Chapters (S1) First Day Of Summer [R]
(S1) First Day Of Summer
Summer break was once again upon Equestria's schools, making hundreds of fillies and colts cheer with delight at their newly granted amounts of free time in Celestia's sunlight. With rejuvenated energy previously spent on the final school day prior, the cozy yet wild town of Ponyville was packed with children running through the streets.
One filly in particular however, was still indoors, her little body covered by a teal blue blanket. Sadly, the wonderful world of dreamland was vanquished as stray beams of light shot through the cracked open curtains that were draped over the window parallel to her bed.
Instead of the typical groan and pulling the teal blanket over her head in an attempt to block out the sunlight, the filly held back from making any noise and sat up. She rubbed the remaining drowsiness from her eyes with her forehooves, before smiling as she glanced out the window. Seeing all the fillies and colts rushing around reminded her of exactly why she'd wanted to get up earlier the night prior.
"It's the first day of SUMMER!" Scootaloo cheered, leaping out of bed and onto the carpeted floor of her room.
Scootaloo moved like lightning around her room, throwing some objects into her saddlebags and latching them firmly shut. Not a second later were they strapped to her body, her hooves now holding onto her trusty blue and red scooter. One quick test flap of her little wings later, and she shot out of her room like a rocket.
With practiced skill and precision earned by doing this multiple times, Scootaloo propelled her scooter onto the heavily reinforced guardrail of the stairs and grinded it all the way down. The wheels of the scooter didn't even earn a scratch as they were met with the wooden floorboards of the house, nor did the floor for that matter. After all, they were composed of some of the strongest wood out there for this exact reason.
"Gonna hang out with the Crusaders!" Scootaloo stated as she passed the archway leading into the kitchen/dining room, where her two aunts were currently sitting and waiting for the filly with smiles. They already knew what she'd been planning to do, and her excitement for the summer. So the two aunts had made the necessary precautions to make sure that neither Scootaloo's stomach nor the front door would become a casualty to deal with later.
And by that, they'd simply prepared a breakfast for her and put it in a brown bag next to the front door they'd left open. Scootaloo spotted the bag and scooped it up with a forehoof, before shooting out of the house like a Windigo out of Tartarus. If the two aunts hyper focused their ears, they'd hear a distant but cheerful "Thanks!" for their taken precautions.
Ponyville was as lively as ever, with the streets packed full of ponies of all ages wandering about. Some were doing some early morning shopping or catching up with friends, others out for a morning trot, and some were simply tending to their gardens. All of this was but a mere blur to Scootaloo as she used her wings to propel her scooter faster, which roared down the dirt roads of the town. She easily dodged around a watermelon stand and ramped off of a piece of wood, grinning the entire time.
Scootaloo was more than ready for summer, as it meant all the time in the world to hang out with her friends and crusade for her cutie mark. She didn't want to waste anymore time getting to the clubhouse, where the other crusaders agreed to meet up once school was done. So she kicked her wings into overdrive, speeding up even more in an attempt to get to the farm faster.
It didn't take long for Scootaloo to exit Ponyville and arrive at Sweet Apple Acres, weaving between several apple trees as she made her way towards the clubhouse at quite high speeds.
The filly spotted the peach colored wooden tree house which stuck out rather well against the green leaves of the apple tree it was resting in. She pulled the handlebars on her scooter to the left, parking it next to the cucumber green ramp that led to the front door.
Scootaloo took off her helmet and set it down on one of the handlebars, before she galloped up the ramp and towards the door.
"I'm here!" Scootaloo called out, swinging the door to the clubhouse open.
The walls of the clubhouse were made of bright yellow wood and had several hoof-made posters scattered about for the usage of maps and plans for crusades. A few shelves were also spread throughout the room, some holding books while others held writing utensils, spare tools from adventures, and photos. Near the back of the room was a small panel made out of dark oak wood, resting on top of it was a journal which listed all of their previous crusades.
Two other fillies were inside the clubhouse, one was a yellow earth pony filly with a red mane and tail, said red mane also sporting a rather large pink bow on top of it. The other was a white unicorn filly with a curly light pink and purple mane and tail. Neither fillies had cutie marks.
"Hey Scootaloo!" Both fillies said in unison, happy to see their final member arrive.
"Hey Apple Bloom, Hey Sweetie Belle! We all ready to get our cutie marks this summer!?" Scootaloo asked, but she already knew the answer.
"Ya betcha!" Apple Bloom responded, her southern accent clear as the skies.
"Yeah! We've got the entire summer to figure out what are special talents are." Sweetie Belle stated.
The three fillies quickly took their positions for debating what to do, Apple Bloom standing behind the wooden panel while Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle sat down on some bean bag chairs.
With the whack of a gavel from Apple Bloom, the session had officially started. Apple Bloom flipped open the journal on the panel she was standing behind and took some mental notes on what they'd previously done to try and earn their cutie marks.
"Alright girls, we've got plenty ah've time on our hooves. What should we do first?"
"I've got a few ideas..." Scootaloo answered in a tone which sent shivers down Sweetie Belle's spine.
"Why do I have a sudden sense of doom?" Sweetie Belle asked, her words being completely ignored by the pegasus.
Above the planet Equus...
Two space ships were currently engaged in a firefight between each other, one smaller green transport ship which was fleeing from a much larger orange and red battleship. The red ship was laying down waves of red lasers, most only narrowly missing the green ship. But the smaller ship knew that the cargo it was carrying was too precious to have fall into the hands of evil. It returned fire on the ship, managing to strike the bridge of it.
The massive ship quickly retaliated by charging up its center laser, which began glowing a bright shade of crimson. The laser was fired, striking the back of the small ship with so much force that the entire rear end exploded into several pieces.
The front end of the ship, now drifting through space without its thrusters to guide it, shot an escape pod from the barely intact hull. The escape pod soon broke apart as it entered Equus's atmosphere, leaving a silver orb to get encased in flames as gravity took hold of it, pulling it towards the ground at a rapid pace.
The orb plummeted through clouds, its course set directly towards Equestria.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders slowly made their way back towards the clubhouse, signs of their previous crusade for their cutie marks still visible on their features.
Celestia's sun had begun to lower, slowly being replaced by Luna's moon in the sky, marking that the first day of summer was already almost over.
"Never...again..." Sweetie Belle muttered, still recovering from the adrenaline that was slowly draining from her body.
"Agreed..." Apple Bloom seconded, also recovering from the failed attempt.
"Same..." Scootaloo finished, still seeing the faint outline of light in her vision.
Even Scootaloo had to agree that this was probably the stupidest attempt from the group yet. She was shocked that Sweetie's mane hadn't caught completely on fire, unlike her helmet.
The trio soon reached the clubhouse, stopping at the base of the ramp which led to the door. They looked up at the sky, taking note on the time.
"Well, ah better be gett'n home. Don't wanna miss supper." Apple Bloom stated.
"I should head back home as well, Rarity's probably wondering where I am right now." Sweetie Belle followed up.
"We meet up at the clubhouse tomorrow?" Scootaloo questioned.
The other Crusaders nodded, before splitting off in the directions of their homes.
Scootaloo navigated her way through Sweet Apple Acres, wings quietly buzzing as she propelled her scooter forwards. As she reached the outskirts of the farm, she spotted a familiar cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail shoot through the sky at a neck breaking pace.
Rainbow Dash is and always will be Scootaloo's idol, with her awesomeness and skills always ready to help out anypony who needed saving.
Scootaloo watched as Rainbow Dash did a few tricks in the sky, Luna's moon illuminating her movement. It was quite the sight to say the least. Scootaloo halted her scooter so she could focus more on her idol, who did a few more tricks before taking off towards home for a well deserved rest.
Scootaloo took off her helmet and set it on her scooters handlebars, before looking up at the night sky. Not long after did a shooting star fly through the sea of darkness. Remembering what her mom had told her about shooting stars, Scootaloo shut her eyes.
"I wish, that someday I can be a hero alongside Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo said out loud, before opening her eyes, which quickly shrank when she noticed that the shooting star had somehow changed course and was hurtling right towards her!
Scootaloo quickly moved out of the way on her scooter, watching in shock as the shooting star crashed right into the ground next to her, leaving a massive crater in the ground which had a large amount of steam flowing out of it.
Scootaloo cautiously got off her scooter and approached the crater, before peaking into it. Inside the crater was a strange metallic orb which had the most steam coming off of it.
"Is that what a shooting star looks like?" Scootaloo questioned, leaning forward to try and get a better look.
Suddenly, the ground below her hooves broke free, sending the filly rolling down into the crater with the strange object.
Scootaloo hit the ground with a thump , quickly getting back to her hooves when she noticed that the orb had begun to open. The top of the circle had split apart, letting out another wave of steam, and exposing a black interior with a glowing green light coming from inside.
Scootaloo approached the orb and peeked inside it, only to spot a strange black, silver, and green object resting in it. The object looked sort of like those fancy watches that Filthy Rich sometimes wore, only this one didn't seem to have a clock on it.
Curiosity eventually got the better of the filly, causing her to extend her left forehoof out towards the object. Not a second after her hoof entered the orbs interior, the object seemed to liquify and somehow leaped onto her hoof, becoming solid once again.
"AHH! GET OFF! GET OFF GET OFF GET OFF!" Scootaloo shouted, frantically tugging at the watch which had anchored itself on her hoof.
After struggling for a few minutes, Scootaloo climbed out of the crater and took off running for her scooter. She frantically put her helmet on and took off on her scooter, zooming away from the scene as fast as she could.
What in Equestria has just stuck itself on her hoof!?
Author's Note
And so Scootaloo's adventure begins. From my past story, I've been informed that I should probably make new names for each of the aliens, like how Ben 23 did. However, I've got no idea as to what to name them. If any of you've got a good idea as to what I should name the aliens which are all aliens Ben originally got in the Omnitrix. If not, then i'll just use their normal names.
Thanks for reading and have a nice day!
Scootaloo was panicking, she knew she shouldn't, but who wouldn't panic if a strange object from outer space latched onto your forehoof? She wanted this thing off, and fast.
As the filly weaved between a few trees, she spotted a sturdy looking stick near the base of one of the trunks. She halted her scooter and leaped off, setting her helmet down on her handlebars before she dashed over to the stick.
"Come on... " Scootaloo muttered, picking up the stick and wedging it in the small space between her forehoof and the watch.
Scootaloo pushed on the stick with all her might, trying to pry the watch off of her forehoof. But this only led to the sound of the stick snapping in two. She frowned at the now broken piece of wood, before she tossed it to the side in annoyance.
"Now what?" Scootaloo wondered, looking at the watch.
A strange neon green button underneath a matching colored hourglass symbol seemed to glisten in the moonlight, catching the filly's attention. She eyed the button for a few seconds, before she sat down and lifted her other forehoof towards it.
"Hmm, maybe that's how I can get this thing off." Scootaloo thought out loud, using her other forehoof to press down on the button.
Instead of the watch popping off like the filly had hoped, the hourglass symbol rose up, before showing the silhouette of a strange tall figure. A high pitched beeping began ringing from the watch, making Scootaloo turn around to see if anypony had heard it. Thankfully, the Apple family had already retired to their farm house, leaving her all alone.
Scootaloo returned her focus on the watch and rose an eyebrow, not sure what she should do. Eventually, she put her hoof over the symbol, and pressed down. The cylindrical piece of the watch sank back into the body, followed by a flash of lime green light.
Scootaloo watched in horror as the watch sank into her forehoof, which was being coated in dark red rocks which quickly spread across her entire body. The rocks on her forehooves shifted into what seemed to be claws, or possibly fingers. Her hind legs shifted as well, becoming longer legs and feet which had two pointy ends on the front. Her mane and tail were engulfed in flames, magma flowing between the cracks of the rocks that covered her body. Her muzzle caved in, nose seemingly vanishing, before her eyes were filled with fire.
The green light surrounding Scootaloo vanished, leaving the formally filly to look at what had happened to her body. She quickly noticed a rather interesting factor which caused her to scream.
"AHH!!! I'M ON FIRE!!!" Scootaloo shouted, quickly reenacting the movements that Miss Cheerilee had told the class she was in if any of them caught on fire.
Turns out, when she stopped, dropped, and rolled on the grass, instead of being put out, she just lit the grass below her on fire. However, Scootaloo did realize something.
"Wait a minute, i'm on fire, but I don't feel it." Scootaloo stated, raising up one of her new hands which was glowing with the flow of magma as it pulsed through it.
Scootaloo rose up a finger, watching as a small flame developed above it. Now, Scootaloo wasn't an expert on fire, but she was sure this shouldn't be possible. Yet again, how did a watch turn her into this thing make sense?
Scootaloo looked over at a rock, glancing between it and her finger. An idea formed in her mind, making her approach the rock and hold her left hand up.
Scootaloo focused on the hand, trying to generate a ball of fire, which ended up actually happening! The ball of fire shot from her hand and towards the rock, shattering it on impact.
"Whoa... " Scootaloo said in awe at what she'd just done.
A grin spread across her face as she rose up both her hands and locked eyes with a stray cloud. She channeled the flames again, combining it between her two hands, before launching it at the cloud. The ball of fire shot through the sky, striking the cloud, making it vanish with a puff of steam as the water inside it evaporated.
"This is awesome!"
Scootaloo fired a few more fireballs at some rocks and clouds, grin growing wider with each object either exploding or igniting. That grin however, vanished instantly when a stray ball of fire ended up flying towards a tree.
The tree caught fire the second the fireball made contact, sending it ablaze. The fire quickly spread from one tree to another one that was close, and again, and again. It didn't take long before the entire area around Scootaloo was engulfed in flames.
"Not awesome! Not awesome!" Scootaloo stated, frantically trying to extinguish the fire, but being made of fire herself, only managed to make things worse.
FInally, another idea struck her. She looked up at the night sky, before taking in a deep breath as she channeled as much fire as she could with her hands.
Scootaloo released the fire straight into the sky in a beam of light. Hopefully somepony will see this and notice the fire, then some pegasi can put it out. Please let some ponies be awake and see this, Scootaloo didn't want to burn down half of Sweet Apple Acres... again .
After a minute or two, Scootaloo finally spotted the outlines of pegasi rushing towards the scene. She was about to call out to them, but quickly remembered what she looked like. Instead, Scootaloo tried her best to cool down her hands, before grabbing her scooter and took off running through the orchard.
Scootaloo's hand cooling idea proved to be in vain when she began noticing scorch marks forming on her scooter. She made a dash for the Sweet Apple Acres barn and snatched up a conveniently placed hose. She fumbled with the nozzle for a few seconds as she tried to get the water flowing. After a few failed and panicked attempts, a steady wave of water gushed out of the nozzle, which she pointed towards her scooter. The brewing flames that had begun to spread on the wooden piece of transportation were quickly extinguished, allowing Scootaloo to sigh with relief.
Once she was sure the scooter was completely put out, she shut off the hose and returned it to its place next to the barn. She glanced over at the area where the fire was, spotting several pegasi above the scene pushing storm clouds into formation, before letting them dump their watery load onto the orchard.
As Scootaloo watched the pegasi work, a loud beeping noise filled her ears. She looked down at her chest, noticing the hourglass symbol which had appeared there. The symbol was also flashing red for some reason.
A few seconds later, a flash of red light engulfed her. Once the light faded, Scootaloo opened her eyes, quickly realizing that she was once again a filly. Scootaloo looked at the watch, noticing that the green on it had been replaced with red. Guess the watch ran out of juice or something.
"That was strange... but totally amazing!" Scootaloo stated, looking at the watch in the moonlight. That was when she realized something. "Oh Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty are probably worried sick!"
Not wasting anymore time, Scootaloo jumped onto her scooter, thanking Celestia that she was able to put it out in time. She put on her helmet and took off towards home, looking over at the pegasi every few seconds. They seemed to have put out the orchard which was a major relief. If Applejack knew that it had been Scootaloo who had nearly burned down the orchard, she would probably never be allowed near the farm ever again.
Scootaloo opened the front door to her house and was immediately greeted with a set of hugs from her Aunts, as well as a wave of questions.
"Are you alright!? We were getting worried when you didn't show up for dinner!" Aunt Holiday exclaimed.
"We're so glad your ok Scootaloo!" Auntie Lofty added.
"Sorry, I just uhh... got distracted by something." Scootaloo answered.
"Promise us you'll never do that again Scootaloo." Aunt Holiday ordered, but her words were still full of relief that the filly was alright.
"I promise it won't happen again." Scootaloo promised.
The two aunts relaxed at hearing those words, Auntie Lofty shutting the front door that had been left open by Scootaloo.
"Well, let's get you some dinner and then you can get ready for bed." Aunt Holiday said, leading the way into the kitchen.
Scootaloo glanced at the watch one last time, before following her aunt into the kitchen, stomach rumbling in agreement.
Above Equus...
"Where is the Omnitrix?"
"It seems to have been jettisoned in a pod and landed on the planet below." A dark red and orange robot responded to its master, who was still healing from the attack on the bridge.
The tall bipedal alien was currently in a large glass cylinder that was filled with chemicals to help with the healing process. He looked over at a much larger robot, before speaking again in a raspy voice.
"Retrieve the Omnitrix, at all costs." The alien ordered.
The large robot's red eyes flashed as it processed the instructions it had been given, before exiting the bridge. It soon jettisoned from the ship along with a few other drones to retrieve the device, no matter what it took.
The next morning, Scootaloo had once again woken up bright and early. She got some breakfast before saying bye to her aunts and took off out of the house and towards the Crusader Clubhouse. Scootaloo made sure to kick her scooter into overdrive, wanting to show her friends what she'd found last night.
Scootaloo reached the clubhouse in record time, practically leaping off her scooter as she rushed up the ramp and towards the door. She flung it open, startling the other Crusaders who had once again been waiting for her, even though Scootaloo had been in a rush to get there.
"Girls! You'll never guess what happened last night!" Scootaloo said with a large grin across her face.
"Mah sister flipp'n out that tha orchard had caught fire." Apple Bloom responded.
"Wait, really!?" Sweetie Belle questioned, staring at Apple Bloom.
"Yep, she's also assum'n we probably had someth'n ta do with it." Apple Bloom exclaimed with a slight grumble.
"Heh, yeah, we didn't cause that this time, yeah..." Scootaloo trailed off, before quickly remembering what she was going to say originally. "Anyways, not that. Look at what I found in a fallen shooting star yesterday!"
Scootaloo rose her left forehoof, exposing the watch which reflected some of the sunlight that had entered through the open windows of the clubhouse.
"Ya found ah hoof band in ah shoot'n star?" Apple Bloom asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Technically that's a meteor." Sweetie Belle stated, earning blank stares from the other two fillies.
"Nope, I found something even better. Watch this!" Scootaloo instructed as she pressed on the green button, causing the hourglass symbol to rise up.
Scootaloo fiddled with the dial for a few seconds, before pressing down on it, sending a wave of green light which engulfed the clubhouse.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle shielded their eyes with their hooves, waiting for the green light to fade before they lowered them. What stood in front of them where Scootaloo had been standing caused both their eyes to widen and jaws to drop.
Standing in front of the two crusaders was a large orange furred creature that looked sort of like a dog. The creature had a large mouth which was open, exposing a large amount of sharp teeth. It had sharp black claws on each paw, along with what looked like gills on the sides of its body. The hourglass symbol had appeared on a purple and orange shoulder pad which was located on the creature's left shoulder.
"W-What in tarnation..." Apple Bloom stammered.
"Scootaloo?" Sweetie Belle called out, even more shock going through her body when the creature grinned at her, before nodding.
"How 'n the wide world of Equestria did ya do that!?" Apple Bloom questioned.
The cre- Scootaloo pointed at the shoulder pad which had the hourglass symbol on it.
"The watch did that!?"
Scootaloo nodded, before sniffing around the clubhouse. For some reason, a chill had run down her spine.
"That's so cool! Can you turn into other creatures?" Sweetie Belle asked, taking in the sight of the creature her friend had turned into.
Scootaloo didn't answer, instead she let out a low growl which caused the other two crusaders to get a little worried.
"Scootaloo? Ya alright?" Apple Bloom said, Scootaloo only growled a little louder.
Then, the front door of the clubhouse exploded, sending chunks of wood flying across the room. Scootaloo rushed over to her friends and shielded them from the debre, which cut into her back. A few streaks of pain shot up her spine, but she could take it better than her friends.
Scootaloo couldn't see what had blown up the door due to this creature not having eyes. But what it lacked in eyes, it more than gained in all the other senses.
Scootaloo turned to face the door, seeing through a strange black landscape with particles that outlined the clubhouse, as well as a strange looking object which was levitating a few hoof lengths above the ground.
"What is that!?" Scootaloo heard Apple Bloom shout.
"It sort of looks like a robot." Sweetie Belle answered.
The robot had something sticking out of it, looking sort of like a small tube with a sharp end. The tubes end began to glow with energy, earning worried looks from Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. The next thing Scootaloo knew, a large red bolt of energy was flying towards her. She ducked, narrowly avoiding the energy which collided with the clubhouse wall behind her, scorching the wood.
So, a robot wanted to attack her and her friends huh? Well guess what, if you startle the mut, you're gonna get bit! Scootaloo lunged at the robot, using one of her claws to slash at it. Her claw made contact with metal, followed by sparks which flew from the opening that had been made with the attack.
The robot backed up, slightly stunned from the strike, and began charging another beam of energy. Scootaloo quickly rushed over to her friends, picked them up, and jumped out of the way towards a small window. The window sill shattered, along with parts of the wall around it as Scootaloo bursted through, landing on the ground with as much grace as a mule.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle quickly scrambled to their hooves, watching in horror as the robot flew towards them from the new hole in the clubhouse.
"We've gotta go!"
Scootaloo stood back up on all four claws, pointing to her back with one of them. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle got the message and jumped onto Scootaloo's back. Scootaloo then took off as fast as she could, running in a random direction through the orchard. The robot followed them, matching Scootaloo's speed easily.
"It's getting closer!" Sweetie Belle cried out, eyes locked on the robot in a very stressful staring contest.
The robot charged up another beam of energy, which was unleashing at the trio. Scootaloo dodged to the left, letting the beam strike an unfortunate apple tree instead.
Scootaloo picked up the pace, managing to run out of Sweet Apple Acres and down the dirt path towards Ponyville.
"Um, ah know we're be'n chased by ah killer robot right now. But is it really ah good idea bring'n it in'ta town?" Apple Bloom questioned, before ducking as another red beam of energy flew right over her, singing the left tip of her pink bow.
Sweetie Belle tried to cast any sort of spell at the robot, but her horn failed to even ignite. "We don't really have any other choice!"
It was true, and they had already entered the busy streets of Ponyville, bystanders watching in shock as the robot fired another blast of red energy which nearly hit Scootaloo's back legs.
"Twilight can help us out right? She knows all sorts 've things 'bout electronics." Apple Bloom pointed out.
It was true. The towns librarian Twilight Sparkle was probably the only pony in Ponyville who knew about high machinery, so it was off towards the library. Question was, which street led to it? Scootaloo hadn't been paying attention to which street she had been running down, focusing more on losing the robot. Even then, she had no way of reading any street signs without her eyes.
But if she got to higher ground, then Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle could point out the direction and she could just jump on the roofs of the buildings.
With that thought in mind, Scootaloo rushed over to an abandoned market stand and leaped onto it. She then jumped from the stand to a nearby roof, getting several pieces of straw in her paws as a result.
"There!" Sweetie Belle shouted, pointing towards the treehouse that was the Golden Oaks Library.
Scootaloo took off in that direction, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. The robot trailed right behind them, firing several more beams of energy which either struck the thatched roofs of buildings, or the street next to it.
The Golden Oaks Library was getting closer, now outlined by a set of grey particles. They were almost there! Just a little bit--
"Uh, what's that beep'n?" Apple Bloom asked, a familiar beeping sound filling Scootaloo's ears.
Wasn't that the beeping that signalled that the watch was almost empty!? Scootaloo picked up the pace, now knowing that her timer was running low. Scootaloo took one last leap towards the balcony of the library, transforming back into a filly mid air in a flash of red.
The three fillies hit the wooden floor of the balcony with three consecutive hard THUDS. Apple Bloom was the first to recover from the rough landing and rushed over to the door that led into the library.
"TWILIGHT!!!" Apple Bloom shouted, frantically banging on the door, trying to get the unicorn's attention. But Twilight didn't seem to be there.
The other two crusaders joined her once they recovered, crying out for Twilight's help. After a few seconds of banging, they heard the sound of an energy beam being charged. They each turned around to see the robot aiming one last red beam right at Scootaloo.
"Use the watch again!" Sweetie Belle said frantically.
"I can't! It's recharging!" Scootaloo answered, seeing that the watch was still glowing red.
With hope fading away, the three fillies held onto each other as tightly as they could, squeezing their eyes shut as they waited for the beam of energy to strike them.
Instead of the wave of pain they were expecting, they heard the sound of a spell being casted. Slowly, the three fillies opened their eyes to see Twilight Sparkle, standing in front of them with a magical barrier between them and the robot.
The robot's beam of energy struck the barrier, cracking it slightly but not breaking through. Twilight lowered the barrier and fired a beam of magic, which struck the robot directly in the head.
The robot bursted into a pile of metal and sparks, falling onto the balcony in a destroyed heap. The Cutie Mark Crusaders and Twilight all let out a low sigh in unison, before the unicorn turned to face the three fillies.
"Were you three trying to get your cutie marks in robotics again? Don't you remember what happened last time?" Twilight asked, a stern look on her face.
"It wasn't us! Pinkie promise! We were just in our clubhouse and then that thing attacked us!" Scootaloo exclaimed.
"It's true!" Apple Bloom followed up.
"Yeah! Scootaloo was just showing us what this strange watch wa-" Sweetie Belle was cut off as Scootaloo put a hoof on her friend's mouth, silencing her.
Twilight was about to respond, but stopped when a loud BANG rang through the streets of Ponyville. The three fillies and librarian rushed over to the side of the balcony, spotting a much larger red and orange robot standing in the middle of town, red beams of energy charging in its robotic claws.
"Sweet Celestia..." Twilight muttered, staring directly at the robot.
A split second later, a cyan pegasus stopped right in front of the unicorn. "We've got a BIG problem!"
"Rainbow, get the other girls and group up at the library." Twilight instructed.
Rainbow Dash gave her friend a quick salute, before taking off towards the homes of their other friends.
Twilight returned her gaze to the three fillies, who were still watching as the large robot began firing blasts of red energy at buildings.
"You girls stay inside! We'll take care of this." Twilight stated, rushing off into the library and down the stairs to the bottom of the second floor.
The three Crusaders made their way into the library, staying on the second floor instead of following Twilight, who went down another flight of stairs and vanished from sight to the first floor. They gave each other a few glances, before hearing the sound of another beam of energy striking a building.
Scootaloo looked over at the entrance to the balcony, an idea forming in her mind.
"I can help."
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle stared at her friend like she had just suggested bungee jumping to try and get their cutie marks. "How!? Did ya see the size of that thing!?"
Scootaloo looked at her friends dead in the eye, before raising up her left forehoof. The watch seemed to agree with her, since the second her friends locked eyes on it, it changed from red to green, signalling that it was ready to be used.
"Oh yeah... forgot about that." Sweetie Belle stated.
After the robot attack, Ponyville slowly but surely returned to normal. The remaining parts of the robot had been taken by Twilight, who had already begun experimenting on them in the Golden Oaks Library's lab. Once night had fallen, the town was completely back to its normal state, except for one thing.
A blurr dashed around Ponyville, for once not being the rainbow maned pegasus. This blurr was actually yet another creature that Scootaloo had turned into. This one was black and blue, with a pointy head that had a helmet over it that could slide down to cover its face when it ran. Its feet were clutching two black spheres which acted like roller skates, while its hands were shaped like black pincers. A black and blue pointy tail flapped in the wind behind the creature as it zoomed across the grass plains surrounding the town at speeds that could rival anypony, including Rainbow Dash.
"THIS IS OFFICIALLY MY FAVORITE ONE YET!!!" Scootaloo declared as she dashed over a few hills so fast that if somepony had blinked, they would of missed her.
Scootaloo made a sharp turn, pulling a 90 degree angle as she switched directions. She zoomed over a few more hills before ending up near the outskirts of Ponyville. She was about to continue when something caught her eyes, making her slow down.
Now, Ponyville was home to all sorts of ponies, some who can be seen doing questionable things. But this was something different than the usual pony swimming in jelly.
A grey earth pony stallion with a dark blue mane and tail was standing in front of an alleyway, his eyes were constantly shifting around. He was also wearing a black suit over a white undershirt and black tie, giving off secret agent vibes from those spy comics.
Scootaloo ducked behind a building before the stallion could see her, and slowly peaked around the corner at the entrance to the alleyway. Another stallion, this one a dark blue earth pony with a black mane and tail, was carrying a black suitcase on his back. He was wearing a matching suit and tie, making the whole situation feel even more like a business deal between secret agents. The two stallions looked at each other, before nodding in silence as they trotted into the alleyway.
As quietly as Scootaloo could, she dashed off into the alleyways and hid behind a dumpster. She could make out the voices of the two stallions, their words echoing slightly against the closed walls of the area. Her helmet automatically rose, letting her pupiless purple eyes lock onto the two ponies without any filter.
"-d that's why the situation is being accelerated." The blue stallion exclaimed, setting the suitcase on the ground.
"Hmm, if that's what the Queen had decided, then I guess we'll have to adapt to this change of plans." The grey stallion answered, looking down at the suitcase. "I'm guessing you've found the artifact."
The blue stallion opened up the suitcase, revealing a sparkling orb that seemed to be pulsating with green light. "Yep, guards never saw me coming, or at least not me me."
"Good, take it back to the base. I've still got work to do." The grey stallion instructed.
"Does it involve the creature that destroyed that space robot?"
"Yes it does, but i've got reasons to believe that this creature has more in store for us. Which is why I plan on finding it, and exterminating it from our plans. We don't need more heros to have to deal with besides the Elements."
Scootaloo winced when she heard the work exterminate, unknowingly causing her tail to flinch and hit a box that had been put next to the dumpster. A few cans that had been on the box fell towards the ground, only to be frantically caught by Scootaloo who was very grateful to have super speed at the moment.
Once she set the cans quietly down on the ground next to the box, she peaked over the dumpster again, only to lock up at the sight before her.
The orb was now visibly pulsating green circles which were flowing around the alleyway. The two stallions grinned at each other, before getting engulfed in green flames.
Scootaloo watched in horror as the two stallions suddenly changed into insect looking ponies with hole filled legs and hooves as well as pointed horns and blue transparent wings. Sharp fangs were clearly visible even with their mouths shut, and when they opened them, tons of sharp teeth became exposed in the moonlight.
Scootaloo absentmindedly let out a gasp at the sight, causing the two bug pony creatures to avert their gaze from the orb.
"What was that?" The blue sta-creature questioned, looking over at the dumpster right as Scootaloo ducked behind it.
Scootaloo held her breath, praying to Celestia that the two wouldn't notice her. What in the wide world of Equestria are those things!? She was sure she'd be having nightmares tonight.
The alleyway was enwrapped in silence, tension radiating from all angles as the two insect-like creatures stared at the dumpster that Scootaloo was hiding behind.
Then, Scootaloo's blood ran cold as a familiar beeping noise shattered the silence, revealing her location. Knowing her time was limited, she dashed out of the alleyway, barely making out the shouts from the two creatures.
Sadly, before Scootaloo could cover a lot of ground, the watch timed out, engulfing her in a red flash of light. Once the light faded, Scootaloo was once again a filly, and thankful that nopony had seen her. Her thankfulness ran dry when she heard the sounds of hooves approaching from behind her.
"Hey! Filly!" One of the creatures shouted.
Not knowing if they had seen her transform or just assumed that it had been her behind the dumpster, Scootaloo took off in a full gallop down the empty streets of Ponyville.
"What in Equestria are those things!?" Scootaloo wondered, ducking into an alleyway.
The two creatures were right behind her, calling out to her in an attempt to make her slow down. Scootaloo weaved through a pile of left out junk and leaped over a fallen trash can. Her hooves thumped as they returned to the dirt, her speed unfazed as she dove out of the alleyway and towards the abandoned marketplace.
Scootaloo galloped past a few stalls, before hiding behind a bale of hay. She looked down at the still glowing red watch and frantically began pushing buttons.
"Come on! Turn green!!!" Scootaloo mentally shouted at the watch, freezing her assault on the device when the sounds of the stallions hooves rang through her ears.
Scootaloo looked around the hay bale to see that the two creatures had turned back into stallions, their eyes scanning the market. This time however, both of them were now unicorns, their horns ignited in a matching green aura as they casted illumination spells in search for the filly.
Scootaloo ducked back behind the hay bale, staring shakelly at the watch that was still red. Her irises shrunk to the size of pinpricks when a beam of light shined on the wall of a building right next to the hay bale she was hiding behind. The light made its way over the bale, before focusing on a market stall.
"Keep searching, we can't let that filly inform any of the Elements of our presence here." One of them ordered to the other.
Scootaloo shut her eyes, praying that they would give up and leave her alone, but another option quickly appeared in the form of a ding. She opened her eyes to see the watch was once again glowing green.
Scootaloo frantically activated the dial and flipped through several different silhouettes of creatures until she found one that seemed to be a good choice. With that in mind, she slammed her hoof down on the dial, causing the watch to engulf her in a green glow.
Scootaloo watched as the watch sank into her hoof, followed by her forehoove turning red and splitting in two. Her other forehoof did the same, becoming a set of four arms and hands. Her hind legs got longer and her back hooves turned into feet while her eyes shrank and became solid orange as well as splitting into four separate eyes. Her body was quickly covered in a purple shirt with an orange stripe down the middle as well as dark purple pants that encased her feet as well. The watch's symbol appeared on her left shoulder, reflecting a little bit of light from the glowing moon.
The green light faded, revealing what Scootaloo had turned into. The two creatures disguised as stallions looked up at her with fear easily showing in their eyes.
Scootaloo didn't say anything, instead she just cracked her knew knuckles instinctively, while grinning at the two creatures. They charged up their horns and shot out a strange green substance which was dodged easily by Scootaloo.
The creatures tried again, firing a combination of the green goop and green magical beams of light, all of which were being dodged or blocked by Scootaloo. When the two finally stopped to catch their breath, Scootaloo finally spoke to them.
"My turn."
The two creatures didn't have time to react before they had already been grabbed by Scootaloo, each held in an iron grip by one of Scootaloo's hands. Scootaloo slammed the two down into the ground, before chucking them into a market stall.
The two creatures easily shattered through the wooden frame of the stall, shredding it into small chunks. They cringed as pain shot through their bodies, but stood back up anyways, only to be greeted with a fist to their faces. The two creatures skidded across the streets of Ponyville, scrambling to get back to their hooves before Scootaloo could attack them again. Unfortunately, they weren't fast enough.
Scootaloo picked both of them up again and got ready to throw them at another market stall, only to stop as pain shot through one of her arms. She looked over to see one of the creatures biting down on her arm, fangs that had been in the stallion's other form glistening in the moonlight.
"Ouch! Ok, now your gonna get it!" Scootaloo stated, smashing the two creatures into each other, before chucking them again towards a building.
Before the two creatures could make contact with the wall of the building, they engulfed their bodies in a ball of green fire which turned them back into the forms Scootaloo had seen in the alleyway. The two creatures flapped their blue transparent wings, causing them to stop mid air and keep them from hitting the wall.
The two creatures took off into the night sky, fleeing for their lives. Scootaloo watched them go, smiling to herself at a job well done. But there was one thing she had to do before she went back home.
Scootaloo made her way back towards the alleyway that had the dumpster in it as well as a suitcase which still had the pulsating green orb inside.
Scootaloo didn't want to touch the orb, instead she shut the case it was in and picked it up. Scootaloo left the alleyway and walked towards the direction of the bridge that led out of Ponyville, an idea about what to do with it already in mind. She had to make sure this thing was safe until she knew what to do with it completely.
After a few minutes of walking, Scootaloo found herself in the middle of an empty plain that surrounded the town. She dug a hole in the dirt, before dropping the case into it and buried it. More than safe is she did say so herself.
Scootaloo stood back and looked at her handywork, satisfied that it had been well hidden. The watch timed out, letting Scootaloo trot back into Ponyville as a filly and towards her house. She had an appointment with her comfy bed.
So what ya are say'n is that these strange creatures are able ta disguise themselves like us but are actually insect creatures?" Apple Bloom asked after recapping Scootaloo's testimony.
The three Cutie Mark Crusaders had once again grouped up together in the Crusader clubhouse, Scootaloo telling the other two about the events of last night. They'd managed to patch up the broken window and repair the blown apart door, so they had plenty of privacy for now.
"Yeah! And they had this weird ball thing which I hid underground so they can't get it." Scootaloo exclaimed.
Sweetie Belle rose an eyebrow. "Wouldn't it have been a better idea to of brought it to Twilight?"
"... oh yeah." Scootaloo responded, realizing her mistake.
"Well, let's go get it then!" Apple Bloom said, getting up from her seat and trotted over to the door.
The rest of the Crusaders left the clubhouse and began their journey towards the hill that Scootaloo had buried the suitcase. Once they reached their destination, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked over at Scootaloo.
"Uh, what?"
"You're tha one who hid it, where'd ya bury it?" Apple Bloom questioned.
"Oh that's easy, I hid it over..." Scootaloo looked around the area, not seeing any signs of where she had buried the suitcase. Then again, everything looked the same. "Somewhere here."
The three Crusaders glanced around the area, before sighing. "We 'lready tried Cutie Mark Crusaders treasure hunters, an' remember how that turned out?"
"I will never look at a beach the same way again." Sweetie Belle stated, shivering at the memory.
Scootaloo looked down at the watch, an idea forming in her mind. "Actually, I've got an idea."
Scootaloo activated the watch and spun the dial, before slamming down on it. In a green flash, Scootaloo had once again transformed into the orange dog like creature that didn't have eyes but a very good nose.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both grabbed some shovels in the wagon they had brought with them and got ready.
"A'lright Crusaders, let's find ourselv's ah suitcase."
The once beautiful hill that had been at the very edge of Sweet Apple Acres, was now covered in dirt and full of holes. It had been around fifty minutes since the crusaders had started digging, Scootaloo had timed out by then and had to use a shovel until the watch recharged again.
Even after all their hard work, the trio came up empty hooved, except for a few gemstones, an old saddle, three socks, and a red journal that smelled worse than Sweetie Belle's cooking.
After Scootaloo had finished digging her fortieth hole and not finding anything, she called out to her friends. "Any luck?"
"Nope!" Apple Bloom responded, sticking her head out of a hole that she'd just dug.
"I found a llama pinata, but no case." Sweetie Belle exclaimed, shoving a massive pinata out of the most recently dug hole.
Scootaloo grumbled as she went back to digging. This was getting ridiculous. Why hadn't she just thought of this before hoof and had put it in the clubhouse or something?
Finally, Scootaloo's temper gave way.
"THAT'S IT! I'M GOING HERO!" Scootaloo declared, before activating the watch.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle stuck their heads up from the holes they were in, confusion on their faces. "Goin' hero?"
Apple Bloom's question was answered by Scootaloo smashing the dial down. The watch let out a few sparks, before engulfing Scootaloo in a flash of green light.
Once the light faded, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle saw what looked like a ghost floating where Scootaloo had been standing. The ghost was covered in a white cloth and had one single pink eye. The watch's symbol was tucked underneath a rip in the cloth.
"I'm a ghost?" Scootaloo said out loud, her voice echoing slightly.
"Ya seem ta be." Apple Bloom stated, Sweetie Belle nodding her head behind the earth pony filly.
Scootaloo floated around a little, opening and closing her hands a few times.
"Wait, doesn't that mean that you can faze through walls and stuff? Every ghost story my parents told me had them do that." Sweetie Belle exclaimed.
"I'll give it a try." Scootaloo answered, floating down to the ground.
Scootaloo focused her mind, trying to see if she could activate an ability to let her go through the ground. Finally, something happened, causing her to turn invisible and faze into the ground.
"Cool!" Scootaloo said, floating back above ground behind her friends.
"Where'd she go?" Apple Bloom questioned out loud, looking around for Scootaloo.
"I think she went into the ground!" Sweetie Belle stated.
Scootaloo was about to agree, only to stop when she heard the sounds of hooves approaching. She turned around to see Applejack trotting over to them, a stern look on her face.
Scootaloo's eye widened, she was still in ghost mode! However, before she could react, Applejack trotted right through her and towards the other two crusaders.
"What in tarnation are y'all do'n digg'n holes 'n the orchard?" Applejack asked, looking around at all the newly dug holes.
"We're look'n for someth'n Scootaloo buried 'round here." Apple Bloom exclaimed to her big sister.
"Y'all really need ta bury yer things somewhere else. Just make sure that y'all fill in those holes once ya find what you're look'n for. By the way, where is Scootaloo?" Applejack questioned, not seeing the orange filly anywhere.
"Oh yeah, she's... well," Sweetie Belle put a hoof to her chin as she tried to think of the correct words to say.
As Applejack waited for a response, she heard something. It sounded sort of like chuckling, but it seemed to echo. Applejack looked around for the source of the chuckling, but it had stopped, and nopony else was there except for her, her sister, and Sweetie Belle.
"Did either of ya hear that?" Applejack questioned.
"Hear what?"
"Ah didn't hear anyth'n."
Applejack took one last look around the area, only to wind up with the same results. She rubbed her left ear a bit with a forehoof before returning her focus on the two fillies.
"Hmm, could've sworn ah heard someth'n. Must be hear'n things. Anyways, ah've still got some work ta do, stay outta trouble." Applejack said, before trotting off through the orchard.
Once the earth pony was gone from their sights, Scootaloo uncloaked herself. "Are you girls thinking what i'm thinking?"
Apple Bloom looked over to Sweetie Belle, who now had a slight grin across her face.
"Ah think we are." Apple Bloom responded, a grin spreading across her own face.
"It's payback time!" Scootaloo declared, right before a loud beeping filled the area, followed by a flash of red light.
Scootaloo looked over at the watch, frowning. "Right after the watch recharges."
After filling up the holes that they had dug, the Cutie Mark Crusaders trotted off towards their clubhouse to make preparations. Once they were done, they made their way to the outskirts of Ponyville, a certain destination in mind.
The trio soon found themselves in a bush, looking at a large two story brick mansion with a blue roof and expensive looking windows. Two large golden doors marked the entrance to the building, right under a white wooden balcony.
"Alright girls, everything ready?" Scootaloo asked, looking over at her two friends, who nodded in response.
Sweetie Belle took off a saddlebag she had been wearing and pulled out two white and pink cameras. Apple Bloom took one of the cameras while Sweetie Belle held onto the other.
They had ended up spending the rest of the day getting ready for this moment, so with Celestia's sun lowering on the horizon, the three fillies began to advance on the mansion.
The CMC halted when the reached one of the mansion's sides, Scootaloo eyeing the watch which glowed lime green.
Scootaloo activated the watch and selected the ghost creature she had used earlier, and pressed down on the dial. A flash of green light engulfed her as her body was wrapped in white cloth. A single purple eye emerged from where her head had been wrapped, her forehooves turning into wrapped hands. The watch's symbol appeared, tucked under a bit of cloth on her chest.
Once the flash faded, Scootaloo wasted no time floating up to a window which she cautiously peaked into. On the other side of the window was a hallway that was lit by several lamps that were anchored into the walls. A few wooden tables were lined up against a few walls, most having expensive looking objects on top of them.
Scootaloo's single eye drifted along the wooden doors until she found her target. One wooden door at the other end of the hall had a familiar looking image of a tiara on it.
Scootaloo tried to open the window, but it was locked from the inside. But she had been expecting that. So Scootaloo focused like how she did earlier and ended up floating through the window, completely invisible. Scootaloo quickly unlocked the window, before gently opening it and floating back out.
"I found the room, it's the one on the right at the end of the hallway. It has her cutie mark on it so you can't miss it." Scootaloo explained, before picking up her friends and floated back up to the window.
Scootaloo set her friends down inside, before shutting the window and floated ahead of the other two crusaders, still invisible. She peaked around the corner where a set of stairs led to the first floor, not spotting anypony.
"We're clear." Scootaloo said, leading the way as the trio went as quietly as they could past the staircase and towards their destination.
Scootaloo fazed her head through the door, looking around for any signs of a particular pink filly. But the room was empty. She removed her head from the door and opened it up, shutting the door behind her once her friends had entered.
The room, as expected, was mostly pink. The walls were painted light pink, so was the carpet and the single window that was in the room. A large bed had baby blue sheets and pillows, neatly folded. One hoof-made doll of Princess Celestia with a pure pink mane was the only occupant of the bed.
"She's probably downstairs finishing up dinner or something. That makes our job a lot easier." Scootaloo exclaimed, pointing towards a large closet.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle went over to the closet, opening the white door which exposed several expensive and shiny dresses, jewelry, and other fancy accessories.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle did their best to not touch anything as they squeezed into the closet, cameras pointing out of a slightly open crack in the wooden blinds that aligned the doors.
Right as Scootaloo shut the closet door for her friends, she heard the distinct sound of two voices coming from the hallway, followed by two sets of hooves. Scootaloo quickly turned herself invisible and floated up to the ceiling, watching the door like a hawk.
It didn't take long before the door opened, revealing not one, but two earth pony fillies. Scootaloo had to hold back a chuckle, seems that luck was on her side today.
"Are you ready for the first of many sleepovers over this summer?" Diamond Tiara, a pink earth pony filly with a purple mane and tail which had a single white stripe down it, questioned. Balanced on top of her head was a silver tiara that matched her cutie mark perfectly.
"You bet, no more boring school and having to sit next to those blank flanks each week." Silver Spoon, a grey earth pony filly with a silver and white mane and tail, responded. She had her mane in a ponytail with a pink ribbon and was wearing a pair of blue glasses.
Scootaloo waited a few minutes before starting the fun. She floated over to the light switch and flipped it down, starting the prank.
"Hey, who turned out the lights?" Silver Spoon asked, looking around.
Before Diamond Tiara could respond, Scootaloo flew right through her, sending a chill down her spine and causing her to shiver.
Scootaloo tried not to snicker as she slowly lifted Diamond Tiara's tiara off of her head, fighting even harder to not laugh as she spotted Silver Spoon's reaction.
"Diamond! Your tiara's floating!!!" Silver Spoon shouted, pointing up at the hovering piece of jewelry.
Diamond Tiara looked up, spotting the floating tiara, her irises shrinking to the size of pinpricks. Scootaloo chose this time to slowly reveal herself, her eye locked onto the two fillies.
"Boo." Scootaloo said flatly, before turning invisible again right as a set of flashes came from the closet. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were too distracted by themselves screaming and running out of the room to even notice.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle emerged from the closet, massive grins across their faces. Scootaloo picked them up and went out the window, setting her friends down right as a loud beeping noise filled the area.
After a red flash of light, Scootaloo was back to being a filly, joining her friends as they laughed and ran back towards the clubhouse, priceless photos in the two cameras.
The following day, after the payback on Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were currently sitting at the end of a dock that was on one end of the lake.
The three fillies were each holding their own fishing rod, all of them already casted. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had chosen heavier fake baits which had sunk a little into the lake, while Sweetie Belle had picked a lighter one which was bobbing a little on the water level.
"This is so boring!" Scootaloo complained, reeling her line in a little to keep her bait from getting stuck at the bottom of the lake.
"Ya just have ta be patient, that's what mah brother says whenever he goes fish'n." Apple Bloom replied.
"Your brother fishes?"
"How else did ya think ah got these here rods an' bait?"
"I don't know. Found it in the barn? That's besides the point. The point is that this is boring! I mean look at Sweetie Belle!" Scootaloo exclaimed, pointing a hoof towards the final member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
Apple Bloom looked over to her friend, shocked to see that Sweetie Belle had actually managed to fall asleep mid cast and was now sleeping with the rod still in her hooves.
"How 'n tarnation did she do that?" Apple Bloom asked, wondering how Sweetie Belle still had a good enough grip on the fishing rod to keep it from falling into the lake.
"Beats me, i'd bet that I could catch even more fish than you if I just used my hooves!" Scootaloo claimed.
Apple Bloom glanced over at a notepad that had the purpose of keeping track of how many fish each of them caught. The page was blank, reminding her of the absence of any fish. Nopony had even gotten a nibble yet.
Before she could tell Scootaloo this, the orange filly had already jumped into the lake. Scootaloo quickly began searching for any sort of fish, but couldn't see any.
"This stupid water, I can barely make out the ground!" Scootaloo mentally exclaimed, her frustration growing.
Then, an idea formed in her mind. Scootaloo rose up her left fore-hoof and activated the watch, causing the dial to pop up and show the silhouette of a creature.
Scootaloo turned the dial a few times before stopping when she spotted a creature that looked somewhat like a fish.
"Let's see what you can do."
Scootaloo slapped the dial down, resulting in a flash of green light which engulfed her entire body.
Apple Bloom sighed as she reeled in her fishing lore which had been once again left untouched by any fish. She was about to cast it into the lake again, but stopped when she noticed Sweetie Belle's lore go under the water.
"Sweetie Belle! Ya got ah bite!"
Apple Bloom's words stirred Sweetie Belle from her nap, causing her to open her eyes which quickly resulted in her spotting her lore splash a little before being dragged below the lake's surface.
Sweetie Belle reached for her fishing rods reel and began cranking it backwards. The line quickly got tense under the pressure and nearly ended up pulling the filly into the lake.
Apple Bloom grabbed Sweetie Belle, trying to help keep her friend from sailing into the water, but even with her added weight, the rod seemed to still be pulling them. Whatever Sweetie Belle caught, must be massive!
"I'm losing my grip!" Sweetie Belle shouted.
"Hang on! On three, we pull." Apple Bloom said.
"One, Two, THREE!"
The two fillies pulled with all their might on the fishing rod, resulting in the line finally retrieving the fish that had been caught. However, much to the two fillies surprise, the fish had been caught by its tail and not its mouth. Not only that, but the fish didn't look like any fish in that book the three had checked out prior to the trip.
The fish's scales were icy white and had gills, both on the sides of its chest as well as under its neck. It had two legs and arms, two green fins being on the back of said arms. It had one more fin on the top of its head which also had a green rod extending from its forehead which had a glowing bit of light at the end. But the most terrifying bit of the fish was its massive jaws that had a set of very sharp teeth that could be seen even with its mouth shut. It also had a few bits of what seemed to be black clothing spread across its body, as well as some seaweed that covered it's left upper torso.
The fish grumbled something under its breath, before looking over at the two crusaders, it's pearl white eyes locking onto them.
"What was that for!?" The fish shouted, sounding very annoyed and angry.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle backed up in horror, holding each other as they trembled in fear.
The fish stared at them for a few seconds before looking over at the seaweed on its left shoulder. It picked the seaweed up and chucked it back into the lake, revealing a familiar silver hourglass symbol that had been hidden beneath it.
The two crusaders spotted the symbol and eased up, realizing who the fish was.
"Sorry about that, but did you have to catch me instead of the fish I had been chasing?" Scootaloo asked, raising up Sweetie Belle's lore in her left webbed claw.
"I'm gonna have nightmares for a month..." Sweetie Belle responded, still staring at all of Scootaloo's sharp teeth.
"Well, 'least we caught someth'n. Did any of us get ah cutie mark?" Apple Bloom questioned, looking over at her flank, only to sigh as she saw that it was still blank.
Sweetie Belle checked her flank, which was also still blank. Scootaloo checked hers, but quickly remembered that she didn't exactly have a flank for a cutie mark in this form.
"Hmm, i'll have to remember to check once I-" Scootaloo was cut off as a red bolt of energy struck the wooden planks she was standing on, causing it to fall into the lake.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle dove off of the dock and onto the shore just as it broke into several pieces. They looked up into the sky to see a group of those strange dark orange and red robots that had attacked them in the clubhouse.
"Those robots are back!" Sweetie Belle shouted, catching one of the robots attention.
The robot swirled it's weapon around and fired at the filly, who was quickly pushed out of the way by Apple Bloom. The two fillies rolled through the grass, narrowly avoiding the explosion from the blast of energy.
The two other robots had begun flying over the lake, searching for Scootaloo who had fallen in when the dock had been destroyed.
Scootaloo simply swam, her speed easily tripled in this form. She dodged a stray blast of energy from one of the robots and locked eyes with one of them. She then swam up as fast as she could and leaped out of the water, intended on grabbing it.
Instead Scootaloo's instincts made her grab the robot in her mouth, which was followed by a loud CRUNCH as her teeth sank into its metal plates. Her teeth easily went through the robot, causing it to spark a few times before losing the rest of its power. Scootaloo fell back into the lake and spat out the destroyed robot, before getting ready to repeat what she had done before with the other robot.
With another burst of speed, Scootaloo jumped out of the water and went to chomp the robot. But this one had risen from the lake, causing her attack to miss. Before Scootaloo could fall back into the lake, she managed to grab the robot's laser weapon with one of her webbed claws.
The robot tried to shake Scootaloo off, but the former filly kept her grip tight. Two loud screams suddenly rang through her ears, causing her to look over at the shoreline where she saw the last robot firing at her fleeing friends.
"Ok, now you've messed with the wrong pony tin can!" Scootaloo exclaimed, hoisting herself up onto the top of the robot.
Scootaloo barely managed to keep her balance, also managing to aim the robot's laser at its duplicate. She then put her face right in front of the robot's red lenses.
The robot retaliated by firing its laser, which struck the other robot and easily took it down. The other robot fell to the ground with a loud crash and let out a few sparks.
Scootaloo then gripped the robot's head with her claws and pulled, taking the head clean off before chucking it into the lake. The robot quickly lost altitude and plunged into the lake, taking Scootaloo with it.
Scootaloo let go of the broken robot, letting it sink to the bottom of the lake as she swam back towards shore. It didn't take long before she was back above water and greeted by her friends, who were both smiling with joy.
"That was so cool! The way you jumped out of the water and then fired that laser, you're really getting good with that watch!" Sweetie Belle stated.
"Darn tootin, ya showed those meanies whose in charge!" Apple Bloom followed up.
Scootaloo couldn't help but smile herself, which looked quite creepy with all the sharp teeth. But that quickly changed when the watch's symbol flashed red a few times before engulfing her in a red light. A second later, and Scootaloo was back to normal, still smiling.
"By the way, did I get my cutie mark in fishing? Or maybe I got one for kicking robot butt!" Scootaloo questioned, checking her flank.
However, it sadly still remained blank.
"Aww... well, what's next on the list? Princess Celestia's sun is still up!" Scootaloo exclaimed, filled with determination to earn her cutie mark.
Meanwhile, above the planet...
"The drones sent to retrieve the Omnitrix have been destroyed." The robot stated to its master, who was still recovering from its wounds inside the tank filled with a yellow substance.
"Uhg, this is really starting to get on my nerves. Have you found our next plans candidate yet?"
"Indeed, they should arrive in two rotations." The robot exclaimed.
"Good, whoever you are wielder of the Omnitrix, your days are numbered..."
Author's Note
Alright, finally rewrote the ending for this chapter. Sorry for the massive wait.
(S1) Stinky Hero
The Cutie Mark Crusaders were on their way back to the clubhouse, fishing supplies packed up and strapped into a red wagon that'd been hooked up to Scootaloo's scooter. Usually the wagon was occupied by two fillies instead of supplies, but it was much faster doing this than having to do multiple trips to the lake. So Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had wound up having to trot alongside the wagon whilst Scootaloo pulled it at a much slower pace than she'd been used to.
"Well that crusade didn't go as planned." Sweetie Belle stated bluntly, breaking the silence that had engulfed them ever since leaving the lake behind them.
"When did they start goin' as planned?" Apple Bloom questioned.
"Good point, but this one was more strange than the usual explosion or tree sap." Sweetie Belle pointed out.
"Yeah, I guess if you look at it that way. I'm still wondering where these robots are coming from, the lake isn't that far from Ponyville so why'd they attack us and not the town?" Scootaloo inquired.
Apple Bloom looked over at her friend, eyes locking onto the watch that was still glowing red. "Do ya think they were after tha watch?"
The three crusaders went silent as they thought about it. It did make sense, they did only start showing up when Scootaloo had first found it.
"If they are after it, that means they'll probably come back. What if they attack Ponyville again with another giant robot!?" Sweetie Belle questioned.
Scootaloo halted her scooter, much to the other two's confusion. She rose up her left forehoof, showing the watch which glistened in the sunlight.
"Then we help Rainbow Dash... and her friends protect it!" Scootaloo declared, putting the same forehoof in front of her in a hoof-bump motion.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle exchanged glances, before they nodded and met Scootaloo's forehoof in a group hoof-bump. As their hooves made contact, the watch beeped and turned green, almost like it had agreed with them.
"If we're gonna do this, then ya should figure out how ta work that watch." Apple Bloom stated.
"I couldn't agree more, so what are we waiting for!?" Scootaloo didn't let her friends have time to even process what she had just said before she activated the watch and slammed her hoof down on the dial, engulfing the area in a green flash of light.
Scootaloo watched as the watch seeped into her fur which quickly hardened and turned dark green. Her forehooves turned into three fingered claws that had black gloves over them. Four eye stalks shot from the sides of her head, the end tips opening up, exposing orange pupiless eyes. Her wings grew and became more insect-like, reminding her of the wings those creatures she had seen in that alleyway. Four more legs sprouted from her body, these ones sharp to the touch. Her tail hardened and took the shape of an arrow tip. Her body was quickly covered in an orange bodysuit with purple lines spread across it. The watch's symbol appeared where her face had originally been, glistening silver in the light.
The green flash of light faded, exposing Scootaloo's new form. Apple Bloom was about to comment but caught a whiff of something that smelled worse than a barrel full of rotting apples.
"Scootaloo, ahm not sure 'f it's tha creatures fault ya smell or yourse, but you smell bad !" Apple Bloom emphasized, covering her nose with a hoof.
"Hey! I'll let you know that I showered last night!" Scootaloo responded, her voice crackling.
"Well, besides the smell, what can this one do?" Sweetie Belle asked, mimicking Apple Bloom's response to the horrible odor.
Scootaloo looked down at one of her new hand, claw thingy, which she clenched into a fist. She eyed a nearby tree and made her way over to it. She struck the tree with one of her hands, managing to chip away some of the bark but not dealing too much damage to it overall.
"Not that sharp, but what about my tail?" Scootaloo asked herself, turning around so that her back was to the tree, but her new eyes allowed her to see it like she was facing it normally.
Scootaloo gave the tree a little jab with her tail, managing to do slightly more damage then her hands.
"Ok, not a close combat fighter." Scootaloo noted, wondering what else this creature could do.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had gone over to the wagon and were searching for something to block the stench, and to their luck, they found a few nose plugs.
Not questioning why they had been there, the two fillies put on a nose plug each, relieved that the terrible smell faded a little. However, they didn't notice a certain grey pegasus with a blonde mane and tail pass overhead, a few planks of wood wobbling on their back.
The pegasus glanced down at the two fillies and smiled, before slamming head first into a stray cloud. The wooden planks they had been carrying quickly fell from their back, picking up speed as they shot towards the fillies below.
Unlike her friends, Scootaloo had spotted the pegasus, and now watched as several planks of wood fell towards them. As if on instinct, Scootaloo's vision was tinted green as a weird feeling shot through them. The next thing Scootaloo knew, she was watching as a glob of green goo was launched from her eyestocks and at the falling planks. The goo made contact, breaking their collision course with the other crusaders.
The grey pegasus quickly landed and went over to the fillies, their back towards Scootaloo. "Sorry! My bad! Are you two ok?"
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle gave the pegasus a confused look, before glancing over at the planks of wood, then back to the pegasus. They quickly put two and two together and simply gave the pegasus a smile.
"Oh, don't ya worry. Accidents happen, just make sure ta keep yer cargo secure." Apple Bloom assured, recognising the pegasus as Derpy, who was known for accidentally dropping things and crashing into other things.
Derpy trotted over to the wooden planks and put them back on her back, before taking off into the skies again, ignoring the strange goo that was dripping from the planks. It wouldn't be the first time Derpy's cargo was covered in an unknown substance, especially during Pinkie Pie's prank week.
"Did you two see that!?" Scootaloo asked, amazed and slightly discussed with the action she had just done.
"See what? We were getting nose plugs." Sweetie Belle stated.
"Nevermind, just watch!" Scootaloo said, before mimicking what she had done before which launched another ball of goop which splattered against a nearby tree.
The two other crusaders stared at the tree for a few seconds, watching as the goop slowly began to drip off the trunk and onto the grass below.
"This 's officially tha grossest one yet." Apple Bloom exclaimed, disgust clearly visible both in her words and her expression.
"Come on Apple Bloom, we've seen worse." Scootaloo pointed out, flying over to her friends.
Apple Bloom's reply never left her mouth as both she and Sweetie Belle's eyes widened at what they'd just seen, much to Scootaloo's confusion.
"What?" Scootaloo asked, not sure why her friends were staring at her like that. Well, she was currently a strange alien creature, but surely they'd gotten used to this one by now.
"Scootaloo, you just flew !" Sweetie Belle pointed out.
Scootaloo would of raised an eyebrow if she had any, but slowly the gears in her mind began to turn. She gave her insect wings a flap and watched as she slowly hovered upwards a few hoof-lengths.
"No way... I can fly," Scootaloo told herself. "I CAN FINALLY FLY!!!"
Scootaloo wasted no time shooting up into the sky, nothing but joy in her mind as she increased her speed and weaved through a few stray clouds. After all this time of being a flightless pegasus, she could finally be like all the others! Well, to an extent, she wasn't exactly a pegasus right now.
"WAHOO!!!" Scootaloo cheered, happy regardless that she was finally able to fly.
She did a few stunts and rolls, mimicking what she'd seen Rainbow Dash do whenever she did her routine. She wasn't able to match her idols exact movements, or do it with as much grace, but she still managed to do some impressive maneuvering.
Scootaloo kept this up for as long as she could, wanting to embrace this new ability as much as possible. She did one final loop, before she eyed a few rather large clouds. An idea quickly formed in her mind and she flew over to them, using her claws and pincers to push the fluffy objects into certain shapes. Right as she finished it, she heard the beeping of the watch, signalling that she was about to return to normal.
Scootaloo flew back to the ground, landing in front of her friends right as she was engulfed in a red flash of light. Once the light faded, she was back to being a filly.
"Did you see that?" Scootaloo asked her friends, who nodded, smiles on their faces.
"Yep, an' i'd say that's some mighty fine artwork ya made up there." Apple Bloom stated, pointing at the clouds Scootaloo had tampered with.
The clouds that had originally been floating around in a little group were now in the shapes of three fillies whose forehooves were met in a group high three. The three crusaders stared at the clouds for a few minutes, before mimicking the high three with each other, Scootaloo more than happy to have finally been able to fly, even if she had to be a big smelly insect thing to do it.
Scootaloo returned to the balcony, this time activating the watch. She twisted the dial a few times, before stopping on a tall and pointy shadowy figure. She took one last look at the attacking robot with her original eyes, before pushing the dial down, engulfing the balcony in a neon green light.
Scootaloo rose up her left forehoof, watching as the watch was engulfed in blue crystals which spread across her body rapidly. Her forehooves turned into crystal hands and arms, while her hind legs turned into feet and longer legs. Two large crystal shards sprung from her back, followed by her mane and tail getting encased in crystal. Scootaloo's head became more pointy, eyes becoming pure yellow, standing out against the turquoise crystals. Her entire body was wrapped in a bodysuit which was divided into two different colored sides, one being orange while the other was purple. The hourglass symbol appeared on the left side of her chest, shimmering silver.
The green light faded, exposing what Scootaloo had transformed into. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both gaped in awe at the sight in front of them.
"Wow, Rarity would have a field day on you. You're completely made of diamond!" Sweetie Belle pointed out.
"Let's hope i'm as sharp as one." Scootaloo replied, before jumping off the balcony and onto the street below, quickly taking off in a sprint towards the attacking robot.
Several ponies ran for their lives, screaming in panic as the robot fired energy beams at them, missing only by a single mane length. One mint green unicorn grabbed a wheel that had fallen off of a wagon and chucked it at the robot, only to watch as the wheel shattered on impact, showing so signs of damaging it.
The robot was about to fire another laser, when a fruit stand collided with its arm, cutting off the gathering energy. Everypony including the robot turned to face the direction that the fruit stand had been thrown from, only to see a bipedal crystal creature standing in the middle of the street.
"How about you pick on someone your own size." The creature said.
The robot aimed its hand, firing a beam of energy which struck the ground where the creature had originally been standing. The creature ran towards the robot, smacking its crystal fists against its legs. Some punches managed to dent the leg, but nothing that could do any real damage.
The robot retaliated by kicking the creature, who was sent soaring through the air and into a building, causing it to cave in onto it.
The robot fired another blast of energy at the destroyed house, sending debris flying through the air. The creature struggled to get up, when it did it was hit by another blast of energy, sending it crashing into another building.
The creature grunted in pain, rising back up again as it brushed off some chunks of wood that had landed on its shoulders. It dove to the left, avoiding another beam which struck the house it had crashed into. The creature was visibly tiring, narrowly missing another blast of energy. This blast however, was now heading towards two mares and a stallion who had been entranced by the battle.
The three ponies quickly snapped out of it when they noticed the beam of red energy barreling towards them. There wasn't enough time to dodge, so the three braced themselves for the impact, only to hear the sound of the beam colliding with something else.
Everypony stared with wide eyes at the crystal wall that had grown from the ground to protect the three ponies. The crystals seemed unscathed after the blast, slowly lowering back into the ground.
The creature looked just as shocked as everypony else, but seemed to shake it off and rushed towards the robot. The creature rose up another wall of crystal, this wall striking right through one of the robot's legs, causing it to shoot out sparks.
The robot fired a blast at the creature, but the creature dodged it, raising up a crystal platform which it ran up and jumped towards the robot, its fist turning into a what looked like a large blade. The creature shoved its bladed hand into the robot's arm, making even more sparks fly from the machine.
Everypony began cheering for the crystal creature, rooting it on to destroy the robot. The creature seemed to get a boost from the cheering, fighting even more against the robot.
After awhile, the Elements of Harmony finally made it to the scene, ready to kick some robot butt, only to join the spectators in watching in awe as the crystal creature broke the robot piece by piece. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had also joined the spectators, cheering the loudest out of everypony.
"What is that thing?" Rainbow Dash asked, looking at their animal expert who was a yellow pegasus mare with a pink mane and tail. The pegasus was also hiding behind a wagon, shielding her eyes from the action.
Fluttershy, slowly peaked around the wagon and got a good look at the crystal creature, before retreating back behind the wagon. "I-I have no idea."
"I've never seen anything like that in any book I've read!" Twilight stated, shocking the rest of the elements. Twilight lived in a library when she moved to Ponyville, and even before that, her home was basically a makeshift personal library full of all sorts of books from around Equestria. If she didn't know what it was, then it was definitely strange.
"Ahm not sure what it's think'n but it seems ta be on our side." An orange earth pony mare with a blond mane and tail exclaimed, shifting the brown stetson hat she was wearing on her head.
"I hope so, I want to see if they can give me some of those glamorous diamonds." A white unicorn mare with a sparkling purple mane and tail stated.
"Ooh! And I can throw them a thank you for saving Ponyville from a killer robot party!" The final member of the group, a pink earth pony with a slightly darker shade of pink colored mane and tail exclaimed.
"Don't get ahead of yourself Pinkie, that tin can is still standing." Rainbow Dash pointed out.
"Right, so let's go help them out." Twilight said, igniting her horn in preparation for casting spells.
"Yeah! Let's show this robot who runs the place!"
Scootaloo jumped off of the robot, avoiding a swipe from its other arm. She cartwheeled back onto her feet and rose up another makeshift diamond wall which blocked a blast of red energy. The first time had been an accident, but now, she was getting the hang of it.
Scootaloo was about to charge the robot again, but stopped when she spotted six familiar mares rushing into the fight. She saw Twilight fire a purple blast of raw magic which sliced right through part of the robot's chest.
The robot turned to fire at the unicorn, but was stopped when two well aimed pies were smashed into its eyes, or lenses, whatever it used to see, blocking its vision. The robot tried to remove the pies from its eye pieces, only for its arm to freeze mid air when a lasso wrapped around its hand.
The robot tried to move with its remaining spider like legs, only to fall to the ground due to each one being wrapped together by a large tied ribbon that was being held in a blue aura.
Scootaloo saw the opportunity to finish the robot and rushed towards its still operating head, arms morphing into diamond blades. As she rushed towards the robot to finish the job, she spotted Rainbow Dash flying right beside her, a grin on her face.
Scootaloo couldn't help but grin herself, before jabbing her bladed arms into the robot's head, followed by a massive buck from Rainbow Dash. The robot's head let out one last wave of sparks, before finally losing all its power, defeated.
The cheers from the crowd of ponies watching echoed throughout the town, two voices sticking out from the rest. Scootaloo turned to see Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle jumping with joy, smiles across their faces.
"Greetings, my name is Twilight Sparkle, and I would like to thank you for helping save the town from that robot." Twilight said, her words only barely heard by Scootaloo through the cheering.
Scootaloo looked over to see all the Elements of Harmony standing in front of her, each one showing gratitude on their faces. She had actually fought alongside them, alongside her idol, she'd been a hero.
Twilight said something else, but before Scootaloo could register what she had said, a loud beeping filled her ears. Scootaloo looked down to see the watch's symbol flash red, signalling that she was about to turn back.
Now came a rather big question, should Scootaloo let everypony know it was her, or keep it a secret. Scootaloo didn't know what to decide at that moment, and with time running out, she chose to keep it a secret. Who knows what they'd do if they found out that a filly was in possession of something that could turn her into other creatures.
"I'd love to stay and chat, but i've gotta go." Scootaloo stated, dashing off through the crowd of ponies and ducking into an alleyway right as the watch timed out.
Scootaloo stepped back out of the alleyway, quickly greeted by the Elements, who were searching for her.
"Oh, there you are squirt! Did you happen to see a large crystal looking creature run by here?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Scootaloo looked back and forth between her idol's face, and the watch which was glowing red. Finally, she decided to just wait and tell her later.
"Nope, sorry. But I did see you finish off that robot! That was awesome!" Scootaloo exclaimed.
Rainbow Dash chuckled, before following her friends who had already resumed searching for the crystal creature.
As Scootaloo watched them vanish behind a building, she heard the voices of her friends, who tackled her to the ground in a hug.
"That was amazing!" Sweetie Belle claimed.
"Eeyup! You taught that robot who's 'n charge Scootaloo!" Apple Bloom followed up.
Scootaloo couldn't stop smiling as she glanced over at the watch, which flashed green, signalling that it was recharged.
This Summer was gonna be awesome!
