A Hero's Origins
By TheAlienBrony22

Toxic Trouble

The RV drives down a long road, a light shower of rain pours down as Sunset taps away on her laptop. Luna turns on the radio, letting some folksy country music play, only to then immediately turn it off. "I don't know how miss Applejack and her family can listen to this kind of music, just a few seconds in and it's giving me a headache." Luna remarked, rubbing her temple with one of her hands.

Sunset shrugged. "Leave it to Applejack to be the most simple out of the group. Honest to a fault, but stubborn and strange in her own way." Sunset remarked.

Luna slowed the car down, noticing a fork in the road. Luna checked her phone's GPS, though a bit buggy, she smiled once she found what she was looking for. She put her phone away and turned left. Luna noticed the silence, and felt a bit paranoid, like something was watching her. It was nearly five in the afternoon, and the rain hasn't let up, despite being so mild for the past few miles. "Sunset, could you check on mister Marsten, see how he's doing?" Luna asked.

Sunset nodded, closing her laptop as she got up and walked to the curtains, pulling them back and seeing Chance sleeping, though the scrunched up looks of dissatisfaction told her another story. Chance mindlessly swiped at the air, moaning and recoiling in his sleep. "He's just asleep, like he's been since yesterday... I think he's having a bad dream, he's just swiping at the air, like he's being bothered by something." Sunset said, slowly letting the curtains drop as she returned to her seat.

Luna sighed, then finally spotted a town in the distance, a wide smile formed on her face. "Oh thank god, finally!" Luna turned around and looked at Sunset. "Could you please go and wake him up, we're finally reaching our destination!" Luna requested.

Sunset shrugged her shoulders and got back up to go wake Chance from his slumber. The moment she pulled the curtains back, Chance's reactions have somehow gotten worse, one could even say, more intense. Chance groaned and flailed his arms in a wild manner, his body was rocking back and forth, his feet and legs were jerking around in an erratic manner. Sunset carefully approached him and tapped on his shoulder.

Chance snapped his eyes wide open as he looked around, his face drenched in a cold sweat. Chance sighed and wiped the sweat from his face, only to see Sunset looking right at him. The teens stared at each other for a moment, until they felt the RV come to a stop. "Okay, the RV's parked, we made it to our destination!" Luna announced, pulling back the curtains.

The trio exit the RV, only to find themselves in a small town amidst the light rain shower. Luna readied her Umbrella as the two teens stayed close just to keep themselves dry. "Well, what do you think?" Luna asked, a bright smile forming on her face.

Chance yawned and rubbed his eyes. "I don't even know where we are..." Chance remarked tiredly, leaning on Luna's arm.

Sunset looked around and noticed a pizza place a couple blocks down. "Is that a 'Circus Pizza Emporium' location? Are we in Nevada?!" Sunset asked.

Luna smiled. "Yessir, this was where me and Celestia moved to initially when we decided to leave Jaxton. Specifically, we're in the small town of Caspiir. It's much harder to find on any maps, and sure, it's not much to look at, but it's actually a quiet and peaceful little town with a bunch of surprises. Everyone knows each other, and everyone's familiar with every person that passes through. It's one of those tight-knit communities." Luna explained.

Chance rolled his eyes and yawned. "Well, you girls go on ahead, I'm gonna head back to the RV and-" as soon as Chance turned around, he was met with a lightly tan-skinned girl that met his height, her expressionless look was unnerving. Chance's eyes widened as he jumped back and slipped onto the ground. "-Ow!" Chance groaned in pain.

The girl looked down at him, holding her hand out, her expression unchanging. "Oops. Sorry about that. Didn't mean to sneak up on you like that." The girl apologized, her vocal tone was monotonous, low and unexpressive.

Chance sighed and grabbed the girl's hand, and was a bit startled when she managed to pull him back up to his feet with relative ease. "Uh, water under the bridge, lady. Got a name, stranger?" Chance asked, wincing as he rubbed his back.

The girl nodded. "Maud Pie. You met my sister, Pinkie. I'm one of the eldest siblings in our family." Maud introduced herself.

Sunset smiled and hugged the girl. "Hey Maud, haven't seen you since the whole 'Battle of the Bands' fiasco a while back. What brings you here?" Sunset asked.

Maud let a small smile form on her face, then patted Sunset on the back, then pointed towards the pizza place. "My summer job. Much like Pinkie, I eventually got too comfortable back on the quarry, so like my sister did years ago, I left and went somewhere else, trying to earn enough money to get into a good college when I graduate. I was on my way to work just now, when I saw your recreational vehicle pull into town. Boulder told me that someone in that rig was troubled, so I figured I would attempt to help in whatever way I could. I don't have magic, but I can still help out in other ways." Maud explained.

Chance raised an eyebrow. "Who's Boulder?" Maud then proceeded to pull a rock out of her pocket and presented it to the alien hero. Chance didn't know what he was expecting, but considering it was Pinkie's eldest sister, he should've expected this, and it mildly pissed him off that he didn't. He wanted to say something, but he held his tongue for a moment. Chance took a moment to think of something different, and just spoke what came to mind. "Oh. Well, for a rock, he does look like a Boulder." Chance said, smiling a little bit.

Maud nodded, gently moving a finger on top of Boulder before putting him back in her pocket, and walked towards the pizza joint. "If you want to get out of the rain, you're welcome to come on down to the Circus Pizza Emporium, where we'll bust your guts with laughter, and fill 'em back up with good food," The trio looked at Maud in confusion. "It's their new slogan, it's a work in progress." Maud stated.

Luna looked down at the two teens, smiling. "Well, at least there's a familiar face, here! What do you think now, isn't this place neat or what?" Luna asked.

Chance yawned and felt his stomach growl. "I'm gonna go with, or what. I'll have a better answer once I've eaten, I don't think well on an empty stomach, I'm just glad I didn't wake up back in NYC, I'd never hear the end of it, otherwise." Chance muttered the last part, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he walked to the pizza joint, letting the rain cascade down onto him.

Luna looked at Sunset and handed her a couple bucks. "This is for whatever you and Chance want to order. I'm gonna see if there's a hotel we can stay in for the night." Luna stated, giving Sunset the money and the Umbrella, then rushed back to the RV.

Sunset sighed and quickly ran towards the Circus Pizza Emporium. "Well, this is a start to the day I wasn't expecting." Sunset told herself.

Chance and Sunset walk into the pizza joint, seeing that it was packed full of parents, children, teenagers, it was also pretty big on the inside. The place had a jungle gym, a ball pit, an arcade, they also had a stage, most likely for some kind of animatronic band. The oddest thing about the place, according to what Sunset saw, was that the waiters were all robots, each one modeled and constructed differently to look either masculine or feminine with numerous body shapes and sizes. The strangest thing about the place, according to what Chance saw, was the out-of-place elevator at the end of the arcade.

Chance and Sunset looked at each other, curious and skeptical, but eventually found themselves at the front of the counter, seeing Maud dressed in the same kind of uniform that the robots were in. "Hello, valued customer. Welcome to the Circus Pizza Emporium, where we'll bust your guts with laughter, and fill 'em back up with good food. May I take your order, please?" Maud asked.

Chance shrugged and stepped forward. "Hey Maud, I'll have a medium toffee and chocolate shake with no cherry, a medium box of fries, and a double cheeseburger with only ketchup, no other toppings or sauces, please." Chance ordered.

Sunset stepped forward as Maud typed away on some kind of keyboard. "I'd also like a quarter pounder veggie burger with extra cheese, a small box of waffle fries if you have them, and a small lemon-lime soda." Sunset ordered.

Maud typed away at the order and pressed enter, showing the price. "That'll be thirty-five dollars and forty-three cents, plus tax." Maud stated.

Sunset pulled out two twenties from the money she got and handed it to Maud. Once Maud counted out the change, four dollars and fifty-seven cents, Sunset simply put her change in the tip jar she saw on the counter. Maud handed Chance a receipt and saw a big number on top, reading as '2-9-5-6'. "Your number will pop up on that monitor, letting you know when your order will be done. Would you like to sign up for a chance to win the Ultimate Prize tonight?" Maud asked.

Chance and Sunset shook their heads, and Maud nodded her head. "Thank you for ordering food from Circus Pizza Emporium, have a nice day." Maud stated.

Chance and Sunset moved over to one of the booth tables and sat down. "Man, this place is expensive, but it also brings in a lot of customers. For a small town, this place is bustling, teeming with people who seem happy." Sunset remarked.

Chance looked around at the bright colors, and could feel his eyes undergoing a bit of strain. "Despite the joy this place brings to the natives, this place is purposefully hurting my eyes, it's like this place is assaulting my vision," Chance rubbed his eyes, but he didn't feel any better. Chance sighed and looked towards the arcade, At first he wanted to go and check out the games, but as he got up, he felt his blood run cold as he was reminded of the Total Zone. The employee insulting him and Sunset, the scuffed and busted rip-off games, Gilda. Chance immediately sat back down, and covered his head with his hands, ashamed of himself and his actions. Sunset looked at her friend, seeing the shame and guilt written on his face. Chance tried to shrug these emotions he was feeling off, but he couldn't rid himself of it. Chance looked towards Sunset and simply gave a weak, unconvincing smile. "Why don't you go check out the place and have fun, I'll let you know when our food's ready." Chance suggested, seeming indecisive.

Sunset seemed confused, and stayed in her seat. "You sure you wanna be alone? I'm perfectly fine with waiting on yo-Mph!"

Chance put a finger over Sunset's lips and stared her down. "I'm fine, Sunset, really," Chance saw Sunset's unamused expression and retracted his finger. "I appreciate the concern, but I probably just need to eat something, then I'll be in a better mood later. Now, go have some fun. I'll let you know when the food gets here. I doubt Luna will be happy anyway if she finds out I'm playing games when I'm still grounded." Chance rationalized.

Sunset looked at her friend, concerned as he leaned back against the cushioned padding within the booth. Chance looked stiff as a board, almost devoid of any sense of happiness or satisfaction. Sunset was unconvinced that her friend's change in attitude had something to do with being grounded, so she grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the booth, much to his distress, as they moved towards the arcade. "Come on, you need to lighten up. You're gonna play a few games, and I'll be right beside you with every step!" Sunset reached into her pocket and pulled out a disposable camera. "C'mon, it'll be fun! I'll even take pictures to preserve the memories!" Sunset reassured, all while Chance tried to slip out of her grasp and run the other way, only for it to be fruitlessly unsuccessful, and was dragged along the ground.

Chance gulped. 'I hope Luna's having more luck than I am.' Chance thought.

Chance and Sunset take various pictures, including in front of an old movie poster for 'Sumo Slammers', a "Punk Rock" Standee pose cutout, an air hockey table in which the puck gets hit too hard and is flung at one of the robot employees, the ball pit, on top of the jungle gym, they took a picture of themselves eating the food they ordered, Chance wearing a top hat and Sunset wearing an eye patch, the animatronic stage (the pair of them pretending to be robots), them sitting back at their booth bored, and in front of the elevator.

Chance steadily felt a bit less distressed, and though he still felt pretty bad, he had to admit, he was having fun. Sunset, on the other hand, was having a blast. This was the happiest Chance had seen this girl, and was at least appreciative that she was having fun, too. Soon enough, Maud walked up to the pair and pressed the button on the elevator. "You two seem to be having fun. Would you like to see something real special?" Maud asked.

Sunset and Chance looked at each other, then back at Maud. They thought they saw all they were allowed to see, but if this elevator is for public use, even for the customers, then what else were they missing out on? The teens nodded their heads, and the doors opened up. The three of them walked in as Maud typed in the same number on their receipt. As the elevator doors closed, they suddenly felt it going down. "Be advised, only paying customers are allowed down here, so I'm personally glad you ordered your food before stopping at the elevator." Maud stated, her expression and tone unchanging.

The two teens looked at each other, and sighed. "What should we expect to see?" Chance asked.

Maud looked at the alien hero for a moment, staying in silence. Then, she spoke. "You should always expect the unexpected." Maud stated vaguely.

After a few long minutes of traversing underground in an elevator, the metal box finally stops and opens up. The air is cold, and thick with a pungent rotten, decayed and mildew smell, like something's been molding and withering away for years, maybe decades. The rocky tunnels, supported and reinforced by metal support beams looked ancient. The two teens didn't know what this place was, let alone why anyone would want to go down here. "Sweet day in the morning, what kind of place is this?!" Chance exclaimed, the distress starting to climb back up.

Maud walked forward, gesturing for the two teens to follow her. "This is where the company is preparing a tourist attraction. An assortment of four known figures in the company's past, and how the past tends to resurface every now and then," The teens walked through the tunnel, the both of them could feel their hairs stand up on end. Maud stopped as she gestured to four run-down animatronics. A bull in overalls, a parrot in a pirate's costume, a lion in a loincloth, and the most obvious oddity of the bunch, a mime in a jester's suit, painted in black and gray, with a twisted smile on its face. "These are the former faces of the Circus Pizza Emporium." Maud introduced.

Chance leaned in, poking the jester's cheek, only for a stray spark of electricity to lightly zap him, making him recoil. "Freaky..." Chance remarked, a chill running up his spine.

The two teens were confused at what to say, a little bit disappointed, and very creeped out. "These four used to be the face of the Circus Pizza Emporium. The Bull was the 'leader' of the group, his name was Bill. The parrot was a swashbuckling pirate that gave out free candy to the kids, his name was Patchy. The lion was some kind of prideful caveman lion that was good at swinging through the trees, his name was Leo. Finally, the jester. He was apparently a defunct prize corner attendee, but would've been removed when the children would cry in its presence," Chance flinched, and didn't utter a single word. "He went under a lot of changes, and turning him into some kind of mime-jester was the best they could do. Kept his playful personality, all while making sure he didn't talk. I think he was named Feliz, but I'll have to go back through the paperwork pertaining to these relics. Why the company would want to re-create them, I couldn't begin to imagine why, I'm just doing my job. It's also mandatory to show these animatronics off to the paying customers, as a way to ensure they'll want to come back once they've been brought back into the public-eye." Maud explained.

Chance wasn't feeling well. The putrid smell of rot, decay, and mildew was starting to give him a headache, as well as upset his stomach. Chance started to look dazed and green around the gills, and Sunset gently pulled him away from the pile of animatronics. "Could you give us a moment, please? I don't think he's used to being so deep underground." Sunset requested.

Maud nodded. "By all means. I don't blame your friend for feeling queasy, these robots have quite the bloody history," Sunset seemed concerned, but also confused. "Sometime back in late 2000, around November or so, there was a supposed incident that led to a night guard, a private investigator, an out of towner, and a psychic all disappearing, and being found dead, stuffed in these same animatronics," Sunset's eyes went wide, as did Chance's as they both stared at the animatronics. "I wouldn't worry about your safety, though. The bodies were removed when they were found, which was back in 2001, given a proper identification and burial, but the murderer was never found. According to the documents, the suspected killer was found dismembered and concussed in his own home. All he could bring himself to say was that an Animatronic did it to him. No one really believed him, but to this very day, everyone's been wary of the idea of being in close proximity of these robotic entertainers." Maud explained.

That was the breaking point. Chance shoved Sunset aside, ran towards the elevator, noticing a trash can. Chance grabbed the bin like his life depended on it, hunched himself over it, and finally retched, unable to keep himself from under control due to the perpetuating smell, and the story behind the rancid, rotten and decaying smell didn't help any either. Sunset winced, but Maud simply walked over. "I'm gonna have to empty that bin again. That's the eleventh time today. Oh well, his pain is my gain," Chance froze as he wiped his mouth and coughed, feeling a burning in his throat. "The more I have to clean up after the customers, the more I get paid." Maud remarked.

Sunset walked into the elevator, patting her friend on the back as he moved the bin away from himself, and shuffled into a corner. "Are you two ready to go back up?" Maud asked.

Before Sunset could answer, the trio suddenly heard a loud high-pitched pinging sound suddenly blare out of nowhere. The three of them covered their ears, but Chance seemed to be getting the worst of it, erupting into a wailing scream as he clutched onto his ears as hard as he could, only for his scream to be drowned out by the wailing alarm. As Sunset and Maud try to figure out where the alarm sound is coming from, Chance fell back against the wall, it felt like two drills were being pushed into his ears, and were starting to meet in the middle. The pain could only be described as if his brain was crumpling up and twisting into a fleshy, meaty wad of uselessness, only to notice a faint glow coming from the Omnitrix. The hourglass emblem had formed into a diamond, only instead of one of his aliens, he saw a black warning sign, a small triangle with an exclamation point blinking.

"ERROR.Unknown toxic chemical detected in user's bloodstream. ActivatingUser-Preservation protocol." The Omnitrix chirped.

Before Chance could try to warn Sunset what was about to happen, Chance already felt his body trying to undergo a transformation. Chance, unsure of what he could do, just simply let the transformation happen, believing that there wasn't anything he could do. In a flash of green light, Chance was transformed into Armethyst. As the light died down around the transformed hero, Sunset was very concerned, whereas Maud, despite her expressionless visage, she was mildly surprised, if not enamored to see Sunset's friend have his secret involuntarily and prematurely revealed to another individual.

The alarm soon stopped, and Maud pressed a button with the word 'SURFACE' on it, and the doors closed, slowly raising them up back to the surface. Maud looked at Sunset, then at Armethyst, who awkwardly waved at her. "I see a lot has changed back in Canterlot. Is this magic, too?" Maud asked.

Sunset shook her head. "You might not believe me when I tell you this, but it's all alien stuff... It's hard to piece together what we're working with, but that watch is definitely a one-of-a-kind high-demand commodity, that's for sure," Sunset turned around, watching Armethyst twist the Omnitrix and tap at it, most likely trying to find a way to turn himself back to normal. Sunset sighed and looked back at Maud, who raised her eyebrow slightly in confusion. "Look, you can't tell anyone about this. My friends wouldn't understand any of this, and after Anon-A-Miss, I'm not exactly feeling keen to tell... almost all of them about his secret. Think you can have my back, just this once?" Sunset pleaded.

Maud looked at Armethyst, and curiously moved closer to the alien, grabbing one of his hands as she gets a feel for the crystalline gem parts that make up his body, it was almost like she was examining it. "These aren't your typical quartz crystals. They're compact, sturdier than the typical crystals you'd find in geodes and ore deposits. It also seems they've also blended with some kind of crystallized silicon-based crystal, giving it refractive properties to work with. Strange, they remind me of the stuff that the choosing stone is made out of, and I still haven't figured out what it is, it stumped me for a good couple years... intriguing, very fascinating," Maud held out her hand, as if she was expecting to receive something. "May I perhaps borrow a couple crystal samples, something to study and compare in my off-time?" Maud asked.

Sunset furrowed her brow, unamused. "Maud, I appreciate that you're not freaking out about this, but are you gonna tell anyone, especially Pinkie, about his secret?" Sunset asked, trying to vocalize her concern.

Maud looked back at Sunset, unwavered. "I won't tell a soul, me and Boulder will keep this secret, till it becomes public knowledge," Maud turned back, and was met with several amethyst-colored crystals of different sizes, lengths and density. "Thank you for the samples, this'll be very useful for my thesis." Maud thanked.

Armethyst gave a thumbs up. "No problem, Maud, all I ask in return is that you don't reveal my secret... I made that mistake once, and I'll be a damnable dead man to have foolishly made that mistake again." Armethyst remarked gravely.

Sunset glanced up at her alien friend, picking up on the underlying bitter hate in those last sets of words. 'Okay, he's still not over what happened back in NYC, that's just great... We were having so much fun, and he was happy for a moment, now all of a sudden he's right back to square one... what in Celestia's name did she do to him?' Sunset thought.

The animatronics laid there as the elevator ascended upwards. Within the murky cover of dark, the jester's eyes snapped open, flashing bright with a fluorescent yellow glow. The other animatronics started to wake up as well, trying to get up and move, but the mechanisms that helped them with moving were too rusted, jammed and damaged beyond simple repair.

Irritated, the animatronics started to radiate a sickly purple ooze, melting the animatronics apart and letting the ooze slip free. The strange ooze then started to bubble and make its way to the elevator, all while two mischievous yellow eyes bulge out and glare, oozing itself through the closed doors, leaving the metal doors to start melting and corroding away.

As the elevator reached its stop, the doors opened up, and was met by Luna, who was in distress, as well as an older stockier man with brown skin and silver hair, all paired up with a beard-goatee combo, and was dressed in the same outfit that Maud was, only colored in black and blue. The two adults looked at the three teenagers, with Chance seeming relieved that the Omnitrix eventually timed out before the elevator stopped. "Maudelina, ah shoulda figured. Your kids were in capable hands, ma'am, Maud was just givin' them the tour, earnin' her paycheck." The man reassured, chuckling a bit.

Maud nodded and looked at her watch, then took her hat off and walked towards the counter. "My shift's over, Mr. Cawthon, I'm gonna head home. Have a good night!" Maud announced.

Mr. Cawthon looked back at the girl and smiled, chuckling as he waved her off. "G'night, kid! Enjoy your three days off, live a little!" Maud took a card and punched a few numbers into the computer, then walked out the front door. The man sighed and looked towards the trio, now reunited. "That kid's my best employee. Shame this is just a summer job, she'd be perfect as Employee of the Month! Give these rust buckets full ah bolts something to aspire to be!" Mr. Cawthon remarked.

Chance nodded. "She's clearly got a lot figured out about her future, that's a start," Mr. Cawthon laughed at the alien hero's words, but it was clear he had something else on his mind. It wasn't his business to pry into someone else's, so he didn't acknowledge it. "I think you should give those dirty bots a thorough scrubbing, and a major bleaching if you want to put them on stage for people to adore. Otherwise, there's gonna be some much needed clean up everywhere." Chance advised, clutching his stomach.

Mr. Cawthon grimaced and nodded his head. "So you saw the old animatronics, they were pretty worse for wear... poor bastards, they didn't deserve what happened to them. Still can't believe someone would stoop so low as to murder people, and stuff their bodies in a bunch of robot animal entertainers! What's this world comin' to!?" the man remarked.

Chance chuckled. "The same world where there's alien superheroes coming out of the woodwork? I think life is a constant joke, and the punchlines speak for themselves." Chance quipped.

Mr. Cawthon laughed and pat the teen on the back. "Yeah, ya might be right. Logic already left the building, I wouldn't be surprised if it skipped town altogether!" The man checked his watch, and winced. "Sorry, I'd love tah keep chattin', but unfortunately, it's closing time. I'm gonna need you three to head on out, locking up is a meticulous and complex process for us." Mr. Cawthon said firmly.

Luna nodded. "Of course, I'm just glad my kids are safe. Come on, let's head to the motel and get some rest." Luna stated.

The teens nodded and followed close behind. Chance looked down at the Omnitrix, noticing that it was still acting strange. The hourglass was half-way completed, forming that weird DNA helix again, and was glowing yellow. Chance groaned, scowling at the device as he stuffed his hand into his pocket, clearly not wanting to deal with whatever the Omnitrix was about to go haywire about next. 'I will deal with your bullshit tomorrow. You nearly risked my secret being revealed, and you're lucky they didn't freak out or try to blab it to everyone.' Chance thought to himself as he walked faster to stay close to Sunset and Luna.

A couple hours later after the restaurant was closed for the night, the strange ooze has made its way to the surface, melting the doors open as it slithered into the main lobby. A gurgling growl escapes from it and starts to bubble as it stares outside, seeing the rain cascade down like an aggressive spring shower. It then puts a small purple tendril to the glass, and melts a hole through it. The ooze then starts to take shape and reveals itself to be what looks like a melting purple dog creature. It snarls and lets out a phlegm-laced bark and runs away onto the streets.

The next morning, Chance and Sunset were sleeping in a motel room, with Luna getting up, ready to start the day. Luna walks outside and is ready to behold the beauty of this small town, until she was met with a rather odd, terrifying and confusing sight. Most of the roads were corroded away, creating numerous pot holes. The buildings looked to be crumbling, even the motel they were staying at looked to be on the verge of collapse.

"What just happened out here!?" Luna exclaimed.

Chance and Sunset snapped their eyes wide open, a bit groggy from last night, but otherwise, they were a bit re-invigorated. The two teens got up and looked at each other, only to see the door open, with Luna walking in. "You two might wanna come out here, looks like it's gonna be one of those days." Luna advised.

Chance frowned, while Sunset got up and stretched, then took a deep breath. "Come on, Chance, let's see what kind of chaos suddenly came for us this time." Sunset remarked, pulling her less than enthused friend out of bed.

Chance groggily got to his feet as he was pulled out of the room. "Can I at least get some breakfast first?" Chance asked.

The trio walk outside onto the streets of Caspiir, and see that the whole place has been trashed. The rain didn't come down that hard, and there was hardly a breeze that could move through such an aggressive showering downpour, so the trio were confused, basically stumped as to how all of this happened last night.

Chance beheld the carnage, and despite still being half-asleep and hungry, he was aware enough to know that he should be concerned. "Whoa, what happened?" Chance asked.

Luna looked around, and unfortunately, she didn't have a clue. "I'm just as lost as you are, mister Marsten, but we'll have to get to the bottom of this before we leave. We can't leave the citizens of Caspiir like this." Luna stated, trying to keep her sense of composure.

Sunset examined a large crack in the sidewalk, seeing that it was disrupted from underneath. "Maybe an earthquake caused it, or a tornado came through... is acid rain a valid theory?" Sunset asked, unsure of what to make of this.

Chance shrugged his shoulders and looked around, the citizens of Caspiir beheld their sights on the damage. "Depends, let me answer your question with a question. Riddle me this, how god damn unlucky do you have to be for all three to happen all at once? Because by the looks of it, looks like all that happened within the span of last night!" Chance remarked.

The people of Caspiir look on at the destruction that's befallen their town. Down the street, Maud walks towards the trio and simply observes the damage without much reaction. "Well, looks like Caspiir isn't even safe from chaos and dangerous threats." Maud remarked.

Chance looked at Maud, seeing her dressed in a blue-gray sweater with a red skirt to match, and a black belt tied around her waist. He also noticed the large bag slung over her shoulder, and was curious. "What's with the bag? You leaving?" Chance asked.

Maud nodded. "Something broke out of the pizzeria last night, that was kind of the last straw for me. I figured this was gonna happen eventually, so I gave Mr. Cawthon my two weeks notice, he gave me my final paycheck, and now I'm probably gonna head back to Canterlot City, see if Pinkie's willing to let me have my old room back," Chance's eyes widened at that, and he scratched the back of his head, looking a bit worried, almost guilty. "Relax, it wasn't your doing. I checked on the animatronics, to see if the documents had to be updated, but they were all melted down and rendered beyond useless. It's like Mr. Cawthon told me on my first day on the job. You can fix a springlock, but there's no salvaging a melted rabbit." Maud explained.

Sunset stepped forward and looked at Maud. "What do you mean something broke out of the pizzeria?" Sunset asked.

Maud sighed and pulled out a small file from her bag. "This was a parting gift from Mr. Cawthon, something that came with the paycheck. He called it the Smooze, mainly because something about it just compelled him to keep it around. He wasn't sure what it was, but he tried to domesticate it. It didn't work out, and he ended up throwing it into an industrial fan, causing it to splatter over the same animatronics that were underground, hoping to be refurbished and remade into something more befitting the more 'modern' era. Though. if I had to make an estimated guess on how it survived for so long, that thing probably wasn't actually dead, and was only hiding in the animatronics, feeding off the residue that was left behind by the decaying bodies of the murder victims. It's like a slimy vulture." Maud explained.

Sunset skimmed through the folder, seeing the strange ooze in a pet cage, with Mr. Cawthon smiling at it. "He was rather attached to this thing, wasn't he?" Sunset questioned.

Maud nodded. "He used to be a lonely man with no friends or family, so I suppose companionship with the unexplained was his way of coping, rather than become a workaholic." Maud remarked.

Chance shuddered, lamenting on Maud's words, letting them sink into his psyche. Before he could start ruminating on his thoughts, the little dog-sized creature arrives and moves around Chance and Sunset, making silly poses and faces, and barks incoherently. It pulls on Chance's leg to get his attention. It makes intimidating expressions, growling as its engorged eyes stare at him with a twisted sense of enjoyment and torment while Chance simply looks on. The creature runs away, leaving the trio stunned.

Chance snapped out of his stunned surprise and was honestly unsure of what the hell he was dealing with. "What in the fuck was that?" Chance asked.

Maud simply pointed at the amorphous oozing dog creature as it rolled around in the pot holes it made. "The smooze. Seems to me that it's become more dog-like in shape, likely so it can be perceived as cute, to avoid the consequences of its actions." Maud stated.

Sunset stepped forward and grabbed her geode, transforming herself as she readied herself for a fight. "As long as we stick together, we can handle this, right Luna?" Sunset asked.

Luna nodded. "Lets hope we can stick it to this vile creature, or it may become more than a problem for Caspiir alone." Luna stated.

Near a soda machine, the Smooze sees the chance to cause even more trouble. It oozes into the machine and causes it to tremble, as well as slowly melt and spark with electricity, only to then suddenly start catching fire. "What's the dog doing?" Chance asked.

Maud snapped her fingers and grabbed an empty soda can off the ground, looking at the ingredients. "It's eating chemicals. The more it consumes unhealthy chemicals, the more powerful it's gonna get," The Smooze causes the machine to explode, sending burning pieces of the machine and emptied soda cans scattering everywhere. Chance, Sunset, Maud and Luna try to avoid getting hit, only to duck behind the RV. "It's also got a dangerous sense of humor, by the looks of it." Maud stated.

The citizens start to panic and run away, all while the onslaught continues, with the trio, and Maud, hiding behind the RV for cover. Luna looked at Maud, displeased by these current events. "That thing was inside four ancient animatronics that were full of dead bodies all this time? Isn't that kind of dangerous, let alone very shady?" Luna questioned.

Maud shrugged. "It was shady without context, and even with context it didn't make sense. This thing only started acting up after I showed the animatronics off to Sunset and her friend yesterday," Luna looked towards the two teens, who had no real excuse. "I doubt they did anything, it's very unlikely that this creature would suddenly react to these two in particular, but it was after I showed them the animatronics, that was when I learned about his secret. He's the alien heroes showing up all over the country." Maud explained.

Chance let a sheepish smile form on his face as a nervous laugh escaped his lips. Luna stared at him, and his smile faded away. "It wasn't my fault, it was the Omnitrix! It started freaking the hell out, and transformed me out of nowhere! It said something about preserving the user, or something like that... I couldn't tell ya what it was blathering on about, I just know that the watch has been acting strange ever since we got here!" Chance held the Omnitrix up for the three ladies to see. It was still spinning around, the hourglass was still in that DNA helix shape, emitting a yellow glow. "It's been doing this ever since we got back to the surface! This is not on me, not this time!" Chance defended, seemingly getting agitated.

Sunset held her hands up and rested them on his shoulders. "Take a chill pill, hero, no one's saying it's your fault. Relax, we still need to deal with that psychotic slime ball," Sunset looked at the dog-shaped slime creature, watching it go on a rampage. Sunset looks back at the Omnitrix, then back at the creature. Sunset ducks back down behind cover and starts to use her head. "Maybe the Omnitrix is responding in some way to the creature's presence. It's possible that it could be some kind of alien, rather than some kind of kooky creature from folklore." Sunset theorized.

Luna sighed and looked at Chance, who already looked like he had been through the ringer. "We're gonna talk about this later, I mean it. But, for now, how do we stop this thing?" Luna asked.

Maud shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to hide, for the sake of saving myself. You guys are the heroes, you can figure it out." Maud stated, grabbing her bag as she walked into the motel.

The Smooze continues to cause mayhem, colliding with numerous objects and vehicles, causing them to melt and corrode, even causing a few things to spontaneously combust from the damage.

Luna, Chance and Sunset run through the damaged streets of Caspiir in search of the alien slime dog. "Don't suppose dog treats and chew toys will lure it out, will it?" Sunset asked.

The Smooze slowly zips through the ground beneath them. It sneaks up behind Luna and bites her in the leg, causing her to yell out in pain as it lifted her off the ground, struggling with her weight. "AAAAGH! That's not funny!" Luna cried out. The moment Sunset tried to intervene, it dropped Luna onto the ground and disappeared back under the asphalt. "Ohhh, that's just painful." Luna groaned, rubbing her leg carefully as it stung.

Chance gritted his teeth and stared down the amorphous slime, watching it smile in his direction. "That's it! I never thought I'd ever say this in my life as a dog lover, but I'm gonna put that mutt down!" Chance stated firmly, noticing that the Omnitrix was now acting normal again. Chance wasted no time pressing the Omnitrix's button and immediately pushing the core back down.

Chance felt his skin bubble, his fingers melted and merged together and then form into crab claws, hardening into some kind of pink-ish purple shell. His arms became more of an indigo-gray color, and he felt his head sink and meld into his torso. His upper body transformed into something more akin to that of a crab shell as his eyes opened up, becoming completely white. He felt a form of covering wrap around his 'neck' and a black spandex form over his midsection, as well as morph onto the top of his head, allowing for the Omnitrix to form on top of its head.

His legs transformed into that of two crab-like legs and his size soon reduced down to a certain size as he opened his mouth and exclaimed mightily in a high-pitched voice.

The flash of light died down, and Sunset was surprised to see Pinch in Chance's place. "You willingly chose the crab over one of your heavy hitters?" Sunset asked.

Pinch nodded. "Might isn't always right, Sunset. Plus, if there's one thing I've learned about Pinch, he's very resistant to a lot of stuff. If I'm gonna get in there and have that mutt put down, might as well go with an alien that can potentially resist it." Pinch explained.

The Smooze continues to cause havoc on the streets again. He makes a coin-operated newspaper stand explode with numerous quarters being fired off everywhere. One of the stray quarters ends up cutting through a street light, sending it toppling over onto a water hydrant, which started to spew water all over the road. The Smooze laughs, entertained by its carnage. Soon enough, Pinch rolls up and has his foamy bubbling spit ready to fire.

A foamy loogie whizzes by the Smooze, who seems to let out a very disgusting and viscous snarl. "Alright, you bad dog, time to put you back in the doghouse!" Pinch spat out another foamy loogie, to which the Smooze dodged. The smooze turned its tail into a tendril, wrapping up a chunk of loose concrete and chucking it at the alien crab. Pinch's eyes went wide and he scuttled to the side, narrowly avoiding the large piece of rubble.

Sunset carried Luna over to the RV, to which Maud stepped out of the motel, pulling out an opened bag of chips. "There's a lot more excitement going on today, though this is probably normal for you, isn't it Sunset?" Maud asked.

Sunset smiled nervously, nodding her head. Maud shrugged her shoulders and helped get Luna into the RV, opening the door and then carrying her by the legs.

The Smooze lets out a gurgled chortle at the damage it has done and mocks Pinch. Pinch scowled, angered by the teasing, and somehow accidentally fires a torrent of yellow sludge from his mouth. The Smooze barely manages to dodge it at the last moment, watching as the sludge completely disintegrates an untouched car.

Pinch was surprised. "Whoa! That's a new trick," Pinch glared at the Smooze, now seeing the shock on its face. "Not so funny now, is it? Just wait till I hit you with it, you muck-covered mutt!" Pinch remarked, shaking its claw at it in an aggressive manner.

The Smooze slowly continues to laugh and immediately takes off. Pinch goes after the Smooze, though it proves to be too fast to hit. The Smooze scampers all around the street, while Pinch attempts to get a hold of the Smooze, but it either dodges the attempts, or slips out of his grasp. Pinch finally manages to hit it with his new yellow sludge attack while it was mocking him, and manages to stun the Smooze for the moment.

Back in the RV, Luna now had her wound covered in an antibiotic disinfecting ointment, and had it heavily bandaged. Sunset and Maud watched as Pinch tried to keep the Smooze from going anywhere, let alone recover, but time was of the essence, and Chance couldn't keep it up for much longer. "How are we gonna drown out that toxic canine?" Luna asked.

Sunset thought about Luna's words, and suddenly got an idea, a smile forming on her face. "Miss Luna, you're a genius!" Sunset exclaimed.

Luna smiled. "Well, thank you, miss Shimmer... wait, why?" Luna asked, curious as to what was about to transpire.

Pinch continued to hose down the Smooze with his yellow sludge attack, but it was becoming more and more apparent that the alien hero was steadily getting more and more exhausted with every time he used it. Soon enough, Pinch's guard dropped, and the Smooze knocked the alien crab away, trying to limp away from the scene, parts of the Smooze were being eaten away by the sludge, but it still tried to get away.

Pinch got back up, getting irritated. "That's it, I'm gonna make sure there's nothing of you left!" Pinch looked around him, and picked up a license plate. "Hey, you walking pile of garbage, catch!" Pinch throws the license plate right towards the slime. The license plate cuts into the Smooze, though it seems to absorb the piece of metal into its body, then regenerates and closes up the wound. The Smooze suddenly changes into a much more viscous and greener color, all while getting larger, becoming the size of a motorcycle. Pinch is surprised, while the Smooze laughs at the hero. "O--kay. That's so not fair." Pinch griped.

The Omnitrix times out and Pinch transforms back into Chance, who slowly backed away from the Smooze. The Smooze lets out a gurgled howl and tries to attack Chance, only for Luna, Maud and Sunset to arrive in a fire truck, readying a large fire hose. They quickly snatch Chance up and he clings to the side of the fire engine. "Hey guys! Please tell me you got a plan, mine kinda fizzled out after a while!" Chance exclaimed.

Luna smirked. "Don't worry, mister Marsten, we'll teach this toxic pile of gunk a lesson it'll never forget!" Luna stated confidently.

Luna honks the horn as the newly mutated Smooze chases after the fire engine. "That's right, big dog, come and get it!" Sunset remarked, smirking as Maud unraveled the hose.

Luna shifted a gear as the engine stopped in its tracks, and Maud readied the hose, aiming the nozzle towards the Smooze. Sunset helps keep the hose up properly and a streaming torrent of water blasts out, cascading onto the Smooze, causing it to skid across the road as it started to dismantle and wash away, falling apart and smearing itself onto the road. The hose was turned off, and the Smooze seemed to be no more.

Chance stared at where the Smooze was standing, genuinely confused as to what just happened. "What did you girls do, other than completely obliterate that slimy hound dog?" Chance asked.

Sunset smiled. "We simply washed that gross slime ball off the face of Caspiir. Slime and muck doesn't stand much chance against highly-pressurized soapy water. Not bad, if I say so myself." Sunset remarked, seeming proud of herself.

Chance sighed, seeming relieved. "Phew, good thinking! Now let's hope that thing doesn't mutate again." Chance remarked.

The three ladies looked at the alien hero with confusion and concern. "Mutate?" Luna asked warily.

Chance raised an eyebrow. "You didn't see that thing was much bigger than it was a moment ago, as well as seeing it change color from purple to green? You didn't see that?!" Chance asked, mildly concerned.

Sunset looked back at where the Smooze was, and much to her despair, pieces of green Smooze goo were reforming back into the Smooze. It finally formed back into its mutated state, but then it started getting bigger, much bigger. The Smooze was now taller than the fire engine that hosed it down, and its green-ish color had now become a much clearer, if not somehow murkier blue-ish color. The dog-shaped creature now had three eyes on its face, and a second row of sharp teeth. "Oh no!" Sunset exclaimed, pulling Maud aside as they ran to the side of the road.

Luna and Chance quickly did the same as the Smooze closed its jaws onto the engine, ripping away at it and chewing it up, devouring it in a feral manner. "Well, this went from good to bad, to worse, and now it's blatantly catastrophic... this was clearly not our day!" Chance remarked.

The four of them watched in horror as the Smooze started to move through the streets, going further into town. Chance looked over at Sunset, and patted her on the back. "Well, we both tried, and we both respectively failed. Now what?" Chance asked.

Before anyone could answer that, the ground beneath their feet started to bubble and melt. "Everyone move!" Luna ordered.

The four of them quickly got off the streets, all while the buildings and roads started to bubble and melt, corroding and turning into some kind of mush. "What's happening?!" Sunset yelled out.

The four quickly got into the RV and sped down the road, chasing after the Smooze, watching as it slowly but surely kept growing in size. "The Smooze is devouring everything in Caspiir, leaving nothing but a toxic mush in its wake of destruction. If I had to make another guess, it's probably heading for the town's one source of alternative power. The oil tower." Maud stated.

"That thing is going to kill us all if something isn't done! We can't let that thing consume any oil, who knows what could happen!" Luna stated, trying to calm herself from the panicking sensation that keeps rising up to the surface.

Sunset stared at the creature, seeing it smile and revel in its destruction. It sickened her, and it made her mad. "That creepy freak's idea of good, clean fun is gonna have us all pushin' up daisies," Sunset looked at Chance, who was desperately trying to get the Omnitrix to work again, only to be met with little to no success thus far. "Chance, keep trying to dial up an alien, we need all the help we can get!" Sunset stated.

Chance paid her no attention and continued to try and make the Omnitrix work again, only being met by the Omnitrix flashing yellow and forming into that DNA Helix again. 'God damn it, why does it keep doing that?!' Chance thought, getting immensely aggravated with the Omnitrix's lack of cooperation.

Maud watches as the trio try to figure something out, then notices that they might've been going at this all wrong. Maud notices a flare gun near a first-aid kit and grabs it. She opens the door, hanging her arm out as she aims at the Smooze. Once she pulls the trigger, the flare fires out and manages to puncture the Smooze's dog tail, causing it to tense up a moment and growl in pain. The spot on the tail where the flare was had suddenly started to solidify and slowly turn to stone. "Looks like the Smooze's weakness is heat." Maud stated.

Maud closed the door and looked at the trio, who hadn't been paying attention and were more worried about how to stop this monster in its tracks. Maud sighed and shook Sunset and Chance's shoulders, bringing them back to reality, and did the same with Luna. "I think we might've been going at this all wrong. The Smooze clearly has a distaste for heat, and is working effortlessly to ensure that it stays cold. Too much heat in one spot, and that spot starts to solidify and turn to stone." Maud explained.

Chance raised an eyebrow. "How'd you figure that out?" Chance asked.

Maud showed him the flare gun, along with the lack of a flare. "I had to take a risk, and you three weren't paying attention. Hopefully this is beneficial information to you three, because it's too dangerous for me to accompany you any further," Luna stopped the RV and Maud grabbed her bag, stepping onto the road. "I hope you guys stop the Smooze, otherwise it might not stop at just Caspiir. I'm gonna head back to Canterlot City, and FYI, your secret's safe with me. Good luck." Maud stated, closing the door and running down one of the streets.

Luna looked at the flare gun, and at the new patch of stone on the Smooze's leg. "If we're gonna do this, I want you both to do your best. Push your limits if you have to, we need to stop this thing or it'll become a danger to the whole planet. Understand?" Luna asked.

The two teens nodded, and Chance noticed the Omnitrix was now back in the green. Chance cycled through his transformations, trying to desperately figure out which alien would be best for the job, and that was when he got an idea. "Fire can turn this thing to stone, right? I think I've got a plan, but you two will have to make some molotov cocktails while you're at it, we need to get this right in one go, or it's all over. I'll stall for time and keep the big freak busy, it's up to you two to light him up like dynamite." Chance stated.

Luna and Sunset shared an unsure look on their faces, but Chance was clearly set on his plan. The two nodded their heads as Chance cycled to one transformation in particular, and slammed it down, enveloping the interior of the RV in a blinding green light.

At the oil tower, the Smooze was busy trying to smash the tower open. A noticeable prick could be felt on the creature, and it looks up. The Smooze walks back and looks up to see Fumesquito on top of the tower. "This is your only warning. Knock off the funny business or I'll be forced to leave you paralyzed!" Fumesquito warned.

The Smooze roars out and hits the tower hard, causing it to crack and leak a bit of oil. The tremor shakes Fumesquito. He hops off and flies downwards, making sure to use his proboscis to take in as much oil as he can. Approaching the ground, he quickly slows his descent and flies back into the air, spewing a thick black nectar onto the Smooze's body, then sprays a large cloud of black mist onto the Smooze's head.

As Fumesquito does his thing, Luna and Sunset are taking bottles of alcohol and stuffing rags into them, letting parts of the rags hang out. Sunset stared at the bottles with uncertainty as she kept stuffing rags into the bottles. "Remind me, why do you have so many bottles of alcohol under the sink?" Sunset asked.

Luna smiled and laughed nervously. "You'd be surprised by how often Celestia and Cadence get together, but that's a story for another time. We're almost done!" Luna stated, getting back to the task at hand.

Fumesquito flew back up and drank up more oil, spewing it and covering the Smooze up more as best as he could, all while it roared out and swiped at the alien bug, but after getting nectar in its eyes, it couldn't see where the alien hero was going to be. Soon enough, Fumesquito had done all he could, and landed onto the ground, with the Omnitrix timing out in the nick of time, transforming Chance back into his normal self. "Please tell me they're ready?" Chance asked.

Luna smiled and nodded. The two teens grabbed a bottle each, and Luna lit the rags up. Chance and Sunset started to throw the molotovs at the creature, watching the oil that Fumesquito sprayed and slathered the Smooze in ignite in short bursts of light, causing the creature to roar out in pain, but was incapable of moving due to the paralyzing effect of Fumesquito's mist and nectar. The creature slowly but surely started to become encased in stone, and despite trying to fight back and force its body to move, the Smooze was soon encompassed in stone, rendered incapable of fighting back, let alone moving after the paralysis wore off.

The trio waited a few moments, just to see if their plan actually worked, and afterwards, they cheered, knowing that they were now victorious over the Smooze. "Finally, something turned out right in the end!" Chance yelled out, smiling from ear to ear.

Sunset laughed, leaning against the RV. "Yeah, this was definitely deserved! C'mon, let's go tell the citizens the good news, they'll be plenty happy to know that the Smooze was stopped." Sunset suggested.

Luna laughed and admired the teens' handiwork. Luna looked at Chance and Sunset, feeling proud that they worked together to stop the threat, and the trio got back in the RV, making their way back to the numerous citizens that are expecting good news.

Back at the town, several workers were busy getting everything back to normal. Mr. Cawthon and the trio stood in front of a huge object covered by a tarp. "You folks did right by us, and we couldn't repay you enough for savin' our hides." Mr. Cawthon stated, expressing his gratitude.

Luna smiled. "As fun as this little adventure was, we hope this wasn't too big of a setback for Caspiir." Luna said.

Mr. Cawthon let out a hearty laugh. "Are ya kiddin'?! More like giant step forward, if'n ya ask me! What, with our new attraction, soon we'll be raking the big bucks in! Thanks to you and yer strange kids, Caspiir might be put back on the map once people see our one-of-a-kind beauty!" The man pulls the tarp away, to reveal a stone statue of the Smooze, but upon closer inspection, it was still the Smooze, just trapped in its unconscious stone prison. "The monster of Vice and Greed, the Toxic Titan! It's gonna be a humdinger, let me tell ya, as long as people don't try to touch the darn thing!" Mr. Cawthon stated.

Chance leans in and notices a sign in front of the statue. "'Breaking the statue risks ruining other people's livelihoods. You've been warned'. Direct, yet cryptic, I like it!" Chance commented, giving a thumbs up.

As the trio makes their way back to the RV, Luna keeps them close by her side as she speaks. "I'm glad that adventure's over with, things just keep getting crazier and crazier. I can't help but wonder what's causing all of this, but maybe it's just a case of showing up at the wrong time." Luna stated.

Chance snickered. "Eager for a normal day, aren't you?" Chance asked.

Luna smiled, patting Chance on the back. "That's one way of looking at it, but starting tomorrow, when I know we're out of harm's way, you two need training. I couldn't help but feel as if we were unprepared this time, and it could've ended in chaos." Luna stated.

Sunset stepped into the RV and looked back at Maud, who was riding a bike out of the city. Maud casually waved at them as she passed by, and simply kept on pedaling. "Even so, we'll keep getting better at this, one way or another. Training wouldn't be that bad either, but I'll have to go easy on him, just to let him adapt at his own pace." Sunset stated in agreement.

Chance nodded, though he didn't say a word. He got into the RV, and Luna followed after, and the RV soon moved down the road, attempting to find a less destroyed path out of Caspiir.

Several long hours later and a few miles out of Caspiir, the RV was parked along the side of the road, and the trio was sound asleep... well, almost all of them were, but Chance continued to stir around in his sleep, all while he flailed his arms around, as if he was trying to defend himself amidst his slumber. Chance steadily woke up, sitting up carefully as he looked at himself. Chance looked at his hands as if he was trying to find something, but never seemed to find what he was looking for. Chance's throat felt dry, and his face felt wet, his eyes stung with tears and his face was showered in sweat, like he had been fighting in the sun for days without end, yet he didn't feel like he was in any immediate danger, or any kind of danger in general.

Chance sighed and laid back down, uncovering himself and just letting the cool air keep him from sweating too much. 'I need to put these nightmares in check.' Chance thought.

Author's Note

That was my version of 'Tourist Trap', and hoo boy, I was constantly changing this episode up a lot, most times just starting off from scratch. It wasn't the original idea to include Maud in this episode, or make the Smooze into an alien, but I'm not disappointed in those choices, I'm actually pretty proud of that creative choice.

I also figured it made sense that Maud would have some sort of interest in one of Chance's aliens, specifically Armethyst, since he is a walking gem crystal creature man. It also felt right to say that Maud wouldn't be that surprised aliens exist, since the craziness that happened with the fall formal and battle of the bands that involved Equestrian magic, people suddenly getting magic powers, like her sister, Pinkie, seemed like the new normal, and Aliens just seemed like the next logical step.

I wanted to try and translate the Smooze into a more inherently chaotic species, something that's actually kinda dangerous, rather than goofy and kind of off-putting, much like its G1 and G4 interpretations, so I made it a proper monster. Not sure about it's possible origins, though, maybe its a genetic off-shoot of Goop's species and the Sludgepuppies, hence why it can shapeshift its body, while still having a slimy and acidic body. I also took some inspiration from Shin Godzilla with my interpretation, showing that it can adapt and evolve into something very dangerous.

Either way, I figured I'd introduce a couple more features that this Omnitrix has. The User-Preservation protocol, and the Capture/Scan mode.

The User-Preservation protocol does exactly what you think it does, which is save its wearer from death. It's introduction also shows how truly toxic the Smooze is to other lifeforms.

Fun fact, much like the Definitive Omnitrix, this version of the prototype can gather samples from a distance, so long as it's within range. Which it did with the Smooze, hence why the Omnitrix was in Capture/Scan mode at specific moments in this episode. A neat little surprise for later, because why not?

I hope you enjoyed this episode, the next one will be out soon.