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                    Fresh Developments                     
                      -by Mkchief34-                       
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                   Developing Freshness                    
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Developing Freshness
It was a sunny day in Inkopolis plaza. Callie stood on the main stage of the Inkopolis News room, occasionally waving to fans who stopped by. She was starting to get VERY annoyed. Marie was nearly thirty minutes late, and she wasn't answering her phone. Flopping down in her chair, she looked over to the colossal Great Zapfish, now serenely placed on Inkopolis Tower.  Even after all the time that had passed, no squid or other aquatic animal in the city truly knew who rescued the Zapfish.
"Well, Callie, Marie, Gramps, and Agent 3 know the truth..." she mused, breaking the rules of the story at the same time, but at that moment, her phone rang. Picking it up, she saw it was Marie. She growled and answered the phone.
"MARIE! Where are..."
"No time cousin! Gramps needs to see us in the Octo valley STAT!" Marie's normally calm voice was now filled with excitement.
"What about the news?!" Callie replied. "We're thirty minutes late!"
"Gramps says this takes triple priority! And I kinda sorta may have used our sick leave to not have to broadcast today."
"WHAT? You know what, FINE! Be there in a few!"
After putting up a status message on InkBook for he fans, she walked out of the building towards the grate that led to the Octo Valley. Surprisingly, Agent 3, and three more Inklings were also there. Carson was light blue, One was Pink, one orange, one Lime green. They were all chatting among themselves.
"Agent 3? Who are these squiddos?" Callie asked.
"Okay, Callie, this is Alesa, Bri, and Leo. I recruited them for the Squidbeak Splatoon. And my name's Carson, not Agent 3." Carson said sheepishly.
"It's just easier to call you that." she giggled. After introductions went around, they morphed into their squid forms and entered the grate to Octo Valley.
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Arriving in the Octo Valley, the Inklings popped out in their Hero gear, apart from Callie. True to her word, Marie was helping Captain Cuttlefish with a huge radio set. Carson, Leo, Alesa, and Bri sat themselves down, setting their weapons beside them. Soon, the rumbling of the transfer kettle was heard, and none other than Sheldon came out, carrying a toolbox and an InkStrike map tablet.
"Well, Whippersnappers. I guess you're all wondering why we called you here." Cuttelfish said, and the Inklings nodded. Sheldon had begun to work on the radio set, occasionally popping a thumbs up or shaking his head.
"It has to do with the...STRANGE EVENTS that have been going down around Inkpolis. That Aurora Borealis in the middle of the day? The mysterious radio message? All connected!" Cuttlefish said, and Alesa raised her hand.
"Nearly every Inkling in Inkpolis knows that or thinks that, so why are we here?"
"Because of two things. One, they're all, like I said, connected. Two, I found something in the Sunken Scrolls."
Cuttlefish rummaged around through a stack of papers and pulled out a black-colored Sunken Scroll. Pulling out a UV light, he scanned the back, revealing letters.
"Stay in the east, the outlook is in the least. Go to the west, things will go to the best." Bri read out, her pink inked hair glistening in the sunshine. "What does that mean?"
"Means we have an exploration mission for you whippersnappers!" Cuttlefish said eagerly. "I've already prepped a long-range go-fast boat and supplies for all you. Food, water, spare weapons, armor, a few Inkzookas, your Sunken Scroll collection (Nodding towards Carson), the whole nine yards. Sheldon here has agreed to assist us, so I'll let him take over."
Sheldon looked towards the seated Inklings with a smile.
"I've set up a long range Inkstrike Silo in the testing range. This map will allow you to launch an ICIM, inter-continental Ink Missile, to your current location. You only have one, so use it carefully. Also, it packs a bigger payload of Ink. A standard Inkstrike has about a 500 gallon capacity of ink. This baby has 5000! It's very dangerous, so use it well, as I said."  Sheldon walked over and handed the tablet to Carson, who put it in his backpack."And one more thing. I was able to synthesize my own copy of the Technology behind the Hero Shot and Charger, so I was able to make this baby!" Sheldon pulled out a hero weapon-Esq Splatling gun. "The Hero Splatling. New tech means new sub and special. It's running Splat bombs and the Kraken. Treat it well!" He handed the Splatling to Leo, who grinned like a mad squid.
"And one last thing. Carson, I was able to make you a second Hero Shot. It's a but more modular than the old one, so you can dual-wield it." After handing the second Hero Shot to Carson, he returned to work on the radio.
"What's the radio for?" Carson asked.
"Long range communications. So you'll be able to stay in touch with us." Marie said.
"Sounds fine. Anything else?" Carson asked.
"Just stay safe. We can replace the weapons. We can't replace you." Cuttlefish said, and the Splatoon nodded.
"So, where are we heading out from?" Leo asked, shouldering his new Splatling.
"From Saltspray rig. Got it reserved this morning!" Marie said.
"How'd you do that? I thought...the ones from...on high controlled the stages!" Callie said, pouting at her cousin.
"I sent a fax. And I pulled a few strings." Marie said with an playful and evil grin.
Marie rolled her eyes and punched her cousin in the shoulder.
"We gonna get going?" Carson asked Cuttlefish, who nodded and pointed to a separate grate next to the Inkopolis grate.
"I've set up a transport system that will take you to the Rig. See ya around!" Cuttlefish said, and as the Squidbeak Splatoon headed back to Inkopolis, The Squid Sisters looked to each other.
"Think they'll be okay?" Callie asked Marie, who shrugged.
"They're fresh enough. They'll be fine."
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True to his word, Captain Cuttlefish's grate led them straight to the underbelly of Saltspray Rig. After about five minutes of searching, they found a hero-styled large speedboat. As the Inklings investigated the three decks, Carson walked up to the bridge. As he familiarized himself with the controls, Bri popped in.
"Hey Bri. What's up?"
"Cap'n really went overboard with supplies. He packed us a bunch of Inkzookas, a Killer Wail or two, three sets of armor for each of us, you name it, it's down there. Totally amazing."
"Sweet. I already know how to drive this thing, so, we should get going."
"I'll get everybody up here."
After a few minutes, the Inklings assembled in the bridge. Carson stepped up to the wheel. Pressing the gas, he guided the boat out and into the water. As he grinned, he smiled. As the Inklings settled themselves at their stations, Carson punched the gas. As the boat sped out of the Rig, the open ocean awaited them.
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It had been a day or so since the Splatoon departed from Inkpolis. As the boat sped along the open ocean, Carson peered through the mounted binoculars. He smiled, and he turned on the intercom.
"Guys. We've got land incoming."
In no time whatsoever, the whole Splatoon was on the bridge. As Bri radioed Cap'n Cuttlefish with the news, Carson guided the boat towards a small inlet. While Carson settled the boat on a sandbar, the Inklings jumped off the boat and onto the ground. Bri started unloading crates of food and water, While Leo and Alesa loaded the Inkzookas. Carson jumped down and drew his Hero Shots.
"I'll be going on recon. Radio me if there's any trouble. If I don't respond in thirty minutes, come after me."
As Carson left, the Inklings continued their work. Bri frowned, then she turned to Leo.
"Think he'll be okay."
"I sure hope so."
As they continued, they failed to notice Rainbow Dash watching them from a cloud. As she frowned, she spread her wings.
"Time to tell the girls. We've got trouble brewing."
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After around thirty minutes of walking, Carson arrived at the edge of the forest. Looking through the trees, he noticed a large barn in the distance, surrounded by trees. He shrugged and continued to walk. Shaking his head, he heard footsteps incoming. As he looked around, he noticed a bridge nearby. Painting a section near the riverbed a bright blue, he morphed into his squid form and dived into the Ink. As he did so, he began to hear feminine voices.
"Are you SURE Twi that Rainbow saw those...things coming off that boat?"
"Dead sure. I know Rainbow, and she wouldn't lie. Not to a princess at least."
"PRINCESS?" Carson gulped silently.
"Twi, you know I'm the element of honesty. I think there's something more to this."
"I have to agree with Applejack, dear. This just seems odd, in a way."
"Hold up. Is this paint?"
Carson looked and saw six pastel colored equine creatures looking at the footprints, clearly set in bright blue Inkling Ink. He swore under his breath. As they turned the corner, they gasped.
"Graffiti! Such despicable behavior!" A white one, with a sophisticated voice, said angrily. "I bet it's Snips and Snails."
"I don't think so. It's not reacting to a scouring spell, which means it's not paint." the lead one said, which was purple with a horn and wings.
Then what is it?" a pale yellow one with wings said. Carson watched as the purple one took out a test tube and scooped some up. Her horn glowed a bright blue, and nothing happened."
"Girls, it's Ink."
"Ink? Like ink you use for writing?" a cyan one with a crazy rainbow mane said.
"No. Like Ink from a squid." the lead one said.
"A squid? What would squids be doing out of the ocean?" the pale yellow one said.
"I don't know. Maybe it's in the river." the purple one said, and as they walked over to the river's edge, Carson made up his mind that he had enough. Marking Bri's position on his wristpad, he prepared to super jump.
"OH! BIG BUBBLE!"
A bright pink one, somehow coming out of nowhere, was now reaching towards his body. Readying the massive buildup of ink, he released it in a powerful Super Jump. He launched himself into the air, alerting the creatures. One, an orange with a cowboy hat, threw a lasso that snagged his left tentacle. Pulling him to the ground, the impact morphed him back into his bipedal form. Turning himself over, he heard the lasso-creature yell "I got somethin'"
Carson growled and bared his teeth, causing the pale yellow one to flinch. Putting his hand behind his back, he reached for his Hero Shot. Grasping the grip, he prepared himself for the worst.
====================================================================================================
Twilight stared at the creature. It was bipedal, with blue hair tied back with a hair-clip. It was wearing a black jacket with green highlights, black shoes with blue highlights, and some sort of headset. It was reaching behind his back, which Twilight assumed it was just hurt. Moving towards it, it suddenly spoke in fluent Equestrian.
"Don't you inking dare!" it growled, causing Fluttershy to whimper in fright.
"HEY! That's one of the beings that arrived in the inlet!" Rainbow Dash interjected.
"So you were spying on us?" it said, even more angry.
"I WAS taking a nap, but you woke me up! You here to invade?"
"Explore, actually." It said matter-of-factually.
"Whadda mean explore? What even are you?' Rainbow said, but a dull "CLICK!" from behind them alerted them. They turned and saw three more creatures similar to the first, only in different colors, with one green, one orange, one pink, holding strange objects and wearing clothes similar to what the first was wearing. One of them was carrying an object that was spinning rapidly.
"That is QUITE enough." the pink one said. "You let Carson go...NOW!"
"Or what?" Rainbow said sarcastically, and the orange one smiled.
"Or this!" the orange one smiled, and a massive barrage of the ink substance slammed into Rainbow at a very fast speed from the object. The barrage slammed her into a tree. Eventually, the barrage stopped, and a now orange-stained Rainbow struggled to get up, slipping in the paint. Twilight realized at that moment they were carrying weapons. She backed off, and the rest of them did the same. Applejack cautiously undid the lasso, and the being stood up. After smiling at Applejack, he walked over to the orange one and promptly slapped him in the face.
"WHAT THE INKING HECK WAS THAT FOR? A FULL BLAST WAS NOT NECESSARY!" "Carson" said angrily.
"You were the one tied up! What should I have done?" the orange one said.
"SOMETHING OTHER THAN THAT, YOU INKING IDIOT!"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Twilight roared, and the creatures looked at her with surprise, along with the ponies.
"I don't care what happened here. I think it's for the best that we start over."
"WHAT?" Rainbow yelled, pointing at her stained coat. "NOT FAIR! How am I supposed to get this off..."
Then, the stains vanished. her eyes turned to the one called "Carson", who had a black object in his hand.
"InkAway. Gets rid of any Ink in a fink!" he said while throwing a smile. The pink one suddenly began to laugh her guts out.
"Tell me you did NOT just quote the ad right now!" she guffawed.
"I just did. And, whatever you are, sorry about that. Name's Carson. Agent 3 and leader of the New Squidbeak Splatoon. This is Bri, Agent 3.1, Leo, Agent 3.2, and Alesa, Agent 3.3"
"Princess Twilight Sparkle. These are my friends, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, Flutteshy, and Rarity. First things first, we're Ponies of Equestria. What are you then?"
"We're Inklings. Think of us as highly evolved squids that have existed for a few million years."
"So you're squids? That makes sense...wait, that was YOUR ink we found on the bridge? I thought squid ink was black!" Twilight said, shocked.
"We've evolved to be able to produce multiple colors of ink at any moment. We have our preferences though. Mine just happens to be light blue." Carson said.
"Okay, we need to sit down and talk." Twilight said, and Carson nodded.
"Just relax then. I'll get us to my castle in a sec." she smiled, and before the Inklings could do anything, her horn glowed, and there was a bright flash. Then, the group of Inklings and Ponies were now in the entrance hall of Twilight's castle. As the Inklings stood up, gathering their gear, Carson walked over to Twilight.
"Wanna get started?"
"Sure." Twilight led the way into the map room. As the Inklings sat themselves down, Twilight pulled out a notepad and pencil.
"So, let's talk, shall we?"

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                   Explaining Freshness                    
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Explaining Freshness
As the Inklings settled themselves down at the table, Twilight’s mind was buzzing with questions.
“So, shall we get started?” Carson asked.
“Yeah. You said you’re Inklings. What exactly is that?”
Carson sighed and took a deep breath.
“Inklings, like we are, are an sentient, evolved species of Squid. After the beginning of the Mollusk age, after rising sea levels wiped out all of the previous civilizations, we became the dominant species on our landmass. Like squids, we produce ink, but not just in black. We can produce varying shades, from blue to green.”
“How are you squids?” Rainbow asked. “You don’t look like squids.”
Carson immediately shifted into his bright blue Squid form, causing a collective gasp from the ponies. He then shifted back into biped form, causing even more gasps.
“How did you do that?” Twilight asked.
“It’s complicated. Mostly involving hormone secretion that changes organ and body structure.”
“Wow. Anything more?”
“Yeah, we naturally produce ink when in squid form, and we can shoot it normally, but it’s produced really slowly when out of ink entirely. The process get’s sped up dramatically when we are in ink of the same color. For a blue Inkling, to speed up the process, you’d need to enter blue ink.”
“Somehow, we can’t make red ink. Like, pure red. We can make orange, though not red. It’s really crazy!” Alesa added. “Red’s my favorite color!”
“Like she said.” Carson continued. “But anyways, when we are in our squid form, we can swim around only in the ink that’s the same color as the Inkling. But when too much ink of another color enters an Inkling, it triggers an immune response called an Ink overload. Simply put, the main part of our body explodes.”
“YOU EXPLODE?” Rarity said, shocked.
“Not really. More like disintegration, but after an Ink overload, the Squid Soul, which is what we call the little wispy remains of a splatted Inkling, float back to the nearest InkSpawn point of the same color. There, the ink speeds up the natural healing process and reforms the body, allowing us to continue fighting the Ink battle we were in. It’s a neat system.”
“Interesting. What are those objects you’re carrying?”
“Cuttlegear developed Ink weaponry. The best there is. We’re civilized, so we don’t spray ink from our...places when in bipedal form.”
Every Inkling blushed at this, giving Pinkie absolute fits of laughter. After she calmed down, they continued.
“So, when we are in Squid form, we can spray ink in a large pulse, called a Super spray. We quickly developed this into a transport system, the Super jump. As long as we know where we are going, we can launch at least thirty feet into the air…”
“Wouldn’t you break like all the bones in your body on impact?” Fluttershy asked.
“Nope. We don’t have bones. We have cartilage skeletons that are SUPER shock and impact resistant. So, we don’t break anything. We get like paper cuts and things like that, but no broken cartilage.”
“Why do you have weapons with you?”
“Well, our favorite pastime is the Ink battle, which requires Ink Weaponry. Shooters, Chargers, Rollers, and Sloshers are the main types. Two teams, each with a different Ink color, compete to win in a variety of game modes. There’s the classic Turf War, which is just paint as much ground as possible before time runs out…”
“Tower Control…”
“Rainmaker…”
“And Splat Zones…”
“And these all require Ink weaponry?”
“Yeah. They work by directly absorbing ink from the body or ink of the same color, and it fills the tank. The tank is connected to the primary weapon and sub weapon.”
“Sub weapon?”
“Sub weapons are what we call the Inksplosives we use in Ink battles. Splat, Sticky, and Burst bombs, Seekers, Disruptors, Point Sensors, Sprinklers, Splat Walls, Ink Mines, and Squid beacons are all examples of sub weapons. Special weapons can be used when a gauge is full.”
“Special weapons?”
“Yeah. Inkzookas, Inkstrikes, Bubblers, Killer Wails, Echolocators, Kraken, and the Bomb Rush are Specials we can use. The Kraken is unique, however. Using it supercharges the body’s muscles and cartilage production for a short time, turning you into basically a super-squid. You are completely immune to all damage, and you leave a trail of ink of your color. You can also jump and corkscrew, causing huge damage to opposing Inklings.”
“Wow. That’s...cool.” Rainbow Dash said, shocked.
“It is. But, let’s get to why we are here. It started when all the radios in Inkopolis, the home city of the Inklings, went haywire simultaneously. Then, a giant Aurora Borealis, basically natural lights in the sky, went off in the middle of the day. Being Agent 3 of the Squidbeak Splatoon, I was called to investigate by Captain Cuttlefish, and his granddaughters, Callie and Marie, the Inkopolis Newscasters, and Agents 1 and 2 of the Squidbeak Splatoon.”
“Who’s Captiain Cuttlefish?”
“The Squidbeak Splatoon’s commander. He was the one who recruited me to stop the Octarians. Basically, our mortal enemies from the Great Turf War a long time ago. They got revenge by stealing the Great Zapfish, which powers the city, and I had to go through a lot to get it back.”
“Define “A lot.” for me, please." Rainbow said.
“I had to fight a fully weaponized DJ platform of armageddon, powered by the Great Zapfish, piloted by the Octarian leader, DJ Octavio. He’s now in a snowglobe in Octo Valley.”
“A snowglobe?” Rarity said, mortified.
“It’s a long story. He’s still pretty salty about it.  But anyways, I got a bunch of my pals together, being Alesa, Bri and Leo, and I made them Agents 3.1, 3.2, and 3.3. We got outfitted with a super-cool speedboat to find the source of the radio signal. We found you guys. I was on a recon mission when you caught me.”
“I see. Well, that’s quite a tale. Anything…”
“Who made those clothes? They’re simply FASCINATING!” Rarity said, eyeing the Hero Gear.
“Oh, Cuttlefish made these. But there are LOTS of other clothing brands in Inkopolis. Forge, Tentatek, Skalop, Firefin, Inkline, Krak-On!, Rockenburg, Splash Mob, Squidforce, Takaroka, Zekko, and Zink are the big ones. There’s a big fashion show every so often. (Rarity was panting like a dog at this point.) And the brand gear has specific abilities that help us in Ink Battles. There’s a lot of them, so I can’t say them all. But, it’s pretty nice.”
“OHMYGOSHTHATISSOAMAZING!” Rarity said, now in full fashionista mode.
“Yeah. But, anyways, what now?”
“Well, feel free to stay as long as you need, but.”
“Twi?”
All eyes turned to the baby dragon in the doorway. As soon as he saw the Inklings, he passed out.
“What’s that?”
“Oh, that’s Spike. My dragon assistant.”
“Wow. That’s pretty sweet.”
At that moment, the map swerved over to Canterlot and began to beep wildly.
"We've got a problem!" Pinkie said excitedly.
"Well, let's move then!" Twilight said.
"Any water access to that city?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Mind if we take our boat?" Carson asked.
"Sure."
As the Inklings and Ponies walked out, they failed to notice the three fillies watching them.
"Thinking what I'm thinking?"
"We stow away in the luggage?"
"No, the boat! If we get photos of us with those aliens, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon will HAVE to be impressed"
As the fillies followed the Inklings, they watched the squid kids pack up the gear and prepare to leave. Stowing away in the cargo hold, they snickered to themselves.

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                      Photo Freshness                      
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Photo Freshness
As the CMC followed the Inklings through the deserted town, the CMC followed closely. Diving and hiding by turns, they watched them walk towards the Everfree.
“Sweetie, you SURE this is a good idea? Ever since we got our marks and Diamond’s mom got busted, they really haven’t been teasing us.” Scootaloo asked nervously.
“With those photos, we could be the MOST POPULAR FILLIES in school. That would be AWESOME!” Sweetie said eagerly.
“Alright....” Scootaloo replied, but as they neared the boat, they dived behind a tree to look for an opening. As the Inklings jumped up onto the boat, the CMC rushed and dived into a porthole. Crashing to the ground, they looked up to find themselves in some sort of storage room. Crates were piled around everywhere, and they were marked in a strange language they didn’t understand. Randomly opening a crate, the CMC dived inside to find themselves lying on a pile of tin cans. Scootaloo picked one up and tried to read the writing, only to sigh and throw it down in annoyance.
“What even is this gibberish?” Sweetie asked.
“Let’s open it up! Wanna see what’s inside?” Applebloom asked, and Sweetie opened the can to reveal what looked like cookies, only white bits were present. Sweetie bit into one and spat it out.
“It tastes like something that lives in water! It’s really moist!”
Suddenly, the crate’s top was lifted up to reveal Leo, who had a look on his face of shock and amusement. The CMC immediately tensed up, only to have Carson take the Fish Patty out of their hands and pop it into his mouth. The CMC’s jaws dropped. Then he spoke.
“Fish patties. Yum.” he said, and the CMC passed out. Leo rolled his eyes and took the three out of the crate. Picking them up, he took them upstairs and set them on the couch in the lounge. Smiling to himself, he walked up onto the bridge, where Alesa was steering the boat along the waterway Twilight had told them to follow.
“Uh, guys?” Leo said.
“What?” the other Inklings replied.
"We got stowaways. They got into the fish patties." Leo said.
"Oh? Then where are they?" Carson asked.
"In the lounge. They passed out when I ate the Fish patties they were trying to eat. Didn't seem to like them very much."
"Okay. I'll tell Twilight." Carson said, walking over to the Radio.
"Twilight?" he spoke.
"Is that you, Carson? Is this thing working?" Twilight's voice replied. "I'm not sure..."
"It's working. We got a few stowaways on the boat. They got into our food supply."
"That's bad. Wait...okay, how old are they? I have an idea as to whom it may be." Rarity's voice interrupted.
"They're like kids. Six, seven or so." Leo said.
"Then I know. It's my little sister, Sweetie Belle, and her friends, Applebloom and Scootaloo. They're quite mischievous. Any idea as to why they stowed away?"
"Dunno. They're currently passed out on our couch. You can ask them when they wake up." Bri replied.
"Okay. When we get to Canterlot, we'll talk with them there. Just keep them safe, okay?" Rainbow's voice added.
"Fine. As long as they don't mess anything up, get into anything, or the like, they'll be okay with us.." Carson replied.
"Okay. See you soon." Twilight said.
"Over and out." Carson shut off the radio, and he switched the channel to Captain Cuttlefish's base.
"Cap, you there?"
"I'M HERE, WHIPPERSNAPPER!" Cuttlefish replied, rather loudly.
"Okay, we're on our way to the Equestrian capital. We should get more answers there. How's things going on your side?"
"Fine and fresh." Callie's voice answered. "Ink battles are progressing as normal."
"Great. Over and out."
"See ya! and Stay Fresh!" Marie said, and the radio went silent.
Carson laughed and walked down to the lounge to check on the CMC. As he walked in, he noticed Bri talking with them. He walked over to the Bookcase and pulled out one of his Sunken Scrolls. Bri smiled, and looked back at the fillies, who were looking rather downcast. They sighed and began to explain themselves.
"So, you three thought by taking a photo of us would get you more popularity at school?" Bri asked.
"Yeah." They replied.
"And you thought that you could do it and not get caught?"
"Right." They replied again.
Bri smiled, and took out her camera. Pulling the CMC close, she smiled.
"Selfie!" she said, and the CMC looked right into the flash.
"OW!" they said, rubbing their eyes. "What was that?"
"See for yourself!" Bri said, showing them the photo.
"Was that a camera? I thought cameras were bigger than that." Applebloom said.
"We're pretty tech-savvy. We're always coming up with new gadgets to play with. Mini-cameras included." Bri said, sending the image to the printer. Pulling it out, she gave it to Sweetie Belle.
"You...took a photo of us with you?" they said, shocked.
"I feel you. Believe me, I wasn't as popular at school as I could be." Bri sighed.
"Why's that?" This piqued the CMC's interest.
"I was considered to be...well...hot property. I was getting asked out daily. But I saw that there was more to life than dates and parties. I studied and read when most were on dates or at parties. So, I wasn't popular, you could say. There were only three I could really confide in. Carson, Alesa, and Leo. When Carson invited us into the Squidbeak Splatoon, I was overjoyed. I battled the Octarians alongside my friends, and I realized this. There's more to life than what you think." she said.
"Wow..." the CMC said.
"We're getting close, team! Lock and load!" Carson yelled. Bri stood up and grabbed her Hero Charger.
"Let's go."
The CMC got up and followed her to the bridge, where Canterlot was visible in the distance. As the team approached the dock, they looked out the tinted windows to see a group of armored ponies, all wielding swords and spears. Carson frowned and walked over to the radio.
Uh, Twi? Is there supposed to be a large group of ponies in armor waiting for us at the dock?"
"Oh! I forgot to tell Celestia we were coming! That's why the Guard was called out! I'll be there in a sec."
There was a bright flash, and Twilight was standing before the guards, who were all looking very confused.
"Okay, Guards. The beings on that boat? They're my guests. They didn't want to leave anything behind. They're just explorers."
The Guards looked at her dubiously.
"You want proof?" She said, frustrated.
The guards nodded.
"Here's the proof."
The guards looked at Carson, Alesa, Bri, and Leo, who had walked up beside Twilight. The Guard's faces immediately turned to one of shock and mystification.
"Hey there. We're Inklings. And we come from a few thousand miles THAT way." Carson said, pointing towards the ocean. "Any questions?"
"How..." the Guard stammered.
"You could say we're pretty more technologically advanced than you. AND the fact that we have identical spoken, but not written languages, is kind of a mystery to us too." Bri said. At this, the guards seemed to calm down. As the Inklings parted to let them through, Carson tapped Twilight on the shouder.
"Any way to keep anyone off the boat without having to move it?"
"On it." Twilight said, and her horn glowed. A bright lilac shield covered the boat. Carson smiled.Twilight sighed, and turned to two guards.
"Can you two make sure that nopony gets on that boat? There's some stuff on there that shouldn't be messed around with." Twilight said, and the two guards nodded and took positions. As the Inklings met up with the rest of the group, they began to walk towards the castle, getting scared stares and shocked looks from nearly everypony. Anytime anypony got too close, Twilight glared at them, often making them get the message. As they neared the palace, the guards opened the door to the throne room, to reveal a large group of nobles talking angrily with Celestia and Luna. As they neared, they could hear the conversation.
"I have said this many times. I have already sent guards to receive the boat at the docks. Now, leave please." Celestia said in an exasperated tone.
"But how can that be enough, aunt?" A smart-ass voice replied, and a white stallion stepped up. Bri saw Rarity facepalm in disgust.
"Blueblood, now is NOT THE TIME FOR THIS!" Luna echoed.
"Uh, anyone gonna pay attention to US for a sec?" Carson yelled, causing everypony in the room to turn and look at the Inklings. Before they knew it, Blueblood yelled "ALIENS! KILL THEM!" causing every noble in the room to charge. Carson smiled and reached behind his back.
The crowd drew ever closer.
Carson grinned.
The crowd was very close.
Carson yelled "STAY FRESH!" and drew what looked like a large blue and silver horn. The Inklings recognized it as a Killer Wail. As the Inklings covered their ears, Carson pulled the triggers. As the warm-up sound played, then a massive sound, similar to a guitar strum, blasted through the room. The mob was thrown back from the sheer force of the Killer Wail. As the ponies were thrown back, they were also covered in Ink. As the Inklings smiled, the mob looked at them, shocked and covered with Ink.
"Yeah. Like that, squitches?" Carson swaggered, and he began to laugh. Before the nobles could charge again, Celestia's horn glowed, and a golden bubble encompassed the mob. Twilight looked over at Carson.
"What was that?"
"Killer Wail." Carson said. "A Special weapon. It sends out a massive Ink-laced sound wave that can splat Inklings and trigger Ink overloads. It's rather precise, for that matter."
"It was impressive." Luna said.
"Thanks. Name's Carson, leader and Agent 3 of the Squidbeak Splatoon. That's Bri, Agent 3.1, Alesa, Agent 3.2, and Leo, agent 3.3. As for what we are, we're Inklings, which are hyper-evolved squids. We come from a landmass a few thousand miles to the east."
"Princess Luna, ruler of the Night. Pleasure, Carson."
As introductions went around, the mob was still screaming at the Inklings from the bubble. Celestia's horn glowed again, and they went silent.
"Nice." Bri said.
"It pays to teach my nephew a lesson about not ATTACKING EVERY ROYAL GUEST WE HAVE HERE ON SIGHT." Celestia said, and the group saw Blueblood pale. Celestia frowned, and she walked over and dispelled the bubble. The other nobles backed away, leaving Blueblood alone.
"This is a complete disgrace. Not to me, but to the nobility." Celestia said.
"I didn't...know..." Blueblood said, stammering.
"This is the final straw. Your attitude towards nearly everyone you meet, your bombastic nature, your complete disregard for everyone who doesn't suck up to you like a servant were bad enough to deal with. But this? This far exceeds what I thought you were capable of. Wanting to kill innocent beings, ROYAL GUESTS, on sight? That was completely unacceptable." Celestia continued.
"But..." Blueblood tried to say.
"No more "buts" from you. I have HAD IT with you. My soul is SCREAMING to demote and disown you, but I am merciful. when your parents died, who was it that took you in? Who gave you an education? Who made you a noble IN THE FIRST PLACE?" Celestia said angrily.
"...You..." Blueblood said.
"Just as I have given, I can take away. I, for now, strip you of your title. No longer are you "Prince," but "Lord." You are going to have to EARN your respect now, rather than have it be given to you on a silver platter. You will earn your rank back by being what I would consider proper actions before I will give you back your title. Now, I want you to do this. Apologize to the Inklings known as the Squidbeak Splatoon, clean up this mess in the hall, and LEARN from this. You are going to have to prove that you can handle yourself like a true noble before I will let you back into my sight again." Celestia said. "Better get started."
Blueblood looked at her with shock and disbelief, before walking off dejectedly. Celestia sighed, and turned to the Inklings.
"Sorry about my nephew. He's...always been a pain, but now..."
"Hey, it's all good. What now?" Leo said, and the Inklings nodded.
"I would like to speak with whoever commands this "Splatoon."
"Sure thing." Carson said. As Twilight teleported them to the boat, the sun shone brightly in the sky.

//-------------------------------------------------------//
                    Moonlight Freshness                    
//-------------------------------------------------------//
Moonlight Freshness
As the group reappeared in the boat's Radio room, Carson walked Celestia over to the radio set.
"And I just...press this button and talk?" Celestia asked.
"Yep. Allow me to demonstrate." Carson said, taking the mic.
"Yo, Cap'n, you there?"
"I'M HERE WHIPPERSNAPPER!" came the reply. This time, though, it was loud. Very loud.
"Uh, Cap'n? You might wanna turn down the sound!" Carson said, though his ears were now bleeding.
"Eh, sorry. I really don't know how to work this here radio thingamajig."
"Well, I got the ruler of Equestria on the line, so, wanna talk?" Carson asked.
"Yep."
"Well, here's Celestia."
Celestia took the mic and pressed the button.
"Hello there." She said pleasantly.
"Hey there. Mind hitting the little blue switch on your end?"
Carson flipped it, and a TV came out of the radio set, and it turned on to reveal the faces of Cap'n Cuttlefish, Callie and Marie.
"Well, guess it works. Hey there." Cuttlefish said.
"Hello. To be honest, I'm not exactly sure where to begin, this is the first time we've had visitors from another place on the planet." Celestia said.
"Well, that's okay. I mean ,we Inklins' won the Great Turf War because one of 'dem Octarian war gizmos came unplugged. That was quite humiliating for 'em."
"Octarians?"
"Our worst enemies. We Inklings and 'dem Octarians been fighting ever since the landmass began to shrink. We ended up winnin' and send'n them packing. Then they stole the Great Zapfish, which the Squiddos you see with you fellers recovered." Cuttlefish said.
"Have you ever tried making friends with them?" Rarity asked.
Cuttlefish laughed out loud.
"Making friends with an Octarian is impossible, whippersnapper. We hate their guts, they hate ours. I used to be friends with old DJ Octavio there (The camera moved to see the Octarian leader in his snowglobe, who scowled at Cuttlefish), and we kinda had a falling'-out. It wasn't a nice time." Cuttlefish replied.
"Okay...Moving on. How exactly do laws get made there? I mean…"
"It's fine." Callie spoke up. "Normally, when major things like that come around, we just put it up to a straight vote. Majority rules."
"A straight democracy?" Celestia asked.
"Eh, you could say." Marie said.
"Wow." Celestia replied. "How do you two know him?"
"Callie and Marie are my grandkids!" Cuttlefish said.
"Yeah. Alongside that, we're the Inkopolis newcasters. We announce the Ink battle stages, when we get word from...On high…(she said this in a mysterious voice)...and when updates come out. It's a great job. Unlike the one we had at Walleye warehouse." Callie said.
"What happened there?" Twilight asked.
"Eh...It was so bad, when we quit, we burned our uniforms." Marie said sheepishly.
"That bad." Twilight said.
"Yeah. We're also Agents 1 and 2 of the Squidbeak Splatoon. When Octavio kidnapped Gramps, we stepped in to help put Agent 3 and his friends. And the two of us are one of Inkopolis's greatest music sensations!"
"You two sure do a lot!" Luna said.
"We're squids of all trades. Anyway, anything you wanna know?" Callie said.
"A few things." Celestia replied. As they talked, Carson walked over to the fridge and pulled out some bottled water.
"Hey, Carson? What's with the face?" Rarity said, noting every Inkling's disgusted face.
"I hate water. Every Inkling hates water. Thing is, too much water in a short amount of time can kill an Inkling. Like, kill them dead. A bottle of water or two won't hurt, but drown-in-it amounts will kill after a few seconds of exposure. A few Ink battle areas have water hazards. And, we can't swim." Carson said.
"BUT YOU'RE SQUIDS! HOW CAN YOU NOT SWIM IN WATER!?" Everypony said.
"Has to do with the Ink-reliant evolutions we undertook over centuries. We can swim, but just not in water. We kinda lost the natural body functions needed to swim over time. So...like we said, yeah." Bri said.
"Well, Whippersnappers, I got some things to do, but call me anytime!" Cuttlefish said.
As Callie and Marie posed and performed their catchphrase, the Inklings waved. As the radio turned off, Carson noted the darkening sky.
"Splatoon, let's get some rest. See you squiddos in the morning." Carson said as the Inklings pulled out the couch beds. As the ponies vanished, the inklings changed into PJs and climbed under the covers. As the moon rose, the light revealed a Inkling clad in ninja gear, wielding a sword connected to his orange Ink tank. His grey ages and worn face was obscured by a mask.
"Well Carson...nice to see you again…" he said, before vanishing.

//-------------------------------------------------------//
                      Sonic Freshness                      
//-------------------------------------------------------//
Sonic Freshness
As the sun rose into the sky, the Inklings aboard the boat (Which had been teleported, Inklings and all, to a private marina) stretched and woke up.
"Morning, squiddos." Carson said.
"Morning." Everyone replied drowsily. As they got changed and grabbed their hero gear, Carson's radio began to buzz. As he picked it up, Twilight's voice started to speak.
"Carson? This is Twilight. We've got a breakfast planned, plus a Q/A session with the press. care to join us?"
"I guess." Carson replied.
"Great! Can you be here by eight?"
"We'll try. Carson out."
Carson headed downstairs to find the rest of the Splatoon ready to go.
"Let's head on out, then." Carson said. As the Inklings walked down the gangplank and into Canterlot Castle, the mysterious figure from the night before watched them leave. He sighed and then vanished in a puff of smoke.
=============================================
As the Inklings walked into the dining room, they were pleasantly greeted by Celestia, Luna, and Twilight, plus two other ponies introduced as Shining Armor and Cadance, Twilight's brother and sister-in-law. Sitting down to eat, Carson and the Splatoon dug in.
"You squids sure are hungry." Celestia said.
"Tends when the only thing you've been eating is fish patties and miscellaneous other preserved foodstuffs. Been too long since I had a cinnamon bun as good as this one." Alesa said.
"Amen to that!" Armor said. "I also heard from Twiley that you put the nobles in their place somehow. Mind telling me what you did?"
"I shot them with a Killer Wail. Basically a super-charged sound amplifier hooked up to a subwoofer." Carson said. "Nonlethal to ponies, but it does leave them covered in Ink."
"Yeah, Twilight sent us an overview of your biology. To be honest, I never knew there were other inhabitants on our world." Cadance said.
"Neither did we. I guess we all got thinking when an aurora borealis, light patterns in the sky, went off in the middle of the day. Then, all the radios went haywire and we ended up coming here due to a prophecy in the Sunken Scrolls." Carson said, taking one out. Celestia perused the scroll for a few moments, and sighed.
"It's rather vague, I can say."
"I noticed that too." Bri said. "To me, part of me feels it's incomplete or something."
"I agree." Celestia replied. Then, the door opened revealing two Guards.
"Princess, the press has arrived."
"Really? Weren't they not supposed to arrive for another hour?" Celestia asked.
"We were thinking that too, Princess, so we checked up on the schedule. Somepony changed it."
"But who?" Luna asked.
"Dunno. Thing is, we're ready, so let's get going." Carson said.
"We'll lead the way." Twilight said, and as the five of them walked out, accompanied by the guards, Celestia turned to Luna.
"I think I need to pay a visit to my former nephew."
"You do indeed."
=============================================
As the Inklings stepped up to four podiums in the conference room, cameras flashed and pencils scribbled. The Inklings pulled up some chairs and sat down.
"So, let's get started." Carson said. "Any questions?"
"Do you eat ponies?" a mare blurted.
"Uh, no." Carson said. "We're squids. We eat fish, kelp, pretty much anything a squid can eat, we can eat. Next?"
"Why are you here?"
"Well, that's interesting. We live on this world too, on a landmass a few thousand miles to the south. Due to some unforeseen events, we had to mount an exploration mission to find out the cause of said events. We ended up here. Next?" Bri said.
"You said exploration. Did you swim all the way here?"
"No. We took a specially made boat. Next?" Leo said.
"Would you consider your kind civilized?" a noble-looking reporter asked.
"Yeah, we do. Why would you ask that?"
"Do you have an upper class, a ruling government?"
"That's interesting. Thing is, most decisions we put to a vote, and the majority rules. We also don't have a formal government, but we know the laws and we follow them. Crime and law-breaking is low, and as for the upper class, some are richer than others, but taxes paid to support our infrastructure and other developments usually keep most Inklings on a comfortable standard of living." Alesa said.
"How exactly do you earn money?"
"Through Ink battle participation, our favorite pastime, or full to part-time jobs for older Inklings." Carson said. "We get so much cash through taxes and such, we really don't know what to do with all of it, so often, it gets paid back as prizes for Ink battle participants. To counter, prices for clothing and weaponry are higher compared to food and housing." Carson said.
"Why do you fight?"
"Technically, we don't fight in wars, Ink battles really are just games to us. We've had them since we first started developing, and to be honest, nothing gets an Inkling more pumped up than an Ink battle."
"What cultural things can you share from your homeland?"
"This." Carson took out his SquiPod, and started to play a familiar track. As the sounds of the Squid Kid's SPLATTACK! song resonated through the conference room, the Inklings nodded their heads to the beat, while the ponies stood there in mystification. As the music ended, the ponies were astounded.
"What was that?" a reporter asked.
"That was the most popular song where we come from, SPLATTACK!, by the Squid Kids. Those guys are so popular, their disguises have disguises." Leo said.
"Anything else?" Carson said.
"One last thing." Alesa said. Spreading her fingers into a V, she spoke in a deep voice.
"Swim long...and prosper."
She was promptly smacked on the back of the head by Bri.
"You didn't tell me you watched Squid Trek!" she said, laughing.
"That's exactly why I didn't." Alesa replied.
"So, any other questions?" Carson asked. There were none, so as the Inklings walked out, they were greeted by Twilight and the group.
"You handled them well." Twilight said. "To be honest, the paparazzi is going to be a pain real soon."
"I hear you on that one. Half the articles in the National Squidquirer are about conspiracies related to the Great Zapfish disappearing and reappearing. The rest are about Callie and Marie." Carson said.
"So, lunchtime?" Leo asked, looking at his wristwatch,
"You and your stomach." Carson said, rolling his eyes.
"You can't exactly keep it on a schedule, you know."
Carson laughed and followed the ponies to the dining room. As they sat down, Celestia applauded them for their successful Q/A.
"Eh, thanks." Carson said.
"Princess!" A guard said, walking in. "Pri...I mean, LORD Blueblood wishes to see you."
"Let him in." Celestia replied. Then, Blueblood walking in, accompanied by several other beings that made the Inklings scowl.
"Octarians!" Carson yelled, drawing his dual Hero Shots.
Blueblood cackled.
"Yes, yes, I got in contact with the remaining Octarian forces, and they so happened to hate you just as much as I do. And now...kill the squids!"
As the Octarian Octolings opened fire, the Inklings flipped the table over to use it as cover. As they returned fire, Carson swore.
"How did the Octarians get here?"
"Dunno!" Bri replied, sniping an Octoling.
Then, a bright streak smashed through the windows. Carson saw it was an Inkling, only Inklings didn't carry swords laced with dark blue ink, nor were they clad in Ninja gear. Theninja Inkling deftly dodged the barrage of Ink sprayed at him and sliced and diced all of the Octolings into sushi. As they disintegrated, the Inkling sheathed his sword.
"Nice work." Carson said.
"I aim to please, Carson." the Inkling replied, in a voice that made Carson flinch.
"No squidding way." Carson said. "DAD?"
The Inkling took off his mask, revealing a face similar to that of Carson's, only older. He walked forward and stood in front of Carson.
"Introductions can come later, Carson. We need to move. There's more Octolings incoming."
Carson nodded and motioned to the other Inklings and the ponies. As they sprinted out, the sky was filled with Octarian forces.