest is needed after everything we’ve been through today.”

Twilight would’ve argued with her, but one look around at everyone else made it clear they were too tired to follow her suggestion, at least for the moment.

“Fine,” Twilight said, slightly depressed.

“Don’t y’all make no mistake, though,” Sandy said with a smug grin. “Ah’ll gladly catch an’ hog-tie that varmint when Ah'm ready; take it from an experienced worm-wrangler.”

“You wrangle worms?” Ryuk asked, surprised.

“Mhmm.”

Celestia chuckled. “We’re learning so much about each other,” she said, earning a chuckle from everyone else as well before silence reigned supreme once again.

Eventually, the group got bored with waiting around and dispersed throughout the tree library. Frank and Sandy decided to busy themselves with a sparring session downstairs which Ryuk decided to watch. Yugi took to fiddling with his Duel Monsters cards, exchanging ones in both his Side and Main Decks. Samus disengaged her suit and laid down on the guest bed, saying it’d been so long since she had the pleasure of sleeping in an actual bed and that the couch she slept on the previous night was crap. James stayed where he was on the other bed, falling asleep again soon after everyone dispersed.

“Hey, Celestia?” Twilight said to the solar alicorn, quietly so as to not disturb James’ sleep.

“Yes, Twilight?” Celestia replied, also quiet.

She gestured to the balcony. “Can we talk for a minute?”

“Sure, Twilight."

The two stepped out onto Golden Oaks’ balcony. The smell of rot and decay from all the zombies and the worm creature below wafted through the air, but it wasn’t so strong that the two ponies felt like gagging.

“I see the sun’s almost set,” Celestia mused as she looked up at her charge’s counterpart, shining just above the horizon.

“What does it feel like not having any control over the sun here?” Twilight asked as she too stared at the ball of fire.

Celestia looked up in thought for a moment. “Relieved, mostly,” she replied. “Though, it still feels weird not having any connection with the sun here, even if it technically isn’t mine.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Twilight replied back with a nod.

Celestia looked down to her. “I imagine you wanted to talk about something else, though?” she asked.

Twilight nodded again. “It’s something I’ve had in the back of my mind ever since the full extent of our situation was revealed to us, but I didn’t really start thinking about it until after you revealed to me you had an adopted son during the pharaoh’s shadow game.” She looked solemnly at the floor for a moment before continuing. “What if we aren’t from the same Equestria?”

Celestia tilted her head in confusion at that, only for realization to hit a few moments later at what Twilight was implying. She wrapped a comforting wing around the lavender unicorn and smiled down at her.

“It doesn’t matter whether we indeed hail from the same version of Equestria,” she said, drawing Twilight’s attention. “You exhibit every characteristic the Twilight I last saw at the royal wedding had, and that’s all I need to consider you my faithful student.” She tilted her head again. “Do I differ from the Princess Celestia you last saw in any way, Twilight?”

The lavender unicorn shook her head. “Not noticeably, at least.” She looked out to the horizon as the sun began setting below out of sight. “I know it doesn’t really matter, though, I can’t help but wonder what’ll happen if I return home after you do and the Princess Celestia there doesn’t have a clue what I’m talking about when I mention anything about all of what’s happened here.” She scrunched up her face in disgust. “That’d be reaching a whole new level of awkwardness.”

Celestia let out a hearty laugh in response. “I can’t disagree with that assertion,” she said. “How about this, the next time we meet each other back home the first thing we'll say to each other is Aza's name? That way, we’ll know whether we come from the same universe, depending on our reactions to hearing that.”

Twilight smiled. “Sure,” she said.

“Of course,” Celestia continued, looking up with a slight scowl, “Aza could always just confirm whether or not we’re from the same universe right here.”

Silence greeted her for a moment before Aza spoke up.

”Hmm, did you say something, Celestia?”

She sighed. “No, no, go back to whatever you were doing.”

”Oh, I’m finished with what I was doing just now.”

“And what was that?” Twilight asked, turning her attention upwards as well.

The two ponies heard the clattering sound of wood against wood behind them. Turning around, they saw the group’s torches used for Council in a pile.

”Preparing Tribal Council,” Aza answered. The sun finished setting at that moment, shrouding the land in darkness. ”Tell everyone it’s time.

“Sure, sure,” Twilight said exasperatedly, using her magic to pick up the torches and pass one to Celestia, who took it in her own magic.

The two were about to head back inside when Aza spoke up again.

”Oh, and just so you know, Council will be a tad bit different this time.”

Twilight and Celestia shared a look before returning their attention upwards. “How so?” Celestia asked.

A snicker sounded.

“This. Is. Bizarre,” Frank said, dumbstruck, to which everyone else was as well.

Guided by Aza, the group had made its way out of Ponyville to a field beyond its northern border, not too far from Fluttershy’s cottage and in the opposite direction of Sweet Apple Acres where the second worm monster still resided. It was there that the group found a step-pyramid with a temple-like structure adorning the top and torches lining the steps leading up to it.

What threw the group for a loop and made them stare at it slack-jawed, however, was a combination of: the random assortment of colorful plastic bricks used to make the whole thing, the circular bumps visible on each and every step, and the stop-motioned movement of every torch’s flame.

”Why thank you, Frank!” Aza exclaimed. ”I was going for that.”

“What’s this place supposed to be?” Samus asked.

”My own personal creation,” Aza replied, sounding suddenly dramatic. ”Many verses I searched for a residence befitting my desire to conduct a council so bizarre, so comical, so completely out of the box that it would leave the lot of you staring slack-jawed at my masterpiece upon sight of its profound absurdity, which, I’m happy to see is the case.” It chuckled a bit before continuing. ”However, I soon discovered a universe which beheld blocks of a unique variety. Simple in appearance they may be, but truly awe-inspiring when understood and used creatively. I pulled some of these blocks into myself and got to work making my vision a reality which you now stare at dumbly before you.”

The group finally snapped from their stupor in response and looked sheepishly at each other before looking upwards.

“Well, um . . .” Twilight trailed off.

“You certainly are a talented architect,” Celestia supplied helpfully.

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

”Why thank you everyone,” Aza said cheerily. ”Now, if you’ll please enter the Council area we can get this show on the road!”

Everyone complied and began ascending the steps leading up to the temple, being careful where they stepped in between the bumps adorning each one so they didn't trip. Their eyes inevitably glanced to the torches lining the steps along both sides, specifically the unusual movements of each one’s flame. To them it appeared as if the fire was teleporting around the torch instead of flickering like normal, not to mention the fire itself appeared to be an actual solid object instead of a chemical process of combustion.

“Is this really fire?” Twilight muttered as she stopped to inspect one of the torches. After a small bout of hesitation, she raised a forehoof up to the flame. Indeed, she felt the flame’s warmth emanate onto her hoof.

Using her magic, Twilight brought the top of her unlit torch to the flame, to which it instantly lit with the same stop-motion fire. After another, albeit brief, slack-jawed stupor Twilight brought the flame to her muzzle and blew as hard as she could, to which the flame blipped out of existence.

Amazing, she thought.

”Come on, Twilight,” Aza urged her. ”Don’t keep everyone waiting.”

“Right, sorry,” she replied with a shake of her head. Sparing one last glance at the odd flames around her, she hurried inside the temple.

Like the previous Council, the temple’s interior consisted of a large fire pit in the center and torches lining the walls, all with the same weird fire from outside. Eight chairs made of the same plastic as the temple’s bricks were lined up along the left wall while a plastic pedestal, which Aza’s puppet floated behind, sat next to an entryway adjacent from the entrance. Opposite the chairs was a hallway which could only lead to the voting booth. The walls were every bit as randomly colorful as the temple’s exterior, and in the fire’s light Twilight could see the lines separating each brick.

After taking a moment to observe the Council’s setup, Twilight followed the others in gathering around the fire pit.

”Just like before, dip your torch in and get fire,” Aza told them.

Everyone complied and dipped their torches into the fire pit, lighting them with the bizarre fire. They then set their torches into the designated slots behind the chairs before sitting down in the plastic chairs. The seating arrangement ended up being, from left to right: Twilight, James, Sandy, Yugi, Samus, Ryuk, Celestia, and Frank.

Aza’s puppet brought its white and black spheres together, almost as if trying to clap, as the sentient universe spoke to the group.

”Well, you’ve all made it through another day alive and well, and now the time to send one of you home has come again.”

Everyone just glowered at the puppet as Aza continued.

”Now, seeing how things are thematically different this time around, I thought we’d conduct Council a bit differently as well. Instead of having just me poke and prod you all with questions, I’m extending the same privilege to you.”

That gave everyone confused pause. Seeing their confusion, Aza got to explaining what it meant.

”Everyone gets to ask me a single question, and I get to ask a single question to any one or all of you as a whole. The questions can be about anything, but no one is required to answer anything, and we’ll get to voting immediately afterwards. Now then, let’s go from left to right; Twilight, what’s your question?”

Everyone turned to the lavender unicorn who wasted no time in asking, “Did you pull Princess Celestia and I from the same Equestria?”

Everyone turned back to the puppet in anticipation of Aza's answer. It said nothing at first, but after a few moments the puppet did a sort-of shrugging gesture with its white and black spheres.

”Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t,” Aza answered coolly. ”Really, it doesn’t matter since, you know, you’re both allies anyway.”

Twilight scowled in response, but said nothing and crossed her fore legs while pouting.

”You're up, James” Aza said as the puppet turned to him.

The british spy stared up in thought. What should I ask?

He let his gaze wander around the room, including everyone else who returned his gaze with their own, curious ones. Looking at them all, he noticed something interesting about everyone that had previously slipped from his notice.

James turned to Aza’s puppet and asked, “Is there any particular reason why half of us are human?”

Everyone seemed surprised to hear that, including Aza itself as it replied with, "Pardon?"

“Well, among the eight of us there’s four humans,” James replied, and listed who he was referring to while gesturing to them, “myself, Yugi, Samus, Frank, and Ryuk apparently comes from a universe where humans exist as well.” He turned back to Aza’s puppet. “Why the fascination for humans, Aza?”

Everyone also turned to the puppet and awaited a response. The puppet raised its white sphere up to its red sphere and made a mock chin-stroking gesture.

”Well gee, I never really thought about it,” Aza replied thoughtfully. ”It might be because the universe of my birth was human-dominant, so I’m just instinctually more fixated on them, I guess.”

“‘Universe of your birth’?” Celestia spoke up, wide-eyed in surprise. “Consider this my question: what exactly does that mean?”

Aza’s puppet lifted its white and black spheres up in another mock shrugging gesture. ”All I know is that the area of the multiverse in which I was conceived consisted of human-dominant universes. As to how exactly sentient universes like myself are born is something I can’t answer, much as I’d like to know.”

The puppet pointed toward Sandy. ”You’re turn, Miss Cheeks.”

Sandy scrunched her face in thought for a moment before asking, “Was SpongeBob from the same universe as me?”

”My answer to that is the same as my answer to Twilight's question,” Aza replied.

Sandy furrowed her gaze at the puppet before sighing and gesturing for Yugi to ask his question.

“This is something I’ve been wondering for a while now,” he started. Yugi gestured to himself, the ponies, and Frank as he continued. “How come you offered to give the first five of us an item of our choosing, but haven't done so for anyone that came after us?”

”Ah, now that’s a good question. I originally made that offer to spice things up, but I quickly realized after the first time that everyone would only choose things which they’re comfortable with, and aside from that high-stakes duel between you and Twilight nothing worthwhile came out of it.”

“Now wait a minute,” Frank said, drawing everyone’s attention, “I killed a freaky dragon-pterodactyl with my machete.” His face set into an expression of shocked exasperation. “How is that not interesting?”

”Admittedly, seeing someone other than Samus take down Ridley was fairly cool to watch, but the excitement dissipated very soon afterward and, to be completely honest, that fight ended far too quickly for my taste.”

Frank could only facepalm in response.

”And speaking of Samus . . .” The puppet pointed to her. ”You’re up.”

Samus furrowed her brows behind her helmet’s visor as she replied with, “What kind of challenges can we expect in the future?”

”Well, there really isn’t a definitive answer to that question, since I don’t plan out in advance what I’m going to throw at you guys. Rather, I go searching for something that I think would be interesting to pit you all against, and after a small bit of analysis on whether the challenge is fair or not I either rope it into myself or leave it alone. If you want to know what’s in store for you all after this Council, aside from a new addition to the group I figured I’d give you all a break if for no other reason than the newcomer should keep you all plenty busy themselves.”

Samus tilted her head. “Who’s the newcomer?”

”Ah ah ah,” Aza said while shaking the puppet’s black sphere back and forth like it was a finger, ”you’ve asked your question already.”

Samus just rolled her eyes in response.

”Now then, it’s Ryuk’s turn to question me,” Aza said, turning the puppet toward the Shinigami. ”So, what does the god of death want to ask the one thing that surpasses even divinity itself?”

Everyone turned to Ryuk with genuine interest at what he might ask. Aside from who he was and his general personality, not much was known of the Shinigami. No one had a good grasp on what kind of person he was, and the fact that they knew so very little about him made everyone all the more curious as to what he might ask the sentient universe.

Ryuk took a moment to scratch his head sheepishly while looking down in thought. The Shinigami then stroked his chin for another moment before returning the puppet’s gaze and asking, with complete neutrality, “Can I have an apple-flavored lollipop?”

. . .

The resulting silence was eventually broken as Aza broke into a fit of laughter so great that neighboring universes felt its effects, causing a rip in some of their respective space-time continuums.

It wasn’t just Aza who laughed either. The rest of the group either doubled over or sat upright while clutching their sides as they joined the sentient universe in laughing while Ryuk just looked on in confusion.

“What?” he asked. “You all know how much I like apples.”

Everyone continued their vivacious laughter for what equated to a few minutes before finally managing to recompose themselves and sit back upright, though a few chuckles still managed to escape some of them.

”Oh, Ryuk,” Aza said with a giggle, ”of all the questions you could’ve asked me, why choose something so innocuous as whether I’ll help you satisfy your appetite for apples; your ‘appletite’ if I may be punny for a second?”

Ryuk shrugged. “I really don’t have anything more interesting I want to ask,” he replied, to which everyone either shook their heads or stared blankly in surprise at his answer. “So, can I have one?”

”If I find one I may give it to you,” Aza replied. ”Then again, I’m not one to steal candy from a baby . . . or a universe.”

“Fine,” Ryuk said with a sigh. Everyone was sure his face changed at that moment into a depressed expression, but didn’t let their surprise show as Aza’s puppet turned to Frank.

”And that leaves you, Frank, Aza said. ”Though technically you already asked me a question, since it was more out of exasperation than actual curiosity I’ll let you ask another one.”

Frank brought his hands together and rested his chin on them as he contemplated his question. After a few moments he looked back to the puppet and replied with, “What’s my world’s future like?”

”. . . I’m afraid I don’t quite follow,” Aza replied.

Frank groaned. “I mean, what’s going to become of Earth after the point in time you plucked me from? Is Carlito’s ticking time bomb plan real? Will the Earth be overrun by zombies? If you exist outside of time then you must know all of what happens in any universe’s timeline, right?”

Twilight and Celestia shared a look as Aza replied.

”That isn’t something I can answer either, Frank. You see, there’s an infinite number of universes all stemming from the same source of existence, and each universe is almost perfectly identical to its neighboring ones. Variations in universes, however, are born from differing actions enacted in prior ones.”

”For example, you made a decision to save all those people in Willamette, and therefore the universe which I plucked you from has them all alive and well. But there’s also a universe which had you neglecting to save them all which exists not too far from your native verse. To put this in simple terms, for every single action people make no matter how small, there’s a universe in which it occurred.”

”To answer your question specifically, the zombie threat which plagues your native universe branches off into many variations. Some have the zombie threat eradicated for good, while others have it wiping out humanity, but as of right now they all have one thing in common.”

“What?” Frank asked, doing everything in his power to show no fear.

”Because you currently exist here within myself, the freelance photojournalist known as Frank West doesn’t exist in any of these timelines. Upon returning your existence would be re-established in all of them, and depending on a number of factors your current incarnation might either help save the world, join in its fall, or anything in between.”

Everyone looked to Frank with genuine concern as the man mulled over all of what Aza had just said. He seemed to have a wistful look in his eyes as he did so, which was replaced with placid neutrality as he returned the puppet’s gaze and said, “Thanks for letting me know all that.”

”You’re welcome,” Aza replied, then did another mock clapping gesture with the puppet’s black and white spheres. ”Now then, my turn to ask a question.”

The puppet pointed its black sphere at Celestia and Aza said, ”My question is for Celestia: since it’s obvious you’re assembling a new set of Element Bearers, what would you do if I decided to take the Elements away?”

Everyone turned to the solar alicorn with curious expressions. Samus, Yugi, and Twilight especially were interested in hearing what the princess had to say in response to Aza’s question.

Celestia tapped her chin in thought for a moment before replying.

“Well, we’d certainly be at a disadvantage if you did,” she said, then flashed a coy smile at the puppet. “Then again, if you didn’t want us having access to the Elements you wouldn’t have roped them into yourself along with this Equestria.”

”That . . . is true, I suppose,” Aza replied. The tone in its voice was full of sheepishness, which Celestia found both amusing and telling simultaneously.

”Well then,” Aza continued, sounding better composed now, ”you all know the drill; walk into the voting booth and write down the name of whoever you’re voting for on the parchment before putting it in the voting urn.”

Everyone nodded in understanding.

”Okay then, it is time to vote: Twilight, you’re up.”

The lavender unicorn got up and walked across the plastic floor to the hallway leading to the voting booth. Reaching the end, she found the same setup as the previous night in the Everfree with the only difference being everything (save for the parchment and pen) was made of the same plastic blocks as the rest of the temple.

She was also particularly unnerved by the face which adorned the front of the yellow voting urn.

I’m gonna have nightmares tonight for sure, Twilight thought as she enveloped the pen in her magic and began casting her vote.

Well, Frank, it's been great knowing you. I hope you find a way to cure yourself when you return home.

This is new; for once I'm not writing down a name to kill someone. Hmm . . . I should probably retrieve my Death Note when we get back, if for no other reason than for safekeeping.

Man, that's a creepy urn. Anyway, this is for the best; that's all there is to this vote.

This is just further thanks for saving SpongeBob before, James.

Good luck being useful to everyone, James. I can't say I blame you for losing yourself earlier, but at least I took the existence of zombies in stride. Oh well, different strokes for different folks.

How cute, the urn's got a little face. Well, nice as it was to have a relatively normal person here by my standards, I do agree that having a walking zombie time bomb among us is begging for trouble. Good luck with living, Mr. West.

Though we live universes apart I'd like to think my prayers for your safety will reach you regardless.

Here's to one more soul being safe from Aza's sadism.

”I’ll go tally the votes,” Aza said once everyone had gone.

The group of eight watched as the puppet exited down the hallway leading to the voting booth. The question of why Aza had its puppet retrieve the urn instead of just moving it to the pedestal itself lingered in their minds all the while it did so, and seeing the face on the yellow urn when it returned caused a few of them discomfort once again.

Aza’s puppet brought the urn over to the pedestal and popped the lid off. ”As you all know, once the votes are read the decision is final, to which whoever is voted out will immediately be sent home after having their torch snuffed.”

Everyone nodded in understanding.

”Let’s see who the lucky one is,” Aza said as the puppet reached in and pulled out a vote.

Everyone remained perfectly calm as the vote was opened up and read.

”First vote belongs to,” the puppet turned the vote around, ”Frank.”

Frank nodded in acceptance as the second vote was pulled out.

”Second vote belongs to,” the puppet opened and turned the vote around, ”James.”

James quirked an eyebrow and looked to Frank, who only continued to stare at the puppet as it kept pulling out votes and reading them. All the while Aza did so Twilight stared at the ground, a solemn look in her eyes.

”We’re now at four votes for Frank and two votes for James,” Aza announced after the sixth vote had been read. ”One more vote for you, Frank, and you get to go home.”

Frank didn’t respond and instead glanced to Twilight, only to also look down at the ground briefly before returning his gaze to the puppet as it pulled out another vote.

The puppet opened it. ”And the second person voted out is,” it turned the vote around, ”Frank.”

Frank nodded again and stood up to grab his torch, not needing to be told to do so. Everyone watched him go with neutral expressions, except for Twilight who continued to stare at the ground and Sandy who had a slight frown.

Frank wasted no time in bringing his torch over to the pedestal and inserting it into the designated slot before looking to the puppet with an eager expression.

Like last time a snuffer appeared in the puppet’s grip, this one fashioned from the same plastic blocks as everything else, albeit a much smaller variation of them.

”Frank,” Aza said, ”the tribe has spoken.”

Frank nodded as the puppet brought the snuffer above his torch’s flame. In one fluid motion it snuffed the fire out, to which no smoke rose from the top after it lifted the snuffer off.

”You know where to go.”

Frank made to walk down the nearby stairs leading outside, but instead turned around to everyone else.

“Good luck, everyone.” His eyes then settled on the lavender unicorn at the far end of the seats. “And Twilight?”

After a moment’s hesitation she looked up to him.

Frank smiled. “Thanks.”

Twilight let the corners of her mouth turn up in a slight smile. "You're welcome," she replied softly, just barely audible to him.

“One last thing,” Frank said. He held his camera up to his eye and snapped a picture of everyone. “Just to keep you all in my thoughts.”

Everyone smiled and waved goodbye as Frank descended the temple’s stairs, waving goodbye himself. Once he was completely out of sight Aza spoke up.

”Well, that wasn’t quite as tear-jerking as last time, but whatever.” The puppet vanished before Aza continued. ”And as for your new companion . . .”

Suddenly, a figure began materializing right in front of the group, startling everyone briefly. The figure was small, yellow, and had a body somewhat like that of a rodent. Its ears were extra long and black-tipped while its tail was distinctly lightning bolt-shaped. As the figure continued taking shape, more details became clear, such as its red cheeks, black eyes, and stubby little arms and legs.

Eventually, the creature fully materialized in front of the group. It laid asleep on the plastic block floor, completely ignorant of its new predicament. When no one else moved to wake it, Twilight got out of her seat and approached the creature.

“Be careful, Twilight,” Celestia warned.

“I will, princess,” Twilight replied.

She gently nudged the creature with her muzzle, to which its ears flicked in response before cracking an eye open. It took a moment to stand up and, after cutely yawning, returned Twilight’s gaze only to immediately look shocked.

“Pi-pi-pika-ch-ch-chu!?”

Author's Note

And thus concludes Arc 2 of this neverending clusterf*ck of random stuff that I decide to throw together. Thanks for sticking it out with this story despite its infrequent updates, and rest assured that I'm uber thankful for your support and readership.

Next time: Aza decides to break its own rule and go over the eight person limit, albeit temporarily, in order to introduce Twilight and Celestia to a VERY special guest character with a lot to say regarding the two ponies.

Oh, also, sh*t hits the fan. Hard.

Big Chin, No Chin, Two Halves, One Brain

When the original had created her with the intention of scouting out new victims of Aza’s sadistic game, Twilight was gung-ho on helping out, just like all of her clone brethren.

Hindsight had a special taste for irony, she realized, as she stared down the barrel of the gun that the human man before her was pointing square between her eyes.

Sweat accumulated heavily on her brow, and her heart pounded against her chest. She didn’t want to get shot at, but judging from the way the human’s unibrow was furrowed in conjunction with his apathetic glare, the odds of such were looking very slim.

While she waited for the human to say something, she took a moment to gauge his appearance. Tattered clothes, dark hair, enormous chin, the aforementioned unibrow — his right hand was missing, and in its place was a... chainsaw? She was pretty sure that’s what humans called them, if her inherited memories were to be believed. Looking him over, if this human had been through some tough business, it was no wonder he’d be quick to threaten what Twilight knew he’d see as an unknown variable like herself. After all, unicorns were only a myth to humans.

Finally, the man spoke up. “Can you speak English?”

Twilight arched a brow. “... I can speak the same language as you, if that’s what you mean. But I don’t call it Eng–”

The man cocked the gun again.

“Yes, I can.”

“Good.” The man lowered the gun a little, to which Twilight let out the breath she’d been holding. “Now, how’s about you answer me these three questions: what are you? Where am I? And most importantly, how do I get back home?”

Twilight sighed, and looked into his eyes with a sympathetic gaze. “I’m afraid the situation is a lot worse than you probably think it is. I could tell you, but it’d be a lot quicker to show you.” She lit her horn, and made to move closer, only to stop and recoil as the man lifted his gun right back up to eye level with her.

“Listen, I don’t know what kinda freaky black magic you’ve got under your belt, but you sure as hell ain’t gonna even touch me with it,” he said, his gaze hardening.

A soft whimper escaped through Twilight’s mouth, and she unlit her horn.

“Now start talking.”

Twilight needed no further prompting, as shebegan explaining everything to the man. Every so often she would find herself needing to wipe some accumulated sweat off of her forehead; having a gun constantly pointed at you tended to build up one’s anxiety, after all. The man, for his part, remained attentive and never once condemned her explanation as stupid or fantastical. Indeed, from the way he gave Twilight his full, undivided attention, she was left wondering whether being kidnapped by omnipotent deities was a regular occurrence for him. It couldn’t be true, she reasoned, because then he wouldn’t have been surprised to see anything out of the ordinary for a human, such as a talking unicorn. But still, it was clear to her that he was no stranger to extreme, life-threatening situations, an assumption reinforced by his ragged clothes and missing hand.

Finally, she finished. The man’s eyes gained a distant look as he appeared to process everything he’d just been told. “... Alright then, where do we go now?” he asked.

Twilight could only stare blankly for a second before she managed to say, “Pardon?”

“Where’s the rest of the group at?” the man asked, the impatience clear in his voice. “Are you gonna take me to them or what?”

“Oh, uh, right!” Twilight began heading across the dry earth of the Appleloosan Desert, back toward the nearby treeline where she’d exited from before meeting the man. “It’s right this way… uh…” She turned expectantly to the man.

“Name’s Ash,” he said. He then lifted his gun and, after giving it a twirl around his hand, placed it into the holster on his back. “Ash Williams.”

Twilight nodded. “Nice to meet you, Ash.” She turned back toward the treeline. “Follow me and–”

“Stay away, purple horsey!”

The sudden exclamation drew both Twilight and Ash’s attention to a spot further down the treeline. Out of the woods came two figures, one right after the other. The latter was another Twilight mirror copy, horn alit as she pursued the former, frustration clearly evident in her features.

The one she was pursuing was another newcomer. It was another human, at least in body shape; their yellowish skin tone made Twilight dubious as to whether or not they were actually human. She assumed it was another male, going off their masculine voice, but younger-looking than Ash. He wore a green jacket with a red and white-patterned undershirt, along with blue jeans and black sneakers. Like Ash, he had a unibrow. Quite unlike Ash, however, his face was completely devoid of a chin, and his preferred method to avoid being touched by Twilight’s magic was to run away in fear rather than threaten to shoot her. A particularly interesting detail about the way the newcomer ran was that their body seemed to move faster than their head, which hung back at an almost unnatural angle.

“I keep telling you!” the other Twilight shouted between pants. “If you’d just let me use my spell, I can quickly explain everything that’s happening!”

“Sparkly magic bad for Ed!” the boy said.

Ash and Twilight watched as the other Twilight chased the boy, named ‘Ed’, around the desert. But while Ed seemed to have unending stamina at his disposal, the other Twilight eventually found herself unable to continue and collapsed to the ground in a heap, panting heavily while her horn fizzled out.

“So… tired…” She closed her eyes, unable to speak another word.

“Having some trouble there?” Twilight asked as she approached her clone brethren, Ash following right behind.

The other Twilight turned to face them, looking briefly surprised at the sight of them, before her face settled into an expression that looked — to Twilight’s observant eye — like jealousy. Twilight watched as her clone brethren slowly rose to her hooves, straining from the effort after having used up so much energy, and turned to face her and Ash. After taking a moment to regard Ash, to which Twilight heard him grunt behind her, Other Twilight spoke up.

“I’ve tried literally everything I can to get him under control. Trying to soothe him didn’t work, and neither did lying or forcefully holding him with my magic. He’s… surprisingly strong.”

“Did you learn anything about him?” Twilight asked.

Other Twilight racked her brain for something, anything, but shook her head when she came up blank. “Other than his name, ‘Ed’, and the fact that he apparently really loves comic books.”

“Hmm…” Twilight rubbed her chin. “I’m sure we can use that as leverage to make him cooperate, somehow.” She turned back to her fellow clone with a smile. “For now, let’s just focus on getting him–”

A sliver of movement appeared in Twilight’s eye’s corner. Shifting her gaze, her eyes bulged when she noticed a very fast, very familiar plume of dirt rushing straight towards them.

She wasted no time in grabbing her fellow clone and jumping out of the way, narrowly dodging the third worm monster as it shot up from the ground right where they’d been standing, sending a massive shower of dirt and rocks spraying all around them. The two Twilights recovered from their dive and turned around, only to see the worm’s snake-like tongues reaching for them. In a flash, Twilight teleported both herself and Other Twilight a few feet away, out of the monster’s reach. The monster then burrowed its way back underground.

Swiveling her head around, Twilight quickly located both Ash and Ed. The former was staring wide-eyed at the spot where the worm monster just was, while the latter gazed upon the ground with a rather blank look. She also spotted a cropping of rocks a little ways away, near the treeline. She had both herself and Other Twilight upon the rocks in another flash of teleportation.

“Ed! Ash!” she called. “Run! Get over here on the rock!”

Ed seemed to come out of his daze, and began running towards them, Ash following not far behind.

Suddenly, a snake-tongue shot out of the ground right in front of Ash’s path, tripping and sending him falling face down onto the ground. While Ed made it to the rock and quickly climbed up, Ash felt the snake-tongue wrap itself around his ankle and began dragging him across the ground. Looking back, he saw the worm monster rise from the dirt, its two remaining snake tongues crawling across the ground to reach him.

With an annoyed grunt, he reached behind him and pulled out his shotgun. Taking aim, he fired a round at the snake-tongue wrapped around his ankle. The appendage was severed instantly, accompanied by a small scream of pain, while the monster itself let out a much greater howl of agony. He then quickly fired off two more rounds, one each at the other two tongues, to which they exploded one after another in a small shower of blood and guts.

Ash snorted, then got up and ran the rest of the way to the rock.

“Are you okay?” Twilight asked as he climbed up to join the three of them.

“Feelin’ groovy,” he replied, before setting his gun back into its holster.

“Look,” Ed said, fascination clear in his tone, as he pointed down at the ground.

Ash and the two Twilights looked down to see the earth around the rock rising and falling like a wave. The worm monster circled around the rocks, no doubt waiting for one of the four to get off so it could claim them for sustenance.

Twilight wrinkled her nose in disgust as the worm monster passed them by. “Ah, it smells like horseapples!”

“Yeah,” Other Twilight agreed, her nose similarly wrinkled.

“Something smells good,” Ed said, dreamily.

The Twilights turned to stare at him, unsure whether he was joking or if his nose was broken. Ash, meanwhile, kept his attention squarely on the worm as it passed around the rock.

“We’re gonna need a plan if all of us are going to make it back alive,” Twilight said. “I doubt it’s going to leave us alone, seeing how we’re the only food source it has around.”

“Right,” Other Twilight said. She looked up at her horn, then over to the treeline. “Maybe we can teleport us all into the trees. We might be able to lose it if we hop from branch to branch.”

“That could wo–” Twilight started, only to be interrupted by Ash.

“You are not touching me with that magic.” His tone was final, brokering no room for debate.

“But it’ll get us safely away from that thing!” Other Twilight protested.

“Magic bad for Ed!” Ed said.

Both Twilights sighed in exasperation. “Do you have a better plan, then, Mr. Williams?” Twilight asked.

“Just call me Ash,” Ash replied. Then he smiled for the first time since Twilight found him. “And yeah, I’ve got a plan.”

“Then let’s hear it,” Twilight said.

Ash’s smile grew a little wider and, without so much as a batted eye, he casually hopped off the rock onto the ground.

Both Twilights stared, horrified, at him. “Wait! What are you–” But the rest of Twilight’s sentence was cut off as Ash pulled his arm back, revving his chainsaw, forcing both Twilights to fold their ears back. Ed, meanwhile, stared with wide-eyed fascination.

“Come on, you slimy worm bastard!” Ash called, waving his chainsaw around and stomping his feet. “Come and get me!”

He felt the earth beneath his feet shift, followed by a dirt plume shooting up around him as the worm wrapped its mouth around his upper torso, just beneath his armpits. Ash winced in pain as the monster’s beak-like mandibles pierced through his skin, but he held strong. The creature then began sinking back into the ground.

“Ash!” both Twilights cried in unison.

With a mighty cry, Ash brought the chainsaw down upon the worm, right between its mandibles. A shower of blood and guts flew around as the chain easily ripped through the creature’s flesh like cardboard, coating the area of ground next to it in a sea of fleshy entrails. The worm only managed to let out a brief howl of agony before whatever constituted as its vocal chords must’ve been sliced apart, leaving it a silent, soon-to-be carcass.

Meanwhile, both Twilights stared with their jaws hung agape, their minds wiped clean of rational thought and awareness of everything except the gore fest unfolding before them. In contrast, Ed’s eyes lit up with excitement and wonderment akin to a small child having witnessed a meteor shower.

“This is just like the finale to ‘I was a Teenage Chainsaw Maniac: The Mini-Series’,” he noted.

Finally, the worm’s mutilated body slumped over. Dead. With a grunt, Ash clutched the two halves he’d sliced apart and pulled them away, allowing him to step out of the creature’s mouth and back onto solid ground. He took a moment to shake some guts off of his pant leg before returning to the rock.

“Now,” he said, casually, “let’s get going.”

Both Twilights said nothing for a few moments, still shocked by what they’d seen. Eventually, Twilight managed to regain enough composure to clear her throat, before adopting a shaky expression.

“R-Right, of course,” she stuttered. She turned to Other Twilight. “Let’s hurry back.”

Other Twilight nodded, but said nothing herself.

“My mom says not to horde sponges,” Ed said.

1 - Starting Battle

... Well, this is certainly interesting. Never thought I’d find something like this…

… I wonder what everyone will make of it? Guess I’ll find out after they’re done with that shrieker horde.

Hmm, it’s kind of a lopsided battle, now that I think about it. I’d better even the odds.

All was silent along the tracks; not a sound could be heard through the trees. But not for long, as a faint noise soon arose from around a bend in the tracks, its pitch light and unconcerning. Then it grew in volume, accompanied by the collective trampling of hundreds of footfalls. From around the bend, a mass of gray appeared.

The shrieker horde moved as one, following the general direction the big blob of heat had gone. It couldn’t be sensed anymore, but it seemed to have stuck to the space between the trees. Eventually, they would find it, and feed upon its flesh. Eat. Multiply. Eat. Multiply. That was the collective thought process of each and every shrieker. If an obstacle got in their way, they would take their time to study it, looking for a method of overcoming it to get to their food. They would eat everything, and increase their numbers. Nothing else mattered other than the continued survival of their species.

Finally, they rounded another bend to find the presence of heat sources a little further ahead. Their collective screeches rose in volume as they increased their pace, making a mad dash to get to the food. The heat sources made no effort to run, which neither delighted nor confused the shriekers. Food was food, regardless of whether it tried to run away.

The horde came within a few feet of the heat signatures, but were suddenly knocked back by an invisible force. The following shriekers continued forward, followed by the next row. And the next. The shriekers piled atop each other in an enormous tangled heap. Their screeches turned to mixed agony and fear as the bottommost ones felt the crushing sensation of their brethren piling atop them, while the topmost ones were more alarmed by the supposed threat presented to them. The rearmost shriekers realized what was happening, and halted in their tracks, watching with interest as their brethren began reorienting themselves.

Something had stopped them from reaching their food. Something without heat, so it wasn’t food. An inanimate object, then. But they could still see their food in front of them, so there couldn’t be anything between them. One of the frontmost shriekers barged forward, only to be bounced back onto the ground. Several more shriekers followed suit, only to join their brethren on the ground. Watching their brethren repeatedly fail to claim their prey, realization slowly dawned on the remaining shriekers that there was an obstacle to overcome.

The group watched the creatures futilely barg against Twilight’s shield with interest. Twilight stood front and center, her horn alit, hardly straining from the effort of maintaining her shield. On her left were Pit and Palutena, while the pharaoh, Pikachu, and Samus stood at her right. James, Kirby, Ryuk, Thomas, and the caged creature stood behind them in the center of the shield’s radius.

“You’re good to go everyone,” Twilight said with a nod.

Palutena activated the Miracle of Flight, and Pit’s wings alit in their blue splendor. “Do your best, Pit,” she said with an encouraging smile.

“I’ll do better than my best!” Pit cheered. He shot up into the air and began raining light arrows down on the horde.

I won’t let any of my friends die… again, Samus thought. She somersaulted into the air, her suit shining with yellow energy as she activated her Screw Attack. She made two more ascending jumps, then another to propel herself over Twilight’s shield and onto the ground. The shriekers wasted no time in swarming over her, clamping down with their jaws, but couldn’t bite through her Power Suit’s thick armor. A few punches to the snout allowed her to get them off, and she started shooting them with her Arm Cannon.

Pikachu scurried up the nearest tree within the shield’s range. Perching upon the strongest branch, he began letting loose electric strikes onto the horde, taking care to keep his targets well clear of Samus.

The pharaoh activated his duel disk, and pulled his deck out of the holder at his belt. He selected two monster cards, taking a moment to appreciate them before placing them on two of the duel disk’s monster card zones.

You’re really going through with this, huh?

I understand if you’re worried about tapping into the Power of Darkness, Yugi, but as long as we have the means with which to help everyone, that’s what we should do.

Yeah… You’re right.

Don’t worry, the darkness won’t overcome me.

The Millennium Puzzle glowed with the power of its ancient magic, soon followed by the two monster cards. The air thrummed with power as the Power of Darkness enveloped the monster cards, studying them, intent on bringing the monsters depicted to life. On the other side of Twilight’s shield, two figures gradually took shape. One was the Black Magician, garbed in his iconic purple robes and pointed hat. The other wore similarly purple armor with spikes with gold outlines, twin purple horns sprouting from its head, and brandished an enormous sword with a golden hilt and adorned with blue gems. Both figures were semi-transparent, an effect of having been summoned using the Power of Darkness. Nevertheless, both were quite real, and capable of dealing tangible damage.

"Nothing will come to harm my master!"

“My blade will not fail!”

“Black Magician and Buster Blader! Attack!” the pharaoh commanded.

The Black Magician aimed his staff and began letting loose magic blast after blast at the creatures, while Buster Blader charged forward and began hacking and slashing his way through the horde.

The area in front of the shield was soon a flurry of guts, crimson, and loud noises as everyone pummeled away at the horde. Shots from Samus’ Arm Cannon would tear clean through creatures’ bodies, leaving baseball-sized holes in their bodies and blowing their guts around. Every time a creature would charge at her, she’d either kick at it and send it flying, or curl into her Morph Ball to dodge out of the way, before resuming fire. Black Magician and Buster Blader had no trouble tearing swathes of creatures apart with their power, not having to fear their pseudo-corporeal forms being overrun. Everywhere they shot or sliced, nothing was left but a pile of mangled, gorey body parts. Pit and Pikachu found their methods to be more slow and methodical, only being able to pick off one or two targets with each strike, but nevertheless helped make significant progress in whittling the horde’s numbers down.

Meanwhile, the remaining members of the group watched from behind with varying degrees of interest or boredom. Thomas didn’t know what to make of the action before him, but the fact that everyone was remaining unharmed made him happy. Kirby’s attention wasn’t even on the battle, instead on the green creature still in Palutena’s cage. He watched as it tried to pry the lid off of that metal can everyone seemed to have forgotten about. If there were snacks inside, then he would get inside and eat them.

“This is interesting,” James said.

Ryuk shrugged. “Eh, mindless carnage isn’t really for me,” he said. “I like high stakes drama for my entertainment.”

“That’s not what I meant,” James replied. “I’m so used to being at the forefront of action; it’s strange to witness it as a bystander.”

“Well, new experiences are good, right?”

“I guess.” James regarded everyone fighting for a moment before turning his gaze upwards. “Any chance I could have something to help out?”

Aza gave no reply.

James frowned. “Aza?”

Nothing.

James waited a few more moments for a reply. Getting none, he shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention back to the massacre.

Saying it was a massacre was an understatement. Everywhere to look across the clearing, the ground was being coated various shades of warm colors with the creatures’ scattered entrails. Blasts of magic and weapons and lightning sent creature blood and guts flying through the air, creating a gory veil that forbade everyone beyond the shield from seeing the landscape past the battleground. All the carnage had the additional effect of leaving the air thick with the pungent scent of death, wafting through the clearing in front of the shield. But of all the combatants, only Pikachu had the misfortune of experiencing the sickly odor, forcing him to use a paw to cover his nostrils so as to not gag, possibly losing his footing and falling to his doom.

Eventually, everyone started winding down their counter-assault, exhaustion beginning to take over. The Miracle of Flight’s five minute time limit was close to running out, so Palutena brought Pit back behind the shield. Even with his spiritual strength, the Power of Darkness would eventually overtake him, so the pharaoh withdrew Black Magician and Buster Blader. Pikachu’s electrical power was all but drained, and getting up close with his melee attacks would be too dangerous, so he too retreated behind the shield. Only Samus continued the fight, stamina being much less of an issue with her Power Suit.

“So far so good,” Palutena said.

Everyone collectively nodded their agreement, before turning to Twilight. The unicorn was starting to show a few small signs of fatigue, with her sweaty brow and reddened cheeks.

“You feelin’ okay, Twi?” Pit asked.

The corner of Twilight’s mouth lifted into an amused smirk. They’d known each other for less than a day, and Pit was already casually abbreviating her name like they were close friends. “I’m hanging on fine enough,” she replied, and wiped her brow while exhaling deeply. “Can’t hold on forever, though.”

“We took out a good chunk of the horde’s numbers,” the pharaoh noted, before casting his gaze beyond the shield. The creatures had stopped barging against the shield and turned their attention to Samus, who was holding her own shooting every single creature which attempted to tackle her. “One more round and we might be able to finish them off.”

“Sounds about right,” Palutena said. “The Miracle of Flight should be ready to go in about another five minutes.”

Pit hung his head and sighed exasperatedly. “It’s so not fair,” he whined.

“Don’t sulk,” Palutena lightly chastised him, smiling. “It’s undignified.”

Pikachu took a moment to stretch, and casually cast his eyes around while waiting for his strength to come back. Looking beyond the shield, he noticed Samus’ attention had diverted to some point near the rear of the horde. She continued shooting at every creature which tried to tackle her, while also shifting her gaze to whatever had caught her attention, but whatever that was was obscured by the rest of the horde.

Pikachu wondered what could be happening over there.

Dodge roll. Shoot. Dodge roll. Shoot. Occasionally kick, bash, or shake off a creature.

In between that steady rhythm of gradually picking off the creatures, Samus noticed that part of the group was retreating away from the action, dragging the carcasses of some of their fellow creatures with them.

Knowing next to nothing about these creatures, Samus’ gut said that whatever they were doing wasn’t good. The creatures, as primal and instinct-driven as they might have been, were making a noticeable effort to adapt to her fighting style. Some creatures would manage to dodge her shots, while the ones that managed to reach her attempted to gnaw off her Arm Cannon. It wouldn’t be enough to kill her, but their efforts were a legitimate cause for concern.

Blasting apart two more creatures which attempted to tackle her, Samus activated her Screw Attack and hopped up onto a nearby tree branch. The horde followed her and crowded around the tree, staring up at her but unable to reach. With her safety secured for the time being, she focused her attention squarely on the stray group of creatures.

They stopped once they were a fair distance away from the shield, piling the dead creature carcasses into a giant heap against a tree. Samus’ eyes widened in shock and disgust when one of the creatures bit down into one of the carcasses and tore out a huge chunk of flesh. This action was repeated by its brethren, leaving several gaping, bloody holes in the dead creature’s body. The creatures quickly swallowed their impromptu, cannibalistic meals, leaving Samus in a blank state, at a complete loss for words.

Then the creatures began acting up, bringing her out of her state of stupor. They were making motions and sounds similar to a cat throwing up. One by one, little gooey gray balls rolled out of their mouths and onto the ground. The thought that they were eggs was one of the several possibilities that flitted through Samus’ mind as she watched as each creature began gently prodding their balls, like a mother would their young to get them walking for the first time. Bizarre scenarios of the baby metroid she’d more or less adopted threatened to break her attention from them, but she remained focused on the new development.

The balls were confirmed to be offspring as the outer casings broke off of each one, revealing baby creatures about one eighth the size of their parents. Little mews emanated from their tiny mouths as they breathed the air of the world, while struggling to free themselves from their sticky bindings.

Samus blinked. Of everything she thought the creatures were attempting to do, asexual reproduction wasn’t among her considerations.

It suddenly occurred to her why they’d devoured every apple at Sweet Apple Acres. If all the creatures needed to reproduce was a little bit of food, then no doubt they’d scour the land for every speck of sustenance, living or not, that they could find to build up their numbers. And if they couldn’t get to her and the rest of the group for that purpose, it only made sense they’d resort to cannibalism to keep from dying out.

Determined features crossed Samus’ face, and she raised her Arm Cannon at the baby creatures. Before she could fire off a single round, a pink tendril came up into her vision and wrapped itself around her Arm Cannon, pulling her off the tree branch. As she fell to the ground, Samus got a glimpse of the creatures stacked atop each other like boxes, reaching up all the way from the base of the tree.

She curled up into her Morph Ball form just before she hit the ground, rolling away a few feet before popping out and re-training her Arm Cannon on the creature horde. She didn’t get a chance to attack as a creature tackled her from behind, knocking her to the ground onto her stomach. She made to lift herself back up, only to feel the jaws of four creatures clamp down on both her arms, a leg, and her helmet. Viciously they shook their heads, trying to tear apart her suit, but to no effect. Samus responded by using her free leg to kick away the creature on her other leg, before firing off a round into the mouth of the creature trying to swallow her Arm Cannon, killing it instantly. Quickly she bashed the remaining two creatures, freeing herself.

Samus got to her feet and turned around to aim her Arm Cannon back onto the baby creatures, only to find her view blocked by all the creatures, which were now all converging on her. Given their behavior up to this point, it was clear they weren’t going to let her pick off the newly hatched younglings. She needed everyone’s help.

With a quick few Screw Attacks, she hopped over Twilight’s barrier. The creatures swarmed in front of the barrier, only to find their progress still impeded.

“Are you okay, Samus?” Palutena asked as the group, minus Twilight, approached the hunter.

Samus flashed a thumbs up, then proceeded to remove her helmet so everyone could see the worry in her face. “We have a problem,” she said, gravely. “The creatures are multiplying.”

The resulting confused looks on everyone’s faces prompted Samus to elaborate. “They’re cannibalizing their dead in order to reproduce themselves. Apparently, they only need to eat in order to multiply.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad, though,” Pit said. His expression turned confident and he pumped his fist. “We just gotta beat ‘em down a little faster is all!”

Palutena glanced beyond the shield, her lips curling down a little. “It’s not going to be that easy,” she said.

Everyone followed her gaze. Beyond the shield, a crowd of the creatures were huddled around a carcass, feasting on its flesh. Milling around them were a bunch of baby creatures, but what drew everyone’s attention was the fact that they were all of varying size.

“They’re growing so fast,” the pharaoh whispered.

As if in direct response to him, one of the adult creatures vomited up a youngling which quickly broke free of its bindings. The fact that it was smaller than all the other baby creatures was enough proof for everyone that the creatures were indeed growing rapidly. They could even see their rapid growing occur with their naked eyes by looking hard enough.

Pit turned to Palutena. “How much longer before you can activate the Miracle of Flight, Lady Palutena?”

“Another minute or so,” Palutena replied, before turning to everyone else. “How about you all?” she asked.

“I’ve still got plenty of fight left in me,” Samus answered.

Small sparks flew from Pikachu’s cheeks as he pumped his stubby little arms. “Pika-pika!”

The pharaoh simply gave a thumbs-up.

Palutena nodded. “Good.”

“Is everything okay up there!?” James shouted.

Palutena turned back with a smile and a wave of her hand. “Everything’s fine!” she answered.

“Hey, uh, everyone…”

The group turned to Twilight. The mare was noticeably redder in the face and huffing, with visible beads of sweat running down her face. Seeing her so exhausted reminded everyone that they were running out of time.

“Hang in there just a little longer, Twilight,” Samus said.

Twilight just gave a weak little nod in response, wiping some sweat from her forehead. Strange… I shouldn’t be getting this weak so quickly.

One by one, everyone returned to the battle as soon as they were ready. Samus jumped over the barrier and resumed firing upon the creatures, primarily any that ventured close to the corpses of their fallen brethren.

The pharaoh re-summoned Black Magician and Buster Blader outside the barrier using the Power of Darkness, but this time used his Fusion card on them. The resulting creature, Black Paladin, wore an outfit overall similar to Black Magician’s but with a dark green color scheme and some of the sharp bladed aesthetic of Buster Blader’s, and his magic blasts were exceptionally more devastating.

Feeling his electric charge returning to normal power, Pikachu returned to his spot high above the ground on the closest tree branch, and resumed his electric attacks upon the horde.

“The Miracle of Flight is ready to go,” Palutena announced. Her staff lit up, and Pit’s wings were quickly enveloped in the miracle’s familiar blue glow. “Fight hard, Pit!”

Pit took to the air, shouting “Time to finish this!” as he soared over the shield. Spotting his first target, he drew back a light arrow and aimed for the creature’s snout. Then something in his eye’s corner caught his attention; something in the air. He turned to see a black speck off in the distance, growing bigger as it came closer. It was followed by another speck. Then another, until there was a sizable swarm of flying creatures approaching the battle.

Details filled themselves in as the swarm drew closer: thin, glossy black skull, reddish body, and tan, fin-like wings. The tops of the creatures’ heads were lifted up, revealing their gooey, gutsy insides, similar to how Samus and Ryuk described the creatures on the ground doing so.

“What are those things, Lady Palutena?” he asked.

“I’m not sure,” Palutena’s voice replied in his head. “But I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they’re showing up at the same time as those shriekers.”

Pit arched a brow. “Shriekers?”

“That’s the name I’ve given them after all the shrieking they keep doing,” Palutena explained. “Maybe it’s a little too on the nose?” she added.

“Wait a minute!” Pit’s eyes bulged as a sudden, horrifying thought occurred to him. “If they can fly, then they can bypass Twilight’s shield.”

“You’re absolutely right, Pit,” Palutena said with conviction. “Whatever you do, make sure not a single one touches down here.”

“Got it!”

Pit drew back a light arrow and fired at the frontmost flying creature of the swarm. The arrow struck true, slicing clean through the creature’s skull, making it plummet to the ground with a hard thud. He then repeated the motion for the next few creatures, directly hitting each one. But the following creatures were quickly closing in on him, leaving him without the time to fire from a distance.

“Time to get up close and personal!” Pit said as he separated the bow into its twin bladed halves.

The group of flying creatures split into three groups before it reached Pit. One continued straight towards him, while the other two went for Samus and Pikachu. The one that attacked Pikachu was quickly zapped to a collective crisp, and plummeted to the ground to be claimed by cannibalistic shriekers. The same fate befell the group attacking Samus, except blasted into a million tiny bloody pieces by a Super Missile.

Pit’s group came fast toward him, jaws open in preparation to rip him limb from limb. Pit stood his ground — relatively speaking — with his blades at the ready, waiting for them to get close enough. Once they did, he charged forward with a mighty cry.

The first slash was quick and clean, cutting the creature’s head off while the body continued flying through the air, plopping down somewhere behind everyone not participating in the battle. The second creature followed a similar fate, the two separated halves of its body falling on either side of a very surprised Thomas as a tiny splatter of blood splashed across his face.

The air quickly became filled with plummeting, dismembered limbs and wings and body parts as Pit hacked and slashed at every flying creature that charged him directly or the general space above the barrier. Even with his enhanced physical stamina as an angel, he found his limits pushed to their max as the creatures executed impromptu coordinated air strikes from multiple directions at once, quickly tiring him out. For such simple-minded, instinct-driven carnivores, these creatures were putting the enemy armies back home to shame for putting up a good fight.

“Pit! On your right!” Palutena called.

“What?– Oof!” Pit felt the wind knocked out of him by a hard impact on his right side, followed by a painful sensation in that corresponding arm. The bow fell from his grip, tumbling to the ground below just past the shield.

Pit regained his bearings and looked down to see one of the flying creatures with its jaws clamped down on his right arm. Strangely, it wasn’t applying any pressure to chew his arm off, merely keeping a firm grip on him.

“What the– get off of me!” Pit tried to shake his arm free but to no avail. He tried beating the creature’s snout with his other hand, but that didn’t work either.

The creature beat its wings and began pushing Pit over the nearby treeline. Pit beat his own wings as hard as he could, fighting against the creature’s incredibly strong, vice-like grip. Back and forth they struggled in the air, the creature trying to steal Pit from the fight, while Pit tried desperately to return to it before everyone behind the shield was put in danger.

His fears were realized as he saw the last remaining flying creature sail over the shield and land on the ground next to Palutena.

“No! I’ve gotta– let me go!” He resumed pounding the creature’s snout. Suddenly, he felt the power flowing through his wings fizzle out, causing him to dangle in the creature’s maw as the Miracle of Flight was turned off.

The absence of a second set of wings must’ve been too much for the creature, as it struggled to maintain flight just under its own strength with Pit in its mouth, and the two gradually began descending to the ground, all while Pit continued struggling to free himself.

Palutena’s eyes widened in surprise and horror as the flying creature landed right next to her. Immediately it turned and opened its thin, four-pronged jaws, reaching for her leg. Instinctively, she kicked at it, striking it dead under its jaw. Her resulting loss of focus on the Miracle of Flight caused it to tune out, but the ramifications of this sailed over her head as her attention was fixed squarely on the creature as it recovered from her strike, ready to attack her once again.

“Palutena!”

She turned to see all of James, Ryuk, and Kirby rushing forward to her aid. The creature made a few motions toward them with its snout as they approached, but nothing more than that subtle acknowledgment of their presence.

They all stopped some distance away, ready to charge if it made another move. Meanwhile, Twilight’s attention was elsewhere as her magical stamina was nearing its end. The shield began flickering at irregular intervals as a result, clearly on the verge of shutting down. The pharaoh bore witness to the situation, but without his loyal servants at his side for protection, getting involved would only be foolish.

The creature turned and fixed its attention back on Palutena. The top of its head opened up in a similar manner to the other creatures– its purpose still a mystery to the group. Finally, the creature seemed to show genuine interest in the rest of the group as it turned its head toward each one of them as if sizing up who it should attack. Except for Ryuk, whose presence the creature seemed completely oblivious to. Palutena filed that information away for later use, thinking it might be useful to beating the creatures.

Finally, the creature lowered its gorey scalp and turned back to her. It let loose a shrill, ear-splitting cry almost identical to that of the shriekers. The massive heat wave that erupted from the creature as it did this was a surprise to Palutena, and she filed that information away as well for later use. She took a step back out of reflex, and raised her staff. Several options raced through her mind: Miracle of Capture, of Piercing, of Paralysis, and other, more lethal attacks she disdained using but remembered for situations such as this.

But she ended up not having to. While the creature continued shrieking like there was no tomorrow, Kirby waddled forward on his little red feet. All eyes turned to him as he approached the creature, without a hint of fear or even courage. Indeed, his cute little face was as stoic as ever as he walked casually forward toward the carnivorous monster.

He stopped a few feet from the creature just as it stopped shrieking and turned to him. Everyone’s eyes collectively bulged as Kirby’s mouth opened wide, and he began sucking in air. His breath was like a vacuum. The creature stumbled forward as the air currents toppled it over while being drawn into Kirby. It fell on its front, only to find itself being picked up by said currents and go sailing right into Kirby’s mouth. With a small, almost confused cry, the creature disappeared into Kirby’s massive maw, and the little pink puffball closed it, his cheeks puffing to three times their size.

The sounds of battle beyond the shield were completely tuned out as everyone’s brains all but shut down in response to the incredulous sight they’d just witnessed. For Palutena, the surprise was diminished, on account of her having been swallowed by Kirby when she’d first arrived there. For everyone else, words escaped them as they blankly watched Kirby swallow the creature, his cheeks returning to normal, and he waddled back over to the creature in the cage.

“... Well, that just happened,” Ryuk said, breaking the silence.

Palutena sighed with exasperation, before she remembered Pit. Quickly, she reopened her window, allowing her to see through Pit’s eyes. The image moved slow and stilted, passing between trees; the magenta glow of Twilight’s shield could be seen ahead. The view tilted down, revealing sight of Pit’s bow, which he bent down to retrieve before resuming his trek.

Palutena continued watching through the window until Pit emerged from the forest. His arms hung limply at his sides, his head held low, and his left leg limping. His tunic and shorts were cut in several places, and he had scratches and bruises all over his body. His empty hand was bloody, with bits of entrail hanging off.

“Pit!” Palutena cried. “Are you okay!?”

Pit said nothing as he stopped right in front of the barrier. Palutena made to rush forward, but stopped when Pit raised his free hand. With a small, tired smile, Pit made a ‘v’ with his fingers, their bloodiness adding a layer of gruesomeness to the good news. Palutena breathed a sigh of relief, and raised her staff, ready to reactivate the Miracle of Flight to allow Pit to hop over the shield.

A sound not too dissimilar to shattering glass sounded throughout the clearing. Confused, everyone glanced around before realizing it was coming from above. Looking up, they caught sight of hundreds of jagged, baseball-sized chunks of Twilight’s shield breaking off. The pieces fell soundlessly to the ground, dissipating into millions of shimmering sparkles upon impact. Bit by bit, the shield slowly dissolved, falling apart in such a calm manner that contrasted greatly with the horrifying consequences its destruction would bring. In a matter of seconds, the shield had disappeared completely.

Panicked expressions adorned everyone’s faces, and they all turned to see Twilight flat on the ground, her eyes closed and hooves splayed out in front of her. Beyond her, a number of shriekers had already realized the shield was gone and were rushing toward her.

“Twilight!” everyone cried out.

Her ears twitched in response to their call, and her eyes flitted open, allowing her to see the charging shriekers. She tried to light her horn for a teleport, but only a single, fizzling spark breached the tip, quickly winking out of existence. Her magical stamina was all used up, leaving her body physically weakened. She tried to stand up to get away, but her legs didn’t respond. Her body felt like a giant, immovable rock, and even the survival instincts screaming in her mind failed to get an adrenaline rush going.

The foremost shrieker was nearly upon her, jaws opened wide in preparation to claim her as its next meal. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as Twilight realized this was the end. She’d fought tooth and hoof for herself, for Celestia, and for all the friends they’d made from across the multiverse to stay alive. But she couldn’t keep it up forever, evidently, and now that reality had finally showed itself to her. She was staring into the— quite literal —jaws of death, and there was nothing she could do about it except cherish the fact that she’d done her best for the team.

Twilight let her head drop to the ground and closed her eyes, accepting her fate with a tired frown.

“I’m sorry, Celestia…”

She waited for the sharp pressure in her skull, followed by the sound of crunching bone and the feeling of encroaching darkness. Instead, all she heard was a shrill shriek followed by a soft thump in front of her, while feeling something spray across her face. She opened her eyes to see the shrieker’s carcass in front of her, a still-steaming hole in its skull.

She blinked, then flinched back as the remaining charging shriekers each followed a similar fate by a series of lavender magic beams coming from beyond her field of vision, within the forest.

Twilight turned, and gasped at the surprising, yet absolutely beautiful sight before her. Through the treeline, standing shoulder to shoulder with each other, were all of her Mirror Pool clones, but what drew her attention was the second line of newcomers standing behind them. They boasted a wide array of colors and appearances, and while most of them were humanoid, they all shared a similar feature. Etched into their faces, or stances for the ones without a visible face, was an ironclad determination.

And in that moment, Twilight knew everyone was saved. Exhaustion finally took over completely, and she fainted.

An especially gruff-looking human male with tattered clothes revved a chainsaw attached to his missing right hand, the whirring noise it made audible over the sounds of battle throughout the clearing. The man appeared to say something before the entire group rushed forward through the trees.

Author's Note

Journey Into The Unknown (Part 1)

Author's Note

I changed the name of the lumas to their Japanese name, chikos, in the previous chapter and will be using that name from now on. Just a little heads up.

Journey Into The Unknown (Part 1)

Rosetta stood upon the Comet Observatory’s entrance platform, tall and quiet with her eyes closed and wand gripped tightly at her side. The faint thrumming of the engine sounded from high above her. The Doctor had done a splendid job working with the controls, the alien technology like a second nature to him. Working for eons with his Tardis wasn’t for nothing. Should they ever swap places, with her journeying in his blue box and not him journeying on board her observatory, she would love to learn how to work his time-traveling technology.

She raised her wand up high, the magic building up before releasing in the form of a shining ball of blue magic, trailing twin brands of shimmering sparkles. The magic soared high above the observatory’s center spire before descending back down in a wraparound formation, enveloping the space around the observatory in a transparent blue, egg-shaped cocoon.

The thrum of magic reverberated through the air as the observatory started spinning around, quickly settling into place pointing toward the group’s destination: the center of the universe.

A flash of red light signified the engine was at full power. There was a brief moment of pause, then the observatory shot into the sky, the magic trailing behind it to form a comet’s tail, the observatory itself cloaked behind the head.

Rosetta smiled and lowered her wand. She looked down at the planet below as it got farther and farther away with every second. She could make out the distinct forms of both the Kyoshin and Equestria on the surface, gradually shrinking until they were little dots before eventually fading from view entirely. Some members of the group were milling around in front of her, staring down at the retreating form of the planet.

I wonder if they’re feeling how I used to whenever I gazed upon my home planet?

With a wistful sigh, Rosetta turned left and headed for the nearest Warp Pad. She had to do her part to keep things in order for the journey, especially where her children were concerned.

The Comet Observatory was proving itself to be a fascinating piece of both engineering and architecture, a fact that further cemented itself into Twilight’s brain with each step she took along the lower deck, swiveling her head around at all the unique, alien structures and frolicking chikos. There was a whimsical quality to her surroundings that brought to mind childhood memories of walking through Canterlot Castle’s library and gazing starry-eyed at the massive shelves fully lined with books. The observatory had a library, she remembered, so she could indulge herself a little during the journey.

She’d made a single lap around the entire lower deck before she made it to the reading area outside of the Library. Shulk was standing to her right with a cream-colored chiko, the two conversing while looking down at a strange but intriguing green and red device laid behind a circular couch with a light stream shooting from it toward the upper deck.

Twilight looked between them and the entrance to the Library just as Hermione and Charlotte entered, chatting to each other excitedly. A sudden weight settled upon her as she realized she had to choose between either learning about the observatory’s technology or potentially learning more about the world Rosetta hails from. Both were equally appealing, which made the decision all the more difficult.

Twilight warred with herself for a few moments before finally deciding to join Shulk, figuring three people in the Library might be a little too much for how small it was. She approached them from behind, but they didn’t acknowledge her presence until she spoke.

“Is that some kind of teleporter?” She pointed at the light stream.

“Exactly!” the chiko chirped. “It’s called a Warp Pad!”

“Apparently it converts anyone who steps onto it into light particles before sending them through the stream to the other end,” Shulk explained, his eyes glued to the device. “Fascinating.”

Twilight nodded. “It would be incredibly convenient for someone who can’t use a teleport spell.” Only after she said that did she realize it could be taken the wrong way. “Sorry! Sorry! I didn’t mean to boast or anything!”

Shulk laughed, waving her off. “No worries, Twilight,” he assured her.

“Glad to be of help, Shulk,” the chiko said.

He turned around and began floating away, waving them goodbye which Shulk and Twilight returned before turning their attention back to the Warp Pad.

“So, how about we try it out?” Twilight suggested. “I bet we’ll learn a little from the experience.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” Shulk replied with a nod. He tracked the light stream up to the upper deck. Another stream led from the deck to a small floating island, which itself had another that led to the highest point of the observatory. “Let’s make that our destination,” he finished, pointing to the high deck.

“Right.” Twilight stepped forward. “I’ll go in first.”

The Warp Pad didn’t look particularly intimidating or dangerous. Nevertheless, Twilight found herself a little hesitant to step into it. She took a deep, emboldening breath before stepping one hoof onto the device. Nothing happened. She put another hoof forward. Still nothing.

Maybe I need to go all the way.

She walked her hind legs forward, putting herself completely onto the pad. There was a sudden sensation of weightlessness like she’d been turned into air. Her surroundings were gone, replaced by blinding yellow light, but it wasn’t any less livid than before. The change had been so calm and instantaneous that it didn’t startle her, but a gnawing fear settled into the back of her mind after a second that something could or already had gone wrong.

She was aware that a few seconds had passed before the world suddenly popped back into existence and she felt the ground return under her hooves. She blinked, swiveling her head around to take in her new surroundings before smiling when she realized she was on the upper deck. A quick glance down showed Shulk still standing next to the first Warp Pad, his gaze turned up to her and a broad smile plastered across his face.

“It’s all right, Shulk!” she called down, waving a hoof.

Shulk nodded, then stepped onto the pad himself. He instantly disappeared from sight, while a big ball of shining light appeared at the base of the light stream in his place. The light ball swiftly traveled the length of the stream before Shulk popped back into existence, landing next to Twilight.

He took a moment to look himself over before regarding her. “Well, that was interesting.”

Twilight nodded and gestured down the deck. “Let’s go.”

The two went through the next two Warp Pads, eventually coming upon the high deck, just outside the engine room.

“Wow,” Twilight said, looking around at the blue veil of magic surrounding the observatory. The starry expanse of space was completely obscured, but Twilight couldn’t bring herself to mind. “It’s even more beautiful this high up.”

Shulk nodded. “Yeah, it’s amazing.”

“Glad that you like it.”

Shulk and Twilight turned to see the Doctor stepping out of the Engine Room, hands in his pockets and overall looking very casual in his stride.

“Hello, Doctor,” Shulk said. He looked him up and down. “You just got done working in there?”

“Indeed I did,” the Doctor replied.

“You’re not covered in sweat or grease,” Twilight observed. “How exactly do you power up the observatory? It doesn’t seem particularly hard to do, judging by your appearance.”

The Doctor smiled and shook his head. “My job was fairly simple,” he explained. “All I did was chart the course and push the ignition, metaphorically speaking. Rosetta is the one who keeps a constant power supply on hand and hits the accelerator when we need to get going, again metaphorically speaking.” He gestured to the blue veil around them.

“So what powers the observatory?” Shulk asked.

“These are questions better suited for the girl who actually owns this place, you know,” the Doctor said. His gaze shifted to behind them. “And speak of the lovely, benevolent devil herself.”

Shulk and Twilight turned around just in time to see Rosetta and a blue-colored chiko emerge from the Warp Pad.

Rosetta regarded the two friends with a smile before turning to the Doctor. “We’re set for the center of the universe?”

“We should be there in due time.”

“Thanks for your help.”

“Rosetta, mind if we ask you more about the observatory?” Shulk asked while Twilight nodded eagerly.

Rosetta turned back to them. “Of course. I’d be happy to teach you all you wish to know about my home.”

“Yep, leave it to us!” the chiko said.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it, then,” the Doctor said. “And if you two want to learn more about my Tardis, feel free to stop by sometime after I’ve fetched Thomas. It’s in the Garage.”

He stepped onto the Warp Pad, turning into a ball of light that sailed down the stream out of sight.

“So, what exactly do you want to know?” Rosetta asked Shulk and Twilight.

“First of all, what exactly powers it?” Shulk asked.

Rosetta smiled. “Well, you saw that blue ball of energy at the center of the observatory, correct?”

Shulk and Twilight both nodded.

“That energy is made up of what we call ‘Power Stars’,” she explained. “Power Stars are about the size of the average human torso and contain the power of the universe. Any attempt to explain with more specific details would drag on much longer than it’ll take to get us to our destination.”

“All the more reason to tell us!” Twilight said with an eager, almost manic grin.

Rosetta held a hand up to her mouth, stifling a giggle. “I’ll tell you this much: The observatory needs a total of at least sixty in order to travel across the cosmos. But more than that, at least in my eyes, Power Stars represent more than just the power to see the stars up close; they represent my memories.”

“Memories?” Shulk asked.

Rosetta nodded. “Power Stars can be found all across my home universe, and as the owner of the Comet Observatory, it’s my job to seek them out. As a result, I’ve visited many different galaxies and witnessed more wonders than I can recall.” Her tone turned wistful as she continued. “I’ve reached a point where simple feelings like happiness and sorrow have become hard for me to grasp, at least where anything other than my children is concerned. The memories of locating new Power Stars and meeting the inhabitants of newly discovered planets is one of the few remaining things that gives me even a spark of joy.” She smiled and turned her gaze to the blue chiko by her side. “But nothing will ever top the feeling I get when one of my children is ready to leave the nest.”

The blue chiko closed its eyes and bobbed excitedly in the air. “We’re all happy to make you happy, Mama!”

Twilight felt her heart melt a little at the exchange, but her academic side quickly reasserted control over her. “Can you show us the Engine Room, then?” she asked.

Rosetta nodded. “Of course. Although don’t get your hopes up; it’s nothing extraordinary.”

She briskly stepped into the Engine Room; Shulk and Twilight followed right after her. Twilight began taking in her surroundings the instant she stepped inside.

Colored pipes lined every wall, but contrary to her preconceptions, none were leaking steam. The observatory did seem to run entirely on magic, so she supposed that’s what was running through the pipes. A large screen monitor took up one side of the room depicting what Twilight guessed must have been a map of the universe if the swirling patterns were supposed to depict galaxies, with the center area being highlighted in light blue. A large red lever was bolted to the wall next to the screen that Twilight assumed was the ‘ignition’ that the Doctor had mentioned.

“This sure is a simple setup,” Shulk noted, sweeping his gaze around the room. “Then again, I shouldn’t have expected anything familiar.”

“The hardest part is charting a course, I’m assuming?” Twilight turned to Rosetta.

“Even that’s rather easy,” Rosetta said.

She walked over to the screen and raised a hand to it, touching a section outside the highlighted area. The place where she touched turned an even lighter shade of blue, but a second tap returned the section to its normal shade of black. She tapped the same spot, then scrolled her finger along the screen, causing that section to zoom in before a simple scroll the opposite way returned it to normal.

Rosetta turned to Shulk and Twilight. “Simple enough for anyone to use. Of course, it takes a good understanding of astronomy to pinpoint an exact location.”

“Fascinating,” Twilight said. He kept his studious gaze on the screen for a couple more seconds before a small smile broke out on his face and he turned back to Rosetta. “You must trust the Doctor a lot to entrust him with such an important task as steering the observatory.”

Twilight noticed a faint blush creep across Rosetta’s cheeks as she smiled. The corner of Twilight’s mouth lifted up— she could see where this was going.

“The Doctor has done a lot to help care for my children in the time we’ve been together,” Rosetta explained. She clasped her hands and closed her eyes, her mind clearly drifting off a little. “But just as well, it’s nice to have someone by my side who can relate to my station.”

“You mean the fact that he also travels across space?” Shulk asked.

“It’s more about what results from living such a life,” Rosetta explained. “I’ve seen space in its entirety, all its beauties and tragedies, so many wonders and catastrophes. I only get to see my home planet once every hundred years, and there’s not a day that goes by where I don’t think about the family I left behind on Earth. But whenever I’m letting my sorrow get the better of me, I can always count on the Doctor to make me smile with his quirky mannerisms” She opened her eyes, which themselves took on a dreamy, faraway look. “He’s the best friend I’ve ever had in my life.”

“She’s lying!” the chiko spoke up, waving its arms around excitedly. “Mama has a huge crush on Mr. Doctor. Like really, really huge!”

Rosetta’s eyes bulged and her face flushed completely red. Twilight held a hoof up to her mouth to stifle a snicker. Shulk couldn’t manage to assert the same level of control, as he let loose a soft chuckle.

Rosetta’s mouth formed a pout and she shot a disapproving glare toward the chiko, who only giggled in response.

“A-Anyway,” she forced out, turning back to the pair. “Is there anything else you wish to know?”

“I think that’s enough for me,” Twilight answered, managing to recompose herself.

“Same here,” Shulk followed. “Thanks for taking the time to explain it to us, Rosetta.”

Rosetta nodded, her features returning to normal. “I’m glad to help in any way I can.”

Shulk and Twilight waved her goodbye as they left the Engine Room.

“So, what do you want to do now?” Twilight asked Shulk.

“Well, the Doctor did say we were welcome to stop by and ask him about the Tardis. Wanna take him up on that offer?”

“Sure!”

The two stepped one by one onto the Warp Pad and began the short trip to the Garage.

The stars would’ve been pretty to look at if the observatory’s magic wasn’t obscuring it, Ash thought. Laying on the grass like he was with Garp by his side— all they were missing were a couple of lawn chairs and some cold beers. He was almost able to forget the fact that they were sailing into the great unknown, possibly ending in their doom or worse.

Almost.

“Hey, misters!”

Ash and Garp turned their heads to see an orange chiko floating over to them, eliciting a soft groan from the both of them.

“Whatcha doin'?” the chiko asked.

“Relaxing,” Garp said plainly.

“Oooh. And how does the grass feel?”

Ash rolled his eyes. “Like grass; you can touch it for yourself.”

“Is it too sharp or too soft?”

Garp let out a long, exasperated sigh before standing up to face the chiko. Ash followed suit, taking a moment to stretch his limbs.

“Listen, kiddo,” Garp said, his soft tone making it clear he was at least somewhat considerate of the fact he was speaking to the star-child equivalent of a five-year-old, “Ash and me just kinda wanna have some buddy time to ourselves. You’re ruining that by being here.”

The chiko’s eyes closed and he gave an understanding nod. “Okay then! I’ll go somewhere else!”

He bounded away through the air, heading toward the opposite side of the observatory.

“Well, at least they’re good and obedient,” Garp mused. He rolled his shoulders, his joints settling into place with a few quick pops. “Wish I could say the same for my grandson.”

“Rosetta’s a good mother,” Ash said. His mouth lifted into a half-smirk. “I’d like to think I turned out alright, myself. Then again, my folks never expected I’d become a magnet for undead demon bullshit that’d leave me traumatized for life and missing a hand.” He capped off his statement with a sarcastic chuckle.

Garp spent a few moments just staring off into space before he laughed heartily. “Maybe I should take notes from Rosetta for when I catch my grandson. Hope she won't be too busy the entire way.”

“Eh, I’m sure you’ll get your chance before we reach our destination.”

The click of a camera shutter grabbed their attention. They turned to see Frank West standing at the edge of the Terrace, his camera pointing up at the upper deck where a couple of chikos were chatting.

“Hey, Frank!” Ash called.

Frank turned to the two of them, giving them a small wave before coming over to join them. “What’s up?” he asked.

Ash pointed to the camera. “You planning on taking some souvenirs home?” he asked with a coy smile.

Frank held up his camera, giving it a playful wagger. “Pretty much.” A thoughtful expression crossed his face. “Then again, I might be able to sell someone on the idea, given how zombies were thought to be fiction for a long time in my world.” He noticed that Garp was staring intensely at his camera. “Something wrong?” he asked him.

Garp tore his gaze away from the camera and onto him. “Oh, nothing really.” His eyes briefly flickered back onto the camera. “We have these things back in my world called Electric Transmission Bugs used for different types of communication; the one called the Cameko does more or less the same thing as that ‘camera’. Also, it looks a helluva lot easier to carry around than what I’m used to.”

“Bugs as cameras?” Ash managed to laugh at the mental imagery conjured in his mind. “That’d be a sight to see— better than the horrible things I saw before getting dragged here.”

“Worse than zombies?” Frank asked in a joking tone.

Ash rolled his eyes. “Shambling, rotting undead corpses? I’d gladly take on a hundred zombies before having to see my friends get possessed by demons and be forced to kill them.”

“How about fifty-three thousand five-hundred and ninety-four zombies?” Frank asked.

Hearing the specific number made Ash pause for a second before he answered with, “Of course.”

Garp reached over and gave Ash a firm, yet restrained — due to his immense strength — pat on the back. “That’s what makes you a good person, Ash. I knew I chose right when I chose you as my partner here!” He laughed heartily.

Ash gave him a playful shove back. “Yeah, you tell yourself that.”

The three men shared a round of merry laughter for a few seconds.

“Mind if I join this little male bonding session, lads?”

The three turned to see James staring at them with a sly smirk.

“How long have you been listening in?” Garp asked.

“Long enough.” The smirk grew a little wider.

“Not sure you can join in,” Ash said as his gaze dropped to the golden necklace around James’ neck with the purple diamond gemstone embedded into it. “You’re looking a little too feminine with your getup.”

James looked down at the necklace, placing a finger on the gemstone. His gaze lifted without moving his head. “Really now? I’d say it looks way too regal and dignified to be classified as a cheap, factory-made plastic trinket for gift shops to sell to little girls on impulse. Not to mention, it wouldn’t have chosen me as a bearer if I wasn’t a generous soul.”

“What makes you more generous than the rest of us, anyway?” Ash sassed.

James put his hands in his pockets and walked over to join them with casual strides. “Well, I do like to give my female companions a good time every now and then.” He lifted a single, suggestive eyebrow.

Ash, Frank, and Garp all blanched in response.

James laughed and waved a reassuring hand. “I’m only joking. It likely has more to do with my job as a government agent; you give away a number of things when you choose that line of work.”

“I believe that,” Garp said.

There was another round of laughter among the four men before Ash spoke up.

“Fine then, you can join us.” He rubbed the back of his head. “We’re not really doing anything besides talking, though.”

“We could take a look around the observatory,” Frank suggested. “I mean, maybe it’s too cutesy and colorful for all of you to care, but I find it a welcome change from what I’m used to.”

“I’m actually with you on that,” Ash said. “The observatory itself looks fine; it’s all the chikos that drive it a little over the edge for me.”

“Same here,” Garp said. “But yeah, I’m up for a little exploring.”

“I’m with you all on that,” James said.

With that the group set off down the lower deck, choosing the Fountain as their first destination. They chatted amiably the entire way, mostly about the various features of the observatory while shooing away any and all chikos that tried to talk with them. Frank asked the group for the chance to take some selfies of the four of them along the way, which they happily obliged to.

They were in high spirits by the time they reached the Fountain dome. The soft sound of running water grew louder the closer they came to the entrance.

“Think there’s gonna be fish chikos or something equally as ridiculous?” Ash asked as they approached.

Garp chuckled. “Wouldn’t surprise me in the least,” he replied while stepping inside. “That would actually be— oh.”

Frank walked in behind him. “Wait, are there really fish chi—” He stopped himself mid-sentence.

Ash, curious, rushed forward a little with James right behind him. He quickly realized the other mens’ surprise when he pushed past them to see Florina in the room. The timid little girl was sitting on the edge of the pool with her boots sitting next to her and her bare feet dangling in the water.

Her eyes were glazed over with panic while a hand was placed firmly against her chest. For a few moments, she did and said nothing, letting an awkward silence descend between everyone before she broke it with a soft whimper.

Garp laughed. “Hope we didn’t interrupt a choice to take a bath!”

A noticeable blush filled Florina’s cheeks at his words. “N-No,” she stammered. “I, um, I… I was just…” She trailed off, another soft whimper escaping her lips.

“Is something wrong?” Frank asked, taking a step forward.

Florina shrank in on herself a little as he approached.

“Not so fast, buddy.” Ash reached out and pulled Frank back. “Forgot to say: Twilight told the rest of us on Florina’s behalf that she’s shy around men. Like, straight up androphobic, even.”

“Really?” Frank said, turning back to Florina— her blush had disappeared, but she was still looking particularly uncomfortable. “How’s she put up with being in a group dominated by guys for so long?”

“Well, we did just barge in on her, I reckon?” Garp said. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, sorry about that lass.”

Florina’s eyes changed from panicked to regretful. “It’s, um… okay.”

James laughed. “None of that confidence from the other day stayed with you, it seems.”

Florina shrank in on herself a little more. At the questioning gazes of the other men, James elaborated.

“You weren’t here for it, Frank, but the lot of us had to fight off a swarm of hideous creatures that multiplied by eating food. ‘Shriekers’ as Palutena so aptly named them as their cries were downright ungodly.

“Anyway, Aza decided to bestow upon Florina a mask that essentially reversed her entire demeanor. The timid, cowardly little girl in our presence was transformed into a maniacal engine of carnage, chucking spears at the things while laughing like a horde of hyenas. Sadly, we don’t have that mask anymore; it could prove very useful along our current journey.”

Ash took a few moments to digest that information. It proved to be a tricky process, imagining the teenage girl before them as a bloodthirsty monster, but the way Florina continued shrinking in on herself was a clear hint that James was telling the truth. A shiver traveled down his spine at the mental imagery that train of thought conjured and how much it reminded him of his friends back home being possessed by deadites.

Garp laughed after a few moments. “Sounds like the little girl got a much-needed boost of confidence! If you’re telling the truth, I know a number of people who could benefit from that mask’s power.”

“Yeah, that sounds more like a bad idea,” Frank said. “I don’t consider myself a particularly morally sound person — I’m a journalist, after all — but even I know that power like that can be too easily abused for it to be worth using.”

Garp shrugged. “Maybe, but the option would still be nice.”

“Buddy, I’ve seen the kind of stuff James is describing,” Ash told him, raising his hand to put on his shoulder. “It’s horrible and ugly. Inhuman, even.”

“Actually, you’d be surprised at how beautiful and elegant Florina’s carnage managed to be.” James laughed. “Her spears actually had cute little angel wings—”

“Ahem.”

All the men paused. They turned to see that Florina had gotten up and was staring at them with a placid, yet firm expression.

“Could you leave me alone, please?” she asked.

Ash blinked. Everyone else was quiet. Florina’s gaze didn’t waver, remaining fixed on them.

“...Um, sure, yeah,” Frank finally said while sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. He turned back to the entrance. “Let’s go, guys.”

“Yeah,” James said plainly.

Ash and Garp both nodded and fell into step behind the other two as they exited the Fountain dome. They didn’t make it more than a couple of steps before they halted in place. Gillman was coming up the pathway leading to the Fountain— he didn’t show any interest in stopping even as the four men emerged from the entrance.

Memories of the encounter between Erin and Gillman resurfaced in Ash’s mind. An even worse repeat of that encounter could happen if the group left Florina alone with him. A quick glance at the rest of the guys showed they were similarly worried.

“I-Is something wrong?” he heard Florina say from inside.

“Nothing’s wrong!” Frank replied, a clear note of panic in his tone.

Gillman finally stopped when he was just a few steps away from the group. He stared at them with his glazed over eyes typical of a dumb animal. Or, in his case, semi-intelligent, as there seemed to be a glimmer of patience and anticipation behind them. He was apparently waiting for them to step aside so he could enter.

“Back off, bub.” Ash stepped forward and gently nudged Gillman back with his hand.

Gillman made a low grunting sound as he staggered before righting himself. He focused his stare on Ash but didn’t react any other way.

“Sorry, but the Fountain’s been reserved,” Frank said, following up on Ash’s act. He stepped up beside Ash, flashing him a small smile, before returning his gaze to Gillman.

To their surprise, Gillman actually tilted his head. An air of tension settled between the three of them. Ash felt a tingle run through his body as his adrenaline started building. If this devolved into a fistfight, odds were the four of them could easily take him down, but it didn’t sit right with him all the same. The last thing the group needed was more fighting amongst themselves, even if Gillman himself wasn’t particularly useful to the group.

Finally, Gillman took another step forward. Again Ash and Frank moved to bar him entry, but this time he didn’t stop. Gillman raised his hands and shoved against Ash’s chest, making him stumble back.

“Hey, back off!” Frank said, giving Gillman a retaliatory shove.

Gillman gave a challenging growl. He raised a webbed hand and swung it through the air towards Frank’s head, who managed to duck just a second in time.

James and Garp rushed forward and split them apart, James pulling Frank back and Garp using his incredible strength to effectively immobilize Gillman.

“That’s enough you two,” Garp said roughly, casting a disapproving glare down at Gillman as he struggled in his airtight grasp.

“He’s right,” James said, giving a strong tug on Frank’s arm. “This doesn’t get us anywhere.”

Frank gave one final glare at Gillman before relaxing his stance. He sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “Sorry,” he muttered.

Ash looked to Gillman as he continued struggling— trying to extend an olive branch to him was clearly little more than a pipe dream.

“What should we do with him?” he asked.

“I’d rather not have to keep ahold of him the entire way,” Garp said, furrowing his brows as Gillman tried biting his arm to no effect. “I’m not sure Rosetta would have or even need a prison on her observatory.”

“Good point,” James said.

“Wh-What’s happening?”

The men turned to see Florina standing at the entrance to the Fountain, her feet still bare and eyes wide with surprise as she looked at Gillman.

“Look, this is for your own good, Florina,” Frank told her. He pointed to Gillman. “This thing is trouble, and not in a light way, either.”

Florina turned to look at him for a brief moment, her expression unchanging, before turning back to Gillman. There were a few moments of silence between everyone, broken only by Gillman’s grunts as he tried to escape.

“Why is he trouble?” Florina finally asked, her expression relaxing a little.

Ash felt a knot form in his stomach as an uncomfortable realization hit him. How were they supposed to broach the topic of sexual harassment to a girl as young and sensitive as Florina? Not to mention, having it be explained by a bunch of grown, middle-aged men was super ironic and possibly inappropriate.

But, there was no one else around to explain the situation before it got too awkward. He wasn’t particularly confident in his ability to relay such information in a tactful manner, but he figured he’d give it a shot anyway.

“You remember what happened between him and Erin the other day, right?” he asked Florina.

She nodded. “Y-Yes, I remember,” she stuttered. “Erin seemed very upset about the way he was poking her.”

“Yeah, about that…” Ash trailed off, feeling his resolve slipping a little, but he quickly shook off his hesitation. “Touching a girl in certain places is bad, particularly without their permission. I imagine you’re too young to understand this, but we don’t want you to be alone with Gillman, for your own safety.”

A look of understanding crossed Florina’s face. “Oh, well, thanks for your concern, but um…” She trailed off, twirling a lock of hair. “I don’t think that’s what Gillman means when he’s poking someone.”

“What do you mean?” James asked.

“Well, I mean, he’s more of an animal than a man, and animals are naturally curious,” Florina explained. “I don’t know anything about his species, but I doubt he has any malevolent intentions.”

“And what makes you think that?” Frank asked.

Florina came forward toward Garp instead of making a reply to everyone’s slight shock. She walked forward with confident strides while never losing her soft expression.

“Let him go, please,” she said to Garp.

Garp hesitated at first, his mouth splitting into a worried frown, before unwrapping his arms from Gillman’s body and backing away from him.

Gillman immediately turned his eyes towards Frank as soon as he was free. He made a couple steps forward with his hands raised, only for Florina to step between them with her arms outstretched. Gillman turned his gaze down to her, quickly relaxing his stance and making a low sound that might’ve meant he was curious.

Florina lowered her arms and stepped forward, looking up to Gillman with a genuine, kind smile.

A few seconds passed with nothing happening between them. The anticipation was like a flesh-eating virus on Ash’s nerves. To his horror, he found himself subconsciously reaching back for his shotgun, but he quickly retracted his hand. The rest of the men appeared just as anxious as him, which was a lot less comforting than he would’ve liked, or even assumed. Maybe because he was the only one with an actual weapon.

Finally, Gillman raised a hand up to Florina’s face. All the men tensed at the motion, but Florina remained straight and relaxed, her smile never wavering.

Gillman extended a finger and gently poked Florina’s cheek. The men tensed again. Florina tilted her head, then raised her hand up to Gillman’s own cheek. She gently stroked it, eliciting another low sound that was undoubtedly positive with its meaning.

“Wow, your scales are very soft,” Florina mused. She squinted her eyes. “Oh my, they’re very dirty, too.” She grabbed Gillman’s arm and began leading him down the walkway toward the lower deck. “Let’s see if Rosetta and the chikos have some soap we can use to clean you.”

Gillman made no attempt at resistance as Florina pulled him away from the group. Whether or not he actually understood Florina’s words wasn’t clear, but after a few steps Florina released her grip on him and he continued following her like an obedient dog.

The men tracked the duo with their eyes until they were out of sight. Ash was at a loss for words; the other three men were similarly silent.

“... Who wants to go ask Master Hand to conjure us up some booze?” Ash finally asked, turning to the others.

All of them shot their hands up.

Paradigm Shift

Twilight Sparkle stirred from her sleep in reaction to something gently nudging her back. With a groan she opened her eyes a crack. All she saw was blackness. Confused, Twilight opened her eyes fully and rapidly blinked a few times to make sure she had succeeded. Judging that she was indeed awake she planted both forehooves onto the ground and shakily stood up, stretching her back before doing the same with her hind hooves. Once she was finished getting up she took a good look at her surroundings. All that greeted her was the blackness. She looked downwards to see that even the ground was absent and replaced by the light-less void she was currently in. Despite the lack of solid surface under her hooves, she had no trouble standing as if there was one. It all served to further confuse the lavender unicorn.

"Is this a dream?" she asked out loud.

". . . You tell me."

The sound of the male voice behind her startled Twilight enough to make her flinch. She spun around a second later, only to gawk at what she saw. There, sitting on the black surface no more than two meters from her, was a human male with magenta eyes, a spiky mane with one row colored yellow and the row behind it colored purple, and was wearing an all blue outfit with black shoes. Hanging around his neck on a chain was a strange pyramid-shaped object with an eye-like design engraved into the center.

"You're a human," Twilight stated, matter-of-fact like.

"And you're a talking purple unicorn," he replied in the same tone.

What followed was a minute of uncomfortable silence as the two stared blankly at each other, not moving even a bit out of both shock and confusion at the situation presented to them. It was especially awkward for Twilight to come face to face with a human; a creature of her own design. Although, when she thought about it, this human didn't look quite like any from her HUMAN trilogy. At one point she thought it was another prank from Rainbow Dash and Discord, but something in her gut immediately said it wasn't, given the situation at hoof. She then considered the possibility of it being a changeling, to which she didn't have a gut feeling telling otherwise. She decided to use her Changeling Detect spell on him, but also to be polite about it.

"So, what's your name?" Twilight asked.

". . . Yugi Muto," he answered.

Is that a changeling name?

"Okay, Yugi, I'm Twilight Sparkle." She extended a hoof in greeting. Yugi looked down at the proffered hoof in confusion before realization seemed to strike and he lifted his hand to shake it. Greetings exchanged, Twilight decided to use the spell. She closed her eyes and let the magic flow to her horn. Once the spell was ready, she pointed her horn at Yugi and ever so gently let the magic go to work.

"W-w-what're you doing?" Yugi stammered.

"Relax," Twilight replied, trying to be as soothing as possible, "I'm just discerning whether or not you're a threat."

". . . Okay."

The spell finished a moment later, and while Twilight concluded Yugi wasn't a changeling she was still left confused, as she had detected vast quantities of magic emanating from the pyramid object hanging around his neck. Yet humans, by her design, lacked the ability to harness magic. Twilight wanted to convince herself this was all just a dream, but her gut was once again dismissing such thoughts.

That was when Twilight came out of her stupor and began looking at the situation like the rational mare she was. She had to either be dreaming, or relocated from her library home to wherever she currently was. After pondering all her collected data points, she determined the latter scenario to be the more likely of the two. She had the same level of awareness as she did in the real world, and her dreams were usually much more vivid than the endless blackness that currently surrounded her. She easily deduced that something big was happening, and Twilight resolved to gather as much knowledge as she could so as to prepare herself should danger arise. Fortunately, she had someone to question for that purpose.

Twilight returned her gaze to Yugi to find he had gotten over his shock from seeing her and was now glancing around the blackness in apparent thought as to where he was.

Perhaps we can both help each other.

"Yugi?"

Yugi turned to look at her. "Hmm?"

"Do you know where this is?" Twilight gestured to the blackness around them.

Yugi shook his head. "Not a clue. I thought I was just dreaming, but something's telling me that's not the case."

"Yeah, same with me," Twilight agreed. She then looked down at the object hanging around Yugi's neck; her curiosity had only grown since casting her spell, and she figured now was a good time to ask about it.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing to the object.

Yugi followed her gaze down to the object and held his hand up to it. "Why do you want to know?"

"I sensed strange magical energies coming from it when I cast my spell and I'm curious as to its nature."

Yugi let go of the object and placed his hand to his forehead as if he had a headache. "I doubt you'd understand if I tried to explain it to you. At least, assuming you're not a . . ."

"A what?"

". . . a duel spirit."

Twilight raised her eyebrow in curiosity and confusion. "What's that?"

Yugi shook his head. "Look, it's nothing important. What is important is finding a way out of-"

Yugi was interrupted by a thudding sound emanating from behind them. Both pony and human turned around to see something that further baffled Yugi, yet made Twilight squeal with delight.

"Princess Celestia!" she shouted as she ran over to her mentor.

Princess Celestia was unconscious when Twilight reached her. Other than that, the sun alicorn appeared no worse for wear. After regaining her composure, Twilight gently nudged her mentor on the cheek to wake her. She stirred slightly, to which Twilight nudged her a bit more forcefully. Princess Celestia slowly opened her eyes to see Twilight beaming down at her.

"Ugh, Twilight?" Celestia groaned.

"Yes, it's me princess!" Twilight wrapped her hooves around Celestia's head in a gentle hug. "I'm so glad to see you!"

Celestia smiled wryly. "It's good to see you too, my faithful student. But may I ask what you're doing in . . . my . . ." Celestia fully opened her eyes to see she was no longer in her bed at Canterlot Castle. "Where are we?" she asked as much to herself as to Twilight.

While Twilight explained what little she knew to Celestia, Yugi looked on with growing interest. He had been beyond shocked to see a talking purple unicorn that apparently wasn't a duel spirit. By the time the second one arrived he'd gotten over his shock and was now almost amused by the absurdity of the scene playing out before him. His other self, however, was more concerned about the ambiguity of the situation at hand than anything else.

I'm at a complete loss as to what's happening. I can't sense the forces of darkness at work here, which is more troubling than reassuring because then at least we'd have an idea of what's going on. All we can do right now is wait for more developments to happen, and be ready at the first sign of danger.

Suddenly, a loud thud emanated from behind him. Yugi turned around to find another human, a man, lying face down on the solid blackness. He rushed over to help, getting a good look over the man as he did so. The new arrival had short black hair with sideburns and was wearing brown loafers, green khaki pants, and a brown jacket over a white button-up shirt. In one hand he held a camera with a strap securing it around his neck.

Yugi knelt down and shook the man's shoulder. Almost instantly the man opened his eyes and got to his knees, a dazed look adorning his face.

"What just happened?" he muttered.

"Who are you?" Yugi asked him.

The man shook his head slightly to come back to his senses and looked Yugi right in the eyes, to which Yugi noticed his eyes were brown in color.

"I'm Frank West," the man answered, lifting up his camera. "I'm a freelance photojournalist, though recently I've taken up the additional job of zombie slayer."

Yugi blinked. "So much for a little normalcy," he muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing." Yugi thought for a moment before speaking again. "Listen, Frank, do you know how you got here?"

Frank wracked his brain for a few moments. "I don't know. One second I'm at home, the next I'm talking to you. By the way, where is here?"

"I don't know," Yugi replied, turning around to look at the endless blackness surrounding them, to which Frank followed his gaze. The photojournalist quickly adopted a worried expression on his face once his brain had processed the surroundings.

"This is . . . strange," Frank proclaimed.

"I know," Yugi replied, exasperation evident in his voice.

Frank's eyes landed on a sight behind Yugi. "And that's even stranger."

Yugi turned to see Twilight and- Celestia, was it? Yes, Celestia -approaching the two of them.

"Who's the new arrival?" Twilight asked.

"Frank West," Frank repeated.

Twilight raised her brow in curiosity at the ease to which Frank had addressed her. "You're not at all surprised to see me?"

Frank laughed heartily before answering. "If you asked me that a week ago I'd have been quick to say yes. However, after what I've seen in that time I'll believe anything; even something as crazy as a talking purple horse."

"Pony," Celestia corrected.

"Horse, pony, what's the difference?" Frank replied half-sarcastically.

Twilight furrowed her brow and was about to reply when yet another thud emanated from everyone's left. The group of four turned to see what was easily the strangest thing yet since they arrived wherever they were. Lying on the blackness just a few meters from them was a yellow, square-shaped creature with human-like hands, a pair of enormous closed eyes, a long thin nose, buck teeth, and was covered in holes all over its body. The creature was wearing an ensemble that consisted of a pair of black shoes, plain white socks, and brown pants with a white shirt & red tie that fitted nicely around its square-shaped body.

The four of them stared in stunned silence before Frank broke the silence. "Well, that's just silly."

Twilight, Yugi, and Celestia turned back to him with looks ranging from confusion to exasperation adorning their faces. With a sigh, Frank hung his head down and held a hand up to his forehead.

"Can somebody please explain to me what's going on?" he asked half-heartedly. It was clear that he held little hope for his request being fulfilled, but Twilight decided to answer him anyway.

"I'm afraid we're all at a loss for answers right now, Mr. West." Twilight lifted Frank's chin up with a hoof so they were staring each other straight in the eyes. "But you can count on us for support; together we'll figure out what's happening and how to get home."

Frank just gave Twilight a blank look, to which she quickly realized her mistake. "I mean, whatever home is for each one of us." She smiled sheepishly.

Frank continued his blank look for a bit before closing his eyes and smiling himself. "Alright, let's work together Miss . . .?"

"My name is Twilight Sparkle," the lavender mare stated.

Celestia raised a fore hoof in greeting. "And I am Princess Celestia, co-ruler of our homeland, Equestria, and personal mentor to Twilight here."

Frank raised his hand and shook Celestia's hoof. He then turned toward the only other human currently present, hand still outstretched. "And you are?"

Yugi smiled and raised his own hand to shake Frank's. "Yugi Muto." He then did the same with Princess Celestia's hoof, and Frank and Twilight shook appendages as well. Once everyone had gotten acquainted with each other, they all turned to face the most recent arrival.

"So," Frank said, "who's gonna wake it?"

Before anyone else could volunteer, Twilight spoke up. "I have an idea." She gestured toward her horn with a fore hoof. "I know a spell that allows me to share select memories with anyone I wish. I have a sneaking suspicion more people are going to show up soon, and it's going to get tiring having to keep explaining the situation conventionally. With my way we can inform them of the situation instantly and without hassle."

Celestia nodded in acceptance. "Brilliant idea, Twilight. You never cease to make me proud to be your teacher."

Twilight blushed. "Thanks, princess." She began trotting over to the bizarrely-shaped unconscious creature.

Frank turned to look at Celestia. "You're a princess . . . and a private tutor?"

Celestia smiled wryly. "Not quite, Mr. West. My relationship with Twilight could be compared to one between a teacher and their student, but she's actually my personal protégé; hoof-picked from a selection of over fifty unicorns attending the same school."

". . . What?"

Celestia sighed. "Never mind."

Yugi, however, took interest in what Celestia said regarding her relationship with Twilight.

The relationship they share very much echoes that of Black Magician and Black Magician Girl. Celestia apparently teaches magic where they're from, similar to Black Magician, while Twilight is Celestia's number one student, similar to Black Magician Girl. Does this have something to do with why we were brought here?

Yugi glanced up to see Twilight had finished preparing the memory spell and was gently stomping her hoof on the creature's chest to get it to wake. Twilight was surprised by the soft, squishy feeling that greeted her hooves in doing this.

It's a . . . sponge?

Twilight kept her cool, however, and kept up the stomping until she heard the creature stir. Looking into its eyes, Twilight saw them slowly open to reveal bright, blue irises that immediately betrayed a look of confusion upon seeing her.

"Wha . . . what's going on?" it asked in a high-pitched masculine voice that made Twilight slightly wince in response. She was quick to recompose herself, however, and proceeded to cast the memory spell on him. Instantly, the creature went stock still as a surge of new memories flowed through its brain at a rapid pace. Images, sounds, sensations, everything that Twilight had experienced since waking in the blackness was copied and transferred over to the creature's mind.

Once the spell was complete, Twilight stepped away from the creature to give it some space to process everything it had just experienced. It stood up on its skinny legs and put a hand to its head to keep steady while it looked at Twilight with a slightly less confused expression. Twilight heard the sounds of foot/hoof steps approaching behind her and saw the creature glance past her at Celestia, Yugi, and Frank with a look of equal parts confusion and familiarity. Twilight smiled at this.

The spell worked.

"I'm sure you've got a lot of questions," she said to the creature. "Unfortunately, we don't know any more than you do, so how about you tell us who you are?"

The creature smiled. "My name is SpongeBob Squarepants, and-" He glanced at everyone behind Twilight "-How come I already know all your names?"

Twilight pointed a hoof at her horn. "Magic. More specifically, a memory duplication spell. I used it to copy everything I'd experienced since waking up in this black void to your brain. It's much more efficient than having to explain things conventionally."

SpongeBob rubbed his chin in thought. "But if- *gasp*."

SpongeBob's sudden intake of breath made everyone flinch. The yellow sponge clutched his throat with both hands and fell to his knees, repeatedly wheezing and gasping as if he was suffocating from an invisible force.

"What's wrong!?" Twilight asked, panicking.

SpongeBob worked to lift his head up to answer the lavender unicorn. In pained, rasping breaths he said two words that Twilight only just barely picked up.

"N-n-need . . . *gasp* . . . w-water."

Twilight took a moment to comprehend his answer before realization struck and her panic only intensified. "We don't have any water here." She looked behind her at her mentor and the two humans, her panic now fully displayed for them. "Is there anything we can do for him?"

"What, your magic can't help him?" Frank inquired.

Twilight shook her head and turned to her mentor. "Princess, do you know any spells that can help him?"

Celestia also shook her head, sadness apparent on her face as she draped a wing around her faithful student. "Dearest Twilight, you know I'm never one to abandon those in need, regardless of how well I know them. But as I lack mastery over any water related spells there's nothing I can do for Mr. Squarepants here. I'm sorry, Twilight."

Twilight stared into her mentor's eyes in disbelief. To think that Princess Celestia of Equestria, regent of the sun, her second mother, and the pony she'd come to idolize was abandoning the dying creature in front of them failed to register in Twilight's mind at first. The harder she looked up into the alicorn's eyes, however, the more she realized Celestia was right; there wasn't anything either of them could do for SpongeBob. With a tearful sigh, Twilight nuzzled her snout into her mentor's wing and started crying. Celestia just hung her head and tried her best to cover Twilight's ears so as to block out the sounds of SpongeBob's continued oxygen-starved inhales.

The two humans, meanwhile, had turned their attention away from SpongeBob and were now watching the two ponies' embrace in front of them. The pain Twilight felt at being helpless to save SpongeBob reminded Frank of all his failures at trying to save his friends back in Willamette, Colorado. Brad, Jesse, among others; all their deaths took a heavy toll on Frank's heart. Worse yet, he was forced to kill them a second time himself upon zombification.

Yugi, in contrast, could only look at the two ponies with pity. The young duelist had seen his friends' lives jeopardized several times, but he'd always managed to pull them from the brink of death thanks to their complete and trusting support. But even though he'd never experienced the same level of hopelessness as Twilight felt right now, Yugi's heart still went out to her and Celestia.

Suddenly, something moved out of the corner of Yugi's vision just behind where SpongeBob now lay almost completely motionless. Craning his neck to see, Yugi spotted an image appearing within the blackness. It was too faint to tell what it was, but Yugi could tell that it was important. He stepped around the two ponies and began making his way towards the thing.

"Hey Yugi," Frank said as he walked past, "where're you going?"

Yugi ignored Frank and continued walking toward the image. All the while he did so, the image became increasingly distinct and defined as more details added to it. By the time Yugi passed the now motionless SpongeBob he realized what he was looking at was a solid object. Not only that, he gasped when he saw what it was.

"Water!"

Twilight and Celestia heard Yugi shout and turned their tear ridden faces to look up at him in confusion, only to join Frank in staring at the object that now sat proudly on the black surface just behind SpongeBob; a glass bowl filled with water. It took a few moments for realization to hit, but it hit Twilight and Celestia hard when it did. They could only watch in delighted relief as Yugi picked up the glass bowl and moved it over next to SpongeBob's head. Yugi then wrapped his arms around SpongeBob's torso and lifted him up and into the bowl headfirst.

No sooner had SpongeBob's chin sunk past the waterline than he flailed out of Yugi's grasp and pulled himself all the way into the bowl, completely submerging his head in the water and quickly taking in a few breaths of oxygen. Everyone present, especially Twilight and Celestia, felt a great weight lift off their shoulders as they watched SpongeBob's breathing slow to normal speeds. They continued to watch relieved as the sea sponge fitted the bowl around his waistline before rolling over so he stood straight up on his feet. Checking that no water was leaking through, SpongeBob breathed a sigh of relief.

"Woo, thank Neptune for that."

"Actually, SpongeBob, I'm the one to thank for saving you."

The sudden unfamiliar voice made everyone start in response. It had come from everywhere around them, but nothing else could be seen through the surrounding blackness. Something about the voice's tone rubbed Twilight the wrong way, so she took a battle stance and readied her horn for use should danger present itself.

"Who's there!?" she called into the blackness.

What followed was a few moments of silence. Then a soft chuckling sound reverberated through the air, which gradually increased in pitch and volume until it became a howling laughter that sent a chill down everyone's spine. The ambiguity of the laughter's tone was its most unsettling trait. It sounded like neither the maniacal laughter of the insane or the benevolent laughter of a joke recipient. The best it could be attributed to, in Twilight's opinion at least, was that of someone greatly amused by what was said to them. Once the laughter had died down enough, Twilight repeated her question as a command.

"Tell me who you are, right now!"

The laughter burst for a second before dissipating, followed by the same voice as before. This time, Twilight noticed a few peculiarities about it; for instance, the voice was neither male or female, sounding instead like a polymorphic combination of the two. Another thing that confused her was the realization that it was indeed coming from literally everywhere around, above, and even below them. Yet still, nothing could be seen through the blackness that could be the voice's point of origin. But all this strangeness was easily over-shadowed by what the voice actually said in response to Twilight.

"What you said is the greatest possible oxymoron, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight blinked. "What?"

Another chuckle sounded before the voice resumed. "You asked 'Who's there?'; the two words making up that sentence are one and the same. I wouldn't expect any of you to know that, of course, but I couldn't help but find it funny regardless."

Twilight looked quizzically around at everyone to see what their reactions were to the voice's odd claim. Everyone's facial expression was the same; confused. Twilight turned back to the blackness.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"It's quite simple in actuality, but I predict you'll refuse to accept my answer resulting in greater difficulty believing than necessary. I am the universe you all currently reside in; I pulled you all from your native realities into me for a little experiment."

Twilight blinked. "You're . . . the universe?"

"A universe, Twilight, and a sentient one at that. Literally everything you see was pulled from surrounding universes into me by myself; the blackness, the air, the solid surface, all of you, and that water helmet. My apologies SpongeBob; I had a surprising amount of trouble locating a water helmet in your universe."

SpongeBob grinned sheepishly. "Uh, thanks . . . what's your name?"

"I have none." A moment of silence passed. "But I suppose having something to address me by would help all of you immensely, so . . . . . . okay, from now on call me AZA-090, or Aza for short."

Celestia stepped forward on impulse, having grown tired of being left in the dark as to what was going on. She didn't know whether she should believe Aza's claim of being the universe itself or speak out against it. As it was, however, she and her faithful student were stuck here away from home with no discernible way of returning available. She decided to play along with its claims, but she was going to get some answers out of it in return.

"Listen, Aza, I'm the ruler of Equestria, Twilight's and my home, and if I'm not there in the morning my absence will bring pandemonium to all of my subjects. Do you intend to harm our home and friends through such means?"

"No, Celestia, I seek no harm unto anyone. You all are beyond the touch of time here; should I send any of you back to your respective universe you'll be returned to the precise instant in which you left. To anyone watching, it would be as if you never left in the first place."

"Why did you bring us here?" Yugi asked.

"My experiment entails relocating select beings from various realities into myself and observing the ensuing effects. The reason for choosing all of you was for diversity's sake. I must say I've enjoyed the results thus far."

"Is that really all we are to you?" Frank asked. "Rats in a maze?"

"Essentially, yes, but like I said I have no intention of harming any of you. However, the things I bring into myself may not feel the same way, so I would advise all of you to be on guard at all times; you never know when I may surprise you with something you may or may not be familiar with. Also, I'll be adding more persons to your group at my leisure; I selected Twilight specifically for the purpose of using her memory aid spell to inform newcomers of what's happening. I'm thankful she's saved me the burden of explaining her role myself."

"You're not welcome," Twilight growled.

"Indeed. Now then, I suggest you all get to know each other very well, for your past experiences will play a central role in this experiment. One last thing before I leave you all to your devices; I'll relocate any one item of your choosing into myself for comfort or aid against the coming trials. Choose wisely, for you will get nothing else during your stay in me."

Twilight looked up to Celestia to gauge her state of mind. As Twilight expected a scowl adorned her mentor's face, but it was quickly replaced by a look of disconcertion and then resignation as Celestia sighed and slumped her shoulders. Seeing the princess like this upset Twilight; if Celestia could fall from grace in the face of their situation so easily, what chance did she have of staying strong. With a sigh of her own, Twilight turned to the blackness.

"I'd like the picture of my friends hanging on the wall in Golden Oaks," she said.

"I'd like my duel disk," Yugi said.

"I'll take . . . a machete, I guess," Frank said, shrugging.

"My karate gloves, please," SpongeBob said, sounding much chipper now.

When Celestia said nothing at first, Twilight looked back up at her worriedly. Celestia's eyes were closed, and yet Twilight could still see a look of pained acceptance in her features. Twilight figured it was hard for the sun princess to deal with being used like a guinea pig in a science experiment. She couldn't blame her.

After a few tense moments, Celestia finally spoke up.

"I would like the Alicorn Amulet."

Twilight gasped. "P-p-princess, why would you . . .?"

"So be it," Aza interrupted Twilight.

"Twilight," Celestia said. "I know what you're thinking, but given everything that's been said we'll need all the strength we can get if we want to come out of this alive."

She turned to look down at her most faithful student. "I know it's dangerous, but if anything were to happen to you I'd never be able to forgive myself."

Twilight scowled. "Princess, you're putting yourself in danger if you're thinking of using that accursed necklace. Equestria needs you infinitely more than it needs me."

"You're wrong, Twilight," Celestia replied, earning a confused look from the lavender mare.

"Equestria survived for hundreds of years without me or Luna to raise and lower the sun and moon; the common unicorns were splendid at that task back then, and they'd be no worse for wear now. Additionally, you bear the Element of Magic, the most important piece of the Elements of Harmony. I need not say you're important because everypony, including yourself, is well-aware of such."

Twilight softened a bit. She tried to find a valid argument against Celestia's claims, but she realized her mentor wouldn't ask for something as dangerous as the Alicorn Amulet if she didn't truly believe she could overcome its influence.

"Okay, princess," Twilight sighed. "I'll trust your decision."

Celestia smiled. "I won't let you down, Twilight."

No more than a few seconds later the Alicorn Amulet materialized in front of Celestia. She immediately grabbed it with her magic and hooked it around her neck just above her amethyst encrusted regalia. Everyone else received their requested items simultaneously, and Twilight couldn't help but replace some of her dread with curiosity upon seeing the photo appear out of nothing right in front of her. She attempted to touch it mid-appearance, but fear of what could happen made her pull back her hoof. Looking down at the photo itself, Twilight felt great comfort at seeing the scene it presented; she along with Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie huddled together ready for the picture to be taken. It was Twilight's favorite picture of her and her friends, as it best showed the friendship they had formed and cherished since the day they defeated Nightmare Moon. It was the only thing she could ever want when stuck in the kind of situation she was currently in.

"Well then," Aza said, bringing Twilight out of her thoughts. "Good luck getting to know each other. I shall now leave you all alone, and by that I mean I'll avoid talking for now."

And like that, the experiment began in earnest.