Chapters The group looked around to figure out where they were, when an inkling walked by and said something.
"Welcome to the city square of Inkopolis."
"Well, now we know where we are.", said Rarity.
"What are we?", asked Pinkie out of curiosity.
"You're inklings, a hybrid race between humans and squids. There also exist octolings, which are similar, but they are crossed between humans and octopi.", explained the inkling.
"Let's have a look around.", Fluttershy said calmly.
They were about to start exploring the square, when a large screen lit up and a music tone played.
"Hello Inkopolis, hope you're feeling fresh.", said a newscaster named Clara.
"It's time for the news.", said a second newscaster named Sophia.
"We've got two newsflashes that just came in.", said Clara.
"What seems to be coming to our attention today, Clara?", asked Sophia.
The monitor behind Clara and Sophia showed a live feed from a camera near the tallest building in Inkopolis. Above the image were the words "Great Zapfish mysteriously vanishes".
"INKOPOLIS'S GREAT ZAPFISH HAS DISAPPEARED!", Clara shrieked.
"AGAIN? WE'RE GOING TO LOSE POWER!", Sophia shuddered.
Suddenly, the screen changed to show a picture of a yellow inkling with the word "MISSING" above it. Below the figure was "Marie".
"THIS JUST IN! MARIE OF THE SQUID SISTERS IS MISSING!", Clara cried.
"First Callie, now MARIE?", Sophia screeched.
After the news report had ended, Twilight and the others began looking around Inkopolis, when Applejack spotted an inkling with magenta colored tentacles. She seemed to be motioning them.
"Look y'all. Who's that over there?", she asked.
Rarity saw the inkling, but she began to shudder because she was standing next to a grate.
"I don't want to get dirty."
Pinkie Pie spoke next.
"What did the note say again?"
"It said to look for someone with magenta hair. That inkling's hair matches what the note said.", said Rainbow.
Realizing that Rainbow was right, Twilight led her friends closer to the grate, and the inkling introduced herself.
"Are you a group of six friends that sticks together frequently?"
"Yes, we are.", Twilight answered.
"My name is Clauds, Clauds Manta. Follow me."
The six friends followed Clauds through the grate. Rarity quickly got over her nervousness because there was nothing in the pipe.
Author's Note
I chose two random names for the newscasters.
The girls found themselves in a shady area with what looked like tents. Under one was a board with papers and pictures connected by ribbons and strings held up with tacks. They saw another inkling in front of them with her back to them. She had dark blue hair. There was a white band around her forehead, her right leg was cradled on a wheeled device with a cushion, and there was a piece of fabric around her neck and running under her left arm.
"It looks like she is injured.", Rarity whispered.
The inkling heard Rarity and then turned to face the six friends. They could now see everything. The white band was actually bandages, and the wide fabric was a sling. The inkling stood still for a moment, and then she spoke to them.
"I can see you got the note I sent to you. My name is Callie. I assume you saw the news report about the Great Zapfish disappearing. Well, it hasn't just vanished, it's been squidnapped by a race called the Octarians. How do I know this? I might look like a famous singer, but in secret, I am Agent 1 of the Squidbeak Splatoon, a top-secret group of heroes that works to save the world. You may have also heard about someone named Marie going missing too. She is my cousin, but she is also Agent 2. We were trying to slip into the Octarian lair to spy on them and find out their next move, but we were spotted and attacked. I was almost captured, but Marie shoved me out of the way and sacrificed herself. I narrowly escaped and ended up gravely wounded. At the same time, I lost contact with four other members of the Squidbeak Splatoon. They are Agents Three, Four, and Eight, and our leader, Captain Cuttlefish. Since I saw that you stick together as friends, I thought you could help me rescue them. Can I count on you?"
The six friends stood in silence as they tried to take in what Callie had told them.
"I will take your stunned silence as a yes. You are now temporary agents of the Squidbeak Splatoon. What are your names?", Callie replied.
"I'm Twilight Sparkle."
"My name's Rainbow Dash."
"I'm Fluttershy."
"My name is Rarity, darling."
"My name is Pinkie Pie."
"I'm Applejack."
Callie proceeded to have Clauds supply the group with Hero Shots and Hero Suits. Then she explained that each part of this area had a boss, and all areas must be conquered because chances are high that both Marie and the Great Zapfish were where the final boss was.
"Callie has told me to demonstrate how to use all of the weapons you will be using. There are more that you will find during this dangerous mission.", Clauds explained as the six friends looked over the Hero Shots.
Callie explained that the first area only had three zapfish to save before fighting the boss. Twilight decided that they should split up into three pairs and each save one zapfish. Then, they would fight the boss together. They started looking for entrances to the Octarian lairs, but they couldn't see anything.
"Use your ink to reveal the entrances. They are invisible.", Callie explained.
They started shooting and the entrances were soon exposed. Clauds stepped in and said she would go in with them to help with fighting the Octarians. Twilight and Fluttershy jumped into one of the kettles and prepared for battle.
"Show 'em what for, girls.", Callie urged over the radio.
They began shooting ink and taking out the Octotroopers. To begin with, they only had to worry about one or two. Some of them had shields, and Callie advised using bombs to distract them and then shoot from behind. Then, they ended up with multiple Octotroopers shooting fast at them. They also found a scroll that talked about the history of Inkopolis and when Callie had been brainwashed by the Octarians.
"Don't overthink your plan of attack. Catch your breath behind a wall if it gets too rough.", Callie advised.
At the final stretch, Twilight and Fluttershy found canisters that contained special weapons. When they pulled them out, they found themselves holding large tubular guns with scopes on the sides.
"YEAH-HA!! We found Inkzookas. Shoot large blasts with these babies. They'll deal massive damage.", Clauds crowed.
Accepting Clauds' advice, they started shooting and took out the remaining enemies and then broke open a glass ball with a small yellow fish that was making electrical noises. Fluttershy was in awe when she saw the zapfish.
"It's so cute.", she said after they left the lair.
"Well, the Great Zapfish is way larger.", Clauds said quietly.
Rarity and Pinkie entered the next kettle. They came across small blocks that expanded when shot with ink. Callie indicated that they were sponges, and that they would shrink if the Octarians shot them. They also found a sunken scroll, but had some difficulty reaching the zapfish, but they succeeded in the end. Rainbow and Applejack took on the final kettle and found what looked like a small spherical valve. When Rainbow shot it, a long rail extended out.
"That's a ride-rail. Jump on it for a trip to the next section."
They jumped on and stood balanced until they reached the next part of the lair. After much trial and error, they eventually rescued the zapfish. After all three zapfish were retrieved, a larger kettle opened up. The sunken scroll in this kettle showed the anatomy of inklings and octolings.
"The boss kettle is always bigger than the others.", Callie explained.
Before they entered, they picked up a different call on their headsets.
"HELP! Get me out of here, quick."
Callie and Clauds could not believe their ears.
"That's Agent 3! She's trapped in there."
The six friends entered the boss lair and spotted Agent 3 hanging from a chain above a pool of ink. Before they could shoot the chain and break it, a mechanical shark jumped up and swallowed Agent 3. The shark began cutting through the platform and charging towards the Main Six, but they had shot their ink to slow the shark down. Then, the shark popped up and landed upside down. Its mouth hung open with a tentacle protruding.
"Shoot the tentacle. It's the weak point", Callie said over radio.
The tentacle exploded after it had been shot enough. The six friends turned into squids and jumped over the shark to prepare for the next stage of the battle. The shark's fin became sharper which allowed it to move faster. This time, it started cutting through from a further distance. After shooting the tentacle again, the fin became razor-sharp, and the shark started from all the way across the platform. After shooting the tentacle this time, the shark's metal body began to swell and then it burst apart. Agent 3 was lying on the ground next to the zapfish globe when the ink cleared. She got up, brushed herself off and then followed the Main Six out of the boss lair after the zapfish was freed.
"Callie, Clauds, we have to hurry to save Marie and the Great Zapfish. From what I can gather, she is being interrogated and might be getting tortured as well.", Agent 3 said shakily.
Callie became nervous and urged Clauds and the Main Six to keep going. They saw that she had taken the gauze off, since her head wound had healed. The gate over the next area shattered and the six friends set off.
Arriving in the second area, Twilight and her friends began picking up readouts of other weapons they could add to their arsenal. Callie reported that this area and all others after it would require saving six zapfish before accessing the boss. In the first kettle, The friends found what looked like huge paint rollers.
"GRAB THOSE HERO ROLLERS AND ADD THEM TO YOUR ARSENAL!", Callie yelled excitedly.
Without hesitating, they grabbed the rollers and Clauds demonstrated how to use them right away. They came across small indestructible fish called squee-gs. They made it a challenge to climb walls because they would clean away any ink that was on the wall. They also came across Octohurlers, a type of Octarian that would spit out something called "rolonium". This was five inflated tubes bundled together. Rainbow smacked one of the bundles with her roller and figured out it could be deflected back. After rescuing the zapfish, they moved on to the next kettle and met the Octocopter and the Octosniper. The Octosniper was a very annoying enemy because he would hone in on the Main Six as soon as he saw them. They were able to sneak up on him and take him out, which was relieving. They encountered spreaders in the next kettle, which were automated brushes that smeared ink wherever they moved. It was easy to get past them, but they were not prepared for the Octostriker in the third kettle. He could target them from far out and shoot a massive amount of ink.
"Hide in your ink so you can't be targeted.", Agent 3 and Clauds advised from their experience.
Upon leaving the kettle, the six noticed that the rest of the area was partially flooded and two kettles were underwater. Callie became skittish because she knew that inklings and octolings could not swim. Rarity thought now was a good time to ask how Callie had injured her left upper arm and right lower leg.
"Clauds, I have a question. How did Callie injure her arm and leg? The sunken scrolls we found say that inklings have no bones."
"When she was escaping, she tripped and fell down. Her right leg got snagged on a tangled rope, and a mass of water and ink poured down, weakening her leg. She was almost back to the base camp when an Octotrooper shot a mixture of water and ink at her and hit her left arm. The water partially dissolved her muscles."
Agent 3 showed up wearing a suit that was different than what she was wearing earlier. She also carried seven more suits.
"Put this on. It is inkling scuba gear, something I have worked on for a while. It will protect you from the water.", she said.
The friends put the gear on and then hurried to the next kettle. They found the Hero Dualies in the fourth kettle. These were pistols held in each hand, and they could also do dodge rolls with them. They also discovered inkfurlers, long rolls that would unroll to create a pathway. If enemies shot the other end, they'd start rolling back up. The end would also jiggle and then roll back after a short amount of time. After saving the zapfish in this kettle, they had to swim underwater. The Hero Charger was found in the fifth kettle, and they also found propeller lifts. The Hero Charger could charge a shot and then release it strongly. The sixth kettle involved other octolings that were not on the same side as the octolings in Inkopolis. When the boss kettle opened up, they picked up a signal that Agent 3 recognized in a flash.
"Leave this place, I don't want to fight you."
"That's Agent 8.", Agent 3 gasped.
"Why would Agent 8 say to leave? I thought the agents were on our side.", Fluttershy asked.
"She must have been brainwashed like I was.", Callie guessed.
They went inside anyway, and Agent 3 joined them. Sure enough, there stood an octoling with goggles over her eyes.
"I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE!", she hissed.
Agent 3 told everyone to restrain Agent 8 so she could be brought back, then jumped onto a platform up above. Clauds and the six friends charged onto the platform and started fighting. Three times, they dodged Agent 8's attacks and special weapons and restrained her so Agent 3 could shoot her goggles. Agent 8's attack moves became faster and she used other weapons with each time the battle got harder. After the third strike from Agent 3, Agent 8's goggles broke off and she was dizzy for a few minutes. Returning to her senses, Agent 8 apologized for trying to hurt the friends and then joined the quest to rescue Marie and the Great Zapfish. Upon leaving the boss kettle, everyone saw that Callie was no longer on the scooter. She was walking with a crutch under her right arm. This meant that her leg had healed somewhat, but not completely. Becoming more confident that they could succeed, the Main Six continued to the next area.
In the fourth area, there was more water than there was in the previous area. Only two of the kettles were above the water. To reach the other four, the six friends would have to swim. At this point, they had upgraded their weapons to increase firing rate and damage. They had a field day taking out some of every enemy they had faced so far in the first kettle. They found the Hero Blaster and Hero Brella in the second and third kettles. Octarians were in higher quantities here and they also encountered numerous splat switches. As they were preparing to uncover the sixth kettle, Applejack noticed something floating on the water's surface. She swam up to grab it and found it was a T-shaped cane. Wondering who it belonged to, she asked Agent 3.
"HOLY CARP!! THAT'S CAPTAIN CUTTLEFISH'S CANE!!", Agent 3 yelped.
After conquering the sixth kettle, the agents and the Main Six entered the boss kettle to save Captain Cuttlefish. When they entered the chamber, they did not see the Captain. They jumped to the center platform and the boss was awakened. It was a small tower of rings with a face and a nose-like tube on one side.
"It has been a while since I saw the Octo-nozzle.", said Agent 3.
Agent Three explained that in order to defeat the Octo-nozzle, the suction cups that popped out had to be shot, one had to climb on top of the Octo-nozzle's head, and the tentacle had to be shot. The battle was fairly easy with the number of suction cups doubling with each phase. The six had to dodge the inky balls that were expelled from the nose tube. Some of these balls were bigger and either split into a line or split into a wide arc of ink balls. After Fluttershy had shot the tentacle the third time, the Octo-nozzle sneezed up a large orb that popped apart and released an old inkling. Then, the Octo-nozzle exploded in an inky burst. Applejack gave the cane to the inkling, who slowly got up.
"Are you Captain Cuttlefish?", Applejack asked.
"Yes, I need to speak with Callie as soon as I can. The Octarians got me with poisonous ink before I got trapped by the Octo-nozzle. I'm afraid that I am about to die.", replied the old inkling.
Callie was waiting for everyone when they left the kettle. Her injuries had fully healed, and she was wearing her Hero Suit and had equipped all nine of her weapons.
"GRANDPA, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?", she cried out when she saw that Captain Cuttlefish was limping more weakly than normal.
"What did you just call him?", Twilight asked in alarm.
"Callie didn't say that she and Marie are my granddaughters?", asked Cuttlefish.
The Main Six all shook their heads.
Cuttlefish limped over to Callie and his knees buckled, which caused him to fall to the ground. Callie caught him in her arms in a split-second.
"Callie, I got hit with poisonous ink. It's infected my veins. I am dying. I am placing you in charge of the Squidbeak Splatoon.", he said weakly.
Cuttlefish's eyes shifted as he slipped in and out of consciousness. Callie's eyes began to glisten with tears, and she could feel a lump building in her throat. Cuttlefish's eyes slid closed, and he breathed his last. Within seconds, Callie, Clauds, and Agents 3, 4, and 8 had begun to cry. The Main Six laid their hands on them to cheer them up.
"Goodbye, Captain.", choked out Agents 3, 4, and 8.
Clauds was too choked up to speak. As tears splashed down Callie's face, Clauds gave her a hug to cheer her up. Three minutes later, the sorrow had passed for everyone and Callie had dried her tears for the moment. She knew that there would be more tears coming when Marie was rescued.
"Goodbye, Grandpa. May you be at peace", she whispered as she kissed Cuttlefish on the forehead.
Just then, the radio call that came in earlier started coming in a second time. This time it was much clearer.
"Agent down. I need rescue. Can anyone hear me?", said a voice that they recognized in a flash.
"Marie, is that you?", Callie called back.
"CALLIE! I KNEW YOU'D COME BACK FOR ME!!", replied Marie.
"It isn't just me. I am bringing the entire Squidbeak Splatoon, Clauds, and some temporary agents as well.", Callie replied to her cousin.
"Please hurry, he has me hung upside down. I have had a headache already and I feel another one coming."
Hearing Marie say that made Callie feel sorry, but they pressed on to save her.
Twilight asked the agents what the ninth weapon was that they had, but Callie said to wait and see.
View Online
Recovering the Great Zapfish and rescuing Marie
Arriving in the Octarian Headquarters, everyone noticed they were on a gantry above where all of the kettles were. This area was flooded completely, and all six kettles were completely submerged.
"Looks like this area's going to be a wet one from start to finish.", Agent 4 said as everyone closed their diving helmets.
"You said it, Four.", Eight replied.
Entering the first kettle, the Main Six found what looked like giant paintbrushes. Callie excitedly introduced them to this new weapon herself.
"This is the Hero Brush.", she said as she pulled hers out and showed how it worked.
They grabbed one brush each and followed her lead. These lairs were the hardest ones yet. Octarians attacked from all angles. The Main Six had great practice with all of their weapons, and everyone came close at least once to running out of ink.
A submarine rose up from the water with the boss kettle on top and the kettle opened up.
"This is it. We've been working our way up to this one.", Twilight said to everyone.
Everyone held hands and then jumped into the kettle. The submarine descended under the surface, and everyone eventually found themselves in what looked like a giant underground/underwater arena. They spotted Marie hanging upside down on the back of some kind of structure. She was gagged and had passed out, and her hands were tied behind her back. She was awoken when she heard the sounds of something powering up. Everyone else saw the structure rise up and pull the Great Zapfish inside. For a brief second, Fluttershy saw how much bigger this one was in comparison to the others. When the light came on inside the machine, everyone saw who was piloting it. It was an Octarian with discs sitting in front of him and wearing dark sunglasses. Clauds primed her Hero Shot and Callie began to snarl at him as Agent 3 explained who this was.
"His name is DJ Octavio. He is the bastard that brainwashed Callie and was beaten by Agent 4 a few years ago. Two years before that happened, I defeated him when only the Zapfish went missing."
"Your cousin must love you very much to be brave enough to sacrifice herself for you.", Octavio said to Callie.
"I will not work with you again! If you want me to be brainwashed again, you have to kill everyone with me and defeat me as well. I'm not going down without a fight.", Callie spat back at the DJ.
Octavio raised his ship higher and began launching bombs and mechanical punches. Everyone had readied their weapons and began either swinging rollers and brushes or shooting guns. Three times, they reached a point when Octavio was knocked out of his seat and fell to the ground. After each time, everyone went to town slamming Octavio with their weapons and then threw him back into his seat. After the third time, Callie dealt the final blow and threw Octavio back so hard that he was knocked out and the Great Zapfish was dislodged, and the craft came crashing to the floor. They didn't know it yet, but Octavio had also used the Zapfish's power to charge a backup battery. Agents 3, 4, and 8 blasted Marie's bindings all at once until the ropes snapped and she fell free. Not wanting her to fall on her head, Callie rushed over and caught Marie after she was broken loose. Marie cut the gag out of her mouth and quickly recovered from her dizziness before Clauds crushed her in a hug. After helping to load the Great Zapfish onto the submarine, Marie became confused upon noticing that Callie was sniffling and holding back tears.
"What's wrong, Callie?"
With a shaking hand, Callie pointed towards the rear of the submarine. Marie walked back and her eyes fell upon Captain Cuttlefish, who was lying motionless. She put two fingers to Cuttlefish's throat but felt no pulse. Realizing that her grandfather was dead, Marie felt a lump building in her throat. As her eyes began clouding with tears, she turned to face Callie, who was now crying again.
"What happened to him?", Marie asked between sniffles.
"He got hit with poisonous ink.", Callie choked out.
Marie burst into tears. She ran to Callie and the two cousins threw their arms around each other. Everyone else bowed their heads in muted sorrow as Callie and Marie buried their eyes in each other's shoulders and cried their hearts out. Two minutes later, once the Squid Sisters had cheered up and dried their tears, the group prepared to leave. Everyone fastened their seatbelts, Callie took the yoke, Marie started the propellers, and the submarine began moving away from Octavio's lair.
One-third of the way back to where the sub had arrived to take everyone to Octavio, a radar reading began to show.
"That's funny, there weren't any other submarines around when we came for you.", Twilight said to Marie.
Suddenly, Octavio's voice boomed over the radio.
"I will not let you get away"
Marie couldn't believe her ears.
"That's impossible! How can he still have power?", she shrieked.
"He must have used the Zapfish to charge a backup power source.", Callie said.
"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!", Clauds shrieked.
"If we're going to fight him, we need to stand on top of the submarine.", Rainbow said.
Callie got worried because she knew how dangerous it was to stand on a moving vehicle. Agent 3 said that the boots in the scuba gear could be magnetized, and everyone got ready for the final duel. After setting the sub on Auto-Pilot to keep it going the right way, Callie and Marie started setting up stronger microphones and getting music ready to play over the two way radio system in the helmets. As Octavio got closer, everyone got on the outside of the submarine and prepared to start shooting. They were stunned to see that Octavio was actually inside a bubble helmet rather than having a window over his seat. Suddenly, music began to BLARE. It came through both the two way radios, and even through Octavio's speakers. Twilight and her friends began to feel their blood flow speeding up. They did not understand what was going on.
"Calamari Inkantation!!", Agents 3, 4, and 8 and Clauds cheered as Callie and Marie began to sing.
"SPLAT YOU, SQUID SISTERS!! IF I SURVIVE THIS, I WILL BREAK OUT AGAIN AND TURN YOU INTO SUSHI!!", Octavio bellowed.
This only angered Callie and Marie and compelled them to sing louder. Callie whipped out two pairs of sunglasses and handed one to Marie.
"Aren't these what he used to brainwash you?", Marie asked.
Callie shook her head.
"They used to be, but I reprogrammed them to intensify singing and built a second pair for you. I call them "Concert Glasses".", Callie replied.
The Squid Sisters put the shades on and started singing louder. The three agents, Clauds, and the Main Six began fighting Octavio with all of their might, now that Twilight and her friends had figured out that the song was being used to fire them up. They shot ink with all their might and dodged as many spinning punches as possible. They did get hit at one point and their helmet visors were cracked and slowly leaking water. However, the Main Six's visors had more severe cracks than those of Clauds and Agents 3, 4, and 8. Their visors were just about to give way when Octavio was knocked loose and began floating towards everyone.
"NOW, LET'S FINISH HIM!!", Callie and Marie shouted.
Callie and Marie stopped singing and joined everyone. They shot ink until Octavio's bubble helmet was thrown backwards and smashed against the back wall of his craft. Twilight and her friends blacked out from water leaking into their suits before they made it all the way back into the submarine, but they woke up back at the base camp.
"Rise and shine.", Clauds said quietly.
"Did Octavio survive?", Fluttershy asked nervously.
The Squid Sisters shook their heads.
"He drowned and dissolved when he was exposed to the water." Agent 3 said.
"Now that he has been destroyed and the Great Zapfish is back on Inkopolis Tower, we should not have to worry about any more problems.", Marie said.
"How would you like to see what our world is like?", Twilight asked.
No one knew what to say, but the agents eventually accepted and the Main Six returned to their original forms as ponies. Twilight spawned a portal to Equestria and everyone followed her and her friends. The Squidbeak agents enjoyed the tour of Equestria thoroughly and spent a week learning about its history. Eventually, the time had come for them to return to Inkopolis and Twilight created another portal for them. This portal was not temporary, in case one side wanted to visit another or if the citizens of Equestria and the lands beyond wanted to attend a concert starring The Squid Sisters , Off the Hook , or both in Inkopolis.
One evening in a faraway city in another universe...
An inkling named Clauds had just come home from a holiday with her family. She was getting ready for bed when a noise broke her routine.
**RING**
Clauds rushed to the phone and was about to pick it up. However, she stopped short when she saw "Callie" on the LCD.
"I don't care what you have to say to me Callie.", she muttered to herself in annoyance as she began to leave.
Then, the answering machine picked up.
"CLAUDS, IF YOU'RE HOME, PLEASE PICK UP! THIS IS AN EMERGENCY! MARIE HAS BEEN CAPTURED! I REPEAT, MARIE HAS BEEN CAPTURED!!", a voice screeched over the speaker.
Clauds jumped in alarm when she heard what Callie had said. She ran back to the phone and snatched up the handset before Callie hung up.
"WHAT?? MARIE'S BEEN CAPTURED??", Clauds shrieked back over the phone.
"I will explain later. Meet me at the Squidbeak base camp, ASAP.", Callie replied calmly before hanging up.
Without hesitating, Clauds ran back to her bedroom, whipped off her pajamas, put on her Hero Suit and rushed to Inkopolis Square. She slipped through the grate that led to the camp and met Callie, who did not look too good. She had bandages around her head, her left arm was in a sling, and her right leg was on a medical scooter.
"WHAT HAPPENED?"
"We were trying to sneak into Octarian headquarters, but we were caught. He tried to take me again, but Marie intervened and sacrificed herself. I got hurt while escaping. I can't reach anyone else from the Squidbeak Splatoon either."
Callie then proceeded to activate a device that shot a ball of ink into the sky. She told Clauds that she had heard of a group of six friends that always stuck together in another world. She figured that these friends could possibly help them. She also indicated that it had a 50% chance that they would get the message.
One bright day, in a meadow near the edge of Ponyville, before the Royal Sisters announced their plans for retirement, Twilight Sparkle and her friends were having a picnic in the golden sunlight. Rarity was pouring some tea when there was a whooshing sound. Suddenly, with a sound that was a cross between a *SPLAT* and a *SPLASH*, a large mass of something slammed to the ground. Twilight and her friends shut their eyes, and Rarity dropped the teapot on the ground. When they opened their eyes, they all had splatters of something bluish-violet on their fur and in their manes.
"Any idea what this nasty gunk is?", Rainbow asked Twilight.
Twilight dipped a quill in the strange substance and made a mark on a piece of parchment. The line was straight.
"It seems to be some type of ink.", she answered.
Rarity started looking through the ink as carefully as she could, when she noticed what looked like a piece of paper.
"I found something, Twilight."
The friends gathered together and read what was written on the paper.
"I do not know what your names are, but I admire how you stick together as friends. If you could, please help me. Something terrible has happened in my hometown. Look for someone with magenta colored hair. She will lead you to me.
Signed, ----ie."
They could not tell what the name was supposed to be because the first four letters were smudged beyond recognition. Before they could react, the splatter of ink began spreading across the ground until all six ponies were standing in it. Then, as if the ground had become liquified, they fell into the ink and started feeling a current that they could not swim against. They could feel their limbs changing somehow, but they could not see what was happening. Then, they became separated from each other. They landed softly on something, but they had been knocked out.
Author's Note
I mentioned all six ponies getting pulled into the ink, but I will only write what Twilight sees for a moment. Then, I will go back to all six.
Basics of an Inkling
When Twilight woke up, she was in bright sunlight. She saw a surface that was fairly reflective nearby and went over to see what she looked like. What she saw startled her. She was standing on her back legs and her front limbs now had five extensions each at the tips. Her hair had two long spots which had suction cups on one side. She also had some sort of tank on her back that was full of ink that matched her hair color. Turning around, she saw a gun of some sort on the ground, and a note on a short wall. She picked up the gun and discovered that it could shoot the ink from the tank on her back.
The note said: "Aim at the balloons to practice shooting your ink."
Twilight ran around and shot the balloons until they had popped. Then she proceeded through this apparent training course until she found another note.
This one said: "Turn into a squid and swim through your ink to quickly replenish your tank's ink supply. Ink is your most precious resource, don't run out of it."
Twilight saw that her ink was running low and turned herself into a squid. She swam through her ink and later noticed the tank was full again. She found other notes that told her how to swim up walls as a squid and how to jump as a squid. She later found another note that made her blood run cold.
"Watch out for ink that is not your color. You will get stuck in it. Shoot your own ink to cover enemy ink."
After finding her way to a strange pad on a high ledge, Twilight saw her friends coming. They looked similar to her, but had different skin tones, eyes and hair colors and styles. They had a brief reunion and charged a jump to shoot high from it. They eventually found themselves in a city square.
In the third area, water covered half of the kettles. Upon entering the first kettle the Main Six encountered the Octoseeker after finding the Hero Slosher, which was a bucket that could be used to slosh ink all over enemies. The Octoseeker was a giant square vehicle with a large ink stamp on the bottom side, held up by four propellers. After taking on this kettle, they were introduced to bounce pads in the next one. Everybody had fun using the bounce pads to jump higher and avoid attacks. In the next kettle, they found the Hero Splatling. This was an ink gun that would charge up and then rapid fire like a machine gun. They also met the Octocommander, which was similar to the Octosniper, except it would shoot rapid fire. They also came across giant robots that flowed showers of ink nonstop.
"Those are flooders. You can't destroy those, similar to how squee-gs cannot be destroyed.", Agent 3 said.
Some of the kettles did not have very many pathways, or not as many visible pathways. Sometimes, they had to use their ink to find the path. Some of the sunken scrolls they had found in the previous area talked about how Inkopolis was saved from destruction by an octoling, who Agent 8 said was herself. At the boss' lair, they saw an ink filled bubble stuck to the rear wall, but their path was blocked by a mechanical fish with sharp teeth. The fish would swim under the platform and then pop its teeth up around the Main Six. They shot and broke the teeth and got out of the fish's mouth. When the fish closed its mouth and popped above the platform, they threw a splat bomb into the mouth to knock out the fish. Then they shot the tentacle until it burst. They repeated this two more times with the teeth getting made of a metal that was harder to break. One of the gold teeth from the third strike hit the bubble and tore it open. Agent 4 splattered to the floor of the room and then got up before leaving after the zapfish was recovered.
"How's your healing coming along?", Rainbow asked Callie.
"My leg is back to normal, still waiting on my arm.", Callie replied.
The group continued to the fourth area of the canyon, knowing that they would rescue Captain Cuttlefish next. However, they also received another radio transmission. It was so broken up due to static that they could not make it out.
"A--nt d--- - n-e- r--c-e. C-- a-y--e --ar -e?"
"Three, what did you make of that", Callie asked Agent 3.
"I couldn't tell what was being said. Eight and Four are just as confused.", Agent 3 replied.
"I couldn't tell what it was supposed to say either. There was too much static and interference.", Clauds replied sadly.
Nevertheless, they kept going.
