Chapters Chapter One: Leaving Orb-it
The air is calm and cool in the late hours of the night. The moon has rose to its peak height, a beacon for the midnight. Equestria is awash in a soothing slumber, most of the land is in a deep sleep and enjoying dreamland. However, one single place is still lit up and alive with movement. Off a bit from Ponyville, a single building is still lit up: Supernova’s Observatory. Inside, the stallion is busy prepping a few devices and positioning his small telescope to focus on the lunar surface. This work would be boring for him, yet Supernova is not alone. Off to the side, looking quite anxious and a bit nervous; Princess Luna stares as Supernova keeps at his quick tempo of working.
“Is everything almost ready?” The princess asks with increasing impatience. Supernova chuckles at her words. Though he realizes the situation at hoof is important, he has the upmost confidence that everything will be fine.
“Not to worry, Princess Luna; all I need to do is make the final calculations and adjustments and wait for the final component. Then, everything should be set and ready!” He hollers as he writes some numbers down on the piece of paper in front of him. Luna sighs at his answer.
“That's great, Nova.” She says as she glances out a nearby window at up at her glorious bright moon. She looks at the satellite with worry. “I must figure out what is going on up there!” She shouts back to Nova. Nova turns and nods.
“I understand, Princess Luna. We will get to the bottom of this feeling that you have with the moon.” He says. Luna frowns a little at his answer.
“It’s not just a feeling, Nova.” She looks back up at the moon. “It’s… It’s like an instinct. I KNOW something is going on up there, and it’s not good.” She walks away from the window as the stallion looks on; stopping all his work to stare at her with concern. “When I first felt this… instinct back when I rose the moon a week or so ago, I thought nothing of it. But as the days went on and it got stronger and stronger… I thought it would drive me to near madness!” Luna puts her forehooves to her head and shuts her eyes, simulating the force and pain of this gut feeling inside her. Supernova nods again, understanding the princess’s plea.
“Fear not, Princess Luna. We will uncover the truth, not to worry!” The unicorn proclaims with a forehoof up high. Luna nods at his exclamation; giving her a bit of assurance that the problem, whatever it is, will be found and solved. As Supernova goes back to his work, a sudden knock is heard at the door. The black unicorn immediately gets up from his work and rushes to the door with excitement. “Ah! That must be the final part I need!” He says as he runs past Luna. Skidding to a stop, he quickly opens the door and smiles at the outside world. “Ah, wonderful! I’m glad you could make it, Christian!”
On the other side of the door, a very aggravated looking Christian stares annoyingly into the eyes of the unicorn. His eyes were low and a bit bloodshot due to the late hour of the night, tired at his interruption of sleep. With a yawn, he addresses the unicorn:
“You BETTER have a good reason for waking me up and making me come here at this hour of the night.” The human growls while quickly flicking his wrist upward, casting a bright orange orb in his hand. He glances inside the building to see Princess Luna standing off to the side. “Hey Luna.” He says, losing his mad expression for a split second to say hello to Supernova’s special guest.
“Hello Christian.” She answers with a soft smile. Christian then swiftly returns his attention to the scientific unicorn in front of him. Supernova rubs the back of his neck in awkwardness with a forehoof as the human stares him down with malicious intent in mind for the unicorn.
“Sorry for the rude awakening, Christian.” He says, nervously. “However, this is for an important task. You did bring it, didn’t you?” Nova asks with a sudden urgency. Christian crushes the spell with his right hand and puts his other hand into his left pocket and quickly pulls out a black orb.
“Of course I brought my portal device.” He says with an obvious tone. “Question is, why do you need it so badly?” Nova’s horn glows a light blue, as does the portal device in Christian’s hand. In seconds, the orb is whisked to Supernova’s side. He grins as he stares at the device.
“It’s the final component I need.” He says as he goes to turn back to his work.
“Final component for what?” A peppy voice asks from behind the unicorn. Supernova is caught off by this new voice and turns around to see the source of this new voice. From outside the door frame and to Christian’s side; two pink hooves appear and a pink, poofy haired pony pops out from nowhere: Pinkie Pie.
“Umm, pardon me, Christian; but what is Pinkie doing here?” Nova asks.
“She’s the only pony I know that A: Stays up at this time of night and B: Can give me something to keep ME up at this time of night.” The human says plainly. Pinkie’s full body comes into view as she nods rapidly.
“Sugar keeps the body awake!” She shouts happily. Supernova stares at the pink anomaly with concern.
“…Right.” Nova says, a bit concerned at her behavior as usual.
“Also, she can help me with my new skill.” Christian says. This comment throws off the two ponies in the room.
“New skill?” Luna questions. “I thought Rarity was teaching you how to fight, no?”
“She is.” Christian says while entering the observatory, with Pinkie bouncing in behind him. This makes the two ponies even more confused.
“Wait… You got ANOTHER new skill already?!” Supernova exclaims. Christian gives him a nod. Supernova’s eyes widen in awe. “I’m amazed, Christian. You just got your fighting moves a week ago!” Christian shrugs.
“Hey, it’s not my fault I’m getting these abilities quicker. Blame the girls, they’re the ones that accidentally gave them to me in the first place.” He comments. Nova laughs a bit at the explanation.
“Anyway,” Luna jumps in. “What is your new ability and how did you get it?” She asks, interested in the human’s new, unknown ability. Christian leans up against a wall as he recalls how he got this new skill.
“Well,” He says with a sigh. “It was a day ago. I was in physical education class with Dee-Dee and Tristan back home. Our class was playing baseball outside on the field…”
One day earlier…
“Man, I’m getting sick of baseball!” Tristan complains from Christian’s left as they stand around in the outfield behind third base on one of Somewhere High School’s baseball diamonds. For once, the weather was actually nice for a week, so baseball was the sport of choice for Christian’s P.E. class. Christian and Dee-Dee hear the moan and take a quick glance at each other as they roll their eyes simultaneously.
“Tristan, you get bored of everything after a week.” Christian points out. “I’m surprised you’re not bored of going to you-know-where every day.”
“Because that place is interesting.” Tristan replies bluntly.
“Oh please, Tristan; you have the attention span of a goldfish when it comes to sticking with one activity.” Dee-Dee comments with a small laugh. Christian agrees with his girlfriend; laughing at her insult to Tristan. Tristan frowns and growls at his friends, but cannot help but smile at them. “And I guess you do have a point with this ‘baseball” thing.” She adds after her laughing has subsided. “No one in our class besides, like, seven of us; can hit a ball far into the outfield.” Christian nods, but suddenly spots the new batter on the other team. A very audible sigh is heard from him. Dee-Dee and Tristan look at Christian with confused looks, curious as to what made him annoyed.
“Speaking of which…” He points his mitt toward home plate. “Look who’s up.” The other two do what Christian has instructed and glance down field.
“Oh shoot, it’s Blake!” Tristan exclaims. “Start backing up!” He says to his two friends. Dee-Dee nods and slowly starts taking a few steps backward with Tristan. Christian rolls his eyes again and sighs. Even though Blake was the star of the school’s baseball team, he hadn’t hit any home runs in a while. Christian turns to face his two friends who were looking like a bunch of newbie secret agents trying to tiptoe backwards to not been seen.
“Oh come on you two!” He shouts at them. “We’ll be fine! Blake told me the other day that last season was his worst yet. That ball won’t be coming anywhere near us, let alone the outfield…
Meanwhile at home plate, Blake was just hitting the bat against his heel to knock off some dirt and dust. Getting into his batting stance, he glares right into the eyes of the pitcher, who was absolutely petrified. Everyone knew Blake hit a baseball like a semi-truck hits a squirrel; so the entire field (minus behind third base at the moment) was sweating and shaking with how powerful this will be and how far it will fly. Blake himself knows that even though last season wasn’t particularly good for his record, his practice and workout sessions over the summer definitely gave him a boost. He was ready for that ball this time.
The pitcher, with a loud gulp, hurls a change-up directly down home plate – Just the type of ball Blake was anticipating. With a powerful swing, Blake smashes the ball with a mighty THWAK! The ball becomes a bullet as it goes into a line drive… Straight towards third base. Blake sees where the ball is heading, and doesn’t even motion to run.
“Well… dad gum it.” He mumbles with hesitant fear.
Back by third base, Christian is still explaining why Blake is not an issue. Dee-Dee and Tristan have focused their line of sight back to their friend, not knowing of the events that just occurred…
“Anyway, we would also hear that stupid baseball coming a mile aw-“. Christian suddenly stops mid-sentence. Dee-Dee and Tristan grow confused and somewhat scared looks as they examine their frozen friend.
“Hey, Christian!” Tristan whistles and waves a hand in front of his face. “You alright, dude?” Christian does not respond. Instead, he is focusing on a new… feeling inside of him. Almost like some sort of heightened awareness. Christian feels like something is coming toward him, and the hair on the back of his neck is… somewhat twitching. It’s almost like getting a sudden chill on one’s spine, but WAY more intense.
“Move.” He whispers to his friend’s. Dee-Dee and Tristan give each other a quick “The heck did he just say?” glance to each other before looking back at Christian.
“Huh?” Dee-Dee responds. Suddenly, Christian’s right eye violently twitches seemingly from nothing. This makes Christian gain a face that looked like a deer frozen in headlights.
“MOVE!” Christian shouts as he turns around to see a white and red sphere making a beeline for his face. Dee-Dee and Tristan quickly jump out of the way just in time to see a baseball about to collide with Christian’s jaw.
Yet something else happens.
Christian suddenly bends over backwards quicker than a cheetah after a gazelle. Like a scene ripped out of The Matrix, Christian’s entire world slows down as he sees himself bend at almost a ninety degree angle; watching this missile of a ball going over his body. Confused and shocked as to what the heck is going on, Christian quickly lifts up his left hand; secured inside of his mitt; and thrusts it in front of the flight path of the ball. The ball smashes into Christian’s mitt, the force of which starts making his entire body tilt even further backwards. Quickly realizing this, Christian launches his feet in front of him and his torso underneath himself – performing a backflip. As he lands right side up onto the ground, he sighs in relief. That ball almost took his head off!
“Wow! That was close right gu-“. He glances up at his two friend’s; who are just staring at him in disbelief at what just occurred in front of him. They saw Christian narrowly dodge a baseball going seventy miles an hour, bend backwards like a professional gymnast, and then perform a perfect backflip; something Christian has never done; and land it PERFECTLY! In fact, EVERYONE on the field was shocked at what they just saw. The only difference with Dee-Dee and Tristan however, is that they just realized what really happened. As everyone stares down Christian, making Christian himself glance nervously at everyone’s shocked expressions; Dee-Dee leans in toward Christian.
“Uhh, I think a new ability just kicked in.” She whispers.
“Ya think?” He harshly comments with a glare at his girlfriend. He looks back toward the bystanders and raises his mitt into the air. “Uhh, that’s an out, right?” He comments to everyone with a nervous laugh.
“And so, yea; that’s the gist of what happened. Needless to say, that escapade was hard to explain to everyone. Afterward, I said it was some sort of involuntary reflux, and everyone bought it.” Christian finishes his story and waits for a response from Luna or Nova. The other two ponies are very intrigued by his newfound ability.
“Interesting.” Supernova says while examining the human’s body. “So, it seems that you have acquired increased agility and heightened reflexes. It’s perplexing how you’ve gotten two abilities this time.” He mentions.
“It’s not weird, Nova!” Pinkie shouts with a jump. “These two abilities come with each other! It’s really one ability: You can’t get the ability to bend like a gymnast without knowing what’s coming at you first!”
“I mean that makes sense to me.” Christian says with a shrug. “Is that weird? Because she has been making a lot more sense recently.” He points out. Supernova shakes his head and sighs, returning to his work. As he does a small smile forms on his face.
“Yes Christian, it is weird. That pony making sense has to mean something is wrong.” Pinkie suddenly bounds toward Nova, right up to his table.
“Or it’s the author just trying to make my abilities interesting!” She says with a smile. Supernova drops what he is doing and points to the pink pony with a forehoof.
“See what I mean? That doesn’t make sense.”
“Actually… It sort of… kinda… did.” Christian says quietly.
“Whatever.” Supernova rolls his eyes and resumes his work. Christian walks up behind him and glances at his work. Supernova seems to be reconstructing Christian’s orb. The human is curious at his manipulation of his portal tool.
“Uh, hey Supernova; what do you need my orb for anyway?” He asks. Supernova smiles at the question.
“Well you see Christian, Princess Luna has been getting this ‘instinct’ as she calls it about the moon for a while now. With your orb and a spell that Twilight helped me with, we shall be able to upgrade your orb in order to reach Luna’s moon.” Christian’s jaw drops at his explanation. Going into space has always been something of a dream for him. However, a lot of things were missing from the whole ‘space’ equation that Supernova has left out.
“Wait a second, Supernova;” Christian says, “Don’t we need space suits to… you know… BREATHE AND SURVIVE!” His booming voice echoes throughout the observatory. Pinkie jumps in front of the loud human and smiles.
“Don’t worry, Christian! We don’t need those things! If Luna could survive up there for one thousand years, I’m sure we’ll be fine!” She shouts with glee. Christian laughs nervously, going into space with no gear didn’t sound ‘fine’ to him. He glances over to Princess Luna, who is staring at the moon with a look of anxiety and determination. Curious at her mood, Christian walks over to her.
“Hey, Luna?” He asks, concerned. The alicorn, startled by him, looks at Christian eye to eye. “You okay?” Luna responds with a sigh and a somber shake of the head.
“I am not okay, Christian.” She looks back at the white satellite in the night sky. “Something is up there. Something big.” She looks at Christian with a fierce inferno in her eyes. “I MUST find out what it is!” Christian nods at her request and stares up at the moon with her.
“Don’t worry, Luna. Whatever it is up there, it better be ready for a fight.”
“Yea! We’ll show that moon whose boss!” Pinkie shouts from behind the two of them. The two look back at the pink pony and smile.
“Pinkie, I question so much about you.” He says with a sigh. “That’s why you’re my favorite.” He and Luna walk towards her. Supernova, meanwhile, is surrounding numerous tools and parts with a cyan glow. The orb in front of him is half open and parts are scattered all over his desk. In a matter of seconds, the parts and tools converge onto the orb and make a variety of clanks, clings, and bangs. The three ponies look at each other, confused as to what the mad yet genius scientist is doing. Suddenly, the sounds stop and Supernova steps away from his work. With a satisfied grin, he exhales and levitates the onyx colored orb into the air next to him.
“IT IS DONE!” He turns around and shows the orb to the three bystanders. The ponies simultaneously cock their heads at the portal device. What exactly did Supernova do to it?
“Great!” Pinkie shouts. “What did you do?” She says, very confused. Supernova laughs at her expression.
“Well Pinkie, with a lot of help from Twilight. I have managed to upgrade the orb’s capabilities! Now, we can go to outer orbit around Equestria; and if we really wanted to, Earth.” A series of “Ahhhh’s” are heard from the trio. “Now then Princess Luna…” He says while bringing the orb close. The orb suddenly lights up.
“Please set destination.” The orb says. Supernova chuckles at the voice.
“The moon” He replies. The orb lights up at his command; prompting the unicorn to drop the device to the floor. The orb starts to flash rapidly, each flash of light going in quicker succession than the last. Supernova’s grin turns into a mad-looking smile as the orb’s lights start glowing brighter and brighter, making the two ponies and the human in the room start backing up slowly from the object. A more seconds pass as the orb suddenly unleashes a vortex of colors from its top. The three bystanders stare at the portal in disbelief and uncertainty.
“So,” Christian starts as he walks around the portal. “How do we know this will actually send us to the moon?” Supernova takes no notice to the question as he levitates some sort of scanner off of his desk and starts adjusting its various dials.
“Simple,” He says, approaching the portal. “We go into the portal and find out.” The scanner starts to hum slightly as it powers up.
“And that thing is for… what exactly?” Christian comments while heading towards the portal.
“Just for any odd fluctuations in the activity of the portal. We don’t need anything getting destabilized during transportation now do we?” He answers. Christian shrugs with an understanding look and stares back at the new portal.
“Well, this ought to be interesting… If it works, that is.”
“Oh relax, Christian. The portal should work fine! After all, the two smartest ponies in Equestria worked on the new spell!” He says while examining the outside stability of the portal with the scanner.
“Then there is no time to waste.” Luna says calmly as she pushes Christian aside and walks into the portal with a disgruntled yet determined look on her face. Christian stares as the alicorn vanishes into the portal with a shocked look frozen on his face.
“Snap.” He says, realizing how serious Luna is about the whole situation. “Well, we better go after her. C’mon Pink!” He shouts as he dives into the portal. Pinkie nods and bounds after the human seconds later. Supernova laughs at the display as he remains the last one in his observatory. He sighs as he looks at the colorful gateway.
“Let’s see what in Equestria awaits us on the other side.” He mumbles to himself as he slowly walks into the gate and after the other three. The portal closes behind him, leaving the observatory in a quiet and undisturbed state against the dark midnight sky.
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Chapter Two: That's One Small Step For Ponies...
“WHOA! UFF! ACK!” Christian shouts as he gets tossed from the portal at a high velocity and is thrown onto a white and rocky surface. He lands face first in a cloud of white dust, body aching a little from the impact. “Well, THAT could have been a smoother landing.” He says, voice muffled by the ground. Christian gets up and brushes some of the white dust off of himself; his black pants making it look like he fell into a few bags of flour. After most of the dust is off, he finally takes a look at his surroundings. His eyes explode as he realizes that he is on the surface of Luna’s moon; the blackness of the outer reaches of space speckled with thousands of stars. “Whoa…” He gasps, astonished at his surroundings. “Nova actually did it.”
“Indeed I did.” Nova’s voice echoes behind Christian as the stallion jumps out of the colorful portal, the black orb following him out as the portal closes. The orb gains a light blue aura as Supernova hovers it over to Christian, who promptly puts it's back into his pants pocket. “I’m glad to see that the upgrade performed nicely.” Christian takes notice to his comment as he looks around his new landscape, still gawking.
“I’m glad to see that we’re all still alive… BECAUSE WE ARE ON THE MOON!” He shouts; nervous, startled, and confused all mixed in his yelling. “H-How are we b-breathing?!” He states again, shaking in the fear at the possibility that his lungs will collapse any moment. Suddenly, Pinkie pops into his view from out of nowhere.
“Obviously we are using the rules that apply in cartoons when it comes to space, Christian! Like in Jimmy Neutron and Johnny Test; they didn’t need any oxygen or space suits while in outer space!” She starts jumping around as she explains the group’s circumstances and the situation; har bouncing being higher than normal due to the lower gravity. “It’s just easier to have characters in space without the actual consequences of not having a space suit on!” Christian stares at her as she finishes her explanation; his eyes not blinking as she keeps on smiling.
“Okay, now how does that make some sense?” He says with a confused expression on his face. Supernova sighs as he monitors the scanner that he brought with him.
“It doesn’t, Christian.” Supernova says with a roll of his eyes. Suddenly, the scanner floating next to Supernova starts emitting a series of low beeps. The noises shock Supernova, who swivels the scanner over to him and starts reading its sensors. “What in Equestria-?” He mumbles to himself as he adjusts the parameters on the device. However, the beeping persists. The others quickly gather around him, puzzled by the device’s constant beeping.
“What’s wrong, Supernova?” Luna asks.
“Well,” He says while adjusting a knob on his scanner. “It seems that another frequency similar to the portal device is in the vicinity.” This news shocks the three friends. How could another portal be all the way up here?
“Wait, you’re saying that there is another portal up here?” Christian exclaims.
“Uh, yea Christian. That was explained in the last paragraph!” Pinkie answers. Everyone proceeds to stare at Pinkie for yet another odd comment.
“Anyway…” Christian continues. “How could another portal be all the way on the moon?” He asks the unicorn. Supernova takes a second to respond as he keeps adjusting his scanner.
“Well, it seems that we are not alone up here. Someone or somepony is doing something up here.” He concludes. Luna’s eyes suddenly pop open with surprize before they narrow with madness.
“Whoever they are, THEY must be the source of the disturbance that I have been sensing!” Her voice booms. Supernova nods at the princess.
“Correct. I have reason to believe that there is only one source of this portal: Trixie.”
“WHAT?!” Christian shouts. “How could that be possible?!”
“The portal spell can be learned by any unicorn, Christian. Even with enough practice, you could learn it yourself.” He states as he starts marching forward. “The only question I have is how in Equestria she managed to get the information to learn the portal spell.”
“That one is easy.” Christian says, awkwardly trying to walk forward; which was surprisingly easily to do on the moon. “I bet you twenty bucks that Paradox taught her the spell.” Nova thinks to himself about the situation for a few seconds. With both Paradox and Trixie on the moon, that could only mean trouble.
“Then there is no time to waste.” Nova says, suddenly. “Let’s go to the source of this new portal and stop whatever madness that those two may be causing.” He starts leaping forward in order to have greater strides while on the lunar surface. Luna nods and follows after him, her hooves pounding with each step and causing some moon dust to rise up as she moves. Pinkie and Christian remain as the last ones to move from when they came on to the moon.
“Great.” Christian says with a roll of his eyes. “Even on the bloody moon, we can’t catch a break from those two.” He jumps and does a front flip to catch up the the other two. “C’mon Pink, let’s go!” He says with a smirk. Pinkie nods and give her human friend a salute.
“Okie dokie lokie!” She quickly bounces after him, easily surpassing the human with her own agility. The four of them start trekking across the lunar landscape, tracking the signal and determined to stop whatever plans that their foes have come up with.
One hour later…
The three ponies plus a human continue across the white and crater-filled satellite; each of them a bit tired and bored with the lack of changing terrain. Pinkie is the only one with a smile still on her face as she continues to bounce around the moon with glee. Christian keeps doing a few flips, handstands, and spins in the air as he tries to copy his pink friend. Luna and Supernova have stone cold determination on their faces as they keep tracking the signal in front of their other two friends.
“You’re getting better, Christian! If you keep this up; you should be a pro in no time!” She shouts as the human lands another double backflip.
“Thanks, Pink. But I think the moon’s lower gravity is helping out with the air time.” He says with a slight grin on his face.
“That’s why space is the best place to practice your new moves!” She says as she lands a triple axel spin herself. Suddenly, two white orbs appear out of the corner of her eye; floating alongside the moon. Pinkie turn around to see just what these two objects actually are. Getting a good look, they seem to be mechanical in natural, one orange and one blue…
“Wow, a Portal reference. Well, isn’t the author subtle about it?” The pink pony says with a roll of her eyes. “That game is four years old! He could at least done a game that came out this year!” Christian blinks at Pinkie’s statement before looking behind him to see the two small, white spheres floating in space.
“Are… Are we going to get sued for this?” Christian questions as he points to the two objects behind him with his thumb. Pinkie shrugs in response.
“I doubt it. Now c’mon! Let’s get back to work!” She says. Christian nods.
“Right!” He jumps back up into the air, flipping a few times before landing on a nearby orbiting asteroid. He jumps off of the rock, does a single flip and lands in front of Luna and Supernova. The two ponies smirk at his act.
“Impressive form, Christian. Pinkie is teaching you well!” Nova comments as he walks past him.
“Well, I do have a good teacher. I guess that really goes for all of my skills, though.” Christian says while generating an orange orb in his hand.
“Aww, thanks Christian!” Pinkie yells while flipping over him. Luna giggles at her stunt.
“Well, you girls have been helping him hone his new abilities. The least he can do is thank you girls.”
“Luna’s right.” Christian adds on. “You girls have been helping me out a lot and…” Suddenly, Supernova’s scanner starts beeping widely and even louder than before. Supernova puts a hoof up, interrupting Christian’s statement as he tries to pinpoint the reasoning behind the noise.
“Aha!” He shouts as he realizes the cause of the beeping. “It seems that the source of the new portal is on the other side of this crater!” He runs forward before leaping over the large gap and landing on the slope upwards on the other side. Luna follows by flying over the expanse. Christian and Pinkie look at each other and nod before copying Nova’s movements; though doing a few flips and tricks in the air for some style points before landing right next to their two friends. Nova goes up the lip of the crater first, motioning the others to stand back as he scopes out the surrounding area. The other three hear a small gasp before Supernova slides back down the crater a bit to the others. “I think you should all see this!” He says, worryingly. The rest of the group shares their unicorn’s concerned look as they prop their heads above the curve of the crater.
On the other side of the crater field, the bodies of a few green beings can be seen flying back and forth from a rainbow colored portal; carrying random metal objects and tools toward a cave cut within the lunar surface. One by one, a line of the beings carry their equipment. And a few seconds later, they emerge empty handed and fly back into the portal; seemingly in a loop. Suddenly, another one of the beings yells something at the others; and almost immediately, the rest of them zip back into the cave and the portal vanishes. The scene before them both shocks and surprises the group.
“Aliens?!” Pinkie exclaims with a mix of joy and fear.
“Not even close! Those were changelings!” Christian instantly shuts down Pinkie’s guess. “I recognize those blue eyes and holed-filled bodies anywhere!”
“What are changelings doing on the moon?” Nova questions aloud.
“I don’t know…” Luna’s says with anger building up in her voice. “But whatever they are doing…” She looks up at the others, her eyes pure white and fury written on her face. “THEY WILL REGRET EVER COMING HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!” The other three shutter at her booming voice and irate features. As quickly as it started, her rage-filled mood dies down and Luna returns to her previous state. She exhales deeply. “Sorry about that; lost my temper for a second. Now, let us find out what those bugs are up to.” She advances out of the crater and towards the cave the changelings were flying into. The other three are still frozen in their places as they try to recover from what just occurred.
“And yet somehow…” Christian starts. “I was louder than THAT when I found out I could talk to animals.”
“Even I don’t think you were louder than that, Christian.” Supernova says, moving toward the cave as well. “Luna tends to fluctuate in anger. THAT was towards the end of spectrum that her anger will go.” Pinkie and Christian remain in the crater, looking at each other with a bit of fear still in their eyes.
“Even I won’t argue that.” Christian says, looking upward towards where Luna disappeared to.
Meanwhile at the cave’s entrance, Luna and Supernova peer inside to see a corridor leading deeper within the moon. The interior is winding and pitch black, like every other cave that they walked past earlier. However, this one filled Luna with an odd sense of… nostalgia.
“Hmm… This place seems… familiar.” Luna whispers to herself.
“Well, no time to find out why.” Christian says, coming up behind the two other ponies. “We need to figure out what those bugs were doing.” Luna and Nova both nod at his words.
“Right. So, let us move onward.” Luna says, pushing further into the cave. The rest of the group follows after her hastily. As they advance toward the inner workings of the cave, they come upon an exit that leads into a large open space that leads out into a giant crater. Peering from within their opening, they see the changelings with their cargo in tow all flying towards the center of the crater. In the center, a giant contraption is sitting there; partially disassembled and powered down. The contraption seems to be some sort of large laser gun perched on an arched pedestal. A platform is at the base of the machine with a bunch of blinking colorful buttons. The group stares at the machine with confusion and fear.
“What IS that thing?” Luna asks, cocking a brow at the structure. Christian and Supernova both glare at the contraption before eyeing each other with suspicion.
“Something tells me that this is the result of one of those blueprints that Trixie and Paradox stole from Area 51.” Nova says, examining the machine further.
“And something tells me that you’re right.” Christian concludes. “Only question is: What does it do?” He says, putting a hand on his chin.
“Something evil, no doubt.” Pinkie adds in, marveling at the machinery in front of her. Suddenly, a familiar unicorn emerges from behind the contraption: Trixie. Dawning a wicked smile, she nods as the changelings continues to build and work on the device. The ponies quickly notice her presence and duck into the cave they came from, their eyes peering out from the darkness to see what she is planning.
“Excellent! Trixie is pleased with your work so far, changelings. Chrysalis did say you would get the job done quite quickly.” She trots forward to look at the front of the mechanism to ponder its controls. “Yes… Paradox will be quite pleased that The M.I.N.D is near completion!” The hidden ponies gasp as the plan is revealed.
“The M.I.N.D?” Pinkie ponders. “I wonder if it has something to do with mind control?” She questions aloud. Christian facepalms at her statement.
“Gee Pinkie, I wonder what gave off that impression?!” He shouts, sarcastically.
“Well, it is called ‘The M.I.N.D’.” She says with an innocent smile; unaware of Christian’s sarcasm. Christian sighs and shakes his head frustration.
“Well, we won’t know for sure until we get a closer look and analyze that thing.” Supernova states. “If I can get down there, unnoticed; I can get a closer look at that weapon before Trixie even notices. I should be able to deactivate it as well.”
“Are you sure, Nova?” Christian asks, hesitant in trying to sneak down into a crater full of his worst enemies.
“Can’t be that hard, Christian. I am one of the smartest ponies I know.”
“Fair enough.” Christian shrugs again. “I’m sure we can do this, right Pinkie and Lu-” His sentence comes to halt as he notices that the lunar princess has vanished from Supernova’s side. Supernova swivels around to see what his human friend is gawking at and quickly realizes his worry. Christian leaps from the shadows of the cave to see Luna stomping down the side of the crater towards Trixie and the changelings. “Snap.” Supernova and Pinkie rush out to see the source of Christian’s worry. “She’s going to blow our cover.” He looks back at the other two ponies. “Any ideas?”
“We could use this as a prime opportunity to get the weapon.” Nova points out. “While Luna is yelling at Trixie and distracting the drones; I can reach that panel.” The unicorn points to the control panel on the other side of the weapon. Christian smirks at his friend’s idea.
“Sounds like a plan.” He points to the left curvature of the crater. “We’ll slide down over there. Let’s go you two!” He leaps toward his intended destination. The other two ponies nod.
“Right!’ The quickly bounce after him (With Pinkie performing another front flip for style.)
Meanwhile, in the middle of the crater, Luna is fuming as she approaches Trixie. The periwinkle unicorn is facing towards the device; completely unaware of the irate unicorn behind her. The drones working on the weapon also don’t notice the alicorns presence. That is, until a certain pony screams louder than a banshee.
“HOW DARE YOU DEFACE MY MOON!!!” Her voice explodes across the inside of the crater and outward into space. The three ponies sneaking along the side of the slope cover their ears at the sheer magnitude of her voice. The drones working on the weapon are blown away by the sheer force of her words. Yet Trixie remains facing the weapon; unmoving from the booming sound behind her. In fact, the unicorn laughs at the voice.
“Heh, you know it is said that in space, no pony can hear you scream.” She turns toward the angered unicorn, a relaxed yet serious look on her face. “However, Trixie thinks you just proved that theory wrong.” Luna’s nostrils flare at her words.
“You DARE mock me with a joke?!” She shouts again. Trixie keeps her calm nature.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie knows not to mock you, Luna.” The smaller unicorn steps forward, which catches Luna off guard. “Yet, you do not know of the magical power that Trixie now possess.” Trixie continues to step toward Luna, to which Luna keeps her ground but is getting rather perplexed as to why Trixie is so confident in her abilities. Then again, this IS Trixie after all. Thinking highly of one’s self is her most prominent feature.
“Do you think I am scared of some of your dark magic? PAH!” Luna scoffs at the threat. “I am much more powerful than whatever you are able to conjure up!” Trixie lightly laughs at Luna’s boast.
“Oh, Princess Luna; Trixie knows you are not easily amused.” She gives her a glare. “But she knows you WILL be when you see what she has in store for you!”
Meanwhile, Over by the panel; Christian, Nova, and Pinkie manage to sneak behind The M.I.N.D’s main controls. Satisfied that Trixie and the drones are still pre-occupied by the ticked off princess, Christian nods toward the assortment of buttons.
“Alright, Nova. Do your thing!” Nova nods as he hops over to the panel.
“With pleasure, Christian!” He starts tapping on the assortment of buttons and dial wildly, trying to find a way to power down the device. As he is doing this, Christian is peering over to where Luna is; making sure that Trixie is still being distracted. Pinkie on the other hand, is merely sitting down; bobbing her head back in forth in either joy or to some unknown song. “Alright, you two. I just need a few more seconds…” He says as his button presses start getting slower.
“Ohhhhh, how pathetic! Thinking you could disable MY creation without being noticed!” A voice calls out just as Supernova is about to input the final few presses. The three of them look around the machine, confused as to where the voice came from. Then, Christian realizes the deep voice and immediately starts to panic.
“Oh snap! Guys! It’s Para-” He gets cut off as a mysterious dark energy proceeds to lift the three of them up into the air. “Whoa! Hey!” Christian shouts as he starts hovering.
“Weeeeeeeeeee! This is fun!” Pinkie shouts as she tumbles in the air.
“You fools!” The voice says again; now coming from a dark void in between the three of them. “Did you really think it would be that simple?” Paradox emerges from the void, arms crossed and an evil grin on his face.
“Paradox!” Christian shouts as flips around to meet the spirit eye to eye.
“So, that’s Paradox?” Supernova says as he tries to move from the dark grip Paradox has on him. “He is quite the interesting being.”
“‘Interesting’ is the last word I would use on this guy.” Christian comments as he also tries to struggle.
“Oh come now, human. You must admit that I am quite the character.” He says, hovering front of Christian; who rolls his eyes.
“Yea, quite the annoying character.”
“Ha ha, human. Still giving me smart mouthed remarks even after I have you in my grasp.” He says hovering the three of them out from behind The M.I.N.D. “But let us see if you have anything smart to say after THIS!” With quick motion downward towards Luna, the three of them are thrown down with great force around the alicorn. Luna snaps out of her fixated stare with Trixie as she sees the two ponies and human getting up from their free fall.
“Huh? What is going on? Are you three alright?” She asks as she tries to assist Supernova up. Christian and Pinkie quickly spring up from their fall.
“We’re good. But I don’t think we will be for long…” Christian points the influx of drones that have gathered behind Trixie. The bugs quickly encircle around the group; leaving no viable exit for the group. Paradox floats down next to his student, the grin still on his face.
“So, what will we do with them, Paradox?” Trixie asks. Paradox starts laughing at her words. The group in the drone’s encirclement prepare to face the insects before them; readying themselves in combat stances.
“It is quite simple, my student. We shall give them the benefit of watching Equestria become ours!” Paradox thrusts a hand forward as the bugs start to close in on the group. The group looks around as the bugs start to encroach on their position. “This time, you fools will NOT interfere with our plans!”
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Chapter Three: ...One Giant Weapon To Takeover Ponykind
“This is simply perfect!” Paradox says as he glares down at the surrounded group. Christian, Luna, Supernova, and Pinkie all look up at him as he gloats. “I have all of you right where I want you!” He says with another laugh.
“The heck is that supposed to mean?” Christian shouts up to him. Paradox hovers downward to meet the human at an equal eye level.
“Why, right where I need you to see my plan come to fruition!” He states. Christian’s eyes dart over to The M.I.N.D. The contraption seems to have been finished right before Luna interrupted Trixie.
“You mean with that… thing?” Christian nods to the machine. Paradox snickers at his question. Trixie laughs right along as well. Their laughter gives the group an unease feeling of worry. Well, everyone but Pinkie that is.
“What’s so funny?” Pinkie asks with a blank smile.
“That ‘thing’ as Christian put it; is the instrument for our takeover!” Trixie answers. Supernova looks at the machine and scans it with his eyes; appearing rather unimpressive with the design and the technology used within the supposed weapon. It just looks like a giant laser beam.
“And how is that the instrument of your takeover? Looks rather simplistic to me.” Supernova comments, pointing to The M.I.N.D. Trixie grimaces and glares at the unicorn in a rather annoyed and insulted manner. She goes to counter his words, yet Paradox beats her to the punch. He smiles as he flies over toward his creation.
“I was hoping one of you would say that.” He starts his maniacal laugh once more; the changelings even joining in one after another this time around. The four in the middle of the encirclement all gain the same feeling of worry once more. Maybe Supernova should not have asked. Paradox snaps to grab the group’s attention once more. “This is The Malevolent Influencing and Normalizing Device or simply: The M.I.N.D. It was created as a result from one of the blueprints that Trixie and I stole from Area 51.” He states while presenting the weapon with a hand.
“We called that one.” Supernova whispers to Christian, who nods in agreement.
“Its purpose is quite simple.” Paradox continues, not taking notice to the whispering below him. “The M.I.N.D uses a special mixture of diodes, wavelengths, and frequencies to create a specific laser that has the ability to warp the mind of the one who is struck by it to make them permanently evil.” The four gasp as Paradox announces the functionality of The M.I.N.D. Luna steps forward, again angry that such a weapon is on her moon.
“And why would you have such a device on MY moon?!” She shouts with a pounding of her hoof. Paradox gives off another short laugh before returning to his student’s side.
“Well Princess Luna; originally, we were going to use The M.I.N.D on you. Thus, it would transform you back into Nightmare Moon for all eternity.” Luna gasps at their scheme. Christian, Nova, and Pinkie all growl at Paradox’s intent. “However, considering that you are here now and that The M.I.N.D is not designed to be used at such a close range… We will use our secondary target.”
“S-Secondary target?” Luna stutters, frightened at what the two have in mind.
“But of course!" He says with an evil grin as he approaches her. "We shall use The M.I.N.D on your very own sister: Princess Celestia!” The group’s combined shocked reaction freezes them for a moment before they explode with the same words:
“NO WAY!” Paradox scoffs at their faces.
“Hmm, typical.” He says turning his head away from their angry expressions and moving back towards Trixie. “But it does not matter. Like I said earlier…” He thrusts his left hand toward them. “You WILL NOT ruin our plans this time! Changelings, capture them!” He then looks toward his student. “Trixie, start up The M.I.N.D!”
“Of course, Paradox!” She rushes over to the control panel and starts pressing buttons and turning dials rapidly. The changelings surrounding the group prepare to rush at them full speed. Christian and Pinkie glance at each other and give a small nod; acknowledging the same plan that they had silently created.
“Okay guys,” Christian says, calmly yet with a tone of shaking nervousness in his voice. Luna and Supernova look at him, wondering what idea he has. “On three, all of us jump up. Ready?” The others nod as the changelings begin to nosedive at the group. Christian takes a deep, nervous breath; silently praying that this worked. Just as the changelings are about to hit them, he exhales. “THREE!!!” The entire group leaps into the air; being boosted by the lower gravity, this allows for the equivalent of the group jumping on a gymnastic trampoline. The changelings, not expecting the simultaneous jump, all crash into each other; becoming more mangled than a car wreck. The group use their own momentum to drift away from the two villains and land on the opposite side of the crater. Paradox and Trixie growl in disdain as their captives land.
“So, that is how things shall be?” Paradox says with a wave of his staff toward the group. “So be it.” He vanishes from next to The M.I.N.D and in front of Christian. “Always having to do things the hard way. You are such a pest, human!” Christian backs up bit before giving off a small smirk.
“Aww, but the hard way is always the most fun!” He comments back. Paradox lunges at Christian and attempts to swipe at him with his staff, yet Christian flips backwards into a handstand and flips back again to land upright once more. Paradox gasps at his agility, making Christian smile. “Impressed, Paradork?” He says.
“So, you have acquired another ability? Interesting.” The spirit lands on the lunar surface. “Let us see how well you can use it!” Paradox points his staff towards Christian. Christian hesitates before getting into a battle stance; ready for his fight. Luna looks off as the two of them prepare to spar.
“Pinkie, go help Christian. Nova and I will stop Trixie!” Pinkie eyes dart to her; nodding and saluting at Luna's request.
“Sure thing, Princess Luna!” The pink pony bounces toward Christian as Luna flies over to Trixie; with Nova follows soon after with a quick portal toward The M.I.N.D. Meanwhile, Christian and Paradox remain in their stalemate; their eyes locked in an electric state of tense anger.
“Go on, human. Make a move.” Paradox demands while pointing his staff at the human. Christian chuckles at his request.
“Gladly.” With a crack of his knuckles, Christian leaps toward Paradox in a front kick. Paradox tilts his head in confusion as the human approaches him before knocking Christian out of the air with his staff. Christian skids to a stop from the hit. Paradox suddenly rushes at Christian, staff at the ready. He swipes at the human a few more times. Christian deflects each attack with a counter; knocking back the staff with ease. The spirit backs off landing on the other side of the crater without so much as painting.
“Since when could you fight, human? If I recall, you and combat never got along.” Christian smirks again.
“Let's just say that… A little unicorn helped me.” Paradox ponders his sentence for a moment before nodding slowly. He remembers the fight in Area 51 all too well.
“Of course… The white one; another skill.” Paradox says before pointing his staff at Christian once more. “I will say, you are quite good human.” He rushes toward Christian once more. “But not good enough to stop me!” Christian frowns and gets back into a fighting stance.
“We’ll see about that.” Christian says with a sneer. Paradox readies to deliver a blow to Christian; while he prepares to counter as the two fighters reach each other…
“HI YOU TWO!” A flash of pink suddenly appears in front of Paradox’s vision. Taken by complete surprise at the pink object, he veers to the left; out of the way of both Christian and the anomaly and collides with the side of the crater they are fighting in. Christian, confused as to why Paradox missed completely, looks back to where the spirit was coming from. His question is answered as he sees Pinkie Pie sitting in front of him.
“Geez, all I said was hi.” Pinkie says to Christian. “Sorry Paradox!” She shouts at the grounded time spirit. Enraged by the interruption, he warps back in front of the two. His yellow eyes are narrowed and his black aura is more intense than usual.
“YOU! PINK ONE! IDENTIFY YOURSELF!” He booms. Suddenly, Pinkie appears at his right side.
“Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie, and I love parties!” She says with glee. Paradox floats back in shock; confused and somewhat frightened as the pony somehow got next to him quickly and without him knowing.
“How did you do that?” He questions, curiously. Pinkie then appears on his left side, and floating upside down due to the low gravity.
“Do what?” She asks, confused. Paradox growls at the pony’s lack of an answer at her strange behavior. Yet at the same time, he is mystified as to how Pinkie is doing these acts. Paradox turns to Christian, hoping the human can give him an answer.
“Human! Explain!” He demands. Christian shakes his head and shrugs.
“Dude, it’s Pinkie. You CAN’T explain anything about her.” He says plainly.
“Aww, thanks Christian!” Pinkie says as she appears next to Christian. Paradox gasps at the act. He pauses, staring at the two of them before casting a hand away from them.
“You know what? Forget this!” A dark orb appears in Paradox’s hand. Christian’s pupils shrink as Paradox prepares to cast his own magic.
“Shoot. Pinkie, RUN!” He grabs the pink pony by a forehoof and takes off to the left, bouncing across the lunar surface as Paradox blasts the area the two were just standing in with a black laser. He laughs as he prepares to give chance.
“Now is where the fun shall begin!” He flies after the two of them as more dark magic starts to gather in his left hand.
Meanwhile, Supernova and Luna encroach onto The M.I.N.D’s main controls, with Trixie still typing in unknown commands. The M.I.N.D’s laser starts adjusting itself towards Equestria on the planet’s surface. Supernova gasps in horror.
“Luna, we must hurry. By my calculations, that thing is preparing to fire in a few minutes!” Luna looks at the machine and then back at Trixie. She needs to think quickly.
“I’ll get Trixie away from the controls so you can finish disabling this contraption!” She says, seriousness the only thing in her voice due to the current situation.
“Right!” Nova portals away from the scene, leaving the princess with Paradox’s student.
“Trixie,” Luna says rather calmly. The unicorn looks away from the controls to see the lunar princess; mad, but not furious. Trixie’s inputs become slower as she gets more curious as to why the princess was acting this way. “Step away from that panel. Or you will feel my wraith.” Luna says, again calm in tone. Trixie giggles at her request. This little act in an attempt to scare her is cute to her.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie is not scared of you, Princess Luna. Besides…” Trixie taps a red button to the left of the console. The laser on top of the machine suddenly starts swiveling and recalibrating toward its intended target even faster. Then a voice echoes from the machine:
“Lock-on in T-minus: One minute and counting.” Luna loudly gasps at the voice.
“...You are too late.” Trixie finishes. “The M.I.N.D has been set to automatically fire after this countdown. Your precious sister will soon-”
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!
A brilliant blue beam is blasted out of Luna’s horn; aimed directly at Trixie’s torso. The smaller unicorn quickly ducks out of the way, diving to the lunar surface. The magical laser barely misses the unicorn; grazing the end of her starry cape as she lands back onto the moon's surface. Trixie grunts in pain as she goes to get back up, with the lunar princess over her. Luna’s face has changed to the look of a madness; the ground seemingly rumbling from the power of her anger.
“YOU SHALL PAY FOR THINE ACTIONS, TINY UNICORN!!” He voice explodes throughout the crater; its deafening tone should have reached Equestria with this level of sheer rage behind it. Trixie is trembling in absolute fear at the alicorn before her. Yet she tries to keep her wits about her as Luna lifts her into the air with her magic.
“T-Trixie is n-not scared. S-she can still e-escape!” She says with a new and violent shakiness in her voice. Before Luna can cast another spell, Trixie’s horn explodes in a bright light; blinding Luna for a few seconds. Luna turns away from Trixie’s blinding spell; shielding her eyes with forehoof. This makes Luna drop the unicorn, who quickly flees towards her teacher.
“Forget Luna, Trixie must help Paradox. Besides, Celestia will be ours soon.” She murmurs to herself as she runs. Meanwhile, Luna is starting to regain her vision; being able to see Supernova madly typing away at The M.I.N.D’s control panel.
“Nova, stop this thing!” Luna shouts as she stumbles towards him. Suddenly, the machine’s voice echoes again:
“Lock-on in T-minus: Thirty seconds and counting.”
“Working on it, Luna!” Supernova shouts nervously, madly typing on buttons like there's no tommorow. “Blast it!” He suddenly screams in frustration. “Trixie locked the main controls! I can’t do much of anything at the moment!” Luna gasps softly as she looks toward Equestria; sadness taking over her face.
“Tia… No...” She whispers to herself in dread.
Meanwhile, Christian and Pinkie are busy dodging incoming fire from Paradox by bouncing around like a couple of maniacs. The two of them are flipping, jumping, and weaving across the lunar surface while Paradox peppers the area with magic blast after magic blast. As the two scramble to get away from the time spirit, Christian notices Supernova frantically typing away at the console while Luna looks onward at Equestria with fear and worry written on her face. Christian instantaneously knows what is wrong. He looks over at Pinkie, who is having a grand time dodging Paradox.
“Pinkie! We have to help stop that thing!” Christian shouts as he performs a cartwheel to avoid another black blast from Paradox. Pinkie twists her head around a full one hundred and eighty degrees to see The M.I.N.D charging up, and quickly swivels back to Christian and nods.
“But how?” She asks while leaping over another dark laser. Christian thinks to himself as he tries to come up with an answer. Suddenly, an idea hits him quicker than Pinkie on a sugar high.
“Pinkie! Break out the party cannon! I got an idea!” He snaps. In seconds, Pinkie pulls out her prized cannon from seemingly out of nowhere. Paradox looks at the unbelievable act before him with complete confusion.
“Where did that thing come from?!” He shouts at the two of them below. Pinkie and Christian take no notice to the question as the human quickly hops onto the cannon as Pinkie turns it away from the giant weapon.
“Alright Pinkie; since we’re on the moon, the force from the cannon should propel me and the cannon towards The M.I.N.D. I should be able to knock it out of alignment if I jump and body check the thing.”
“Alrighty! Then what?” She asks as she wheels the cannon along to moon's surface, dodging incoming fire.
“Uh, haven’t gotten that far yet. FIRE!” Pinkie pushes the button and the cannon explodes into a slew of colorful confetti and streamers. While doing so, Christian and cannon fly toward The M.I.N.D at somewhat of a high speed. The whole ordeal makes Paradox and Trixie stare in shock and awe as Christian rides his way towards the laser.
“Lock-on in T-Minus: Ten, nine, eight…”
Luna and Nova gasp in horror as the countdown as it nears completion. Christian hears the final numbers tick down and leaps from the cannon in mid-flight. He soars toward the top of the laser as the timer hits five; preparing to hit the laser’s head with a full force body check. As his arm connects to the machine, a sound best described as a hammer striking the side of a tanker truck echoes across the moon. Nova and Luna look up to see The M.I.N.D’s top half swiveling away from Equestria… and Christian flying along with it.
As the timer hits three, Nova casts a portal spell in Christian’s line of fire as he soars away from the weapon. A split second after the first spell, Nova casts the second portal on the far side of the crater. Christian shields himself as he enters the spectral doorway and flies out onto the lunar surface once more. Crashing downward in a plume of white dust and rocks, he glares up and braces for the result of the concluding countdown. As the countdown time finally ends, a brilliant maroon beam is fired out of the tip of The M.I.N.D’s laser.
However, instead of hitting its intended planetary target; the laser flies out towards space… yet its flight path is also en route to Supernova’s portal. The beam zips in one portal and out the other; inches above where Christian is ducking down on the lunar surface. The beam then makes a horrifyingly loud bang and crackle as it hits something: The M.I.N.D’s main structure. The portals were aligned in such a way that the beam was able to fire from and hit the machine in one shot. As the laser dissipates, The M.I.N.D starts shaking wildly and the console starts flashing red and emits a high pitched beeping. Trixie and Paradox gasp at the turn of events and quickly dash over to the main console to see what the problem is. Luna, Pinkie, and Nova meanwhile; go to Christian’s aid.
“No! No! No!” Trixie repeats as she pounds the controls in anger. “The M.I.N.D has gone critical from getting hit by itself! If it isn’t controlled…”
“Then fix it, Trixie! QUICKLY!” Paradox shouts at her. Trixie starts mashing on the control panel like a crazy pony. Yet the beeping begins to get quicker and louder as she types madly. Suddenly, a booming siren wails from The M.I.N.D; making Paradox and Trixie look at each other in grief.
“Oh, shoot.” They say in unison as a certain unnerving future becomes apparent to them. Christian glances up to see the machine reacting wildly; twitching and sparking out of control. He puts his head back down to shield himself from the obviously inevitable outcome of that thing exploding. As Trixie starts pressing buttons even faster, the weapon emits a low beep as the main head of the laser starts to spin faster and faster. Paradox slams his staff on the ground in rage.
“Curse those ponies and that human.” He says just as the entire contraption explodes in a brilliant array of sparks and machinery; ending in a spectacular red-orange fireball. The magnitude of the explosion shakes the surrounding area violently; causing moon rocks to crash downward into the crater and the tunnel from earlier to cave in a bit. Christian prepares for the worst. Yet despite the sheer chaos around him, the area he is in is relatively quiet. Confused, Christian opens his eyes to see Luna conjuring a shield around him; with Pinkie and Supernova jumping into view and helping the human to his feet.
“Are you okay, Christian? That was quite the stunt you pulled off!” Nova remarks with a relieved smile. Christian nods.
“Yea, i’m good.” He says while looking around at the fireball surrounding the magic shield. “Whoa, talk about a bang.” He says has the fireball starts to dissipate. Luna smirks as she sees the destruction before her.
“TAKE THAT YOU TWO! NEXT TIME, DON’T MESS WITH MY MOON!” Her scream echoes across the moon. The three inside the shield cover their ears at the magnitude of Luna’s yelling. Yet, the group was also filled with simultaneous relief that the two villains were subdued. As the debris from the machine drifts off into deep space, Paradox and Trixie are floating right along with it. Trixie has the emotion of pure rage on her face, while Paradox remains expressionless.
“The nerve of those meddlesome ponies and Christian! Ruining our pla-”
“Nevermind that, Trixie. Our task here is complete.” Paradox cuts off his student. Trixie looks at him, bewildered by his comment.
“Pardon me? Complete? But Trixie doesn’t-” Suddenly, Trixie gains a blank stare of remembrance. “Oh, right. Nevermind, Paradox.” She says with a small smile. Trixie’s horn glows as she casts a periwinkle portal in the darkness of space. Paradox nods as the two of them along with a small group of changelings enter the portal and vanish in a matter of seconds, hidden from the heroes on the moon’s surface.
Meanwhile, the group below is celebrating madly from their victory. Luna and Nova are high-hoofing while Pinkie and Christian are flipping in the air in glee. With that device destroyed and Celestia saved, Paradox and Trixie’s plan had been stopped.
“Nice job, everyone!” Luna announces. “Thanks to you three, my moon is safe and secure once more. And so is my sister.” She looks back at the planet. “I don’t know what I would have done if they would have succeeded. Thank you all.” She says with a small smile and a look of content.
“No problem, Luna!” Christian says with a nod.
“Yea! It was fun!” Pinkie shouts happily.
“You know I would help you with anything, Luna.” Nova says, shutting down his scanner. “Plus, the orb was due for an upgrade.” He adds with a smirk. As Luna smiles with joy, she looks around the destroyed crater; her eyes focusing back onto the tunnel where they first entered. A chill rides up her spine as the familiar and old feeling returns to her. Allured by this sense, she makes her way back over to the tunnel. Supernova eyes this new behavior of hers; perplexed and also a bit nervous that something is wrong with the princess.
“Umm, Luna? Are you alright?” He asks. Yet Luna takes no notice to his words as she re-enters the tunnel. Nova quickly dashes after her. Meanwhile, Pinkie and Christian take no notice of the two of them until Nova alerts the two of them of what is going on.
“Pinkie! Christian!” He shouts. The two stop their celebration and land back onto the moon’s surface.
“What’s up, Nova?” Christian asks.
“Hey, where’s Princess Luna?” Pinkie questions aloud.
“That’s ‘what’s up’, Christian.” Nova states, looking back toward the tunnel. “She went in there. We must follow her at once!” He says while rushing into the cavern after the princess. Pinkie and Christian nod at each other before following after Nova in seconds. Inside the small tunnel, Luna starts wandering down the path as if in a hypnotized state. Suddenly, she stops in front of a partially cracked part of the interior wall of the cavern. The sense within her feels stronger as she gets closer to it. Suddenly, as if a certain realization strikes her. She gasps and blasts the cracked part of the cave with a magic beam. The beam shatters the wall; revealing a whole new path. Luna stares at the entrance wide-eyed.
“No… It can’t be…” She mutters to herself. Just then, Nova and the others arrive to her location.
“Luna!” Supernova calls out. Yet once again, Luna ignores the call and jumps into the new path. The other three run towards where Luna vanished, staring at the dark and mysterious hole in the wall. Nova is the first to step forward, and places a hoof onto the other side of the wall and into the darkness. “We need to follow her! Come on you two!” He demands as he continues and disappears from Pinkie and Christian’s line of sight. The other two look at each other, worried and nervous; hesitant to follow their friend into the unknown and mysterious depths of the moon lying before them. With a loud and simultaneous exhale, Pinkie and Christian march onward into the darkness and after the two ponies before them.
Chapter 4: Dark Past, Bright Future
Supernova, Pinkie, and Christian trek through the caverns of the moon; following Princess Luna as she tracks this new and familiar feeling within her. The caves have gotten pitch black as they have gone deeper into the moon; the only light coming from the magic being generated by Luna and Supernova. Even with this small amount of luminescence, the tunnels were still drenched in darkness. The three lagging behind Luna keep pushing, hoping to discover what Luna is being lured to.
“We’ve been in these caves for ten minutes!” Christian says, trying not to trip over any loose rocks on the floor below him. “Where the heck is Luna going?” He asks, stumbling over a dip in the cave floor.
“No idea.” Supernova says, looking back at the two following him. “But whatever it is, Luna seems determined to find it.” Nova suddenly stops, realizing that Luna’s form has vanished from his sight; her dark blue light also missing from the tunnel before him. “Speaking of which, where did she go?” He glances around the space in front of him, yet still nothing. At this point, Christian sighs with impatience. This is starting to get ridiculous.
“Okay, you know what? This ends now!” Christian pushes Nova aside and continues walking forward, angered and annoyed. “I don’t care what Luna is doing. I just want to go ba-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Christian suddenly screams as his voice quickly softens to the point of it almost being inaudible. Pinkie and Nova glance at each other before rushing to where Christian walked into the darkness. The two quickly come to a halt as they realize where Christian is: Below in a giant open space smack in the middle of the cave system. Light from outside the moon trickles in from small openings above; giving the two just enough light to see their human friend tens of feet below them.
“Christian! Are you okay?” Pinkie yells down. “Groan once for yes, twice for no!” A loud and muffled groan is heard from the fallen human. Pinkie smiles at his answer. “He’s fine.” She says happily. Supernova rolls his eyes at her and looks back at Christian, who is just now trying to get back to his feet.
“Well, that was unexpected… And painful.” Christian mumbles to himself as he leans up on his arm.
“Christian! Do you see Luna down there?!” Nova yells down. Christian looks out into the large open space for any sight of the blue alicorn. Suddenly, his eyes pop open at the sight before him. He quickly scrambles to his feet and looks up at where he fell.
“Uh, you two might want to see this!” He shouts in shock and worry. The two ponies look at each other confused before hopping down to meet him. The lower gravity softens their landings as they go to Christian’s side, who is just standing in awe at what is before him.
“What do you see Christi-” Nova’s sentence freezes as he sees the sight before him. “For the love of Celestia...” Nova says, now gasping at the same view before him. Pinkie looks at the two of them oddly before looking in front of her. Before the three of them, at the end of the large chamber is the towering structure of a large and ruined castle. The light from outside shown the castle’s brick colors of an onyx black, while the flags, roofs, and other smaller features were a deep blue; almost like a navy or cobalt in color. The structure itself was an almost exact copy of Canterlot Castle; almost like it's a sort of decrepit shadow of said building. Nova looks down at the fallen front doors of the ruins to see a blue pony standing motionless before the building: Princess Luna. Supernova starts trotting towards her without so much as a word, for he already knows why this castle is here. The other two quickly snap out of their fixated trance and follow their unicorn friend. As Nova approaches Luna, he takes a breath.
“She built this… Didn’t she?” He says to her. Luna keeps her back to Supernova, yet his voice shocks him. She seems to be out of whatever trance she was in. The princess slowly nods at his words.
“Yes…” Luna says, softly. “A thousand years stranded here is a lot of time. One gets bored quite quickly. Besides, I needed someplace to stay.” She says while finally turning around. Pinkie and Christian rush up to meet the princess. Christian looks back up at the ruined and towering structure.
“So wait, this was made by Nightmare Moon?” Christian asks. Nova and Luna both nod. “Huh, awesome.”
“I’ll say!” Pinkie says while bouncing over the human. “But how did get in the moon?” She questions aloud with a tilt of her head. Luna sighs at the question.
“Rocks from space must have pludged this castle down within the depths of the moon.” She answers, somewhat sourly. “I only wished that it was fully destroyed as well.” The group behind her continue to marvel at the structure before them. To think that this once belonged to such a powerful villain is mind-boggling!
“Wow, Nightmare Moon’s castle!” Pinkie exclaims with joy. “This outta be fun!” She starts jumping towards the castle’s broken entrance. This sole act alerts the others with horror.
“Pinkie! Get back here! Who knows what’s in there!” Christian shouts as he races after her. Luna and Nova quickly follow in pursuit; entering the creepy castle. Pinkie jumps along the long hallway inside; over debris and rocks, allured at every sight around her. In reality, the interior of the castle has the same format as Canterlot’s: A long hallway ending at a single throne. The tattered rug leading to a partial destroyed tall, blue and black throne with a crescent moon crest on top. Rocks and pillars dotted the hallway; which were easy obstacles for Pinkie who hopped over them easily. The others ran around the obstacles as they tried catching up to the hyperactive pink pony.
“Weeee!” She shouts while flipping over a fallen column and onto the throne.
“Pinkie! Hold still or so help me, i’ll-” Christian goes to threaten her with his crossbow; yet he then remembers that he no longer has it. He quickly tries to think of something else. “I’ll… use a… sleeping spell on you?” He says unsuringly. Nova looks at him, unimpressed.
“Great job, Christian. That will get her to stop.” He states with smirk and sarcastic roll of the eyes as all three of them catch up to Pinkie, who is still bouncing up and down on the broken throne. “Pinkie!” He shouts at the pony. “Quit jumping up and down! This entire place is completely unstable! You might make this castle collapse in on us!” He warns. Pinkie ignores him and keeps jumping on the throne.
“Aww, come on, Nova!” She says while leaping off the throne and in front of the group. “It’s a lot of fun!” Suddenly, the throne behind her cracks and breaks down into a pile of rubble. Then, a extremely violent shaking starts rocking the entire castle. The wall behind the throne starts crackling and crumbling apart as more columns plummet from where they once stood. Pinkie’s little stunt had set off a chain reaction of collapse. Supernova glares at Pinkie, irate at her lack of listening skills.
“Next time I say something, LISTEN!” He screams at her. Pinkie smiles nervously.
“Whoops, my bad!” She says with a nervous rub of her neck. The group looks around to see their surroundings falling apart. All four of them lock eyes with each other and the same plan seems to be understood between them: Get the heck out of here! The four of them race to the front door of the castle; when suddenly, another large pillar starts to fall towards them. The group screeches to a halt before swiftly backtracking to avoid getting squashed. With a dive, they just manage to escape being crushed. As the pillar smacks into the ground, the shaking subsides and the dust settles. Luna gets up off the ground; coughing after that catastrophe.
“Is everyone alright?” She asks as the others start to get up. Nova jolts up; eyes angrily crossed at Pinkie who is just getting to her hooves.
“We’re fine. However, we were lucky that the entire castle didn’t cave in around us!” He shouts in rage. “Pinkie, we were almost crushed because of you!” Pinkie looks down at the ground in sadness.
“Gee, I’m sorry; Supernova. I was just having fun.” Supernova prepares to give the mare a stern talking to as Christian starts to get to his feet. As he does, he notices Luna being fixated on something in the back of the castle. Curious and wanting to avoid hearing any of the argument, he starts toward the princess. Coming up next to her, he follows her eyes to where the throne once stood, and he too is fixated on what is before him.
“Hey… guys.” Christian says, still in shock. Yet Pinkie and Nova keep arguing in the background.
“It’s an unstable structure!” Nova continues. “Of course if you jump around like a mad pony it could collapse!”
“It was fine for all this time; I figured it would be safe enough.” Pinkie defends herself.
“That does make any-”
“SUPERNOVA! PINKIE! CEASE YOUR BICKERING!” Luna shouts at the two of them. The two ponies become dead silent as they look up at the lunar princess. Luna quickly loses her irate look as she turns her head to look back at the two of them. “Pinkie, your act was of a great benefit to us.” Luna continues. Pinkie hears this and smiles.
“Really? How so Luna?” She asks, Supernova gives the princess a curious look.
“See for yourselves.” She steps aside as the two ponies trot towards where she and Christian were looking towards. As they approach the end of the hall, they stand in awe at what is before them. Behind where the dark throne stood, the back wall had been demolished in the small collapse of the castle; revealing a hidden chamber. The chamber is small, yet very special: as on a pedestal in the center lay a necklace.
The necklace looks similar to The Alicorn Amulet; yet instead of silver alicorn head, horn, and wings; a unicorn is in its place. The unicorn’s head is an onyx color that’s as dark as outer space. The silver eyes of the unicorn’s head contrasted against this black background like the stars in the night sky. In the center of the necklace is a beautiful cyan gem in the shape of a club, like from the suit of cards. The moment everyone saw the necklace, they all knew what it was.
“Is… that…” Nova goes to say, yet Luna beats him to the punch.
“Yes. That is an Element of Conflict.”
“How the heck did THAT get up here?!” Christian asks as he approaches the necklace. Luna laughs a bit at the question.
“I was given that element a long time ago by my sister. When I was…. Nightmare Moon and after Celestia… well.” She pauses and looks away for a few seconds. “Anyway,” She snaps back to reality and continues. “As Nightmare Moon; I believed I was above such objects. So I stored it somewhere safe and hidden. I figured I had no need for it, for I was already quite powerful.”
“I can’t believe our luck!” Nova exclaims as he rushes to Christian’s side to observe the legendary artifact more closely. Christian thinks about what he says before getting a suspicious feeling in the back of his head.
“Yea, it’s a bit TOO lucky.” He mumbles to himself.
“Your right, Christian.” Luna says, coming up from behind him.
“Hmm?” He responds, looking back at Luna.
“It makes me think that there is a bigger game being played here.” She comments, with Christian nodding; understanding what she meant by her statement.
“That shouldn’t matter now though!” Pinkie jumps into the conversation. “We beat Paradox and Trixie! They can’t get the element now!” Christian and Luna look at Pinkie and nod happily at each other. She was right. If those two were going after the element, they had lost their chance.
“This necklace is positively amazing!” Supernova shouts in glee. “Imagine what types of powers that this could give to its rightful owner!”
“Actually Nova, I don’t think its true owner is very far.” Luna points out. Supernova looks at her funny.
“What do you mean?” He asks nervously. Christian and Pinkie look at each other before looking at the necklace in good detail, and then to the unicorn beside it. After going back and forth a few more times, they realize what Luna was implying.
“Dude… It’s YOU!” Christian shouts while pointing at Supernova, who reels in shock at his exclamation.
“I-I’m sorry?” He responds nervously. Christian rushes up to the pedestal and swipes the necklace clean off its resting place.
“Look at this thing, Nova.” Christian turns the unicorn’s head to come eye to eye with the necklace. “It’s a black unicorn with silver eyes with a light blue club for a symbol. There is only ONE unicorn I know with those colors, and that’s you!” Nova’s eyes bug out at his friend’s realization: The necklace did look a lot like him. “You should try it on! We might as well see if the theory is correct!” Supernova’s eyes shrink. If there is one thing he can’t back down from, it is proving if a theory is right or wrong.
“Well…” Supernova says with a gulp. “I-I guess it’s w-worth a shot. F-for science.” He stutters, reaching for the necklace with a forehoof. Christian places the trinket in Supernova’s forehoof and backs away to Luna and Pinkie. Supernova takes a long look at the necklace before looking back to his three friends nervously. With a heavy exhale, he gazes at the necklace before levitating it up into the air with some magic. “Alright then.” He says with another nervous breath. “Here goes nothing.” He flips the necklace around and prepares to place it on his neck…
Back in Equestria, the citizens of Ponyville are still in a deep sleep. Completely oblivious to the relative danger that was above their heads minutes ago. Along with the rest of the town, Twilight Sparkle is enjoying her slumber with Spike. Then, a white light starts shining through her window. Twilight, who is somewhat awakened by the light, shifts to her side to avoid being disturbed further. However, the light grows in its luminescence. Now annoyed, Twilight lifts her head up to see what is going on. Groggy from her rude awakening, she looks out her window to see what the hay is going on outside. At this point, Spike is also woken up by the same disturbance.
“Twilight, what’s going on out there?” He asks. Twilight shrugs at him before returning her view towards outside. Looking up, she sees the full and bright moon. However, that is not the source of the light: It is the shining white pillar coming out of the moon’s side that is providing the blinding light; which is still increasing in its brightness. Twilight looks at this harsh light with fear in mind, scared that something is wrong with the moon.
“Spike, we need to get to the castle! Quickly!” She says as Spike hops on her back and they rush out the door. Dashing out of the library, Twilight gallops through Ponyville; whose citizens have also been awoken by the light above them. Most of which are concerned by the strange omen. Twilight can hear ponies’ panic whispers to each other as she races towards Canterlot. Suddenly, Dash drops from the sky, flying alongside Twilight.
“Hey Twilight, the hay is going on with the moon?” She asks, flying on her back.
“No idea, Dash. But I doubt it's good through; whatever it is.” She answers. “Can you get the rest of the girls and tell them to meet me at the castle? We need to sort this out quick!” She asks.
“That’s not necessary, Twi.” A voice from behind her says. Turning around, Twilight sees Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy all racing behind her. Twilight smiles. “We were all woken up by that light. And we all want ta know what the hay is goin’ on!” Twilight nods as they continue heading towards the castle.
The doors of Canterlot Castle burst open as the five mares charge in. The castle is oddly quiet at this time of night. The light from the moon had finally died down just as the girls were approaching the exterior of the castle. However, the glow of the moon still fills the castle with an eerie white and low light. The girls look around the castle, wanting to see any signs of activity. Then, Princess Celestia emerges from the staircase above her throne.
“Hello, girls.” She says with a yawn. The mares freeze in shock at her relatively calm state.
“Princess,” Twilight starts. “We’re here to see-”
“I’m aware of what happened with the moon, Twilight.” She cuts her off with a smile.
“Oh.” She murmurs softly.
“However, it was smart of you girls to come here to tell me anyway.” She starts down the rest of the stairs. Her expression changes to that of being concerned. “My sister seems to be missing from her room. I am worried about her whereabouts.”
“Come to think of it,” Rarity adds. “Has anyone seen Pinkie?” The other girls look around and notice their pink friend is missing from the group.
“You think she’s with Princess Luna?” Dash questions.
“I don’t know.” Celestia continues. “But we must find the two of them. Wherever they-”
FWOOSH!
Out of nowhere, a rainbow portal opens up in between the princess and the ponies. The girls instantly recognize the portal as Christian’s portable portal. The girls peer into the colors and duck out of the way as Christian jumps out. Rolling out onto the floor, he looks back at the girls with a grin that can only be described as seeing something unbelievable and completely amazing. The girls quickly rush to his aid.
“Christian?! Are you okay?!” Twilight asks. Christian doesn’t answer for a few seconds, still in awe about something, before nodding slowly.
“I’m fine. In fact… I’m better than fine.” He says slowly.
“Why? What happened? Were you on the moon, Christian? Were you with Luna?” Celestia asks, hastily; wanting to know what happened to her sister. Christian again, nods slowly.
“Yes, I was with Luna. In fact…” As if on que, the blue princess of the night pops out of the portal. And just like Christian, she has the same look of bewilderment. Celestia sighs in relief as she goes to hug her sister.
“Oh Luna! I’m so happy to see that you’re alright!” Luna quickly snaps out of her trance and hugs her sister right back.
“Tia! I’m happy that you're fine as well!” Her sister’s comment makes Celestia look at her sister curiously.
“Of course i’m okay, Luna. Why would I not be?” Luna looks away from her sister and looks up at her moon.
“Paradox and Trixie… They were up there.” The girls gasp at what Luna has said. “They had this… device that would have made you evil forever. However, with some help-” She looks back at Christian and the portal. Suddenly, Pinkie leaps out of the portal, still looking as happy as ever. “We managed to stop them.”
“Hi girls!” She introduces herself to her friends. The rest of the mares rush over to their friend, relieved that she’s okay.
“Pinkie!” Twilight shouts with worry. “Are you okay?” Pinkie gleefully nods.
“Yea, i’m fine. You should see Supernova, though!” She comments with another smile. The girls look at each other.
“Uhh, Supernova? Why?” The all say simultaneously. Pinkie hops next to the portal and presents a forehoof.
“See for yourself!” Right as her sentence ends another pony jumps out of the portal. Celestia and the girls look towards the portal as the final pony jumps out: Supernova. Yet this Supernova is different; he looked more… fearless and tranquil. He also is wearing some sort of necklace. However, the girls already knew what that necklace was; even before Supernova looks at the crowd before him and speaks:
“I am Supernova: The Element of Space!” His shout echoes throughout the castle’s interior. The girls’ jaws collectively drop as they stare at this awoken legend. A collective of ‘ohh’s and ahh’s’ flow throughout the hallway as Nova puffs out his chest in pride. This new power flowing through him felt amazing.
“Wow! Another Element of Conflict! Incredible!” Twilight exclaims.
“No kiddin’!” Applejack adds. “What kind of powers did ya get, Nova?” She asks, eager to know. Supernova gives a smirk as his horn starts to glow an electric blue. He moves his forehooves across the ground, as if trying to feel or sense something. Suddenly, the group surrounding him starts floating right off the ground around the unicorn. Everyone besides Pinkie and Christian start freaking out as they start floating for some unknown reason.
“Hey! What’s going on?!” Twilight shouts as she is hoisted into the air.
“Not cool! Only I can control when I fly!” Dash yells while trying to use her wings to stay upright, yet it is to no avail.
“Eep!” Fluttershy murmurs.
“Get me down! Get me down, THIS INSTANT!” Rarity demands while flailing her hooves like a maniac.
“Whoa! This is wild!” Applejack comments as she starts slowly flipping backwards.
“This is awesome!” Spike cheers with a front flip. Supernova laughs at the ponies’ frightened and confused expressions.
“Relax, girls. As the bearer of the Element of Space; I can control the gravity of a surrounding area AND the gravity of any objects I desire. Even myself.” He says this as his hooves start glowing cyan and he himself starts flying up into the air. Then, the cyan light fades around his hooves and Nova starts floating all on his own. He soars around the hall as the girls hover below him, trying to flip over and control themselves; yet they remain slowly spinning and flailing in mid-air. Nova twirls and flips over them as if he were a highly trained pegasus; minus the wings. Landing back on the ground, his horn glows once more as he releases the girls from his anti-gravity grasp. The girls crash back down the ground, aching a bit from the landing. Christian, Luna, and Pinkie all look at Nova proudly. This new power is a great advantage to them.
“How cool is that?!” Christian shouts, nodding to Nova. Dash gets up off the floor; a bit angry that she had no control over her levitation.
“Yea, that’s great.” She says, irked. “What else can you do?” Nova looks outside to the stars above.
“Well…” With another cyan glow of his horn, the stars outside seem to come alive. In a instant, hundreds of shooting stars soar across the starry background. Everyone in the castle gazes at the marvel outside the windows in awe. “I can control nearby space debris in order to create shooting stars; if that counts for something.” The stallion says proudly.
“Indeed it does, Supernova.” Celestia says with a satisfied smile. Everyone looks towards her; the ‘Equestrian Legends’ book now floating beside her. Opening it up and flipping through a few pages; Celestia presents the book with the “Elements of Conflict” pages shown to the group in front of her. On the top right of the right page, diagonal of Frostbite’s picture, is the brand new picture of Supernova and a new description. “Ahem,” Celestia clears her throat as she prepares to read it:
“The Element of Space, a unicorn of magic and science; he has the abilities of bending the gravity around him at his will. Doing so, he can control the gravity of objects close to him, from leaves to ponies to boulders. He can even bend his own gravity to give himself flight without the use of wings. The Element of Space can also control nearby asteroids to bombard the area around him in order to control the field of battle if the need arises. The laws of physics mean nothing to him, as he controls what follows them and what does not.” Celestia finishes with Supernova beaming with pride. “Now Nova,” Celestia starts up again. “You understand what this means, correct?” Nova cocks his head in confusion.
“Uhh, I’m the true owner of a legendary artifact?” Celestia laughs a bit at him.
“Well yes; but it also means that i’ll need to keep a close eye on you...”
“Wait, wait;” Nova slowly approaches Celestia. “You mean you want me to stay here in the castle as well?” He questions. Celestia nods.
“But of course! Besides, you and Luna could spend more time together to study magic.”
“Huh, that’s a nice side benefit.” Luna comments with a small smile. Nova nods.
“Well, I would love to stay here at the castle, Celestia! It would be an honor!” He says with a bow.
“Glad to hear it, Supernova. We can move you in tomorrow on one of the upper floors of the castle. It has a balcony, so it is perfect for you to continue your astrological research and it is right next to Luna’s room so you can practice magic with her as you wish.” Supernova gives the princess a wide smile at the location of his new home. He couldn’t be happier.
“I’ll help you move in tomorrow, Nova.” Christian adds in with a huge yawn. Looks like all the sugar Pinkie gave him earlier is starting to wear off. “After I collapse from lack of sleep back home.” Too tired to even walk back to the portal in town. Christian takes out his own portal device and lazily throws it out onto the floor.
“Destination is set to: Earth. Location?” The orb asks. Christian, whose eyes are now have open, spaces out and stares at the device for a few seconds before answering.
“Uhh… Home.” He says with another yawn. The orb sends out a bunch of beeps as another colorful portal opens before him. Christian goes to take a step towards it before immediately collapsing to the floor, sound asleep. Twilight rolls her eyes before lifting the passed out human onto her back.
“I’ll make sure he gets home safely.” The unicorn says as she walks through the portal to Earth.
“Christian’s got the right idea, though.” Applejack points out with a yawn of her own. “Ah’m goin’ back ta bed.”
“Same here, darling.” Rarity says as she goes towards the door. “I just hope Sweetie Belle didn’t wake up with all the noise.”
“I think you girls should all go back to sleep.” Luna says. “It’s a been a long night, and with the sun rising soon. I myself need some rest.”
“No problem, Princess Luna!” Dash yells as she starts for the door with the others. Twilight then appears leaping out of another portal that has appeared in the hallway. As she exits, her legs are noticeably wobbling as the unicorn tries to walk around.
“Well, Christian’s home.” She says, somewhat aggravated. “He managed to shoot off a paralyzing spell at me before I put him in bed. I don’t even know where he learned that spell!” Twilight mumbles to herself while trying to trot over to her teacher. Celestia can’t help but laugh a little at the scenario.
“Looks like Christian has been doing some extra studying!” She comments. “You should be proud, Twilight! You’ve been a great teacher for him!” Twilight rolls her eyes, but in her head; she is a bit proud that Christian has been advancing his studies all on his own. She’s happy that he has been taking an interest in his magic.
“Well, at least he’s practicing more.” She says to herself.
“You should head home with the others, Twilight.” Celestia address her student. “We’ll be able to sort all of this out thoroughly in the morning.” The princess heads back to her sister; bringing Luna close and giving her a warm, comforting hug.
“Yea,” Spike says with a yawn. “Let’s go catch up on our shut eye, Twilight.” He rubs an eye tiredly before climbing back onto Twilight’s back. Resting his head on her’s, he quickly falls back asleep. Twilight sighs with a smile at the little dragon before heading towards the door. Twilight looks back down the hallway one final time; again smiling at the two sisters enjoying each other’s company before she slips out the door as quiet as a mouse, as to not wake Spike.
*Click*
The door slowly closes, and silence takes over the castle.
“...She is gone, Tia.”
“Yes…” Celestia parts from her sister and goes over to the window beside her. Luna looks on at her sister nervously as Celestia stares up at the moon; a disgruntled frown frozen on her face. “Luna,” She starts, her eyes still fixated to the view outside. Luna does not respond to her sister. “Luna,” Celestia’s voice suddenly sharpens in worry and a touch of anger. “What was their plan up there… What machine did they create?” The alicorn turns her head, a stern frown still on her face. Luna gives her sister a soft nod; taking a breath before answering.
“Paradox called it The Malevolent Influencing and Normalizing Device, or The M.I.N.D.” Celestia makes no motion except for a small nod as she continues to stare out the window. She already knows how Paradox and Trixie were able to create the device. “Thier plan,” Luna continues. “Their plan was to use that device on me to become Nightmare Moon forever.” Celestia gasps at what her sister says before gritting her teeth at the very thought. “But they were going to use it on you, Tia.” Celestia hears this and, suddenly and inexplicably smiles. Luna sees this and raises a brow at her sister.
“Well, it seems that won’t be a problem.” Celestia comments as she looks back at her sister. “You and the others destroyed that device; they failed in their plan.”
“Like they were going to succeed, dear sister.” Luna says to Celestia. “They were doomed from the start.”
“Yes…” Celestia’s smile is then replaced with another frown, yet this one of a concerned look. “However, this only makes me worry about that other blueprint. If Paradox managed to get one of those devices working, he can most likely make the second device operational as well.” She looks at Luna; determination on her face. “I must tell John about this in the morning; and we must find out what that second weapon is!”
“Of course, Tia.” Luna puts a forehoof on her sister’s shoulder. “We will stop Paradox’s plans! He shall not succeed!” Celestia stares deeply into her sister’s eyes; inside is a fire burning with a passion to stop this malevolent spirit and protect Equestria from his rule. “Whatever this device is, we will stop it! You, me, Christian, The Elements of Harmony AND The Elements of Conflict!” Celestia agrees with her sister with a silent nod.
“Of course, Luna. I just fear what Paradox has planned.” She starts up the stairs, with Luna following after her. “That time spirit is smarter than we have anticipated. We must plan our next moves very carefully. Because if we don’t-” Celestia stops halfway up the steps and turns to her sister, her pupils small and her breath short and nervous. “Equestria will have a new ruler.” She thinks about her sentence before shaking her head and snapping out of this trance. “But we will make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“Yes, sister. He will not rule as long as we stand.” Luna trots up in front of Celestia. “Now come, sister;” She says, tiredly. “Let’s both of us get some well deserved sleep.” Celestia nods at Luna, and the two of them continue up to their rooms and spend the next few hours asleep and determined to keep Equestria out of the hands of evil.
The night sky darkens the deserted landscape of The Badlands. Shadows of rocky monoliths cover the ground as the moon begins to set and daylight starts to peer over the horizon. As the black sky starts to fill with a light orange, a creature lands below: Queen Chrysalis. She stirs up dust and sand as the queen lands; a squadron of changelings patrolling around her. The group stands at attention, seemingly waiting for something to happen. Seconds later, a light blue portal opens in front of them. Another few seconds pass as Paradox emerges out of the portal. Jumping down onto the ground, he gives the queen a satisfied grin.
“Did everything go according to plan?” The queen asks, a bit unimpressed with the statement. Before Paradox can answer, Trixie bounds out of the portal behind her teacher.
“Yes Chrysalis,” She answers for him. “The plan went perfectly!” Chrysalis sighs at Trixie’s response.
“I still don’t understand how letting those ponies and that wretched human beating you both is ‘part of the plan’.” She questions. Paradox laughs at Chrysalis’s puzzlement.
“We want to lure those fools into a false sense of security. Remember, Chrysalis?” He starts to encircle Chrysalis and her drones. “We want to make them all feel powerful; make them feel like they have a chance. And then, when our true plan comes to fruition…” He flashes away from his position and appears in front of Chrysalis, clenching a fist. “We snatch all their hope away and secure ourselves as rulers of Equestria!” He laughs triumphantly. Chrysalis shrugs her shoulders at his idea.
“So, them getting the Element of Conflict was also all part of the plan?” She asks. Paradox nods.
“Indeed. When we reach our full power, those elements will be worthless against us!” Paradox drifts away from the queen; looking off into the distant landscape. “Anyway, it is time for Phase Two of my plan.” His head cocks back to Chrysalis. “Did you complete your mission, Chrysalis?” He asks with a tone of eagerness in his voice. Chrysalis give him a nod, trotting up along side the spirit.
“Yes, Paradox. My changelings and I have found a location that is isolated, secure, and safe. No pony would dare come within a mile!” Paradox smirks at the news.
“Excellent! Bring us to this location at once!” He orders. Chrysalis is already a few steps ahead of him; charging a teleportation spell for the group. A green dome encompasses the trio along with the changeling squad; hiding them from view until the bubble vanishes moments later from the desert, leaving no trace of the villains behind.
The small group materializes as Chrysalis’s green light fades around them. Paradox and Trixie look around at their surroundings. Mostly darkness fills their vision; they are inside some sort of structure obviously. The remnants of the setting moon are able to shed some light as to where they were. Stone walls and flooring make up the environment around them, yet Paradox knows there is more to this place. He turns towards his student, whose eyes are darting around apprehensively at their new surroundings.
“Trixie, a little light if you please.” He asks. Trixie complies with a periwinkle glow from her horn, which soon grows to shine throughout the area. The moment Trixie’s light hits the surroundings walls, it becomes clear that this place is an abandoned building of sorts. Yet this is not a sort of shop or home. As the two analyze the interior, signs of ruin and decay are apparent: Various contraptions and machines litter the building, all of which are turned off and at least partially destroyed. Pipes are rusted on the walls, conveyor belts are broken and snapped apart. Large generator-like machines are in a state of needed yet impossible repair. Large vats near the far wall are warped and void of any liquid. The actual structure of the building is no different: Holes in the walls and cracks in the floor are common throughout the building. Paradox lets out a small laugh. “Love the decor.”
“I figured that this old place would be the perfect hideout for us.” Chrysalis mentions. Paradox nods.
“Yes… You chose wisely, Chrysalis. Dangerous, hidden, abandoned; this is a perfect hideout.” He says as he walks toward a large hole in the wall to stare at the rising sun. “Though the population of Cloudsdale is close, I know those ponies will not dare tread near here.” Trixie perks up an ear at his words. Why would ponies avoid such a place as this? Then, she started to really think about the building she was in. Suddenly, her thoughts clicked.
“Paradox,” She stutters. “Is this-”
“Yes, my student. Indeed it is.” Paradox reads her thoughts like a book. Trixie’s pupils shrink as she starts to tremble suddenly.
“H-Hah… Of course. T-Trixie remembers the rumors of this p-place when she was a filly.” The unicorn shakes. “A-Are they… True, Paradox?” She asks with a squeak. Paradox walks past her, indifferent about the question.
“That depends on what you believe in, my student.” Paradox walks over to one of the broken conveyor belts; placing a hand onto the belt and running it along the surface. The belt squeaks and clicks as it rolls again from the first time in years. “Rumors are a very interesting thing. They can alter a story altogether or change a simple detail.” He lifts his hand from the belt, blowing away the dust on his palm. “But enough idle talk; it is time I introduced you both to Phase Two.” He floats back to Chrysalis and Trixie; with the later jumping excitedly at the news. The two of them gather around Paradox, who puts his staff onto his back. With a snap of his fingers, a familiar looking tube appears in his hand.
“The other blueprint?” Chrysalis questions. “I don’t understand. We just built the other one so it could be destroyed. Why are we doing the same again?” Paradox cackles at her observation.
“Oh, my dear Chrysalis; this blueprint is unlike the other.” He begins to unscrew the top of the tube off. “THIS blueprint will be the instrument of our takeover!” He tosses the top of the tube aside and shakes out the rolled up schematic. Paradox then throws the tube away in a similar manner to its cover as he eagerly prepares to present the two of them with this machine. “Behold, our key to Equestria!” He unravels the blueprint and the two villains marvel at the invention before them. The design and description were enough to make them both shudder in anticipation.
“How do we get started?” Chrysalis asks eagerly. Paradox raises a brow at her attitude.
“I am glad you are interested.” He comments. “Of course, your changelings will need to fetch materials in order to build it. However, this project will take much longer than The MIND did. We will not be finished for a least a few months.” Chrysalis nods.
“Not a problem, Paradox. My changelings and I are eager to start as soon as possible.”
“Good to hear.” He response. “You start tonight.” Suddenly, he grabs the staff off of his back and points at Chrysalis to where the clock on the top is underneath her chin. “Do not fail me, Chrysalis. For if you do, the consequences will be DIRE.” He commands with an angry growl in his voice. Chrysalis nods once more, shaken a bit by this anger.
“Don’t worry, Paradox. My changelings and I will succeed.” She says with a small gulp.
“Good.” Paradox reverts back to his previous stature.
“Just one question.” The queens asks. Paradox glances at her.
“Go on.”
“What do you plan on doing with this… thing?” Paradox laughs again.
“I will reveal my plan as we continue on as I see fit. All you need to know is that you will thoroughly enjoy what I have in store. Now,” He thrusts his staff forward. “Gather your changelings and prepare!” Chrysalis nods and vanishes in a bundle of green light. Paradox nods as he sees the early stages of his plan coming to be. He then looks at Trixie, who is waiting for a command by her teacher.
“What about Trixie, Paradox? What shall she do?” Paradox leads her toward the large hole in the wall as the sun starts to truly rise over the landscape. The two of them stand against the yellow light for a few seconds before the spirit speaks once more.
“You and I will now wait, Trixie.” Trixie gains a puzzled look on her face.
“Wait? Why?!” She hollers. Paradox ignores her outburst and continues to look at the rising sun.
“A sequence of events will unfold soon, my student. Once these events begin, we shall intervene and continue with Phase Three.” Paradox floats away from the hole, leaving Trixie to ponder her teacher’s words. Phase Two is done already?
“What’s Phase Three, Paradox?” Paradox stops mid-flight and gives her a small smirk.
“It is a reunion with… an old friend of mine.”
