Waves of chatter emanated from the local bakery known as the Sugarcube Cafe. The fragrant aromas of freshly baked goods wafted out of it's windows and into the breezy early afternoon air. The interior of the café had a very friendly yet slightly professional air about it, what with it's carved spruce support beams with gold painted corkscrew-like centers, tiled floors, and striped pink wallpaper. One would be hard pressed to call the café anything but welcoming. In a booth near the right hand corner of the cafe were a group of teenage girls, chatting away like everything was right with the world.

"So, what's been going on with you girls?" asked Sunset, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Nothing much with me darling, except that a few of the freshmen have asked me to make them some new suits and dresses," answered Rarity, drinking some of her own.

"Same here sugarcube, 'cept that this year's crops ain't doing so well," Applejack informed, leaning back in her seat with one arm over the back of it.

"Well, a couple of days ago we had a match with a rival team and we beat them and it was so awesome!" Rainbow Dash said, scrunching up her face as she did.

"I made a new cupcake recipe! I call it, 'Blueberry Orange Swirl'!" Pinkie said enthusiastically, spreading her arms wide in excitement. "It's sooooo good!" She gained a look of ecstasy.

"Oh...um, well, I helped calm down a pitbull so the doctors could treat him..." Fluttershy added softly, hiding behind her long pink hair. Just then, Twilight ran in through the door, looking rather stressed out. Her hair was frayed and she looked like she was in panic mode.

"Twilight? What's wrong? Are you okay?" Sunset asked worriedly. Twilight didn't respond, instead turning to Mrs. Cake who was behind the counter.

"Change the channel to the news! Now!" Twilight demanded, Mrs. Cake looked at her with concern before complying, and everyone turned their heads to the television mounted on the wall in the corner of the café.

"Oh my god, they're all dead! Are you getting this!?" yelled a news reporter with pale skin, black hair, and yellow eyes as he and his camera man watched the scene below them unfold. An inky black substance was leaking out from a cave at the head of a river, which was likewise infected with the substance. A group of archaeologists were running for their lives from what was once their coworkers. Said coworkers were now abominations with freakishly long arms with claws, as well as bulbous heads with dozens of glowing red eyes. Many of the other archaeologists were on the ground, either being torn to shreds still despite being dead, or being jumped on. The ground trembled as a new wave of abominations surged out of the cave and came straight for the reporter and camera man. "Oh shit! Run!" The camera fell to the ground, the abominations crushing it underfoot with a crunch, making the screen go static. Another reporter, who was safe in his office with two others, could scarcely form sentences.

"Uhh, we'll...we'll get back to you after these messages!" he said before it cut to a commercial.

"What...what was that?" Rarity asked, aghast. Twilight shook her head.

"I have no idea. It's all over the news, though. Sunset, you're the expert in this stuff, what do we do?" Twilight asked, turning to Sunset.

"I...I don't know. I've never even heard of something like this, aside from Sombra, that is. But he's gone..." Sunset shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. "Well, whatever it is, we have to stop it." Sunset said resolutely.

"B-But how?" Fluttershy asked timidly.

"With the power of our awesome friendship, of course!" Rainbow supplied, wrapping an arm around the other girl's shoulders.

"Alright, but how do we git ta Africa? We can't jus' mosey on up to our parents and ask them if'n we can go there," Applejack pointed out.

"You could tell them it's for a field trip," Sunset suggested.

"No offense Sunset, but that's as likely to work as trying to break a brick wall with your head," Twilight said.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Twilight, there's just no way they'll let us go," Rarity agreed.

"Well it's the best idea we've got. Unless you have a better idea?" Sunset countered.

"Well...no..." Twilight sighed. "Alright, I guess we might as well try it anyway,"

The Next Day

"So, any luck?" Sunset asked, the girls having all regrouped at the Sugarcube Cafe.

"No," said Twilight.

"Eeenope," Applejack drawled.

"They said, and I quote, 'Not a chance'," Rainbow answered.

"I'm afraid not," Rarity said with a shake of her head.

"They...um...said no too," Fluttershy added meekly, hiding behind her hair.

"Nopey dopey," Pinkie added somewhat sadly, before gaining an idea. "Hey, what if we just snuck into Africa?"

"That...is actually a pretty good idea," Twilight admitted, surprised Pinkie had a good idea.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Sunset said after facepalming.

"How in tarnation are we gittin' to Africa without our parents knowin', though?" Applejack asked.

"That's easy. Just tell them we're hanging out and we'll head to the airport. I can pay for our tickets, I am eighteen, after all," Sunset explained.

"Oh...I don't know...I don't want my parents to get worried..." Fluttershy expressed.

"That's just something we'll have to deal with later. This is a serious situation! Monsters are popping up and we're the only ones who can stop it!" Sunset said resolutely.

"O-okay..." Fluttershy agreed hesitantly.

"Well, if it means kickin' some monster butt, then count me in!" Rainbow said enthusiastically.

"Alright, if it means saving tha world, then Ah'm in too," Applejack chimed.

"Well, I can't very well abandon my friends, now can I?" Rarity pitched in.

"Okie Dokie Lokie! I'm in it for the lulz!" Pinkie joked.

"I'm definitely in," Twilight stated matter-of-factly.

"Then it's settled! We'll go after school tomorrow, so get prepared!" Sunset said.

After the girls all went their separate ways to prepare for their flight tomorrow, Rainbow went home with a spring in her step, excited to finally get some action after months of nothing magical happening. Once she arrived, she was immediately greeted by her father.

"Hey champ, how was school today?" he asked, his dress uniform sitting on the back of the sofa.

"Pretty good, Pops. We went up against a rival team and beat them four to one!" Rainbow gushed. Her father grinned widely.

"Aww, you didn't crush their little spines too badly, did you?" her father asked, drawing her into an embarrassing hug as he proceeded to lightly mash a closed knuckle against the top of her head. A good 'ol noogie, her fathers specialty. "Wouldn't want them to give up next time, there's no point to winning if you don't have to work for it, right?"

Rainbow's cheeks reddened as she pushed her dad away. "Do ya have to do that everytime I get home?" Her dad smiled wide.

"You bet I do! It's a father's job to embarrass his daughter!" he laughed, his dust brown, crew-cut hair emphasized by his farmer's tan.

Rainbow slugged her father in the arm playfully. "And I thought you said you were tough!" she said with a grin.

"What, a father can't show his daughter some love every now and then?" He said with a matching grin. The two laughed. "Heh, well anyway, your mom's in the kitchen cooking dinner, so be down in an hour."

"Yeah yeah, I gotcha!" Rainbow said as she walked up the stairs to her room.

Once she opened her door, she threw her backpack into the corner where her plain, queen sized bed lay just below the window that looked out over her family's backyard. All around the room were posters of famous athletes, and one particular poster was a promotional poster of the Blue Angels.

Near the door was a row of different shoes, each with their own set purpose. In the far left corner of the room lay a nigh empty laundry hamper, only a scarce few clothes actually inside it. Most of which were hanging off the side of it, close to falling to the green carpet floor where so many of their kin were laying, and had laid for months.

Immediately she turned on her TV and fired up her PBox One, sitting down on her bean bag chair. She played some games for a bit, until her phone went off. "Huh?" She paused her game and took her phone out, finding a message from Pinkie Pie. "Pinkie? Why would she send me a message now? It's only been a little while since we last talked..." Rainbow sighed and opened the message. As she read it, her eyes widened and she started to sweat.

Someone had gotten Pinkie to spill the beans.

The girls assembled quickly back at the Cafe, and with them was a man, likely in his mid twenties, with pink and silver crew cut hair and a light stubble. He had brown eyes and wore a denim jacket, and he had dark blue skin. He was sitting next to Pinkie, and he did not look happy.

"...Uhm...So, this is, uh... My uncle, Semper Pie," Pinkie introduced timidly. The man said nothing as he looked over the girls with a harsh eye.

"N-Nice to meet you..." Sunset greeted with a stutter.

"You're the one who gave my niece the idea of sneaking into a different country?" he asked swiftly and coldly. Sunset winced.

"Uh, hehe... Kinda..." she admitted, scratching her cheek.

"And without any preparations? Do any of you even have combat training or experience?" he asked next. None of them said anything, trying to not look him in his cold eyes. He sighed and shook his head. "I know you girls think you're powerful, what with your magic mumbo jumbo and all..."

"You know about that?!?!" Twilight cried, eyes wide. The others also had wide eyes. He glared at her.

"First, don't interrupt me. Second, of course I do. You think ANY of the things that happened last year would go unnoticed by the public? A demon? A golden pegacorn in the sky? The fiasco at the Friendship Games? Or how about the unnatural growth of thorns at Camp Everfree?" he rattled off, each statement making them all shrink in their seats. He sighed deeply, then looked to Pinkie. "I'm disappointed in you, Pinkie. You know better than to be this reckless. Didn't your father and I teach you anything?" Pinkie wilted and her hair deflated. He shifted his gaze to the rest of the girls. "And you all aren't any better. Knowing you dragged my niece into this is just the icing on the cake."

"B-But-!" Applejack tired to say. He glared at her.

"But?" he queried, raising a brow.

"We... We have to do this, sir!" Rarity argued.

"Y-Yeah, if we don't, things will only get worse!" Rainbow continued.

"Exactly! And we're the only ones who can put a stop to this once for all!" Sunset finished, determination in her sea-green eyes as she glared defiantly at Semper. He glared back just as intensely.

Pinkie looked between the two worriedly, but then, he smirked. "Well then, in that case, I'll let you all go on one condition." They all smiled wide, but he raised a hand. "You stay here long enough for me to train you how to fight."

They all went silent and looked at each other. Words passed between them, despite nothing actually being vocalized. Then, they all looked back to him, fire in their eyes.

"We'll do it, Uncle," Pinkie said firmly, hair back to being fluffy and poofy.

"If it means we'll be able to do what we have to do better, then I'm all for it," Rainbow added with a cocky grin. "'Sides, combat training sounds like it could be fun!"

Applejack sighed and shook her head. "Only you, Rainbow, only you," she looked to Semper. "But I'm in too."

"Count me in as well, darling," Rarity said, flipping her styled hair as she gave the man a confident smirk.

"U-Um, I'm not much of a fighter, b-but if it means we can save people, I'll do it..." Fluttershy said meekly.

"I'm not much of a fighter either," Twilight admitted, looking away nervously for a moment, before she looked back at the man, flame back in her eyes. "But I'm willing to do what it takes to help my friends!"

"And I have a duty to investigate and stop any outbreaks of Equestrian magic," Sunset started, staring directly into Semper's eyes. She smiled. "Who knows? Maybe in the end we can make a friend of whoever's causing all this."

Semper stared at her long and hard, sighed, then managed a smile. "Well, I doubt it'll end like that... But, since you all agreed, and I'm not about to go back on my word, then it's a deal." His smirk turned vicious, and a mad glint entered his eyes. "Get ready for hell on Earth, ladies."

Author's Note

EDIT: Fixed a fair few mistakes and finally got the okay to change the name of Veteran Pie to Semper Pie, after the wonderful story, "Semper Pie."

Well, this is quite honestly one of my most worked on stories, unless you count one other one. See, this story has been in the works for two or more years, and at one point I was writing it with the famous Flutters Is Shy, but then my idea changed, and after that I left the story on the shelf. However, starting last year, I got back to writing it, and before I knew it, I had over 12 chapters written on Gdocs, which, if you count the other story I got back to working on last year, brings me to a grand total of 20 or more chapters.

So, yeah, basically, long time coming. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this.

Thanks for reading, my dear readers.

-Timeless Celestial