LEGO Equestria Girls: Side Stories

Chapters

Twinlight Sparkle
Passing the Torch
The Curse of the Time Twirler
Juniper’s Heroic Act

Twinlight Sparkle

In the seemingly vast emptiness of outer space, there existed an interweaving series of paths made of 2x2 plates. Along these paths, an astronaut in a blue classic spacesuit hopped along from one plate to another. Along these paths, there were trails of 1x1 round plates floating in the air that came in the colors of silver, gold, and blue, all of which the astronaut grabbed and collected as he continued hopping along the floating pathways.

But this astronaut was not alone, as a robot with a menacing snarl displayed on its face was also hopping along the floating series of crisscrossing pathways. At first, this robot was merely wandering around aimlessly, but when it eventually wandered close to the astronaut, it gave off a noise resembling mocking laughter as it began to pursue the astronaut.

The astronaut yelped in terror and quickly began fleeing from the evil robot. Both the astronaut and the robot hopped along the various pathways, the astronaut taking left turns and right turns wherever possible, while the robot followed the same directions. The robot eventually pursued the astronaut onto a single pathway, and the astronaut’s only escape route was around a turn up ahead and towards the next intersection beyond it. However, just as the astronaut came around the corner, another evil robot wandered into that upcoming intersection, which gave off its own noise of mocking laughter as it also began to pursue the astronaut.

The astronaut yelped in terror again and turned back to flee the other way, but as he returned to the corner in the path of floating plates, the first evil robot was still coming after him from the other direction. With both directions of the path blocked by the incoming robots, the astronaut did nothing more than helplessly hop back and forth until one of the robots finally came into contact with him, flinging him off the pathway and causing him to scream in horror as he plunged into the abyss of outer space.

It was at this moment that the words “GAME OVER” flashed across the screen.

“Aww, no fair!” groaned Twilight Sparkle. “Those Mega-Bites blocked off both of my only escape routes!”

“That’s why you should never go near those one-outlet paths when both Mega-Bites happen to be on the same side of the board as you are,” advised Twilight Sparkle from the other side of the room.

Twilight — with her hair down and nothing on her face — stepped away from the video game machine with the name “Hack-Man” labeled across the sides and top over the video screen and walked over to the workbench where another Twilight — with glasses on her face and her hair tied back in a bun — currently had her attention focused down at something on the table in front of her.

“What’s that?” asked the first Twilight as she pointed at the small cylindrical device the other Twilight was working on.

“Just a little surprise gift I plan to give Sunset after she returns from her advanced combat training in Ninjago City,” answered the other Twilight as she snapped the protective covering back onto the device and set it aside.

“It sure was nice of you to invite me here when Sunset decided to leave that journal in your possession while she’s away,” noted the first Twilight — Princess Twilight Sparkle from Equestria. “Now that I’ve finished the first semester of my School of Friendship, I actually have some time to spare to see what I’ve been missing out on since my last visit to the Lego World.”

“Believe me, I’m thrilled that I have this opportunity to share some of the contents of my secret laboratory with my interdimensional counterpart,” remarked the other Twilight — the one native to the Lego World. “It’s really quite an interesting perspective to see what someone similar — but not identical — to me would think of all the things I’ve surrounded myself with for practically every day of my life.”

“Starlight told me about some of things you shared with her when she visited,” Princess Twilight pointed out, “but hearing a friend’s description and seeing it for yourself are two very different experiences.”

Lego Twilight smiled as she turned her head towards Princess Twilight standing beside her, but then frowned. While both of them wore a white lab coat and blue gloves over their standard outfits, Lego Twilight was the only one wearing safety goggles over her eyes.

Confused by the hard look her interdimensional counterpart was giving her, Princess Twilight raised an eyebrow and asked, “What?”

Lego Twilight raised her hand, which glowed with magenta magical energy as she gently waved it around, resulting in another pair of safety goggles levitating over to Princess Twilight and being placed over her eyes. “I shouldn’t have to remind you that an essential condition for visiting my secret laboratory is that proper safety equipment must be worn at all times,” scolded Lego Twilight.

Once those safety goggles were placed over her eyes, Princess Twilight giggled sheepishly and awkwardly responded, “Sorry. Guess I kinda forgot about that piece.” She cleared her throat and then spoke up, “Anyway, among the things Starlight mentioned about your laboratory, the one you seemed to be especially proud of was some kind of blade that you claim to be made of plasma.”

“Oh, so you’d like to see my plasma blade?” asked Lego Twilight. Without waiting for an answer, she quickly walked over to a set of shelves on the wall nearby and retrieved a small silver cylinder. She then brought it with her back to the other Twilight, held it out in front of her, and squeezed it.

FWISH!

With that noise, a lavender beam of pure plasma suddenly extended out the upper end of the cylinder and up to a length just over half the height of a minifig. “Practically weightless, can easily slice through just about anything, and makes a really cool noise whenever you wave it around,” described Lego Twilight before she waved and twirled the blade around for a few seconds, which produced a low humming noise with each swing.

Vrrr. Vrrr. Vrrr-vrrr. Vrrr.

Princess Twilight stared at the plasma blade for a few seconds with a thoughtful expression on her face, then she stated, “Remarkable technology, I’ll give you that, though personally, it might be a little excessively dangerous to be carrying around in most circumstances.”

Lego Twilight retracted the plasma blade and responded, “Trust me, I’m responsible enough to not utilize it unless my friends and I find ourselves faced with a situation where such a weapon would prove to be quite helpful.” She placed the deactivated plasma blade back on the shelf she had retrieved it from, then turned back to Princess Twilight and added, “Besides, keep in mind that many places in the Lego World have adversaries unlike anything you’ll find anywhere in your world. They’re not armed with just swords and arrows, but also potentially muskets, revolvers, or laser guns, so confronting them with a plasma blade is not really out of the question.”

Princess Twilight shifted around with a look of discomfort on her face as she asked, “Could we move on to something that’s… well, not a dangerous weapon?”

Lego Twilight smiled and replied, “I think I know just the thing that might interest you.” She then walked over to another nearby workbench and rolled out from underneath it what appeared to be some kind of boxy frame on wheels. Once she brought it over to her Equestrian counterpart, she shifted part of the frame so that it expanded to twice its original height, then flipped upright a square frame from the top of the structure. With this setup complete, the upright square was placed at the same height as a minifig’s head, and the glinting of light that Princess Twilight noticed indicated that this frame surrounded a pane of glass.

Once that setup was complete, Lego Twilight quickly made her way to the opposite side of the frame from where her interdimensional counterpart stood. “Do you see that button in front of the window?” instructed Lego Twilight. “Go ahead and press it, and you’ll see something really cool.”

Princess Twilight glanced down and saw in front of the window frame at the top of the small supporting structure was a red button with a long and narrow display screen beside it that currently showed the words “Standard Vision” on it. She had to admit she was curious what its purpose was, and since her counterpart was instructing her to try it out, she began to reach her hand towards the button.

“Oh! Wait! Hold on a second,” Lego Twilight suddenly spoke up just before the other Twilight was about to tap that button.

Princess Twilight held her hand over the button and watched as the other Twilight reached for a small device on a nearby table and tapped something on it, which caused all of the lights inside the laboratory to dim significantly to the point where it was almost impossible to see where she was.

Lego Twilight set aside the remote light switch and instructed, “Okay, now you can press that button.”

Princess Twilight hesitated briefly due to her confusion on why the lights needed to be dimmed for this experiment, but she trusted the other Twilight, so she went ahead and hit that button. She was astonished when the pane of glass in front of her suddenly began to project everything on the other side as if the lights were still on, albeit with everything now in a shade of green. She watched her counterpart smile and wave at her, then glanced down and noticed that the lightly glowing display screen now showed a different label. “Huh… Night Vision,” noted Princess Twilight in awe.

“Hit the button again,” instructed Lego Twilight eagerly.

Princess Twilight obeyed the request and hit that button again. The window now projected everything on the other side with a completely different arrangement of colors. The other Twilight and some of the surrounding machines were more red, while the background floor and wall were more blue. Princess Twilight checked the new label on the display screen and noted, “Heat Vision.”

“Do it one more time,” encouraged Lego Twilight.

Princess Twilight hit the button once again, and the projection coming through the window was void of any color, but it did seem to display the other Twilight as a skeleton. Princess Twilight didn’t even bother to glance down at the display label and eagerly remarked, “X-Ray Vision!”

Lego Twilight then proceeded to do a little bit of a playful dance.

Princess Twilight giggled at those antics and quipped, “Who would’ve thought that watching a dancing skeleton could be so entertaining?”

Lego Twilight then reached over to retrieve the remote light switch and turned the lights back up to their normal brightness. As she set aside that remote and walked over to her interdimensional counterpart, she explained, “This gadget is essentially a proof-of-concept for something I’ve been trying to develop for months, and as you just saw, I finally managed to get each type of vision to function properly, all on just a single closed system. Now the only thing I have left to do to complete this latest invention is to take what I’ve done with this window pane and apply it to a pair of specifically shaped lenses. In other words…” She grinned and pointed at her glasses. “Special Spectacles 2.0!”

“Wow,” remarked Princess Twilight in astonishment. “That does sound like quite a convenient invention. Congratulations on making that breakthrough to complete it.”

“Thank you, Princess,” acknowledged Lego Twilight contently. “But as I’m sure you remember from the last time we met, there’s one more undiscovered technology that I’ve been very eager to eventually figure out: zero fixed-point teleportation. In other words, the ability to instantly transport yourself to and from any location without needing to rely on any fixed infrastructure.”

“Now that is the kind of invention for which I’d be happy to lend a helping hoof,” agreed Princess Twilight. “Or rather, helping hand, I should say,” she added with a giggle.

Lego Twilight giggled as well, then walked over to another set of storage shelves along the wall and explained, “I’ve done numerous calculations based on those books on magical spellwork that you loaned me, and although these equations I came up with are not quite a hundred percent perfect, they have been reliable enough that I felt confident to try constructing a proof-of-concept prototype.” She opened a cabinet and pulled out a folder full of papers, then used her magical power to levitate out a mechanical object the size of a basketball that could be best described as a big jumble of wires and lights. She levitated the heavy and awkward device over to and set it down on the table close to the where Princess Twilight stood, then walked over and set the folder down on the table beside the device.

Princess Twilight opened the folder and glanced over the various papers contained inside. Once she had taken a couple minutes to study the contents written on those pages, she smiled as she turned to her interdimensional counterpart and stated, “So far as I can tell, everything seems to be accurate enough to pull this off.”

Lego Twilight grinned in excited satisfaction.

Princess Twilight put those pages neatly back into the folder before she turned her attention to the rather awkward device. She rubbed the back of her head and uneasily asked, “And you’re fairly confident that this, uh… thing… should be capable of teleportation?”

“For something that utilizes technology instead of magic? Absolutely!” answered Twilight confidently with a smile and a nod. She then expressed some uncertainty as she continued, “Or at least, it’s the absolute minimum necessary to achieve multi-range teleportation. Once I’ve been able to properly test this thing successfully, then I can start developing a much more refined version that’s more efficient, compact, and aesthetically pleasing.”

Princess Twilight hesitated for a moment before she asked, “So, uh… does this mean you wish to test it out right now?”

Lego Twilight stared at the device for a moment with a contemplative look on her face. Finally, she smiled and shrugged as she replied, “Sure! Let’s go for it!” She rushed back to the wall of shelves, hastily opened one drawer, and retrieved some kind of remote-control device from within it. As she rushed back to her counterpart, she explained, “I installed a video camera onto the test vessel so that in case if the teleportation ends up off course, we’ll have a chance to identify where it actually materialized.”

“Sounds like a good failsafe to me,” concurred Princess Twilight.

Lego Twilight made a few more quick adjustments on both the remote and the test vessel, then she took a few steps back and stated, “For this first test, I intend to send it only a very short distance across the table. First, I have to record its current coordinates…” She entered the relevant information onto the remote. “…enter the intended destination coordinates…” She then entered that information onto the remote as well. “And finally, hit the activation button.”

When Lego Twilight hit that button on the remote, the test vessel was gradually engulfed in a bright white light along with a steady shimmering noise before it finally faded out of existence. Lego Twilight grinned at this initial success, but her smile quickly fell when the test vessel failed to materialize on a different part of that same table.

Instead, they very faintly heard that shimmering noise again. Princess Twilight glanced back and noted, “I think I heard it materialize over there.” She turned back and headed towards where the faint noise had come from, with Lego Twilight following right behind her.

The two Twilights made their way around one of the supercomputer towers at one side of laboratory and immediately halted as soon as they discovered the test vessel was now cleanly embedded halfway through the concrete wall.

“Well, can’t say I’m surprised,” stated Princess Twilight in a tone of disappointment. “Teleportation is a rather advanced spell that not every unicorn is capable of casting. The lesson books that explain how to utilize such spells often include a warning that those with weak magic or poor experience could risk teleporting themselves way off course with a very real possibility that they could end up partially or completely embedded into a fixed object.”

“And it is for that reason why I built this test vessel rather than do any live experimenting on myself,” acknowledged Lego Twilight bitterly.

An awkward silence passed between the two girls before Princess Twilight suggested, “Maybe you should give it another test. At the very least, just to get it out of the wall.”

“Probably a good idea,” Lego Twilight reluctantly agreed as she enter the sets of coordinates onto the remote. “I certainly don’t wanna go through the effort of trying to chip it out of the wall.” Once all of the coordinates were entered — with the intent to bring the test vessel back to the table where it came from — she tapped the activation button.

Once again, the test vessel was gradually engulfed in a bright white light along with a steady shimmering noise before it faded out of existence, leaving behind a seemingly unscathed wall. This time, there was no immediate sign of the object rematerializing — not even the shimmering noise was heard anywhere inside the room.

“Where did it go this time?” asked Princess Twilight as she glanced around in all directions.

“Looks like I’ll need to check the camera,” noted Lego Twilight as she looked closely at the display screen built into the remote in her hands. As she and her Equestrian counterpart watched, they initially saw nothing but empty blue sky, then they saw part of a building move across the screen, quickly followed by another building, and soon they saw what appeared to be an overhead layout of city streets shift rapidly back and forth across the screen.

“Is the test vessel falling from a great height?” asked Princess Twilight in astonishment.

“Sure looks like it,” concluded Lego Twilight in disappointment as she watched the live video plummeting closer towards one building in particular. “I believe that’s the roof of the apartment building above us…”

Only a few seconds later, the falling test vessel finally impacted with that apartment building rooftop. The video feed briefly cut out, but was quickly restored, revealing little bits and pieces suddenly scattering around all over the place.

“And there goes four months, two weeks, and three days of careful design and assembly,” grumbled Lego Twilight. She let out a sigh of frustration and carelessly tossed aside the now worthless remote. “A major setback, but I’m not gonna just give up right here. One of these days, I’ll figure out the secret to reliable zero fixed-point teleportation.”

“I’m sure you will,” assured Princess Twilight. An uneasy silence passed before she spoke up, “So… what other experiments have you been working on that I could help you out with?”

Lego Twilight smiled and smugly replied, “Oh, there’s a whole lot of other things left to explore right here in my laboratory.”

“Then it’s a good thing I cleared my schedule for today,” remarked Princess Twilight with a smile. “Where to next?”

Author's Note

Good thing this one turned out rather short, so I was able to get it done relatively quickly. Also, this short story marks a major transition for me, because until now, every chapter of every story in my fanfiction series had been typed in a Word Document on my old laptop that's now ten years old, and this is the very first piece of content I've typed on the newer version of Word that I have access to on my desktop that I got only a year ago (although this first attempt has already proven to be more problematic in some ways than what I had to deal with on the older version). Anyway, as for the story content, that "Hack-Man" video game is based on the hacking minigame seen in the Lego Movie Videogame, as well as Lego Dimensions. Also, I kind of had to look back across multiple stories to make sure that I wouldn't accidentally contradict any earlier content in the series (such as Lego Twilight's progress on Special Spectacles 2.0), which I suppose goes to show just how long this whole series of mine has been ongoing. Well, here's hoping that I can get through these last few stories I've got planned without too much trouble.

Passing the Torch

It was the middle of another peacefully typical day in Canterlot City as Rarity and Applejack calmly made their way along the sidewalk. They were walking through one of the central districts of the city, and all around them was everyday city activity as vehicles drove by on the roads and pedestrians walked by.

Rarity let out a relaxed sigh as she looked up at the mostly clear sky and noted, “Such a lovely day, is it not?”

“It sure is,” agreed Applejack as she adjusted her hat. “Ah just wish we could enjoy it with the rest of our friends.”

“Indeed, though it seems many of them are simply not going to be available today,” Rarity stated with disappointment. “We already know Sunset is away in Ninjago City for that advanced combat training she had been so enthusiastic to partake in, and Spike informed me that Twilight will likely be spending all day working on some final adjustments to her latest invention.”

“What about the others?” asked Applejack. “What reasons have they got?”

“Rainbow Dash is currently occupied with her day job at the airport on flight control,” answered Rarity, “and Fluttershy is out responding to a call about a family of raccoons that were discovered in the backroom of some small business establishment.” She then turned away and muttered under her breath, “Thank goodness it was not my boutique that suffered such an infestation.”

“And Pinkie Pie?” asked Applejack.

“For some reason, she never responded to any of my texts,” replied Rarity, “which is why we are heading over to her place of residence before we settle on any plans for today.” She gestured up ahead towards a building located on the corner of an intersection that had a red and pink awning along the top of the windows and corner doorway of the ground floor and a sign over the doorway that read “Surgarcube Corner”.

“Makes sense to me,” remarked Applejack with a shrug as the two girls arrived at the intersection and waited to cross the street. Once the appropriate traffic signal was given, they walked across the street and entered the building through the main entrance.

The inside of the building resembled a typical café, with tables and chairs set up near the windows and stools in front of the countertop that wrapped around the central service area. There were a few people seated at some of the tables, a certain minifig with grey skin and blond hair picking up a muffin, and serving that muffin to her from behind the counter was Mrs. Cake, the co-owner of this bakery and café who Pinkie Pie worked for.

“Good day, Mrs. Cake,” greeted Rarity as she and Applejack walked over to the counter. “We were wondering if Pinkie Pie was available to spend some time with us.”

Mrs. Cake smiled at the two girls and contently replied, “Oh, she’s upstairs in her apartment.” She then apprehensively added, “Though I’m not so sure if she really has any time to spare today.”

“Why not?” asked Applejack in confusion.

“She recently got a request to plan a party for a high-ranking official who works for the LEGO Team,” explained Mrs. Cake, “and you know how serious she can be sometimes when it comes to party planning.”

“We sure do,” muttered Applejack as she rolled her eyes.

“Did she happen to mention who exactly this high-ranking official was?” asked Rarity.

“Not that I’ve heard of,” replied Mrs. Cake. “All she told me is that it was a huge deal for the top people in the LEGO Team before she ran off upstairs.”

Rarity paused for a moment before she spoke up, “In that case, I’m sure she won’t mind sparing a few seconds to satisfy my curiosity.” She then turned away and began walking towards the doorway that led to the building’s stairwell.

Applejack turned to follow Rarity and raised an eyebrow as she asked uneasily, “Uh, you sure that’s such a good idea?”

“We are members of the LEGO Team, are we not?” retorted Rarity. “Any significant event involving our superiors should be a matter of concern to us.” As she opened the door to the stairwell, she glanced back and gave a sly smile as she added, “Besides, as a savvy businesswoman, I simply cannot pass up an opportunity to make connections with potential wealthy clients.”

“Figures you’d have a selfish reason,” grumbled Applejack under her breath as she followed Rarity into the stairwell.

The two girls climbed the stairway, passed the Cake family’s apartment on the second floor, and soon reached the third and highest floor, where Pinkie Pie’s apartment was located. Once they arrived at the pink doorway atop the stairwell, Rarity gently knocked on the door.

Crash! Honk! Clang! Toot! Ding!

Both Rarity and Applejack flinched from that sudden cacophony of various sound effects from within the apartment.

“Who is it?” called out Pinkie Pie’s voice from the other side of the door.

“It’s Rarity and Applejack, darling,” responded Rarity. “We were just curious what you were up to, since you failed to respond to any of my texts.”

“Go ahead and open the door,” Pinkie called back. “I’d get it myself, but I’m a little tied up at the moment.”

Rarity and Applejack glanced at each other apprehensively before Rarity reached forward and opened the door. Inside the apartment, all of the living room furniture had been shoved aside, and in the middle of the apartment was a large pile of various party supplies, such as packs of streamers and confetti, balloons of many shapes and sizes, horns and kazoos and other noise-makers, boxes of cake mix in several different flavors, and of course the party cannon. And partially buried at the edge of this pile was Pinkie Pie, whose head and arms were all that was exposed.

“Oh dear,” muttered Rarity worriedly. “I sincerely hope our arrival didn’t startle you into accidentally bringing this, erm… mishap upon yourself.”

“Aw, don’t feel so bad,” assured Pinkie positively as she struggled to untangle herself from under the pile. “This is what I get for leaving everything so dangerously balanced in my rush to get everything done.” She grunted as she pressed her arms against the surrounding supplies one more time until she finally popped out and tumbled along the floor, while the loose pile further collapsed and scattered outward.

Crash! Clang! Ding! Honk! Toot!

While Pinkie Pie stood up and brushed herself off, Applejack rubbed the back of her head and asked, “So what kind of party are ya plannin’ for this time, Pinkie?”

Pinkie smiled and replied, “The higher-ups in LEGO management have asked me to plan a retirement party for Jørgen Studworth.”

Rarity gasped in astonishment and asked, “The Jørgen Studworth? As in, the chairman and chief executive officer of the LEGO Company, responsible for organizing the manufacturing and distribution of Lego parts and accessories to every region of the Lego World and beyond?”

“Yup! That’s the guy!” confirmed Pinkie cheerfully before she turned her attention to the pile of party supplies and began quickly reorganizing some of those items.

“Uh, forgive me for bein’ a li’l ignorant,” Applejack spoke up, “but why exactly is Jørgen Studworth such a big name in the high ranks of LEGO businesses?”

“Because without Mister Studworth, the Lego World as we know it today might never have been possible,” explained Rarity. “You see, a few decades ago when a younger Kjeld Playwell — much like his father and grandfather before him — was solely in charge of virtually all aspects of ruling the Lego World, he made quite a few financial blunders that brought about a serious risk of economic collapse, and that old Board of Directors he had hired to assist in running much of the business only made things even worse by the time he finally sacked them all.”

“Ah certainly remember that part of the history,” noted Applejack. “So where does Jørgen fit in to all of those troubled times?”

“Kjeld learned the hard way that he couldn’t simply delegate a group of experts to oversee company operations,” continued Rarity. “He had to hire the right people for the appropriate responsibilities. Celestia and Luna, for example, excelled in establishing good relations with people, so they were ideal founding members for the LEGO Team as we know it today. In the case of Jørgen Studworth, he had a lot of experience in managing troubled companies and turning them around into thriving businesses. Virtually all business aspects of the LEGO Company back then were practically falling apart, and he was brought in to do what accountants and book-keepers do best. The transactions and refinancing he was able to pull off to save the company and thus the global economy as a whole made him nothing short of a miracle worker.”

“In other words, he helped save the Lego World in ways that most people would probably have a hard time appreciatin’,” noted Applejack with a smile of understanding.

“Yes, I suppose you could say that,” acknowledged Rarity with a nod. She turned to Pinkie and asked, “And you’re saying he’s now due to retire?”

“Well, technically, it’s more like he’s stepping down to more of a consultant position,” explained Pinkie as she cleaned up the last remaining items from what had once been a massive pile of party supplies on the floor, “but since it means handing over all the big responsibilities to someone else, it might as well feel like retirement for him.”

“Do you know who’s going to be taking Jørgen’s place as head of company operations?” asked Rarity.

“Eh, all I know right now is that it’s some guy named Niels,” replied Pinkie with a shrug. “I don’t know much else about him, but I absolutely intend to get to know him better, which should be easy since he’ll be at the party tomorrow.”

Applejack chuckled and remarked, “Well, if anyone is good at makin’ new friends, it’s definitely you, Pinkie.”

“The best of the best, and don’t you ever forget it,” agreed Pinkie with a giggle. She then gasped and excitedly added, “I should invite the rest of my friends, too! That way, we can all have a chance to get to know Niels!”

“Ah’m not so sure many of them would be willin’ to accept the invitation,” noted Applejack uneasily. “Ah mean, does Rainbow Dash seem like the kind of girl who’d wanna hang out with executive corporate folks?”

Pinkie slumped and sadly conceded, “Yeah, you’re right.”

“Not to mention,” added Rarity, “Sunset is busy training in Ninjago City, and Twilight insisted that she’s preoccupied with whatever science project she’s been up to this time.”

“An’ we all know how panicky Fluttershy gets in a crowd of strangers without an animal sight,” finished Applejack.

Pinkie glanced up at her present friends and hesitantly asked, “And you two?”

Rarity smiled and confidently replied, “Now I, on the other hand, would love to have the opportunity to mingle with such company. So yes, I shall be happy to accept your invitation.”

Applejack glanced away for a moment with a thoughtful look on her face, then shrugged as she turned back to Pinkie and replied, “Eh, Ah don’t have any important chores that need to get done tomorrow, so Ah guess Ah can spare the time to be at your party, too.”

Pinkie grinned and immediately embraced her two friends in a big hug as she cheerfully exclaimed, “Thank you so much! Even though I understand why some of our friends can’t join us, it really means a lot to me that at least both of you will be able to go to the party!”

Once Pinkie released her rather tight hug, Applejack chuckled awkwardly and remarked, “Yup. That’s what friends are for.”

“Indeed,” concurred Rarity as she brushed herself off. “Not only that, but I feel that I simply must attend what will undoubtedly be a celebration held in honor of a major transition in management of the organization that essentially controls everything in our universe. After all, Jørgen Studworth has been the main authority of the LEGO Company for as long as I can remember, so it feels as though we are about to witness a generational passing of the torch, so to speak.”

“You said it,” agreed Pinkie. “It might not be as obvious to everyone as anything going on with the Playwell family, but the business side of things going under new management is still a huge deal. All the more reason why I need to make sure this party is just right for everyone invited.” She then turned her attention away from her two friends and began reorganizing the various party supplies she had left scattered around the room.

Applejack smiled as she let out a sigh and remarked, “All this talk about the upcommin’ change in corporate leadership really makes ya think about just how much time has passed since the last time it happened. Things sure have changed a lot over the years. Ah remember back when Apple Bloom didn’t have any close friends an’ was worried if she would ever get her Creative Mark.”

“Yes, I do remember the day when Sweetie Belle told me about how she and Scootaloo first met Apple Bloom,” noted Rarity fondly with a smile and a nod. “And now, not only have they since discovered their Creative Marks, but are also currently in their final year of elementary school. It won’t be much longer before they’re finally ready to be given adult legs, and thanks to their membership in the LEGO Club, there might even come a day when we may eventually see them join the LEGO Team.”

“Those three sure have come a long way since the day they met, that’s for sure,” acknowledged Applejack as she wiped a tear of joy from her eye. She paused for a moment before she added, “Come to think of it, our own group of friends sure has come a long way since the day we were first brought together as a team.”

“Oh, absolutely,” agreed Rarity. “Why, it’s been so long that I’m actually starting to lose track of precisely how much time has passed since our very first series of adventures, courtesy of Princess Twilight Sparkle from Equestria.”

Applejack smirked and asked, “Who would’ve thought the five of us back then would ever make a good team, let alone that we’d later welcome the likes of Sunset Shimmer an’ a Shadowbolt agent by the name of Twilight Sparkle?”

“You’re telling me!” quipped Pinkie with a smile as she began quickly gathering baking utensils and cake ingredients in her kitchen. “Even I would’ve had a hard time believing all of that way back when it all started.”

“Yes, well, as nostalgic as it has been to reminisce on our past developments,” Rarity spoke up as she turned to Pinkie, “perhaps it might be best that Applejack and I depart now so that you may proceed with preparations for tomorrow’s soirée.”

“Relax, Rarity,” assured Pinkie as she poured something white into the empty mixing bowl in front of her. “I’m totally capable of multitasking.” She then glanced at the now empty bag she was holding and her smile suddenly fell as she muttered, “Whoops... I was supposed to use that much flour, not sugar.” She then casually tossed the empty sugar bag away as she smiled again and blissfully remarked, “Oh well! I’ll just make a super-sized batch to bake a ginormous cake!”

“Yeah, Ah think Ah’ll side with Rarity on this one,” noted Applejack with concern. She then smiled and added, “Besides, we can always get ready for the party in our own ways. Ah think Ah’ll bring along some of mah family’s apple-based home cooking to share with everyone.”

“Oh, that’s a splendid idea, Applejack,” agreed Rarity with delight. “Most certainly, I should return to my boutique and determine which dress would be most appropriate for tomorrow. I think I shall even prepare a gift for Mister Studworth to wish him well in his pseudo-retirement.”

“That sounds like a great idea!” agreed Pinkie with enthusiasm as she hauled a large sack of flour over her shoulder, causing her to wobble around with unsteady balance due to the immense weight. “How about you go ahead and take care of that stuff while I deal with all this other stuff?” she suggested as she hefted the sack over the table, only for it to suddenly tear open and dump all that flour into a pile big enough to completely bury the mixing bowl full of sugar.

“Can’t argue with that, seein’ as ya got your work cut out for ya,” stated Applejack with concern in her voice.

“Yes, I suppose we should depart at once and leave you to it,” concurred Rarity as she turned away and began walking towards the door out of the apartment.

As Rarity opened the door, Applejack followed after her, but paused to glance back at Pinkie and contently said, “Well, Ah guess we’ll see ya at the party tomorrow.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” Rarity spoke up as she stuck her head back through the doorway into the apartment. “Do you happen to know where we shall meet for tomorrow’s celebration?”

“Canterlot City’s LEGO Team Headquarters building,” answered Pinkie as she swiftly pulled out several mixing bowls and began scooping away at the huge pile of flour. “We all know how to get there, and I’ll put up posters on the entrance door to give instructions on which room we’ll be in.”

“Much appreciated,” thanked Rarity before she turned forward and began making her way down the stairwell.

“Same here,” added Applejack with a smile. “See ya tomorrow!”

“Bye, Rarity! Bye, Applejack!” Pinkie called out cheerfully as she continued salvaging her baking disaster. “Have a nice day!”

Applejack shut the door and followed Rarity down the stairs. They both reached the bottom floor and headed out the front door of Surgarcube Corner, then they parted ways to return to their respective homes. Even though most of their friends were unable or uninterested in attending tomorrow’s gathering of LEGO Company executives, Rarity and Applejack knew that no matter what they would bring with them, all that really mattered was that Pinkie Pie would appreciate having at least some of her friends being there to enjoy her party.

Author's Note

It seems I'm especially slow with chapters that involve lots of dialogue with hardly any action, as I had hoped to have this relatively shorter side story completed last week. Good thing I never had any plans to actually show either of the two characters that were mentioned, as it saved me the extra effort of trying to figure out how to describe them (pretty much all you need to know is that they're rather friendly businessmen who are great at managing the operations of a company the spans practically an entire universe). Yes, as you might have suspected, just like Kjeld is inspired by the current generation of the family that owns the actual Lego company, Jørgen and Niels are inspired by the real-life CEOs of said company (former and current, respectively, and yes, just like with the name "Playwell", the last names used in this chapter are also completely made up). Also, I'm relieved I was able to figure out this time how to prevent the new formatting issues I ran into last time (extra spaces not only between paragraphs, but also double spaces appearing randomly between words) by copying from the original Word document to a WordPad file, remove the extra spaces between paragraphs whenever I have the time to do so, and then copying from that to here. (While it does prevent any extra spaces while preparing to post the chapter, it does unfortunately remove all formatting like bold and italics, so I'll have to manually reapply them before I can publish a new chapter. Thankfully, that's a lot less time-consuming than removing spaces between every single paragraph, so I can deal with it.) Finally, I can say this is the last side story to take place prior to the upcoming tenth main story, so the next update will be the start of that new story, which I hope to have ready to post by the beginning of next month.

The Curse of the Time Twirler

After the Changelings invaded and seized control of Canterlot City, the Equestria Girls had been lying low inside the Crystal Castle within the Castle Region. Although the group of friends had managed to successfully escape, they were uncertain about what they could do next to fight back against the alien invaders. As a result, they had been spending the last few days with very little to do while they waited for any news from the other regions of the Lego World.

One morning, after she had finished getting ready for the day, Sunset Shimmer walked through one of the castle’s hallways until she arrived at a large door within the main keep. She stopped in front of that door, took a deep breath and exhaled to calm her nerves, and finally knocked on that door a few times.

“Could you please wait a few minutes?” requested Princess Cadance Playwell from the other side of the door. “I just finished a video conference with a few other branches of the LEGO Team and I’m not yet dressed properly for castle duties.”

“That’s okay,” assured Sunset in response. “I was kinda hoping to speak privately with you, so I don’t care how you’re dressed at the moment.”

A few seconds later, Sunset heard the door unlock and then saw it partially open. “In that case, come on in,” agreed Cadance.

Sunset stepped through the opening into the room and saw Cadance was currently dressed in her dark turquoise business uniform rather than her lavender princess dress. She glanced past Cadance and also noticed the computer on the desk was currently displaying a split-screen of some various empty rooms. “I take it you were discussing the ongoing Changeling invasion?” asked Sunset.

“Unfortunately, yes,” confirmed Cadance as she shut the door. “The town of Appleloosa was easily infiltrated a couple days ago because they refused to take the threat seriously. Just yesterday, a train full of Changeling troopers rolled into town and seized complete control over it in only a matter of minutes, and now the rest of the Old West Region is also falling just as quickly.”

Sunset shook her head as she sighed in disappointment and muttered, “Why am I not surprised by that?”

“You said you wished to discuss something privately with me?” asked Cadance.

“Yeah, I did,” replied Sunset. “Since my friends and I can’t really do much lately, I was wondering if you might be able to help me solve a mystery that I’ve been thinking about for months. Have you read my report about the incident involving the Time Twirler?”

“Of course I did,” confirmed Cadance with a nod. “I’m grateful that you were able to destroy such a powerful magical artifact without any serious consequences, and that everything ultimately turned out well for you, your friends, and the members of PostCrush.”

“I’m also glad about how it all ended,” agreed Sunset with a smile, before she frowned and continued, “but what I’m concerned about is how it all began. When I looked into K-Lo’s memories, she had purchased that Equestrian artifact from someone in a village in the region of Pharaoh’s Kingdom. His face was obscured, and he claimed that not only was it supposedly plundered from the tomb of Somnambula, but also that it had some kind of curse. Princess Twilight and I still have no idea how the Time Twirler went from Equestria to being purchased by K-Lo, and I think this guy who sold it to her might give us some answers.”

“That does sound like an interesting mystery,” acknowledged Cadance. “I can confirm that the tomb of Somnambula was indeed robbed over a year ago, and that some of the treasure was recovered after a hut in the nearby village mysteriously burned down a few days later, but that’s all I really know on the subject of interest. I’m not sure if I could be of any further assistance.”

“But you do have something might help me,” Sunset pointed out. “Starswirl’s magical staff. Back when my friends and I fought against the Shadowbolt agents, you used it to find out where Twilight and her team was located so we could go after them. I was wondering if you could use it to learn more about that guy who sold the Time Twirler.”

“I’m not sure about that,” replied Cadance uneasily. “The spell I had used to locate Twilight was essentially a live observation, so even if I knew who to look for, it would show me only what he’s doing right now and not what he did in the past.”

“I was thinking I could use it in combination with my magical geode,” explained Sunset as she gestured at her necklace. “It allows me to see the memories of whoever I touch, so I’m kinda hoping that magical staff might give me remote access to the memories of some guy I likely never met.”

Cadance raised an eyebrow and asked with concern, “Are you sure you want to try that? Even with all of my experience with utilizing the staff, I can’t help but wonder about the risks of combining these magical abilities.”

“I’ve learned how to better control my magical power,” assured Sunset. “With your guidance on how to use the staff, I’m confident that I can use both forms of magic to find the one whose memories I’m interested in seeing.”

Cadance hesitated for a moment before she responded, “If you’ve really put that much thought into it, then I suppose it’s worth a try.” As she pulled a key out of her jacket pocket, she gestured at the round rug in the center of the room and added, “I’m sure you’re familiar with where it needs to be for this to work.”

Sunset nodded in acknowledgement before she reached down and pulled that rug away, exposing a small socket in the floor.

Meanwhile, Cadance used her key to unlock the chest at the other side of the room. She opened that chest and pulled out a white staff with a glowing blue crystal placed on the end of it. She brought that magical staff to the center of the room and inserted the bottom end of it into the socket on the floor. As she held that staff upright with one hand, she instructed, “Grab onto the staff with both hands.”

Sunset did as she was told and grasped the staff with both hands.

“Place your forehead against the magical crystal,” continued Cadance.

Sunset again did as she was instructed and rested her forehead against the glowing blue crystal.

“Now close your eyes and concentrate on the one who you wish to observe the world through their perspective,” finished Cadance.

Sunset again followed the princess’s directions and closed her eyes. She did not know the name or face of the minifig who had sold the Time Twirler, but his presence within K-Lo’s memories had been significant enough that she had something to focus on. After a few seconds, both the magical staff’s crystal and Sunset’s magical geode began to glow brighter, and soon she began to witness a vision of past events…

The desert region of Pharaoh’s Kingdom was home to pyramids, obelisks, hieroglyphs, sphinxes, and all other things based around the ancient Egyptian theme. Among the numerous settlements within that region was the village of Somnambula, named after the local heroine from a distant past. The village not only had statues of her and celebrated festivals in honor of her great deeds, but it also happened to be close to the tomb where that ancient heroine was buried. Although no one knew for sure what had been placed within the tomb alongside the late heroine, there were plenty of rumors of riches worthy of even the greatest of leaders throughout the region. But like any place known to hold lots of treasure, there were bound to be looters in the area, eager for an opportunity to take it all for themselves.

One night — approximately one year in the past — a group of four minifigs secretly opened the tomb of Somnambula with the goal of taking everything of value they could find so they could make a fortune selling it on the black market. These four men had been brought together by a shared curiosity for what lay inside that tomb, though not exactly for similar purposes. The one with messy auburn hair was Red Barren, a criminal genius who had already pulled off some successful heists across many desert settlements, and the opportunity to plunder what was believed to be one of the richest tombs in the entire Lego World was a challenge he accepted without any hesitation. The one with combed-back light blue hair was Blue Cool, a rather easy-going guy who had mastered the art of profiting from illegal trade with negotiation talents that would prove to be very useful after the heist was accomplished. The one with wild lime green hair was Green Envy, a rather notorious robber who had long been fascinated by the riches that were said to be held within this tomb, but was at least wise enough to understand that he would never be able to retrieve it without some assistance, which was why he had brought in only enough people to ensure every part of this operation would be a complete success. Finally, the one with smooth and short blond hair and wearing glasses was Professor Sandstone, a university professor from Fillydelphia and the only one in this group with no criminal record, who had offered to assist the group with locating the treasure and later evaluating each artifact to determine how much any potential buyers would be willing to pay up for them, all in exchange for allowing him a chance to study the tomb and its contents prior to the looting.

The four tomb robbers began by prying away the massive stone slab that sealed the tomb, using a system of pulleys anchored into the ground to provide additional leverage for some camels that pulled on the ropes. It would have been easier to hook some cables to a big truck, but such a heavy-duty engine would’ve been so noisy that it would alert many people in the nearby village, and the last thing they wanted was to draw any attention to themselves. After a few minutes of tugging, the stone slab finally toppled over and hit the ground with a dull thud.

With the tomb now opened, the four men quickly and quietly walked into the tomb’s entrance. As they set foot into the underground corridors, three of them were carrying not only ropes and crowbars, but also floodlights connected to vehicle Power Bricks, while the fourth guy, Professor Sandstone, was carrying a camera. As they began to pass by walls with writing and images carved into them, Sandstone silently instructed the robbers to set down the floodlights, switch them on, and aim them at the walls so that he could photograph the carvings, then they picked up the floodlights and followed him to the next location.

“Why are we wasting time with this?” grumbled Green impatiently as he set down and switched on his floodlight for the third time. “We’re not here to study some dusty old wall carvings. We’re here to loot all the riches inside!”

“Have some patience, Mister Envy,” insisted Professor Sandstone as he continued to take photographs of the etchings on the walls. “What we’re about to do will be highly destructive to this archeological site, and if I don’t fully record its original condition, the consequences could be very dire for us. A few extra minutes of proper documentation done now will save us years of potential time in prison.”

“Assuming we even get busted in the first place,” retorted Red as he switched off and picked up his floodlight.

“I prefer to hedge my bets in the event of even the most unlikely scenarios,” noted Sandstone. “Believe me, I’ve lost more than enough money in the stock market to have learned that lesson the hard way.”

“Is that why you agreed to help us?” asked Blue as he and the other two robbers set down and switched on the floodlights for the fourth time.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Sandstone shamefully confessed. “Desperate times have called for desperate measures…”

The four men continued the process several more times as they made their way deeper into the tomb. After nearly half an hour, they finally arrived at a large doorway that was sealed up by another massive stone slab. Once again, the robbers set up the floodlights and the professor photographed the site in its original condition.

“Okay, this is the entrance to the main chamber,” confirmed Sandstone. “Now let’s do this exactly like how we practiced. Remember, we only have one chance to pull this off properly.”

The original plan by the three robbers had been to use pickaxes to fracture the stone slab until it crumbled away, but Sandstone had insisted on keeping the slab intact in case if there were any potentially significant carvings on the inner side. Instead, the new plan they had practiced was to use a portable stone drill to bore a small hold through the slab, then insert a rope with a special grappling hook tied to it that would fit through the hole and expand to grip onto the inner side of the slab, and then all four of them would simply tug the rope until the slab toppled over to the ground and hopefully remain intact.

The four men quickly went through each step of the plan, their practice allowing them to proceed without any issues, even with the drill producing a louder than expected noise that echoed through the corridor. Finally, after a few tugs, they had managed to pull down the stone slab, which hit the ground with a dull thud. Although the slab ended up slitting in half on impact, the break was clean enough that the image carved into the surface could be fitted back together with no gaps.

Red and Green set up the floodlights while Blue removed the grappling hook so that Sandstone could photograph the image carved into that side of the slab. Blue noticed that the drill hole had gone through the middle of the face of a minifig depicted on that slab and quipped, “Boy, talk about a hole in the head.”

“Whatever,” grumbled Green as he rolled his eyes. “Can we get to the good stuff already?”

“Almost,” assured Sandstone. “I just need to record the initial condition of everything within the chamber, and then we can begin the process of extraction.”

Professor Sandstone led the group into the dark chamber and once again silently directed the others on where to set up the floodlights. As soon as they switched on the floodlights, the whole room was suddenly illuminated much brighter than anticipated. Once their eyes had adjusted to the light, they all gazed in wonder at the content of this chamber. Surrounding the golden sarcophagus in the center of the chamber were all kinds of spectacular treasures. There were piles of gold coins, golden idols and statues, precious jewels shaped and fitted in all kinds of artistic ways, and even pieces of furniture so bedazzled that only a royal palace was worthy of such luxury. And of course, there was plenty of glowpaz, the precious gemstone famously associated with Somnambula.

“Whoa…” muttered Red in astonishment. “Now this is a haul.”

“It’s beyond anything I’ve ever dreamed of,” noted Green in awe.

“We’re gonna be so rich…” declared Blue with a grin of excitement.

“Try not to disturb anything until after I’m finished,” reminded Sandstone as he immediately began taking photographs of practically everything inside the chamber.

It was agonizing for the three criminals to stand around and not touch any of the riches they were here for, but they knew the reward would be worth the wait. Once again, they followed Sandstone’s directions in setting up the floodlights so that he could properly photograph everything inside the chamber.

After several minutes, Professor Sandstone did a quick review of all the pictures he had taken, then finally noted, “I believe this documentation shall be satisfactory.” He packed away his camera and spoke up, “Alright, boys. Now we can proceed with gathering these artifacts.”

“Finally!” exclaimed Green in relief as he carelessly tossed aside the floodlight in his hands and pulled out one of the large sacks he had brought with him. “Now let’s load it all up and get going.”

The three thieves wasted no time as they gathered up all of the bits of treasure they could carry and stuffed them into the sacks, all while the professor wrote in his notepad a quick inventory of everything being collected. As much as they wished they could take everything around them, some of these treasures were simply too big and heavy to carry away without much difficulty. They were especially careful to avoid touching the sarcophagus in the middle of the chamber, as the last thing they wanted was a mummy’s curse to ruin everything for them.

By the time they had cleared out virtually everything of interest to them and prepared to start hauling it all outside, Red noticed one last artifact placed within a small alcove in the far wall of the chamber. It was a round golden object about the size of a coin with a closed eye on the face of it and a small protrusion on the edge.

Curious to see that singular object placed in a seemingly special location, Red walked over to that alcove and picked up the artifact. As he closely inspected it, he asked, “What’s this supposed to be?”

Blue set down the filled sack he was carrying and glanced over to see what Red was looking at. “I think it might be some kind of brooch,” suggested Blue.

“Well, whatever it is, it must be of immense significance to have been placed within such an unusual alcove,” noted Sandstone as he used his camera to take more pictures of the site where that artifact had been.

Red raised an eyebrow as he turned to Sandstone and asked, “What makes you so sure of that?”

“It’s not just the size and location of the alcove, but also the immense number of hieroglyphs carved into the wall surrounding it,” explained Sandstone. “It’s going to take me a while to translate all of this, but one word I’m seeing frequently on that wall is ‘time’. I’m not sure if this indicates that artifact is some kind of primitive timekeeping device or simply an idol to some god of time, but that’s why I insisted on documenting everything in here, so that I would have time later to properly study all of it.”

“Speaking of time, we’re wasting too much of it with that nonsense!” exclaimed Green impatiently. “We’ve got what we came here for, so let’s just haul it outta here before anyone finds us!”

Everyone in the group all muttered in agreement as Red stuffed the special artifact into a pocket in his vest, then they resumed hauling the looted treasure out of the tomb. It wasn’t much longer before all of the stolen treasure and artifacts had been loaded onto their camels, by which point the men unhitched them and began guiding them back to their hideout near the outskirts of the village.

The next day, the group of four thieves had unpacked all of the looted treasure and brought it into the large wooden hut that served as their hideout. Professor Sandstone wasted no time by setting up a desk in the corner of the hut and began studying the photographs he had taken and comparing the carved images to some reference material he had brought with him in an effort to understand what they meant. As the professor was busy with his studies, Blue Cool and Green Envy discussed options for how they would obtain as much profit as possible from the plundered treasure, while Red Barren examined the strange golden artifact that he had discovered shortly before they had left the tomb the previous night.

“You’ve been staring at that artifact for quite a while, Red,” noted Blue.

“Yeah, why are you so interested in that one little thing, anyway?” questioned Green. “It’s probably worth only twenty bucks.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” stated Red as he continued staring at the mysterious golden artifact in his hand. “If it was just another part of the treasure, we would've found it carelessly tossed into one of the piles, but this thing was apparently special enough to have been placed in an alcove all by itself. Why is that? What is it about this particular artifact that it was given such a special place within the tomb?”

“Eh, I still think it’s nothing more than just some piece of gold,” argued Green dismissively.

“I think I’ll reserve my judgment until the Professor has had a chance to take a look at it,” noted Blue.

Red continued staring at the strange artifact for a moment, then turned his attention to Professor Sandstone and asked, “What do you think, Professor? Is there anything in your research notes that says there's something special about this artifact?”

“I share your suspicion, Mister Barren,” acknowledged Sandstone as he continued comparing the photographs with his reference material, “which is why I have chosen to prioritize the carvings on the wall around that alcove as the first subject of my research. Give me a few hours and hopefully I’ll be able to provide you with some answers.”

While Sandstone continued his research, the three thieves further discussed ideas and plans on what to do with the treasure they had plundered from the tomb. By the end of the day, after the sun had set and night began to descend over the village, the thieves had come up with several ideas, but had not yet settled on any specific plans.

Red had remained especially curious about the mysterious golden artifact he still held in his possession, so once he was finished speaking with his fellow criminals, he turned to Sandstone still seated at his desk and asked, “Anything you can tell us about this artifact?”

“As a matter of fact, yes,” answered Sandstone as he rearranged the papers on his desk. “According to what I’ve been able to translate thus far, that artifact is a magical device known as the Time Twirler, said to have the power to manipulate time itself.”

Upon hearing that the artifact had magical powers, Blue and Green both started paying attention. Magical objects were not unheard of in certain regions of the Lego World, and Pharaoh’s Kingdom was definitely among them. Not to mention, with some of the widely known magical incidents that had been recently occurring in some of the City Regions, there was no telling what other sources of powerful magic could be out there to obtain. Like any group of criminals, they were eager to know what sort of power they now apparently possessed and how they could use it to their advantage.

“How so?” asked Red.

Sandstone continued looking down at his pages of notes on his desk as he explained, “To be more precise, the Time Twirler has the power to establish a time loop that lasts for only a single day, from one midnight to the next. Just press the button on the side of it, and you and everyone else within close proximity to the device shall repeat the current day from the beginning. You will fall asleep no later than midnight, then you will next awaken exactly as you did the previous morning, all while retaining your memories of your previous experiences of that same day. If you wish to repeat that particular day more than once, just press the button again at any point before the end of the day and only those initially affected — no more and no less, regardless of where they all are — shall repeat the time loop once more. Likewise, ending the time loop is simply a matter of not pressing that button at any point throughout the day.”

Red glanced back at the golden artifact he held and quietly noted, “So this magical object gives us the power to turn back time…”

“Right, and how exactly does this do us any good?” asked Green, his frown signifying how unimpressed he was.

“Don’t you get it?” explained Blue eagerly. “This gives us the perfect opportunity to not only try so many things in only a single day, but also learn from any mistakes we might make along the way. We can take huge risks and never have to fear any consequences, because everything around us will reset back to the way it was at the beginning, and no one will ever remember anything we did in any of the previous loops.”

“Oh, so you’re saying it’s like how you’re able to restart a video game, no matter how many times you lose?” asked Green as he began to smile with understanding.

“Something like that…” confirmed Blue with a shrug.

“Only in this case, it’s with reality itself that we now have such an ability to utilize,” muttered Red in astonishment as he continued staring at that magical device in his hand. He then glanced up at the others and suggested, “Wanna test it out?”

The other two thieves stared at Red for a moment, glanced at each other, then turned back to their fellow thief. Blue suddenly smiled and eagerly replied, “Sure! Let’s do it!”

Green shrugged and dismissively added, “Eh, not like we have anything better to do right now.”

Red turned to the study desk in the corner of the hut and asked, “What about you, Professor?”

Professor Sandstone stared down at his documentation and research notes scattered across the desk. After hesitating for a few seconds, he finally stood up and declared, “Very well, then. I suppose like any scientific experiment, we won’t know for sure until we actually try it out.”

Red grinned and proudly stated, “Alright, then. Let’s go for it.”

“I should warn you, though,” cautioned Sandstone, “when in use, we must be very careful to not let that device get destroyed or damaged under any circumstances. Once the Time Twirler has been activated to reset the time loop, if that device somehow ends up broken, it will cause the time loop to continue perpetually for all of eternity, with no way to ever stop it.”

A consequence like that definitely caused the others to pause for a moment. It was no surprise that any form of time travel often came with serious risks, and the possibility they could end up trapped repeating the same day forever if they weren’t careful with that device was certainly a sign of what a huge gamble they were about to attempt.

“Anything else we should know about?” asked Green irritably, as if what he had just heard was no big deal.

“There is also mention about a curse of some sort,” added Sandstone, “though I have not yet been able to translate that part.”

“Once we get this time loop going, you’ll have plenty of time to keep studying until you figure it out,” assured Red. He then turned to the door out of the hut and added, “Come on. If we’re gonna do this, then we’d better do it far from the village so we don’t accidentally drag anyone else into this time loop with us.”

The rest of the group all muttered in agreement as they followed Red out of the hut and away from the village.

Once the four men were out in the empty desert and the village was now a distant sight, they all stopped and huddled together. Red held up the Time Twirler, glanced at his three associates as they all nodded in agreement, and finally pressed the button on top of that ancient artifact, causing the eye on its face to open and a pair of golden fins to flare out from the edge on opposite sides.

Whoosh!

A bright flash was suddenly unleashed along with a shockwave of energy that quickly spread out across a rather large distance. The intense effect lasted very briefly before everything had seemingly returned to normal.

Green glanced around and asked, “Did it work?”

“If Sandstone’s translation is accurate,” replied Blue, “we won’t know for sure until we wake up in the morning.”

“In that case,” stated Red, “let’s head back to the hideout and get some rest, seeing as there’s nothing else we can do about it for now.”

“Yes, I suppose that would be for the best,” agreed Sandstone with a nod.

With that decision settled, the four men began their return trip into the village, looking forward to the possibility of whether or not tomorrow would be a new day.

When the four men woke up in the morning, they noticed things like the looted treasure still packed away in those sacks and crates, the professor’s desk clear of any papers and none of his recent notes written down anywhere, and minor moments of interest in the village that were visible from the hut. All of those details was all they needed to see to confirm that they truly had begun to experience a time loop. Just to be safe, they decided to spend this very first loop by simply exploring the village to see what kind of notable events occurred that might be of any interest to them.

Once they repeated the loop a second time and they were now certain that they were definitely experiencing a time loop, they finally started taking advantage of the opportunities that such a power provided them with. While Professor Sandstone chose to stay in the hut and do further research on both the pieces of looted treasure and his documentation of the tomb’s interior, the three thieves spread out across the village and began searching for any potential buyers of plundered treasure. There were definitely times when the three of them — either on separate occasions or all on the same loop — pushed their luck too far and got either arrested or attacked with severe injuries, but none of them ever cared when it happened, thanks to the nature of the time loops.

However, after repeating the time loop dozens of times, the thieves soon began to realize there were astonishingly few chances to make a quick profit from the looted treasure within this village, despite the presence of an active black market. It seemed like no matter where they went or who they talked to, they were unable to find any promising leads that would make this effort with the time loop worthwhile.

At the end of yet another loop where the thieves had once again failed to find anyone interested in purchasing even a single small piece of plundered treasure, the four men had decided to gather in their hideout and discuss what they should do next.

“Let’s face it, guys,” declared Blue defeatedly, “there just aren’t any good enough opportunities in this village for us to make a fortune from this treasure we had plundered from the tomb.”

“Can’t say I’m surprised, to be honest,” admitted Red. “After all, this particular village practically worships the one who is buried in that tomb, so it was almost inevitable the people here would be more likely to turn us in than be interested in owning a piece of the tomb’s treasure.”

“But how are we gonna get rich if we can’t find any buyers here?” asked Green desperately.

“Then we’ll just have to look elsewhere,” concluded Red. “But since we always start every loop waking up inside this hut, that means we’ll have to end this loop and wait until after we arrive at a different town before we start a new time loop.”

“That stinks,” moaned Green in disappointment. “I was really enjoying all the crazy things this time loop allowed us to do.”

“Well, at least the Professor was able to complete his research so that we now have a better idea of what we can realistically earn from selling all of this treasure,” noted Blue in an effort to remain optimistic.

“As much as I wished that were true, I’m afraid it’s not,” admitted Professor Sandstone. “I’ve been able to translate and evaluate as much as I could with the reference materials I had brought with me, but some of what we have here is just so rare and poorly understood that if I am to make better sense of it, I’ll need to access to some more advanced catalogs that I had left behind at both my home and my office.”

“Then just hop on a plane and go get that extra study material,” Green pointed out. “As long as we keep this time loop going, you won’t have to worry about anyone suspecting you might be up to no good.”

“That’s just not possible,” explained Sandstone reluctantly. “The time loop lasts for only a single day, and the journey from here to the nearest airport that provides flights to Fillydelphia is at least half a week.” He then turned away and quietly muttered, “Not that it’ll do you much good by the time I get there…”

Blue raised an eyebrow and asked, “What do you mean by that?”

“I’m tapping out,” confessed Sandstone. “I want no further involvement in this illegal activity. The guilt has just become too much for me to justify staying with the likes of you beyond this point.”

Red clenched his fists and furiously accuse, “So you’re gonna rat us out?!”

“Actually, no,” explained Sandstone, “because that would be just as bad for me as it would be for you. I volunteered for that heist, I provided you with information to aid in your objectives, and even with all of that proper documentation I had recorded, I’ll still be faced with significant time in prison just like the rest of you.”

“So what are you gonna do?” asked Blue with a shrug.

Professor Sandstone let out a sad sigh and explained, “I shall return home and discreetly continue studying my documentation of the tomb with the aid of that extended catalogue. And since I have chosen to walk away from this illicit endeavor, the three of you can keep my share of the profits.”

“No word to the authorities and more money for us?” noted Green. He then smiled and added, “I’m good with that.”

“What about your promise to study the loot so we have a good idea of what it’s worth?” asked Red, his fists still clenched in frustration.

“Then I shall return after I have completed a full assessment of the treasure’s value,” assured Sandstone. “I took pictures of everything, so there’s no need for me to stay here for further studies.”

“Hard to argue with that,” Blue pointed out as he turned to Red.

Red let out a sigh of frustration, then reluctantly declared, “Alright… If you want out, Professor, then I guess this is the best any of us can ask for.”

Sandstone responded with a nod of acknowledgment, then glanced between the three thieves and stated, “I suppose that settles that. I shall gather my things and begin my journey home first thing in the morning. With any luck, the authorities will have not yet found you by the time I return to deliver my final evaluation of this ancient treasure.”

The three other men all nodded in agreement and they all prepared to get some rest ahead of what would be their first new day after experiencing a time loop that had lasted for several weeks.

Three days had passed since Professor Sandstone left the village to return home, leaving the three tomb robbers left to decide amongst themselves what to do with all of their plundered treasure, with the magical Time Twirler of particular interest to them. Now that they were familiar with how it worked, there were so many possibilities for what they could do with it, so now it was simply a question of which option they should go with.

“I’m telling you, boys, this is a real game-changer,” stated Red Barren as he held up the magical device and stared thoughtfully at it while the three of them stood outside the hut that served as their hideout. “With the power to turn back time, we can afford to take bigger risks, which inevitably means bigger rewards for us.”

“I don’t know,” responded Blue Cool doubtfully as he grabbed the magical artifact and pulled it out of Red’s grasp. “You heard what the Professor said. If there’s really some kind of curse associated with this artifact, then simply using it might be too risky. I suggest we do nothing with it until we know for sure how much it could actually benefit us.”

“Come on, guys,” argued Green Envy with a smile and a smooth-talking tone in his voice as he gently took the Time Twirler out of Blue’s hand. “It’s obvious that what we have here is something very special that people are willing to pay big money to obtain. I say we should sell this artifact along with all the other stuff we got out of the tomb.”

“Forget it!” Red immediately shot back.

“Besides,” added Blue skeptically, “how much would you charge for it, anyway?”

Green took a moment to inspect the magical device and confidently replied, “I know I said it was worth twenty dollars before we knew what it could do, but now we know how its magic powers work, I think we can easily get over a thousand for it.”

The other two thieves stared at Green with blank expressions for a moment. Without saying a word, Red reached for the Time Twirler and yanked it out of Green’s hands.

“How hard is this for you to understand?” asked Red irritably. “Now that we can reset time itself, we no longer have to be concerned with failure on any level. If something goes wrong, we can just press the button and try again.”

“But what if setting a time loop would be even worse than traditional failure?” insisted Blue desperately. “Honestly, Red, have you given no thought to the potential consequences of utilizing a supposedly cursed artifact?”

“I always consider the consequences,” argued Red firmly. “No heist is ever without serious risk, and the fact that I’ve carefully planned several robberies and absolutely none of them ever ended in failure should say something about my success with risk management.”

Blue scoffed as he swiped the Time Twirler out of Red’s hand. “Please,” he responded scornfully. “What do you know about getting away with anything?”

“A lot more than you!” retorted Red furiously. “I’m the mastermind behind our heists! The only reason you guys haven’t been arrested by now is because I made sure none of you ever made any dumb mistakes!”

“Okay, we’re obviously getting nowhere with this,” interjected Green with a relaxed smile, “so let’s just sell that thing and we won’t have worry about it anymore.”

“NO!!” fiercely objected Red and Blue simultaneously.

“Look!” Green suddenly shouted with a fearful expression on his face as he pointed behind his two partners in crime. “The authorities are after us!”

Red and Blue immediately ceased their squabbling and glanced back, for no argument was worth the risk of being arrested and sent to prison. However, when they looked, they quickly realized there was no one coming towards them. In fact, there was no one to be seen around them at all.

With those two falling for the distraction, Green swiftly snatched the Time Twirler out of Blue’s hand and took off running away from them and the village.

The moment Blue felt that item yanked out his hand, he glanced back to see his greedy comrade now fleeing with the magical artifact. “What the—?” he quickly muttered in shock.

Red also turned to the traitorous thief and glared at him. “Oh, no you don’t…” he growled as he pulled out his revolver pistol, aimed it at his fleeing associate, and did not hesitate to fire a shot.

BANG!

At the instant of that gunshot, Green suddenly collapsed to the sandy ground and ceased moving without even a single twitch.

Blue stared in shock at the fallen fellow thief, then turned his horrified gaze towards the one who had just taken him out. Red held the fierce look on his face as he turned to Blue, as if to clearly show that he meant business. The two of them stared each other in the eyes for a few seconds, then Red suddenly took off running towards the source of their mutual interest.

“Hey!” cried out Blue as he chased after the armed thief.

Red stopped beside Green’s lifeless body and snatched the Time Twirler out his grasp, only to suddenly get tackled by Blue, dropping both his revolver and the magical artifact in the process. Red shoved Blue away and reached for the dropped artifact, but Blue managed to grab onto it at the exact same time as he did. They both immediately began tugging on the object of their desire, practically wrestling in the desert sand.

As the two thieves struggled to rip the Time Twirler out of each other’s grasp, Blue accidentally pressed the artifact’s activation button.

Whoosh!

Just like what happened when they had previously used that artifact, a bright flash and shockwave of energy quickly spread across a large distance and lasted very briefly. Both thieves immediately froze and glanced around. Although they were far enough outside the village to be the only living minifigs to have been caught within the effective range of that magical power, they were certainly close enough to have drawn some unwanted attention.

Blue reacted first by swiftly punching Red in the face. With his opponent stunned, Blue immediately shoved him off, stumbled to his feet, and began running away.

Red was quick to recover as he retrieved his revolver, aimed it at his fleeing associate, and fired a shot.

BANG!

Blue collapsed at the moment of that gunshot and grunted in pain. With labored breathing, he rolled over and watched Red slowly approach him. Despite the lethal weapon pointed right at him, Blue smiled and began to laugh. “Nice shot, Red,” he taunted weakly as he shakily held up the activated Time Twirler. “But it looks like I’m about to get another chance to take this from you.”

Red glared with contempt down at his fallen adversary for a moment before he threateningly responded, “We’ll see about that.” He then aimed his revolver at Blue’s head and fired another shot.

BANG!

Red then reached down and took back the magical artifact from the now lifeless minifig. Of course, he knew that would last only until the end of the day before everything would reset back to where they were this morning. Not to mention, the gunshots would almost certainly attract some unwanted attention from the villagers, so he knew he had to flee at once. Since the only thing that mattered now was keeping the Time Twirler intact until the end of the time loop, he decided to run further out into the empty desert, knowing that facing certain doom from the harsh elements would be negated once the time loop had reset.

The next morning, Red woke up not out in the empty desert where he had last fallen asleep, but on his cot back at the hideout hut. As further confirmation that he was now experiencing a time loop, he heard the obnoxiously loud snoring of Green sleeping in one of the other cots. Red sat up and looked to the two other cots inside the hut, but they were both empty.

Red mentally cursed, for he immediately realized that Blue likely woke up before either of his two fellow thieves this morning, which meant that guy was guaranteed a head-start at the beginning of this time loop. Despite this setback, Red remained determined to take that Time Twirler for himself, regardless of what happened to his criminal companions.

Red climbed out of his cot and reached over to pull open the desk drawer, where he distinctly remembered storing his revolver and the magical artifact overnight. Although his revolver pistol was still there, the Time Twirler wasn’t, which came as no surprise to him at this point. Not bothering to waste any time, he holstered his revolver, threw on his clothes, and headed out the door.

As Red began wandering around the village with a look of firm intent on his face, he mentally retraced his steps of this morning in an effort to determine where Blue had likely run off with the Time Twirler. On the previous loop, Red himself had been holding that artifact when he had called his two associates together to discuss what they should do with such a powerful device in their possession. Of course, now that Blue had undoubtedly stolen it, this morning was already playing out quite differently.

After a few minutes, Red eventually found Blue leaning against the well at the center of the village. Blue was apparently gazing down into the well, which meant his back was currently turned to Red. Understanding that both of them were well aware of the time loop, Red knew that his best chance to take back the magical device was to catch Blue completely by surprise, so after he glanced around to ensure none of the few nearby villagers were looking anywhere towards him, he silently pulled out his revolver, aimed it at Blue’s back, and fired a shot.

BANG!

Blue immediately slumped against the wall of the well as panicked villagers suddenly screamed and fled the scene. As Red began marching towards him, Blue rolled over to face the minifig who shot him and once he saw who it was, he grinned smugly. “Nice try, Red,” he taunted weakly as he held up the Time Twirler with its eye open and wings splayed out, indicating that he had hit the button to reset the time loop. “But as long as we keep trying this on the same day, I’ll always wake up ten minutes before you or Green. I’ll always be at least one step ahead of you.”

Red snatched the magical artifact out of Blue’s grasp and retorted, “That’s not gonna stop me from trying. You know how much I enjoy a good challenge to outsmart my opponent, and this one you’ve given me will be no different.”

It was at that moment when their third associate arrived on the scene and suddenly asked in shock, “What the brick is going on here?”

Without even bothering to glance back, Red quickly aimed his revolver towards Green and fired another shot.

And so it went. Loop after loop, Red and Blue ended up repeating the same day several times over, and every time would end up with essentially the same result: Red would take out Blue, but not before Blue was able to reactivate the Time Twirler to reset the time loop. More often than not, Green — who was not caught in the time loop with them and thus remained always unaware of their struggle — would end up losing his Creation Spark, usually as a result of Red’s frustration that the time loop had been reset yet again.

As Red faced failure after failure, he gradually began to grow increasingly desperate, and thus became less concerned about subtlety. On occasions when the authorities managed to apprehend him for murdering Blue and various other offenses, they simply placed the Time Twirler inside a safe to hold it as evidence, so at least he didn’t have to be concerned about it getting damaged before the end of the day. Even so, he remained absolutely determined to somehow find a way to get rid of Blue before he could have a chance to reset the time loop.

On the other side of the struggle, although Blue continued to smugly taunt Red every time he was able to reset the time loop, the fact that he never lived long enough to see the end of the day eventually began to take its toll on his sanity. Loop after loop, Blue’s attitude gradually shifted from amusement to paranoia as he grew increasingly desperate to just stay alive for the entire day.

Finally, after so many countless loops, Blue decided to take matters into his own hands and tried to get rid of Red before he had a chance to take him out. At first, he simply tried to take the revolver when he also took the Time Twirler, but for some strange reason, that pistol would always jam whenever he used it against Red, but never when Red used it against him. Several other attempts to take Red’s Creation Spark also failed due to extraordinary circumstances that Blue found to be increasingly ridiculous. Ultimately, he decided to set the hideout hut on fire right after he once again started the day by taking the Time Twirler, desperately hoping that it would finally allow him to escape with his life.

When Red woke up a couple minutes later, he immediately realized something very wrong was happening. He smelled smoke, felt heat significantly higher than he was familiar with, and heard the crackling of a fire. When he finally opened his eyes, he instantly bolted out of his cot when he saw the surrounding walls and ceiling were engulfed in flames. Knowing there was little time to lose, he swiftly grabbed his revolver and his pile of clothes — he didn’t like the idea of escaping from this inferno with nothing but his underpants — and prepared to jump through the nearest window.

Meanwhile, Green was still asleep in his cot, snoring loudly as usual before he muttered, “Hey, do I smell barbecue?”

CRASH!

Green was instantly awake when a flaming support beam from the ceiling suddenly collapsed right on top of him. He immediately screamed out in terror and desperately hollered, “HELP!! GET IT OFF!! GET ME OUTTA HERE!!”

Red was now suddenly faced with a choice of whether to go back and help his associate in crime or to simply continue his own desperate escape. It took him a few seconds, but in the end, he did what any selfish thief did and decided to just save himself. He fired his pistol at the window to break the glass, then immediately jumped through the opening.

With his pile of clothes held under he left arm and his revolver in his right hand, Red quickly got up on his feet and fled from the burning building. Once he managed to reach a safe distance from the inferno, he heard something else besides the raging flames. It was the puttering of an engine speeding away, and when he glanced out towards the empty desert, he saw Blue riding on a small ATV, fleeing quickly from the scene of the incident.

Red instantly realized what was really going on, and he immediately felt nothing but absolute rage at what Blue had just done. “YOU RETCHED SCUM!!” he furiously shouted at the fleeing thief and aimed his revolver at that traitor.

“Fire!” screamed someone in the village. “Fire!”

Red instantly froze and glanced back towards the village. The burning building was already attracting attention from the villagers, and if he fired a shot from his pistol right now, it would undoubtedly attract unwanted attention. With no other option, he reluctantly lowered his revolver and ran off into a back alley into the village. He would deal with Blue later, but for now, his priority was to lay low and keep himself out of danger.

One week had now passed since the hideout had burned down, resulting in Green Envy losing his Creation Spark for good and the plundered treasure ending up either destroyed in the inferno or the scorched remnants recovered by the villagers. Red Barren remained furious at Blue Cool for practically throwing away everything they had worked hard to steal, all for the sake of one magical artifact. The only bright side in all of this was that with the time loop now over, that meant Blue likely believed he had successfully gotten away, which meant that wherever he went, he was likely letting his guard down. Now with nothing left to lose, Red had become obsessed with getting revenge on Blue.

Red had remained in hiding for three days to wait for things in the village to relax after that fire. Once he felt comfortable enough with being out in the open again, he decided to “borrow” a camel and some survival supplies before he headed out into the desert. The constantly shifting sands made it difficult to find any signs of a trail left behind by Blue, but Red was determined to find him.

After a few days of searching the empty desert, Red finally managed to find something at the bottom of a large sand dune. He guided the camel towards that rather shiny object and once he got close enough, he realized that it was the small ATV that Blue had escaped on, though now it was overturned and with several parts detached and scattered around nearby. Clearly, something happened out here that caused Blue to wreck the ATV, which would have forced him to continue his journey on foot, and this far away from any signs of life meant that his survival at that point became unlikely.

Red continued his search while riding on the back of the camel, and it wasn’t long before he came across exactly what he was now expecting to find. It was a minifig skeleton lying down in the desert sand, and clutched within its hand was a familiar golden artifact.

Red dismounted the camel and approached the skeleton. The tattered remnants of clothing on this skeleton closely resembled what he remembered Blue was wearing when he last saw him. He reached down and pulled the golden artifact out of the skeleton’s grasp, and sure enough, it was the Time Twirler that Blue had tried to keep for himself at the expense of just about everything else.

Red stared at the magical artifact for a moment, then glanced down at the skeletal remains of Blue Cool and let out a sigh of pity. “This is what you get for thinking you can cheat death by using time travel,” he muttered before he stuffed the Time Twirler into his vest pocket and then began walking back to the camel.

Seconds later, Red suddenly rushed back to the skeleton and swiftly kicked the skull like it was a soccer ball. He watched that skull soar through the air until it landed upon another sand dune in the distance, kicking up a burst of sand upon impact.

With his desire for vengeance now satisfied, Red climbed onto the camel’s back and began the long journey back to the village.

Just as he had promised to his criminal associates, Professor Sandstone had returned to the village of Somnambula two weeks after he left to access some of the more advanced study materials back at his home and office in the city of Fillydelphia. Now that he had finished translating all of the ancient carvings he had photographed, he was ready to meet up with the three thieves once more to share with them everything he had learned.

Sandstone walked along the narrow village streets, remembering very well where the hideout was located. However, once he arrived, he was shocked to discover that instead of a typical hut, the site of the hideout was now a pile of charred wreckage with some partially melted parts scattered throughout the debris. “What happened here?” he asked.

“Oh, I’ll tell you what happened…”

Sandstone turned around and saw Red step out from around the side of a nearby adobe hovel. The lone thief had a rather furious expression on his face as he aimed his revolver directly at Sandstone. The professor responded by immediately holding up his hands and not saying a word.

“You wanna know what happened?” Red spoke up before he reached his free hand into his vest pocket and pulled out the Time Twirler. “This happened to us! The three of us disagreed on what we could use this power for, so we turned against each other. I would’ve come out on top, if not for Blue activating this thing just before I could take his Creation Spark.”

Red's voice started to become unstable as he continued, “And so, loop after loop, we repeated the same day, and no matter what either of us tried to do differently, the result was always the same — I would successfully get rid of both Green and Blue, but Blue would always reset the time loop before I ever got a chance to finish him off. Eventually, Blue decided to burn down the hideout, destroying all the loot from the tomb, just so he could make his getaway out into the desert. Unlike Green, I escaped from the inferno, but then I had no way to chase after Blue, so that was the end of that time loop. A few days later, I found his remains out in the desert and took this thing back from him.”

The madness in Red’s voice gradually became more apparent and the revolver in his firm grip began to shake a little as he continued, “And today, you came back here to tell me that you finished studying that tomb, so now you plan to hand over all of your research to the authorities before turning yourself in. Of course, you should’ve known I wasn’t going to let you rat me out like that, so I tried to take your Creation Spark as well. You got away, so I decided to use the Time Twirler to try again. Again, you got away, so I reset the time loop and tried again… and again… and again… and again! But no matter how many times I’ve tried, something always happens to prevent me from getting rid of you — one of us stumbles and causes me to miss, something bumps into me and throws off my aim, some dumb animal or person suddenly walks right between us and ends up taking the bullet meant for you, an eagle snatches the gun right out of my hand, and even a space satellite comes crashing down right beside me to provide that one split second distraction that allows you to escape!”

Now visibly on the brink of insanity, Red bared his teeth and aggressively demanded, “So tell me, Professor… WHY… CAN’T I… KILL YOU!?!”

Sandstone knew he was being confronted by someone who had become completely unstable and had a lethal weapon pointed right at him, so he was initially reluctant to say or do anything, but since he was now being told to respond, he had to choose his next words carefully. Finally, he cautiously asked, “Did I ever get a chance to explain everything to you on those previous loops?”

Red was visibly shaking in agitation, but he soon managed to respond by shaking his head left and right.

“Then perhaps it’s time to hear me out,” suggested Sandstone. “You might get some answers to your questions.”

Red continued to glare at Sandstone, as if even the most minor of distractions would cause him to suddenly pull the trigger on that revolver in his hand. He shut his eyes and clenched his whole body for a moment, then relaxed and finally responded, “Okay… then talk. Tell me something I don’t already know.”

Sandstone lowered his hands and let out a sigh before he explained, “When I first told you about that artifact, I mentioned there was a curse associated with it, but had not yet translated enough of the carvings to say for sure what it was. Now that my research is complete, I am convinced that everything you have just told me actually makes sense. You see, anyone who would wish to use the Time Twirler must have a reason for why they intend to create a time loop, but the curse placed upon that artifact causes that desire to forever be unobtainable for however long that device continues to be utilized.”

Red’s facial expression began to soften as he began to realize what Sandstone was indicating based upon this new information.

“Think about it, Mister Barren,” continued Sandstone. “Your efforts to find buyers for the plundered treasure, my efforts to fully translate my documentation, Mister Cool’s efforts to survive your wrath, your efforts to stop him before he had a chance to reset the loop, and now your efforts to get rid of me. For as long as you continue to use that Time Twirler, you will never be able to achieve whatever it is you hope to accomplish with the aid of a time loop.”

Although Red kept his revolver aimed at the professor, he became increasingly conflicted over whether or not such a rather petty goal was really worth a practically endless level of effort. “Then how do I stop it?” he asked desperately. “How do I break this curse?!”

“The curse can’t be broken,” explained Sandstone. “It is as much a part of that artifact as its magical power to manipulate time. There is only one way to free yourself from such a vicious cycle… Just stop trying. Do not reset the time loop and simply cease pursuit of whatever it was you had hoped to accomplish.”

Red stared blankly at Sandstone for a moment, then skeptically asked, “Really? It’s that easy?”

“Yes,” confirmed Sandstone with a nod as he spoke gently. “You can do it, Mister Barren. Just put down that gun and let me walk away. That’s all you need to do to end this madness.”

Red hesitated for a while. He knew Sandstone’s plan and he knew what had to be done to avoid being sent to prison, but now he was forced to question if it was really his best option. After all, what was the point of fighting for his freedom if it would just leave him trapped on the same day over and over?

After a lengthy mental struggle, Red ultimately submitted to the reality of his situation. He reluctantly lowered his revolver and placed it back within the holster on his belt. “Sooner or later, you have to realize that you just can’t win when the universe itself seems to have turned against you,” he grumbled defeatedly.

Sandstone nodded in acknowledgement and added, “I have also since discovered in my research that the Time Twirler has a range of effect not only for who gets to experience the time loop, but also a maximum distance that those affected are permitted to travel. Those who are caught within the influence of the time loop cannot simply run away to escape its effects, so the curse essentially rigs the odds to ensure that — even under the most improbable of circumstances — none of those experiencing the time loop will ever be able to get too far away from the Time Twirler.”

With that revelation, Red’s eyes widened and he remained silent for a moment before he glanced away and muttered in shock, “The wrecked ATV…”

“Pardon?” asked Sandstone.

Red turned his attention back to Sandstone and explained, “On that final cycle of the time loop, Blue escaped on an ATV, no doubt to get as far away from me as quickly as possible. But because he set the hideout on fire before he left, I had no choice but to lay low within the village to avoid attracting any unwanted attention. There was nothing that could compel me to follow him out into the desert — I’m too smart for that — so instead, something must’ve happened to prevent him and that Time Twirler from getting too far away from me. I found his remains far enough away from the wreck that he must’ve survived the incident, so he should’ve been capable of reactivating that device when he realized there was no other way to get out of there alive… but he didn’t.” He paused for a moment before he concluded, “I guess he thought it would be better to let the desert take his Creation Spark than to have it taken by my hands.”

“It seems that, in his final moments, Mister Cool realized the true nature of the curse,” noted Sandstone solemnly.

Red still held that magical device in his other hand, so he stared down at it for a moment before he turned his attention back to Sandstone and asked, “What should I do with this thing?”

“You could either pass it along to someone else, or you could simply destroy it,” answered Sandstone. “Personally, I would suggest destroying it to prevent anyone from experiencing the mental torture you have undoubtedly endured.”

Red raised an eyebrow and suspiciously pointed out, “I thought you said destroying the Time Twirler would cause the time loop to keep repeating forever with no way to ever stop it.”

“Only after it has been reactivated to reset the time loop,” reminded Sandstone. “If it has not been activated, then the only consequence of destroying it is that you would no longer be able to use it to start a new time loop.”

Red once again stared at the magical device in his hand for a moment before he muttered, “With all the trouble this cursed item has brought me, I’d rather not take my chances.” He then shoved the artifact back into his vest pocket. “I’ll let someone else deal with it. I’ve been through too much to let all this effort end up being all for nothing.”

“If that is what you have decided upon, then I shall not try to convince you otherwise,” conceded Sandstone.

Red hesitated for a moment before he asked, “What about you, Professor? What do you plan to do next?”

“I believe you already know the answer from your experiences in the previous loops,” replied Sandstone. “I intend to turn in my completed research on the contents of that tomb.” He glanced over at the charred debris of what used to be their group’s hideout. “Seeing as the spoils of that robbery are now forever lost, the documentation I have left properly organized within the desk in my office is now the only surviving record of the tomb of Somnambula in its original condition. Such valuable archaeological knowledge deserves to be made public.”

“And since that darn Time Twirler won’t allow me to stop you, I guess I have no choice but to spend the rest of my life as one of the most wanted fugitives in the whole Lego World,” Red reluctantly conceded.

Sandstone continued staring at the remnants of the old hut as he considered Red’s fate as a result of his decision. He thought it over for a few seconds, then turned his attention back to Red and declared, “I suppose I’ll wait a few days before I turn in my research. That should provide you with enough time to flee this village and dispose of that magical artifact in whatever way you ultimately decide upon.”

Red gazed at Sandstone with a look of stunned disbelief on his face. “You’d do that for me?” he asked in confusion. “Even after what I’ve been spending the latest time loop trying to do?”

“After the cruel insanity you’ve had to endure, it is the least I can do,” assured Sandstone. “Farewell, Mister Barren. Farewell…” And with that, Professor Sandstone turned away and began to walk off back into the village.

Red couldn’t believe his luck as he watched Sandstone depart. He had spent the previous countless time loops trying desperately to eliminate what he had perceived to be the last remaining threat to him, with all efforts ending in failure. Yet, now that he finally understood the full nature of the cursed artifact and thus decided to simply give up and stop trying, he was presented with a rather favorable outcome for both himself and the professor.

Red began to smile as he turned his gaze out to the empty desert beyond the village. Perhaps things would turn out just fine for both of them.

“Whoa! Look out!”

CRASH!!

Red immediately turned his attention to the source of that sudden noise, which sounded like it came from the same direction he had just seen Sandstone leave. He quickly rushed over to the scene of the incident and arrived at a relatively large building surrounded by scaffolding, except some of that scaffolding had suddenly collapsed, and sticking out from that pile of debris at awkward angles were an arm and a leg with rather familiar clothing on them.

“Is he okay?” asked one of the construction workers with concern as he and a few others gathered around the collapsed pile of debris.

Two of the construction workers climbed onto the pile of debris and began quickly tossing aside pieces of junk and rubble. As soon as they had cleared away enough debris to reveal the minifig trapped underneath, they inspected the body, then turned to their coworkers and solemnly shook their heads. “I’m afraid not,” one of them reported. “He’s a goner…”

“Poor guy,” muttered another construction worker in pity. “Just an unfortunate case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Further away, Red continued to stare in disbelief at the scene of devastation. Professor Sandstone, the one person he had tried and failed so many times to eliminate, was now gone. His Creation Spark had been taken not by Red’s revolver, but by a simple construction accident.

Red swiftly went through a wide range of emotions in response to what he had just witnessed. He sputtered in shock, waved his arms around in confusion, giggled in bemusement, gritted his teeth in anger, and shuddered in horror. It took him a while to find his voice, and once he did, he exclaimed, “Really? Seriously?! I mean… that’s it?! I finally let it go, and now it actually happens?!”

Red turned and walked away as he continued shifting swiftly between his wide range of emotional responses. He no longer cared if anyone was watching his wild theatrics, for he no longer cared about practically anything at all. His complete mental breakdown was finally unleashed as he turned to the heavens and desperately shouted, “Why? Why?! WHHHYYYYYY!?!”

Red Barren was done with the Time Twirler. That cursed artifact had taken everything from him. Not only was all of the plundered treasure from the tomb now gone with nothing to show for it, but also all of his associates had pointlessly lost their Creation Sparks. There was now only him and that stupid cursed magical object. He really wanted to just destroy that Time Twirler, but after how much misery it had brought upon him and his late associates, he didn’t want to risk making things even worse than they already were.

No, this time, Red was actually going to heed the late professor’s advice. The only way he could guarantee an end to the curse was to simply give up trying to use the Time Twirler for any purpose. More than that, he wanted to completely give up possession of that artifact, which was why he now stood behind the counter of an empty shop within the village’s bazaar. For this to work, he couldn’t risk allowing just anyone — especially any members of law enforcement — be aware of his intentions today, so he disguised himself with a dark robe and headwear that obscured every part of his body except his eyes, and a simple cloth covered up the magical artifact he hoped to soon be rid of.

Everything was in place and Red had prepared his speech, so now all he had to do was attract the right buyer to take that cursed artifact off his hands. He carefully scanned the wandering crowd of shoppers, but many of them were locals who might easily recognize the artifact and refuse to take it from him. For this to work, he needed someone who was an outsider.

Eventually, Red spotted someone rather unusual. Although this woman wore a white hooded cloak that fit in with the locals, the makeup on her light blue face and her partially exposed curly magenta hair definitely stood out. If anything, she looked like she would fit in most likely with one of those advanced and far away City Regions. Illegally obtained items can easily be passed around in a big city, so he was convinced this woman would be the perfect target for his act of desperation.

As this foreign woman walked close by, Red decided it was time to act, so he softly spoke up, “Hey! You there!”

The woman with blue skin turned her attention towards Red.

“Would you like to purchase a forbidden accessory?” offered Red quietly.

The foreign woman glanced left and right, then approached the stall and asked, “Depends on what you mean by ‘forbidden’.”

Excellent. Red had her attention. Now he felt comfortable enough to remove the cloth on the counter to reveal the Time Twirler. “This piece is said to have been plundered from the tomb of Somnambula,” he quietly explained.

This potential buyer picked up the cursed artifact and closely inspected it. She raised an eyebrow and asked, “Is that all there is to it?”

This was the part where Red had to choose his words carefully. He wanted the foreign buyer to know the tempting truth, but not the scary truth, so he continued, “According to legend, this artifact has the power to manipulate time itself. One press of that button on top, and you and everyone else nearby will next awaken back on the previous morning. You will have the opportunity to avoid whatever mistakes you had previously made that day, and if a single repeat doesn’t cut it, just press the button again anywhere at any time on that same day, and you and everyone else affected the first time will repeat that day a third time. There’s no limit to how many more times you can then repeat the day, so long as you keep hitting that button before the end of that day.”

The unknown girl continued to stare at the artifact in her hand. Red didn’t feel bad about leaving out the part about the curse that prevented those who used it from ever achieving their desired goal. He failed to take it seriously and paid the price for it, so he was convinced there was no point in warning her and instead decided to let her learn her lesson the hard way. In fact, there was a chance she might not even believe in it’s supposed power to control time, and thus would be interested in the artifact as little more than a pretty accessory. Even so, the deal was still not yet officially done, so he waited anxiously for a response from the potential buyer.

Finally, the foreign woman turned her attention back to Red and asked, “What’s your asking price?”

Red would’ve happily given it to her for free, but he didn’t want her to suspect how undesirable he now considered that magical artifact, so he replied, “I’ll accept any form of payment, but if you want the value in dollars, all I’m asking for is twenty.”

Without a word, the foreigner pulled out a green 1x2 tile piece with the number “20” printed on it in white, handed it over to Red, and then began to walk away with her newly purchased item.

The deed was done. The Time Twirler was now officially in the possession of someone else, taking its associated curse with it. Red waited a few seconds to watch the foreign girl leave with the cursed artifact, and once he was sure it would never be coming back, he finally loosened his mental restraints. He giggled hysterically and excitedly cried out, “It worked! She took it! It’s no longer mine! The curse has been lifted! I’m free!”

Red didn’t care he was making a scene as he whooped uncontrollably and did all kinds of crazy dance moves atop the counter of his makeshift shop. As far as he was concerned, the worst was finally over and he had good reason to celebrate as much as he wanted to.

Red Barren could not remember the last time he had felt so elated. After seemingly months or possibly even years of struggle and misery and tragedy over what was in fact probably only a couple weeks, his ordeal was finally over. There was now nothing left for him to be concerned about.

As Red wandered through the narrow streets of the village, the gaping withdrawal was finally starting to hit him. The Time Twirler was gone. The treasure that had been plundered from Somnambula’s tomb had been destroyed. The hideout he had called home for years had burned down. All three of the men he had partnered up with for illegal treasure hunting were now gone. He was now absolutely all alone and with absolutely nothing in his possession.

Well, there was still one item that Red had with him. As he felt the revolver in his pocket, he stopped in front of a dark alleyway. He stared into the foreboding darkness, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then walked into that alleyway.

Red allowed his thoughts to wander. There was nothing left in his life and no one left around to care about him. He was well and truly at rock bottom, and while some might say he could only go up from here, his recent experiences told him otherwise. The thought that made him decide to pull out his revolver was the remote possibility that the Time Twirler might somehow find its way back to him. No matter how bad things ever got, that gosh darn thing always seemed to find a way to make everything even worse. His recent experiences had left his mind so deranged that he felt there was only one way to ensure that terrible Time Twirler curse would never harm him ever again.

As Red stared down at that revolver pistol in his hand, he thought back to that foreign girl who had bought the Time Twirler from him as he muttered in a resigned tone, “Well, missy… whoever you are…” He then giggled as a crazy grin spread on his face, then he aimed the pistol against the side of his head as he gleefully declared, “No givebacksies!”

BANG!

Sunset Shimmer suddenly gasped in shock as she immediately released her grip on the magical staff and backed away from it the moment the vision concluded.

“Sunset?” asked Princess Cadance worriedly. “Are you alright?”

Sunset continued breathing heavily, struggling to catch her breath as she recovered from the terrible vision she had just witnessed. “So much tragedy…” she muttered with a distant look on her face.

Cadance hesitated before she cautiously asked, “What did you see?”

With her jaw hanging and her eyes wide, Sunset slowly turned the Cadance and shakily replied, “The men who robbed the tomb of Somnambula… none of them are alive anymore…”

Cadance covered her mouth and faintly gasped in shock.

Sunset slowly turned away and began trudging towards the door as she continued, “It didn’t take them long to discover what the Time Twirler could do, but every time they used it, they found themselves incapable of accomplishing the tasks for which they created those time loops. Finding buyers for the looted treasure, learning more about the magical item they possessed, and even trying to murder each other, no matter how hard they tried, they always ended in failure every time they reset the time loop. It was only when they stopped using that magical power that they finally found success.” Once she finally reached the door, she stopped and turned to look back at Cadance. “It really was a cursed item…”

Cadance remained speechless as she tried to comprehend the horrors of what Sunset had just witnessed.

Sunset sighed before she turned her distant gaze upwards and muttered, “Could PostCrush have suffered a similar fate if not for my interference? When I finally broke that time loop, Su-Z confessed that she had been reaching her breaking point with K-Lo. If I hadn’t been there to stop it, how much longer could they have kept going? How many more times would they have kept trying before Su-Z decided she’d had enough and tried to put an end to it… even if it would mean putting an end to K-Lo? Is it possible that I saved not only their career and friendship, but also their very lives?”

Both girls in the room remained silent for a while before Cadance softly spoke up, “I don’t know the answers to those questions… And personally, I think it might be for the best that we’ll never know about those particular answers.”

Sunset let out a sigh and admitted, “You’re right…” She turned to Cadance and added, “No point in speculating on what could’ve been. Let’s just be glad that what actually happened is what really happened.”

Cadance responded with a grateful smile.

Sunset took a deep breath and exhaled before she stated, “Well, that pretty much answers all the questions I came here for, so I guess I’ll just… get going now.”

Cadance removed the magical staff from the socket in the floor and contently responded, “Even if it wasn’t what you were expecting, I’m always happy to help.”

Sunset smiled and softly replied, “Thank you, Princess Cadance.” She then opened the door and prepared to step outside, but then paused and glanced back as she added, “By the way, Professor Sandstone from Fillydelphia had left within the desk in his office some extensive documentation of the tomb of Somnambula in its original condition. He was planning to release that information to the public when he suffered from that fatal accident. I think we should respect his wishes and ask someone to do that on his behalf.”

Cadance remained smiling as she gave a nod of acknowledgment, then turned away and walked back towards the open chest. As Cadance placed the magical staff back inside that chest and locked it shut, Sunset stepped out of the room and closed the door on her way out.

As Sunset walked along the castle corridors back to the hidden rooms where she and her friends had been hiding, she reflected on everything she had witnessed in that vision. It truly was a horrific tragedy, to say the least, but at least now she knew for certain how the Time Twirler went from the tomb of Somnambula to ending up in K-Lo’s possession. It wasn’t the complete story of how that Equestrian artifact ended up in the Lego World, but it did fill in a gap in the chain of events.

As Sunset arrived at the small room that served as her temporary bedroom, she considered writing a message in her magic journal to share her discovery with Princess Twilight Sparkle in Equestria. However, as soon as she entered the room, she noticed her journal was vibrating and glowing, indicating that Princess Twilight had just sent her a message. She opened the journal and read the message. As soon as she finished reading that new message — a response to her desperate call for help after the Changeling invasion only a week ago — she smiled for only the second time since witnessing that vision and remarked, “Alright, maybe now we can actually get somewhere.”

Sunset decided she would reflect on past events later. For now, she had more immediate concerns that needed to be dealt with as soon as possible.

Author's Note

Well, after a few months with no updates at all either here or with the main story, I finally got something finished. Obviously, this side story turned out much longer than I had anticipated (and I sure hope it's regarded as at least acceptable as part of this series of stories, because I'd hate for all of this effort to end up being all for nothing). I'll admit that the names I came up with are not that original, but considering this will be their only appearance, I just didn't bother wasting any further time on finer details like that. In fact, considering how long I've been working on this side story and my new writing style involving progress scattered all over the chapter, I honestly don't have much confidence that this particular chapter would come across as a fully coherent story (especially after one paragraph in the first section mysteriously vanished and I couldn't quite remember how it went, forcing me to come up with something new in an attempt to fill the gap), though at least I tried my best with final editing earlier today. Anyway, for those of you wondering about the next chapter of the main story, I can tell you that even though progress is still ongoing, it's already almost as long as this side story turned out, and will likely end up significantly longer, and no, there's just nowhere that I could reasonably divide that chapter into two, so please bear with me as I try my best to eventually get it completed.

Juniper’s Heroic Act

It was a typical day in Canterlot City. Well, as typical as can be for a city under occupation by an alien army. A few days had passed since the Changelings had invaded the city, and despite debris from the attack still scattered around and Changeling soldiers patrolling the streets, many of the civilians tried their best to get by with their daily lives. One such civilian was Juniper Montage, a teenage girl who worked at the Flixiplex Cinema on Sunshine Plaza. On most days, she worked at the front counter, handing out tickets and bags of popcorn to anyone who was interested in watching a movie. While she certainly saw some usual business today, what made things atypical for her were some of the other customers who had arrived with interest in watching a movie.

“We should watch this one!” eagerly insisted a Changeling trooper as he pointed at a movie poster that advertised “Where Are My Pants? The Movie”. “I’ve heard that it’s the best comedy of the year, and I wanna see if it lives up to the hype.”

A second Changeling trooper scoffed and grumbled, “I didn’t travel across the galaxy just to watch some doofus fail to fully dress himself.” He turned his attention to another movie poster that advertised “Siege of Stalliongrad”. “Now there’s a movie that seems more right up our ally.”

“Aw, c’mon,” complained a third Changeling trooper. “We already make a living off of perpetual combat. That last thing I want is to see warfare covering my time off as well.” He then turned his attention to another movie poster that advertised “Hinny of the Hills”. “If I’m gonna kick back and relax, this is the kind of movie I’d like to watch.”

“A romantic musical?” Asked the first Changeling in disbelief. “Get real! We don’t need to submit ourselves to such sappy nonsense! It’s not like we feed on love or anything silly like that.”

As the three Changeling troopers debated, Juniper waited patiently behind the counter. The instructions from her employer regarding the presence of Changelings were simple: if they ever ask for anything, just give it to them without question; otherwise, just ignore them and try to stick to business as usual. Of course, the latter was difficult to follow without any common civilians around to distract her, not that she blamed them for refusing to show up at a time like this. After all, if she was a customer in this cinema and she saw those Changelings show up in the lobby, she would probably walk away and come back another time to watch a movie.

It wasn’t long before Juniper noticed another fully armored Changeling walk in through the main doorway at the front of the lobby, though what really caught her attention was that, for some strange reason, he seemed to have a cooking pot impaled on the horn-like protrusion on the forehead of his helmet.

The three other Changelings also noticed the new visitor, and the first of them jokingly asked, “Hey, what’s with pot-head over there?”

The recently arrived Changeling stopped and stared at his three comrades for a moment, then flatly asked, “Really? Did you really have to call me that?”

“Eh, don’t let him get to ya,” assured the second of the three Changeling troopers. “We all know he’s just teasing for laughs.”

“Not that I would’ve noticed,” grumbled the other Changeling. “My sensors have been malfunctioning ever since this… thing got stuck on my main sensor.”

“How did you even end up with that cooking pot stuck on your helmet anyway?” asked the third of the three Changeling troopers.

“I had a run-in with one of the Targets during the invasion,” explained the other Changeling. “I know it wasn’t the one with super strength, so I still don’t understand how she was able to get it stuck on there so tightly that I’ve been unable to yank it off.”

“Why don’t you just ask someone to use a saw to cut it loose?” suggested the first of the three Changeling troopers.

“I-I don’t like having sharp things near my face,” the other Changeling shamefully confessed.

“Maybe I could help?” offered Juniper, but as soon as all four Changelings turned their attention towards her, she immediately regretted speaking up.

“Don’t waste your time,” responded the other Changeling dismissively. “I’ve already tried everything I could think of on my own. It’s not coming off.”

Juniper knew the smart thing for her to do right now was to keep her mouth shut and not involve herself in the affairs of the occupying alien forces, but some instinct within her argued that if she performed a good deed like removing that impaled pot, then perhaps these Changeling troopers would see no reason to harm her. After a brief mental debate, she decided to ignore common sense as she stepped out from behind the counter and began walking towards the other Changeling. “Maybe it's because you need the kind of leverage that only someone else can provide, instead of doing it yourself,” she suggested.

As the teen girl approached him, the other Changeling struggled to think of a response to discourage her, but with practically nothing coming to mind, he slumped as he let out a sigh of resignation and muttered, “Not like I have any better ideas…” He then leaned his head forward to provide easier access to the cooking pot stuck on his helmet.

Juniper reached forward to grab the handle of that pot with one hand. She tugged on that handle a few times, but the pot didn’t budge at all. She reached her other hand out to grab that handle and tugged some more, only to get the same result. “Wow, that’s on there really tight,” she muttered before she started yanking harder on that pot.

“I told you, it’s not coming off,” stated the other Changeling as he struggled to stand his ground against the persistent yanking on his head.

“Oh, yes it will,” insisted Juniper with determination as she reached one hand out to grab the opposite side of the pot from its handle. “Hold down your helmet,” she instructed as she also placed a foot on the Changeling’s chest.

The other Changeling did as he was told and reached his hands up to grasp tightly to his helmet.

Now with the additional leverage of grabbing the pot from opposite sides of the puncture site and with her foot pushing against his chest, Juniper began tugging on that cooking pot with all of the strength she had. Grunting from the strain of every attempt, she tugged hard on that pot three more times with no apparent success. But on the fourth attempt, the pot suddenly slipped loose from the Changeling’s helmet, causing both Juniper and the alien trooper to be flung away from each other and hit the floor on their backs, while the cooking pot flew out of her grasp and clattered to the floor just in front of the counter.

Juniper sat up and rubbed the sore spot on the back of her head. As soon as she noticed the other Changeling’s helmet was now lacking the impaled object, she glanced back to see the punctured cooking pot resting on the floor, then muttered in astonishment, “Huh… It actually worked.”

“Thank the Queen,” grumbled the other Changeling as he sat up and staggered up onto his feet.

As that Changeling watched Juniper also stand back up, the distorted information displayed on the inside of his visor began to come back into focus, now that the obstruction had finally been removed from his main sensor. He kept his gaze on Juniper to ensure his sensors were functioning properly once more, but while much of the information flashing across his visor matched what was to be expected of a typical native to this planet, there was one particular reading that appeared to be highly unusual. Like all Changeling soldiers who had been sent out to conquer this planet, he had been instructed to be on the lookout for seven specific individuals who would give off a special energy signature unlike any other life form on this planet. But what left this Changeling baffled at this moment was that while he was certain that the girl standing in front of him was not one of the seven Targets, his sensors were indicating that she rather faintly gave off a remarkably similar energy reading.

“Hey, Sargent?” the Changeling trooper asked cautiously as he turned his attention to the three other troopers who were still standing nearby. “Does her energy signature seem familiar?”

The second of the three Changeling troopers — the Sargent — stepped forward and focused his gaze on the teenage girl, who was now starting to express concern from the increased attention the armored alien soldiers now had on her.

The Sargent took his time carefully studying the readings and data flashing across his visor and made sure to double check that what he was seeing was accurate. After running through the analysis more than twice, he was left just as astonished as the other Changeling. “You’re right, Soldier,” responded the Sargent with a tone of suspicion in his voice. “Her energy readings indicate something within her is strikingly similar to the energy readings identified with the Targets.”

“I thought we were after only seven Targets,” the third of the original group of Changelings stated in confusion.

“That’s what we were all informed, Corporal,” replied the Sargent, “but new factors can always force a change of plans, and we might have just encountered one of them.”

“Her energy signature seems to be weaker than those of the other Targets,” noted the first of the original group of Changelings. “Maybe she only just recently started developing special powers similar to what they have.”

“You might be on to something there, Ensign,” acknowledged the Sargent. “We’d better take her in for questioning, just to be on the safe side.”

As the four Changeling troopers started slowly closing in on her, Juniper began to panic. She had no idea what they were talking about, but it was clear they had no intentions of letting her walk away, and she had no interest in finding out what they planned to do with her. As she began backing away from the Changelings, she desperately glanced around for anything she could use to her advantage.

With the Changelings standing between her and the main entrance, Juniper had three options on where to go; behind the counter with the popcorn machine, the nearby arcade room, or the hallway that led to the theater rooms. She knew there was an emergency exit door at the end of the hallway, but it was such a long hallway that she feared she would not be able to outrun the armored alien soldiers. The nearby open doorway was the only way in or out of the arcade room, but if she could hide among the various game machines and time her escape just right, she could give herself enough of a head start to make it out of the building. Deciding that was her best option, she quickly turned away from the Changelings and fled into the arcade room.

The four Changeling soldiers did not hesitate to pursue Juniper into the arcade, and once they were inside that room, they stopped in the middle and then slowly spread out to begin searching for her.

Juniper had taken cover behind the video game machine that happened to be closest to the doorway. She tried her best to quiet her heavy breathing and carefully peered around the side to see if the alien troopers were distracted enough that she could slip away unnoticed. Unfortunately, she was forced to quickly duck back when one of the Changelings turned towards her location.

That Changeling — the Corporal — made use of his sensors to quickly identify the subject of interest was hiding behind that video game machine. As he extended his wrist-mounted blade and slowly approached, he chuckled and quipped, “Nice try, kid, but you won’t hide from us that easily.”

Juniper knew right away that she had been discovered, and began desperately thinking of anything she could do to immediately make her escape. One of her fleeting thoughts questioned why these Changelings even wanted to take her away in the first place, and when that thought made her consider anything she might have in common with the Equestria Girls who were definitely wanted by the Changeling forces, she realized that there actually had been something unusual about herself recently… and she could use that to her advantage.

“Looks like it’s game over for you,” taunted the Corporal as he reached only a few steps away from capturing the teen girl.

Juniper suddenly stood up and shoved the video game machine towards the approaching Changeling soldier. With astonishing force, the machine slammed into the Corporal, knocking him off his feet and sending the machine itself toppling over to partially block the doorway out of the arcade.

The three other Changelings immediately turned to the source of that noise and saw their comrade down on the floor with their subject of interest standing nearby. “There she is!” the Sargent pointed out before they began to quickly close in on the teen girl.

Now forced to react on the fly, Juniper quickly grabbed another nearby video game machine and shoved it in front of her as she rammed into the oncoming Sargent, sending him sprawling to the floor. The Ensign came at her next, but she stepped aside and grabbed his outstretched arms, then flung him across the room towards the basketball game, where he slammed into the backboard and fell head first through the hoop, only to end up stuck upside down as his shoulders got wedged into the hoop.

Juniper shoved that second video game machine towards the doorway with the first one and soon noticed the fourth Changeling — the same one who she had helped only minutes earlier — glaring at her from the other side of the air hockey table. That Changeling charged at her by going around the table, but she responded by running towards the table and around the other side, so they both ended up on opposite sides from where they started. Not one for fooling around, the Changeling extended his blade and swung it down towards the air hockey table in an attempt to split it in half, but at the last second, Juniper yanked the table away so that his momentum caused him to collapse to the floor. Before that Changeling had a chance to recover, Juniper flipped the air hockey table over so that it landed upside down atop the armored alien trooper.

Now that all four Changelings were momentarily subdued, Juniper rushed back to the doorway and flipped the second video game machine over to land sideways atop the first one. Finally, she grabbed a third video game machine, climbed atop the two that were stacked against the doorway, and pulled that third machine up atop the stack as she climbed through the narrowed opening and then pulled that machine back to effectively block the doorway.

Inside the arcade, the Corporal and the Sargent had recovered and soon managed to assist their fallen comrades, with the Sargent shoving the air hockey table off the fourth Changeling trooper and the Corporal using his blade to hack away the basketball hoop that the Ensign had gotten stuck in.

Once all four Changeling soldiers were back on their feet, they turned to the stack of video game machines that blocked their exit. “How did she do that?” asked the Ensign.

“Forget it!” declared the Sargent. “Just clear the obstruction!” The four Changeling soldiers quickly approached the blockade and attempted to remove the first of the video game machines from atop that stack, but it turned out to be heavy enough that the four of them working together could barely move it.

Meanwhile, Juniper was satisfied to see that she had successfully trapped those Changelings, but now that the heat of battle had passed for the moment, it finally began to sink in just how exactly she had accomplished that. She had been aware of her abnormally enhanced strength ever since she had been invited to join the Redeemables — a group of reformed villains affiliated with the LEGO Team — but had kept it a secret to herself because she couldn’t understand how she had obtained such an ability, and it actually scared her to think the previous time she had such an ability was when that magic hand mirror had turned her into a freakishly tall monster. Now that the Changelings knew she had such an ability and with the revelation that it was somehow similar to the magical powers possessed by the Equestria Girls, Juniper was suddenly being forced to confront the reality of who she was and what she was capable of, and deep down, it terrified her.

“Juniper, what’s going on?”

Juniper turned around and saw her manager standing in front of the door to his office as it slowly closed behind him.

“I don’t know!” confessed Juniper fearfully. “All I did was remove something that was stuck on one of their helmets, and now all of a sudden they wanna lock me away for some reason!”

The manager crossed his arms and glared at Juniper as he scolded, “Didn’t I tell you to not interfere with the occupying forces? Just give them what they want and nothing more.”

Juniper rubbed her arm as she shamefully looked away and sadly muttered, “I-I-I was just trying to be helpful…”

“Get her!”

Juniper and her manager glanced over at the arcade and saw the entrapped Changelings were now using their blades to hack through the video game machines that blocked their exit, causing the Lego parts they were made of to scatter all around them.

With the escape of those Changelings imminent, Juniper swiftly removed her work uniform and shoved it into her manager’s hands as she hastily stated, “Sorry, but I have to leave early today! I’m sure you understand!”

Now down to only her regular clothes, Juniper began to run for the main entrance, only to suddenly stop and yelp in shock when she noticed four more Changeling soldiers approaching the building from outside those glass doors. She then groaned and whined, “Why do they always have to call in reinforcements?”

Behind Juniper and with her work uniform still in his hands, the manager opened the door to his office and nervously noted, “Yeah… I think I’ll just mark you off as out sick indefinitely.” He then swiftly stepped into his office and shut the door.

After watching her manager back away like a complete coward, Juniper scoffed and grumbled, “Thanks for nothing…”

SMASH!

Juniper glanced over at the arcade room, where the entrapped Changelings had just destroyed the last of the video game machines that had blocked the doorway and were now beginning to approach her once more.

CRASH!

Juniper turned back to the main entrance, where the other four Changelings had just shattered the glass doors and were continuing to slowly close in on her.

Once again, Juniper Montage found herself surrounded by Changeling soldiers as they prepared to apprehend her, leaving her desperately looking around for any hope of escape. This time, she noticed the entrance to the storage room, which was on the opposite side of the lobby from the hallway that led to the theaters. Not only did that storage room have plenty of heavy things she could use to defend herself, but it also led to another emergency exit door.

Juniper mentally slapped herself and thought, Duh! Why didn’t I think of that in the first place? With no time to lose, she turned and rushed towards the storage room.

“She’s getting away!” alerted one of the Changelings before all eight of them began to charge after Juniper.

As soon as she entered the storage room, the first thing Juniper noticed were several huge bags of popcorn kernels piled up nearby, and she knew right away how she could utilize them against the oncoming alien forces.

“Hey, you like popcorn?” taunted Juniper as she grabbed one of the huge bags. “Then have some on the house!” She then chucked that massive bag of popcorn kernels at the oncoming Changelings, three of whom were swiftly knocked down to the floor by the immense weight of that bag. She then quickly grabbed another huge bag of popcorn kernels and tossed that one to bring down three more Changelings, then repeated the process to take out the two remaining Changelings.

All three giant bags of popcorn kernels had burst open upon impact, and as those Changelings attempted to stand up, they quickly found themselves slipping and sliding around upon the thousands of small round kernels. Some Changelings eventually attempted to fly above the hazardous floor, but the confined space caused them to either bump into each other and fall or get unintentionally yanked back down by the other Changelings who continued flailing around helplessly along the floor.

“Get it together, soldiers!” barked the Sargent furiously. “What are we, a professional army, or a slapstick comedy act?!” He then promptly slipped on the popcorn kernels and hit the floor on his back.

Meanwhile, Juniper had shut the door between the lobby and the storage room, then tossed the massive bags of popcorn kernels one by one into a pile against that door. “There, that should hold them back,” she quietly declared after a dozen of those huge bags had been piled up against the door. She then turned to the emergency exit door at the opposite side of the storage room and rushed outside.

Juniper had made it out of the cinema and now found herself out in a dirty alleyway filled with crates, trashcans, various litter, and a dumpster. Desperate to be extra sure those Changelings would be unable to follow her, she ran over to the nearby dumpster and began to shove it over to block the door she had just come through. Although her strength was much greater than that of most Minifigs, it still had its limits, as she discovered as she struggled to move that dumpster. The dumpster creaked and Juniper grunted as she ever so slowly managed to push that blockade into place.

It took her over a minute, but Juniper eventually managed to push that dumpster close enough to the door that she felt confident no one would be able to get through from the inside. With that heavy work completed, she slumped against the side of the dumpster and gasped for breath. As she continued panting, she muttered between breaths, “Okay… so I guess… I’m not as strong… as Applejack.”

After taking a couple minutes to catch her breath, Juniper stood up and began to make her way through the alleyway. She hadn’t heard any noise within the cinema to suggest those Changelings were still after her, but she wasn’t going to take any chances. If anything, the fact that some reinforcements had already been called in left her concerned that perhaps the rest of the Changeling forces all over the city were already informed of her wanted status. It certainly terrified her to think she was now suddenly a fugitive fleeing from the occupying forces, and unlike the Equestria Girls, she couldn’t think of anywhere she could go that would make her feel safe.

Juniper had made her way around two turns in the alleyway before she slowed to a stop, not from exhaustion, but from the overwhelming emotion over the situation she now found herself in. Why did I have to help that Changeling? thought Juniper as she struggled to hold back her tears. I should’ve just obeyed my boss’s advice and just left him alone. She sniffed and rubbed the tears from her eyes. She knew she was still on the run and had to keep going, but right now, it was just too much for her to comprehend as she struggled to even consider what her next steps should be.

“Hold it right there!”

Juniper immediately gasped in panic. With wide eyes, she frantically glanced around for the source of that voice. She couldn’t see anyone, but she did hear some stomping from around the corner not far ahead of her. Suspecting that the shout may not have been directed at her, she quietly approached that corner and carefully peered around. At the end of that alleyway where it met the street, she saw two Changeling troopers approaching a Minifig who had grey skin and blonde hair and was wearing a green skirt and a light blue shirt with a yellow necktie.

“Don’t play dumb with me!” one of the Changelings shouted furiously as he pointed threateningly at the blonde civilian. “You’re the only one who was in the area where that muffin wrapper could’ve been tossed from! It obstructed my view and caused me to lose control and flip my vehicle!”

The blonde girl gestured at her misaligned eyes, then shrugged as she gave an apologetic grin.

“I don’t care if you can’t see straight!” snapped the Changeling as he now stood directly in front of the unfortunate civilian. “Being reckless with your rubbish is no excuse for you to wreck my ride!” He then clenched his fist and swiftly punched that girl in the abdomen hard enough to send her slamming into the brick wall behind her, where she then slumped to the ground.

Juniper suppressed her gasp of shock. Practically everyone in Canterlot City was familiar with that girl, whose name was Derpy. Although Derpy was notorious for being highly prone to causing numerous mishaps, everyone understood that she never intended any harm, so people would generally just accept her silent apologies and continue on with their lives. Although Juniper had no idea what kind of incident had infuriated that Changeling, she knew that girl certainly didn’t deserve such brutal abuse.

“I say we finish what nature started and make her completely blind,” suggested the other Changeling standing beside that first one. “That’ll teach her to never mess with Changelings.”

As she watched the angry Changeling grab Derpy by the throat and lift her up off the ground, Juniper knew someone had to intervene right away. She had little reason to believe anyone else would suddenly appear to help Derpy, so without a second thought, she stepped out into the open and firmly shouted, “Hey! You leave her alone! Just because she’s disabled doesn’t mean it’s okay for you to torture her!”

The two Changelings turned to Juniper and stared at her for a moment. “Oh yeah?” asked the first Changeling skeptically as he carelessly dropped Derpy, who fell into a seated position at the base of the wall. “And just what are you gonna do about it?”

Juniper immediately hesitated. While she knew standing up for Derpy was absolutely the right thing to do, she hadn’t even considered just how exactly she was going to confront those two Changeling troopers. With no choice but to improvise, she reached for the nearest large object — an empty trashcan — and chucked it at the Changelings.

The two Changeling troopers easily stepped aside to avoid that trashcan as it flew past them and tumbled out onto the street. “Oh, so you want a fight, huh?” quipped the second Changeling. “Okay…” He and his comrade reached behind their backs and pulled out their laser blasters. “We’ll give you a fight.”

Juniper’s eyes widened in shock before she immediately dove for cover behind a nearby large crate.

Pew! Pew! Pew-pew! Pew! Pew-pew! Pew! Pew!

Juniper whimpered fearfully as the Changelings opened fire on her location, each shot blasting away splinters from the crate she hid behind. She knew her cover wasn’t going to last long, so she searched around and saw another large crate just across the alleyway. It wouldn’t help much, but perhaps it could buy her a few more seconds to think of something else. With no other option in mind, she shifted her crouched stance and prepared to dash across the narrow open ground.

Juniper took a deep breath and pushed her feet against the ground, but rather than giving herself a boost to start running, she instead managed to somehow fling herself into the air. Not expecting such a launch, she yelped as she uncontrollably flipped over forward and landed atop a filled sack on her back. Thankfully, that sack was behind the crate she had been aiming for, so all she had to do to regain cover was roll off from the sack.

As the Changelings opened fired on her new hiding position, Juniper readjusted her glasses and took a moment to try to make sense of what had just happened to her. Her escape attempt had gone awry the moment she had pushed herself against the ground, as if she had severely underestimated her own strength… and once that thought had crossed her mind, everything suddenly made sense to her.

Of course! thought Juniper in both astonishment and excitement. Super strength doesn’t just mean I can throw heavy things. I can also jump really good!

Now aware of an additional ability she could use to her advantage, Juniper turned her attention upwards. The surrounding alleyway was somewhat narrow with a few things sticking out from the surrounding buildings, most notably the fire escape stairway that was almost directly above her. With her current cover also being gradually obliterated, she decided it was time to take this fight into a new direction those Changelings were probably not expecting.

Juniper crouched down and then pushed against the ground with as much strength as she could, flinging herself straight upwards. At the apex of her leap, she reached out and grasped onto the railing of the lowest platform on the fire escape, leaving her dangling on the outer side opposite from where the Changelings stood.

Pew! Pew! Pew-pew! Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew-pew!

Although the framework of the fire escape provided Juniper with some cover, she knew it was hardly an ideal place to stay. After taking another quick look at her surroundings, she pulled herself up to place her feet upon the framework, then leaped across the alleyway to land on a narrow ledge on the side of the opposite building. She nearly lost her balance, but managed to steady herself by grasping onto a flagpole that stuck out beside a window.

“That’s pretty impressive, missy, but it won’t save you,” taunted the second Changeling.

Pew! Pew-pew! Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew-pew!

That makeshift perch certainly didn’t provide much cover at all, so Juniper quickly leaped back across the alleyway to grab onto the railing of a higher platform on the fire escape. Again, the fire escape provided a little cover, so she glanced back at the opposite building and saw a small satellite dish mounted beside a window higher up that she believed she could reach with one more leap.

Juniper jumped from the fire escape and flung herself across the alleyway to reach that higher window. However, as soon as she had grasped onto the satellite dish, it bent downward and creaked as if it was about to break. “No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no!” she exclaimed fearfully before she desperately reached her right hand up to grasp the mounting bracket behind the dish. As soon as her right hand had secured a tight grip onto the mounting bracket, the dish in her left hand snapped off from the bracket. Although she managed to avoid falling, she did suddenly find herself facing down towards the Changeling troopers who continued shooting at her, so she made use of the dish in her hand as a shield to block some of the laser bolts.

Pew! Pew! Pe-ding! Pew! Pew-pew! Pe-ding! Pew! Pe-ding!

By this point, Juniper was starting to get tired of being constantly fired upon, so she decided it was time to strike back. She briefly let go of the satellite dish to flip it over in her hand, then pulled back her arm and swiftly flung the dish as hard as she could down at the two Changelings on the ground.

The disconnected satellite dish spun rapidly as it flew down and quickly struck the second Changeling directly in the visor, fracturing that visor and impacting with enough force to knock him flat onto his back. The first Changeling — the one who had punched Derpy — stopped firing his laser blaster and turned to his fallen comrade, who appeared to be no longer responsive.

Realizing that she had just taken out one of the two Changeling troopers, Juniper smiled and playfully remarked, “I guess you’re not very good at playing frisbee, are ya?”

The window beside Juniper suddenly opened and a rather sloppy guy stuck his head outside, turned to Juniper, and furiously exclaimed, “Hey! What happened to my satellite dish?!”

Juniper briefly hesitated before she simply stated, “Uh, you could blame the Changeling who’s shooting at me right now.”

Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew!

As the one Changeling still standing resumed firing his laser blaster up at Juniper, the sloppy guy ducked back in through his window, while Juniper quickly leaped across the alleyway back onto the fire escape. Unfortunately, the part of the fire escape she had managed to grab onto this time was a ladder that was not properly secured, so she screamed in terror as she and the ladder slid vertically down the side of the fire escape, then jerked to a sudden stop at the lowest platform. She had barely managed to hang on, but then the ladder swung out and down, her weakened grip finally coming loose as she was flung across the ground and tumbled to land right at the feet of the remaining Changeling.

Dazed from that rapid and wild descent, Juniper could do little more than roll over to stare helplessly up at the Changeling soldier who kept his laser blaster aimed at her.

The armored alien soldier stared down at the teenage girl. She had managed to evade their attacks with astonishing acrobatics, so he took a moment to inspect some of the data and information that flashed across the inside of his visor. After a few seconds of silence, he then smugly noted, “Ah, so you’re the new Target who just escaped from the cinema. In that case, I’d better report you in.” He lowered his laser blaster and used his free hand to grasp Juniper by the collar of her shirt and lift her up off the ground. “Looks like I’m about to earn a big bonus today.”

Clang!

A sudden impact to the head caused that Changeling to release his hold on Juniper and collapse to the ground. Juniper stumbled around to stay upright on her feet, then noticed a bowling ball bounce a few times before it came to rest beside the fallen Changeling. She stared in confusion at the bowling ball for a moment, then turned her gaze upwards to see that sloppy guy was leaning out of his open window again.

“That’s what you get for cutting off my satellite TV!” the sloppy guy declared furiously before he retreated back into his apartment and shut the window.

“Boy, I’d sure hate to be neighbors with that guy,” remarked Juniper to herself. She turned her gaze back down and glanced over both of the fallen Changeling soldiers with a sense of satisfaction. She had dared to pick a fight with those two armored aliens, and despite some poor planning and some luck, she had made use of her magical power to emerge victorious. In all honesty, she hadn’t felt so proud of herself since before she had been banned from her uncle’s film lot.

Juniper’s happiness didn’t last long, as her gaze soon fell upon the original reason for why she had picked a fight with those two Changelings in the first place. She rushed over to Derpy — who had remained seated at the base of the wall and was now clutching her abdomen — and knelt down as she asked with concern, “Are you okay?”

Grimacing in so much pain that she couldn’t even turn her gaze up to Juniper, Derpy responded by slowly shaking her head.

“I’d better get you to the hospital right away,” acknowledged Juniper worriedly. She then smiled and confidently added, “Lucky for you, I happen to be magically stronger than most Minifigs, so carrying you there should be no problem for me.” She then carefully helped Derpy up onto her feet, then turned around and brought Derpy’s arms over her shoulders before grabbing onto Derpy’s legs, allowing her to carry the injured girl on her back.

“There… now let’s get going,” declared Juniper before she turned to the street outside the alleyway and began running down the sidewalk.

Juniper quickly reached the nearest intersection, but was crestfallen when she looked at the street signs and realized where in the city they were in relation to the hospital. “Oh, who am I kidding?” she spoke up defeatedly. “The hospital’s too far away to get there on foot. If I’m gonna have any chance of helping you, I’ll need to borrow a vehicle.”

Juniper glanced around along the streets near the intersection, and while there were a few small cars parked along the sides of these streets, fallen debris from the city-wide battle earlier that week had damaged practically all of them enough that there was no chance she could quickly drive away in any of them. It wasn’t long before she heard the subtle rumbling of a diesel engine, so she looked down the street to her right and saw a garbage truck coming up the road until it slowed to a stop beside another alleyway. She then watched the driver of that truck climb out of the cab and whistle a tune to himself as he walked around the back of the truck towards the alleyway.

“Oh well,” muttered Juniper with a shrug. “Beggars can’t be choosers.” She then ran across the street towards the parked garbage truck. Once she arrived at the passenger side of that truck, she opened the door, carefully helped Derpy climb off her back and into the passenger seat, and then shut the door. She then noticed the truck driver walk out of the alleyway while dragging two full trashcans, so she quickly ran around to the front of the truck to stay out of his sight. A few seconds later, she heard the whirring noise of the truck’s trash compactor, so she figured it would be enough of a diversion to allow her to sneak around to the driver’s side of the truck, open the door, and then climb into the driver’s seat.

Once Juniper was seated behind the steering wheel, she first helped Derpy fasten her seatbelt, then fastened her own seatbelt, and then placed her hands upon the wheel and muttered uncertainly to herself, “Okay… now I just need to figure out how to drive this thing…” While she certainly knew how to drive a typical car, it was quickly obvious that this garbage truck was quite a different kind of vehicle with some levers and dials that she was completely unfamiliar with. However, she knew the driver would be back very soon, so with her best educated guess, she placed her feet upon the pedals and shifted the truck out of park.

Meanwhile, having finished dumping that load of refuse into the garbage truck, the driver continued whistling that tune to himself as he carried the now empty trashcans back into the alleyway and set them down back where they had originally been.

Pffffff…

“Huh?” muttered the garbage truck driver in confusion. He recognized that as the sound of the truck’s parking brake being released, which could only be done from the driver’s seat, where he currently wasn’t. He walked out of the alleyway just in time to watch his truck pull away from the side of the road and begin driving off down the street.

Vrrroooooom.

“Hey!” shouted the truck driver furiously as he began chasing after his truck on foot. “Get back here!”

Further down the road, two Changeling troopers were on a routine patrol along the city streets. They noticed the garbage truck drive past them, but what really caught their attention was a sanitation worker running in pursuit of that truck.

“Stop!” cried the truck driver desperately. “I have a half-eaten cheese danish in there!” It wasn’t long before he slowed to a stop and hunched over while gasping for breath.

The two Changeling troopers briefly glanced at each other, then marched towards the sanitation worker. “Explain yourself, citizen,” demanded one of the Changelings.

“Someone just stole my truck!” exclaimed the garbage truck driver as he gestured at the massive vehicle driving off ahead without him. As he continued gasping for breath, he then sat down upon the curb along the nearby sidewalk and muttered, “Ohh, I really need to lay off the pastries…”

The two Changeling troopers turned their attention towards the fleeing garbage truck. According to the data flashing across their visors, not only was that truck driving right by waste collection sites it was supposed to stop at, but also it was beginning to exceed the designated speed limit on these streets.

“Looks like we’ve got ourselves a getaway driver,” concluded the second Changeling trooper. “Move out!” The two armored alien troopers then opened their wingpacks and took off into the air in pursuit of that garbage truck.

Meanwhile, Juniper remained visibly tense as she continued to accelerate that garbage truck down the road. “Okay, I think I’ve got the hang of this,” she spoke up to inform her injured passenger. “Maybe not totally, but hopefully enough for us to reach the hospital as soon as possible. As long as I can do that, then that’s all we need.”

In the passenger’s seat, Derpy continued to clutch her abdomen in pain as she remained silent. When her gaze drifted over to the side mirror, she noticed two flying Changelings quickly approaching them, so she reached over to nudge Juniper.

“What? What is it?” asked Juniper with concern as she turned to face Derpy.

Clunk!

Juniper gasped in shock and felt her heart skip a beat when she heard that sudden impact from the roof of the truck directly above her.

“This is your only warning, getaway driver!” declared an authoritative voice from atop the garbage truck. “Pull over, now!”

Juniper turned to Derpy and sheepishly remarked, “Is this a bad time to mention that I only have a learner’s permit and not an actual driver’s license?”

Something suddenly grabbed Juniper’s left wrist and yanked her hand off the steering wheel, causing her to shriek in terror before turning to see that a Changeling soldier had reached down from the roof to grab her.

“By the authority of the Changeling Empire, you are under arrest!” the Changeling soldier firmly declared.

Now that she was aware she was dealing with yet more Changeling forces, Juniper glared at the alien soldier as she twisted her hand to grab his wrist and fiercely retorted, “Says you!” She then swiftly pulled downward, her magically enhanced strength allowing her to yank that Changeling off the truck’s roof and down onto the street.

The Changeling soldier tumbled along the street until he eventually landed on his back. He sat up and watched the garbage truck continue speeding ahead down the street, then pressed his hand against the side of his helmet and urgently reported, “We have a getaway driver in a garbage truck who refuses to go quietly! Send out reinforcements!”

Meanwhile, the other Changeling soldier standing atop the garbage truck struggled to keep his balance as he threatened, “You’re asking for trouble now, getaway driver!”

“I beg to differ!” taunted Juniper before she gently turned the wheel to the right, and then suddenly jerked it to the left. This resulted in the Changeling losing his balance and wobbling to the left before he was suddenly flung over the right side of the truck.

The Changeling managed to grab onto the passenger door and pulled himself up. He snarled at Derpy in the passenger seat before Juniper jerked the wheel again, swerving the garbage truck to pass so closely to a streetlight that the post slammed into the Changeling and caused him to lose his grip on the door.

That Changeling refused to give in and managed to then grab onto the rear wheel well of the truck. Juniper suspected the Changeling was still hanging on, so she jerked the wheel again, swerving the truck back alongside the sidewalk. This time, the Changeling slammed head first into a blue mailbox, and the impact not only tore the mailbox off from its attachment to the sidewalk, but also caused the alien soldier to lose his grip on the truck again, except now there were no more lower parts of the truck left for him to grab onto.

The Changeling and the mailbox tumbled together along the sidewalk until they eventually came to a stop with the mailbox atop the Changeling. The alien trooper began to push the mailbox off of himself, only for the hatch on that mailbox to suddenly come loose and dump a large pile of envelopes on top of him. “Agh! Bills!” he cried out in disgust. “Why did it have to be bills?!”

Back inside the garbage truck, Juniper let out a sigh of relief and stated, “Hopefully, those alien invaders won’t give us any more trouble than that.”

Unfortunately, just seconds later, a small four-wheel all-terrain vehicle arrived down a side street and began driving alongside the left of the garbage truck. Riding upon that small ATV were two Changelings, one driving the vehicle with his hands on a pair of handlebars, and the other seated right behind him.

“Ugh! More reinforcements?” grumbled Juniper as she tightened her grip in the steering wheel. “Gimme a break!”

As the driver of that ATV moved closer to the garbage truck, the passenger pulled out his laser blaster and prepared to aim at the truck. Before he had a chance to fire his weapon, Juniper swerved the truck against the ATV, easily deflecting the lightweight vehicle away. The passenger’s aim was thrown off, but the driver was able to quickly regain control and straighten out the ride. The passenger made another attempt to fire upon the garbage truck, only for Juniper to again slam them aside. The driver regained control again and the passenger made yet another attempt to aim his laser blaster at the garbage truck. Juniper yet again swerved the truck towards the pursuing Changeling ATV, but the driver decided to outsmart her by swerving away to avoid another impact. However, with the driver’s attention on the garbage truck, he failed to see how close he was driving towards the curb on the left, and when he ran over it, it tipped the lightweight vehicle over onto its right side and its momentum caused it to then tumble around uncontrollably, flinging the two Changelings off and sending them slamming into the pavement.

Juniper watched the destruction of that small vehicle in the truck’s side mirror, then smirked and remarked, “I guess that’ll teach them to never bring a little ATV to a monster truck rally.”

Not long after that, another Changeling vehicle turned from a side street to begin pursuing the garbage truck, but this vehicle was much bigger. It was so enormous that it took up the entire width of the two-lane road, and it rumbled along the pavement on eight massive wheels.

“Me and my big mouth…” muttered Juniper shamefully.

The massive pursuing vehicle also had two large turrets on opposite sides, which soon swiveled to aim at the fleeing garbage truck and began firing. However, every shot from those turrets managed to miss the truck, most of them by quite a wide margin. Even so, the blasts from each shot of those turrets sent debris from the surrounding buildings scattering across the street, forcing Juniper to swerve the truck around to avoid colliding into any significant chunks of debris.

Juniper had no idea how long those turrets would continue firing upon her, so she knew she had to figure out some way to lose that massive pursuing vehicle. As she continued to dodge falling debris all around the truck, she frequently glanced briefly down at the dashboard for anything that might be helpful in any way. She eventually noticed one particular switch that was marked with a symbol that looked like a large truck dumping its load. It didn’t take her long to figure out what this switch probably did — and how she could use it to her advantage.

“If you’re gonna conquer a city, the least you should do is clean up after yourselves!” taunted Juniper before she flipped that switch. With a whirring noise, the container in the back of the truck tilted up and the rear cover opened, allowing tons of trash and garbage to spill out all over the road.

The massive Changeling ground vehicle ran right over all of that scattered litter, some of which was soaked in various fluids that ended up getting smeared along the huge wheels and causing a loss of traction. As those wheels started slipping and sliding along the trail of rubbish, the massive ground transport slowly began to uncontrollably drift sideways. As the pursuit passed through an intersection, the front end of the Changeling ground transport vehicle drifted a little too far to the left and ultimately plowed directly into the building on the corner ahead.

CRASH!!!

As that massive vehicle slammed into that building, the front half was blown to pieces along with much of the façade of lower floors of that building, while the rear half of the vehicle flipped over, spun around, and then tumbled until it also fell apart into many pieces.

“Yeah!” Juniper cried out triumphantly. “Now that’s what I call taking out the trash!” She flipped the switch again to bring the garbage truck’s emptied container back down before she smirked and quipped, “I’m getting pretty good at these one-liners.”

Once again, Juniper was convinced she was finally in the clear, only for some more Changeling forces to make an effort to put a stop to her. This time, a squad further up ahead had blocked the road by laying out a row of large spikes that could likely tear right through a large vehicle.

“Oh, no…” muttered Juniper fearfully as she stared at the wicked spike trap directly ahead.

In a desperate effort to avoid running into that blockade, Juniper took the only alternate route still available by that point by making a sharp left turn into an alleyway. The large truck plowed through boxes and crates and knocked over trashcans. At the end of the alleyway, a solid framework of scaffolding supported a plywood ramp that led from the ground all the way up to the rooftop of the building ahead, and with Juniper too terrified to slow down, that garbage truck drove right up that ramp.

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” exclaimed Juniper in terror as the garbage truck continued climbing up the ramp until it finally reached the top and continued ahead across the flat rooftop. She was now absolutely panicked as she screamed, “Ahhhhhh! How do I get down from here?!”

Juniper swerved the truck to the right to avoid slamming into a large vent sticking out of the roof, but this caused the truck to crash through a ledge and plummet off the edge of the roof, only to land atop a slightly lower rooftop. She continued driving the garbage truck straight across that rooftop, sent it over the edge, and down onto another slightly lower rooftop. She continued across that rooftop and down onto another slightly lower rooftop, then across that one and down onto another one. By this point, the speeding garbage truck was now only one floor above street level, and there was a taller building up ahead, so Juniper swerved the truck to the left to send it crashing through one more ledge and plummet a short distance back down onto the street. The large vehicle rocked around a bit from the uneven landing, but soon settled on all four wheels and continued accelerating ahead.

Now that the garbage truck was finally safely back down on the road, Juniper let out a huge sigh of relief, then readjusted her glasses and muttered, “Okay… Let’s not try that again.”

In the passenger seat, Derpy winced as she attempted to get comfortable again after that extremely rough ride. When she opened her eyes, she noticed that a half-eaten danish pastry with cheese filling had landed in her lap. She picked up the partially eaten pastry, stared at it for a few seconds in confusion, then shrugged and took a bite out of it.

Once Juniper had finally relaxed again, she glanced around to figure out where in the city they had landed. She then smiled as she recognized the building at the end of the road straight ahead. “Look! There’s the hospital!” she cried out excitedly as she pointed up ahead. “We’re almost there!”

Both girls riding inside the borrowed garbage truck smiled at the thought that they were actually going to make it there. However, it seemed the Changeling army was not quite finished with them just yet, as one Changeling soldier flew over and followed above the truck while carrying a large blue mailbox.

“Payback time!” declared the flying Changeling furiously before he chucked the mailbox down onto the garbage truck below.

The mailbox harmlessly bounced off the windshield of the speeding garbage truck, and of all the directions it could have been deflected, it ended up striking the Changeling who had just thrown it. The impact sent that Changeling tumbling uncontrollably through the air until he hit the pavement behind the fleeing truck, then he tumbled along that street until he finally came to rest face-down. He then growled in frustration and beat his fist against the pavement.

Juniper stared at the fallen Changeling in the truck’s side mirror before she flatly remarked, “Talk about return to sender. If that’s not an epic fail, I don’t know what is.”

With that final surprise obstacle overcome, Juniper continued driving the garbage truck towards the hospital as quickly as possible. After only a few more seconds, they finally reached the hospital, and Juniper drove the garbage truck up the driveway and brought it to a screeching halt directly in front of the main entrance to the building.

A doctor and a few nurses stepped outside through the main entrance and stared in confusion at one of the last kinds of vehicles they would ever expect to see parked in such a location. “What the?” the doctor quietly asked with a raised eyebrow.

Juniper immediately climbed out of the garbage truck and ran around the front of it to the passenger side. As she opened the door and began to help Derpy climb out, she desperately cried out. “Get a stretcher out here! She’s hurt really badly!”

Never one to question the circumstances of a medical emergency, the doctor turned to the nurses and swiftly ordered, “You heard her! Move! Move!”

Two of the nurses immediately rushed back into the building, while the one remaining nurse rushed forward to help Juniper carry the injured Derpy out of the truck.

As the injured girl was gently laid down on the pavement, the doctor stood to the side and asked, “How bad is she?”

“She took a hard punch to the torso from one of those Changelings,” explained Juniper.

The doctor sighed and shook his head as he quietly muttered, “Hardly the first one we’ve had to deal with, this week…”

The two nurses quickly returned with a stretcher and set it down on the ground beside Derpy, then they gently carried her over onto the stretcher. Once their patient was now safely on the stretcher, the nurses grabbed the handles on each end of the stretcher and gently lifted it up off the ground.

Before the nurses carried her away, Derpy reached out to grab Juniper’s hand, then smiled and softly muttered, “Thank you…”

Juniper smiled back at her before they released their grasp, allowing the doctor and the three nurses to rush Derpy into the hospital.

With her task completed, Juniper took a moment to reflect on everything she had just been through. Not long ago, she had been forced to flee the cinema where she worked because the Changelings suspected she possessed the same kind of magical power they were after, leading her to actually use that special ability to not only escape but also save an innocent civilian from serious harm, all leading up to a crazy getaway ride in one of the most unlikely vehicles possible. It was quite amazing how she was able to go through so much struggle and success in such a short period of time.

“You did good today, Juniper Montage.”

Juniper quickly turned to the source of that voice and saw standing behind her was a girl with light nougat skin, blue and pink curly hair, and wearing a white short dress. “Who are you?” she asked.

“The name’s Bon Bon, a reserve member of the local branch of the LEGO Team,” replied the girl as she stepped forward. “My friend and teammate, Lyra Heartstrings, witnessed everything you did in that alleyway and informed me, so I decided to meet you here to provide you with a safe escape route upon completing your mission.”

“Mission?” asked Juniper in confusion. “What mission?”

“You took it upon yourself to rescue an injured civilian and rush her to the hospital,” explained Bon Bon. “Your methods were unorthodox, but you overcame every obstacle thrown at you and accomplished your goal, so I regard that as mission accomplished.”

Juniper rubbed the back of her head as she giggled and sheepishly acknowledged, “Yeah, it’s amazing how everything managed to work out just fine in the end.”

“I’m sure you still have a lot of questions — and believe me, so do I — but first, we should get you to safety before any more Changeling reinforcements arrive,” added Bon Bon before she turned away and gestured for Juniper to follow.

Juniper rolled her eyes and grumbled, “Tell me about it. If I bump into one more of those alien bugs in creepy armor, it’ll be too soon.” With her desire to stay away from the Changelings for good and understanding she would soon receive some answers, she decided to follow Bon Bon without any hesitation.

Bon Bon led Juniper around to a small parking lot behind the hospital, then grabbed a nearby green recycling bin and slammed it onto the pavement to break it into pieces. She then quickly reassembled all of those loose Lego parts to build a modest post with a large lever sticking out the side of it. She then pulled that lever down, which made a nearby square section of pavement flip up to expose the entrance to a hidden passageway underground.

“After you,” stated Bon Bon as she gestured at the opened secret trap door.

There had been times when Juniper Montage would’ve been apprehensive about following someone she barely knew into a hidden underground chamber, but in light of recent events, she felt like it was one of the safest things she had done all day. She walked towards the opening in the ground and began climbing down the ladder.

Once Juniper had climbed down, Bon Bon followed after her. Before she completely descended below the opening, she pulled out a blaster weapon and shot a 1x1 round plate at the lever and post she had built, blasting it to pieces. She then continued down the ladder just before the trap door in the pavement automatically lowered down to close shut, leaving behind only a scattered pile of green Lego bricks.

Author's Note

First of all, I'd like to state that much of the content of this fanfiction series is stuff I've been planning out for a long time, in some cases for as much as a few years, and was in no way intended to reflect certain real world events that have occurred recently. Okay, with that disclaimer out of the way, I hope those of you who have followed my stories are still around, as I do still intend to eventually finish everything I've been planning. Progress these days just happens to be very slow, but at least I'm still able to find some time to get progress done. As for this particular side story, part of it was hinted at in chapter 2 of the tenth main story, so I'm glad to finally get this full story completed for you to read. The next side story will come out after I've completed two more chapters of the tenth main story, and like this one back in the second chapter, part of that next side story will be hinted at in that upcoming fifth chapter.