Chapters Chapter 1: It Begins (edited)
For the first time the class was tired, bored, and on the brink of falling asleep listening to Ms. Cheerilee give one of her normally famous and fun lessons. They started to drift into their own little pockets of mental space, and asleep. While some were staring at the clock waiting for the bell to ring to be dismissed from school, but there in the back row, three little fillies were also waiting for the Bell to ring but they were doing something with their time left in class, they were planning.
"Right, first we should make a list of the things we have tried this time." insisted Sweetie Belle, a white unicorn with an extremely puffy and curly mane and tale, almost like cotton candy.
"Sweetie Belle, it would just be a lot easier to make a list of the things that we haven't tried." said Scootaloo, an orange Pegasus with a purple wind swept mane and tail.
"Scoots right Sweetie Belle we don't have enough time, quills, ink, or paper to make a list that long." said Apple Bloom, a simple down to earth pony quite literally, she was an average everyday run of the mill earth pony with a yellow coat, red mane and tale with a big salmon bow in it.
"CLASS!" yelled Ms. Cheerilee, "I know that this is not the most interesting class topic for the day but please, PAY ATTENTION!!" The class was taken by surprise at the sudden tone that she had used, they knew that calm, gentle mare standing at the front of the class would never use that tone of voice unless there was trouble or a really bad day.
With a sharp pain in her horn Sweetie Belle gave a loud cry in short agony, one after another every unicorn in the class had the same thing happen to them. Cheerilee in complete astonishment, looked in bewilderment as the unicorns of the class moaned and groaned and cried grasping their horns in pain. Ms. Cheerilee galloping to the side of Sweetie Belle, nose now bleeding due to extreme pain, looking around the room she now noticed that a pattern was begging to present itself, the ponies closest to the door where experiencing less pain, Cheerilee began to think but lost her train of thought when one of her students stared at the lights screaming. After a few seconds Ms. Cheerilee began to notice it too, the lights were flickering more and more growing in intensity with each passing moment.
"Everypony-" but before she could finish her sentence one of the light bulbs exploded sending a bolt of electricity through the air striking the ceiling, then three more bulbs burst sending out bolts of electricity one hitting the adjacent fixture, one the window and one the chalkboard. With even more urgency in her voice now she yield at the top of her lungs as loud as she could hoping to be heard over the loud cracks as the four lights continued sending bolts in every direction, "OUT!! NOW!!!" Without hesitation every student ran for the door. With every student out of the school Cheerilee looked back one last time to see if there was anypony else in the room, as far as she could tell there was no one left in the room now but her, but what she did see was the bolts now striking one spot in the center of the ceiling, suddenly with a gasp of understanding she grabbed the one thing left behind by one of the students, Scootaloo’s scooter. With a hired pace she ran to her class, scooter in hoof, with panic in her voice she pulled Scootaloo aside, "Scootaloo, go get Twilight and come back here as fast as you can!"
Scootaloo realizing what she had to do took off like a flash not even noticing that Ms. Cheerilee had forgotten to give her the helmet. Looking back over her shoulder Scootaloo saw the most terrifying thing she had ever seen, clouds blacker than the night began to circle the Bell tower on top of the school. Within minutes Scootaloo reached the town library where Twilight Sparkle lived. Not even parking her scooter Scootaloo ran into the house not knocking either but she didn't have time to knock, something was happening at the school and it did not look good. Running around the house yelling for Twilight, with no response Scootaloo checked the basement, no Twilight, she checked the kitchen, still no Twilight. Running to the next place in the house that Scootaloo thought that she could be she ran to the study. Bursting in chest heaving she finally found Twilight and Spike practicing a transfiguration spell on what looked like an orange crossed with a toad. Hearing the door slam open made Spike jump and turn around in surprise. Running with worry on his face, Spike, a small green and purple baby dragon, sat beside Scootaloo trying to comfort her. After getting Scootaloo to calm down he rushed over to Twilight, looked and her in the eye, “Twi there is somepony here to see you.” with a startled look on her face Twilight turned to see Scootaloo, panic still on her face on the brink of crying, sitting on the floor. Now with a puzzled look on her face the purple unicorn went over to Scootaloo, after asking what was wrong Scootaloo began to explain everything that had happened and was happening. With a look of surprise and worry on her face she turned to Spike, with panic on her face and in her voice.
“Send a letter to the princess labeled ‘emergency’, I am going with Scootaloo to see if there is anything that I can do,” with that said she turned to Scootaloo “Scootaloo, hold on as tight as you can to me, we don’t have time to walk so we are going via teleportation spell.” Grasping on to Twilight with all her might she closed her eyes, with a crack she felt a sudden and strange feeling wash over her, she closed her eyes even tighter, with another crack the strange feeling was gone and she could feel the ground under her hooves once again.
"All right, give me an update as to what is going on and how long it has been doing this." After Ms. Cheerilee gave a full explanation as to what was going on, after five minutes of explanation, examining, and thinking Twilight finally turned.
“Well I can say with the utmost confidence I have no idea as to what is going on, but I can tell you that it is not magic or at least any type that I have seen or felt before, and that it is very unst-,” but before she could finish her sentence an electric blue bolt of energy shot up out of the bell tower and into the swirling vortex of clouds sending out a thunderous crack louder than any bolt of lightning ever heard.
“See just as I thought, unstable, and very powerful.” Just as she finished saying the bolt of energy shot back down and into the Bell tower with an explosion of light and sound sending the door flying 30 yards followed by a cloud of electrified dust and ash.
“CLASS, TAKE COVER!!” Yelled Ms. Cheerilee over the roar of the cloud thundering toward them. Without any hesitation Twilight put up a protective spell around her and all of the students outside in the path of the cloud, only seconds later the cloud made contact with the barrier of purple energy sending bolts of magical feedback back into Twilight’s glowing horn making her buckle and moan under the power coursing through her body looking over her shoulder at the fillies starting at her in awe, fascination, and some in worry. With a smug smile she stood up tall and with all her might she gave the shield all the power she could muster hoping the they could not see through her clever ruse as she grew weaker and weaker with each passing moment of stopping the flying books and shards of broken glass from hitting them all, as she looked on through the shield she saw that the smoke was beginning to thin, with new found hope she gave the last of the magic she could muster to have the shield stay standing when she passed out from over exertion, with a heave and a sigh of relief she finally gave in to the stress and collapsed on the ground body seizing from the power and pain from the strange feedback she was getting from her own spell, a spell that she had performed before without any flaws or hesitation in the past, or at least before she went on that expedition alone.
“Now class there is no need to panic Twilight is just taking a little nap from using such a large amount of magic in such a short amount of time. I’m sure that she’ll be fine.” Said Cheerilee with a reassuring voice, to be honest, she hoped she was right. As she look at the now settling cloud the protective barrier began to fade and collapse, as the stunned ponies looked on at their school the saw no damage other than the missing door and the blown out windows.
“Well, I see that we are a little late for the festivities.” Said a voice from behind, spinning around with shock and amazement Cheerilee saw standing before her Princess Luna.
“Your highness, I, we did not expect to see you here.” Said Cheerilee with shock.
“Sister sent us, she was off taking care of a peace treaty with the Arabs when she received the letter from Ms. Sparkle and sent it to us.”
“Well Twilight is sort of passed out at the moment.”
“So she is, we will just have to fix that.” With a midnight blue glow around Luna’s horn she closed her eyes, within seconds Twilight had opened her eyes and sat up like a bolt rubbing her head with her hoof and looked around to the damage that was caused by the blast.
“Now would some pony please explain to me what just happened here?” Said Luna a dark blue alicorn with a mane that looked like it was made of the night sky with twinkling stars.
"To be completely frank Luna, we have no idea what just happened," Said Twilight as she stood up off the ground, "it was more power than I have ever felt in my life, and it was a completely different ora than I have ever felt."
"Do I at least get to know what I've missed?! Something like this just doesn't happen without some buildup of energy!" Shouted Luna
"OH! You want what happened before the big explosion! That you should ask Cheerilee, she knows what happened here better than I do." Said Twilight
"Ah yes, well you see your highness we were in the middle of class when," began Cheerilee before a scream of terror was yelled by one of her students. "I thought we talked about this Feather Wait, it is very rude to interrupt!"
"I know Ms. Cheerilee, but, that!!!" Said Feather Wait pointing to the blown out door. Following the trembling hoof Cheerilee saw what he was pointing at, a strange figure outlined in the shadows of the now dark schoolhouse, her jaw dropped to the ground.
"Um, Twilight can you explain that to me?" Said Cheerilee, voice shaking with fear and worry. Turning around at her normal pace Twilight looked at the door with a quick glance turning back to look at Ms. Cheerilee, eyes widening she took a second look back turning her head at a slower pace than before.
“Perhaps you should ask Luna, ‘cause I have no clue what that thing is Cheerilee.”
“OK, Luna what are your thoughts on that... thing?” Asked Cheerilee
“Thing!?! What, thing?!? Oh that thing. I don't know and I don't think I want to.” said Luna slowly backing away from the others.
“Scootaloo!! Stop, where are you going?!?!” Cried Cheerilee
“What you three are too chicken to do, investigate!” She yelled back, walking forward to the silhouette, chin held high with pride and bravery.
“Don't you take another step toward that thing, you don't know if it’s safe!” Chimed in Twilight, that got the Silhouette's attention, it took its first wobbly step before falling to the ground with a wet thud and a moan. Hearing the moan Scootaloo rushed to the door of the school were the now motionless body lay. Taking a closer look at the body she found herself stepping in a pool of what looked like blood.
“Get a doctor down here! NOW!! I think its hurt.” she yelled to the others. Rushing off to the hospital was Ms. Cheerilee at full gallop while Twilight ran to Scootaloos side faster than Scootaloo could turn her head to see if anypony was coming to help.
“Scootaloo get back and let me handle this matter.” said Twilight with a rush in her voice.
"Oh no you don't! I found him first, he's mine!"
"You don't even know if IT is a he. You don't even know what IT is. Besides all I'm trying to do is stop the bleeding." said Twilight examining the body that lay motionless on the ground.
“Twilight, what is it?” asked Scootaloo looking at the thing that lye before them.
“I don't know, but what I do know is that IT IS BIG! Well, compared to us anyway.” said Twilight gesturing to the body. It was a fairly large thing after all measuring in at about 5' 9”. It was covered in hair but not as much as the two onlookers were, on its head was a much shorter muzzle and what appeared to be ears, only dropped to the side of its head. It's hair was a mix of gold and brown. It's eyes were one long reflective black bar spanning the width of what appeared to be its face and resting on what looked like a nose. The rest of its body was covered in a strange tan fabric covered in squares of darker tan and brown in an array of varying shades, on his collar was a golden pin in the shape of a leaf.
"Twilight I got Nurse Redheart!" Yelled Ms. Cheerilee from the other side of the field.
"Good, send her down with a med pack!" She yelled back
"Um, Twilight, IT is looking at us." Said Scootaloo
"What? That's not possible IT has lost too much blood to even be conscious." Argued Twilight
"Well, I don't like being referred to as IT," Said the body on the ground. “If I am going to be referred to I would prefer he or my name, but since you don't know my name let’s just go with he."
"Hi I'm-"
"Scootaloo, I know, the other one would be Twilight Sparkle, up on the hill over there is Princess Luna and her royal guards standing next to Ms. Cheerilee and Nurse Redheart, believe me I know who you are. Now can I get a hand err HOOF up?"
"Um... OK, but you shouldn't be sitting up?" Insisted Twilight
"What because of this little scratch? That's more the reason that I NEED to stand up."
"Alright if you say so. I'm not the professional on your species." she said as she struggled to lift him to his feet. “So why are you so heavy?”
“That would be due to the body armor I am required to where in combat missions as well as combat training. Basically I am wearing a form of armor similar to that of the royal guard only stronger, ¾ the weight, and more flexible.”
“So why do you need it?”
"Just imagine that I'm an earth pony, just as simple and just as fragile, 'cause that's pretty much what I am."
"Then how is standing up going to help?"
"Simple, I'm not so simple. I have taught myself a little trick to heal myself, here watch. Um... You might want to take a step back." With some grunts and groans he started to glow yellow, he lifted his what appeared to be skin to reveal a second skin one that appeared to be more flesh colored with a red gash along the side where the yellow glow was emanating from, within seconds the wound had closed itself.
"What!? But... HOW!!!" exclaimed Twilight
"Don't know and I don't really want to know how, but all I know is that I can initiate what I call an accelerated cellular reproduction. From what I can tell the yellow glow you just saw was a discharge of excess metabolic energy." He explained
“OK that brings up many new questions, about five of them, so if you don't mind I would like to take you back to the library and run some tests and ask you those questions.” said Twilight
“Well first shouldn't we go and calm down the others, introduce myself to the others, and send Nurse Redheart away?” he asked with a smug grin on his face.
“Yes I guess we should, besides that will answer some of my questions that I had for you anyway, but be forewarned the others might be a bit nervous so I should probably go tell them that you come in peace and have no hostile intentions.” said Twilight lifting her front hoof and rubbing the back of her neck.
“Yes, that might be a good idea, I really don't want to be locked in an Equestrian dungeon for who knows how long. Just make sure to come and get me when you're done with that.” he said dusting himself off.
“Yes sure we’ll go explain it to them and I’ll come get you. Come on Scootaloo, we have some explaining to do.” said Twilight nudging Scootaloo back to the field.
After about ten minutes of explaining Twilight returned to the figure now sitting on one of the desks he pulled off of the now broken windowsill two boxes sitting next to him, one a black case made of what looked like alligator skin that was no wider than him and hit his shoulder in height. The other was a long black case tapered at one end about 3” thick and 4.5’ long.
"Alright, they understand the situation and the have agreed to cooperate with you and hear you out, but Nurse Redheart would still like to meet you."
“That is perfectly fine with me just no immunizations, I don't want to be killed by something that is meant to save lives.” he said
“Why would you be killed by an immunization?” asked Twilight as they walked up the hill.
“Because we have no idea of whether or not we have compatible immune systems and if we don't know what the repercussions on me taking drugs for an alternate species are the might not work, they could kill me, or I could become a walking petri dish and spread an altered form of the disease.” he explained
“Ah yes, that could be very bad.” she said nodding her head in agreement.
"So let’s go introduce myself to the others, shall we." He said with more energy than Pinkie Pie after picking up his cases and reaching the others in no time taking long strides with his strange tan legs, that matched his upper skin, keeping surprisingly good balance for only walking on two of them.
"Good um... err... Twilight what time is it?"
"1:30 in the afternoon. Why?"
"It makes a difference when introducing oneself. Anyway, good afternoon everypony I come in peace I mean you no harm yada yada yada, blah blah blah, any way my name is Buzz no need for you to introduce your selves," he said shaking there hooves with more energy than Pinkie Pie "I already know you and it is a pure pleasure to meet you all in person, or is it in pony?"
After he finished his introductions Twilight ushered him off to the library to start testing. During the long walk back to the library Twilight glanced at the two cases and back at him eventually curiosity got the better of Twilight.
"So... what's the pin on your collar mean?" she asked reluctantly looking around and over her shoulder at all the eyes staring at them and ears twitching, listening, to all the voices and whispers from the other ponies as they walked down the road.
“Military ranking, it means that I'm a major.”
“Oh, ya know my older brother is in the royal guard.”
“Ah yes, Captain Shining Armor, I would be his superior.”
“Oh you would would you? I bet you wouldn't be saying that if you met him.”
“Ya I would, captain is the rank under mine, I'm sure he is a nice colt and all but he would still have to follow my orders, I might not like it but it's the truth.”
“Ah, I see.” she said, “So... what's in the cases?”
"I'll tell you when we aren't being ridiculed and given strange looks. I can hear them to you know, we'll trained hearing, self-taught, had to for the bigger case."
"How do you... I can barely hear them, much less separate them."
"Six years of band, six years of getting the pitch and balance right, six years of having to fit my sound into that of a tuba. Oh that's a little too far, hang on a second. Oh Silver Spoon, Diamond Tiara I don't take to kindly to being called a spy, an insertion, or a terrorist so I suggest that if you don't know what you’re talking about you not talk about it behind ITS back, and that goes for the rest of you too," he yelled over his shoulder "people that normally do end up missing." he grumbled to himself.
"What was that all about?" asked Twilight
"I'll tell you later, it's a little personal." he said now looking at the ground with remorse on his face and in his eyes.
“Hey, you alright, don't let what they said get to you.” she said with a look of concern.
“I told you it's personal, look I’ll tell you when I'm ready to talk about it Twilight, so until then just drop it and give me a little peace of mind, I left that world to get away from all of that.” he snapped, tears welling in his eyes.
“Okay then, so what's with the weird colors of your skin?”
“Weird skin? Oh you mean my clothes!”
“Those are clothes? Well they're not like any of the clothes we have here.”
“Well that's because your clothes are for formal events, while we do have clothes for those we also need clothes for every day tasks like everything we do. You see we do have hair our bodies but not in the quantities that you have. Here thing of it like this, they're our version of you coat, now would you go outside without your coat?”
“Well no that would be weird, awkward and disturbing.”
“Exactly, and we can't grow our hair that much so we make our own coats, that and it gives us mini saddle bags that we call pockets. Make sense?”
“When you put it like that it makes a lot of sense actually.”
After they entered into the library he laid the two cases down on the floor opening the bigger one to reveal a large black metal twisted thing with long rods running up and down the full structure and complex inscriptions on the front of the device surrounded by sheets of crisp clean white paper and some that weren't so clean or crisp but fading and crumpled with tears along the edges.
"It's beautiful. What is it?"
"This is one of the few things I was able to save from my world, it is one of my most prized prosecutions, this is a saxophone, this is what I made music on." said Buzz, "I was hoping to join the bands that you have here and if necessary make my own, but I won't have to if Equestra has a jazz band but if I couldn't find one or make one than I would be happy to join a classical band."
"What's it sound like?"
"My dear Twilight, are you asking me to play a song for you?"
"Yes as a matter of fact, my only question is what can you play?"
"How's about something, peppy?"
"Sure, but isn't that you making that noise?"
"That low buzzing? I thought that was you?"
"No, now that I listen to it sounds more like it's coming from outside." she said as she trotted over to the door she opening it and peering out the door pulling her head back in and closing it abruptly as a ball of green fire exploded as it hit the slamming door, licking flames coming through the cracks as the door buckled under the might of the blast.
"We have a problem!" said Twilight bangs smoldering from the fiery blast.
"You don't say." he said with his back to her standing over the thinner case. "Lucky for us you still have The Elements of Harmony here. Right?"
"Um, ya they're sort of back at Canterlot so, no I don't." she said patting her still smoldering hair out, "So unless you have something that can stop a Changeling army we are hopeless."
"Um, funny you should mention that..."
"You're kidding, right?"
"How many would you say are out there?"
"About a dozen. Why? What are you up to?"
"Air or land based?"
"Both. I still want an answer, what are you... What in Tartars is THAT!?!" exclaimed Twilight as he pulled a strange metal tube with what looked like wood inlays out of the thin box.
"Do they have any hostages out there?" he asked not even looking up.
"Yes. Now tell me what you are doing or I won't let you out!!" yelled Twilight blocking the door with her body.
"Saving your lives." he said as he put the metal tube down and pulled out a different one, this one the tube was thinner and instead of wood it was mounted on a strange substance that looked like plastic but firmer, on top of the tube was another tube tapered at the center with the ends of the tube having glass lenses similar to that of a small telescope. Twilight looked at him worried at the sight she saw as he put little brass tubes in the bigger tube.
"Do you have a balcony?" he asked putting strange substances in his ears.
"Yes. Now tell me what you are doing!!" she yelled at him with a stern look as if she didn't care what happened to the ponies outside and only about getting an answer.
"I can't tell you, but I can show you, all I need is for you to follow me and put these on." he said with a look of pure sincerity giving her a pair of glasses and what appeared to be really big earmuffs.
"What are these and what are they for?" Twilight asked taking them with extreme caution and bewilderment.
"Safety glasses and earmuffs. Trust me you WILL need them, so are you coming to the balcony with me to see what this is or not?"
As they rushed up the stairs and on to the balcony Twilight rushed to put on the glasses and earmuffs stumbling with them, looking back Buzz saw that she was having trouble getting them on he stopped and turned on the spot to help her. After the struggle to get them on they ran up the stairs, Buzz bounding up them 2-3 at a time, Twilight trying to keep up fell face first up the stairs, grumbling he slung the strange tube over his back and doubled back grumbling to himself as he grabbed Twilight and began to carry her over his shoulder once again, bounding up the stairs past a sleeping Spike Twilight using her magic grabbed him waking him with a start she began to fill him in on the situation. As soon as Buzz saw that there was another coming to see what he was doing he gave a set of earmuffs to Twilight to give put on Spike.
"Alright you two I need you to stay behind me and do exactly as I say got it!?!"
"Yes Mr. Cyclops." said Spike
"I'm not a Cyclops. What on earth made you think that?" He asked as they reached the door to the balcony setting them down and pulled a small strange object out of what they still thought to be multiple colored skin.
"Well you do have one eye." They both said in unison.
"What these? They're sunglasses they protect my eyes from bright light."
"Well that might be why we were getting strange looks on our way here." Said Twilight as Buzz looked out the door to see if there are where any changelings on the balcony.
"After what I'm about to do I'll have to go live in the Everfree Forest so that won't be a problem anymore." Buzz said as he put the object back into his alleged skin and pulling the other from his back. Quietly opening the door he played down on the balcony putting one end of the device in his shoulder. After looking through the small telescope he riled over and pulled a smaller metal tube from the front of his green skin and screwed it onto the end of the tube, "You can take off the hearing protection now." he said as he rolled back over onto his Belly putting the end of the device back into his shoulder, with three muffled pops three changelings collapsed with mists of green liquid now pooling where they lay. With a quick shift and three more pops three more went down in a pool of green liquid, another shift and three pops then the three in the air went down with three cracks as their exoskeletons cracked. Four left on the ground, a large shift and three pops later three on the end go down sending the last one running, one pop, it falls over, after getting up it started to buzz its insect like wings two more pops and its back on the ground, two more pops and its hind legs explode.
"What just happened Twilight?" asked Spike a look of worry on his face as it began to grow greener?
"I don't know Spike, I don't know." Twilight responded looking at the stranger in complete astonishment as he stood up and slung the tube over his shoulder and jumped down to the ground below.
"Twilight you might want to come and get the ponies off your library wall and see if they are all right!" Buzz yelled up to the balcony.
"But the changelings are still down there." she replied sending Buzz's eyes rolling as he turned around looking up at the balcony with a look that would send chills down the spine of even the most evil of villains.
"They won't bother you any more Twilight, they won't bother anyone actually." he said as he turned his back and started to stride over to the changeling now crawling away leaving a trail of what Twilight now knew to be blood, as she looked around she understood what had just happened, he killed all but one changeling, the changeling that he was now lifting off the ground with one hand and was now dragging to the library.
"Twilight do you have a chair and some rope I can borrow? I think it's time we got some answers don't you, and delivered a warning to the rest of the Changeling Empire." he said glaring at the now quivering changeling. "I might need a hot metal bowl as well, at least something to chartreuse these leg wounds."
"No, but Pinkie Pie and Apple Jack might."
"Well in that case can you come get them of the door? Well, no never mind I'll get them off on my way in." he said as he pulled a black bladed knife out and walked toward the library. Worried at what the stranger might do to her friends after seeing what he had done mere moments ago she jumped down onto the ground to stop him from potentially killing them only to land and dislocate her rear left hip.
"No I'll get them." she said as she limped toward the door teeth gritting with each step horn glowing with power as she cut the eight ponies off the library walls.
"Twilight, are you alright? That was no small fall you just took?" Buzz asked with concern on his face and in his voice.
"Yes just a little shaken up by the fall and the amount of blood." Twilight said gesturing to the pools of blood.
"Twilight, you're a worse liar than Apple Jack so sit down and let me have a look at your leg," pulling her over to a park bench he examined the injury, "I need all the dandelion wine in the town so if you would please, go get it and Twilight I need you to drink all of it or at least most of it and be ready for major pain, I need to reset your leg so we can get you to the hospital and have it properly set."
Within minutes Rainbow Dash, a Pegasus dare devil with a sky blue coat and a mane the color of the rainbow and a tail to match as well as mentor to Scootaloo, Apple Jack, an orange, hard working, earth pony with a blond main and tail with a brown stetson and older sister to Apple Bloom, Pinkie Pie, an insane earth pony with a light pink coat and a mane of hot pink with more poof then the biggest pile of fresh cotton candy, Rarity, the most dramatic and fashionably inclined with a stark shite coat and superficially curled dark purple mane as well as older sister to Sweetie Belle, and Fluttershy, a Pegasus with a fear of everything and the heart of a saint with a soft yellow coat and a mane the same shade of pink as Pinkie Pies coat, had returned with three bottles of wine. Within mere moments Twilight had finished all of wine and now had very little feeling in her injured leg.
"Dash, AJ, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, I need all of you to pin Twilight down so I don't get hit from her flailing around while I basically crack her leg into place." As he instructed them he went to his bag that Scootaloo had brought him after somepony had found it while running the cleanup team, out of the bag he pulled a small syringe and bottle of what the label said to be a local aesthetic and priced to administer it to Twilight's leg."This will help a little but you won't be able to move your leg at all so Apple Jack, I need you to go and get Big Mackintosh and a wagon that will hold her." he said as he knelt down on her and grabbed Twilight's leg. With a sharp twist, a loud crack and an immense shriek from Twilight her leg was set back in place just as Big Mack, a big stallion for his age and older brother of Apple Jack, came thundering in at full gallop and practically through her into the back of the wagon and rushed off to the hospital.
"Now I think it's time we got some answers don't you Rainbow Dash?" he asked as he slung the still bleeding changeling over his shoulder and walked right into the library.
"WAIT!!" yelled Pinkie Pie, "Didn't you say that you wanted a chair and some rope?"
"Yes and something to chartreuse the wound."
"Well then here, take these. Pinkie said as she gave him a chair, a small amount of rope that she pulled out of her springy mane.
"Well if it will help here's this," said Rarity as she gave him a curling iron, "I was doing my mane when one of those brooding changelings came and abducted me," in her ever dramatic fashion, "just clean the blood off when you’re done."
"I know that I'm going to regret this but, she's your friend more than mine so would you like to be present when I interrogate him, you know after you drop those three off somewhere, these tend to get a little, gruesome, and the last thing I need is three fillies getting scared of me more than they should be." Buzz said as he tested the strength of the rope he had been given.
"I'll take them while you do that," volunteered Fluttershy in her quiet voice with the usual shake of fear and nervousness in her voice, "I can't stand the sight of blood at such a close distance." Slowly at first she ushered the three fillies away from the area than with extreme hast.
"Yes, I figured that would happen if I said extensive amounts of blood or something along those lines.” He said as he removed the body armor and the top layer of his clothes to revel a light brown shirt, “So, anypony going to go help Fluttershy with the three little fillies or are you going to help me with our guest?"
"Will there be lots of blood or did you just say that to scare Fluttershy off to take care of those three?"
"No there is actually quite a bit of blood involved in this form of interrogation Pinkie why, does that bother you?" he asked looking at her with a look of 'I know'.
"In that case I think I'll go and see if Fluttershy needs a hoof with my sister, she can be quite bothersome after all, and I don't want to stain my coat with blood." Rarity said as she trotted out of sight.
"Ya Apple Bloom has a reputation of being a little difficult to control so good luck with the interrogation." said Apple Jack as she trotted away leaving a trail of dust in her wake.
"What about you Rainbow Dash going to help them?" he asked giving her the same look that he gave Pinkie Pie.
"Nothing takes me and my friends from our homes and gets away with it!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash "It thinks it can just waltz into my house and take me without me wanting pay back I want to beat the crap out of it!"
"Easy girl, I still need him to get back to the Changeling Empire alive so he can inform the queen that if they try anything like this again I will hunt each and every one of them down and kill them slowly and very painfully. But other than that you can beat the piece of crap as much as you want."
"Now let's begin, can you hand me my bag and the curling iron please?"
After Rainbow Dash had handed him the bag he began to dig around, after about five minutes of digging he finally gave up and yelled for Spike to come and burn its legs to stop the bleeding and told him to go get Twilight from the hospital. Hearing the two words Twilight and hospital used in the same sentence let alone the same phrase he rushed off to the hospital to be with Twilight in her time of need. After slamming the door behind him with enough force to crack the framework he got a second syringe, this time all ready filled, and jabbed it into the chest of the changeling who work abruptly.
"Good, you're awake, it's time I got some answers. Why did you mount an invasion of Pony Ville?"
"Where are my legs!? And my wings!? Who... What are you? What's going on?"
"I'll ask the questions here!" yelled Buzz as he gave his captive a strong slap across the face. "Now you're going to tell me what I need to know or I am going to make your day even worse. Understand?"
With a nod of understanding as it felt a trickle of blood run down its cheek as it looked into the three sets of cold merciless unblinking eyes staring.
"Good, now that we're on the same page it's time to start asking questions but first I do believe I owe you some answers as to where your legs and wings are gone, I did that from up on the balcony, had to stop you from getting away somehow, and no I'm not sorry for that." he said going over to his bag and pulled out a large knife it's silver blade sharpened to the point that you could see its razor sharp edge in in the light filtering through the window. "Now I'm going to ask again, why did you decide to invade Pony Ville?"
"It was an early strike against them before they attacked us with that super weapon we saw them testing. Our job was to seek and destroy the weapon as well as bring back the users of the Elements of Harmony with the elements themselves and report back to base before 17:00 hours, if we were unable to complete the mission than we were told to go to the back-up plan and separate the users while a second extraction team infiltrated the known places that we were informed to try to send them to, the back-up plan was always in motion from the beginning, oh and that reminds me Mr. Buzz Brown we know you and where you come from and we also know how to get a little leverage in these sort of situations."
"Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, leave NOW!" Buzz yelled face draining of all color. "I said NOW did I not make myself clear!!"
"Dash I think we should go, quickly out the door." insisted Pinkie as she ushered her to the door.
"Wait, don't leave just go to a different room, I have a very bad feeling that the others are in danger." Buzz said looking at the clock realizing the time.
"You must not delay for if that clock is correct then it's too late to save the others but not the other specimen we collected when we opened a portal." chuckled the changeling before breaking a false tooth that he then crushed between his remaining teeth as it started to foam at the mouth sputtering and shaking before it slumped over in the chair dead.
"Where did Fluttershy say she was taking the three fillies?" Buzz asked with concern in his voice.
"Um let me think, if I know Fluttershy she would have taken them to her cottage. Why?" asked Pinkie
"They knew, they knew where they would go, they knew exactly who to take and where they would take the fillies! Please tell me there is more than one hospital in Pony Ville." he said with a sense of panic and urgency.
"No just the one. Why, is that a bad thing?" Rainbow Dash stated.
"Okay not good very not good, here's what we need to do, Dash go to the hospital and see if Twilight is there, see if she even made it to the hospital and be careful, Pinkie Pie you're coming with me to check on Fluttershy and the others." said Buzz without any hesitation.
"Why, what's wrong? Why wouldn't Twilight have made it to the hospital?" asked Rainbow Dash
"Because that fireball wasn't meant to kill it was meant to injure and make angry, they were a suicide team, they were meant to die and Twilight was supposed to go to the hospital, the ONLY hospital in Pony Ville!" Buzz yelled, eyes wide with terror and fear.
"Wait you mean to tell me that they meant to send Twilight to the hospital and have Fluttershy take the girls to the cottage!" Rainbow Dash yelled realizing what was happening and why she had to get to the hospital and see if they had made it.
"Yes that is exactly what I'm saying."
"Then get going! I'll see if I can beat my time record to get to the hospital!"
"Good, WAIT... You have a time record for getting to the hospital from the library? Dash I knew you were competitive but that is completely pointless, and I know I'm going to regret this but, why?" Buzz asked rolling his eyes.
"Ever wondered what happened to the old librarian? Yes didn't make it to the hospital in time didn't end well for him." Explained Rainbow Dash.
"Well no but now that you mention it that is a valid point. Anyway we need to get to going, remember that if you find a changeling kill on sight I don't care how just do it. Now get going!" Yelled Buzz as he pulled Pinkie Pie out the door and ran off to the cottage on the border of the Everfree Forest.
Upon arriving at Fluttershy's cottage they approached with a slower more cautious pace they noticed there was a lack of small animals which normally occupied the small surrounding bird houses and holes in the ground. At first glance the cottage seemed abandoned and ignored, some would have described the cottage as a shack, some would say haunted. With the broken windows and foul smell that permeated the air who could blame them, but on closer examination the small shelters were not empty but fill with death and misery as the skins of rabbits and birds lay in their houses and burrows.
"I didn't know that Fluttershy was teaching her animals to act, they're very good," Said Pinkie as she bounced over to mangled pile of fur and bone, "come on Angle, time to stop, rehearsal is over."
"Pinkie I'm sorry but they're not acting, they really are dead."
"What, no they're not, they're just very good at acting," said Pinkie nudging the pile with her bright pink snout drawing back in horror as she realized that it was not corn syrup and food dye or any fake blood, "I don't understand, who would kill innocent animals?"
"Someone who doesn't want us to know what happened here or someone looking for some food, but seeing as how the meat is still here I would say that it was fear of us knowing." Said Buzz as he knelt down and pulled up the pink mare as her puffy almost balloon like mane flattened lying flat against her head.
"I WILL kill whoever is responsible for this whether or not their number comes up." Pinkie muttered, tears rolling down her face.
"Well, to do that first we need to know who did this."
"But how they're all dead, what could we possibly learn from them?" Pinkie said as she walked away head dropping down.
"Twilight never told you, did she? Well now that I think about it she never really had time to tell you." Said Buzz as he knelt down to the pile of fur and bone. "Pinkie you might want to see this!"
"No I don't want to see anything over there!" Exclaimed Pinkie over her shoulder as she trotted to the cottage door as it creaked and swung on its one lone hinge, pushing it open she was greeted with a disturbing sight, the bodies of three young fillies lay mangled in a heap on the floor. "NO!!!" Yelled Pinkie with enough power to freeze the sun and the blood of even the most hardened soldier.
"Pinkie what's wrong?" Buzz's voice trailing off as his eyes dropped to the corpses. As he walked toward the bodies his knees began to buckle and shake and eventually giving way as he collapsed next to them.
"How could this happen to them? They were so young and innocent." Said Pinkie as she joined him on the floor.
"It's not too late, I can fix this. Pinkie step back."
"Look, Buzz, there is nothing you or I can do, there gone."
"No, they're not, as long as I am here and there is breath in my body I can save them. Now, step, BACK!" Buzz yelled to Pinkie forcing her to stumble backwards and trip landing on her flank. "I know what must be done."
As Buzz knelt down next to the bodies he placed his hands on the piles of fur and bone, Pinkie sat idle in shock at the voice he had used, a voice to rival that of Princess Luna. With his eyes glowing a bright yellow brighter than the sun an energy poured out of his hands and into the lifeless bodies marking the bones repair themselves and the heal and shift into the proper places with snaps, pops, and cracks the bones followed suit while the flesh and meat and fur churned, boiled and smoked. After the bones where once again in the shape of the three fillies the organs began to move into the chest cavity and their respective locations, once there the now streaming piles of flesh separated and slithered onto the three bodies which now had their flesh and muscle back, it made them look like they were sleeping, he continued to pour the energy into them until their chests began to heave and the color returned to their faces then he immediately stopped and fell back, his face a sickly green, as the once dead fillies bolted upright and gasped for air, with a sigh of relief Buzz passed out.
"Girls, you’re alive! Are you alright? Are you hurt? What happened?"
"Actually Pinkie, I was about to ask you the same question." Said Apple Bloom as she stood up, unshaken by the experience.
"Well that's where it gets a little strange, I mean one minute your dead and the next you’re standing up talking to me like nothing happened." Pinkie said, her jaw still on the ground.
"Pinkie, was there a bright yellow light?" Asked Scootaloo as she looked over at the unconscious Buzz, hands still slightly glowing.
"Yes, why?" asked Pinkie Pie walking over to Buzz and putting him on her back, looking out the shattered window at the setting sun when she saw something move out of the corner of her eye, "Girls get down to the basement, it's getting late and by the looks of things we all need some sleep."
"Yes Pinkie Pie." Said the three fillies in unison, heads hanging low as they shuffled to the basement.
"I don't believe it, I'm going to beat my record!" Exclaimed Rainbow Dash as she flew close to the ground swerving down streets and back allies. With an abrupt stop she back tracked to find the cart they had put Twilight in overturned on the side of the road, a green goo locking the axle, a few feet away lay an unconscious Big Mackintosh a small gash on the side of his head blood trickling out of it.
"Rainbow Dash? Run Rainbow Dash. RUN!!!” Exclaimed Big Mackintosh with his last dying breaths.
By the time she realized what he had meant it was too late, there was a swarm of changelings surrounding her in every direction even above and below. Standing her ground she reared up on her front legs and kicked a changeling in the jaw knocking it on its back, nose broken and mouth bleeding leaving a hole in the ring of changelings surrounding her. With a sudden turn she went straight for the gap running at full gallop only to grow suddenly drowsy after exiting the ring of enemies and to fall victim to the swarm, before falling fast asleep she managed to swing the sack she was being placed in into a small low hanging branch and ripping off a small piece of the brown burlap bag.
Chapter 2: Taken (edited)
Pinkie awoke the next morning to a solid beam of light filtering through the window of the basement and the sound of a shovel in the soil outside, after getting her bearings she soon remembered what had happened, were she was and what was going on, she looked around the room, to find the three fillies sleeping soundly in a corner of the basement huddled together, continuing to look around the room she could see that Buzz was gone and that there was a sliver of light shining through a small crack from the ajar door at the top of the stairs. Moving up the stairs cautiously Pinkie Pie opened the door to find the cottage completely repaired to its former glory. Smelling breakfast in the kitchen she trotted in to find a full medley of muffins and toast with jars of jams and bottles of honey across the entire table.
"Morning' Pinkie," said a voice from behind startling Pinkie Pie. Abruptly turning around Pinkie Pie saw that it was just Apple Bloom, "how did you sleep last night, and what's all this?" Apple Bloom asked nodding at the table.
"I think its breakfast but I don't know?"
"Well I know its breakfast but what I meant was that the table was destroyed last night."
"I guess Buzz woke up early and fixed it all including breakfast."
As Pinkie Pie and Apple Bloom sat down to enjoy a big breakfast Buzz walked in from outside covered in dirt and sweat with a spade slung over his shoulder hands slightly bloody from the rough splinter filled wooden handle of the spade.
"Morning." He said glancing at the muffins and toast layering the table, "So who woke up and fixed the table and breakfast?"
"We thought you did." Said Pinkie Pie as she took a bite of toast following Apple Blooms lead.
"How could I? When I woke up it was still dark, I've been digging graves ever since."
Realizing what he was saying Pinkie and Apple Bloom looked at each other stopping and dropping the slice of toast and blue berry muffin as they teetered in their chairs before collapsing to the floor. With a loud crack the newly repaired door flew into the living room and shattered as it met the wall and filled the room with dust and wood splinters. As the dust settled Buzz ran to the sofa and over turned it, he ran back to the door to the basement and pulled it closed then locked the door. As he ran back to the flipped sofa another loud crack filled the cottage and sent the back door flying at the door to the basement splintering the back door and jamming the basement door.
"All right you slackers, let's move in! Remember our orders are to secure the Element of Harmony and leave no casualties this time or it's on my head!" Exclaimed a male voice from the back door before a small metal tube flew through the doorway landing on the floor at Buzz's feet.
"HOW THE CRAP DO THEY HAVE THOSE!!!!!!" Shouted Buzz as he dove for the sofa just as the tube exploded sending a bright flash followed by a thunderous bang. Dazed and confused he reached the small of his back to find an empty holster, silently swearing to himself under his breath he crouched down reaching for the knife in his boot, a seven inch black bladed combat knife sharpened to the point where you looked at it and would cut a finger off.
"Move in men, secure the building!" Ordered what Buzz presumed to be the leader. Hearing the order being given Buzz ran to the side of the door, knife in hand and pressed himself against the wall. When the first changeling walked through the door Buzz didn't have to think, he grabbed the changeling form behind, one arm under its jaw and pulled back preventing it from calling for help, while the hand with his knife came up and slashed at its throat sending a spray of emerald green blood over the room as the changeling collapsed into a pool of its own blood and dropping its own equipment with a thud and a clatter.
"Hello, what do we have here?" Whispered Buzz under his breath picking through the equipment. "Were do you get this stuff my enemy, were indeed?" As he picked up metal orbs and tubes pausing as he turned the body over to find something that made his eyes go wide, a black and green device with a strange tube bending out of the back. "Well that's another surprise!" Exclaimed Buzz as he removed and examined the contents, "Why do you have darts? Better question is, what type... of... dart." Buzz trailed off before collapsing to the floor with a dull thud.
"Clear sir." Said a raspy voice from behind almost like that of a decrepit pack-a-day smoker.
"Good, secure him and throw him in the basement." Ordered what was the leader.
"Sir we can't get into the basement the door is stuck and locked."
"Even better! Find the window to the basement and throw him through it!" Exclaimed the commander of the assault team. Tying his hands behind his back three changelings carried him out the door and to the side of the cottage looking for the window. Finally finding the window they lifted him up and heaved as they launched him through the window with a loud crash as the glass broke and fell through the opening with him. With a crash and a puff of dust Buzz and the broken shards of glass landed on an old mattress.
"Buzz!" Exclaimed Sweetie Belle as the dust cloud settled. "Scootaloo he's not waking up! Is he dead?"
"I don't know, hang on let me have a look." Said Scootaloo rushing over. "Well he's breathing that's good, let's get these ropes off of him. Come on help me role him over."
"Scootaloo wait! What's that, there in his neck?" Warned Sweetie Belle as she pointed to the dart sticking out of the side of his neck.
"It's probably what's wrong with him. Should we pull it out?" Asked Scootaloo looking over her shoulder at Sweetie Belle.
"I don't know I guess so." Said Sweetie Belle a hint of doubt in her voice.
"Well I'm going to pull it out of his neck." Said Scootaloo reaching for the dart. As she touched the dart Buzz stirred as if someone had just poked him.
"What did he just do?" Asked Sweetie Belle as she jumped back with a start.
"Oh relax, he's asleep, it's just a reflex." Said Scootaloo as she grabbed the dart and pulled it out with not even a drop of blood.
"Now what?" Asked Sweetie Belle as she sat down on an old rickety chair that broke soon after she set her wait on it.
"Well my best guess is that we wait for him to wake up." Said Scootaloo trying not to laugh.
"OK, so what do we do while we wait?" Asked Sweetie Belle glaring at Scootaloo.
"I think that we should board up the broken window and see if there are any more up there." Said Scootaloo as she trotted up the stairs and pulled on the door to find that it was locked. Swearing under her breath as she trotted back down the stairs.
"Something wrong Scootaloo?" Asked Sweetie Belle as she looked at her friend.
"Doors locked, I can't open it and there's something in the way so I can't knock it down, basically we're trapped." She said as she sat down on the floor next to the pile of broken wood that once was a chair.
Twenty minutes later...
"Ugh... what happened?" Asked Buzz as he tried to sit up only to fail. After three more failed attempts to sit straight up he finally gave up and rolled over to the side of the mattress and used the wall to prop himself up only to find the two young fillies sleeping soundly in the corner of the room. Upon seeing this he gave a sigh of relief, then he realized that there was one missing. Panicking, he struggled against the ropes binding his hands. Hearing the rustling and struggling Sweetie Belle awoke with a start knocking Scootaloo off her shoulder awakening her as well.
"Scootaloo he's awake!" Exclaimed Sweetie Belle shaking Scootaloo.
"Yes I can see that Sweetie Belle. Now will you stop shaking me?!?" Said Scootaloo trying to get Sweetie Belle to release her.
"Well now that we have established that I am awake, can someone oh I don't know... UNTIE ME!!!" Exclaimed Buzz throwing his head back in anger.
"Oh Yes! Sure just give me a second to find something sharp to cut the ropes off." Said Sweetie Belle as she looked around the room.
"Well if that's all you need I can help with that. There is a shard of glass large enough for you to get a good enough grip on in my side, pull it out and use it." He said nodding to his side at the shard of glass with a trickle of blood running from the side.
"Are you sure about this Buzz? It doesn't sound very err... well... how can I put this gently... um.. safe." Said Sweetie Belle as she sheepishly trotted over to his side where the deeply imbedded shard was still dropping the dark red substance.
"Completely, now just pull it out like you would a bandage." Said Buzz as he turned to give the young unicorn a better view of the wound.
“All right if you say so.” Said Sweetie Belle as she grasped the shard in a magical Green ora.
“Oh for the love of!! Stop prancing around the bush and pull it out!!” Yelled Buzz becoming inpatient with young filly and making her jump back in surprise. Not realizing what he had just done until it was too late to stop her, she ripped shard of glass out of his side at a bad angle and made the wound longer.
“Oh sweet Celestia! I’m sorry, so sorry. I-I, what have I done?!” Said Sweetie Belle as she stumbled back and hung her head in shame as tears began to form in her eyes.
“Scootaloo, take the shard from her and cut the ropes. Sweetie Belle you have done nothing wrong if it’s anyone’s fault its mine, you did everything correctly. The only reason that I’m having Scootaloo cut the rope is that your eyes are starting to fill with tears and that will blur your vision and the last thing I need is to lose a finger.” Said Buzz as Scootaloo cut the ropes.
“Come on Sweetie Belle we need to take cover.” Said Scootaloo as she ushered Sweetie Belle away to a table she had turned over only moments ago.
“You’re a step ahead of me my dear Scootaloo, very good.” Said Buzz as he stood using the wall for support leaving a bloody hand print on the wall.
“Scootaloo what’s going on? Why are we hiding behind a table? Why aren’t you answering my questions?” Said Sweetie Belle as she was pulled down behind the table next to Scootaloo who was covering her ears and closing her eyes.
“Sweetie Belle, I suggest you follow suit and plug your ears and close your eyes, this is going to be big, as it is we are in an enclosed room with essentially a bomb, there is a very good chance that we are about to die from who knows what.” Explained Scootaloo as she peaked over the edge of the table only to return to the ground just before the room was filled with a glowing golden light and loud cries of pain that would make even the most skilled and trained soldiers blood curdle.
After a few seconds of the golden light and the screaming, the light stopped with and there was a slight haze in the air as they peaked over the edge of the table, what they saw was a scorched floor and a smoldering pile of molten foam with glowing red springs protruding from the pile of what was once the mattress. On the other side of the room was a glowing pile of smoldering soot and ash, the stairs above them were glowing red concrete slabs protruding from the wall.
“What happened here Scootaloo?” Asked Sweetie Belle as she leaned on the table which soon collapsed to a pile of ash as she fell through it.
“Scootaloo, something didn’t go as planned this time.” Said Buzz as he examined the once bleeding wound.
“I don’t know looks, looks fine to me, just a scar,” said Scootaloo as she looked at the still churning and bubbling flesh, “but is it supposed to be bubbling like this?” she added, poking his gut.
“No, now stop poking me!” He said as he slapped her hoof away, “And there is not supposed to be a scar either!”
“Hey!! You don’t talk to my friend like that!” Said Sweetie Belle as she pounced on him, “Let alone hit her! Now I expect a full… apology… from…you.” She continued, her voice beginning to trail off as Buzz collapsed to the floor in a fit of howling pain and agony as his flesh began to roll and boil even more.
“Sweetie Belle what have you done?!” Said Scootaloo, panic growing in her voice as she rushed to his side.
“I don’t think I did anything, all I did was ask for an apology for him hitting you and yelling at you. I didn’t think that I was asking too much from him.” Explained Sweetie Belle tears once again welling up in her eyes as she sat on her hind legs beginning to sob into her front legs.
“Oh stop crying Sweetie Belle, you didn’t do anything wrong.” Said Buzz as he shot up from the floor jumping to his feet and grasping onto Scootaloo, “But I know what IS wrong and I fully intend to fix it, but first I need to get up stairs and fast.” He continued as he lunged at the stairs, body racked with pain.
“But the door is locked, and stuck how do plan on getting through it?” Asked Sweetie Belle as she wiped her eyes dry and stood up.
“Sweetie Belle, I just vaporized the table and pile of wood that was once an oak chair, I think the door isn’t going to be a problem.” He said he grinned and lurched up the stairs groaning, moaning and grumbling to himself.
“Good point, but wasn’t the door a little far away from the blast?” Asked Sweetie Belle as she followed them up the stairs and to the door.
“For the visible light of the blast yes, but the heat wave caused by the blast would have charred the door and cause it to begin to combustion dew to the oils and the paint on the door.” Explained Buzz as he lifted up by the two small ponies by his arms and pulled up the last few stairs after his legs collapsed.
“OK, and what about what’s blocking the door?” Asked Sweetie Belle skeptically as he began to knock the door down.
“There is nothing on the other side of the door, it pulls.” Stated Buzz as he pulled the door out of its frame.
“Oh, we didn’t think of that.” They said in unison looking at everything but straight in his eyes.
“Gahhhh!” He yelled, “I don't have much time left to fix this if I don”t soon then I'm a dead man and I don't know about you two but I don't have any plans on dying today!” He said as he thrust himself at the counter ripping open the cupboards lining the walls above.
“We can help! Just tell us what you need and we'll try our best to find it!” Said Scootaloo as she ran to the other side of the kitchen and thrust open the small pantry under the counter.
“Nuts!” he yelled
“What's wrong!? What happened!?” cried Sweetie bell rushing over to his side.
“What? No, I need nuts! A jar or a bag of nuts! Heck even a bowl of nuts will work!” he explained.
“How 'bout a jar of peanut butter!?” yelled Scootaloo neck deep in the cupboard.
“That will work, needed fats and oils anyway! Now I need citric acid and a glass!” exclaimed Buzz, legs sliding out from under him and flailing around trying to get a grip on the slick wet floor. “And can someone please tell me why the floor is soaking wet?!”
“Looks like they broke the water main during the raid on the house, and what the crap is citric acid!” Scootaloo shouted as she set the glass and the peanut butter on the table.
“Lemon or lime juice, a sower juice from a fruit!”
“Bottle of lemon juice and a bottle of lime juice! What next?” Sweetie Belle said as she walked from the fridge to the table.
“Potatoes, pasta, or bread! Any of those will work!”
“Got it! One loaf of sower dough bread! Any thing else?” Scootaloo said, breathing heavily after all the running around the kitchen.
“One more thing, some mozzarella cheese.”
“Why mozzarella? Can't it just be any type of cheese?” asked Sweetie Belle
“Unfortunately it has to be mozzarella, I find that it works best for what I am about to do.”
“Well I can guaranty that Fluttershy does NOT have any mozzarella, it's to expensive, not even Rarity can afford it!” said Sweetie Belle
“Well she might not be able to afford mozzarella but she can afford Swiss cheese. Will Swiss cheese work?” asked Scootaloo pulling her head out of the fridge.
“No Swiss cheese has not only a different bacteria but a different water content and the milk it's made from is from a different cow.” explained Buzz, “Just bring me my bag, I have some mozzarella in it some where.”
“You keep, cheese, in your bag?” said Scootaloo cocking an eye at him.
“I keep lots of stiff in my bag. I have stuff to start a world war in there. I have stuff FROM ALL, of my species world wars as well as some from the cold war and some, 'experimental' weapons and stiff to make a sandwich as well as some other stuff.” said Buzz, “So are you going to hand me my bag or am I going to have to get it myself?”
“What ever, I'll ask later but in the mean time, here you go.” said Scootaloo as she handed him the bag.
“Thank you. Now lets see if I can' find that wheel of cheese.” Buzz said as he opened the bag a shoved his arm in up to his shoulder. “Um lets see here, no, no, no, that's not it no, nope, definitely not, ah here we are.” He said as he pulled out a wheel of cheese the size of his head.
“How did you? What? Where did that come from?!” said Sweetie Belle pointing to the bag.
“It's bigger on the inside, you will be amazed at how often people are surprised at what I pull out of this bag.” Buzz said as he closed the bad and set the cheese on the table. “Now for the fun part, mixing all this stuff together, but I will not be able to, I just lost all feeling in my legs so Sweetie Belle if you would be so kind as to do it for me.” Buzz said before collapsing to the floor.
“I don't know what to do! Why me?” said Sweetie Belle with panic in her voice.
“Don't worry, I'll walk you through it, just do what I say in the order that I tell you. OK?” said Buzz, “And the reason that I am not having Scootaloo do it is because you have magic and are used to needing things to be exact.”
“OK, I'll do it, what do I need to do first?” Sweetie Belle asked. Calming down she walked over to the table with all the ingredients ready to receive her orders.
“First take the peanut butter fill the glass half way with it then take the lemon and lime juice and pour it into the glass covering the peanut butter by two inches in total. Scootaloo, while she does that slice the cheese and bread. Good, now Sweetie Belle take the glass and stir the content until fully mixed, then give me the glass and the bread and cheese slices, I'll do the rest from here.” Buzz said. He was handed the glass and slices of cheese bread and abruptly dumped the past onto the slice of bread and smearing it around then placed the slice of cheese on the pasted bread.
“That looks disgusting, do you really have to eat that?” Sweetie Belle asked cringing from the sight.
“Unfortunately I do have to eat it Sweetie Belle, and it's not that bad just a little sour, besides, I've eaten weirder.” Buzz said grinning, the kind only someone who is trying to lie to make someone feel better.
“Not even going to ask.” Scootaloo stated. With her face in her hoof shaking her head as he grimaced as he ate the piece of bread.
After finishing the slice of foul looking bread and cheese concoction Buzz collapsed to the floor, body shaking for a few brief seconds before he jumped up onto his feet and exhaled wisps of the same golden light they had seen not moments before.
“Ah, there we go, that's better.” Buzz said. Lifting his shirt he looked at the scar, “ Still there, well means for the first time in 200 years, I have a scar.”
“Wow, wait! What? 200 years? How old are you?” asked Scootaloo. Taking a few steps back in astonishment she backed into the wall shaking in fear.
“Just how old are you?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“The last time that I aged before this happened I was 16 years old, that was 200 years ago, ever since then I have looked the same and just not been able age or have any friends, and the ones that I did have moved on, all I could do was watch as they withered and died and me, I never aged or grew old and joined them, as much as I tried I just couldn't join them.” said Buzz. He turned his back and walked into the living room, sat down on the sofa and put his hands in his lap. “It got hard after a while, having friends that is, especially after she died in the accident, gave up on everything and just separated myself from contact, basically became a hermit.”
“Oh, Buzz I'm so sorry, I didn't mean anything, its just...”
“I know Sweetie Belle. You know I didn't ask for any of this, the last of my spices, no home world, no friends, none of it.” Buzz said.
“Now wait just a minute!” interjected Scootaloo, “Who said that you don't have any friends?! You have something better, you have us.”
“Look that's sweet and all but I can't, I have seen to many friends come and go, wither away and die, the last thing I want is to see that happen to you, any of you.” said Buzz as he hugged both of them, ”Now lets get your friends and families back!”
“How? We don't even know where they are.” said Sweetie Belle with a confused look on her face, “And even if we did what could we do?”
“Ah, yes Sweetie Belle but you forget that you have basically a one man army on your side!” said Buzz. Standing up from the sofa he went for his bag saying as he went, “But first we need to get some information about what we are up against.”
“And just where do you plan on getting info on Changelings?” Scootaloo asked with her eyebrow cocked.
“Simple, seance the library in Pony Ville has nothing on the subject that means that we get to go to the Canterlot library and possibly the war room.” said Buzz. Striding toward the door with the two fillies in step behind him, “That and I needed to get some objects from there anyway and introduce myself to Princess Celistia.”
“OK, that should be easy, I mean it's just the most heavily guarded place in all of Canterlot, I am fairly certain that they will just let something as strange as you into the palace.” said Sweetie Belle with a sarcastic tone in her voice, “ARE YOU INSANE!!! There is no way that they will let you in to see the Princess without some wounds first, let alone still breathing!”
“I am fully aware of that which is exactly why we are going to get Twilight and Rainbow Dash first, then we at least have some form of reason for them to trust me.” said Buzz
“And if they aren't there?” questioned Scootaloo
“Then I have a backup plan for just the contingency.” said Buzz
“Oh? And that would be...?” asked Scootaloo
“Something that I hope I will never have to do.” said Buzz as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Really though, thank you for the offer of being my friends, it means a lot to me, but after this is over I will probably do what I normally do an move on, I won't be looked at the same way ever again if I stay.”
“I can guaranty even if you did stay and did nothing wrong you would still get strange looks and would be able to clear a room just by entering it.” said Scootaloo
“But then where will you go? What will you do? How will you live?” asked Sweetie Belle. With tears welling up in her eyes she ran over and held him tightly. “I don't want you to go.”
“Thanks for your concern but it's not necessary, I have lived like that before and people took pity on me, they would give me food for a few days and on some occasions they would let me spend the night in their house, the next day some of them would give me new clothes fire wood and even a tent on one occasion.” Buzz explained, “It wasn't comfortable, it didn't smell to good after a few days, but it was fun, sort of, and it quiet, in truth I enjoyed it.”
“Wait, you mean to tell me that after you got these 'powers' you just went on a camping trip for 200 years!!” exclaimed Sweetie Belle, letting go of him and stepping back.
“Little bit, not just camping, I went and saw the world, travailed from place to place.” corrected Buzz
“So you were a nomad? Is that what you are saying?” asked Scootaloo
“Ya in a nutshell.” said Buzz, “Now we should probably get back to Pony Ville, I have a letter to send, and we have a train to catch.”
“A letter? Then can't you just have them bring you what you need if you are going to send them a letter?” asked Scootaloo
“No to easy for the changelings to intercept the materials I would request as well as tip them off as to what I am planing.” said Buzz
“So you plan on telling the princesses in person?” asked Sweetie Belle while she was being pushed out the door with Scootaloo in step ahead of her.
“Ya, and retrieve the Elements of Harmony before the Changelings get there and take them by force.” Buzz said. Still pushing her out the door and toward Pony Ville. “Plus I would like to check in on Twilight, see if she's all right.”
“Oh! In that case lets get going!” said Sweetie Belle who soon started dragging Buzz and pushing Scootaloo.
With in 15 minutes they had made it to Pony Ville Hospital, upon entering Buzz soon made the nurse at the help desk pass out with a sharp scream which attracted the attention of two doctors, one struggling for words and the other rushing for the guard room. Before any of the three could say anything to stop the doctor it was to late, he had returned with three extremely large buff guards that could even rival the strength of Big Mackintosh, as well as one that was a little scrawny stick that looked like a new born colt could take him down. Before long the three large guards had pulled the two fillies away and had Buzz surrounded whilst the smaller colt rushed to the royal barracks and returned with a small army. With multiple orders being shouted at him Buzz looked at his two companions and at the guards, then with a quick nod he signaled Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle to look away. With out hesitation they did, within the moments where Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had turned and looked away Buzz had taken a fighting stance. Seeing the motion one of the now many guards charged only to find that Buzz had twisted the left half of his body counter clock wise and brought his two hands up into one fist and brought them down using the momentum of his body into the back of the guard sending him to the ground with a loud thud. Seeing their friend get taken down with such ease the other two original guards charged at the same time only to be introduced to the crook of his arms with his body leaning toward them knocking them to their backs and the breath out of their lungs. After moving back into his fighting position two of the elite royal guards moved in from opposite sides at full gallop to try and tackle him. Seeing what they where doing Buzz took two quick steps back just as the two where about to make contact causing them to run head first into each other and fall to the floor in an unconscious heap. After seeing their two commanding officers be taken down with such speed and ease the other guards soon drew their weapons and charged at Buzz who with wide eyed astonishment bobbed to the left avoiding a quick jab and brought his right fist up. With a loud crack the sword fell to the ground with the guard lying next to it, clutched his foreleg, tears starting to well in his eyes. With a quick glance down at his comrade a guard lifted his sword and before he could bring it down Buzz swung around clockwise and gave the guard a solid left hook to the jaw then proceeded to rotate the other way and planted his elbow square into the center of the guards chest plate and sent him stumbling back and tripping over the body of his commander. Seeing the display of strength and power, the four remaining guards froze then took a nervous step back dropping there weapons as they went. Realizing what he had just done he dropped to his knees and placed his hands on the back of his head with a look of horror on his face. Understanding the known sign for 'I give up' one of the guards approached cautiously and secured Buzz's hands behind his back.
“Wait, guard, before you take me away there is something that I have to do.” Buzz said. After he was helped up he approached Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and one of the doctors, “I need you to tell me if Twilight Sparkle was checked into this hospital.”
After looking at his clipboard with a list of all the patents in the hospital, “N-No s-sir I don't.” the doctor said from behind the shacking clipboard.
“Of course, why am I not surprised.” Buzz said. With the color drained from his face he turned to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, “I need you to find her as soon as possible, check back at the library first, find her or not I need you to come and find me, got it?”
“Ya just one question, where can we find you?” asked Scootaloo
“I would ether say at the barracks of in Canterlot, one of those two most likely if not there then I don't know where maybe the dungeons might be the moon, you never know.” said Buzz
“Sir, I need to take you in now.” said the guard. With no remorse and an emotionless stone like expression, Buzz was led out to the barracks and to who knows where after that.
“Come on, he said to start at the library so lets get going, should we get a couple of guards to accompany us?” said Scootaloo
“I don't see any harm in it, but the only problem is, we don't know which way did Big Mackintosh took her.” said Sweetie Belle. As they walked out the door of the hospital and to the barracks.
“Good point.” Scootaloo said, “Well we know the way that they didn't come, what we need is a map.”
“No we don't, remember the first day that we looked all over town trying to find our special talents?”
“Ya, why?”
“Well, that day I tried to see if mine was memorization.” said Sweetie Belle, “So if we know that they didn't come from the way that we did that leaves two possibilities, the one that leads through the center of town with a straight shot directly here which is the linger of the two, or the back roads with all the curves that you have to take slowly or you end up with you wagon wrapped around a tree and that's the shorter route.”
“Well lets split up and look already!” said Scootaloo, “We don't have all day!”
As Twilight woke in the middle of a large room, her leg still in pain, she looked around at her surroundings. Trying to find Big Mackintosh she soon found the leg of who she thought was Big Mackintosh. After a moment of trying to get Big Mack to wake up she gave up and looked around the room trying to see where they where. The most she could determine as to where they where is that it was a dungeon with no obvious door. As she tried to light the room with her magic she found that she couldn't even get a twinkle. As a blinding light filled the room from above she herd a wet thump as something hit the floor to her left followed by quiet whispering that she couldn't make out what they where saying but she did recognize the dialect, Changeling. As she ran over to see what had just been dropped form above she saw a large grate being lowered down over the hole. Examining what had just fallen she soon found that a brown burlap sack filled with something, as she opened the bag she reached in she pulled out locks of rainbow hair and dumped Rainbow Dash out of the bag.
Chapter 3: Introductions (edited)
As Rainbow Dash awoke, groggy and unaware of her surroundings, she bolted up completely aware of the situation. Eyes adjusted to the dark dew to the thick burlap she saw Twilight and trotting over to her tripping on something and landing on her face. Hearing the noise Twilight shuffled over to her nudging the muzzle of the unknown pony on the ground next to her.
“Rainbow Dash, are you all right?” asked Twilight. Continuing her slow shuffle towards Dash this time tripping fully and landing not on the floor but on Rainbow Dash who gave a slight groan before pushing her off.
“Well you landing on me didn't help any, now would you mind telling me where we are?” asked Rainbow Dash as she stood up and brushed herself off.
“We are in a Changeling dungeon, and as far as I can tell the only way out is through the hole in the roof with a bared grate covering it. So how are your wings feeling?” asked Twilight
“Well that's where things get complicated, they feel fine but they won't open,” she said as she looked down to her side, “I think it has something to do with this caller they put on me, so our chances of me flying out of here and getting something to pull us out is a little shot. What about you how is your magic doing?”
“Well seeing as how it's still dark and sense you have woken up I haven't even tried to get light in here what do you think the answer to that question is?” said Twilight with a hint of annoyance in her voice, “And at least you can know what's wrong with you, can't even see one foot in front of me, but my neck does feel heavy.”
“Well if I can see what's wrong with me do you think you could come over here so I could, oh I don't know, SEE WHAT'S WRONG?” Rainbow Dash said with an under lying tone of 'use you brain smart one', “Ya just as I figured, you have a caller too.”
“Is there a key hole?”
“Not that I can see, or feel. Maybe it just slides off?” said Rainbow Dash as she tried to slide the mettle ring off her friends neck.
“Ow ow ow OW OW!!! Rainbow Dash it's not working, look our only hope is that when Big Mack wakes up he can brake the wall down.”
“Um, Twilight, I hate to brake it to you but that's not Big Mack.” said Rainbow Dash. With a look of remorse she looked back a Twilight, unable to look at her face, let alone her eyes. “He's dead Twilight, I was sent to the hospital to check on you and keep you safe, then I found the wreckage of the wagon and Mack with a gash in his head, he told me to run but I didn't listen to him, they used him to get to me. Twilight, I'm sorry, but that's not him.”
Twilight looked back in horror, “What do you mean that's not him? Of course it is, watch, I'll prove it!” she said. Running to his side she started to shake him, “Come on Mack, wake up. Wake up!”
“Twilight, stop shacking me and calling me Big Mack, I'm not my kin.” said Applejack, “Twilight? Twilight what's wrong?”
Unable to comprehend what she had just been told she ran over to the corner and had a little cry into her front fore legs. Turning to Rainbow Dash for answers Applejack took step toward her only to be responded by a step back and Rainbow Dash looking to the ground behind her.
“AJ, you have no idea how sorry I am, but, AJ he's gone, Mack is dead.” said Rainbow Dash tears welling in her eyes, “They left him alive long enough for him to worn me, I would have tried to save him but it was to late.”
“Now see here Rainbow, if this is one of your dang pranks that you like to pull, it ain't funny, I've already lost Apple Bloom right in front of me, and even then I can't give her a proper funeral!” said Apple Jack as she took a few steps toward Rainbow Dash, a look of 'Take it back or I will buck your skull in!' on her face and in her eyes.
“Now, take it easy AJ, you don't want to do anything that you might regret later.” said Rainbow Dash as she stumbled back and tripped over Fluttershy waking her up and landing on her flank. “Wait, Apple Bloom's dead? What about Scootaloo? Please, PLEASE, tell me she's alright!”
“Rainbow I wish I could, but every living thing there except for us was slaughtered beyond recognition.” said Apple Jack. Unaware that Fluttershy was awake she continued on her rant. “Rarity passed out after Sweetie Belle was killed and mutilated, Fluttershy passed out after a black bare was reduced to a pile of meat and fur! If you ask me they where lucky, what I saw after that was just horrific, Scootaloo charged at our attackers and was struck down at the same spot as Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom ran to the remains of her friends and froze over them, next thing I know it looks like my sister and her friends were put into a blender and poured out onto the same spot, after that they preformed some sort of sleeping spell and then I was lifted over the back of one of them, what I saw as I was taken out of the house was every single small animal being killed where the were, with no mercy or remorse.”
“Apple Jack, stop, please stop.” whispered Fluttershy
“Oh! Fluttershy, I didn't know you were awake! Um, well, this is awkward.” said Apple Jack as she tried to hold back her tears.
“What! That my little creature friends are dead and look like they have been through a blender!” screamed Fluttershy
“Surge Cube, I'm sorry, but-”
“No!” screamed Fluttershy tackling Apple Jack to the ground, “Stop saying that!”
“Fluttershy, darling, do get off of Apple Jack, it's unbecoming.” said a groggy Rarity as she stood up from the floor, “Now, would somepony be please be kind enough to tell me where in Tartars this dismissal place is?”
“We are in a dungeon in the Changeling Empire.” said Twilight. Whipping the dried tears from her eyes, she joined her friends.
“Well that explains the lack of cleaning.” mumbled Rarity
“Where's Pinkie?” asked Rainbow Dash as she pushed Apple Jack off of her.
“Hopefully with that friend of yours Twi. Who is he any way, and more to the point, what is he?” asked Apple Jack as she helped Rainbow Dash off the ground.
“Ya, Twilight, who is he? He knew things about us that not even Celestia knows.” said Rainbow Dash
“Look, I know about as much about him as you do. The most I know is that if there is any place that Pinkie would be safe, it's with him.” reassured Twilight
“Yes, but the question is, can we trust him? I mean, you say what he did to the changelings that attacked the town.” said Rarity
“Ya, but I'm not worried about him, it's the changelings that I'm worried about.”
“Why's that Rainbow?” asked Apple Jack
“Well, during our little interrogation session with that changeling, it said it knew him and that it had another specimen, and that sort of got to him.” said Rainbow Dash
“Well from what I can gather form him he's the last of his kind and his world is, gone, and that's just from the walk from the schoolhouse to the library.” said Twilight
As they continued their conversation the grate was lifted up from the hole in the ceiling and two objects were dropped through landing with a dull thud on the wet dirt floor followed by a low moan. From above Twilight herd what the guards were saying this time.
“Um, girls, Pinkie's here, but that's not what I'm concerned about, they sound scared, almost terrified of the other thing.” whispered Twilight
“What in all of Equestra could terrify these changelings?” asked Rarity
“I don't know,” said Twilight, “but have you ever herd the saying the enemy of mine enemy 'is mine friend?”
“Wow! Hang on a second, are you saying that we should make an alliance with something that we should be afraid of too?!” questioned Apple Jack, “I think that if the changelings are scared of it, if we kill it they might show us some gratitude and let us go.”
“And then what Apple Jack?! Have them kidnap us again?!” said Twilight, “I say that we use it to our advantage!”
“No Twi, that's not what I'm saying!” argued Apple Jack, “Look, the point is I ain't going anywhere near that thing!”
“Fine, whatever, but ether way Pinkie is over there with it and I can't lift her on my own,” said Twilight, “so you or rainbow Dash is going to have to come and help me with it.”
“I already told you once, I ain't going anywhere that thing and that's final!” said Apple Jack
“Alright Twilight, lets get this over with.” said Rainbow Dash
“So what do you think it is Rainbow?” asked Twilight as they approached.
“I don't know,” said Rainbow Dash, “but what ever it is, it's not that big.”
“Could be an explosive device,” said Twilight, “or maybe an animal.”
As they grew even closer to the mass that was Pinkie Pie and the unknown object they continued discussing the possibilities as to what it could be. Before long the pair reached their target destination.
“Um, Twilight, you see what I see, right?” asked Rainbow Dash, eyes not moving from what she saw.
“That depends, is what you see an impossible feat according to witness accounts, from someone who can't lie to save he life?” asked Twilight also unable to look away.
“Yup”
“I was afraid you were going to say that.”
“How is this possible Twilight?”
“That's just it, it's not,” Twilight said, “not even the princesses have the capabilities to preform magic of this magnitude, much less the spells if they do exist!”
“So what should we tell AJ?”
“I think we should let her decide for herself if she want's to believe this or not.”
“Okay. So do we tell her, show her, what?”
“I would say that we take Pinkie back with us and tell Apple Jack that she might want to see whats over here before she does anything that she might regret.” Twilight said
“Sounds like a plan to me.” said Rainbow Dash, “I really don't want to be anywhere near her when she finds out!”
“Agreed!”
“So, now what?”
“Well, like I said, we bring Pinkie back with us and send Apple Jack over.”
“Okay, front or back?”
“What?”
“Do you want to take the front or back.”
“You think I'll be caring her?!” said Twilight, “My leg never got properly relocated, I'm not carrying her. As it is I can barely lift her.”
“So, let me guess, I'm doing it myself.”
“More or less, look, the most I can do is lift her onto your back.”
“Hey you two! What's taken so long?” yelled Apple Jack
“Ya, sorry, on... on our way!”yelled Twilight
“So what do we do with her?” Rainbow Dash said looking down at the sleeping body that lie on the floor.
“Well I would say that we let Apple Jack decide on that.” said Twilight as she lifted Pinkie Pie onto Rainbow Dash's back.
“Where am I?” said the body on the floor.
“Don't move, don't even stand up, I'll explain everything while Rainbow Dash gets AJ.” said Twilight, “Rainbow Dash you better hurry back with AJ.”
“Already on the way back!” called Rainbow Dash. With Apple Jack in step behind her they soon sped up when they saw the silhouette on the floor moving.
“No, no it can't be.” said Apple Jack stopping and starting to stumble backwards, “It's not possible! YOU are not possible I saw you die!”
“Sis it's me. It's Apple Bloom.”
“Apple Jack I was just as surprised as you are now.” said Pinkie Pie, “If I wasn't there myself I wouldn't believe it ether.”
“Oh! Pinkie, sorry darling, I didn't see you wake up.” said Rarity, “So what happened?”
“Truth be told, I don't know,” said Pinkie Pie, “but one thing I can tell you is that there was a bright yellow light and then Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom where breathing and alive but Buzz was on the floor unconscious.”
“Okay Twilight is think it's time for some REAL answers.” said Rainbow Dash
“I'll tell you all I know but it's not much.” Twilight said, “But from what Pinkie said it seems that he did something that I have only seen him do once, he called it 'accelerated cellular regeneration', he did it when he first arrived, but he didn't pass out when he did it.”
“And?” asked Rarity
“That's it, he didn't know how he could do it or why he was able to do it, just that he could.” Twilight explained
“Well quite frankly, I don't care how he did it I'm just glad that he did.” Apple Jack said wrapping her front foreleg around her sister and looking her up and down, “Apple Bloom, you sure you're feeling alright? You seem a little, preoccupied.”
“Hmm? Oh! Ya, just a little headache, that's... all...” Said Apple Bloom, voice drifting off as she passed out and collapsed on the ground. When she woke she found herself in a stone ally, as she stood up and got her bearings, she could hear the sounds of steps on the ground with some she had never heard before. As she inhaled her lungs and sinuses where filled with stale and putrid air causing her to cough and hack with every breath she took as she stumbled out of the ally and into a forest of glass and steel building reaching into the sky higher then she thought possible. On the ground around her where creatures like Buzz walking around, oblivious to her. Slightly startled by the sheer numbers of the things like him she stumbled backwards and into one of the creatures, when she turned to apologize to it she was horrified by the sight that she saw, the thing that she had bumped into had no face. With a gasp she stumbled back once again into another one again with no face, this time she fell to the ground on her back and let out a sharp scream at the sight then she was greeted by a sound that she recognized, the sound of hoof beats on the strange ground, when she turned around she saw Princess Luna just as she turned a corner and stopped dead in her tracks. After her was the echoing of steps being taken on the ground, after a few seconds Buzz shot around the corner and skidded to a halt.
“Apple Bloom!? What are you doing here!? Better yet, how did you get here!?” Asked Buzz in complete astonishment.
“Hey, wait a minute, I have rights! You can't do this!” Buzz said as he was pushed into a cell.
“Sir, it's just for the time being until we can get an interrogator here.” said the guard as she closed the door.
“Wow hold on a second, is an interrogator really necessary?” asked Buzz
“No but it's the only way we know how to get answers.” said the guard
“Well if it's answers that you wanted why didn't you just ask.”
“Because, how will we know that you're telling the truth.”
“Fine, can I at least get an ETA for the interrogator?” Buzz asked as he turned around and examined the cell. The ceiling was a little low for him, there was a thin plank chained to one of the walls. On the opposite side of the room was a larger plank chained to the wall in a similar manner.
“How about now.” said a female voice from the other side of the cell door.
“Your Highness!” said the guard, “We were not expecting you here.”
Intrigued by the voice and the conversation going on behind him Buzz turned to see Princesses Luna standing in the doorway.
“Well, he is my responsibility, I was one of the first to meet him and your usual interrogator had another engagement to attend to.” said Luna, “Now, where is the interrogation, I would like to get started.”
“Your Highness I'm afraid I can't let you do that, he is just to dangerous.”
“Oh? And why do you say that?” Luna asked looking at the figure hunched in the cell.
“He almost took out an entire platoon of elite solderers on his own in under five minutes without even breaking a sweat.” said the guard pointing to the same figure.
“Hey! Not only did she just give you an order, but it's her choice that if she wants to be the one to interrogate me then let her.” Buzz yelled, “That and I gives me a chance to stand up straight again.”
“Mam, is this an order?” the guard asked nervously.
“If that's what it takes for you to get me into an interrogation room with him, then yes.” said Luna
“Yes mam.” said the guard, he walked over to the cell door keys rattling in his hoof, he unlocked the door, “This way sir, mam if you'll follow me I'll show to interrogation room 1.”
As they walked down the hall there was no sound, not even the sound of them walking down the hall. The further down the hall they walked it started to become dimmer and more dreary, the doors became solid sheets of mettle rivets scattered along the windowless doors. As they grew closer to the end of the hall the doors became a polished stainless steel, the hall was brighter and more utilitarian, the doors where paired one next to another, as they walked passed the first set of doors the sighs on the doors read 'Interrogation 3' and on the door next to it the sign read 'Observation 3', they walked further down the hall, 'Interrogation 2' and 'Observation 2' as they reached the end of the hall they came to a single lone door, 'Interrogation 1'.
“Umm, guard, where's 'Observation 1'?” Buzz asked
“There isn't one for this room, do you honesty think I would trust you alone in a room with Princess Luna?”
“I understand your reasoning and I can't blame you.” Buzz said
“Really? You can't blame him? Do you both think you're really that dangerous?” Luna said, walking into the small room.
Buzz and the guard looked at each other with blank and expressionless faces and back at Luna, “Yes”, they said in unison.
Buzz walked into the small room and sat on the floor across the table from Luna. The table was at eye level for Buzz, he looked up at Luna, then over at the guard, “I know that this is a silly request and that you probably don't have, or even know for that matter, what I am about to ask for but, can I have a chair?”
“A what?” the guard asked
“That's what I thought. Okay, how 'bout a stool?”
“That I can get for you sir.”
“Don't call me sir, too many bad memories from that.”
“Oh good,” said Luna, “You do have memories AND you can remember them, I was afraid that I would have to go digging again.”
“Digging?” Buzz said
“Ya every now and then she has to do some memory excavation from those who clam to not remember anything about what happened and stuff like that.” the guard said, “Here's that stool you asked for.”
“THAT'S PERFECT!” Buzz shouted as he took the stool from the guard and slammed it on the floor, “That's just what we need!”
Luna look at the figure sitting across from her, a puzzled expression on her face, “How is that what we need?”
“Because it will be easier to show you who I am and where I'm from then explain it to you.” Buzz said
“Okay but we'll have to put you under, and I'm normally the one in control. You do understand that, correct?” Luna said as she leaned forward and looked him in the eye.
“Then you can't put me under then.” Buzz said, “The only way for this to truly work is for me to be in total control of what goes on in my mind.”
“Alright then.” said Luna, “You'll feel a slight jolt as I enter your thoughts.”
“To be honest, I don't care if this turns me into a vegetable, just as long as you know the situation at the moment.” Buzz said
“Alright if you insist.” said Luna as a midnight blue glow surrounded her horn and wrapped itself around Buzz's head, “Ready?”
“Ready when you are your highness.” said Buzz
“Going in in 3... 2...1... and jolt.” said Luna as a bolt of electricity the same color as the glow wrapped around Buzz's head shot from her horn and into his head causing his body to go stiff and rigged then his body went completely still and they both looked around the room, the guard was gone and there was no one but them selves in the small room.
“Did it work?” asked Luna as she looked around the room.
“Well, theoretically if it did then I should be able to treat this as if I were lucid dreaming.” said Buzz, his voice echoing off the walls.
“Okay, and what does that mean?”
“It means that I should be able to control this world and shape it to whatever I want. Basically I should be able to do... this.” he said as he looked down at the table and waved his hand over it, before Luna's eyes the table had vanished and all that was left was a steaming brown thing on a plate with a fork and knife next to it.
“What is that?” Luna asked looking down.
“That Luna, is lunch, to be precise...” said Buzz picking up the fork and knife and slicing into it, “steak cooked rare unfortunately since this is a dream it's not real.”
“Oh, what's a 'stake'?” Luna asked looking up as a pink fluid started to leak from it.
“Beef, also known as cow.”
“YOU EAT COWS!” Luna shrieked in horror.
“Ya, it's our main source of protein, and relax we only ate cows that died of natural causes.”
“AND THAT MAKES IT BETTER?!”
“Well what were we supposed to do with the bodies, let them rot in the middle of a field and spread illnesses?” said Buzz as he stood up from the stake.
“Fine, it's your morals not mine.” said Luna as she started to calm down.
“And don't judge my species off of one, a fair portion of us have sworn off meat, and in some cases the byproducts of all animals.”
“Understood.”
“Now, didn't you have some questions for me?”
“Yes,” said Luna, “let's start with the basics, who are you.”
“As you know my first name is Buzz, my full name is Buzz Brown.”
“Very well, next question Mr. Brown, WHAT are you.”
“There are many names for us, but the one that we use the most is human.”
“Where do you come from.”
“Earth, the solar system, the milky way galaxy.”
“Are there more of you.”
“There used to be, but they are ether dead or can't be called human any more.”
“What does that mean?”
“That is why we are in my mind, I can't explain it to you but I can show you.” said Buzz, raising his hand toward the wall. With a snap of his fingers the wall before him liquified reveling a burning red sky, the ground was a lush green grass with ribbons of gray walkways snaking through trees and over rivers. Stretching above the trees and touching the the sky were the gray and black outlines of buildings. There air was now dank and fowl smelling compared to the clean crisp smelling air of Equestria.
“Where are we!?” asked Luna as she tried to stifle a cough.
“Home.” said Buzz looking at a scrap of paper he pulled out of his back pocket quickly replacing it when he saw that Luna was looking at him with concern. “To be precise, New York City. This is where I am from per-” interrupted by a scream Buzz shot toward the place where it came from, Luna in full gallop behind him as he turned a corner.
“Apple Bloom? What are you doing here? Better yet how did you get here?!” asked Buzz in astonishment.
“Mr. Brown, what are these things?” asked Luna gesturing to the faceless figures surrounding them, “And where are their faces?”
“Oh, they're memories of people long forgotten, you know the feeling you get when you meet someone and they seem really familiar but you don't remember who they are?” explained Buzz
“Yes” said Luna and Apple Bloom in unison.
“Well that's what these are, memories or echos of the people that walked these streets, but my question still stands Apple Bloom,” said Buzz raising his hand and snapping his fingers, slowly the faceless figures began to vanish into wisps of smoke, “how did you get here? I mean, you're not a psychic construct of a memory, so how did you get here?”
“Truth be told I don't know, one minute I was in a dungeon with my sister and her friends and the next I'm here.” said Apple Bloom as she got up off the ground.
“Her friends? What, as Twilight there?!” asked Buzz in a frantic voice.
“Ya, they were discussing 'bout how they wanted answers and that they didn't know much of ya.”
“Well then I think I know what happened to you as to how you got here, and I was just about to give Luna the full rundown as to my past and present.” said Buzz
“Ah yes you were saying about this place.” said Luna
“Right, New York City, population before the blast 2 million or there about, this is my home city.” said Buzz
“Blast? What blast?” asked Luna
“Look over there,” said Buzz pointing to the sky down the road, “this blast.”
With a snap of his fingers the faceless figures returned and a black dot appeared in the distance moving towards them. As the object grew closer the air was filled with the sound of sirens blaring, in seconds the faceless figures rushed out of buildings and into holes in the ground labeled 'Subway'. As the black dot grew closer and closer the sound of jet engines could be herd mixed in with the sirens and the black dot became a flat line, the flat line then separated into two shapes, the rapidly approaching black line and a slow moving egg shaped object just falling. With a snap of his fingers everything froze, the black egg, the screams of the faceless figures that filled the streets, they scanned the skies looking for the black line with no avail.
“What was that?!” screamed Apple Bloom
“WHAT was that?! I'm more concerned with WHERE it went!” Luna screamed turning to face Buzz, “WELL!!”
Without a word Buzz stood there smiling calmly. With a quick glance up he pointed straight up to the sky and there, frozen in the sky, was a big black wedge. To the back edge of the wedge were three smaller edges with the points facing the rear, jutting outward and to the rear were two long black stripes.
“Oh” said Luna looking up, “well that answers that question, now for the other question, what is that?”
“B-2 Flying Wing, stealth bomber.” Buzz said proudly, “Capable of flying undetected by radar and dropping atomic, nuclear, and thermonuclear war heads as well as your standard war head, one of our most advanced bombers.”
“Terms we could understand if you don't mind.” Apple Bloom said mystified by the aircraft above her head.
“Think of it like this: take one of the Wonderbolts and give it a device that could do more damage then Discord could ever hope to do in an entire lifetime,” said Buzz, “now take that image and exponentially increase it by a factor of ten, there is the maximum destructive property of the most devastating bomb it is capable of dropping.”
A dawning of realization appeared on Luna's face. “That would be cataclysmic, just the idea of such a device is unimaginable!”
“Exactly, now take that Wonderbolt and make both them and the bomb invisible.” said Buzz, “Endless destructive power without any warning and no survivors, that is the potential of this device!”
“That's horrible!” yelled Luna “That's monstrous, that's-”
“That's war Luna, it's not pretty, it's not nice, it's not wanted!” screamed Buzz advancing with every word until all that Luna saw was two cold emotionless eyes looking into hers.
With a straight face she stood her ground and with a calm demeanor spoke two words as clear as day, “Then why?”
“Because we have to.” Buzz said through gritted teeth turning his back and walking away.
“There is always, ALWAYS, another option besides war!” argued Luna
“What, the diplomatic approach?” said Buzz sarcastically, “For two thousand years we tried that!”
“And did it work?” asked Luna
“Only on OTHER nations!” said Buzz, “This was an attack on an innocent city by their own government!”
“What?” whispered Luna in shock.
“That's right!” Buzz yelled face turning red, “Only reason that the government bombed this city is for one reason!”
“Why, why would they destroy a city for one reason, what here was so dangerous that an entire city had to pay with their lives?” asked Luna
“The answer is a person,” said Buzz as he lifted his hand, “the only human that survived the blast its self, all because he was outside of the blast radius.”
With a snap of his fingers time unfroze, the jet swooped, off the sirens began to wail again, the screams could be herd again, and the black egg began to drop. The black egg soon disappeared behind the towering structures. A few seconds later there was a flash, a flash brighter then the sun, and then, rising over the structures, was a black cloud lit with the orange glow of fire and the faceless figures turned and froze at the cloud now taking the shape of a mushroom. Seconds after that a thunderous boom louder then any storm causing the windows to shatter sending shards clattering onto the street. The boom was followed shortly after by a gray and orange cloud of dust and ash, just the site of this caused the faceless figures o turn and run faster the Luna and Apple Bloom both thought possible, all but Buzz, he stood behind them and just watched as the cloud moved closer and closer and as it did the air got hotter and hotter, hot enough that the shards of glass still in the window frame began to warp and sag. The figures that couldn't run fast enough were caught in the cloud.
As Apple Bloom turned to run Buzz grabbed her, “Don't run, it's just a dream, remember.” he said
When the cloud passed over them they could see what was on the other side and why the figures were so scared of it. The buildings that once were tall and glistening now lay crumbled and burning on the side of the road but the worst site for them was not what was on the side of the road but strewn down the center of it.
“Are those...”
“Yes Apple Bloom they are, the bones of my race.” said Buzz with remorse in his eyes, “And here comes who they were trying to kill.”
Pointing to an ally down the road Luna and Apple Bloom were both shocked at who they saw stumbling out, it was the man who was standing right between them, it was Buzz. His face had cuts across his cheeks, his shirt was torn and his arm hung limp at his side but the most shocking difference between the two were their eyes, the younger ones eyes were young and untroubled but filled with fear and sorrow, the one next to them, the real one, his eyes were as cold as ice and emotionless yet there was a spark of hatred and vengeance.
“Is that?” Apple Bloom asked Luna
“It can't be,” she responded, “can it?”
“Let me clear a few things up for both of you.” Buzz said, “Yes that is me, I was on my way out of town so that they wouldn't do this but on the outskirts of the city they had a full military checkpoint, so I abandoned my mode of transportation and ran for the northern border into Canada, halfway into the woods the bomb dropped and detonated, I came back hoping to find some survivors but by the time I got there the military had cleared any survivors and were executing them or just leaving them trapped to die of suffocation or radiation poisoning. I went further into the city hoping to find someone, anyone that could be saved, what I found instead was the bodies of military personnel, maimed and ripped to shreds and their in the middle of it all was this big hulking tan mass that stood at least ten feet tall, it was half the width of one of these buildings, its head was a mangled pile of eyes and teeth, it had one arm that was huge and as thick as I am wide that drug on the ground, its other arm was a scrawny limp twig that just hung there, shriveled and decrepit.”
“Did you kill it?” asked a wide eyed Apple Bloom.
“No, back then I was a coward and a chicken.” Buzz said, “So I did what all cowards do, I ran, broke a few bones, got a few cuts and scrapes.”
“So if you didn't kill it, then what happened to it?” asked Luna
But before he could answer his younger self hobbled past. Looking over his shoulder he slowed to a limp, he then stopped and turned around fully taking a moment to catch his breath.
“Good, finally lost it.” the younger Buzz said to himself, “One of these days I should stop talking to myself, starting to give myself an ear ache.” he continued
“OH SHUT UP YOU!” he snapped to himself.
“MAKE ME!” he said
“Was this a usual thing for you?” asked Luna
“Yes, and still is if I don't have anyone to talk to.” the older version said.
“This is good to know and all but what happened to what were you running from?” asked Apple Bloom
Before he could even start to reply there was a loud roar from the other side of one of the collapsed buildings causing the younger version to stiffen up straight as a board. With loud thuds the buildings shook and the ground quaked, soon it got faster and faster, louder and louder then the building exploded in a cloud of cement, and steel and there was the monster that Buzz described to them lumbering behind its oversized arm, then with know warning it just collapsed and died and where it stood now stood three cloaked figures one with an outstretched a pale hand, another removed a ring and gave it to the younger version, then they spoke, “You are the one, the one that will avenge our brother and bring his ring back to us, and you are never to remove this ring.” then time stood still again.
“This is the part that I have never stopped thinking about since it happened, it never made sense to me.” Buzz said, “Next thing I know I wake up in a military base with the ring on, all my wounds healed, and what I'm about to tell you never leaves this dream. Understand?”
“Understood” they both said.
“Truth be told, I'm no major, I could barely pass as a privet.” Buzz said, “The reason that I ware this uniform is because it was the only thing I could find that would fit.”
“So you were never trained! Then how did you take on the guards at the hospital?” questioned Luna
“I don't know.”
“And the Changelings that first attacked the town?” Apple Bloom chimed in.
“I DON'T KNOW! SO STOP ASKING ME!” Buzz yelled, “Look, I'm sorry I yelled and I'm sorry I lied to you but I don't have the answers you're looking for. All I know now that you don't is that the Changelings have some of my technology, that I was sent here and that I will get you and your sister and her friends back, do I know why: no, do I know how I got here: no, do I know what I'm up against: sort of.”
“So what happened to you, what made you change?” asked Apple Bloom looking back at the younger Buzz.
“Don't know, spent three weeks with the ring on and every day I was getting stronger and stronger, went down for the night, woke up with something trying to get in the door, just as it broke down big flash of light as the door sends shards of wood into me then I find myself here standing in the door of your schoolhouse.”
“What about the bright yellow glowing bring us back to life energy?” said Apple Bloom
“Ya, how does that tie into all of this?” asked Luna
“Again, I don't know but my best guess is that it has something to do with those three and the ring.” Buzz said pointing to the three cloaked figures.
“So it circles back to them. Who are they?” asked Apple Bloom
“I don't know, if I knew that I would understand a lot more.” Buzz said with a scoff.
“It does sound familiar to me, question is, why.” said Luna
“Well that at least gives us some form of age for them.” said Buzz, “Where's Twilight when you kneed her.”
“Okay, I can find two reasons that I can find that insulting, one, you just called me old and two, you just call me dumb because of somepony that read through practically every single book in the Canterlot Royal Library?! I am-” but before Luna had time to finish Buzz through his arms around her neck, “What was that for!?”
“Well, we now have a place to start looking!” said Buzz
“Looking for what?” asked Luna shoving him off of her.
“Answers, who they are, what's going on, all that kind of stuff, the stuff we can't answer!” said Buzz
“Wow wow wow, we don't even know where to start!” said Apple Bloom, “And can you NOT do that in front of me.”
“Right, sorry.” said Buzz, “But there's one thing I still don't understand.”
“Oh, and what's that?” asked Apple Bloom
“How did you get into my dream?” asked Buzz, “Where did she go?”
“What do you mean she's right- never mind,” said Luna, “what happened to her?”
“She probably woke up.” Buzz concluded, “But if that's the case then what woke her up because with how deep into this dream we are then there is only two possibilities, one she fell.”
“Fell? How do you fall if you're asleep?” Luna inquired
“You fall out of bed, you hit a big bump in the road, many possibilities.” said Buzz “And upon her departure from this dream I do believe that it is time to follow suit and because if I awaken first you will be trapped in my subconscious, I'm going to have to kill you now.”
“WHOA, WAIT! Let's not do anything drastic now!” said Luna as she backed herself into a corner.
“Now, there's no need to make this any harder then it need to be, but just remember, you need to knock the chair out from under me after you wake up.” Buzz said with a relaxed demeanor as he walked up to her and turned her around, “Now relax, this won't hurt at all.” He took his right arm around the front of her neck and brought it to her lower left jaw. Starting to panic Luna began to writhe to find an escape but with no avail. Buzz put his remaining arm around her head in the opposite direction then with a sharp twist Luna woke to find herself in the interrogation room with the guard and across the table was a the slumbering human that had just killed her.
Panting and trying to catch her breath she quickly jumped up and kicked the stool he was sitting on out from under him sending him to the floor with a gasp and a loud thud quizzing him to wake.
“YOU JUST KILLED ME! WITH OUT ANY HESITATION!” Luna shrieked into his ear.
“Okay, first don't yell at me for YOU not letting me finish what I was saying, and second DO NOT interrupt me when I am explaining what was about to happen!”