G5 Adventures in Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie

After working with their new friends Kendra, George Beard and Harold Hutchins on their latest Captain Underpants comic book, the Mane 6 separated into three groups of two in order to sleep at Harold, George and Kendra's houses.

Pipp and Misty got placed in Kendra's house, where they witnessed first hoof how tense things were between Kendra's parents, Evander and Avarsi.

And little did the ponies realize it yet, but somehow, Alterro had broken free from his otherworldly prison and was now plotting his revenge against the Mane 6 for turning Allura against him and the ways of their former kingdom of Leopardia.

What horrible things will Alterro have in store for our heroes? And how will the Mane 6 help their new friends with Kendra's fueding parents and the worst principal in the world on the rise?

Well... you'll just have to keep reading the newest chapter to find out.

XXXXXXXX

The night seemed to pass rather smoothly for our heroes, even though they were still on duty, and they seemed to sleep rather peacefully in the bedrooms of their new friends.

And they were especially comfortable in the pajamas that Claudia had gave Pipp and Misty, and Misty sent some extra pairs over to the ponies sleeping with George and Harold.

• Izzy's pajamas consisted of a short-sleeve shirt and sleeping sorts, and they were a light yellow with a vibrant blue star theme.
• Misty's pajamas consisted of a singular, long-sleeve shirt, and the shirt was a dark purple/black color with little white stars and butterflies on them.
• Pipp's pajamas consisted of a purple and white short-sleeve shirt with musical notes on them and white sleeping shorts.
• Sunny's pajamas consisted of a dark blue short-sleeve shirt with a galaxy-like design.
• Zipp's pajamas consisted of a very light blue short-sleeve shirt with a lightning bolt theme.
• Hitch's pajamas consisted of a dark teal long-sleeve shirt with the words '#1 Dragon Dad' on the front.

By the time the sun began to rise the next morning, it didn't take long for Kendra, George and Harold to each wake up (waking the Mane 6 up in the process) and beginning their Saturday morning with (what else?) a cheerful, upbeat song.

George: I love Saturday!

Harold: When anything is possible

Kendra: I love Saturday
Cause I can wear my pajamas a-all day!

Upon getting out of bed for the day, our heroes followed their new friends to their individual living rooms, where the TV was turned on and breakfast was already being devoured.

Harold: I love Saturday
Cause I can watch TV all--

Kendra, George and Harold: Day!!

Harold: I can pee a little bit in my underwear
And no one will mind...

Upon hearing these lyrics, Zipp and Hitch immediately stopped their impromptu dance party and turned to look at him weirdly. “Where are you going with that?” Zipp asked Harold strangely. “Do you really do that?”

“No! What are you talking...?” Harold scoffed. “It's just something I could do because...”

That's when Harold, Kendra, her siblings, and George immediately led the Mane 6 from their houses and out onto the lawn for a little victory dance celebration.

Claudia: Monday's an eternity away!

All: When it is Saturday...!!!!

But as the group was finishing the song, George's mother stepped out onto the front porch of George's family's house. “Get in the car, kids,” she said. “You got the Invention Convention today!”

But as the doors shut, everything about the happy scene seemed to fade in an instant-- a nearby cat leapt into the air, caught a bird in its mouth before a dog attacked the cat, and the sky was covered with dark storm clouds, full of heavy rain and loud thunder.

Treena was the first to let out a heavy sigh. “Well... that was sure a way to bring down the mood.”

“Do we really have to go?” Heath asked his friends and sisters in disappointment. “I mean... I really wanted to play with the toys that I got from my birthday last week...”

“Hey, it'll be okay,” Sunny sighed. “We'll all be together, and that's all that matters. Come on... let's get dressed and out of these pajamas before we have to get to the school. That Invention Convention is gonna start with or without us.”

XXXXXXXX

Needless to say, no one else at Jerome Horwitz Elementary was thrilled about being at the mandatory convention either.

As George’s mom dropped everyone off, they headed inside the gymnasium with the rest of the students, who trudged along miserably, finding this to be the worst thing ever to happen on a Saturday. “Man…” said Hitch to Sunny, watching all the kids’ shoulders slump sadly as they took their seats. “This is just… depressing!”

“I know,” Zipp whispered. “I can’t believe Mr. Krupp would do this to kids… kids, mind you, and that Kendra’s dad actually supports Mr. Krupp’s decisions!”

Kendra sighed from beside George and Harold, looking downcast. “That’s just how my dad seems to operate… and how Mr. Krupp seems to operate.”

“At least your brother and sisters are sitting behind us,” Izzy tried to point out a positive in that situation. “So… maybe this won’t be all bad.”

George and Harold sighed and crossed their arms, looking downright miserable in that moment. And just when they thought being at school on a Saturday was the worst thing in the world to ever happen to them, Mr. Krupp came onto the stage and started tapping the microphone. “Is this thing on?”

And after getting some slight feedback, ensuring that the microphone was indeed on, Mr. Krupp cleared his throat. “Quick announcement. Our science teacher, Mr. Fyde, is no longer with us.”

The Mane 6 and all the students, except George, Harold, Kendra and her siblings, let out a gasp. “He’s dead?!” one of the girls exclaimed before breaking down in tears, causing even Mr. Krupp to be surprised. “What? No! Not like that. He wanted to spend Saturday with his family,” he said with a chuckle, “to I fired him! I'll find a replacement next week.”

And with that announcement out of the way, Mr. Krupp got back to the matter at hoof-- er, hand. “On to Melvin Sneedly with the first of his 16…”

“Actually,” said Melvin, peeking out from the curtain, “it’s 17.”

“17 inventions. Take it away, Melvin,” Mr. Krupp corrected himself before getting off the stage. “Let’s remember to at least be respectful, guys,” Sunny said to the Mane 6’s newfound friends. “Remember, Krupp still has his eyes on you and us, and you guys don’t wanna get in trouble again, right?”

George, Harold and Kendra let out a reluctant sigh. “Right…”

It was at that time that Melvin came onto the stage with his first invention. “I will now demonstrate a prototype which I call... the Robotic Sock Matcher.”

Upon activating the device in his hand, Melvin held up one of his socks, and the machine immediately matched it to another one of the same socks hanging on it. “Never waste time matching your own socks again.”

“Oooh, that could come in handy back in Equestria!” Izzy said as she clapped her hooves together, but after a moment, she stopped upon realizing something. “Well, you know… i-i-if we wore socks.”

Zipp sighed as she took out her FlyPad. “The least we can do is take notes to revolutionize the way we do things for Equestria,” she told her friends as she began taking notes. “I mean… it’s not like things can get any worse than this.”

XXXXXXXX

But Zipp couldn't be more wrong. For the next two hours, it was nothing but Melvin showing off his inventions and bragging about how amazing they were.

The students in there were miserable, and as much as they hated to admit it, the Mane 6 were growing restless from sitting in those small seats for too long. And the fact that Melvin was boring them half to death wasn't helping much at all. “Ugh…!!” Hitch rubbed his face with his front hooves. “Make it end!!”

XXXXXXXX

Kendra, George, Harold and some others were about ready to fall asleep by the time that Melvin had brought out the 10th of his 17 inventions, which seemed to take the form of a giant school binder. “...and my personal favorite, the binder binder,” Melvin said, opening the giant binder to reveal smaller binders inside, each labeled for a different subject. “Having trouble organizing your binders? Well, look no further than this giant binder... for binders.”

Melvin then slammed the binder shut, causing Kendra and her siblings to yelp/yowl in surprise, which caused George and Harold to wake up from their boredom-induced sleep. And seeing that they weren’t even halfway finished with Melvin’s presentation caused George to sigh. “This is the stuff of nightmares!”

However, off near the wall, Mr. Krupp shushed the group for talking before turning back to his newspaper, causing Pipp to scoff under her breath, glaring in the principal's direction. “When we get outta here, I so wanna show this Krupp guy the real meaning of a good time.”

That was when George made an immediate decision, turning to the others with a stern look on his face. “We have to do something about this.”

“...I don’t know,” Kendra sighed, feeling a bit unsure about doing any pranking after what happened the day before in the principal’s office. “Krupp looks serious this time, George.”

“And if you guys don’t wanna get in any worse trouble,” Claudia said, “maybe you should remember what Sunny said earlier and lay low for a while.”

“Lay low? Look at our fellow children!” George whispered out of protest, gesturing to the near-sleeping children around them. “Look upon their sad, miserable, pathetic faces.”

“Oh wow, yeah. That, that looks unhappy,” Izzy said sheepishly upon realizing that George had a significant point. “Come on, Harold,” George said, gripping his best friend by the shoulders before beginning to stand up on his chair. “If you won't do it for me and you won't do it for you... do it for future generations. Save the first graders... the kindygarteners, the unborn... from a life of eternal boredom!”

“Wait wait wait wait wait!” Zipp whispered out of desperation. “Okay, George, we get the point! Now, simmer down before…”

“Zipp, hang on!” Misty whispered, her ear twitching slightly. “Do you hear that?”

Upon stopping and listening again, the Mane 6 looked over at Krupp to discover that he was fast asleep, snoring rather loudly. “Well… if opportunity can knock, this is the right opportunity if you are willing to do something,” Treena pointed out. “Claudia, Heath and I can stay here and keep an eye out for trouble, and then you guys can do your thing!”

“I’m still not so sure,” Sunny frowned. “I mean, what if Krupp wakes up and catches us heading backstage?”

“Misty and Izzy could use the invisibility spell on us!” Pipp suddenly got an idea. “That way nopony sees us when we head backstage to set things up!”

“That’s… actually not a bad idea,” Zipp shrugged. “I’m all for it if you guys are.”

“You know, normally I would never do something like this,” said Hitch, “but out of sitting here for hours in complete boredom, I’m willing to do anything.”

“What do you think, Sunny?” Harold asked the earth pony/alicorn mare with a pleading look. “Should we kick this into high-gear?”

“Well…” Sunny thought about it for a moment, and after a tough battle of yes and no in her mind, she finally sighed and looked at her friends. “Okay… let’s do this!”

“Good luck,” Heath said, purring against Kendra's head. “We’ll keep an eye on Mr. Krupp,” Claudia added, “and make sure he doesn’t think you’re up to anything.”

And immediately after the others nodded to this, Izzy and Misty then proceeded to put themselves and their friends under the invisibility spell before they all began to sneak toward the stage and put their new prank plan into action.

XXXXXXXX

Once the Mane 6, Kendra and the boys finally reached the back of the stage, Melvin brought out another invention, covered in a large cloth-like tarp. “Feast your eyes on this,” he said, unveiling the device in question. “The Turbo Toilet 2000!”

And once the group got close to the toilet and were sure they were out of sight, Izzy and Misty undid the invisibility spell so George, Harold and Kendra could get to work tampering with the toilet… completely unaware that a tiny, robot turtle was watching them from nearby.

XXXXXXXX

“Check it out, people,” Melvin remained unaware of what the others were doing. “It's already programmed with my personal potty playlist.”

That was when the toilet began to play samba music, which Melvin eagerly began to dance to. “Samba…”

XXXXXXXX

“Ooh!” Izzy began to dance in place when the samba music began. “Catchy music!”

“Izzy! No dancing!” whispered Zipp, pulling the lavender unicorn back down to the ground, “or you’re gonna give us away!”

“Hitch, hand me a screwdriver,” Harold whispered, and Hitch immediately did as he was told.

XXXXXXXX

“Once you're done using the facilities,” Melvin continued to the rest of the student body, “hit the button and let my toilet wash itself.”

Melvin then proceeded to hit the button in question, and the toilet activated, getting two rolls of toilet paper in its claws. “Now included, automatic toilet paper wiping claw,” Melvin added proudly. “Trademark.”

XXXXXXXX

“Okay, I think that should do it,” Kendra told her friends before sighing to herself, honestly a bit worried. “I sure hope this works…”

Kendra pressed her paw down on a button George and Harold were holding for her, and suddenly, the toilet began to go completely haywire, much to Melvin’s confusion and shock. The toilet began to play music by Adam Lambert called ‘Think’, and was now shooting toilet paper rolls everywhere.

The Mane 6, Kendra and the boys watched as toilet paper began to shoot toward the audience, waking them up and causing them to cheer and dance. However, one roll of toilet paper hit Mr. Krupp causing him to wake him and realize what was going on. “Melvin, turn that thing off!”

“I’m trying to,” Melvin said as he tried to shut the toilet down, “but it's not cooperating!”

Suddenly, as the kids (human and Equestrian creatures alike) continued to party and as Melvin tried to shut the Turbo Toilet down, the toilet finally stopped and exploded into confetti, sending Melvin flying into the crowd.

And while this wasn’t exactly what the Mane 6’s new friends were expecting to happen, they were pretty proud of it anyway.

“Best…”

“Prank…”

“EVER!!” Kendra, George and Harold cried at once, causing the Mane 6 and their new friends to laugh out of happiness while giving each other high-fives and hoof-bumps.

And while the ponies would never dare admit it to their friends… after the pain Mr. Krupp had caused, pulling that prank to bring the school a little happiness felt pretty good in their eyes.

XXXXXXXX

“That prank was the most epic thing I’ve ever seen in my life!” Heath bounced around as he, his sisters and his friends, new and old, left the school building. “All the toilet paper flying everywhere and the music!”

“I gotta admit, THAT felt good,” Kendra sighed. “And now, we’ve got the rest of today off to do whatever we want!”

“Hmm… I don’t know, guys,” Misty suddenly frowned, realizing something seemed rather off. “Doesn’t anyone else feel that pulling that prank was a little too easy? I mean… Krupp falling asleep so quick? No one else being around while we were tampering with the Turbo Toilet?”

“Huh… you’re not wrong, Misty,” Sunny said, suddenly realizing Misty’s point and becoming worried herself. “Something definitely doesn’t feel right.”

“What else is there to say, Sunny?” Harold asked proudly. “Our fellow students are gonna get to enjoy their weekend. Which, by the way, they are legally entitled to.”

“And,” George added, “good triumphed over evil once and for…”

But, suddenly, George was interrupted by the sound of Mr. Krupp’s voice, stopping the group in their tracks. “Oh, boys!” the principal called. “A moment with you and your friends, please.”

This caused the Mane 6 to gulp and look worried, believing that this was DEFINITELY not going to end well.

XXXXXXXX

Claudia, Treena and Heath had never been called to the principal's office before, and after today, they wished that they hadn't.

The office seemed bare and dark, and Mr. Krupp sat behind his desk intently, as if waiting for the leopard siblings, George, Harold or any of those pony friends of theirs to make a move.

Eventually, Mr. Krupp's satisfied, small smirk soon twisted into a large, evil-looking smile that sent shivers down Pipp's spine. “What in Equestria is happening to his face?!”

“I think he’s… smiling?” Harold guessed with a shrug. Suddenly, a bitter cold began to fill the air, causing Misty to shudder. “Somepony needs to turn up the heat in here, guys… it’s getting cold!”

“Sorry, that’s my fault,” Kendra admitted with a tremble. “My magic sometimes goes with my emotions, and rooms tend to get really cold when I’m nervous.”

“I'll let myself in, receptionist lady.”

And the next thing our heroes knew after hearing this voice was Melvin Sneedly coming into the office, much to the ponies’ confusion. “Melvin?”

“What's he doing here?” George asked quizzically. “You see, Melvin is yet to demonstrate his most impressive invention from today,” Mr. Krupp explained with a slight smirk. “It was a little extracurricular project I asked him to come up with myself.”

That was when Melvin pulled out the turtle toy that the pranksters and their new pony pals had failed to notice when they were tampering with the Turbo Toilet. “I call him the Tattle Turtle 200. On the outside, it resembles a turtle. But on the inside…” Melvin said, ripping off the turtle’s head to reveal a camera underneath. “Oh, look at this. It's a nanny cam!”

“Dude! You had to do that in front of my brother?!” Kendra hissed, hugging a whimpering Heath. “He didn’t do anything wrong!”

However, Mr. Krupp snatched the turtle from Melvin and began to plug it into the TV that happened to be beside of his desk. “Oh, Melvin. How fun. Let's see what it recorded.”

However, when Mr. Krupp turned the TV on… it didn’t show a single thing. Melvin sighed inwardly to himself as Mr. Krupp tried to fix it. “Yeah, you gotta change the input to video.”

Mr. Krupp shot him a look. “I think I got this.”

“You’re on AUX,” Melvin continued to speak. “Change it to video.”

“It’s not my TV,” the principal sneered, “it’s your turtle.”

“You're doing it wrong.”

“I know. I think I know how to do my office.”

Finally, Mr. Krupp managed to get the TV working right, and when the group saw what was on the screen, they gasped in complete terror, their eyes going wide in shock-- somehow, the Tattle Turtle 200 managed to capture their tampering with the Turbo Toilet on camera!

And the video even showed Harold, George and Kendra doing their special quiet fives handshake!

After the video had gone off, Harold tried his best not to act nervous, but this was much easier said than done. “Wow, that nanny cam really has good picture quality.”

“Y-Yeah, was that high-def?” Hitch asked with a tremble in his voice. “Cause… you could really tell that's us.”

“I can’t believe it! I gotcha!” Mr. Krupp said in delight, a sickening grin on his face as he walked back to his desk. “I finally gotcha! And, I got your little pony friends in the act too! An unexpected bonus!”

“Don’t you mean we’ve finally got them, sir?” Melvin asked, peeking his head in and causing Claudia to bare her teeth and snarl at him. “Yes, yes. Well done, Melvin,” Mr. Krupp said. “Extra credit, granted.”

Melvin gasped before grabbing the extra credit out of the air, placing it in his pocket with a delighted smile. “Put that in my pocket. Extra credit, it feels so good!” Melvin sing-songed before leaving the room, causing Zipp to sigh and shake her head out of exasperation. “I got extra credit…”

“I told you I would get you one day,” Mr. Krupp told George, Harold and Kendra as the group of heroes became increasingly worried. “And that day I was talking about is this day. Today. This is the day.”

“Mr. Krupp, come on-- have a little lineancy,” Misty said gently. “I mean, I do admit what we did was… kind of immature. But… then again, keeping the kids at school for a mandatory day of NOTHING but watching Melvin demonstrate his inventions? It’s torture!”

“Does it look like I care what you want, you idiotic little ponies?” Mr. Krupp asked with a sneer. “Letting you into this school was just the thing I needed to finally trip these three troublemakers up! You were just the bait I needed, and for that… I have to thank you.”

Harold gulped nervously as the Mane 6 looked at Mr. Krupp in anger. “Are you going to tell our parents?”

“No. Your parents are obviously total failures. I have a much more effective punishment in mind,” Mr. Krupp said as he walked around the group. “Because not only am I going to have these putrid ponies banished from school grounds…”

Once Mr. Krupp was close enough to George, Harold and Kendra, he pushed their chairs apart, a sickening grin forming on his face. “...I’m going to have you three place in separate… classes!!” he said sadistically, causing the group of heroes to gasp in terror. “I'm going to annihilate your friendship!”

“What?!” Izzy looked horrified. “No!”

“That’s not fair!” Heath protested. “You can’t do that!”

“Oh, I most certainly can!” Mr. Krupp taunted with a sadistic chuckle. “You see? You troublemakers won't be together. You won't be able to enjoy each other's company and ruin my life.”

“Mr. Krupp, no!” Harold tried to protest. “You can’t do this, please!”

“This is too much!” George quickly added. “I mean, even for you!”

“Enjoy the rest of your weekend, kids,” Mr. Krupp said rather evilly. “Because come Monday… ha ha ha! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!”

XXXXXXXX

Kendra, Claudia, Treena and Heath's mother, Avarsi (who was also a reporter for the Piqua Gazette) decided that it would be a nice treat for her kids if she got off early from work and came to pick them up from school later that day and invite George and Harold and all their pony friends over for a sleepover, wanting to show them that even though she and their father, Evander, were going through a bit of a rough patch right now, things between the family weren't going to change.

At least... she didn't think they would anyway.

It was starting to rain by the time she arrived at the school, so Avarsi used her light magic to conjure a shield above her head to keep her dry until her kids and their friends came out.

Finally, Avarsi saw them all exiting the building, and a smile began to form on her muzzle. “Oh, kids! How was your day at school? I was thinking I would fix some of my homemade sushi for dinner tonight, and since the ponies, George and Harold are coming to our house for a sleepover, we can…”

But unfortunately, Avarsi stopped herself when she saw the group looking downtrodden and worried, with Kendra looking like she could burst into tears at any moment. “Oh, no… what’s wrong, babies? What happened?”

“It was Mr. Krupp again,” Treena said bitterly. “Just wait till you hear what he’s gonna be doing when Monday rolls around.”

“He’s gonna make George, Kendra and Harold go to separate classes!” Pipp said, completely appalled. “I mean, can you believe him?!”

“Oh, no… this is far worse than anything else he’s done,” Avarsi muttered out of worry before extending the light shield to her kids and their friends. “Come on… you kids can tell me all about it on the way home.”

XXXXXXXX

“And then, Melvin left the office, just before Krupp told us we would be in separate classes!” Kendra tried her best not to sob as she finished the story, tears now flowing down her face. “Honestly, Mom, we didn’t mean to hurt anyone! We just wanted to have a little fun, we swear!”

Avarsi sighed sadly as she turned to nuzzle her youngest daughter. “I know you didn’t, baby… I don’t know why your father believes that principal is suitable to be at your school-- no child deserves to be separated from their friends for no reason. And while I don't exactly agree with your pranking methods... I do understand that your hearts are always in the right places.”

George let out a small scoff, rubbing his arms in order to keep himself warm. “After today, I’m not even sure Krupp has a heart.”

“It’s gonna be okay, guys,” Sunny said, trying to be comforting as they got closer to the house. “Just think-- we’ll all be together to think about a solution, and hopefully, no more problems pop up.”

But when Avarsi made the shield disappear, and the group went inside to avoid the rain, they didn’t expect what was going to come next.

Evander was on the living room couch, nuzzling with a leopard that Kendra, her mother or her siblings recognized-- her fur was a turquoise-like color Izzy liked to call ‘Ice Climber’, and she had a cloudy blue muzzle, chest and paws, while the rosettes for her spots were black, and her wings and the insides of her spots were Yuè Guāng Lán blue, matching her medium blue eyes perfectly, and her cutie mark appeared to be a hand mirror, like Claudia sometimes used.

Kendra and Heath looked confused while their mother and older sisters looked mortified, and Heath finally chose to speak up after a few moments. “Daddy…?”

“Huh?!” Evander looked over, wide-eyed when he saw his mate and cubs standing with George, Harold and the Mane 6. “Oh! A-Avarsi, kids! I’m glad you’re home,” Evander stammered, trying to keep calm. “I, uh… brought a guest for dinner. This is Jaliya-- she and I work together at the construction project in town.”

“Hello,” Jaliya said with a soft smile, looking more relaxed than Evander. “It’s a pleasure to meet all of you.”

“...Dad? What’s going on?” Kendra asked in confusion. “You’ve… never brought anyone from work to meet us before.”

“I, uh… she was in the neighborhood, and I invited her, and…” Evander tried his best to explain before clearing his throat and clearing the subject. “Uh, honey? We’re out of salmon for sushi night.”

“...of course we are,” Avarsi said with a bothered look on her face. “Claudia, Treena? You two take some money and head to the store to get some sushi supplies, and take Heath with you. Kendra, take your new friends up to your room for a bit.”

“Sure, Mom,” Kendra nodded. “But… what are you gonna do?”

“...I’m just going to talk to your father and Jaliya, sweetheart,” Avarsi said gently before turning toward her mate, a steely gaze in her eyes. “...and it will be a very… VERY long talk.”

XXXXXXXX

Kendra guided the group up to her room not long after her siblings left for the store, and the Mane 6 discovered that Kendra’s room was dark blue to contradict with the icy atmosphere, with snowflakes painted on the walls, pictures and posters put on the ceiling, a comfortable bed with lots of toys and a special night light shaped like a snowflake.

But, the group couldn’t bask in the beauty for long, cause the weight of what was to come Monday still hung on their shoulders.

Harold spoke first after ringing out his socks. “Separate classes… our friendship’s over!” he said, flopping down on Kendra’s bed. “I'll never see you again in my life!”

“You guys are next-door neighbors, Harold,” Zipp said, trying to comfort Harold by patting his shoulder. “You guys will get to see each other more than you think, even if it isn’t at school. It's not the end of the world.”

“Yeah, Zipp’s right,” Izzy nodded as George began to pace. “You guys will still be best friends. Just way down the hall… from each other…”

“Oh, what are you saying, Izzy? Harold’s right-- this is bad!” George exclaimed as he grasped the lavender unicorn by the shoulders. “Long distance relationships never work!”

“...this is just the beginning. Imagine the future,” George said, looking at the others as he used sock puppets and other things in Kendra’s room to try and picture what their future might be like. “Friends separated... promising each other they'll remain besties. But within months, we'll be awkwardly bumping into each other at the mall.”

“Uh… what?” Pipp looked confused. “Is it me, or is Harold taking this too far?”

“Maybe a little,” Sunny whispered back, “but the feelings are understandable.”

“George will have a weird haircut, I’ll be wearing a suit for some reason, and Kendra will somehow be a super-famous movie star in her prime,” Harold quickly continued, drawing out the events of his fantasy on his sketchpad. “And before we know it, separate classes will lead to separate lives... which inevitably leads to robots!”

“Wait, what?” Hitch looked surprised. “Harold, why would there be robots at the mall?” Misty asked curiously. “Because,” Kendra interjected with the roll of her eyes, “it’s the future! The future always has robots!”

That’s when Harold suddenly began to pretend the robots were firing at one another, creating sound effects and confusing George further. “Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Why are the robots shooting other robots?! Aren't they supposed to be friends?!”

“I don't know! I'm the artist, you're the writer!” Harold screamed. “That’s why we need each other! And then, a giant version of the Tattle Turtle 200 will start destroying the robots! And the mall! And us until there's nothing left!!!”

Harold pretended to make the sock puppets and other props scream in terror for a few moments, sparking fear in the others and causing them to reel back. Eventually, Harold did stop screaming, but that didn't seem to make George feel better about this. “Okay, you're right. No, you are right!” he said to Harold with worry. “I mean, if we get put in separate classes, it's the end of the world as we know it!”

“But, it would take a miracle to change Mr. Krupp’s mind,” Zipp said, “and we’re getting banished from the school first thing Monday morning!”

Izzy felt her ears lower at this. “What are we gonna do?”

After staying silent for a few moments, Kendra hopped off her bed and approached her friends, a steely gaze in her blue eyes. “Oh, I'll tell you what we're gonna do. First thing Monday morning, we're getting that turtle.”

“ADMIT IT, EVANDER!! ADMIT IT!!!”

The sound of Avarsi’s shrill, painful shriek came from downstairs, nearly scaring the group out of their wits. “Uh, no offense, Kendra,” said Misty with a wince, “but it sounds like your parents aren’t exactly talking anymore.”

“This is really bad…” Kendra muttered to herself. “The fighting’s never gotten this bad before…”

“This is just a hunch,” said Zipp quietly to her friends, “but… do you think that Jaliya, the leopard that Kendra’s dad works with is more than just a coworker?”

Hitch looked at Zipp in surprise. “What exactly are you saying, Zipp?”

“I’m saying that we have to look at the facts,” Zipp said. “Pipp and Misty both said that Evander and Avarsi were arguing a whole lot, and on the day that Evander was supposed to head into work, we find him here with a strange leopard?”

“And come to think of it,” Pipp hummed, “they did seem to be acting kinda… weird when we came in.”

“So, you guys can see,” Zipp concluded, “why I think--”

“KENDRA!!” Evander growled at the top of his lungs. “STOP YOUR LOLLYGAGGING AND GET YOUR RUMP DOWN HERE!! YOUR MOTHER AND I NEED TO TALK TO YOU!!!”

“C-Coming, Dad!” Kendra called with a slight tremble before she turned to her friends. “I’ll be right back… shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.”

But as Kendra began to leave the room, the Mane 6, George and Harold spared each other a glance, worried of how this simple 'talk' might go in many different directions... and none of their theories were good ones.

XXXXXXXX

When Kendra came down to the living room, Jaliya was gone and Kendra’s older sisters and Heath were sitting on the couch, with Evander on one side of the room and Avarsi on the other, both trying to contain their snarls as Kendra cautiously approached. “Uh… w-what’s going on?”

“We don’t know,” Claudia admitted. “We came back from the store with all our sushi supplies, and found Mom and Dad at each other’s necks, so to speak.”

“Then Dad called for you,” said Treena, “and then Jaliya left, and then… we’re not sure what’s going on.”

“...sorry, kids. But, I’m just not sure that we could wait to tell you,” Avarsi said with a small sigh, calming down slightly. “The thing is, with what I’ve learned today, your father and I are--”

“We’re getting a divorce, so I can be with Jaliya,” Evander interrupted coldly, “and she and I can finally be happy and not keep secrets anymore.”

“...w-w-wait, what?” Treena looked confused. “Dad… what are you talking about? Have you… been cheating on Mom behind her back?”

“Yep,” Evander said with a scoff. “It only took you how long to figure it out?”

“...a-an affair? Divorce?” Claudia looked appalled and horrified all at once. “T-This can’t be real! It can’t! You guys have been together for over 15 years!”

“...I’m so sorry you had to find out this way, honey,” Avarsi said gently, “but… we can't be together after what I just found out. We can't go back to the way it was before.”

Heath looked around, more confused than ever. “Mama? W-What’s a divorce?”

“...it means Mom and Dad are splitting up,” Kendra said, tears flowing down her cheeks as she spoke. “Which means life will never be the same for us again.”

“Don’t you care about us at all?!” Treena finally snapped at her parents. “Didn’t it ever ring a bell that we might not want this to happen?!”

“Oh, honey, of course we care about you,” Avarsi said gently, “but…”

“Don’t bother explaining, Avarsi-- they’re weak, and they won’t be able to comprehend this,” Evander said bitterly. “Not like a man.”

“But they’re not men, Evander!” Avarsi snarled. “They’re our girls!”

“AND MAYBE THAT’S THE PROBLEM!!” Evander got in his wife’s face. “Maybe I never wanted daughters at all! Maybe if they had been born as boys, I wouldn’t have a problem. I should have left them on the streets when they were born… maybe that would have spared us all the trouble.”

“You take that back…” Avarsi’s eyes filled with rage. “With Parisa as my witness, YOU WILL TAKE THAT BACK NOW!!”

“NO!!” Evander roared. “I WON’T, BECAUSE IT’S THE TRUTH!!”

The two began to bicker like wildfire after this, using their claws and fangs every now and then in order to make sure they kept their distance from each other.

Kendra, Claudia, Heath and Treena were so frightened, they couldn’t move-- all they could do was watch their parents go back and forth with insults.

The Mane 6, George and Harold listened to all of this from the stairs, and they realized that not only was getting the Tattle Turtle vital for the trio of comic book creators to stay together as friends…

…but it was also vital so Kendra had something to take her mind off the horrible situation her family was in.