The Consequences of Being a Hero

[Scott's Residence; 26 days till the Summer Sun Celebration]

Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo walk up to Scott's hut, noticing a couple patchy spots in the ground like something small was buried, as well as a familiar Sotoraggian that made the pegasus' blood boil, but it was satisfying to see the hitman now trapped in what looked like hardened mud. "Serves you right, jerk, enjoy your muddied soak," Dash knocked on the door, giving a serious stink eye to the trapped Sotoraggian. "Hey human, are you home?! It's me, Rainbow Dash! I heard about what happened in town, nice job giving this alien freak what for! Mind if we come in?" Dash called out.

There wasn't a response, but there was an audible shuffling sound coming from inside the building. Dash and Scootaloo look into the window, noticing what looked like Scott moving towards the front door. The door opens up, revealing an exhausted and emotionally drained Scott Baristo. Scott yawned, feeling as if he hadn't slept at all last night. "What time is it?" Scott tiredly asked.

Dash backed up, and saw how the Sotoraggian was still trying to break free. "Uh... it's fifteen minutes till ten, why?" Dash asked.

Scott grumbled and walked out of the hut. "You two, you're free to help yourself to whatever you want to eat, unless it's the meat, then don't touch that. I'll be back in a minute, just need to do something real quick." Scott stated, walking away from the two pegasi as he made his way down the path.

The pegasi looked at each other, and slowly followed the human shapeshifter from behind. As Scott walked to the river, he came to a stop, and activated the Altnetrix. Scott dialed in the alien he needed, and pressed the core down. In a flash of turquoise light, Scott was transformed into Smudge. The Lenopan morphed his hands into buckets, collecting more water from the river as he went back to the hut. Scott went to where he planted the deku seeds, and watered them carefully, all while he sneered at the struggling Sotoraggian.

As the buckets emptied out the last remaining droplets of water, Smudge morphed his hands back to normal, and soon enough, the sound of wings flapping could be heard getting closer. Private Zapp, along with a couple other guards, had now come to see the human, who didn't seem to be in the best mood. The Altnetrix started beeping, and in a flash of light, Scott was returned to his normal form as he dusted himself off. "Cadet. I'm gonna assume that you're here for this?" Scott asked, gesturing to Seventy-Four as he squirmed to escape his muddied binds.

Zapp nodded his head, though seemed a bit fidgety. "Y-Yes, uh... we're going to escort him to the Canterlot Dungeon, where this b-beast will rot in a cell... for the rest of his days." Zapp stated, stuttering a bit.

Scott noticed the unconvinced look in the bat pony's eyes, as well as a shine of blue in his sclera. Scott seemed hesitant, at first, but simply shrugged his shoulders, then decided to grab his bat, and swung at the dried mud. With every swing, the mud started to crack and chip away by the chunk, all while Scott let his mind wander as he tried to free the Sotoraggian from his overnight captivity.

Scott raised the bat over his head, and with one more swing, the mud cracked and finally opened up, like some kind of fossilized cocoon. The Sotoraggian tried to stand up, only to immediately fall over, struggling to crawl away. "Guess the blood stopped rushing to his legs after a night of sleep sitting, but I actually wanted to propose a suggestion, one that'll benefit us greatly," Zapp seemed concerned, but the other guards, as well as Dash and Scootaloo, were curious as to what the human had in mind. "After what happened yesterday, I haven't got much sleep... I say, before we lock him up, let's interrogate him. He may have information on his employer, and I need that information now more than ever. Equestria needs this information just as much as I do, as well, so it's very mutual for us to work together on this, is it not?" Scott suggested.

Zapp seemed apprehensive at the idea, something that Scott couldn't ignore, but did take his reaction into consideration. The other guards and Rainbow, on the other hand, were actually pretty eager to go along with this plan. "Makes a lot of sense, now that I think about it. By getting info out of them, we'll know what kind of shady space monsters to be aware of, no offense." One of the guards stated.

Scott simply shrugged his shoulders. "None taken." Scott assured.

Zapp frowned. "Maybe instead of that, we should just lock them up, on the off-chance they don't comply. Besides, the guards are currently collecting whatever remnants of its gear is still lying around in Ponyville, and have made sure to keep any fool-minded individuals from taking anything especially dangerous. They're no longer a threat, we should just put them behind bars, and that's that." Zapp argued.

Scott, along with the other ponies, were confused by Zapp's responses, but Scott simply brushed them off. "Even so, this information could provide us with an advantage. Hear me out, if I can figure out how to work its technology and find its ship, we could advance numerous corners of Canterlot and Ponyville by a few tech levels. From what I've observed, your planet's tech level is one," Scott walked over and grabbed the Sotoraggian's arms, putting them behind its back as he kept it pinned down. "With the help of Sotoraggian technology, we could bump up your planet's tech level to three, maybe even four or five, if we're lucky! I'd have to run this by the princesses, first, and explain how important a planet's tech level is, but Equestria's citizens wouldn't have to worry about hiding from alien life anymore, or fearing that the next attack is their last, because by advancing and learning to understand the unknown, you can better yourself, better equip yourself for the threats coming ahead," Scott pulled the Sotoraggian aside and held them to the ground. "I'm not sure if it's possible right now, but maybe with enough time, patience, effort, and alien technology, we could establish Equestria's first ever Plumber base, and better prepare ourselves for higher-ranked threats!" Scott explained.

The ponies, except for Zapp, seemed rather interested in the idea, even if it was rather ambitious. "Well, let's take this one step at a time, Scott. First, we need to get information out of this alien dirt bag. Has he been talking at all?" Dash asked.

Scott shook his head. "He's gone back to speaking his native language, can't understand a word he's saying. If I were a betting man, and thank Celestia I'm not, his helmet probably had a built-in translator. It would explain how I was able to understand him, but even then, letting him have a piece of his tech back could result in trouble," Scott took a minute to think, all while the Sotoraggian tried to break out of Scott's hold. Seventy-Four was irritated, spouting more sounds out that no one could translate. Scott sighed and pinched a spot on the Sotoraggian's neck, causing them to go stiff, and then slump to the ground, surprising the ponies. "Nerve clusters. Irritate one enough, and it's nature's snooze button, for most species, anyway. Look, how's about we take a moment to let the guards take this moron to a holding cell, and when they're ready for us, all set up back in Canterlot, we can head on over and slap his helmet on him, then finally get some answers. In the mean time, I've been meaning to get a proper tour of Ponyville. I could use a couple easy hours before we interrogate him, gives me time to process things and have a clearer train of thought." Scott explained.

The guards nodded, hoisting the unconscious alien onto their backs as they fly towards Canterlot Castle. Zapp, however, didn't go with them, which raised a bit of suspicion in Rainbow Dash. Dash nudged the bat pony, only to earn a look of confusion. "Hey, aren't you gonna go back with them or something, it's your job, isn't it?" Dash asked.

Zapp seemed confused, but almost immediately seemed to recognize what Dash was talking about, only to shake his head urgently. "N-No! No, there's no need for that. If a-anything, I could use a day off myself... it's exhausting when these monsters cause t-trouble for everypony, so I could use a day to relax, recharge my batteries, as it were." Zapp nervously responded.

Dash tilted her head, seeming confused by how Zapp was reacting, but she eventually backed off, watching as Scott jogs down the path. "Come on, slowpokes, we're wasting the morning rays just standing around!" Scott called out.

Dash rolled her eyes, smirking as she flew after Scott. Scootaloo followed after her, all while Zapp trailed behind them, letting his eyes close, only to reveal bright blue orbs in their places, only to blink his eyes a few times, letting them return to normal as he tries to catch up to them.

[Ponyville]

The four of them walked around the streets of Ponyville, with Dash waving at the numerous citizens. Zapp, on the other hand, had his head hung low. Scott looked over to the last place he saw Seventy-Four during their fight in Ponyville, noticing several royal guards carting off every piece of what remained of the Sotoraggian's armor. Scott looked around Ponyville, and took some obvious notice that the stuff that was broken was somehow magically repaired, like the fight never happened. "Wow, clean up crew works fast, if only it was this proficient back home." Scott commented.

Dash snickered. "If you're impressed by that, then you're gonna get a kick out of seeing what we Pegasi do for a living," Dash flew ahead and up to a cloud. Scott looked up in confusion, only to see Dash slam her back legs into the cloud, causing it to suddenly disappear, practically exploding into nothingness upon impact. Scott was a bit confused, but he had to admit, he was a bit impressed. Dash flew back down and smirked. "We Pegasi have a natural ability of controlling and manipulating the weather. Flying is something we already could do biologically, but it's honestly pretty cool to be apart of weather control. Doesn't mean I plan to give up my dreams of joining the Wonderbolts, though." Dash explained, bumping hooves with the enthusiastic Scootaloo.

Zapp rolled his eyes, sneering a bit. "Like how you gave up on joining the royal guard, miss Dash?" Zapp questioned sarcastically.

Dash whipped her head around, glaring at the bat pony, who simply flashed his fangs as he smirked. Scott cleared his throat, getting both of the grown ponies' attention. "Let's not get at each other's throats so early, alright? It's not healthy to be this irritated at such early hours in the day," Scott looked around and notices a small sixties-themed diner on one of the street corners. "Tell ya what, I haven't had a proper breakfast yet, and I don't know how dishes in your world taste, so let's get some grub before we do something dangerous. Shall we?" Scott suggested.

As the human walked over to the diner, Dash and Zapp simply looked at each other, giving each other one last glare, then following Scott's lead, all while Scootaloo raced ahead of them both. "Wait for me, all I had was an apple!!" Scootaloo yelled out.

[Canterlot Dungeon]

Seventy-Four slowly started to come to, only to find himself in a dark, dim and unbearably cold room made of stone and metal. The Sotoraggian tried to get up and escape, only to find that he was chained to the ground by his ankles and legs, and his arms were chained behind his back. Seventy-Four called out in his unintelligible language, but it seemed like no one could hear him... or gave his garbled nonsense any attention.

Seventy-Four tried to break free of his binds, but clearly didn't have enough strength to do so. The Sotoraggian slumped down to the ground, deciding to try and conserve his strength for when he'd need it.

[Ponyville]

Scott and the three other ponies walked inside, met by a couple mares passing by in frilly shirts and skirts, with roller skates on their back hooves. Scott looked around, noticing how the interior of the place looked very in-tune with the nineteen-sixties aesthetic. It was certainly appealing to the eyes, had it not been for the talking pastel ponies that were now cautiously looking at him, Scott would've assumed he got flung backwards in time. "Well, this is an interesting joint, what's this place called?" Scott asked.

Dash stepped forward. "Relax, everypony, this guy's the same guy who stopped the dragon, as well as that weird alien in armor! He's a trusted friend and guest of the princesses." Dash reassured.

The ponies slowly returned to their usual business, all while the four of them moved to the counter to order. The mare behind the counter only looked at Scott for a couple moments, then immediately got ready to resume her job without a care in the world, letting her unicorn horn light up with a magenta aura. "Welcome to The Doo-Wop Stop Diner, where our food's so good, it'll be like you're back in the past. Can I take your order?" the mare asked, sounding completely disinterested.

Scott looked over the menu that hung from the ceiling, and Scott really didn't know what to try first. The human shrugged his shoulders. "It's my first time here, do you recommend anything?" Scott asked.

The mare's eye twitched as a scowl formed on her face, but that soon faltered when she pointed to what looked like a deep fried rectangular dessert item with a gooey rainbow-colored filling. "I recommend the Zap Apple Pie, it's... I can't believe I have to say this," Scott raised an eyebrow for a moment, then saw the mare force herself to smile. "It's shockingly delicious!" The mare said through gritted teeth.

Scott shuddered and sighed. "It's times like this where I'm glad I didn't get a part-time job for fast food," the mare's forced smile soon faded away, letting the mare return to her normal and rather sour mood. "I guess I'll try a Zap Apple Pie, then. May I get a chocolate shake with that, too, please? I'll take a small." Scott asked.

The mare shrugged and typed away on the old-fashioned register that sat in front of her. "Are you three with him, or is it separate?" the mare asked.

Dash smiled and stepped forward. "We're with him, but I'll pay for all of us. I'll take an order of horseshoe fries, medium, a double hayburger with extra lettuce, and an ice water," the mare typed away at the register, all while Dash helped Scootaloo get a view of the menu. "What do you want, kid, what looks good?" Dash asked.

Scootaloo smiled. "I'll have what Dash is having, just subtract the lettuce from my hayburger, and load it with ketchup. I'll also take some nuggets, too, please." Scootaloo ordered.

The mare looked up at the menu, seeing the nuggets she was referring to, seeming genuinely confused. "A pony, much less a kid... wanting a meat-based product... this day just keeps getting better and better. Sure kid, why not, we're not liable if you get sick," the mare typed away at the register, and finally set her sights on Zapp, who seemed to be staring at her intently. "What about you, guardsman? What's your order?" the mare asked.

Zapp didn't seem to respond, but Scott could tell just by looking at him, that he was getting twitchy. He was constantly adjusting his wings, he was a bit stiff with his movements, but he could tell the bat pony was obviously struggling to keep his nerves steady. Scott groaned and stepped in front of Zapp. "He'll have tea and anything with fruit, if you don't mind." Scott ordered.

The mare shrugged her shoulders and typed away at the register one more time, and finally saw the total for the meal. "That'll be 1,200 bits, plus tax." The mare stated.

Dash winced at the mention of the number, but ended up fishing out a small leather satchel, pulling out a few large golden coins as she handed them to the mare behind the counter. Scott was rather surprised, he wasn't familiar with this world's currency yet, but if currency was in gold, Scott was a bit worrisome for how he'd provide for himself once the food back at the hut finally runs out.

The mare tosses the bits into the register drawer, and takes a long slip of paper to the kitchen, disappearing behind a bright neon pink door as steam escapes. Scott notices an empty booth near the windows, and leads the others over to it. "Well, that went alright. Can't say I blame that mare for not smiling, sometimes working sucks, especially if you had something important to do that day," Scott looked over at Zapp, who was hanging his head low, bearing his fangs in a defensive manner. "Hey, relax a bit, sometimes it's difficult for people like us to drop the guard/plumber/law enforcer routine and relax. The day I finally stopped thinking that my job was all that mattered, it was the day I ended up here! That was a month ago, for Pete's sake." Scott explained, trying to reassure the guard.

The four of them sat down on the cushioned seat, waiting patiently for their food to be ready. "And now, we play the waiting game." Dash remarked.

Scootaloo rubbed her stomach and sighed. "That's the worst part, just having to wait when we're already hungry! I knew I should've tried to sneak a cookie from home." Scootaloo bemoaned, feeling her stomach growl.

Scott smiled. "It's not all bad, kid. Sometimes the wait is worth it, just means the food's gonna taste even better, right Zapp?" Scott turned towards where the bat pony was sitting. Heavy emphasis on was, because he was no longer there anymore, like he vanished into thin air. Scott looked around, but saw no sign of the bat pony. "Zapp? Private, where'd ya go?" Scott called out.

Dash felt her suspicion start to rise, as Scott's suspicion rose higher. Something was clearly not right, and something had to be done. Before they could do something, their food was brought out by the same mare, who clearly seemed irritated. She set the food down with a light slam, startling the three a bit, all while she turned around to go back to the kitchen. "Enjoy your slop, I don't get paid enough for this. Have a dandy-ass day!" the mare called out, clearly dealing with aggravation of some kind as she trotted away.

Dash scoffed and started to dig into her burger. "Guess that pony's having a bad day. Maybe you were right about one thing, Scott," Dash took a bite from her burger, all while Scott took a sip from his shake, slightly off-put by the mild bitterness to it, but otherwise, it wasn't that bad. Scott broke open his Zap Apple Pie, seeing white apple chunks drenched in a cinnamon-scented rainbow filling. Scott wasted no time in scarfing the treat down, and while it did taste a little off, it was definitely good. "Think soldier-colt will mind if I take his food? I doubt he'll miss it." Dash commented, reaching over to swipe his meal.

Scott sighed. "Zapp's been acting a bit off, as of late. Ever since the last Blood Moon, it's like nothing's been the same. He's a nice guy, I can tell just looking at him, but I never suspected that a rookie would be so apprehensive about upholding justice." Scott remarked.

Dash looked confused, swallowing down another bite from her burger. "Didn't you refer to him as a Cadet back at the hut?" Dash asked.

Scott nodded his head. "Yeah, because I wanted to know if he'd correct me. It's how I can tell if someone's hiding something, besides how shifty and inattentive he's been lately. If he's still a rookie, why'd he not correct me when I referred to him incorrectly? Why has he been acting so strange?" Scott questioned.

Dash took a moment to think about it for a moment, but as she did, the sound of screaming and terror sounded out from the outside of the diner. Scott sighed, chugging down his shake as he runs out of the diner, already reaching for the Altnetrix.

Dash sighed, getting up from her seat. "Scootaloo, stay here, I don't want you getting hurt. If the ground starts shaking, hide under the table and tuck in your head." Dash cautioned, bolting out of the diner.

Scootaloo looked out the window, wondering what kind of fight was about to go down this time. Scootaloo smiled widely as she pressed her face against the glass. "Go get 'em, Dashie!" Scootaloo cheered.

Scott and Rainbow Dash navigated through the panicking ponies, only to then finally realize why they were freaking out in the first place. Up ahead was a large black stallion-shaped creature, one that had a large stinger in place of a tail, and a singular hercules beetle like protrusion coming out of its forehead. The creature was towering over a red and black mare, who now seemed more lifeless, gray and black, now that a bit of red was now dripping from the stallion's muzzle, all while it showed off its big blue compacted eyes. It hissed and readied itself for a fight.

Dash and Scott were terrified, but above all else, they were beyond angry. "Changeling." The two muttered in unison.

Scott activated the Altnetrix and pushed the core down, not bothering to look at what alien he had picked. As Scott is enveloped in a turquoise light, Scott was then transformed into his Synthroid form. "As much as I find it worrisome to rely on Protectron, this is the one exception I'm willing to make." The Synthroid stated, glaring at the changeling as it lets electricity build up in its palms.

Dash flared her wings and sneered at the changeling. It hissed out and tried to fly away, only for a bolt of electricity to tear right through its wings, creating various holes that caused the bug to crash back to the ground. The changeling charged at the two heroes, and in a quick step, they leapt to the side, letting the changeling rush past them, only for Dash to fly towards it and yank it into the air by grabbing its stinger with her teeth.

Dash was about to slam the changeling to the ground, until the changeling managed to get itself free, then jabbed Dash's left wing with said stinger, causing the pegasus to cry out and fall head first onto a cart full of fruit. Protectron readied itself as it ran towards the changeling, only for the changeling to start running away. The Changeling enveloped itself in a burst of green flames, only to then disguise itself as a Synthroid, only it was now colored white and yellow.

The two synthroids started to duke it out, throwing punches at each other as they tried to find an opening. Protectron decided to charge his fist with electricity, and managed to land a right hook into the fake synthroid's face, which then managed to cause the faker to shift into its normal insectoid form. The changeling's wings were still too damaged for take off, so out of instinct, it fired a beam of magic at the hero, causing the beam to collide with the Altnetrix. A brief mix of turquoise and teal lights shined through, showing that Protectron was unharmed, as was the Altnetrix, though it did seem to be reacting in a way to the attack.

The changeling hissed at the mechanical superhero, and used a teleportation spell to get away, vanishing in a flash of teal light. Protectron seemed irritated, though it didn't seem to convey emotions all that well. It felt irritated, but at the same time, he just backed off.

The synthroid walked towards the cart that Dash was still in, pulling the pony out and shaking the fruit mush off of her body. "Thanks for the clean-up, but that faust damn bug still got away! That's the first pony casualty via Changeling attack we've had in the last few months, and they chose now of all times to attack?! The aliens are already enough to deal with!" Dash suddenly realized what she said and smiled nervously at the synthroid standing next to her. "Uh... sorry, Scott, no offense." Dash apologized.

The Altnetrix started to beep, and in a flash of white light, Scott was turned back into his normal self. "Again, none taken. I'm just as pissed as you, knowing that bug got away, where was Zapp when you needed an extra hoof!" Scott remarked.

As if Scott spoke of the devil, Zapp came flying down, stumbling as he landed, noticing the aftermath of the fight. "What happened?! I heard screaming, and then everything got quiet!" Zapp soon noticed that Scott and Dash were looking at him, both seeming equally pissed at the bat pony. "What?" Zapp asked.

Scott stepped forward. "Private, where the hell have you been! One of those changelings showed up and got somepony killed, and we had to handle it ourselves! The damn thing got away from us, we could've used an extra hoof if you didn't suddenly vanish!" Scott remarked, seeming rather disappointed.

The bat pony lowered its ears and seemed embarrassed. "I was just trying to find a couple guards, we do need an update on that alien's condition, after all. With its tech in our possession, we could easily get it to talk, in return for its limited freedom. I didn't think a changeling would attack again so soon, though, I would've stayed to fight had I known." Zapp explained.

Dash groaned and got up in Zapp's face. "You shouldn't've bailed on us, anyway, bat boy! That changeling was freaking huge, like it had some meat on its bones! It's a miracle it could even fly with those wings at all! We narrowly got lucky to keep it on the ground, but it teleported away, we don't know where it went," Zapp sank into his armor, but he clearly did not appreciate being talked to like this. "Now that thing's got its fill, and got somepony killed! If that thing had managed to beat us both, everypony else would be put at risk! Scootaloo would've been put at risk, for crying out loud! Get your head out of the fruit bowl, batty, and focus on doing your job!!" Dash reprimanded.

Zapp and Dash glared at each other, flaring their wings as they readied themselves to fight, but not until Scott got between them, holding them back. "Hey, hey!! Break it up, both of you! Fighting each other isn't going to bring that bug back, and it's not going to help that poor pony, so stop it! You're both making a scene!!" Scott exclaimed in a commanding tone.

Zapp swatted Scott's hand away, letting his hoof scrape against the Altnetrix. Zapp then started to fly away. "I won't forget this! Take care of the alien issue yourself, I have other jobs to do, anyway!" Zapp shouted out, taking to the skies.

Scott frowned, all while Dash was clearly irate. "I hope you clip your wings on the way back to Canterlot, you vampire wannabe!" Dash turned her head towards the diner, seeing Scootaloo run towards her. "Come on, kid, we're going to get you home. If Canterlot still has that alien freak in a holding cell, or managed to keep it in a holding cell, I wanna make sure I get there before that fang-faced screw up. But I need to get you home, first." Dash stated, lifting the orange filly onto her back.

Scott groaned. "Dash, we could just leave now, take Scootaloo with us. I'm sure she'll be safe around tons of guards, and with us nearby, nothing could possibly happen," Dash didn't say a word, and just flew off further into town. Scott looked around, noticing the ponies staring at him with a mix of concern and confusion. Scott took a deep breath and sighed. "Don't worry, everypony, the changeling is gone... someone ended up dead, but I promise you... this won't happen again. Please, carry on with your day as usual, let me and the guards take care of cleaning up this mess." Scott tried to reassure the crowd.

With a few moments of hesitation, the ponies did eventually go back to business as usual, all while he and a couple guards stationed in Ponyville examined the body. Obvious signs of fang marks, the body looks not just physically drained, but the body looked so emotionless in death, like every last emotion was sucked out of the poor mare.

The mare looked just like how his parents did that night, and while it made his blood boil, he could feel the dam starting to give way, wiping his eyes as a couple stray tears start to form. Scott gritted his teeth and started to back away. "Sorry fellas, but I can't stand to look at this... I'm... I-I'm going to head back to my hut, to prepare for the trip back to Canterlot." Scott stated, running towards the whitetail woods.

Scott could feel the bile rising up in his throat, but he just tried to keep it down. He felt strange, like some kind of toxic feeling was pulsing throughout his body. He didn't know what was wrong with him at that moment, he just ran back to his hut, trying to keep his composure as he passed various ponies by.

[Scootaloo's Home]

Dash landed down in front of a two-story house, and knocked on the door, waiting for the filly's aunts to answer. Scootaloo fidgeted in place, all while Dash was trying to get her to calm down. "Try to relax a little, kid. I know things got a bit chaotic back at the diner, but you're safe, now. I'll try to explain it all to you when you're older, and don't go tellin' your aunts about the changeling. They already worry about you plenty, don't start giving them heart attacks." Dash reassured.

Scootaloo looked away, noticing a couple bat pony guards patrolling the streets. Scootaloo sighed and looked back at Dash. "Did you mean all those things you said to that guard, Dash?" Scootaloo asked.

Dash tensed up, and sighed. "Look Scoot, I was worried about how the situation could've went. A mare... well, they're not gonna get back up after what that bug did to them. I don't think I'd be able to reign myself in if those things got hold of you, I know I couldn't... that guard who was with us, he shouldn't've bailed on us in the first place. If your friends are in trouble, you do what you can to get them out of it. It's all about loyalty, kid, remember that." Dash attempted to explain.

Scootaloo sighed and hopped off of Dash's back as the front door opened up. In front of Dash were two mares that seemed rather relieved to know Scootaloo came home. One mare was rather plump, dressed in a light blue sweater, had a pale light grayish olive colored coat, scarlet eyes, and a messy, yet properly cared for scarlet and tangelo mane and tail, and a cutie mark consisting of a sail boat on a small body of water, with the sun shining above it. The other mare was rather thin, but was clearly taking care of herself. She was dressed in a light lavender sweater, had a very pale yellow coat with pale light grayish persian blue eyes, and an arctic cyan colored mane and tail. Her cutie mark consisted of a sewing needle, and a small roll of light blue sewing thread.

The two mares smiled and hugged the filly, all while Dash slowly snuck away, taking to the skies as soon as she could. Usually she'd stay behind, thank the kid's aunts for letting her spend time with the kid, reschedule for another potential sitting, but Dash wanted to make sure things were safe. Dash quickly flew over to the whitetail woods, hoping the human was having any better chances of figuring this out.

[Scott's Residence]

Scott was rummaging through his belongings, finally managing to grab the Hylian mask. He clipped the mask to the side of his pants on one of the belt notches, and looked over at a camera-like device. Scott grabbed it and hooked it to the other side of his pants, but starts to feel sick to his stomach again. He tries to shake off this feeling and continue preparing himself for the trip to Canterlot, but then he suddenly hears a large set of footsteps coming towards his home.

Scott ducks down under the window, grabbing his bat as he readied himself for another fight. 'Great, just what I need right now, another attacker! That damn bug probably recognized me!' Scott thought, bracing himself for what was to come. Scott stayed out of sight for a moment, listening closely to how huge this new attacker could be. Scott had a lot on his plate already, and this was something he didn't want to deal with right now, but the problem's literally outside of his hut, he'll be trapped if he doesn't try to make a move.

Scott thought about his situation for a moment, then finally came to a decision. He didn't like his decision, but it was better than letting ponies succumb to another dangerous threat. Scott got up and threw the door open, readying his bat, but soon came across a familiar silhouette, one that was lacking a hand of any kind. The figure stepped back, revealing themselves to be Technorg. "Greetings, Scott Baristo, it's been a bit since we last met. I believe we have something important to discuss." Technorg greeted the human.

Scott felt his panicking begin to lessen, but he was still a bit off-put by the sudden visit. he wasn't even sure how Technorg found him, but at least he knew the Detrovite was in good spirits. "Technorg, I wasn't aware that you were in the area. Not that it isn't nice to see you, because it is, I'm just a bit busy at the moment. Important plumber business, and such, gotta head back to Canterlot to interrogate that Sotoraggian jerk wad." Scott explained, dusting himself off as he lowered his weapon.

Scott tried to walk past the Detrovite, only to be stopped by his huge arm blocking the way. "So, you encountered the Sotoraggian already, and had him detained as well. You're starting to get on top of things by the sounds of it. But, I assume you know why he's here then, correct?" Technorg asked.

Scott nodded his head. "Yeah, he was here to collect the Altnetrix, but thankfully, he didn't. If anything, he just made it easier to scan his alien DNA." Scott stated.

Technorg didn't seem satisfied with that answer, still refusing to let Scott pass. "Excuse me if I don't inherently believe you, but I sincerely doubt that. If he was here for the Altnetrix, why would he give up so willingly, instead of trying to pry the device from your body?" Technorg questioned.

Scott shrugged his shoulders. "A lot has surprisingly changed in the last few days, big guy, I don't know what to tell you. Things have been rather tragic just moments ago, but hopefully there's a way to nip these problems in the bud before they become reoccurring pests," Scott stepped back and saw the unconvinced look on the detrovite's face. Scott sighed, and let his guard down. "I'll admit, the Sotoraggian thing is a bit of a new development, but it's nothing we can't handle, since he doesn't have his suit anymore. But now, changelings are making an unwelcome comeback, and they already have one kill. how am I going to deal with this? Somepony's already dead, for crying out loud! Say what you want about how civilians shouldn't get involved in dangerous situations, but that's going to sting for a few weeks." Scott explained.

Technorg sighed. "You are not that educated on this world's legends, are you?" Technorg questioned.

Scott was a bit confused by Technorg's question. "I know there's something up with the moon, its blood moon phenomenon, and likely whoever's up there. They've been making sleeping harder to endure, and the sudden mutation that Sotoraggian underwent was definitely not expected, I know that Sotoraggian has something to do with the mare in the blood moon, but that's what this interrogation is going to solve. I need to make connections, I need to see the bigger picture, it's just taking a bit more time than I thought it would." Scott explained.

The Detrovite seemed mildly frustrated, but Technorg could clearly see that Scott was trying his best, he's just a bit off track. "Nevertheless, I am here to help. Anything you need Technorg to do, I can help provide. Just say the word, and I'll do my best to lend a hand, out of the kindness of my heart," Technorg grabbed the human and tossed him onto his back. "But for now, let's see how useful interrogation tactics work on a Sotoraggian." Technorg commented.

As the Detrovite was about to leave, Dash finally came onto the scene, bewildered by the sight of the large alien, but then saw Scott on top of the alien itself. "Hey Dash, meet one of my friends who helped me save Canterlot. We'll introduce each other on the way, we need to get to Canterlot!" Scott yelled out.

Dash rubbed her eyes and sighed, letting a small smirk form on her lips as she followed the large muscular alien, and the Plumber that rode on his back.

[Canterlot Castle]

Scott stayed on top of Technorg, all while Dash listened to them talk about how they first met. At first, it sounded like absolute nonsense, but the more they told the story, the more it seemed like Dash missed out on the fight of a lifetime.

After their story was finished, Dash was just shocked, and eventually just tried to make sense of it. "So, some weird mechanical blob was trying to take over Equestria, and would've succeeded in doing so, had it not been for you two, Applejack, and Princess Luna?" Scott and Technorg nodded their heads, to which Dash just sighed and shrugged. "Either this is an elaborate prank you've set up, or this is the craziest confession I've ever heard. I'm surprised Applejack never said anything about it, she's always going on about how good of a rodeo champion she is, how many blue ribbons she brought home, I would've thought she'd want everypony back in Ponyville to know about how she fought an alien, and won!" Dash remarked.

Scott shrugged his shoulders. "Applejack, from what I can tell, doesn't seem like the boasting type, but I could be wrong." Scott remarked.

Technorg stopped before a couple of guards that stood near the drawbridge. Scott hopped off Technorg's back and stepped forward, which had the guards nervous. "Scott Baristo is here for the interrogation of the latest prisoner. Soon, answers will be given," The guards sighed and looked to the drawbridge, making signals with their hooves. The bridge slowly came down, and just like that, Dash and Scott were allowed entry access. Technorg simply stood beside the bridge. "I shall wait out here for your eventual return. Good luck, wielder of the Altnetrix." Technorg announced.

Scott and Dash walked around the marble halls, looking at the interior of the castle itself with less urgency than last time. The two saw the various guards, maids and what have you walking past them without a second thought. Scott looked over at one of the hallways, noticing a large abundance of guards coming in and out of a stairway, and motioned for Dash to follow him to it.

As the two walk down the stairway, they soon find themselves inside the dungeons of Canterlot. Scott looks around, noticing that there's been a few new alien prisoners added behind bars. One of these aliens in particular looked like some kind of deformed anthropomorphic hedgehog porcupine thing with black spines, gray fur, bulging yellow eyes, and wore some kind of tattered jacket covered in bandages. Scott knew this alien, he recognized that rat-faced prick anywhere, but he decided to simply walk past and not acknowledge the alien for the time being, he had bigger fish to fry in this case.

Scott and Dash moved towards one of the heavy guarded doors, and the guards immediately stood up straight. Beside one of the guards, was a basket that was comprised of the pieces of Sotoraggian armor that the guards had collected from the aftermath of yesterday's fight.

Scott reached into the basket and pulled out the helmet, then he looked towards one of the unicorns with a steady expression. "Open the door, let's get this party started." Scott advised.

The unicorn nodded, using their magic to undo the locks. Slowly, the metal door creaked open, showing the Sotoraggian on his knees, hanging its disfigured face down low as Scott and Dash stepped inside, closing the door behind them.

Scott activated the Altnetrix, letting its turquoise light illuminate the darkened room. Scott and Dash carefully circled the Sotoraggian before letting it have its helmet back. Scott placed the helmet on, and in an instant, the helmet powered up. The Sotoraggian continued to struggle in its chains, aggressively speaking in its native tongue, until a subtle warbling effect started to translate the language into something understandable. "--With a damn swine, you pathetic equestrian wastes of space! You think you've won, but you haven't! I knew I should've just left you fools be if it meant I got captured! A bunch of worthless credits isn't worth being imprisoned by lower lifeforms, especially if one of them is a Plumber!" Seventy-Four threatened.

Scott frowned, but Dash seemed rather entertained. "Quite the mouth on this one, how do interrogations usually go where you come from, pal?" Dash asked.

Scott smirked. "How about a good ol' fashioned round of good cop, bad cop. I'll gladly be bad cop, because this jerk knows firsthand, I can be rather beastly." Scott suggested.

Dash flashed a smirk herself, and they both gave Seventy-Four a knowing look. "Look buddy, all prejudices aside, we're willing to let you go, you just need to tell us why you went through all of this trouble, nonsense, and everything else under the sun, just for my friend's watch. It'd also be nice to put a name to whoever hired you, so it takes less attention off of you. Without your fancy armor, there's literally nothing you can do, so why don't you tell us what we wanna know, and we'll let you go scot-free. That offer is as good as it'll get." Dash offered.

Seventy-Four growled and tried to swing at the mare, but she immediately backed up, getting out of his reach. Scott walked behind the Sotoraggian, readying his bat as he focused on channeling magic through it. Scott felt the tingling sensation, and watched as his bat crackled with yellow electricity, and readied himself to bring the crackling weapon down on the alien. "Look pal, we can understand you, and you can clearly understand us, so here's what's about to happen. Unless you want to find out what the pony equivalent to an electric chair is like, you better start talking, or I start swinging. What's it gonna be?" Scott questioned.

The Sotoraggian wasn't sure if he heard the human right, but if he did, this was going to hurt in many different ways. "You don't have the guts, let alone the balls to try that on me. You need me for info, and if you take me out, you get nothing." Seventy-Four remarked.

Scott gave the Sotoraggian a deadpan expression, and proceeded to crack the bat against the alien's back, sending a powerful electrical current through his body, as well as bruising the top right corner of his shoulder. Seventy-Four growled out in pain, he underestimated how much that hurt, because the pain he felt from the impact, coupled with the electric shock that coursed through his body, it certainly painted a picture to how this was going to go.

If anything had surprised him that day, it was the fact that the Plumber was following up on his word. The Sotoraggian's body jittered and twitched from the electrical current, all while Scott walked back around to look the alien hitman in the mask. "Still think I don't have the guts, Sotoraggian? That was a warning shock, a small taste of what's in store for you when you decide to not comply. The next few times I use this bat to put a shock to your system, won't be a warning, but the last show of restraint you'll most likely feel from every time I strike you down. It's your choice, pal, shock or speak," Seventy-Four didn't speak, but to Scott, that didn't matter right now. Scott walked back behind the alien, and swung the crackling blunt instrument into the alien's side, earning a jittery and stifled grunt from Seventy-Four. "Go on, keep being a moron, I dare you. You put innocent lives at risk on two separate attempts, just to get this watch. Get to stepping and start yelping, twinkle-toes." Scott warned.

Seventy-Four groaned, feeling his unarmored body be battered and shocked, rendering him jittery and feeling the pain. "I... I-I... won't talk! You can't make me!" Seventy-Four exclaimed.

Scott frowned and put his bat away, finally resorting to using the Altnetrix, but then Scott gets an idea. It was a truly vile idea, but if it was the only way he was gonna get an answer out of this guy, he needed to try. Scott slowly backed up, supposedly accepting defeat. "Well, I guess that's that, then. I suppose you leave me with no other choice, but you Sotoraggians sure love to make things difficult, don't you? Don't say I didn't warn you," Scott looked to the Altnetrix and started to tinker with it, twisting the dial in various ways, even pressing and holding the button for moments at a time. "Just so you know, you brought this on yourself, and I intend to make sure you can't escape from this." Scott commented.

Seventy-Four wasn't sure what the human was doing, but it couldn't've been any worse than getting struck by a bat, and shocked beyond compare. "Are you trying to dial in one of your pointless transformations, human? None of them will break me, you'll get nothing." Seventy-Four taunted.

Scott smiled casually, something that actually had Dash concerned for a moment. "Ever heard of the SDM, Seventy-Four?" Scott asked.

The Sotoraggian's mood seemed to change. He stared at the Plumber, as if the human had spoken in the Sotoraggian's native language without verily a hassle. Seventy-Four gulped, seeming nervous. "SDM? N-Never heard of such a thing! What's even this 'SDM' you speak of?" Seventy-Four questioned, trying to feign ignorance.

Scott chuckled and continued to fiddle with the Altnetrix, all while Dash was confused and mildly concerned. "Uh, what's the SDM, and why's he suddenly so squirmy about it?" Dash asked.

Scott looked to the pegasus and simply focused on the Altnetrix. "It stands for Self-Destruct Mode. If the Omnitrix was set to self destruct, it could potentially have enough power to eradicate the entire universe, if the charge built up for a few days, maybe a week or two, depends really," Dash's eyes went wide, a newfound sense of concern could be felt creeping up her spine as Scott continued to speak about it in such a casual manner. "I'm not entirely sure if the Altnetrix has that mode, but Seventy-Four sure is hoping that it doesn't. For his own sake, he better hope he's right, because if he doesn't start talking, it'll be a vicious display of unjustified universal extinction. He'll be dead, as will his benefactor, and all life, be it benevolent or malevolent, will be destroyed and wiped out with a bang." Scott explained.

Scott watched as the Sotoraggian struggled to escape the chains that held it, but it couldn't break free. It tried to loosen the cuffs, yank the chain loose, but it couldn't. "You wouldn't! You'd take this whole world out, just for information!? Have you lost your mind?!" Seventy-Four exclaimed, clearly shaken by Scott's attempts to activate the SDM.

Scott gestured to the bat on his back. "Wanna go back to the bat again, or shall we figure out if your armor is universal destruction-proof?" Scott questioned, a sneering smirk forming on the plumber's face.

Seventy-Four growled and tried to escape its binds again, but it was futile. The terror had finally settled in, and the Sotoraggian was out of options. "Fine, I'll talk! I'll talk, alright?! I'll tell you what you want, but please, spare my race! Stop messing with that thing!!" Seventy-Four pleaded.

Scott stopped messing with the watch and got up in the Sotoraggian's face. "Then answer the questions we give you, or you're gonna wish you hadn't made an enemy out of the Plumbers!" Scott pulled the alien up and glared at them. "Who sent you to collect the Altnetrix, where is your benefactor, what was that red mist that poured from your suit, for what other reasons did you come to this planet for, and do you have anything to do with the changeling that attacked Ponyville hours ago? Answer me, or everything goes to ash and waste!" Scott exclaimed.

Scott dropped Seventy-Four to the ground and backed up, glaring down at the hitman that attacked and caused harm to several innocent ponies. The Sotoraggian eventually calmed itself down, and started to speak. "I have no contacts or ties to those emotion-craving insects. I wasn't even aware that one attacked the little village we fought in, would've gutted the damn thing myself, if it had any," Scott and Dash looked at each other, unsure of how to take that response at any value. "As for the previous questions... there's very little I know about my employer. I know that her name is Eclipsed Blackheart, and she's one of these pathetic equestrians. I know not as to why she desires the Altnetrix, but I do know that their creator was known to be quite the quack, they just showed up to Equestria a few years back, had very few pieces of tech with them, and now their creations and their ruins are all that remain, no one's seen the Altnetrix's creator in some time since they vanished." Seventy-Four explained.

Scott was mildly surprised, now wondering if this watch's creator was still alive. "The red mist, it's one of Eclipsed Blackheart's manifestations. It's a piece of herself, betrothed to those she sees as worthy to be her heralds. Her heralds are gifted small portions of her power, and when they need an advantage to turn the tides in their favor, her mist enters their bodies, and transforms them into something fierce. From what I understand, many heralds came before I stumbled upon this backwater planet, but she is an entirely different breed. Her power, it commands respect, it deserves to be feared, and as you are now, Plumber, you don't stand a snowball's ghost of a chance in hell," The two looked at each other, a sense of concern and weariness could be felt between them, but Seventy-Four still had answers. "My benefactor, Eclipsed Blackheart, she says she's confined to this planet's moon, but soon, her escape will be inevitable. She relies on the confines of my power armor, to hide her presence from this world's royal family. I know not of the significance behind such actions, but I was promised billions of credits to bring her the Altnetrix. She gave me other tasks, as a way to still earn my pay, if obtaining the Altnetrix proved to be more difficult than originally anticipated. Needless to say, she was right, but even with that sudden mutation, the boost in power granted by the mist, I still lost, and now, my connection to her has been severed." Seventy-Four explained.

Scott and Dash were both feeling a mix of many emotions. Scott didn't know where to start with the information that Seventy-Four provided, but at least had an idea on where to start with finding out more about the Altnetrix. He wasn't familiar with an 'Eclipsed Blackheart', but he figured asking the princesses would be a neat way to start, unless there's a library about old legends.

Dash was not sure about any of this. On one hoof, she wanted to believe that what the alien was saying has some truth attached to it, but on the other hoof, the only other alien she can trust is standing right next to her, and he just explained that there was potentially a self-destruct on that watch that could possibly take out all of Equestria, maybe more. Needless to say, it was a lot for her to take in, especially all at once.

Dash took her time to let the information sink in, and finally looked towards Scott, who seemed rather curious about something. "Two more questions before we end this. How much time do we have before Eclipsed Blackheart returns to Equestria, and why has she been on the moon in the first place?" Scott questioned.

Seventy-Four was silent for a moment, but before the Sotoraggian could say anything, the door was pushed open, revealing Private Zapp, who seemed more calm and collected than he was previously. "I hope you got your information, it's time for this extraterrestrial piece of trash to pay for his crimes against Equestria and its citizens." Zapp stated firmly.

Dash and Scott simply removed the helmet, left the room and put it into the box with the rest of the armor pieces. Scott picked up the box, noticing how heavy it was, and was ready to use one of his stronger aliens to carry it out. Before Scott could activate the Altnetrix, the sound of chains snapping could be heard, as well as the sounds of a brawl. Scott and Dash turned around, only to see two bat ponies be tossed out of the room, colliding with a brick column as Seventy-Four tried to escape. Scott tried to transform, but Seventy-Four pushed the human aside, though he was able to catch himself on Rainbow Dash.

Zapp ran out of the room and immediately flew after the escaped extraterrestrial. "You two, stand aside! I'll take this one, this time. Don't worry, it won't get far!" Zapp called out, gaining after the escaped and unarmored Sotoraggian.

Scott and Dash were not gonna take this sitting down, so they ran after Zapp, but Scott was then stopped in his tracks as someone pulled on his right arm, hearing that something was trying to access the Altnetrix. Scott looked back and saw the same prickly rodent alien, and punched them back, making them reel in pain. "Ow!! What was that for!" The rodent alien called out, clearly irate about the sudden attack it received.

Scott groaned and noticed the Altnetrix was glowing a pale yellow, forming a helix. "Great, now I'll be able to transform into vermin, great. Thanks a lot, you snake." Scott said sarcastically, trying to catch up to Zapp and Dash.

The alien sneered as Scott ran away. "The name's Argit, ya freak!" Argit exclaimed.

Zapp chased the Sotoraggian through the halls of the castle, causing every guard in the castle to suddenly be thrown into a panic. Dash and Scott were following behind, but they weren't as close as they hoped. Scott got hung up by Argit, but has been steadily trying to follow the path of chaos left in the chasers' wake.

Scott continued to run through the chaos, turning corners and jumping over various obstacles, but then, he came to the end of the road. A large open window, where the Sotoraggian was standing. Zapp had him cornered, as did Dash, but it was clear that Seventy-Four was not in the best mindset at the moment. "Leave me be, you pitiful equestrians! I won't stick around for this, I won't stay for when Eclipsed Blackheart comes back! I won't die with the rest of you puny ponies!!" Seventy-Four exclaimed frantically.

Scott needed to handle this situation as peacefully as possible. He twisted the Altnetrix's dial to Smudge's icon and was ready to transform, but then another idea came to him. Scott twisted the dial to his Sotoraggian form, and then twisted further, revealing an icon similar to that Argit guy the watch scanned.

As much as Scott didn't want to, he needed to handle this as passively as possible. Scott pushed down the core, and in a turquoise flash of light, started to transform.

Scott's bones started to shift, his ears elongated to point high upwards and his hair suddenly grew out, becoming tougher, spikier, as if they were quills. His face elongated into a rodent-like muzzle, all while dark gray fur started growing over his body, except his hands, feet and tail.

Scott hissed and let out a shady chuckle, shifting his eyes back and forth as he lunged forward.

In a flash of light, Scott became his newest transformation. The form itself was rather thin, wore a black top with a white collar, white pants and had the Altnetrix's badge in place where a belt could've been. Dash and Zapp were a bit confused by the sudden new alien, but Scott wasn't planning to waste time. He didn't know how high the window was from the ground, but he had to do something fast.

Scott quickly got on all fours, and fired a couple quills at Seventy-Four's legs. The quills pierce the alien's flesh, but the legs seem to become rigid, almost locked in place via paralysis. Seventy-Four was rendered immobile, but he was already starting to fall out of the window. Zapp quickly rushed forward and grabbed the alien's waist before they fell, flapping his wings with more effort than ever before.

Zapp looks towards the transformed Plumber, and simply nods his head. "Don't worry, I'll take care of this. There's a holding cell in Tartarus meant for scum like this... thanks, Scott, I owe ya one." Zapp called out, carrying the motionless hitman in one direction.

As Scott and Dash watched the bat pony fly away with the unconscious Sotoraggian, they looked at each other with both a mix of confusion and mild aggravation. The two of them walked away from the window and walked through the halls, uncertain as to what exactly just happened. "I get the sudden feeling that this might be a problem. I didn't think he'd break out, just like that! I half-expected it to be a simple show of surrender, he really wanted out of here. Why do you think that is?" Scott asked, trying to get used to the new alien he has access to.

Dash shrugged and flapped her wings, flying next to the alien hero. "Who knows, this is all still a bit much to get used to. First that elf guy shows up, now there's some kind of crazy mare thrown in the mix? Nothing's adding up, there has to be a reason for any of this." Dash wondered.

Scott and Dash had no idea as to what exactly they were supposed to do now, but again, it was a lot to process. They have plenty of time to figure this out, but the human can't seem to get Zapp out of his head. Ever since what happened with Seventy-Four the first time, things haven't been the same... Scott needed answers, and eventually, Scott will have to figure out how to weasel them out of the bat pony.

Something isn't right, and Scott is sure of it, now. He needs to figure something out, he needs to prepare, but he has no clue as to where he should start. Scott took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled as the Altnetrix started beeping. In a flash of white light, Scott was returned to his normal form. Soon enough, the two knew that Technorg seemed interested in what was happening, even seeming like he met the Sotoraggian before, but no one seemed to know why any of this was happening at all. Scott feels like he's on the cusp of some grand discovery, a revelation that could bust this whole thing wide open, but for now, he has to keep looking.

[???]

In the midst of a dark, shrouded and decayed forest of blacks and grays, Zapp hid within the tree line, seemingly looking out for something. Zapp carefully reached into his satchel, pulling out a small crystal orb the size of his hoof. Zapp carefully whispered something unintelligible to it, causing it to glow green, which made him smile.

"Mother, it's me. I'm on my way to you. Phase 1 is almost complete, Phase 2 is just around the corner. Contact you later." Zapp quietly stated.

Zapp pocketed the orb back into his satchel, letting his eyes shine completely blue for a moment, all while an unsettling buzz seems to echo from atop the trees. Numerous blue orbs reveal themselves hidden amongst the leaves, as well as with numerous sharp fangs.

Zapp carefully looks behind him, smiling as he sees Seventy-Four's unconscious body, with his bare chest now torn into, bloodied and scarred, barely twitching every now and then. "Ohh, mother's going to love the company I'm bringing home. Prepare yourself, Sotoraggian, because the only way you're getting out of this... is in an unmarked grave." Zapp remarked.