Arsenal and Swan: Arc 1: The Queen Gadget Saga

Arsenal and Swan: The Queen Gadget Saga

Episode I: Evil Never Dies

Sand blew viciously as the wind roared with ferocity through the air. The sun, obscured by the sandstorm, beat down upon the girl struggling to move forward. Her legs struggled to push through the mounds of sand clusters ahead. She held her arm above her face, squinting her eyes in a fruitless attempt to see anything ahead of her. Nothing but a flurry of sand was visible to her.

From head to toe, she was draped in thick cloth, covering most of her face and her body entirely. There were small eyeholes, her eyes protected by thick green goggles. She held her mouth closed, breathing through her nostrils. Sand particles flew up her nose causing her to have to stop and cough on occasion.

Then, as if no sandstorm had happened at all, the sand evaporated, the wind’s roar dissipating. Silence now permeated the air, the cloaked girl’s vision completely restored. The sun shone brightly down, instantly heating the desert to an unbearable degree. It stung Soanta’s eyes as she held up her arm to shield herself from the blinding sun. A tumbleweed blew by as a lizard crawled out from behind a rock.

Sonata let out a sigh. She ripped off the cloth, revealing what she was truly wearing. Her skin was light blue, her hair striped in an equal contrast of dark and light blue. She had violet eyes, wearing purple cuffs with spikes on her wrists. She wore a dark purple jacket, a pink skirt, and light purple boots.

The siren put her hand up to her ear, “This Mindscape place is like so weird. First, there’s a sandstorm then there isn’t. What’s up with that?” Sonata said in a happy-go lucky tone.

A rather annoyed voice responded after a groan over the small headset Sonata was wearing in her ear, “It’s literally the world of imagination, created by psychics, remember?! You’re so dumb!”

“Nuh uh!” Sonata retorted, “You are!”

“No, you are!”

“No, you are!”

“Would both of you just shut the hell up!” A dominating, angered voice intervened. “The Omega should be close Sonata. We need that to gain the power we so rightfully deserve.” Though Sonata could not see it, she could picture the demonic grin that formed upon Adagio’s face as she finished speaking.

Sonata wiped the sweat dripping from her forehead. She glanced at her wrist on which she was wearing a large purple watch like device that showed a small blinking yellow dot a few miles ahead of her. This indicated where the Omega, the object she was looking for, was very close.

“Okay, I like totally see it, I’ll get on that for realsies, Adagio.” Sonata said as she began to nod her head in confidence as if the girl on the receiving end could see the gesture.

“Just hurry!” Adagio demanded.

Sonata jumped in fear and began to move forward. She placed her hand over her eyebrows as if her appendage was a visor. The siren glanced to her left to see nothing but miles of sand and a few cacti. To her right was more of the same. However, she kept moving forward in fear of Adagio. The heat was nothing compared to one of her punishments.

Soon, she came to a jagged cliffside causing her to stop immediately in her tracks. Sand fell off the cliff down into a forested area below. Sonata gazed down and gulped at the sheer scale of the drop below. One step forward would leave her flatter than a pancake. She spotted a river below, but was not in the mood to take a quick dip in death.

“Um, there’s a cliff,” Sonata reported into the earpiece.

“Oh, my, I’ll get that for you,” came a rather unsettling, maniacal female voice, “Sometimes this place just has a mind of it’s own. Hahaha!” She cackled as the forest below began to rise up, shaking the earth around Sonata.

Sonata nearly lost her balance, her knees buckling as the forest soon became one with the desert in front of her. The water flowed down a roaring stream separating the forest into two parts, one to the left, the other the right. Buzzing was audible in the distance through the air as the leaves on the tree blew in the soft wind.

The siren entered the brush, pushing aside weeds and branches. Bugs whizzed by her face, as she traversed down a dirt path, the sound of the water still audible to her. Sonata saw a cute chipmunk shoot by as if it was going at the speed of light. After she admired the wildlife, the girl gazed down upon her wrist, the blinking spot getting closer and closer.

Soon, she reached a clearing where no trees where in view for miles. A few meters in front of her lay gray stone rubble, remnants of ruins long decimated. She walked up to the rubble and began to grab it getting ready to move it. With a huff and a strong pull, she moved the rubble aside, revealing the item she was searching for.

It was a circular gray metal orb, glowing with a red aura. The metal seemed to move in a pattern, snake-like in the way it did so. It seemed to be teeming with life as if it somehow was an animate object. Sonata’s eyes grew wide, a smile growing upon her face. It was as if the metal was calling to her, beckoning the girl forward closer to it.

Suddenly, everything dancing around in her mind faded away into nothingness. It was as if the world around had been washed away. The only thing keeping her attention was the glowing aura resonating in her eyes. Slowly, she began to reach for it, her hands getting closer and closer until…

“Don’t touch the damn metal!” The crazy voice shouted over the earpiece.

Sonata immediately snapped back into the world like a rubberband. “Huh, what?” She said, shaking her head in an attempt to regain her ground. Her hand snapped back into place on the ground before she came in contact with the ominous metal.

“The Omega is very sensitive, dear, we can’t have you transforming all willy nilly in the middle of nowhere. Now, can we? After all, I need to train you as well,” The crazy, yet soothing female voice cooed into Sonata’s ear. “These heroes are not to be taken lightly.”

“Right, um, so how do I like pick it up?” Sonata asked with the usual clueless yet happy look on her face.

Aria groaned, “With the special gloves the Master gave you. You are so incompetent.”

“No, you’re inconstance!”

“That’s not even how you say it and you are!”

“No, you are!”

“Shut the hell up and bring me my metal or I will grind all three of you into nothing but dust and bone with my bare hands,” The psychotic voice threatened with a horrific tone. It was as if the very notion pleased her in some strange manner.

Sonata pulled out a set of silvery metallic gloves from her purse. She placed them on her hands and reached down for the metal. Quickly as she picked it up, she yanked out a small glass capsule with her free hand. It popped open with a press of a button and the siren placed the metal inside of it. As it sealed closed, she placed the capsule in her purse and zipped it closed.

However, as she finished zipping up her purse, she noticed something on the ground. It was a folded up piece of old, torn parchment. The siren snatched it up and unfolded it. It showed a small island like area with a black X marked on the bottom right in a very specific area as if to indicate something of great importance..  She read the title, The Omega Vault? Wonder what that place is? I’m starving, maybe they serve tacos!

“I found something else,” Sonata said in a sing-songy tone.

“What is it, my apprentice?” The psychotic voice questioned.

“Some map looking thingy, it says the Omega Vault or whatever. Do they serve food there? Do they serve tacos?” Sonata asked, her stomach growling. Images of tacos danced in her mind as if nothing else in the world mattered besides tacos.

At first, nothing but inaudible mumbling came over the earpiece. Then, a cackle emanated throughout Sonata’s ear canal, causing her to jump a little, “Ahahahahaha! It does exist! I’ve found it! Ahem, we found it,” Her voice became calmer, “They serve something much better than tacos at that establishment. Come back, my apprentice. Well done, for your first mission.”

Sonata cheered in victory as a swirling pink aura surrounded her. In the blink of an eye, the siren was gone as if she was never there at all. The landscape around her had changed entirely into a bustling city. The desert and forest were nowhere in sight as if they were a figment of mere imagination.

________________________________

“So, that’s the situation, Princesses.” A blonde haired, blue-eyed man in a suit and red tie said into the monitor in front of him. He held a briefcase in his hands, wore thin-rimmed glasses and would be described as a pretty boy. He wore khakis and black dress shoes to finish off his ensemble.

On the receiving end of the monitor sat the four Princesses of Equestria, all on a separate golden thrones cushioned with velvet red material which was quite warm and comfortable.. Celestia sat in the biggest throne, her mane flowing with radiance as always, while the other three sat on three smaller golden thrones slightly below her. Their mouths were agape in shock at the sudden news.

“A villain from your world contacted the Sirens?!” Twilight said in a mix of confusion and intrigue., “But why? They have no power and Sunset hasn’t told me anything about them in a long time. Who is this Queen Gadget?”

The man, Elliott Hanson, sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose, “She’s a psychic who got a hold of some Omega, a living metal with the ability to grant great power or horrible fate. She became fused with it giving her three octopus-like pincers on her back. She’s caused more death than the plague and she’s virtually unstoppable. No matter how many times we lock her up, she finds a way out. All I ask is for your aid.” He explained with a bow.

“Well if the Sirens are involved that can’t be good for both our worlds or Sunset’s for that matter,” Celestia said with worry evident in her voice.

“What do you suggest we do, Elliott? We’ve dealt with H.E.R.O or Heroic Enforcement and Registration for many years with these kind of inter-dimensional incidents. Your agency recruits and trains the best agents and superheroes and has the best record for super villain defeat among any other agency.” Luna asked, turning to the monitor. “But it does beg the question, are these heroes up for the challenge?” Luna cocked a brow.

Elliott nodded, “Yes, I’d trust these heroes with my planet and life.” He said this with assurance and confidence.

“Then,” Cadence intervened, “What do you believe we should do, Elliott?”

“I suggest we get moving. Deploy Twilight to meet with Sunset and I’ll gather my heroes, but first, I want you to decide if these two are the right ones for the job.” Elliott reached into his suitcase and pulled out a small black flash drive which he plugged into the monitor. “First, is Jason Jetts a.k.a Arsenal,” He said as he let the footage play.

The princesses watched as an image of a hero suited in silvery, gleaming metal, striped up the legs and arms with blue metallic paint. His helmet was a simple faceplate with a bright green glow surrounding it, It had eye slits and a mouth slit. In the center was a red chestplate with a yellow A in the center. The monitor showed grainy security footage with a watermark, Bragha Industries in the top right corner. It began to show how Jason was forced into a suit and made into a weapon for the United States Government. The footage showed him struggling and screamed in terror as he was forced into a room by two large beefy bodybuilder type security guards. He was then forced into a metal suit which began to close around his body as if it was a predator closing its jaws about to swallow it’s prey.

“Basically, Brandon Bragha, some crazy nut scientist working with Jason forced him into this suit and made him a sort of slave to the US government. The kid finally had enough and quit, he was a scientist, not a soldier. Then, he met a group of heroes like himself, who taught him to fight and to matter in this world. He’s defeated Bragha, MK-2, and Warlock among many other foes. He’s courageous and selfless, not to mention he can be a little dopey at times,”  Elliott paused, “But he’s a strong asset and an amazing hero.” Elliott explained.

More footage played of the hero. It was black and white and a little grainy but Arsenal could clearly be seen shifting his hand into a large sword. He tilted it sideways as if it could catch something. It did, a bus fell on top of it, saving the children and driver onboard. He could hear the relieved cheers of the survivors after they realized their lives had just been saved. The reel cut to another shot of him transforming his right hand into a an AK-47 and shooting at a swarm of robotic foes, blowing them to kingdom come. Then, she shifted his left hand into a sharp blade, slashing at a metallic tentacle. Queen Gadget was in frame.

Elliott paused the footage, zooming in on the girl who wore the sadistic smile, striking her tentacle at Arsenal, “That’s Queen Gadget. It’s hard to really see her, but that’s her.” Elliott said with disgust in his voice as if he was repulsed to merely mention her name. The man cleared his throat, “Anyway, the next hero,” He said, switching back to the footage.

The screen then went to black as Elliott continued his speech, “Next up is our last hero, Jessica Swanson a.k.a Swan. She’s sort of got a rough exterior but she’s loyal and soft hearted. She grew up in isolation, on an island, called Metania. It’s located within the Bermuda Triangle. Anyways,” Elliott paused for a second clicking on the remote in his hand.

An image of a black twin-tailed hero wearing a glittering silvery mask with a small orange swan-like beak coming off the tip of her nose. The hero called Swan also wore a glittering rainbow decorated skirt and black boots. To complete the ensemble, she had a symbol of a Swan in a golden chestplate placed in the center of her chest. The hero also wielded a wooden bowstaff.

“She is an Elementalist, or “in other words”, someone who can use all five elements, fire, wind, water, earth, air, and electricity. As you can see in the photo,” Elliott zoomed in on the staff with a small remote he held in his hand which controlled the monitor, “she’s wielding a staff made of Pinesteel, a rare wooden metal that’s unbreakable. After her village was attacked, she trained with her grandfather and became the elementalist to not only beat the tyrant, Tao-Shin, but unite her divided people. She’s also incredibly intelligent and works as a liaison, hoping to bring her country out from the shadows and into the world. But, I’ll let the footage speak for itself,”

Another reel of footage began to unfold in front of the princess's eyes. Swan stood in her uniform and blasted a wave of wind at a large enemy encased in rock. The rock creature was blasted to nothing but mere chunks. She then screamed out, “Flame Wave!” as she did, she slashed her staff upward sending a tidal wave of fire up toward a flying stone enemy. It shattered into a million pieces. Another clip played in much higher quality where it showed Swan giving a speech.

“My country has been divided, but through negotiation and through perseverance, we became united as one. I believe we can unite with this world as well. As you know, they’re threats out there. Threats that if not addressed, could wipe us all out in an instant. Black or white, rich or poor, hero or civilian. These threats could unite not only our worlds, but humanity itself.”

After Swan finished her address, the crowd cheered. She began to walk off stage, waving to the crowd who snapped photos with a ferocity and determination like that of a cat stalking a mouse. The reel ended, the screen fading to blackness. Elliott’s face reappeared as he took the hard drive out of the monitor.

“So,” Eliott cleared his throat, “What do you think?”

The princesses glanced at one another, each contemplating the heroes they were just shown. Silence permeated the air as Celestia glanced back at the monitor.

“Our options are limited as it is. Your heroes show promise to aid in our defense.” She looked at Twilight, “What do you think Twilight?”

“Me?” Twilight gulped, but then closed her eyes, pushing away her nerves and using her friendship skills to respond. She opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and looked directly at Elliott as she said, “If you believe they’re the right heroes for the job then we’ll trust your judgement.”

Elliott nodded, “Well, they’re the best I got, so yes, they’re the most qualified. I’ll deploy them asap. Elliott out.” He said as he pressed a button on the remote in his hand, ending the call.

The monitor was raised back up into the air with the alicorn princesses magic, a green aura surrounding it. A small slit closed up in the ceiling, sealing it away from unwanted eyes. This wouldn’t be the first Equestrian secret kept by the Princesses.

“Twilight, first and foremost you must take this with you,” Princess Cadence said, levitating a small cerulean box toward the Princess.

Twilight watched it as it moved up to her, the purple alicorn’s horn lighting aglow to catch the item being handed over to her, “What’s this for Cadence?”

“Let’s just say, it’ll help your magical abilities in the human world. A little gift from us and H.E.R.O. Equestria’s never faced a threat as deadly as this.” Cadence looked Twilight straight in the eyes. “Twilight, we really need you and the others.” She smiled with confidence, “But I know I can trust my own sister in law.”

Celestia turned to Twilight, “Contact your friends in Ponyville and tell them I need to see them. After they arrive, I want you to go to Canterlot High and meet up with Sunset and your other friends and explain the situation.”

Twilight nodded, narrowing her eyes in determination, “I won’t let you down, Princess.”

____________________________

Sunshine shone down upon the city, no clouds present in the sky. Birds chirped in the distance, and the busy city buzzed with all sorts of activity. However, today was not the celebration of a parade or a fun day in the sun, no today was much more chaotic. Smoke billowed into the air as buildings crumbled into the streets below. Cars were crushed like mere insects under the weight of the glass and bricks.

Robots flew through the sky wielding machine guns for a left arm and a rocket launchers for its right. On both their shoulders was a single gear that stretched from its shoulder to it’s back. It was a rusty bronze in color and had a sadistic smirk painted across it’s face. The robot's eyes glowed red as they flew quite quickly through the air, a jet-pack built into their backs, each one wreaking all sorts of havoc.

Buildings were blown to bits and highways reduced to nothing but smashed cars and highway debris. People down below scrambled to escape the disaster ensuing around them, screams of terror being let out as they did so. Some machine gun fire mowed down fleeing citizens, while some got to safer areas, their fates unknown.

A loud rumbling could be heard in the distance. It was reminiscent of the sound of a large tractor. A huge blood red robot emerged from behind a building. He smashed through it with ease, sending pieces of glass and debris flying everywhere, raining down on the fleeing pedestrians below.

It was a Tank version of the Gear robot codenamed Smiley, who not only had the creepiest, most sadistic smile of any of the robots, but his eyes moved up in such a way it was as if they were smiling as well. The robot also packed two rocket launchers for arms with six missile silos on both his back and legs. Turrets were mounted on his shoulders and he had tank-like lower body, moving around on a tractor.

Sitting atop the light purple spiral of a building was a woman, smiling sadistically. She had three large tentacles with three sharp pincers on each and wore a silver metallic crown with a single glowing red jewel in the center. Her attire was a dark black short skirt with spikes coming out the ends and ruby red boots. She had blood red eyes and auburn hair.

Finally! Finally Finally! This world will be mine! It will get what it deserves, the cleansing will come. Just wait Violet, be patient, girl. Besides, with the map, every piece of the puzzle is fitting together perfectly. Ahahahaha! The evil villain thought as she cackled aloud not being able to contain herself until she was interrupted by a male voice.

“Stop this at once, Violet!” Arsenal ordered, hovering in the air with his jet boots. He placed his hands on his hips, the center of his belt glowing red.

Gadget climbed to the top of the spiral, spotting Arsenal a few feet away from her. A smirk instantly grew on her face as she spoke, “Jason, Jason, Jason, what will I ever do with you?” She shrugged, “I mean I knew you were an idiot, but how dumb can one hero really be? It boggles the mind. Ahahahahaha!”

“You, shut up, ummm… idiot!” Arsenal struggled to find a comeback.

“Still not a big reader, I see,” Gadget giggled, “That’s okay, we’ll still be together when I take over all of creation. You’ll be my little toy, darling,” The villainess disappeared and then instantly reappeared quite close to Arsenal. “And I know how much you’d like that, sweetie,” She cooed seductively into his ear as she licked the side of his faceplate.

“In your dreams, crazy train!” A female voice shouted as a whoosh was heard throughout the air. Gadget disappeared and the wind attack Swan had just sent upward nearly smashed Arsenal.

“Hey!” Arsenal scowled at Swan who he spotted down below dressed in her usual sparkling costume. “That could’ve killed me ya know!”

“Don’t ‘hey’ me! I just saved your dumbass!” She facepalmed and shook her head. “I swear if I didn’t watch you, you’d die in a flash.”

“I don’t need a babysitter, Swan!” Arsenal retorted, “All that matters is stopping Gadget and saving these people! Even if it means I have to risk my life doing so,” He put his hand to his heart, “I’ll do it.”

Swan blushed and looked away, “Umm… yeah… well, just let’s get this over with or whatever.” She brushed her blonde hair to the side, her cheeks still redder than a tomato.

“Ahhh, if it isn’t Ms. Tsundere, Swan.” Gadget blew a kiss at her and gave a seductive wink, “How lovely you look, as always, trying to impress my sloppy seconds, are we?” Gadget cackled.

Swan’s face got red and she stomped her multiple times foot in frustration as she spoke, “I am not trying to impress anyone! Is it a crime to look good?!”

“Ahahaha! You’re so cute when you’re all flustered, Swan. Anyway, I think it’s time we draw this little part to a much needed close. Gears!” Gadget called up to the robots who halted in place. “Kill these pests. They’re messing with my sanity,” she twisted her head back toward the heroes wearing a creepy chesire grin, “not that I had any to give away in the first place. Ahahahaha!”

The robots converged on both the heroes swooping down in a storm of metal and bullets. Arsenal transformed both of his arms into submachine guns and blasted away at the robots coming at him at lightning fast speed. Swan slashed fire, yelling, “Flame Wave!” as she did so. Many of the robots were decimated, bits of metal and debris fell to the ground below.

More came from the sides as the heroes readied for a counter attack. Arsenal morphed both hands into swords and began slicing and dicing his way through the incoming robots. Occasionally, he dodged some machine gun fire but soon the Gears became nothing but explosions and debris.

Swan turned her staff sideways, closing her eyes as she did so, “Torrent Burst!” The girl cried as her raven colored eyes shot open. A huge burst of water came out both ends. It disintegrated the robots as if it was acid water and not just your run of the mill pond water.

“Oh, Smiley!” Gadget called in a sickly singy songy tone.

Smiley smashed through buildings, crushing cars under his tracks, leaving them flatter than pancakes. One of the buildings was tilted and torn in half. Over a dozen office workers hung off the edge of the building as more held onto beams and other objects in a desperate attempt to survive.

Arsenal flew over and grabbed a man who had just lost his grip. With his free hand, he grabbed a woman and flew down, lowering them to safety. He turned to Swan, “I’ll help the people, you take the robot!” He ordered.

Swan nodded, gazing up at the tank rolling up to her. It seemed to get bigger and bigger until it stopped in front of her. A confident smile began to form upon her face. “Electric Strike!” Swan shouted, raising her staff in the air.

The tank began to blast it’s turrets at her as missiles exploded out of their silos and headed for the hero. Storm clouds began to form above, darkening the skies and everything around them. The tank stopped firing, gazing from left to right, confused at the current moment.

Meanwhile, Arsenal grabbed the final civilian, lowering her to safety. The group of around twenty people he had saved cheered, some even hugging him, and all thanking him. Arsenal just smiled and told them, “You’re welcome.” He glanced over to see Swan standing on a building.

Swan leapt down upon the robot striking it from head to track with a blade of lightning. She turned around, walking away as crackling circuits could be heard behind her. After she was a short distance from the robot, it exploded into chunks of metal and gear.

Arsenal and Swan both confronted Queen Gadget, who looked down upon them as if they were insects, “Smiley! Oh, whatever will I do?” She tapped her finger on her chin as if she was actually thinking about what to do, “I could just get a replacement. That always works. Ahahahahaha!”

“Enough, Violet, drop this, now!” Arsenal ordered angrily. “People are dying! Can't you see that!”

“Don’t call me Violet!” Gadget snapped, “Violet Prescott is dead, she’s been dead for a long time. I’m Queen Gadget, dammit!” She clenched her fist together, tilting her head back, her blood red eyes widening, “I am evil incarnate and evil never dies. Ahahahahaha!” She then gained a seemingly sane complex, well, sane for Queen Gadget at least and changed the subject “Well, I’ve enjoyed our little play date, but it seems my time is up. Don’t look so sad, though, I can’t spend all my time playing when there’s work to be done. Toodles.” Gadget said with a wave of her fingers and a malevolent smirk.

Arsenal charged at Gadget morphing both his hands into blades as he rushed at the villainess at full force ready to take her down at any moment. Swan readied her staff for an attack as well, but before anything could be done, a beam of pink magical energy shot down from the sky. It engulfed Gadget and soon she disappeared, the light dissipating as she did so.

Arsenal struck the spiral and groaned. “Damn it, so close!”

Swan’s mouth was agape, her index finger pointing at the building, “H-how did she do that? She’s never done that before.”

Arsenal crossed his arms, thinking about it for a mere moment, “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. So what?”

“So what?” A serious look came across Swan’s face, her tone changing with her demeanor, “That wasn’t just an ordinary teleport, Arsenal. That was an interdimensional transmission.”

Arsenal scratched his head, “An interdimensional what now?”

“Ugh!” Swan groaned, faceplanting, “She was teleported to another dimension.”

“That’s illegal, besides, no one’s been able to do that since the founding of H.E.R.O.” Arsenal shrugged it off, but then it clicked in his head, “but Gadget is a schemer.” He rubbed his chin.

“She won’t care if it's illegal Arsenal, she’s a villain!” Swan shouted in frustration, “Besides, if she is going somewhere specific we should be able to track the coordinates to this building which we could run through H.E.R.O’s database and find the corresponding coordinates she went to in the opposite world.” The hero blurted out.

“Yeah, I caught none of that, but we should just be able to track the coordinates and find the other world she went to in H.E.R.O’s databases,” Arsenal said as if he had come up with the idea.

Swan groaned, “You are such an idiot sometimes, you know that?”

“What?” Arsenal shrugged, “What’d I do?”

“Clueless as always,” Swan muttered under her breath as a sudden beep came from her pocket. It persisted until Swan answered her cellular phone.

“What’s up boss. Uh huh. Uh huh. Right away? We’ll be right there,” Swan hung up the phone and turned to Arsenal. “The boss wants to see us.”

Arsenal nodded, but couldn’t help notice the building Gadget had been so keen on staying upon. It was odd, colorful with the light purple spiral, orange bricks, and stained glass windows depicting odd things involving ponies. Cordian Industries? Huh?

__________________

Sunset darted toward Canterlot High at a speed Rainbow Dash would be proud of. Her alarm hadn’t gone off and if she wasn’t in homeroom within five minutes, detention would be her fate. Something was off though as the pony turned human girl remembered setting it before she had went to sleep. All she could focus on was this sick, scared, instinctual feeling in her gut.

Since the second she had awoken, Sunset Shimmer had had that feeling. The feeling she got about the sirens and Twilight at the Friendship Games. A nauseating, nagging feeling that something bad was about to happen. Twilight hadn’t responded to her letters in two days but with her new apprentice, Sunset understood she was busier than before.

With four minutes to spare, Sunset spotted the school ahead, but she had arrived at a rather busy crosswalk. She sighed and pushed the button, waiting to cross the street. She tapped her foot, her arms folded as she waited impatiently, praying to Celestia she wouldn’t be late.

That’s when Sunset spotted it. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a bright flash of pink magic. She quickly glanced up toward the left and saw a beam of Equestrian looking magic. It dissipated as quickly as it had appeared.

Sunset gulped, a lump forming in her throat, fear coursing through her very being. Something is definitely going on. I need to tell my friends the minute I get to school. I knew it, whenever I get that feeling, something bad happens. Sunset sighed as she crossed the street and made it to her destination. More and more it seemed as if her bad feeling premonition was coming true.

The girl burst through the door and entered homeroom just in the nick of time. One minute remained as Ms. Cherilee called out her name as if she were saying it for the second or third time.

“Here,” Sunset said, panting. She quickly took her seat next to Rainbow Dash and directly behind Applejack.

“Ya just made it Sunset. It ain’t like ya ta be tardy no more,” Applejack said, turning to face her friend.

Sunset couldn’t get the image of the beam of magic out of her mind. It was like a mosquito biting at her skin, but no matter how many times she wanted to just swat it away, she couldn’t. Her eyes were wide and she was totally zoned out. She contemplated different possibilities about what had happened.

Is it an Equestrian villain on the loose? Did someone come through the portal? What is going on? Sunset needed to get to the bottom of this and she after all she was intelligent and resourceful, she could figure something out.

“Hello, earth to Sunset,” Rainbow Dash said playfully, waving her hands in front of Sunset’s face.

“Oh, what, yeah, my alarm didn’t go off. I’m lucky I made it,” Sunset said with a chuckle as the bell rang which signaled homeroom’s beginning.

All throughout homeroom, Sunset thought of the Equestrian beam of magic she had seen. It wasn’t a spell she was familiar with and that bothered her even more. She had to get to the bottom of this. Before the girl knew it, the bell rang, signaling the five minutes she had to scramble to Trigonometry.

School went by like a blur as Sunset’s focus remained solely on that strange beam of light she had seen earlier that day. The image played over and over again in her mind like a song set to repeat. Over and over again, she saw that pink magic, the feeling in her stomach getting worse by the second.

Something is definitely wrong, I need to talk with my friends. They should be waiting out front by the statue. Maybe they’ll know what to do.

Sunset placed a few books in her open locker, slamming the door shut. She turned and left the school, opening the front door to see the usual sights. Buses were lined up to pick up students whilst others walked in groups, conversing among themselves. In front of the statue were her six friends, but that’s when she noticed it.

It wasn’t just her six friends standing in front of the statue waiting to walk home with their friend. Princess Twilight was standing there as well with a look on her face that spelled doom. Sunset’s suspicions were confirmed without a doubt in her mind. Something was going on, and it wasn’t good. With a gulp, step, by, step Sunset walked down the stairs slowly approaching her friends. Thoughts of possible danger danced around in her head as if her mind was putting on a twisted play.

“Sunset,” Princess Twilight said with a smile, waving as her friend approached the group.

“Hi, Twilight,” Sunset rubbed the back of her neck, “it’s great to see you and all, but I kind of know why you’re here.” Sunset’s eyes and facial expression grew immensely serious, “I know something’s wrong, I saw magic. Equestrian magic!”

Twilight sighed, shaking her head, muttering to herself, “Oh, no, no, no, this isn’t good. She must already be here.”

“Uh who’s she? Rainbow Dash chimed in, cocking a brow.

“Queen Gadget, the villain from the other world.” The princess ushered her friends to follow her, “We need to go somewhere more private. This deals with the fate of all worlds.”

As the group began walking, they glanced at one another, wide-eyed, intrigued, and frightened all at the same time. Pinkie simply skipped along, humming to herself, a boing noise being made out of thin air with each hop. Fluttershy gulped and muttered in fear,

“I really, really don’t want to know who this villain is.”

________________________

Jason and Jessica stood in a large golden elevator heading up in direction. Jason had hazel hair and eyes, was rather slender, wore a red Star Wars t-shirt and purple shorts, as well as black Nike sneakers. He adjusted his thin-rimmed brown glasses as he impatiently awaited their arrival on their destined floor.

Jessica stood with her arms folded, her mind on her political matters. She had long flowing blonde hair, a small bust, wore a white frilly dress and red high heels. She didn’t use makeup much as her blue eyes brought out the beauty in her face enough and she never felt the need for any.

Jason tapped his fingers, one by one, on the gold railing of the elevator. His mind was solely focused on Gadget. She was always one step ahead, executing plan b before plan a ever got started. It drove him nuts, to the point where he either tapped his hands or shook his leg.

“Jason!” Swan snapped, “Stop that, god, it’s so irritating.”

“Sorry,” He said as he stopped tapping his fingers. “So, you think Gadget is after something?” Jason quickly asked attempting to change the subject.

“Probably,” Swan answered, her gaze still on the velvet covered floor. “But, what is she after and why?”

The elevator dinged and the door opened up. Some agents dressed in their usual suits and ties got onto the elevator as the heroes exited. Jason greeted one of them as the doors closed behind them.

What lie before them was a long hallway with rooms on each side. Large fluorescent lights hung above from the ceiling. In between some of the rooms were small luxurious couches varying in size and color. Some offices had plants sitting outside in front of the door.

Silence permeated the air as both heroes walked down the hallway and took a left. Soon, they came to a room marked Briefing Room 102 and Jason twisted the knob. He ushered for Swan to go inside, saying, “Ladies first.”

“I can open a door by myself!” Swan snapped, walking inside the room. Her cheeks were tomato red and in her mind she did love the gesture, but she couldn’t show it, that wasn't who she was. “And I don’t need to be guided in either! You’re so stupid!” She stomped her foot and took a seat at the comfortable computer chairs set out around an oval see-through glass table.

“Sheesh, okay, sorry,” Jason rolled his eyes and closed the door behind them, flicking on the light switch to his left. The room lit up, showing it was a white painted room with green and red patterned tiled floor. To the right was a monitor and to the left was a portrait of a group of heroes.

Jason took a seat as Elliott walked into the room. Elliott adjusted his glasses, clutching his briefcase as he got down to business.

“You both know Gadget attacking the city today was not a coincidence. She was gathering coordinates to a world known as The Canterlot Highverse. At 0100 hours, we received a red flag that said someone from our dimension made contact with three girls from their world. As you know, that’s illegal without the right permission.” Elliott paused and cleared his throat.

“Who are these three girls?” Swan asked.

“Adagio, Aria, and Sonata or The Sirens,” Elliott answered, reaching into his briefcase. He tossed pictures of three cartoonish looking grins, two with evil grins on their face and one with a more goofy, clueless kind of smile. “They tried to take over the CHverse before through mind control. They lost their power, but they could be desperate to regain some sort of power.”

Jason swiveled around in his chair, “Gadget always has a plan. These girls are just a piece of the pie.” He finished as his chair stopped spinning.

“Probably,” Elliott nodded in agreement, “But, we received another red flag when the Mindscape was accessed.

“The Mindscape?!” Jessica and Jason gasped in unison.

Mindscape, the place where she… where Sarah died. The shock of the the mention of the place made Jason’s eyes go wide. He gripped the table, his head spinning. That hell created by psychics that was meant to be a place to police human thought and provoke imagination, but when it was abused for power, it was created as a utopia for psychics and used to spark imagination in humanity.

“Jason, are you okay?” Swan asked in a concerned voice, placing her left hand on top of his shoulder. “I know the Mindscape is the place where…” Swan couldn’t dare finish the sentence. So many lives lost, including Sarah Prescott, her best friend, the only one who truly understood and accepted her.

“...Sarah died, I know.” Jason said, smiling and moving Swan’s hand away. He sat back down in the computer chair, “Don’t worry about me. We have a universe to save.”

Swan blushed, pulling her hand away, “I wasn’t worried!” She quickly thought up an excuse, “I just don’t need you dying on me so I have to deal with all your work.”

Jason chuckled, “Okay, Jess.”

“Anyway,” Elliott interjected, gaining the immediate attention of both the heroes, “We believe Gadget is trying to locate the Alpha.”

“The Alpha?” Swan questioned curiously.

“Three pieces of Omega said to hold the power to grant the user’s deepest desire and they would gain abilities based of of those wishes, one by one, each getting stronger until the ultimate Omega weapon is created.” Elliott explained.

“So,” Swan folded her arms, “Cut to the chase. What do you want us to do?”

“I need you to go to the CHverse, rendezvous with Sunset Shimmer and Princess Twilight and then report back to me. We need to discuss our plan of attack, meanwhile, I have some other matters to attend to.” Elliott adjusted his glasses, “Are you ready to deploy, heroes?”

Jess and Jason both nodded their heads in unison, “Hell yeah!”

_____________________________

Darkness filled the room surrounding Sonata in nothing but blackness. She attempted to move her arms and legs, but she seemed to be strapped down to something cold and metallic. Panic began to settle in and fear hit her like a ton of bricks. She screamed, but sound came out of her mouth. She soon discovered she had duct tape over her mouth.

Suddenly, a blinding light flicked on above her. The beams were so bright she had to look away for a second as the light stung her eyes like a swarm of hornets. Next to her, standing upon her metallic tentacles was Queen Gadget.

“Shh, shh,” Queen Gadget sadistically cooed, “It’s for your own safety sweetie, after all this metal will hurt when it fuses with you and it could even kill you. Wouldn’t that be fun? Oh, the thought of death, it just makes me so giddy. Ahahahaha!” Gadget cackled as she reached the tongs she was holding down upon Sonata.

Clenched between the special tongs was the Omega that Sonata had found. As soon as the metal came in contact with Sonata’s body, she felt as if she was burning alive. Pain seared throughout her entire body. She shrieked as the pain intensified.

The tongs and metal were pushed inside her body, not damaging anything, but going through it as if the siren’s body was nonexistent. Sonata began to glow with an ominous dark aura. Her skin became pale as she shrieked, the metal coursing throughout her very being.

Aria bursted into the room, panting and in a panic. “Where’s Sonata? Is she okay?” Then, her eyes widened at the sight she saw unfolding in front of her very eyes.

Sonata began to grow in size, but she didn’t stop at a few feet. No, the siren began to grow enormous, her binds ripping as she grew bigger and bigger. Soon, her back pressed against the ceiling, but the sudden growth spurt didn’t stop there. Sonata burst out of the building, debris flying in every direction.

A chunk of wood flew t-boned a car sending it sideways off the bridge and onto the freeway traffic below. Cars veered out of the way as the vehicle slammed front first onto the top of another car.

Gadget had already teleported Aria, Adagio, and herself away from the situation. They watched from a hilltop closeby. Gadget cackled at the destruction, reveling in it’s glory with a grin so wide and sadistic the Chesire Cat would be jealous.

“I need to see if Sonata’s okay, she isn’t moving!” Aria cried still worried about her friends.

Gadget began to laugh, “Ahahaha! Sentiment will get you nowhere in this life girlie, if she’s dead, she’s dead, end of story. Another failed experiment, oh, well, you just sort of move on I guess.

“How can you say that?!” Aria yelled in confused frustration. “I’m checking!”

Aria ran down the hill at a pace she had not run before. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she was determined to save Sonata. Sonata and Adagio were always there for her. Even if they didn’t get along all the time, that was family in her mind.

Soon, she reached Sonata, stepping over rubble. The girl had to be 50 feet tall at least, but something was unmistakeable. As Aria got closer to Sonata’s now giant mouth, she heard no breath of any kind. Sonata wasn’t breathing nor was she moving and her skin was pale.

          Aria placed her hand on Sonata and she felt colder than an ice box. “Oh no, she’s… she’s,” Tears began to streak down Aria’s cheeks as she pointed at Sonata’s limp, unmoving body, “she’s dead!”