A Hero's Origins
By TheAlienBrony22

Invasive Secrets,
Part 2

Up above, a news-station helicopter is following police cars chasing a speeding armored car under the pale moonlight. "We're live on the scene of a high-speed police pursuit of an armored car stolen earlier today from the federal reserve in Denver. It is believed the thieves also have a hostage, we're looking at a very dangerous situation tonight, folks." The reporter spoke.

Along the highway, they speed past Luna's RV and a large amethyst crystal grows out from the pavement, completely destroying the undercarriage of the car. The effect makes it spin and completely stop, crashing into the metal guard rails as it topples over. The police cars surround the vehicle, each cop was armed with different guns, practically expecting a fight. One of the criminals gets out of the vehicle with the hostage, and the other holding a rather large rifle, aiming it at the cops. The thug shoots the rifle and before it could hit the cop, Armethyst lands right in front of the vehicle, absorbing the shot as he glowed with energy. "Wait, what's this? Looks like the alien hero known as 'Armethyst' has joined the fight!" The reporter exclaimed.

The thug aims the rifle at Armethyst, but he fires a powered-up shard to his side, scaring the thug. Armethyst glares at the thug, then traps him by making a large crystal emerge from below him. "Yessir, looks like another alien sighting, folks!" the reporter announced.

The other thug walks closer to Armethyst with the hostage, but the alien hero doesn't seem that worried. Armethyst shifts his hands into large jagged blades and stares the criminal down. "You sure you want the smoke, pal, or do you really want me to give your cellmates a new hole to work with?" The criminal immediately surrendered, terrified of the alien's words. "Uh-huh, that's what I thought. Alright boys, you can take it from here. My work here's done, and it's been a long night." Armethyst announced, walking away from the scene, leaving the cops perplexed, but still appreciative for an easy job.

The reporter watches as Armethyst leaves the scene, only to see him throw up a peace sign the reporter's way. "We don't know where these strange creatures come from, but they seem to be here to help. This was James Johnson, keeping the news unfiltered and as weird as it comes! Have a goodnight, folks, and rest easy! The world has its valiant protectors watching out for us!" the reporter announced.

On Reinrassic's ship, Reinrassic himself watches the broadcast from his rehabilitation chamber. "This is a joke... The Omnitrix... wasted on pointless heroics! All the while, he continues to thwart my integration plans!" Reinrassic scoffed.

One of the DNAliens approached, holding a data pad. "Shall I dispatch more drones to retrieve it, General?" it asked.

Reinrassic shook his head. "Not this time, halfbreed vermin," the chamber opens up and one of the medical bots crawl out, only to be crushed by a massive metal foot. Reinrassic stepped out, fully rehabilitated, with a few extra features. He has a huge robotic leg on his right, a cybernetic arm on his left, four red eye-like spots on his chest, and has now unfurled a set of wings. "I've waited long enough, and all of our efforts have been in vain, basic failures. Alert all the drones in the Omnitrix's last known location and tell them that it's time to invade, I will see to collecting the Omnitrix myself!" Reinrassic proclaimed.

Chance floats around the strange vision world, clutching his head in pain. "Hear me and listen, wielder of the Omnitrix. Your time is coming very, very soon. Your will to fight will determine the fate of your planet. I've been trying to take you out and claim the Omnitrix as mine, but you're a persistent pain in my side. I'd be impressed by your tenacity, if you weren't a member of such inferior low-life vermin. Keep counting down to the end, vermin, because I'm coming for you now! I won't go down so easily!" Reinrassic's voice echoed out.

Chance screamed out, falling through the void as he clutched his head. The unexplained ringing in his head, that was all he could hear, he couldn't even hear his own screams of pain and suffering. Chance tried to fight the pain, only to be enveloped in a blinding light as his screams peter out.

Chance snapped his eyes open and screamed, sitting up as he wiped the sweat off his face. Sunset stirred in her sleep, then started waking up, seeing that Chance was getting out of bed, then sat down on the ground. Luna came in, rubbing her eyes as she approached the frightened teen. "Another nightmare, mister Marsten? That's five in the past few hours... rather impressive, but also equally concerning." Luna remarked, kneeling down.

Chance shook his head and tried to wake himself up a bit more. "I-It was that weird alien from my vision. I couldn't see it this time, but it spoke out to me! That freaky ass bastard has been out for my head ever since I found this stupid watch!" Chance exclaimed, still clearly shaken up.

Sunset sat up and stretched her arms. "You sure that shake isn't just making your nightmares worse?" Sunset asked.

Chance looked back at Sunset, clearly not amused by her answer. "It's just a bad dream, son. We can talk about it in the morning, alright?" Luna suggested, getting up as she walked away.

Chance got up. "You don't understand, this didn't feel like the last few nightmares! It felt too real, my head was pulsating, aching like it has never ached before! He said for me to keep counting down, because he's coming for me, and he won't go down easily." Chance stated.

Sunset seemed concerned, but Luna just stopped, a look of shock formed on her face. "On second thought, change of plans. We're hitting the road right now." Luna stated, rushing over to the driver's seat.

Chance and Sunset look at each other, with Chance being very confused. "What's got her spooked?" Chance asked.

Sunset shrugged her shoulders. "Miss Luna, it's three in the morning!" Sunset pointed out.

Luna looked back with a smile. "The best time to beat traffic, I always say!" Luna commented, starting the RV and driving away.

Chance looked back at Sunset, who continued to feign ignorance. "Well, can't argue with that kind of logic. Traffic fuckin' sucks during vacation! The earlier, the better!" Chance remarked, hopping back onto his bed.

Sunset looked at Luna, who was starting to tense up. 'She knows something, that much is clear. She's familiar with aliens and alien sounding remedies, she's clearly scared, and she wants to go to Mount Rushmore, for some reason... there's gotta be something there she's not telling us about.' Sunset thought, laying her head back down on her pillow.

Luna looked back, seeing the two teenagers trying to go back to sleep. Luna looked back to the road, sighing as a look of concern formed on her face. 'I'm doing the right thing. I know I'm doing the right thing. I'm doing this for them. I'm doing this for them... they're not ready yet, but that won't matter.' Luna thought, a fearful expression forming on her face as she gripped onto the steering wheel tightly.

Under the cover of night, the girls drove through the empty roads of Canterlot City. The teen heroines bear witness to how far across the city the DNAliens have spread their parasites. The beach was littered with tons of abandoned personal items, food that's begun to spoil, as well as more Xenocite pods. Applejack turned the car down one of the streets, seeing Twilight's place up ahead. "Alright girls, get ready! We're almost there." Applejack announced.

Applejack brought the truck to a stop a few blocks away from Twilight's home, and the girls slowly got out, readying themselves in case there was a nasty surprise waiting for them. Applejack motioned for the others to follow close behind, and Dash quickly moved up beside Applejack, readying her electrical abilities.

The girls walked slowly, staying close together as they listened to the sound of their foot steps, along with the eerie silence of Canterlot City. Pinkie gulped and stayed behind Rarity, who had kept her constructs up as shields. "Well, this is an unexpected change." Rarity said cautiously.

Applejack didn't look back, but she knew what Rarity was talking about. "It's quiet..." Applejack remarked, a sense of uncomfortableness crept up the farm girl's spine, but she remained resolute.

Dash, on the other hand, was pretty put off by the silence. "Yeah... too quiet," Dash looked around, watching as a small breeze picks up, carrying a couple scattered newspapers into the air. "There's no way they gave up on hunting us, just like that... right?" Dash asked, unsettled by the silence in the streets.

Fluttershy looked around, only to see a couple birds chirping in the air, flying past them. "The birds are noticing a steady decline in the temperature. It's getting too cold for the birds... they're migrating." Fluttershy pointed out.

Rarity looked towards one of the houses, feeling an unsettling sensation of deja vu. The house was run down, abandoned, a window was broken, yet it reminded her of someone. Without a moment of hesitation, Rarity shuddered as she walked past it. "If the animals can tell something's wrong, then it's safe to say that we need to set things right. How much further till we get to Twilight's, darling?" Rarity asked.

Applejack stopped, holding her hand up. Everyone else stopped and looked ahead. Twilight's home was up ahead, and in rough shape. The glass in the windows were broken, but they were also boarded up from the inside. The front door was open ajar, until something closed it. Applejack sneered at the home of her friend, and looked around, listening closely to the environment.

The birds had stopped chirping. The bugs stopped making noise. The air was starting to smell stale, wrought with a foul odor that permeated the girls' nostrils. "We need to get inside, ASAP. Dash, help me with the door. Flutters, Pinkie, stay behind Rarity. Rares, make a shield and don't let it down until we're all inside, understand?" Applejack instructed.

The girls nodded, AJ and Dash ran up to the door, all while the other three girls stayed close, with Rarity creating a large bright gem construct, and spreading it out across the lawn. Applejack tried to twist the knob, but it was clearly apparent that whoever was inside, locked it up tight. "Crabapples, we're gonna have to break it open," Applejack stepped back and looked at Dash. "Ya ready, partner?" Applejack asked.

Dash backed up and nodded. The two girls rammed against the door with their shoulders, and though the door did let out a loud cracking sound, wood splintering apart from the impact, it was still standing. "A couple more times, then." Dash remarked.

AJ and Dash continued to ram into the door, all while Rarity kept an eye out for the DNAliens. Rarity stayed focused, keeping an eye out on anything out of place, all the while, her mind drifted off to other thoughts, mainly the aftermath of Anon-A-Miss. She didn't know why she was thinking about that now, but I guess she still knows that Sunset hasn't forgiven them yet. "Darlings, I know this may not be the best time to ask this, but may I ask you an important question?" Rarity asked.

Applejack sighed, still trying to ram the door down. "If it's about your looks and your clothes, that ain't what I'd dub important." Applejack stated, ramming into the door with all her might. She could've resorted to using her geode's magic, but she wanted to use it when she absolutely needed to.

Rarity sighed. "I'd say it's pretty important... it's not about my looks or my clothes, but... it does pertain to Sunset, and where she stands with us." Rarity stated.

Applejack stopped, letting herself register what Rarity just said. The farm girl sighed and got ready to ram the door again. "What's the question, sugarcube?" Applejack asked out of obligation.

Rarity took a deep breath, and just let it all out. "Think about everything we've been through. Sunset was initially a bully, but the more I think about how things used to be, the more it seemed like we were too harsh to judge her. When she had a change of heart, and wanted to be our friend, it wasn't easy to accept her forgiveness, but we did it anyway. We stopped the sirens, we saved the friendship games, we also saved Camp Everfree and got our powers, and even then, out of all the most dangerous threats we faced, the one thing that disconnected our friendship, was Anon-A-Miss," The girls seemed uncomfortable, now expressing bits of shame, remorse, regret, as well as sadness. "What I'm trying to ask here is simple... Sunset has every right to make her own decision, whether it's to forget about us, or forgive us. Have you girls truly sat down and thought about how Sunset was not just hurt emotionally, but physically and mentally by what we've done... and still thought you deserve her forgiveness?" Rarity questioned.

Dash stopped ramming against the door and looked back at Rarity, a mix of guilt and shame formed on the athlete's face. "You girls already know what happened with me and Sunset... maybe I do still want some forgiveness, because she's my friend. Yet... I can't help but agree that I don't deserve it..." Dash admitted.

Applejack looked at Dash, only to sigh and stop her efforts. "I didn't wanna say any of what I said, but I said it anyway. Even after it was revealed that Sunset wasn't the red-handed culprit we all thought she was, it didn't make the pain go away. I'm willin' to admit, I've made many mistakes. No one's perfect and made out of plastic, but I can't help but wake up at night sometimes, wonderin' if I'm doin' the right thing," Applejack sighed and pulled her phone out, looking at the wallpaper, showing herself and Sunset sharing a couple bottles of cider. The permanent smiles in the image just made the farm girl hurt more. "Every action has its share of consequences, and each one hurts more than a pair of hooves to the face and landin' cheek first on hot coals... I'm not entirely sure I deserve any kind of forgiveness, but I still want to make things right... I just don't know how." Applejack confessed.

Rarity took a deep breath and sighed. "I certainly didn't feel better canceling Sunset's order for a new fall formal dress, or tearing up the one I completed out of anger and spite... I still have it in my room, hanging up on my door. It constantly reminds me of how I abandoned a friend when she needed me, and got greedy out of spite for the situation... I still want to make things right, and Sunset said she was looking forward to what I could offer, but I've had such a dreadful block on my creativity ever since..." Rarity admitted.

Pinkie sat down and buried her head in her knees. She remembered that day too well, the way she came home in a fit of rage, plotting to make intentionally harmful gags to use on Sunset, it made her so upset. She couldn't get back into the swing of things. She missed days, to weeks, to nearly a month and a half of work at Sugarcube Corner. Even after finding out it wasn't Sunset, it didn't make her feel any better, actually quite the opposite. Thinking back on it now, when Canterlot City and its citizens are in danger, it was enough to make Pinkie's head explode with how horrible she still felt. Making things right with Sunset was something she wanted so badly to do, but even she didn't have an idea of where to start.

Fluttershy didn't say a word, she just sulked. She felt terrible, she felt sick to her stomach, she remembered all the horrible things she did and said to Sunset's face. It was painful and nearly drove the shy girl to tears just remembering it all, but what hurt her the most was that she couldn't show her friend, the one who was in need of a friend to help her the most through such a difficult time, she couldn't show her an ounce of kindness. Fluttershy wanted to help all of those in Canterlot City right now, but how could she, she didn't help her friend back then.

The girls stood at the door, letting their repressed emotions run wild in their heads, but before they could focus on that for too long, the sound of locks being unlocked caught their attention. The door was being unlocked thoroughly, and as the door opened up, Twilight stepped out, wiping her glasses, and her face, of the tears she shed, all while bearing a sad smile as she dusted her lab coat off. "How about you all come on in, head down to the lab, and help me out with finding a solution to his mess." Twilight suggested.

The girls smiled and nodded their heads, walking inside as Twilight shut the door, re-locking it. Unbeknownst to them, the DNAlienized Angel Bunny was hiding on the rooftop, following them from out of sight. The controlled bunny hopped away, now certain of where the girls had gone off to.

Within the basement, Twilight had set up her lab, and after doing a thorough check-up on each of her friends, she kindly escorted them. "Nice to know I'm not totally alone. I was genuinely about to think I was the only one left in the city who hadn't been turned into one of the monsters outside." Twilight commented, reassured that her friends were alright.

Applejack looked around, noticing the yarn board on her wall, as well as the empty dog bed. "Where's-"

"Spike?" Twilight interrupted. "He... he didn't make it. It took me a fair bit to even recognize that my basement wasn't as permanent of a solution as I initially thought, and one of those parasites managed to get him in the cover of darkness... he's still in the storage closet, and I've carefully blocked it off, just so he couldn't get out and attack me. It hurt to know I was completely alone down here, especially when Spike is under that thing's control, but with you five now confirmed to be alive and untouched by these extraterrestrial parasites, that's changed everything substantially!" Twilight explained.

Dash raised an eyebrow. "How so, egghead? Do you actually have a plan to fix everyone?" Dash asked.

Twilight chuckled. "Absolutely not. I took several blood samples from the parasite itself, even got some strange goo samples to boot. I've run the data hundreds of times already, these parasites are fused to their hosts. They're stronger and more aggressive, but they do have a very significant weakness to extreme heat. Haven't you girls noticed the occasional snowflake falling outside?" Twilight typed away at her computer, bringing up a live video recording from a security camera, showing a huge tower off in the distance that stood above the clouds. The girls were astonished and practically speechless. "They're controlling the weather, making it colder so they can thrive in typically hotter climates or more urban environments." Twilight explained.

Rarity approached the computer and noticed so much stuff that was open on Twilight's tabs. "Twilight, darling, as incredible of a find as this is, what have you been doing down here, while we've been recently figuring out that everyone has been turned into a bunch of disgusting parasite monsters!?" Rarity questioned.

Twilight pulled up a few tabs, one of them being about the strange hatchery. "This is what started my research. You don't open up a hatchery in the middle of a place like Canterlot, if none of the things you're hatching can even survive in this kind of climate. I've marked down every possible and impossible option for what they'd be hatching over there, but when you have every option marked as incorrect, it makes you wonder what the correct answer even is... and I've theorized that those parasites are what they're hatching." Twilight explained.

Applejack was very confused, but at the same time, she figured there was something up. "Is it possible that they started shippin' these freaky varmints to bigger marketing competitors, making sure that they were taken over, but also ensuring that they'd have more space for their stock?" Applejack asked curiously.

Twilight nodded her head. "I'm aware of what happened at Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack. It's honestly surprising that they never tried to make you one of them," Applejack was surprised at that response, but before she could say anything, Twilight pulled up camera footage of the same night Dash showed up. "With your geode's power at their command, it would make whatever they're planning so much easier with more bulk behind their army of infected." Twilight explained.

Applejack was beyond confused. "What in the hell!? We don't have cameras at Sweet Apple Acres! Granny Smith barely even remembers how to use the old polaroid camera!" Applejack yelled out in frustration.

Twilight nodded. "That's because they put it up. It took me some time to hack into the city's camera feed, gaining eyes and ears everywhere, but I was finally able to do it. Dash was honestly smart for pulling you away from the farm. If these parasites got their hold on any of us, I doubt Earth would stand a chance, unless these strange alien heroes show up to shut them down," Twilight brought up numerous viral clips of Chance's alien forms doing good and selfless acts. Riptile saving a bus load of children from drowning, Nitrofrost putting out a forest fire, Crime Detector tracking down corrupt cops at a drug deal, Twilight was keeping close tabs on them. Rarity was rather impressed and very satisfied at what she saw. "These creatures started showing up around the same time that meteor fell to Earth." Twilight explained.

Fluttershy was confused, she wasn't understanding any of this very well. "T-Twilight... w-what does t-this have to d-do with the m-m-monsters?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight sighed, shrinking the images and videos. "It's nothing substantial, not without more evidence," Twilight brought the hatchery-related stuff back on screen. "But in relation to the monsters, I believe that the hatchery, along with these monsters, they are the cause of all the missing persons cases." Twilight stated.

Applejack was now very confused. "Ya had me, but now ya done lost me, sugarcube, how in tarnation do the missing people come into play?" Applejack asked.

Twilight pressed one button on her keyboard, bringing up numerous videos, each one with a designated missing poster attached to each one. The people who supposedly went missing were walking into the hatchery. "These people went missing when they went to apply for the jobs at the new hatchery, and as such, they were easy to manipulate and trap, using the parasites they already hatched to create more workers. These people went missing for days, nearly a week and a half all at once, and suddenly returned, officially closing the cases. These creatures were using these to hide their true forms," Twilight opened one of her drawers and pulled out an ID Mask. "It's some kind of alien device that can disguise its wearer as anything, or anyone. These monsters have been hiding in plain sight, and now, they're getting ready to strike. It's likely that they want to conquer the planet, but why convert humans into these monsters, that's something I'm still trying to figure out." Twilight explained.

The girls were rather shocked at this information, but were more so concerned with how tired Twilight looked. Behind the smart girl's glasses were dark rings that were forming under her eyes. Twilight yawned, nodding her head like she was about to fall asleep. Applejack put a hand on Twilight's shoulder, helping her up to her feet as they walked away. "On a lighter note, has anyone tried to contact Sunset lately, or was it only me who tried?" Twilight asked.

Dash sighed. "Gonna be honest, Twilight, we haven't talked with Sunset in a long while. She's been out of town on the road trip, and we're probably too far out of service for her to receive our calls or texts anyway. I doubt she even wants to talk with us, Anon-A-Miss, what happened during it, and the aftermath was all she thought about. She wasn't exactly feeling cozy around us or anyone from CHS, unless you count mister nobody," Applejack slugged Dash in the shoulder, giving the athlete a wry glare. "Okay, I deserve that... I'll give him some props, he did have a plan after all to destroy that runaway robot, so minor props for him saving our butts, but still! Sunset's more interested in that guy than any of us. She doesn't want empty and meaningless apologies, especially from me... Even if she were to forgive us, she'd forgive four, maybe five of us, but one of us isn't exactly in the best position to be forgiven." Dash explained, rubbing her shoulder.

Twilight sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that, but it confirms that Sunset is purposefully ignoring us. I can at least understand that she's clearly still sore about what happened during Anon-A-Miss. It was the one time everyone, except for very few individuals, who thought Sunset returned to her old bullying ways. Even with the evidence that concluded that Sunset was innocent, the damage had been done. Need I remind you that we had to break her apartment door down, just to beg for her help in clearing her name? That was not a fun talk with Shining, or my parents, for that matter." Twilight remarked.

The girls felt horrible, but before they could dwell on the past any longer, a notification rung out from Twilight's computer. The girls quickly rushed to it, and Twilight clicked on a small envelope icon. A small tab opened up, revealing a message from an unknown source. "Chaos and Harmony, one and the same. The heroes at their weakest, calling themselves to blame. Come back to your senses, pick yourselves up and run! The DNAliens have found your underground slum!" The girls' eyes widened, all while Twilight quickly switched to a set of cameras, looking at a camera she had set up above the front door. The entire town of infected people were trying to break in. Without thinking, Applejack quickly rushed to a corner of the room, only to start lifting huge boxes and crates, stacking them up in front of the door. "If answers are what you seek, find your friend at Rushmore's peak. Find a way out, leave no one behind, 'cause the consequences will be far from kind. Venture towards Denver, where the aliens were last sighted. The final battle's encroaching, with the monster's horde of blighted. Need not ask who I am or be, just find your friend and restore Harmony." Twilight read aloud.

Applejack and Dash quickly moved towards the door, trying to block it the best they can, all while the sounds of muffled aggressive alien noises echoed out from the other side. The farm girl and the athlete gave each other a look, both of them sharing a look of terror. "Alright, enough of this damn lollygagging! I refuse to die down 'ere, or let anyone else get turned into one of them freaky creature features! Twilight, is there another way out?" Applejack frantically asked.

The DNAliens were already attempting to break down the door, but thankfully, Applejack's strength, coupled with the boxes and crates in front of the door, it was gonna be a bit till the DNAliens got through. Twilight looked around, then remembered the ventilation system. Twilight moved a few boxes out of the way and was about to open the door to the storage closet, until she remembered why the door was blocked.

A small but feral creature broke through the door, pouncing onto Twilight, earning a screech of terror from the poor girl. Spike, her most trusted animal companion, now mutated into a grotesque DNAlienized version of himself. He snarled, letting orange goo drip onto Twilight's face. She was paralyzed by fear, but that didn't last long till Fluttershy hit Spike with her stare, which sent the parasite-infected pup running back into the storage closet. Fluttershy quickly blocked the door back up, making sure to carefully block the hole Spike made, all while Pinkie looked up at the ceiling, thinking about something.

Applejack and Dash moved away from the door, only to shriek as numerous arms broke through the wall, swiping at them. Ranging from mutated human hands to mutated animal limbs, it was becoming very apparent that these parasites were taking tons of precautions. Dash zapped the arms, causing the DNAliens to yelp and retreat their limbs in pain, all while Rarity formed construct barriers over the holes. "I'll hold this for as long as I can, but we still need a way out of here!" Rarity exclaimed, watching the door bend as the DNAliens forcefully continued to try and break into the room.

Twilight looked around, only to suddenly realize that there wasn't any other options. "Girls, I don't have any ideas on how-"

Pinkie covered her friend's mouth with a calm smile. "It's alright, Twilight, leave it all to Pinkie! You still got that cannon I sold you?" The girls looked at their friend with a mixture of confusion and concern. Pinkie smiled. "It was a relic from the civil war. I found it on my family's farm, cleaned it and polished it up, and sold it to Twilight so she could experiment with it. Best dime I ever made, by the way. Wasn't gonna serve me much purpose, if it wasn't gonna be useful everywhere I went." Pinkie explained.

Twilight uncovered her mouth and sighed. "I do still have it, it's underneath my desk. I was able to fix it up and ensure that it could still fire ammunition. Why're you asking about it now?" Twilight asked cautiously.

Pinkie rushed over and pulled the cannon out, aiming the large barrel upwards to the ceiling. "Applejack, hold it still for me! Pinkie's got a sure-fire way to get us outta here!" Applejack hesitated for a moment, but if this was her last few moments with her mind intact, then she was going to do all she could for the moment, if it meant saving her friends. The farm girl hugged the barrel, holding it still as Pinkie fished around for something in her hair. Eventually, Pinkie was able to pull out two large bags of decorative sprinkles, and shoved them into the cannon. "Now, it's time to light this baby up! Let's blow the roof of this place!" Pinkie proclaimed with a wild smirk.

Applejack panicked as she let the cannon go, not even questioning how it's standing up on its own. "Pinkie, have ya lost yer marbles!? Firin' that thing in here's gonna be detrimental to our health!" Applejack exclaimed worriedly.

Pinkie smiled. "Nope, because Rarity will provide us cover! Once we set it off, we'll have our way out! Unless you girls have any better ideas?" Pinkie asked.

The girls opened their mouths, but soon realized that they truly were out of options. Twilight used her telekinesis to force the boxes and crates against the door, all while Rarity created a rounded shield construct large enough to cover all her friends. Pinkie grabbed the fuse and pulled out a clicker lighter. "Twilight, don't worry about your place, we'll pitch in to fix it when all of this is over. Till then," Pinkie lit the fuse, watching it travel to the cannon. "We're goin' out with a bang, like a Cherry-Bomb!" Pinkie exclaimed.

The cannon soon immediately fired, a smoking and glittering pink cloud tore through the basement roof, as well as the rest of the house, leaving the outside world now visible. "So, now that we have our way out, how're we getting up?" Pinkie asked.

Twilight sighed. She had to admit and give Pinkie some credit, they now had an exit option, but that window wouldn't be open for long. They needed to think about this, but Twilight was too scatterbrained to think properly. Instead, Twilight spammed a message to Sunset, a constant and frantic string of 'S.O.S' was being sent rapidly.

The girls frowned, but as the DNAliens continued to try and break through, Applejack kicked the cannon towards the door, barricading it with the hefty weapon. "Alright yall, get to brainstormin' on how we're gettin' through that hole, or we're in for some humongous trouble!" Applejack commanded.

Meanwhile, the RV was speeding down the road, passing by a large field with the city they were previously in now miles away, but still visible on the horizon. Chance tries to get up, but soon gets rocked around and catches himself on the counter, trying to keep himself standing. "H-hey, Luna? We got off the main highway hours ago. Either you didn't notice yet, or that's one helluva lead foot ya got there." Chance remarked, a bit disrupted by the occasional rocking the RV was doing.

Luna kept her eyes forward, but she still responded in kind. "I wanna make it to Mount Rushmore by nightfall. It's very important that we get there without anymore interruptions, so kindly sit back down and keep yourself busy. It's been a few days since your grounding ended, so play your Pocket Quest and entertain yourself." Luna stated.

Chance frowned, sitting back down on his side of the booth. "I would, but there isn't a single plug-in for my charger. The console needs to charge, and the battery died two days ago, but you're so dead set on going to Rushmore." Chance remarked.

Luna sighed. "Then try something else to keep yourself occupied." Luna firmly said.

Chance groaned and laid his head on the table. "That's a poor choice of words, and you know why it is," Chance looks over at Sunset, who had her headphones in, listening to music on her laptop. Chance was about to try and get her attention, until he suddenly heard a whole lot of buzzing sounds coming from her phone. Chance had seen her phone going haywire for the past few hours, it was clear to him, that something wasn't right. "Something tells me that ain't Romeo blowin' up your DMs." Chance remarked.

Sunset wasn't listening, she looked laser-focused on her laptop, and the more her phone buzzed, the more Chance felt his curiosity trying to get the better of him. 'Should I really stoop this low and look at her messages without her permission? I shouldn't, clearly that's the right choice... and yet, why do I feel like it's important that I do? I will never understand how my brain operates, not even if I live for trillions of years... oh well, let's fuckin' do it!' Chance thought.

Giving in to his curiosity, Chance pulled her phone to his side, which did catch Sunset's attention. "Chance, don't even think about it. I'm just trying to not give in and check my messages. It's either Flash or Twilight, and I can't convince myself which is worse, so put the phone down and-" Chance turned the phone on and looked at the messages, raising an eyebrow in confusion, all while Sunset scowled at him. "Chance, what the hell did I just say?!" Sunset cried out, taking her headphones off.

Sunset tried to snatch the phone out of his hands, but Chance held her hand above his head, all while scrolling through the messages with his other, just becoming more and more confused. "Seems to me like that Twilight chick you know, is goin' psycho. She's spammed the same message for the past few hours, you sure this isn't important? I feel like it might be important, Anon-A-Miss or not, it does seem urgent." Chance remarked.

Sunset frowned, finally snatching the phone out of his hands. She was about to turn it off, until she saw the spammed S.O.S message. Sunset was confused, but just as she scrolled down, the message kept repeating. Sunset scrolled through the messages, seeing the same S.O.S up till the latest and most recent repeat of the message. "What the... I guess things aren't going well back in Canterlot City. Well, I'm not there, so they'll have to figure things out on their own." Sunset remarked, turning the phone off as she returned to her laptop, putting her headphones back on.

Chance put the entirety of his palm onto his face, and leaned back in his seat. Chance looked at the Omnitrix, raising an eyebrow as curiosity started to take over yet again. A small smirk formed on the teen's face as he activated the Omnitrix.

On Reinrassic's ship, the activation signal of the Omnitrix is detected. "Excellent, my patience has been rewarded. Loyal DNAlien drones, pinpoint the location, the Omnitrix has been activated!" the drones type away at their consoles as Reinrassic steps forward, staring at the planet he's grown to loathe during his time in regeneration. "I have you now, vermin." Reinrassic stated, satisfied with how his plan was already succeeding.

In the RV, Sunset continues to listen to music on her laptop, only to then feel a light pinch on her leg, causing her to yelp. "H-Hey, what gives?!" Sunset looked down, only to see Pinch, who had a rather satisfied look on his face as a chuckle escaped the crustacean. Sunset growled, gritting her teeth. "Chance, I'm going to tell you this once. Don't do that again, or I'll turn you into some seafood dinner!" Sunset warned, displeased by her friend's attempt to entertain himself.

Pinch chuckled. "My mistake, I meant to aim my large pincher at your chee-EEEK!!" Pinch quickly dodged a broom being swung at him. Sunset got up and prepared herself to chase her friend down, a familiar smirk forming on her face. "Oh... errors have been made, I see." Pinch remarked worriedly.

Pinch quickly scuttled to the back of the RV, while Sunset ran right after him, pushing through the curtain as the sound of stuff being hit and stepped on started to echo out, as well as the terrified but entertained screams of Pinch, and the angered, but also very entertained laughter of Sunset. "Get back here, you pinch-happy crabcake!" Sunset exclaimed.

Pinch yelped as he felt the broom handle strike him in the face, yet he started to scuttle on the walls. "Forgive me, but I'd rather not!" Pinch remarked, all while dodging more of Sunset's attacks.

The two were clearly starting to have some fun, Sunset felt her anger fading, and was just starting to have some mindless fun. Pinch also felt his terror start to recede, and he jumped into his friend's arms, all while they laughed and reveled in the small mess they made.

Unfortunately, they weren't expecting the RV to suddenly come to an abrupt stop, with Luna pulling the curtain back, thoroughly displeased and irritated. The joy the two teens were suddenly replaced by a sense of dread and terror. "Chance Marsten, this is not the time to be fooling around with the Omnitrix, especially if you're using it for your own need of entertainment! Do you understand?" Luna exclaimed firmly.

Sunset quickly got up and put Pinch on the ground, then dusted herself off. "Alright, I'm sorry, sheesh! I was just fooling around, better than just sitting in awkward silence the whole time with nothing to do." Pinch remarked.

Sunset cleared her throat, causing Luna to look Sunset's way. The concerned and knowing look on Sunset's face said it all, and Luna sighed in frustration, slowly calming herself down. "I didn't mean to get aggressive, but this is not the time for tomfoolery, mister Marsten. We just don't need to attract any attention right now. Please, for my sake, for Sunset's sake, and for your own sake, don't play around with the Omnitrix again, unless it's important. Alright?" Luna apologized.

The Omnitrix starts to time out, changing the teenage hero back to his normal self, who looked rather astonished, yet defeated. "Alright, I promise. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. There, ya happy? Good, 'cause I'm not," Chance walked back to the booth and slumped down in his seat, staring out the window, bored out of his mind. "I don't see why you're so worked up about this. What kind of attention could I attract in here, anyway?" Chance remarked sarcastically.

Luna sighed and returned to the driver's seat. "Never you mind, just keep your hands off the Omnitrix, unless it's important, or till we get to Rushmore." Luna stated firmly, buckling herself up.

Sunset walked back to her side of the booth, noticing her friend's sense of melancholy. Sunset looked in her pocket, pulling out a spare set of headphones, and sliding them towards Chance. "Here. Listen to some music, relax a bit... it'll take your mind off of things." Sunset reassured.

Chance begrudgingly plugged the headphones into his phone, and pulled up a saved playlist of songs. Chance put the headphones on and continued to stare out the window, all while metal music blares into his ears as the RV starts to drive forward again.

Sunset looks down at her phone, and out of weakness, Sunset picks it up and turns it back on, selecting Twilight's contact and pressing the call button, but immediately presses the speaker button.

On Reinrassic's ship, the Omnitrix signal is lost, but the alien general seems pleased. "General Reinrassic, the Omnitrix's signal has faded. Shall we dispatch the genodromes?" one of the DNAliens asked.

Reinrassic shook his head. "No, not yet. I've narrowed down its location," Reinrassic pulled up a holographic map, zooming in on the Omnitrix's last known location of activation. He then looked to the side, seeing numerous screens displaying images of Chance's heroics as various aliens. "I know just how to draw this earthling out. After all, every hero... needs a nemesis to stand against." Reinrassic growled, smashing one of the screens.

Back in Canterlot City, the girls were still underground, readying themselves to put their plan into action. "Alright, here's the deal. Since we can't leave any of us behind, we stick together. Dash and Fluttershy, you two will fly Pinkie and Applejack high into the air, securing their safety, while Rarity and I follow close behind. If I concentrate hard enough, I can use my telekinesis to lift Rarity's construct off the ground, like a makeshift elevator. Once we're all together, Rarity will expand the platform for us all to stand on, and with Dash's speed, she can push us through the air and get us far enough out of Canterlot City, so we can escape and regroup, maybe find a more permanent solution to this problem." Twilight explained.

The girls nodded. "Alright, I guess this is the only plan we've got. We're sure there's nothin' that'll complicate things, right?" Applejack asked.

Twilight was about to say something, but then her phone started ringing. Quickly, twilight pulls it out and goes wide-eyed, seeing Sunset's number on-screen. Quickly, Twilight answers it, putting it on speaker, all while the girls pay attention, unsure as to how this was going to turn out. "Sunset!! Sunset, is that you?! Thank god, you're alright... you are alright, aren't you?!" Twilight frantically called out.

Sunset sat the phone down on the table, all while Luna tried to not listen in. Chance, on the other hand, subtly decreased the volume, keeping his sights on the passing scenery outside, while listening in. "Relax, Twilight. I'm fine... are the others with you?" Sunset asked.

"...will you hang up if I say yes?" Twilight awkwardly asked, the sounds of the DNAliens banging on the door and walls echoed out from the phone in the background.

Sunset was confused at the background noise, but decided to ignore it and sighed. "No, not this time, at least. Why are you calling anyway, especially with them being so close, is it another magical problem?" Sunset asked.

"Well-"

Suddenly, pained cries echoed out from the phone. "Gahahh!! D-Damn it, one ah those suckers got me off guard! Rrrhh, really broke the skin, too!" Applejack exclaimed, groaning.

Sunset was a bit surprised hearing Applejack swear, but it didn't really phase her, she'd been around Chance for long enough that it wasn't that surprising anymore. In fact, she's heard herself do it more often, too. "Applejack! Fluttershy, get the medkit, under my computer!" Sunset was very confused, as well as mildly curious as to what was going on. "Hurry, stop the bleeding, clean the wound and bandage it up! Make it fast, we only have one shot at escaping! Sorry, Sunset, things have been very hectic, and ridiculously dangerous as of late." Twilight cried out.

Chance glanced at the phone, his curiosity was now piqued. Sunset stared at the phone, letting the strange sounds in the background echo out. "Sounds like hell's come to Canterlot, by the sounds of it. What's going on over there?" Sunset cautiously asked.

"Well, Sunset darling, if you must know, CANTERLOT'S BEEN TAKEN OVER BY FILTHY FACE-HUGGING PARASITES!" The RV came to an abrupt stop, with Luna sitting at the wheel, aghast and mortified. Chance and Sunset were shocked by such a revelation, giving each other a knowing look. "These disgusting little creatures have been hiding in plain sight as regular people! It all started with missing persons cases cropping up, then they just return out of nowhere! Suddenly, every passing day, it's revealed that the people you can trust gets lower and lower! It's just US that remain in Canterlot now, darling!" Rarity cried out hysterically.

Chance took his headphones off and leaned towards the phone. "Ok, take a chill pill! What do these parasites look like exactly, and what exactly did they do?" Chance asked.

"Those things look like if a squid had a human brain, and was born with one eye and a sharp toothy hole in its hideous face! It latches onto your face and slowly turns you into those monsters!" Rarity let out a shriek as the sound of glass breaking rang out. "Those filthy creatures are getting IN!!" Rarity exclaimed.

Chance gritted his teeth and asked one more question. "Are they spewing huge globs of orange goo, occasionally hiding their gunk in trash cans?" Chance asked.

"They were, but now they seem solely focused on takin' us out like yesterday's garbage! Partner, I'm not entirely sure what's happenin' right now. Do any of yall got any inclination on what's goin' down, or any advice?" Applejack called out.

Chance looked to Sunset, who took a deep breath and sighed. "You need to get out of that room you're in. If there's a way out, start escaping. Now! When you're out of there, get out of Canterlot City, and make your way to Mount Rushmore. I know you have tons of questions, but you need to get there first. It's gonna be real hard to explain, but it'll give you some insight as to what we've dealt with already," Chance gave a thumbs up to Sunset, who was simply trying to hold her emotions back. "I'm going to hang up, and you girls need to get moving! I'll see you there, I promise." Sunset stated, hanging up the call.

Chance got up and moved to his friend's side, pulling them into a hug as he patted her back. Sunset covered her face, gritting her teeth as she tried to not let her emotions dictate her thought process. "That didn't go like how I thought it was gonna go." Sunset muttered.

Chance sighed. "Welcome to my world, lady. It's terrible, but it's slowly getting better. They'll make it, I'm sure of it. They did stand up to a bunch of crazy stuff already, and that was long before aliens came into the picture," Sunset looked up at him, seeing a hopeful smile on his face. "Trust me, they're gonna be fine. Not sure how they're gonna get all the way from Canterlot City to Rushmore, though, but crazier shit has happened." Chance reassured.

Sunset smiled slightly as he walked to his seat. "Besides, on the off-chance this was a calculated attack, what're the odds that the freakshow behind all this parasite stuff, is the same one who's after the watch? If they've been playing the long game, we need to start playing catch-up, and fa-AAAHH!!" Chance tensed up, a pulsating ringing sound started to echo throughout the teen hero's head. Chance screamed out, clutching his head as he fell to the ground. "Pain!! Nothing but pain!! My brain is burning!! Help!!!" Chance exclaimed, writhing in agony.

The two turned towards Chance, and quickly moved to his side. "Be afraid. Be very afraid. There is no fighting this battle, you've already lost. I know where you are, and when I find you, I'll tear the Omnitrix from your lifeless earthling body, vermin. You were a valiant challenge up to a point, but now, you will die." Reinrassic's voice stated, echoing in the teenager's head.

Chance writhed in pain, gritting his teeth as he screamed in agony. "Damn it, just get out of my head! Just shut the fuck up for one second!! God damn, you don't even have a mouth, and I wish you did, just so I could sew that shit shut!" Chance exclaimed.

Luna knelt down. "Chance, what's going on?!" Luna asked.

Chance tried to ignore the pain, but it felt like his brain was being sliced like sashimi. "T-That fuckin' alien thing! It knows where we are, and I'm gonna kill it!! This has gone on long enough, I'm tired of the nightmares, the headaches, the visions! I'm gonna paint the soles of my shoes in that thing's brains, if it has any!" Chance viciously exclaimed.

Sunset knelt down and put a hand to her friend's head, activating her geode. "Just relax, I'm gonna see if I can fix-" Sunset's words stopped as she fell on top of her friend, her body limp and unconscious.

Sunset opened her eyes, now finding herself in a dark void. "-this!" Sunset looked around, finding herself now knelt over the body of a convulsing DNAlien. "Oh no, what in the hell is goin' on in here?" Sunset asked herself.

A loud rumbling voice called out. "You, small earthling mare. Be afraid, be very afraid," Sunset looked around, trying to find the source of the voice, only to be met by the sight of Reinrassic himself, standing mere feet away from her, towering over her like a giant in a fairytale. Sunset backed away, but Reinrassic only got closer. "There is nowhere for you to run, nowhere for you to hide, because I will always find you. You're not the one who wields the Omnitrix, but you are familiar to their existence. Pass along a message to the one who wears it. Death will come for us all, but if the Omnitrix cannot belong to me, then the entire planet will be destroyed along with it. Either die with honor, or surrender without it." Reinrassic spoke.

Before Sunset could try to flee, Reinrassic brought a huge strike down onto the girl, and everything went white.

Sunset recoiled, backing up away from her friend as he slowly started to regain some form of control. Chance started to cough, hack and gag, and before he knew it, he managed to crawl towards the trash can, retching up the contents in his stomach. Chance held his head in the can for a moment, only to be startled by the sight of what came out of him.

He saw a huge amount of orange goo in the trash can. With curiosity taking the reigns yet again, Chance felt around his face, trying to grasp and pull at an ID mask, or anything, but he didn't feel anything. Nothing felt different, other than a sense of relief finally washing over him, but the orange goo was terrifying... as was the bits of metal that also stuck out of the substance. "Well, guess I found out the source of my nightmares... Kinda wish I didn't, fuckin' gross." Chance remarked, heading into the bathroom.

Over top a bison-filled field, Reinrassic's ship slowly descends. The hanger of the underside of the ship opens, and a small army of DNAliens, along with a swarm of genodromes and a violet large mace. The mace doesn't fly, so it just falls to the ground with the genodromes following it. It then begins rolling, leading its force on its way to a populated area called 'Rapid City', destroying the welcome sign along the way.

Reinrassic watches from inside the hangar, glaring down at the backwater planet that's caused him so much trouble as of late. It was finally time to put an end to the back and forth failures, once and for all.

Luna and Sunset hesitantly looked inside the trash can, and were just as concerned with the revelation as their alien compatriot was. "It's possible that Zombrex wasn't able to digest the metal from the drone, or convert that goo those xenocites make into something useful. He literally bit into metal flesh, and devoured a large portion of that parasite that took Flash over... honestly, it's terrifying just to think about, but some of that goo and spare parts must've dug itself into his body after he transformed back, not really digesting right, which explains the nightmares and the visions he was having. That freaky alien thing was talking, it knew of my presence when I was in his head," Sunset looked towards Luna, who was pretty unsettled, but still dead set in her choice. "Luna, you need to tell him. With how much we've stopped already, we'll be lucky enough to make it to Rushmore at all. He needs to know, and I'd like to know the full truth, too. You gave bits and pieces, and I was satisfied for the time being, but now that this has escalated, it's clear that you need to speak up and talk about this, before we get killed! Tell us what we're up against." Sunset pleaded.

Luna sighed. "I never thought I'd be back to doing the old Plumber stuff, but now my hands have been tied." Luna admitted.

Sunset motioned for Luna to continue, all while Chance finally exited the restroom. "Finally got that terrible taste out of my mouth. What's goin' on?" Chance asked.

Luna was about to answer, until she looked outside the window, her eyes widening as her jaw dropped. Sunset and Chance look to the windows, only to be equally as surprised by the fire and smoke coming out of Rapid City. "Well, guess it's that time again. Couldn't've picked a better time, too, with that stuff out of me, I'll probably perform a lot better," Luna immediately moved to the driver's seat and slammed her foot on the gas, rocking the teenagers as she desperately tried to flee the scene. "Hey, have you gone mental!? People need help!" Chance called out.

Luna was concerned for the peoples' safety, of course, but she was also terrified. "I-I'm sure the local authorities are handling the situation." Luna stammered.

Chance grabbed the TV Remote, turning it on. A news report was starting up. "It's mass hysteria, folks! We've never seen an attack like this! These strange bipedal squid people have started dragging innocent people out of their homes, forcing these parasite-like creatures onto their faces, and turning them into monsters like them! On top of all that, robotic drones are attacking civilians that have tried to run and escape the chaos. Now would be a good time for one of the alien heroes to save our skins, or we'll be trapped underneath a whole nother layer!" The news reporter cried out.

Chance gritted his teeth and turned the TV off. "I couldn't agree more," Chance got up and opened the door to the outside, watching as the world passed him by. "I don't know what your affiliation with dead famous people is all about, miss Luna, but it can't possibly be more important than saving lives. C'mon, Sunset! Grab on, I'll give you a lift!" Chance activated the Omnitrix, cycling to one of his aliens, but before he could transform, he looked back at Sunset, who didn't move from her seat. "Sunset, come on! I know you aren't gonna chicken out on me right now, not when innocent people are at risk!" Chance called out.

Sunset sighed and turned to look at him. "Chance, just sit back down. I know you wanna help those people, I do too, but this is important." Sunset pleaded.

Chance was at a loss for words. He wasn't sure what he should be feeling at that moment, but he certainly wasn't happy with her decision. "So you'd rather write about the lives of four dead presidents, all while people need a hero at this moment... I was the one haunted by nightmares of that alien freak, yet you seem to be the one who's lost their marbles!" Chance looked at Luna. "Luna, you told me not to mess with the watch again, unless it was important. I'd say this is very important! I don't know what's gotten into both of you recently, but you two have been hiding something. When I get back from saving those people, I want answers! The truth, the whole truth, nothing but it! You seem disappointed that I wanna help those people. Maybe if you found the watch, you could've ridden that selfish high all you wanted while people suffered. One of you was a hero before me, yet you want to sit down and do nothing to help. I am shocked and appalled, but above all else, I'm the only one who has a legitimate reason to be disappointed." Chance remarked, pushing the core down on the Omnitrix.

In a flash of light, Nitrofrost leapt out of the moving vehicle, propelling himself with streams of ice and snow, making his way to Rapid City. The RV comes to a screeching halt, with Luna and Sunset now genuinely scared of what could happen now. Luna was now at her wit's end, aggravated by the teenager running towards trouble... and yet, she couldn't help but feel nostalgic. "Sunset, get yourself strapped in. We might have to go after him." Luna instructed.

Sunset nodded, getting in the front passenger seat. Luna sighed and got back in the driver's seat, strapping herself in as she turned the RV around, making the gas pedal submit as she sped back to Rapid City, all while Sunset saw the destruction of the city in the distance. Sunset sighed and pulled her phone out, selecting Twilight's contact.

Meanwhile, a few miles away from Rapid City, A large gem construct is moving through the air. The girls were on top of it, all while seeing Rushmore in the distance. Twilight's phone goes off, and Applejack grabs it, answering it. "Sunset! We're almost to Rushmore, just a few more miles, and we'll be there!" Applejack announced.

Sunset sighed. "Fantastic, but there's been a change in plans. A lot of danger is happening in Rapid City, specifically, the DNAliens and parasites you were dealing with before. Chance went to help the people, but I doubt it's gonna be enough. He's tough, surprisingly resilient, but he's not gonna be able to take on all them alone! We're on our way to the city, but you need to give him, and the alien heroes some much needed backup! Can you girls do that for me?" Sunset requested.

Dash smirked. "You got it! Also doesn't help that all of Canterlot City's been tailing us for the past hour, so the more fighting there is, the more occupied we'll be!" Dash remarked.

Underneath the floating construct, numerous alien vehicles were being piloted by DNAliens, all while the chaos in Rapid City continued to get hairier. "We got your back, sugarcube, no matter what!" Applejack stated firmly.

Applejack ended the call and pocketed the phone back in Twilight's pocket. "Get ready, girls, I'm gonna bring us down! Start running and help the people get out of the city limits! If you see the alien heroes, or Sunset's friend, don't hesitate to lend a hand!" Twilight instructed.

Pinkie smiled and readied several small canisters full of decorative sprinkles. "It's time to kick butt and chew gum, and for the first time ever, I'm all outta gum." She stated.

The six girls hopped off the platform, to which Rarity used to knock several DNAliens off of their vehicles. "Grab one and spread out, don't let those dirty pod creatures get on your face!" Rarity ordered, stomping onto the head of one of the twitching DNAliens, earning a pained squelching groan from the possessed individual.

Nitrofrost flew over head, avoiding the drones, and then encasing them in ice, letting them crash and shatter onto the asphalt. Unbeknownst to the heroes, Reinrassic was watching the whole fight from above. The final battle was upon them, and the end was sure to come.

To Be Continued

Author's Note

Part 2 is finally out! Just one more part, and Season 1 will be wrapped up. Feel free to let me know in the comments what you think of the story so far.

Also, here's an optional question for you all who have been enjoying the story so far.

Q: If you could replace any of kid Ben's original 10 aliens with one new alien, which alien is getting replaced with who, and why? Feel free to comment your answer down below.

Hope you enjoyed this part, the final part will be up soon, then I might do something special for this story when Season 1's finally wrapped up.