Chapter 5
The Secret Planet

Another day had come and gone in the Lego World, and while many of the regions continued to hold off against the Changeling invasion to the best of their ability, the struggle seemed to have no end in sight. Although there were a few small victories here and there, the overall trend of the conflict was not looking good for the residents of the Lego World. Little did almost anyone know, one of these minor victories — the successful infiltration of a secret Changeling base just outside of Ninjago City — had yielded more than one potential opportunity to strike a decisive blow against the alien invasion. Covert preparations for whatever was likely to be the next move were already underway, so for the heroes who had made it possible, there was little they could do for now aside from continue with their combat training.

After finishing with their morning training sessions, the Equestria Girls and Ninjago Ninjas gathered in the cafeteria of Borg Tower to share a meal together. Spread out across the long table were various eastern foods that were typical for the Ninjago Region, many of which were being served out of the usual takeout boxes.

“Ah gotta say, this grub’s actually pretty good,” complimented Applejack as she helped herself to some sushi.

“Indeed,” agreed Rarity as she used a pair of chopsticks to take small bites from some fried rice. “Asian cuisine comes in such a wide variety that there’s sure to be something appetizing for everyone.”

Across the table from them, Sunset used her chopsticks to grab some spicy noodles as she smirked and quipped, “And to think some of you once disregarded all of this as little more than cheap takeout.”

“It’s just like any other kind of food service,” noted Twilight as she grabbed an egg roll. “If you know how to identify the good restaurants, then any style of food they serve can be quite delicious.”

Pinkie Pie finished slurping up some rice noodles that she had drenched in soy sauce before she cheerfully agreed, “You said it!”

Fluttershy smiled and didn’t say a word as she grabbed a napkin and helped Pinkie wipe off some of the soy sauce that had splattered all over her face.

Meanwhile, seated beside Sunset was Starlight, who grunted in frustration as she struggled to figure out the proper way to handle a pair of chopsticks. “How the hay am I supposed to hold these silly things?” she asked in exasperation.

Rainbow Dash snickered and remarked, “Yeah, those chopsticks can be a little tricky to figure out, even for those of us who are familiar with using hands,”

“You’re not exactly giving me much confidence,” grumbled Starlight under her breath as she continued struggling to get a proper grip on the rather awkward eating utensils. After a few seconds, one of the chopsticks suddenly flung out of her grasp, flew right over Sunset’s head, and clattered to the floor.

That little mishap caught the attention of most of the people seated around the long table.

After a few seconds of staring at the utensil she had dropped, Starlight rolled her eyes as she let out a sigh of frustration and grumbled, “Whatever.” She then used her one remaining chopstick to skewer one of the dumplings on her plate, allowing her to finally take her first bite from her meal.

After a brief silence, Nya awkwardly asked, “So, uh… do most ponies from Equestria struggle this much with table manners?”

“Hardly,” retorted Starlight after she finished the food in her mouth. “I’m just a little too frustrated to care right now.” She then took another bite from her skewered dumpling.

“Don’t take it too personally, ninjas,” assured Thorax in an effort to prevent a possible argument. “I’ve heard of a few alien races whose dining methods are much more awkward than using a pair of sticks with one hand.”

“Oh yeah!” Jay spoke up with a smile. “You guys are from outer space! That means you’ve probably met a whole bunch of other aliens already.”

“What else do you know about some of these other aliens?” asked Cole before he took another bite of his food.

“I, too, am curious to learn more about alien species that many of us likely have never even heard of before,” added Zane.

“Keep in mind that I’ve always been a low ranked soldier in the Changeling army,” Thorax pointed out, “so most of what I know of comes largely from secondhand sources.”

“Even so, I’m sure you’ve at least heard plenty of interesting things about all those other aliens,” noted Lloyd.

“Most of which are not very good,” added Thorax shamefully. “After all, it was usually us Changelings who were attacking them.”

“How bad could it be?” asked Kai.

Thorax let out a sigh of resignation as he set down his chopsticks. He hesitated for a moment before he began, “One example I can think of involved some alien race that I can’t remember what they called themselves. What I do know is what happened when a couple of Changeling diplomats were sent to meet with their leaders.”

“Chrysalis engages in diplomacy?” asked Sunset skeptically as she raised an eyebrow.

“She may not show it much to outsiders, but she understands there’s much more to ruling an intergalactic empire than just slaying her enemies in battle,” explained Thorax. “Do you really think she’d be stupid enough to declare war on someone she knows practically nothing about?”

Everyone else glanced at one another, but no one said anything in response.

“Anyway,” continued Thorax, “the meeting between the diplomats and those alien leaders began just fine, but at some point, things suddenly took a very unfortunate turn. I don’t know the details of what happened, and I’ve heard plenty of rumors about what might’ve happened, but as a consequence of that incident, the alien ruler was highly offended by whatever it was one of the Changeling diplomats had said or done. So much so that just an hour later, that diplomat had ended up skewered on a pole and roasting over an open flame.”

Everyone immediately stopped eating and stared at Thorax, some of them letting out gasps in shock.

“When the other diplomat returned to inform Queen Chrysalis, I’m sure you can imagine she did not take it lightly,” continued Thorax. “Once she knew what she was dealing with and had gathered enough combat forces, she ordered those troops to ‘cleanse the planet’.”

“What did she mean by that?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“I’ll spare you the details,” answered Thorax remorsefully, “but when it was all over, that alien race was left completely extinct. Nothing remains of them, not even ruins. If you were to visit their home planet today, the only signs of life you would ever find anywhere would be a few Changeling outposts, mostly to prevent any outsiders from potentially exposing the truth of what happened there.”

Once Thorax had finished speaking, absolute silence fell across the whole room. Many continued to stare at Thorax, while some others stared down at their unfinished meals without touching them any further.

“Whoa…” muttered Jay in shock. “I figured Queen Chrysalis was ruthless, but… dang…”

Fluttershy, now slightly paler, gently pushed away her unfinished plate and quietly mumbled, “I think I just lost my appetite…”

Twilight hesitantly asked, “Uh, that’s not exactly a common sort of thing the Changeling armies have done, right?”

“Thankfully not,” answered Thorax. “Queen Chrysalis has no desire to rule over lifeless wastelands, but if she becomes convinced that someone has humiliated her in any way, she will unleash everything at her disposal to satisfy her demand for absolute vengeance.”

“That’s not foreboding,” muttered Starlight dryly, remembering all too well how her previous encounter with Equestria’s Queen Chrysalis had ended.

The door into the cafeteria automatically opened, and everyone turned to see Cyrus Borg enter the room.

“Ah, there you all are,” Cyrus spoke up contently as he rolled his wheelchair forward. “Once you have finished your meals, I would like for you to meet me up in my office. I am pleased to report that Thorax’s new Changeling armor is complete and ready to begin testing.”

“Yay!” cheered Pinkie Pie as she excitedly jumped out of her seat. “Some good news to help lift our spirits!”

“I, too, am eager to observe this newly manufactured set of Changeling armor,” stated Zane.

“That’s good to hear, Doctor Borg,” acknowledged Thorax with a smile. “I just hope you at least got the visor working properly. While these sunglasses are good enough to let me see, you have no idea how much I’ve had to keep squinting just to ease the pain.”

“If my specifications are accurate, then your visual impairment shall no longer be an issue,” assured Cyrus Borg. He then turned his wheelchair around and began to roll it out the doorway. “I’ll see you soon!”

Once Cyrus had left the room, many of the girls and ninjas resumed their meals while Lloyd contently remarked, “Looks like we’re starting to see some real progress.”

“Yup,” agreed Sunset as she used her chopsticks to grab some more spicy noodles. “Hopefully, it won’t be much longer before we’re ready to really take the fight to the Changelings.”

After everyone had finished their lunch, they all gathered in Cyrus Borg’s office to see the new set of Changeling armor that Thorax would soon be given.

“Before I reveal this new set of armor,” explained Cyrus, “I would like to assure you all that I have already tested its strength and endurance on a series of test dummies, so rest assured, Thorax, that you need not be concerned with being subjected to such tests yourself.”

“That is a huge relief,” said Thorax with a smile.

“So what are we waiting for?” asked Jay eagerly. “Let’s see that new armor already!”

“Very well, then,” agreed Cyrus as he rolled his wheelchair over to a small console on the wall. He then dramatically spoke up, “I now present to you the official first version of friendly Changeling armor!” He then tapped the button on the console.

A large panel on the wall nearby slid aside to allow the containment unit to slide out and reveal its contents to everyone. Displayed inside that white box was the new set of armor intended for Thorax. While it was mostly the same shape as his previous armor, there were two rather glaring aspects of it that immediately stood out to everyone. The first was that it was colored in a rather odd mix of bright green, lime green, bright orange, and bright purple.

Sunset turned to Thorax and asked, “Those are the colors you wanted to go with?”

“I don’t like black,” answered Thorax without hesitation. “I just wanted to wear something brighter for once.”

“So you decided to pick all of the neon colors that were available?” asked Nya as she scratched the side of her head.

“I guess you were right about one thing,” noted Kai as he folded his arms. “You really would make a terrible ninja.”

The second aspect of the new armor that was very obvious was the size of the external sensors attached to the helmet.

“What’s with that oversized pair of antlers on top?” asked Applejack as she pointed at the helmet.

“Although I was successful at creating new sensors that matched all functions of the old ones,” explained Cyrus, “I am afraid that is the smallest I could get them to be with the level of technology I had at my disposal.”

“Looks kinda ridiculous, if you ask me,” muttered Rainbow Dash skeptically.

“After everything I’ve been through,” declared Thorax, “I honestly don’t mind what anyone has to say about my new armor. As long as everything works properly, I shall wear it with pride and dignity.”

“In that case, you may use the restroom over there to get suited up in private,” said Cyrus as he gestured towards an open doorway not far from the entrance to the main room. “Once you are ready, we shall proceed to the training facility to begin testing its features.”

A few minutes later, with Thorax now fully suited up in his new Changeling armor, everyone had now gathered in the training facility just a few floors down.

“Okay, now that we’re here, where do we begin?” asked Lloyd.

“As this room was empty while you were having your lunch break,” explained Cyrus, “I tasked P.I.X.A.L. with hiding various objects throughout the obstacle course.” He then turned to Thorax. “Your first test will be to use your new sensors to try and identify all of those objects as quickly as possible.”

“That shouldn’t be too difficult,” responded Thorax with a relaxed smile. Using the same mental command he had used with his previous armor, he brought up the sensor data on the inside of his visor — which was tinted purple rather than the blue from his old one, as one of the color changes he had requested.

Thorax took a moment to scan his surroundings, then spoke up, “There is a file cabinet inside the shed to the left, a trash can inside the minibus, an overturned wheelbarrow inside the empty supply closet, a water cooler behind the dumpster to the right, and a can of soda near the gong at the far end of the room.”

“All of them are correct!” confirmed Cyrus excitedly. He then muttered in confusion, “Except for that can of soda. I have no idea how something like that was left lying around in here.”

Rainbow Dash used her magical super speed to rush over to the gong at the far side of the room and then rushed back to group with the can of soda now in her hand. “I was wondering where I left this thing,” she remarked with a chuckle before she popped open the top and took a sip of that soda.

After that brief interruption, Cyrus turned back to Thorax and continued, “Anyway, let’s proceed with the next few tests. Try to deploy your protosteel blade.”

With a subtle flick of the wrist, Thorax extended the blade that was attached to his right arm. The group of girls and ninjas made various responses in awe at this display, then Thorax retracted the blade.

“So far, so good,” noted Cyrus with a nod of approval. “Now try activating your breathing apparatus.”

With another mental command, the exposed lower portion of Thorax’s face was swiftly covered up by the apparatus built into his helmet. Its purpose was to provide breathing in any unsafe environment from the bottom of the ocean to the vacuum of outer space.

Cyrus pulled out a walkie-talkie and spoke into it, “How about your radio communications? Can you hear me?”

“Yup. Coming through loud and clear,” responded Thorax through the walkie-talkie.

“Excellent!” Cyrus then put away the walkie-talkie and excitedly continued, “Now let’s see your wingpack in action!”

With yet another mental command, Thorax extended the translucent purple wings from his back and began rapidly flapping them, creating gentle buzzing hum as he lifted off from the floor. The group cheered as they watched him fly around in all the basic maneuvers he had been trained to pull off during his time in the Changeling army.

“Well done, Thorax! Well done!” cheered Cyrus as he clapped along with the rest of the group. Once everyone had calmed down, he then continued, “Lastly, let’s see a good example of your transformation power.”

Thorax landed back on the floor in front of the group. He took a moment to focus his mind before his entire body began to glow white. The white form of Thorax then morphed into the shape of some other minifig, and then the glow quickly faded away to reveal an exact duplicate of Kai. He made a ninja pose and declared in Kai’s voice, “Who’s ready to beat some bad guys?”

“Hey, that’s actually pretty good,” remarked Nya with a smile.

The false Kai glowed white as Thorax then transformed into an exact duplicate of Jay, then boasted in Jay’s voice, “Glad you think so, Nya, because we both know I’m the best there is!”

“Hey, I’m not that selfish!” argued Jay with an indignant look on his face.

The false Jay glowed white as Thorax next transformed into an exact duplicate of Zane, then stated in Zane’s voice, “Do not take it so personally, Jay. Some say that mimicry is the sincerest form of flattery.”

“Wow, who knew Changelings could even blend in as a robot?” quipped Cole as he grinned and gave a friendly elbow nudge to the real Zane.

“Very nicely done, Thorax!” praised Cyrus as he clapped once more. “I believe that covers all of the essentials to declare these tests a complete success!”

Thorax transformed back into his real form, then retracted his breathing apparatus and, with his mouth exposed again, he asked, “What about my blade being detachable?”

“Already checked it with all the strength and endurance tests,” explained Cyrus. “That feature is fully functional, as it should be in the event that your blade might get stuck in something so you don’t end up trapped.”

“Good,” declared Thorax as he detached the blade’s casing from his arm, “because I don’t want it.” He then tossed the detached protosteel blade to the floor in front of the group.

“Whoa, wait, what?!” asked Jay in shock.

Rainbow Dash did a spit-take of her soda before she exclaimed in disbelief, “Are you serious?!”

“Don’t you think that would be useful to have with you?” asked Zane in confusion.

“I told you, I don’t like fighting,” explained Thorax passionately. “This may be based on a soldier’s set of armor that I was happy to let you study, and while I’m very proud of this new armor, I’d rather not use any more weapons. I’m done being a soldier! I’m done with intense combat! I’ll still help you stop the Changelings, but I’d much rather do it without needing to hurt anyone.”

Everyone stared at Thorax in silence for a moment. The first one to respond was Starlight, who smiled and proudly remarked, “Now there’s the Thorax I’m familiar with. If you ask me, I’d say you’re making the right choice.”

“I’m not so sure about it, but I’ll respect your wish,” added Sunset hesitantly.

“So, uh, what should we do with the blade?” asked Applejack as she scratched the back of her head.

“I’ll let the Ninjas have it,” replied Thorax. “I’m sure they’ll find a much better use for it.”

“Alright!” cheered Kai excitedly as he swiftly retrieved the discarded protosteel blade.

“Anyway, now that we know Thorax’s new armor is fully functional and presentable, what shall be our next task?” asked Rarity.

“We still have yet to make any significant discoveries from the documents we had seized from the Changeling base,” explained Twilight, “so perhaps we should continue to search through them until we find something useful.”

“A wise plan, though I fear it may have to wait,” an elderly voice spoke up.

Everyone turned to the source of that voice and saw a minifig walking towards them who had a long white beard, wore a white martial arts uniform, a wide conical hat on his head, and held a bamboo staff in his hand.

“Master Wu!” Lloyd spoke up in astonishment. “What brings you here?”

“I have just received a message with the request that it be delivered urgently to the Equestria Girls,” answered Wu as he pulled out a small canister and held it out to Sunset. “I am sure you are familiar with the one member of the Playwell family who prefers to send their secret messages through pneumatic tubes.”

“Celestia,” answered Sunset uneasily as she took the canister from Wu. She removed the lid from the canister, pulled out a small sheet of paper that was contained within, and began reading the message written on it.

“What does it say?” asked Fluttershy.

After a few seconds of silence as Sunset finished reading the message, she replied, “She wants us to immediately travel to Lego City and speak with Kjeld.”

“For what reason?” asked Starlight.

“She’s vague on the details,” answered Sunset. “All it says is that our next task involves something so highly secret that only Kjeld himself must be the one to tell us about it. And it seems our presence there is requested so urgently that she insists we travel directly to LEGO Team Headquarters via the Jump-Gate.”

“What about that whole thing where whenever we have to use the Jump-Gate we must jump around between a whole bunch of different places before reaching our real destination so the Changelings have a much harder time trying to figure out where in the Lego World we might be hiding?” asked Pinkie Pie as she swiftly popped out of several random locations throughout the room to demonstrate what she was talking about.

“This must be very serious if she wants us to forego that extra layer of security for the sake of urgency,” stated Twilight ominously.

“What about the rest of us?” asked Jay.

“There’s no mention of any of you Ninjas, so I guess you guys don’t need to be involved,” answered Sunset.

“Besides,” added Wu, “your place is here in Ninjago City. Against a foe as cunning and mysterious as the Changelings, we cannot afford to leave ourselves unguarded for even a fleeting moment.”

“Then it seems this is where we must part ways,” concluded Lloyd as he turned his attention to Sunset and her friends.

“It was kinda fun to hang out with you guys,” admitted Sunset with a smile as she folded up the message and placed it back inside the canister. “We should get together again sometime when neither of us are busy trying to save the world.”

“I’m already looking forward to it,” agreed Nya.

“So, uh, where does that leave me?” asked Thorax as he awkwardly spoke up. “I mean, I’m still willing to help stop the Changeling invasion, but if this group is now splitting up, which one should I go with?”

“You should accompany us to Lego City,” suggested Rarity. “Whatever urgent matter awaits us there, it will almost certainly involve some sort of threat from the Changelings.”

“Not to mention,” added Twilight as she adjusted her glasses, “I’m sure Kjeld would welcome the opportunity to speak with someone who has personal experience among our enemies and has now agreed to assist us.”

“Besides,” added Rainbow Dash candidly, “it was Starlight’s idea to ask you to join our side, so if nothing else, you should go wherever she goes.”

“Then I guess that’s where I’m going next,” declared Thorax with a friendly smile. “Off to Lego City to find out what’s going on.”

“Well, what are we waitin’ for?” Applejack spoke up excitedly. “Let’s get a move on, y’all!”

“But first, I would recommend that we change back into our standard wardrobe before we depart,” stated Rarity. “Now that our presence among ninjas is at an end, it is no longer essential for us to look the part.”

Sunset smirked and rolled her eyes before she responded, “Fine, I’m sure we’ve got a few minutes to spare.”

Once all eight of the Equestria Girls had changed out of their ninja outfits and back into their regular clothes, everyone gathered on yet another floor of Borg Tower where the Jump-Gate for the Ninjago Region was located. The two teams took a few minutes to exchange various parting words and promises to each other before Sunset finally turned to the console beside the Jump-Gate and entered the coordinates provided on Celestia’s message. As usual, the Jump-Gate made a low whooshing noise for a few seconds before the gateway doors parted open, revealing a mostly empty hallway where Kjeld Playwell was already standing to greet them.

Sunset glanced back with a smile towards the Ninjago Ninjas and said, “Good luck protecting Ninjago City.”

“And good luck with whatever your next mission will be,” responded Lloyd with a smile of his own.

The two teams shared one last friendly look to each other before the Equestria Girls and their new friend Thorax walked through the open gateway. Once all nine of them had passed through, the doors automatically closed and the gateway vanished behind them.

“Welcome back to Lego City,” greeted Kjeld with a rather serious expression on his face and his hands clasped behind his back, “though I wish it did not have to be under such dire circumstances.” He then noticed Thorax among the group and added, “And I see you appear to have a new friend among you.”

“This is Thorax,” explained Sunset with a smile. “He’s grown weary of fighting for the Changeling army, so now he has agreed to help us stop their invasion.”

Thorax grinned awkwardly and slowly waved at Kjeld.

Kjeld stared firmly at Thorax for a moment, then stated, “If there is any team in this organization who has proven themselves capable of turning enemies into friends, it is you girls, so I will trust your decision to let this particular Changeling accompany you.”

“See, Thorax?” assured Starlight calmly as she gave a friendly smile to Thorax. “I told you that people on our side are willing to give you a chance.”

“If you truly are determined to assist us in our struggle against the Changeling forces, then it seems you may have to prove yourself very soon,” stated Kjeld in a serious tone.

“I-I’ll do the best that I can, sir,” responded Thorax with a bow of respect.

“Please, just call me Mr. Playwell, if you must be formal,” insisted Kjeld. “I may be the one in charge around here, but I have no desire to be worshiped like some royalty.”

Twilight stepped forward and spoke up, “Celestia’s message stated there’s something very urgent that you needed to personally inform us about.”

Kjeld nodded in acknowledgement and grimly responded, “It is a very dire matter, indeed. But before I can explain the situation, there is something that I must show you first.” He then turned away and began walking down the hallway. “Follow me, please.”

The rest of the group glanced at one another before they followed after Kjeld.

Kjeld led the group around a couple turns through the system of hallways, then pulled out his keycard and inserted it into a panel beside a set of elevator doors. The panel beeped as a green light blinked, then the elevator doors opened.

As everyone stepped inside the elevator, Rainbow Dash asked, “We’re still inside the LEGO Team Headquarters building, right?”

“One of the lower levels, yes,” confirmed Kjeld as he pressed the only button inside the elevator once everyone had stepped inside. “What I’m about to show you is so essential to everything we know and love that it must be kept hidden much deeper underground.”

Everyone inside the elevator remained silent as it carried them downward. After a few seconds, Fluttershy awkwardly asked, “Um… how much further down is it?”

“Far enough to maintain the highest security possible,” answered Kjeld cryptically.

After a few more seconds of tense silence, the elevator finally slowed to a stop and the door opened. Kjeld gestured for everyone to follow as he led the group down the dimly lit hallway. Finally, they arrived at a door that was locked by another security panel.

As Kjeld entered his keycard into the security panel, he stated, “What you are about to see is something that very few people in the Lego World are ever privileged to witness.” Once the door was unlocked, he opened it and led the group into the much more brightly lit room beyond it.

Thorax and the Equestria Girls followed Kjeld towards the edge of a balcony and were astonished as they gazed down at the enormous facility below. Practically as far as the eye could see, there were several massive machines that consisted of three parts. On top was some kind of furnace that then funneled something down through a series of pipes into the second part, where massive blocks of solid steel quickly slammed together, then pulled apart to release objects that tumbled down into huge trays that funneled the objects onto the third part, a series of conveyor belts that carried those objects away to somewhere beyond what could be seen.

Those objects were freshly molded Lego parts of all kinds of shapes and colors.

“I present to you our primary factory,” explained Kjeld. “As you can see, this is where we manufacture practically all of the Lego parts you can imagine. Everything from basic bricks to Technic connectors, transparent parts, plant elements, and even the parts that make up your own bodies.”

That last one caused everyone to glance down at themselves with mixed expressions of awkwardness and unease.

Kjeld continued, “The process begins with pellets of plastic that have been already dyed to a specific color. Those pellets are heated up until they melt, which is then extruded into the molds. Once the liquid plastic completely fills the void within the molds, it quickly cools enough to maintain its new shape, allowing the molds to separate and allow the newly made parts to be deposited onto the conveyor belts that carry them into the next room for quality control and additional processing.”

Kjeld turned to the left and walked along the balcony — prompting everyone to follow him — as he continued, “We also have additional wings where we manufacture special elements out of other materials such as rubber or textile, but by far the vast majority of what we produce is right here from these plastic molding machines. As I’m sure you can imagine, this process is absolutely vital to providing a constant supply of Lego elements to all regions of the world and every sector in the universe.”

“Which is why you have it located so deep underground,” noted Sunset. “To minimize the possibility of any outside threats that could disrupt the process.”

“Precisely,” confirmed Kjeld. As they began to approach another door, he continued, “But even more crucial to the whole process is the supply of raw material from which plastic as we know it is extracted. Can any of you tell me the specific type of plastic that the vast majority of Lego elements are made of?”

Everyone’s attention immediately turned to Twilight.

Twilight was momentarily stunned as she realized everyone was looking at her. “Oh! Uh…” she hesitated briefly before she adjusted her glasses and answered, “Most Lego elements are made of a terpolymer known as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, more commonly referred to as ABS plastic. Each ingredient involves various refining processes, but the vast majority is ultimately derived from crude petroleum, which is typically extracted from a reservoir deep underground.”

“Huh… Ah always wondered how the Octan fuel company became so powerful…” muttered Applejack.

Kjeld used his keycard once more to open the door and led the group into a conference room as he explained, “Under the typical circumstances one might expect, this would suggest that our key suppliers would be anywhere petroleum is extracted, and therefore imply that one could disrupt such a vital supply chain by simply cutting off access to these reservoirs. Others might even accuse us of permitting immense environmental damage as a result of extracting and refining so much petroleum in order to meet the massively constant demand for Lego elements.”

“The thought has crossed my mind,” Fluttershy quietly confessed as she shamefully glanced away.

Kjeld shut the door and walked over to a projector as he continued, “Fortunately for us, there is a very special alternative in our universe that conveniently bypasses both of those risks.” He then switched on the projector, which displayed on the screen at the opposite side of the room an image of what appeared to be a very dark planet surrounded by a dull yellow atmosphere.

“What is that?” asked Starlight.

“This is Planet Polymer,” presented Kjeld. “A rogue planet that was discovered many decades ago in the vast emptiness of intergalactic space. Its surface consists entirely of liquid hydrocarbons that extends downward for several hundred miles, with a toxic atmosphere completely devoid of any oxygen. Put simply, it is quite literally an ocean world of petroleum, with absolutely no living environment.”

“Wow,” remarked Pinkie with a smile. “That really is a convenient solution.”

“Too convenient, unfortunately,” continued Kjeld. “We have yet to discover any additional worlds quite like it, so for the time being, it is our only reliable source for all the raw material we need for ABS plastic.”

“Ah, yes,” acknowledged Rarity, “a single exclusive supplier presents a very high risk of having that supply being suddenly terminated by any sort of unforeseen circumstances.” She then muttered under her breath, “In my line of work, I am all too familiar with that sort of pesky disruption.”

“Indeed,” confirmed Kjeld. “To minimize that risk, not only is the location of Planet Polymer kept extremely top secret, but also the very notion that it even exists.”

“Which is why we’ve only just now found out about it,” grumbled Rainbow Dash as she rolled her eyes.

“And if that’s the case,” concluded Sunset, “then this urgent issue we were called here for must be because someone else has also just found out about it — someone with bad intentions regarding this knowledge.”

“You are correct,” confirmed Kjeld gravely. He let out a sad sigh before he continued, “I don’t know how, but Queen Chrysalis has learned of Planet Polymer and its highly classified location. Space patrols have already sighted her mothership with presumably a small army on its way towards that location. She is expected to arrive there in a matter of hours.”

“What kind of defenses do they have on Planet Polymer?” asked Starlight.

“None,” answered Kjeld with a sigh. “Its total secrecy was its key defense. For the sake of worker safety, all of the rigs and refineries floating on the surface are almost entirely automated. Anyone with a desire to disrupt the supply could simply land on those rigs and close the spigots without any resistance.”

“Yeah, that sounds like something Queen Chrysalis would do,” noted Thorax sadly. “She could practically hold the entire planet hostage to force everyone here to surrender.”

“My fears exactly,” confirmed Kjeld as he shut off the projector. He then took a deep breath and spoke up, “We must respond to this threat by immediately sending a team there to intercept and confront the Changeling forces before they have a chance to disrupt our supply.”

“Which team do you plan on sending?” asked Sunset. Before she could give Kjeld a chance to respond, her eyes widened as a rather unsettling realization dawned on her. “Wait… you want us to go there?!” she asked in disbelief.

“I understand why you wish to avoid any direct confrontation with the Changelings,” replied Kjeld firmly as he struggled to maintain his composure. “Unfortunately, the Changeling forces continue to pose a persistent threat to so many other places that literally every other team is currently too preoccupied to be sent on this emergency mission. If I attempted to pull out any one of them right now, I could be putting their lives at risk before they even had a chance to arrive here for the emergency briefing I just gave you.”

“So that’s it then,” concluded Sunset bitterly as she folded her arms. “We’re gonna put ourselves at risk of being captured by the Changelings for whatever reason why they’re after us, just because there’s absolutely no one else available to stand between them and the total surrender of the entire Lego universe.”

Twilight adjusted her glasses as she noted, “The only potentially good news as a result is that it probably won’t leave Queen Chrysalis with many spare troops to bring with her to Planet Polymer, so the invasion force could be quite minimal, especially when you consider the complete lack of any defenses they’ll be expecting.”

“Sounds like good odds to me!” declared Rainbow Dash with a grin as she stepped forward. “I’m in!”

“Ah don’t know ‘bout y’all, but Ah’m gettin’ tired of runnin’ an’ hidin’,” Applejack spoke up as she stepped forward to stand beside her friend. “Count me in, too!”

“I may not be eager for battle,” stated Rarity as she also stepped forward, “but I recognize the consequences of inaction on the matter, so I shall offer whatever support I possibly can.”

“They may have surprised us last time, but this time, we’ll get to surprise them!” quipped Pinkie Pie eagerly as she also stepped forward.

Fluttershy also stepped forward as she firmly noted, “If we lose Planet Polymer, we’ll be forced to go back to extracting petroleum from reservoirs under fragile ecosystems, and I refuse to sit back and allow that to happen.”

Starlight smiled as she placed her hands on her hips and remarked, “If everyone else is ready for battle, then I might as well join in the fun.” She then glanced over at the Changeling defector in the room and asked, “How about you, Thorax?”

Thorax hesitated as he glanced around at each of the eight girls, then uneasily replied, “Well… i-if the rest of you are s-sure about this… th-then I guess I’ll help out, like I promised.”

Sunset glanced around as everyone now looked to her for her decision. After a moment of silence, she lowered her arms as she let out a sigh of irritation and grumbled, “Fine, it’s not like we really have much of a choice anyway.”

“So be it,” declared Kjeld with a nod. “As I mentioned, Queen Chrysalis is expected to arrive there in only a matter of hours, so your only hope of getting to Planet Polymer first will be to use the Jump-Gate.”

“I should point out that there’s a list of certain destinations that are blacklisted from the Jump-Gate system,” Twilight spoke up. “Am I correct to assume that Planet Polymer would be on that list?”

“Without question,” confirmed Kjeld. “However, we must acknowledge that this is one of those rare moments when the best course of action would be to override the blacklist, especially since we have enough authorization within this group to permit that course of action.”

Twilight closed her eyes and sighed before she reluctantly conceded, “Hard to argue with that.”

Kjeld turned to the door out of the conference room and opened it, then turned back to the gathered team and added, “Before I let you depart, we shall first pick up a special delivery that has just arrived from Canterlot City. It consists of supplies that you shall find to be quite useful for your upcoming mission.”

The Equestria Girls glanced at one another with expressions of confusion and curiosity before they followed Kjeld out of the conference room.

As the group returned to the elevator, Starlight took one last glance over the edge of the balcony toward the massive plastic molding machines, the clanging noises of their presses ringing out like some sort of industrial orchestra. Being a pony from Equestria, it was already a significant culture shock to visit a universe where everything and everyone consisted of an assembled assortment of plastic parts. To witness the manufacturing process of those parts and find out about the source of the raw material was just mind boggling beyond all comprehension.

Once everyone was back inside the elevator and began their assent, Applejack asked, “Ya said these supplies we’re ‘bout to pick up were sent over from Canterlot City? Last Ah heard, that place was under heavy Changeling occupation.”

“Still is,” confirmed Kjeld. “I won’t lie to you girls, it is an absolute miracle that these supplies requested by Celestia were successfully delivered here. Thanks to the efforts of some of your friends and colleagues back home, you will be provided with things that are not only familiar to you, but also of admittedly higher quality than the best alternatives I could’ve offered on such short notice.”

“Sounds like I’ll need to throw a big thank you party for everyone involved in this special delivery,” remarked Pinkie cheerfully. “After this whole Changeling invasion crisis is over with, obviously.”

After the secured elevator returned up to the lower floor of the main headquarters building, the group walked down a hallway and took a more common elevator up to one of the upper floors. Once they arrived, Kjeld led the team down another hallway and opened the door to a storage room as he stated, “Here is what you will have to work with for your upcoming mission, as requested by Celestia.”

The team followed him into the storage room and immediately noticed an assortment of supplies spread out in the middle of that room. Among those supplies were a couple open crates, several full sacks, a single backpack, and a clothing rack from which hung eight spacesuits of various colors.

The spacesuits all consisted of some technical detailing on the front, a pair of air tanks over the back that attached around the neck joint, the symbols of their wearer’s respective Creative Marks printed on both shoulders, and a secondary color for a thick stripe around the knees, elbows, waist, and across the top of the helmet from front to back. Sunset’s spacesuit was amber with red stripes, Twilight’s was lavender with magenta stripes, Rainbow Dash’s was cyan with red stripes, Applejack’s was orange with green stripes, Fluttershy’s was yellow with pink stripes, Pinkie’s was pink with blue stripes, Rarity’s was white with violet stripes, and Starlight’s was lilac with aqua stripes.

“Ah, yes, the astronaut suits I had designed for all of us,” noted Rarity contently as she approached the clothing rack and browsed through the spacesuits. “These will most certainly prove essential for our excursion to a distant planet with an inhospitable atmosphere.”

Meanwhile, Starlight decided to look inside one of the sacks and saw it was filled with what appeared to be several 1x1 round tiles with detailing on the top surface that made them seem technologically advanced. “Wow. There sure are a lot of these… whatever they are,” she noted in confusion.

Rainbow Dash pulled one of those objects out from one of the other sacks and asked, “What are these supposed to be? High-tech hockey pucks?”

“Actually, that’s one of my more recent inventions,” Twilight proudly answered. “It’s a portable teleporter. Utilizing similar technology to both the teleporter pads and my Jump-Gate return device, these devices, upon activation, will instantly teleport whoever happens to be in contact with them to a specific anchor device that has been entered into the teleporter as its destination.”

“And I am pleased to inform you all that after some recent field trials by a few other teams, these devices absolutely work,” added Kjeld. “In addition, I’ve also arranged for a group of Martians to establish a large detention facility on their home planet, where one such anchor device has been installed and I have preset as the destination for all of these teleporters.”

“Sweet!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash excitedly as she quickly grabbed a handful of them.

Starlight held up one of those portable teleporters and stared at it from several angles before she asked, “How do we use them?”

“It’s actually quite simple,” explained Twilight as she grabbed another one of those portable teleporters along with some other device in the form of a printed 1x1 square tile. “All you have to do is use the scanner to link this remote activation device to one of the portable teleporters, then simply slap that teleporter onto a Changeling, hit the button on the remote, and off they go to be incarcerated on Mars as prisoners of war.”

“Makes sense to me!” Pinkie cheerfully remarked as she hefted one of those sacks over her shoulder.

“If you say so…” muttered Starlight as she dropped the portable teleporter in her hand back into the sack in front of her.

Applejack peered into one of the open crates, then frowned and furrowed her brow as she spoke up, “When ya said we were gettin’ some supplies to help us fight off a Changeling assault, Ah was kinda hopin’ that would include some decent weapons.” She reached into the crate and pulled out a hammer in one hand and a wrench in the other hand. “Ah don’t know ‘bout y’all, but Ah don’t see how any of this will do us any good against a bunch of laser blasters.”

“I’m afraid our armories are currently depleted as a result of all the other teams busy fighting off the Changeling forces,” explained Kjeld. “And it seems your friends back in Canterlot City didn’t have anything better to offer, so you’ll just have to make do with what’s available.” He then leaned close to Applejack and quietly suggested, “Even if it means salvaging whatever those Changelings might drop in the heat of battle.”

Applejack huffed and grumbled something under her breath as she began grabbing various tools out of the crate and carelessly tossed them aside.

Fluttershy yelped as she was forced to duck and dodge to avoid getting hit by all those tools flying by her.

“You don’t have to curse me out like that, Applejack,” Thorax spoke up in a flat tone. “I understand your frustration, but even if I knew that earlier, I still would’ve given up my blade anyway.”

Applejack froze for a moment, then with a guilty expression on her face, she turned to Thorax and asked, “Ya heard that?”

Thorax tapped the side of his helmet and replied, “These Changeling sensors are very perceptive.”

Applejack chuckled in embarrassment, then turned her attention to the tools inside the other open crate as she mumbled, “Ah’ll, uh… Ah’ll keep that in mind.”

Meanwhile, Sunset picked up the backpack and unzipped it. When she looked inside, she smiled and remarked, “At least one of us will be able to use an awesome weapon.” She then pulled out of the backpack a silver cylindrical object.

“My plasma blade!” Twilight spoke up excitedly. “Timber Spruce must’ve found it and knew I was going to need it.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow and asked, “What makes you so sure Timber’s the one who grabbed this thing?”

“He’s the only other person who I’ve given the access codes to my secret laboratory,” answered Twilight with a sheepish grin and a slight blush on her face.

Sunset smiled and rolled her eyes before she walked over to Twilight and handed over the plasma blade handle. When she then looked back into the backpack, her smile fell and she raised an eyebrow as she pulled out a similarly shaped object that was covered in gift wrap. “What’s this?” she asked in confusion.

Twilight perked up and eagerly answered, “Oh, that’s something I was planning to give you after you returned from your training in Ninjago City.” She rubbed the back of her head and glanced away as she awkwardly added, “Of course, we all remember why that day didn’t exactly go as we had hoped.”

“Obviously,” quipped Sunset with a smirk. She stared at the gift for a moment before she asked, “So, uh, do you mind if I open it now?”

“Oh! Sure! Go ahead!” replied Twilight with enthusiasm. “In fact, I think right now would be a perfect time for you to have it.”

Sunset wasted no time tearing away the gift wrap. Once her gift had been revealed, she gasped and her eyes widened. “No… way…” she spoke up as a huge grin widened across her face.

“That’s right!” Twilight proudly confirmed. “I finally finished making a second plasma blade, just for you!”

The rest of the group turned their attention to Sunset as she stared in awe at the seemingly identical silver cylindrical object in her hand.

“Go ahead! Try it out!” encouraged Twilight eagerly. “Just squeeze the handle and give it a little flick of the wrist.”

Sunset gripped the new plasma blade handle in her right hand, held it out, and did as Twilight told her to.

FWISH!

A bright beam of plasma quickly extended from the handle to a length of just over half a minifig’s height. Unlike Twilight’s plasma blade which glowed a lavender color, this second plasma blade glowed in a golden yellow color.

“Whoa…” muttered Thorax in awe with his jaw practically down on the floor.

Starlight couldn’t help but giggle at Thorax’s reaction and playfully remarked, “I guess some traits between alternate universes will always be the same.”

Sunset stared at her plasma blade for a moment, then gently waved it around so everyone could hear the low humming noise it made as it moved through the air.

Vrrr. Vrrr. Vrrr.

“Oh yeah,” said Sunset with a tone of eager satisfaction. “With this awesome weapon, any Changeling who tries to attack will soon find their limbs hacked off before they even knew what hit them.”

Starlight suddenly exclaimed in horror, “Whoa! Hey! Uh, don’t you think that might be a little extreme?”

“Relax, Starlight,” assured Sunset calmly as she deactivated her new plasma blade. “We’re all minifigs in this world, remember? We’re made of detachable parts, which means those parts can actually be replaced if anything ever gets lost or damaged.”

“It’s true,” Fluttershy spoke up with a nod. “Many large hospitals actually have an entire wing dedicated to limb replacement procedures.”

“Which Ah can confirm from experience,” added Applejack uncomfortably. “Once had a li’l accident where Ah rolled mah family’s tractor into a ditch and got mah legs crushed underneath. Had to have both of ‘em replaced after the emergency workers finally got me out from under there.”

Rainbow Dash scoffed before she smiled and bragged, “That’s nothing! I’ve gone through four right legs, three left legs, three right arms, two left arms, and a hip joint!”

Everyone immediately gave blank stares at the cyan athletic girl.

Rainbow didn’t lose her smile as she shrugged and quipped, “What can I say? I live life to the extreme.”

Applejack just slowly shook her head, then turned her attention back to the tools she had gathered as she mumbled, “Some things just ain’t worth competin’ over…”

Sunset kept her blank stare on Rainbow for a moment, then turned back to Starlight and assured her fellow Equestria native, “Look, the important thing is that minifig culture as a whole has accepted the occasional missing or damaged body parts as not much worse than a temporary inconvenience, so it’s not that bad of a loss if any part of your body needs to be replaced for whatever reason.”

“Except for your head,” added Twilight as if stating a common scientific fact. “That’s the one body part that cannot be replaced, as it’s the one piece where a minifig’s identity is generally centered upon.”

Starlight turned her gaze down to the floor as she sighed and muttered, “Moments like these make me wish I had stayed in Equestria…”

Kjeld cleared his throat and spoke up, “I must remind you all that time is of the essence. I strongly advise that you put on your spacesuits at once, gather whatever supplies you can carry with you, and meet me at the Jump-Gate as soon as possible.” Without waiting for a response, he immediately turned back to the doorway and walked out of the room.

“Well, you heard him,” said Sunset as she approached the clothing rack holding the spacesuits. “The sooner we get ready here, the more time we’ll have to prepare to defend that special planet once we’re actually there.”

Everyone silently agreed as they grabbed their respective spacesuits and began to prepare themselves for the battle that would soon be upon them.

Less than an hour later, the team was gathered in front of the Jump-Gate on the briefing floor of the LEGO Team Headquarters building. The eight Equestria Girls were now wearing their spacesuits and had one or two various tools attached to the sides of the air supply tanks on their backs. With the exception of Thorax — who remained insistent on being a pacifist — all of them were also carrying several portable teleporters within whatever pocket space they had to spare. And of course, Twilight and Sunset had their plasma blade handles within easy reach along their belts.

“Before you depart,” Kjeld spoke up, “there is one more thing I should warn you about. For the sake of structural integrity, there are very few Lego elements to be found on the rig and refinery that you’ll be defending, so you won’t be able to rely on your Master Builder talents to help you out.”

“As if this mission wasn’t already impossible enough,” grumbled Applejack.

“At least we’ll be able to use our magic this time,” pointed out Sunset. “Since we’re not disguised as ninjas and these spacesuits make it super obvious who we are—”

“It’s called coordination, darling,” retorted Rarity as she glared at the de facto leader of their team.

Sunset rolled her eyes and continued, “There’s no point in trying to hide what we’re capable of, so we might as well use whatever advantages we have available to us.”

“Just try not to cause too much collateral damage along the way,” cautioned Twilight. “As far as I understand, there’s a lot of complex machinery and pipes full of substances under high pressure. If we get too reckless with our magic, we could end up completely destroying the very infrastructure that we’re supposed to be protecting.”

“Speaking of which,” added Kjeld, “I would strongly recommend that all of you leave your helmets on at all times. The outside atmosphere is very toxic, and in the event of a sudden structural breach, it would be much easier if all you had to do in response is to flip down your visors.”

“Let’s just hope it never has to come to that…” muttered Starlight uneasily.

“I’m just not sure if the nine of us alone will be enough to defend an entire planet against a whole army,” Fluttershy hesitantly spoke up. “We can’t possibly cover every single rig all at once.”

“Queen Chrysalis likes to start with the big targets,” noted Thorax, “and since she won’t be expecting any resistance at all, she’ll probably try concentrating all of her forces on the one place that actually tries to put up a fight so she can get it out of the way as soon as possible. Not to mention she still wants to capture you girls in particular for whatever reason, which will only encourage her to send everything she has towards wherever she happens to find us. With all that in mind, our best hope for success would be to stay in one place and let them all come to us.”

“Your intel is much appreciated, Thorax,” stated Kjeld as he walked over to the control panel beside the Jump-Gate. “Therefore, the exact location I’ll be sending all of you to will be Rig R-One-Nine-Two, one of the largest and most up-to-date facilities on Planet Polymer. If there’s any structure on the planet that the Changelings are likely to target first, it will probably be that one.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” asked Rainbow Dash eagerly. “Open the gate so we can get ready for action!”

“Very well, then,” acknowledged Kjeld with a nod. “Twilight, Sunset, I shall need your assistance for this.”

The two girls both responded with a somber nod of acknowledgement before they stepped forward to stand beside their superior.

Kjeld entered the coordinates into the Jump-Gate's control panel. When he pressed the green activation button, a buzzer sounded and the panel’s display screen turned red. He then lead towards the panel and spoke, “This is Kjeld Playwell, and I wish to override the blacklist.”

The panel buzzed again as the display screen turned orange.

Twilight leaned towards the control panel and spoke, “This is Twilight Sparkle, and I wish to override the blacklist.”

The panel buzzed again as the display screen turned yellow.

Sunset leaned towards the control panel and spoke, “This is Sunset Shimmer, and I wish to override the blacklist.”

The panel buzzed once more as the display screen turned green. Only then did the Jump-Gate make its distinctive low whooshing noise for a few seconds before the gateway doors finally parted open. On the other side of the opened gateway was a dimly lit metal walkway with some large pipes visible both above and below the walkway.

Kjeld turned to the gathered team and spoke, “The potential outcome of our war against the Changelings now rests on your shoulders from this moment onwards. Best of luck to all of you.”

Sunset turned back to her friends and calmly stated, “Well, you heard him, girls. Let’s go save the Lego World.” She then turned her gaze forward and began walking through the open gateway.

Without another word, the teammates all shared assuring glances to one another before they followed Sunset through the gateway and into the strange industrial facility. Once all nine members of the team had passed through, the doors gently closed behind them, then faded out of existence, leaving behind the extension of the metal walkway they now stood upon.

An eerie calm settled over the team as they observed their new surroundings. All around them were walkways, stairways, ladders, pipes, cables, hatches, and other assorted industrial infrastructure, all of it made of various metals with not a single plastic element to be found. There was a gentle humming of machinery both above and below them, along with the faint sloshing of fluids flowing through the large pipes. Despite being breathable, the air had a certain stench that suggested a lot of burning and boiling of many substances took place within the enclosed spaces of this huge refinery. Some walls and a few hatches were labelled “R192” with off-white stenciled lettering.

“Better take it all in while we can,” stated Sunset. “This is practically forbidden territory for minifigures, and it’ll soon be up to us to defend it from evil.”

“Indeed, an experience like no other...” muttered Rarity with a tone of awe.

After a few more seconds of revered silence, Applejack spoke up, “Well, better get to it, y’all. Let’s scout the whole place while everythin’s all calm and peaceful.”

“This facility must be very massive,” noted Twilight as she continued to gaze around, “and there’s no telling how much time we have left before the invasion arrives.” She then turned her attention back to her friends and teammates. “I suggest we split up to cover more ground.”

Starlight raised an eyebrow and asked, “Are you sure that’s such a good idea?”

“We don’t all have to go our own separate ways,” retorted Rainbow Dash. “We can start with half of us going one way and the other half going the other way.”

“Yes, that’s a good place to start,” agreed Sunset as she turned to her team of friends. “I’ll take Twilight, Starlight, and Thorax with me up this corridor.” She gestured behind herself over her shoulder. “The rest of you can head down that way.” She pointed ahead along the walkway towards the direction they had been facing when they had arrived through the Jump-Gate.

“Fine by me,” agreed Applejack with a shrug. “Let’s get a move on.”

The two groups turned away from each other and began to explore in their separate directions.

Applejack’s group made their way down the walkway, which led down a stairway, along another walkway, down a second stairway, and along yet another walkway. It wasn’t long before they passed by a stenciled off-white label on the wall that said “EXTRACTION”. Beyond that, their surroundings began to consist of many more pipes, several of which were much larger than the ones they had seen before. They also began to faintly hear a new kind of noise that could be best described as something like a water pump or a power generator.

At the back of the group, Pinkie Pie stopped when she noticed a red button on a wall panel of black and yellow diagonal stripes with a label that said, “DO NOT PRESS — EMERGENCY ONLY”.

Naturally, Pinkie blissfully asked, “Ooh, what does this do?” She reached her pink gloved hand out towards the button, only for a white gloved hand to suddenly slap it aside.

“Honestly, Pinkie,” scolded Rarity, “when a button is labelled, ‘Do not press’, it does not mean, ‘press right away’!”

Pinkie responded with a guilty grin and an awkward giggle.

A short distance further down the walkway, Fluttershy glanced nervously all around her as she continued walking slowly forward. A sudden hiss of steam venting from somewhere close by caused her to stop and yelp in terror. Once the noise faded and she had a moment to calm herself back down, she shuddered and fearfully mumbled, “We really shouldn’t be here…”

“Not that we have much choice,” Rainbow Dash grimly stated as she carefully peered around every corner she approached. “The battlefield has been chosen, and the enemy is closing in. It’s time to work with whatever we’ve got and hope we come out on top.”

Fluttershy sighed sadly and muttered under her breath, “The burden of being a hero…”

Meanwhile, Sunset’s group had climbed their way up one stairway and continued along another walkway until they passed by a stenciled off-white label on the wall that said “REFINERY”. As they continued ahead, the walkway began to cross over some large vats below, along with some cable lines and conveyor belts that slowly moved tools and materials around in a manner that would look confusing to anyone unfamiliar with the processes — which was all four members of the group.

It wasn’t long before they reached a walkway that ran along the upper part of a wall. After some distance, they passed by a large glass window to the outside, and while Sunset, Twilight, and Thorax continued on to focus on their scouting task, Starlight decided to stop and stare out at a truly alien landscape.

The sky above was a dull yellow color and appeared to be very hazy. Several hundred feet below from where Starlight stood was the surface of an endless sea of black liquid that seemed to be constantly bubbling all over the place. As far as the eye could see, there were no other features to be found beyond the massive rig that sat upon several huge concrete pillars that extended down into the practically bottomless black fluid that stretched out all the way to the horizon and beyond.

Sunset walked back to stand beside Starlight and gazed out the same window as she solemnly remarked, “Hard to believe this is what we consider the stuff of life, isn’t it?”

“More like a sea of death, if you ask me,” muttered Starlight in disbelief.

Sunset smirked and remarked, “I’m sure a lot of people might think the same if they ever saw a place like this.”

Starlight took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. She then turned to Sunset with a distant gaze and asked, “How do you do it, Sunset? How do you… seem so at peace with all the strange things of this universe that would freak out any pony who grew up in Equestria?”

Sunset pondered that question as she continued to gaze out into the endless petroleum ocean of Planet Polymer. Eventually, with a rather neutral expression on her face, she cryptically replied, “Let’s just say… an outside perspective has a way of helping you better appreciate all the things that contribute to the kind of everyday life that you’re familiar with. And I mean… way outside…”

Starlight stared at Sunset for a moment and prepared to ask another question, but was interrupted by a voice speaking up through the radio communicators built into their space helmets.

“Heads up, y’all!” alerted Applejack urgently. “Looks like the Changelings are on their way down!”

Applejack and Rarity were gazing worriedly out through another window as they watched several Changeling dropships descend down onto the landing pads that surrounded the massive floating rig.

At the same time, Sunset and Starlight glanced around out through the window and soon began to see those descending dropships as well. The two Equestria natives then turned to each other and they both shared a nod of determination.

Sunset switched on her radio communicator and firmly announced, “This is it, team! It’s our time down here!”

The wait was over. There was no more time left to make their plans. The time for battle was now upon them.

Author's Note

My minimum goal for 2024 was to get at least one more chapter published, and it seems I have accomplished that with literally only hours to spare. I can only hope that everyone who has previously been following my stories are still around to enjoy seeing it continue ever so slowly. Anyway, now that I've completed the Ninjago portion of this story and moved on to the next act, it's finally here. The one major aspect of this Lego universe I have been planning to introduce ever since I was writing the fourth story back in 2017, and I can finally stop being secretive about it for the sake of spoilers. Yes, it's all about how all those Lego parts are created and where all that plastic comes from, and the entirety of this particular concept was from my own imagination. I've been highly anticipating this big reveal, and now I can only hope that that it is received well by everyone who has been reading my stories for however long you've been around to enjoy them thus far. As for the next update, it'll be one of the Side Stories, focusing on how all those supplies were gathered in Canterlot City and delivered to help the Equestria Girls for the battle that'll take place in the upcoming chapter.