A few weeks had passed since their enrollment at Canterlot High and the Peach Creek Gang were settling in rather nicely.

Ed, while simplistic and slow with his mind, was a joyous individual to hang out with, often pulling some rather impressive feats of body strength that impressed many, especially those in the PE department. \

He was invited by Rainbow to join any and all teams he wanted, but Ed stuck to wrestling, wanting to maximize time with his friends. Rainbow had understood and appreciated that…but also challenged Ed to several matches. Last time someone checked it was 40 wins and 39 draws for both.

Double-D, being the nerd of the group, was an intellectual powerhouse, easily acing many scientific fields in the school. He and struck up a very friendly (read: Not at all competive) 'rivalry' with Twilight and Sunset, the trio planning to collaborate on a few experiments in the coming days.

Eddy, a crafty fellow, had established a mixed reputation for himself, being seen as a creative man who comes up with some insane schemes and being seen as a shady individual whose schemes involve getting tons of money.

Much to the worry of many, Eddy had found himself 'stooping' to studying how Pinkie Pie organized herself; not only knowing EVERYBODY'S birthday but being able to pull off one of a kind surprise parties for each and every person she knew.

Roscco had established himself as a helpful young man, lending a hand to his fellow schoolmates and settling problems diplomatically. His own powers have allowed him to cow many into submission, thus preventing most forms of on-campus violence. He was pretty much called "The Peacekeeper" in this case.

Roscco's Pichu also got him Brownie points with anyone and everyone who watched anime/read manga, the cute little electric rodent proving to be a curiosu but sweet creature. This was probably what had endeared Roscco to Fluttershy, who Pichu seemed very found of.

Ben had established himself as an eccentric but charming fellow, having odd jokes every now and then but courteous with just about everyone he met. But when it comes to bullies, he was a ferocious beast willing to throw down and get into detention if it meant putting bullies in their place. For that, they call him "The Beast" for the display of ferocity against those who abuse those weaker than them.

Sunset was relieved Ben hadn't been around in her 'baddie' days; even with her magic and goons, she doubted she'd manage to handle him. She was also elated that Ben had no problems with her, simply saying:

"The past is the past and you're a much better person now. Far as I can tell? That's enough."

The fact that Ben and Rossco could also give Sunset a fun challenge in video games also endeared them to her.

Kevin had managed to mingle with the 'Cool Kids' and had managed to showcase his prowess in sports. This made him develop a rivalry with Rainbow Dash, which was shared by Eddy.

Nazz had managed to also mingle quite well with most of the social cliques of the school, proving what a nice girl she was.

Sarah and Jimmy weren't too far behind, especially since Sarah proved that it was a bad idea to get on her bad side. They mostly stuck to the younger kids

Rolf and Johnny, despite their eccentricities, managed to win themselves over with plenty of people at school, including the Eco-Kid group and those who were more down to earth compared to the rest of their peers.

Given his hard work ethic and being the son of a Shepard, it took none for surprise when Rolf and Applejack became friends, the young man occasionally coming by to aid the Apple Farm and sharing what eh could remember of his Papa and Nana's anecdotes with Granny Smith.

To the surprise of many, Rarity had struck up a friendship with Rolf, wanting to expand her boutqtie into more 'exotic' manners. Sure, not EVERYTHING Rolf had to offer could be used, but she tried.

Finally, the Kankers had shown themselves to be a power trio nobody wanted to mess with, easily establishing their own turfs in the school.

NEXUS

Today was a very special day at Canterlot High, The Annual Flag Hunt! The number of students participating was one of the arguably largest to date. The Peach Creek Squad was chatting excitedly as they got ready, dressed in the PE Uniforms provided for them.

"You guys getting excited?" Flash asked as he walked over to the group of eight.

"We're gonna win, we're gonna win, we're gonna win..." Ed was absent-mindedly repeating over and over as he ran around in circles like a loon.

"Some more than others, I'd say..." Double-D said with a chuckle as Eddy was stretching out his back.

"I don't know about you guys, but I feel like I can take on the world!"

"As this is a competition, we must make it our duty that our adversaries do not succeed!" Rolf said.

"It'll be my pleasure, Rolfy-Boy," Kevin smirked.

As everyone was talking, Flash looked at the mysterious watch he found the other day. He still hadn't figured out what it did yet, but he felt it was very important.

"You all know the rules and so do I~! The school's flag is hidden somewhere on campus." Announced Vinyl Scratch, Vice-President of the Light Music Club. "The first student to find the flag and cross the finish line with it wins!"

"Every man for himself, huh? Well, I'll stick to my main men, thank you very much." Eddy chuckled as he slung his arms over Double-D, Ed, Ben, and Roscco's shoulders. "We'll get the flag together, boys!"

"The winner does not only receive a medal and a cash prize but will also go down in the CHS History Books! If you're hungry for glory, this is your chance, people!" Vinyl announced as Eddy looked at his friends with his usual money-hungry smirk.

"You hear that, fellas? If we get that flag, we'll be RICH!"

"I'm more into the sheer sport of it, Eddy. I have no desire for prizes." Double-D said humbly.

"Ed shall get the flag and bring honor and glory to Grayskull!" Ed said as two girls who were nearby, Adora and Catra, both sneezed, curious as to why they did that. As for Ben, he was looking at Crydius and the Hellraisers, feeling a dangerous sense of bad sportsmanship coming from them.

"You feel it too, Roscco?" Ben asked his friend, who nodded.

"Let's keep our eyes on them."

"The Flag Hunt is about to begin! All contestants line up at the start, please! And wait for our PE Teacher to fire the starting gun!"

"Alright, maggots! Are you lot ready?!" Barked Coach Doe as he held up his shotgun.

"We'll be waiting for the rest at the finish line!" Eddy said with a smirk as Ed and Double-D nodded.

"Rolf shall bring glory to the ancestors!" Rolf said, raising a fish he pulled out of nowhere.

"I'm pumped!" Johnny cheered. "And so is Plank!"

"In position!" Nazz said, getting in a runner's stance.

"This is gonna be fun, girls!" Lee grinned, the other Kanker Sisters nodding in agreement.

"Let's do this thing!" Ben said, punching his fists together with a wild grin.

"GO!"

With the pull of the trigger and the booming echo of the shotgun, everyone took off.

"We've all been really looking forward to this. Let's do this, guys!" Sunset said to the rest of the Mane Eight. "The game is on! And remember: Enjoy yourselves!"

"Alright, squaddies! We're gonna party 'till we're purple up in here!" Ben said to the rest of the squad.

"I love being purple!" Johnny happily exclaimed.

"Let's liven up this show with our usual colorful lights and rock the socks of everyone watching!" Roscco smirked.

"Well then everyone, I don't think any of us are looking for a boring old 'Nice and Clean' game," Crydius said to the Hellraisers. "Let's do what we do best. Raise a little hell and most importantly..."

"LET'S HAVE SOME FUN!" Sunset, Ben, and Crydius all said at the same time to their respective groups.

Ed laughed as his unnatural stamina caused him to run ahead of everybody else. However, Rainbow Dash was much faster as she was keeping up with him quite well.

"Move aside, everybody! Captain of the Track & Field Club, Rainbow Dash, coming through!" The cyan-skinned girl announced. "Currently holding the CHS Speed Record for both Track & Field and Marathon! The uncontested fastest student in the school! Better try your very best to keep up, 'cause I'm gonna win the-!"

And just as she was boasting, Rainbow Dash conveniently tripped over a rock and screamed as she crashed into everything. Trees, bramble bushes, even some angry forest critters, Rainbow Dash had crashed into everything including the kitchen sink, literally because someone had left behind a perfectly pristine kitchen sink just lying around for Rainbow Dash to crash into. Her friends and even the other contestants all winced as they saw this.

"RAINBOW DASH!" Fluttershy cried in horror.

"The Rock of Maturity is a difficult maneuver," Rolf said, being the only one who found amusement in this situation.

"Whoa, Deja Vu, much?" Eddy chuckled, remembering when Double-D crashed into Victor when they were racing for that Jawbreaker.

"Huh... One down I guess." Marshall Lee said awkwardly.

"And we had nothing to do with it," Crydius added. "We need to step up our game. We're losing to a goddamn rock of all things!"

"Geez, poor Rainbow..." Flash winced in sympathy as he was moving through the forest, trying to find clues that could help lead him to the flag. "Alright, I think I should look around for some of those clues Vinyl mentioned..."

Suddenly, a noise alerted Flash as he looked down to see his mysterious watch glowing, the dial standing up and the hourglass symbol glowing brightly. The silhouette of a humanoid figure was in it.

"What the heck..." The Rocker Boy questioned as he pressed down on the dial before being engulfed in a flash of green light...

NEXUS

"Gotta find it! Gotta find it! Gotta find that flag!" Pinkie Pie said excitedly, looking around. "Gotta stay focused! Stay on target! Don't get-!"

Pinkie was interrupted when she heard a whistle from behind her. One of the members of Crydius' Hellraisers, (Ex) Lord Dominator, smirked as she took out a piece of candy and showed it to the excited girl, who drooled at the sight of it as the alien girl threw it over the bushes, causing Pinkie to pounce after it.

Nearby, Applejack and Rarity were walking at their own pace, in conversation.

"Jackie, darling, you don't need to stick to me," the fashionista said to the cowgirl. "You'll find this flag faster on your own."

"Aw zip it, Rari!" Applejack blushed lightly at the light praise Rarity gave her. "After all the trouble Ah went through to convince yah to join, Ah wanna make sure yah don't weasel yer way outta this."

"Oh," Rarity raised an eyebrow in a playful manner. "Who do you take me fo-"

The fashionista never got to finish her words as something bonked off the side of her head.

"Ow!" She rubbed the spot where she had been hit while Applejack picked up the object that hit her.

"What in tarnation? Candy?" Applejack was confused at first before her eyes widened. "Oh, hell naw!"

She had a good idea of who was following the candy and lo and behold, Pinkie Pie bursts forth from the bushes and crashes right into Rarity.

"KYAAAAAA!" Rarity screeched as the other girl crashed into her, sending them both into a nearby puddle.

"PINKIE PIE?!" Rarity's eye twitched. "Will you let go of m-"

"Where'd it go?! Where'd it go?! Where is it?! Where is it?!" Pinkie Pie paid Rarity no mind as she searched for something.

"PINKIE!"

Applejack looked at the piece of candy in her hand and subtly threw it near Pinkie Pie, seeking to avoid being crashed into herself.

"AHA!" Pinkie exclaimed, pointing at the now-wet0 Rarity. "It went down your shirt!"

"Pinkie, will you please-! KYA! What do you think you're doing?!" The fashionista slapped the party animal, who paid the pain no mind as she fondled Rarity's body.

Safe to say, Applejack is going to have some interesting thoughts and dreams for a long time after this event.

"Move your cupcakes outta the way, Rarity!"

"Pinkamena Diane Pie! Unhand me at onc-! KYAAA~! STOP! KYA~!"

"Aha! Found it!" Pinkie Pie said, somehow grabbing the candy amidst the chaos, which she happily munched on.

Also nearby, Double-D was looking around while using a special tracking device of his own invention to look around the forest with Nazz and Marie following after him.

"What does your scouter say, Double-D?" Marie asked, getting up beside her 'boyfriend' to look at his device.

"From what I can infer, the flag should be 20 feet west of here. Now, the best course of action is to..."

Double-D was cut off by a shrill scream that he could identify as Rarity. Heading to the source of the scream, he, Nazz, and Marie saw Applejack and Rarity in a... rather intimate position.

"Oh my..." Nazz giggled as Double-D coughed into his fist in embarrassment.

"Apologies for the intrusion..."

"WAIT! WE CAN EXPLAIN!" Rarity and Applejack cried in embarrassment.

"No, don't be upset. It's alright if you two like each other. I've never been one to judge!" Marie said reassuringly.

"LISTEN!"

Unbeknownst to them, however, hiding in the bushes were Dominator and Crona, with the former chuckling to herself in enjoyment.

"Not exactly what I had in mind, but I'll take it! Next target, the little shy one."

"Wait, Fluttershy? Um, senpai? Can we… not do that? Please?" Crona worriedly spoke up, making Dominator look at them in confusion.

"Huh? Why? What do you care?"

Crona looked off to the side as they started to nervously rub their arm.

"Well, I guess… I feel like I kind of owe her a little…"

Dominator's eyes widened as Crona explained their past about how their mother saw them as nothing more than a useless and pointless disappointment, how they had no self-esteem, constantly transferring schools because they could never manage to find their place, basically telling her that their life sucked before they came to Canterlot High.

"On my first day here, I met Fluttershy. She was the only person who was almost as bad with people as I was. We didn't do or talk much but… we didn't need to. We understood each other. It was nice."

A small smile began to creep up on Crona's face as they continued.

"And then she met Twilight, and these other girls, and they all became friends. I figured if she could do it, maybe I could too. So, I tried, and… well, you know what happened next."

"Basically, what I'm saying here is, if it wasn't for her, I never would've had the courage to talk to others. Like you, senpai. And meeting you, Crydius-senpai, and the others has been the best thing to ever happen to me. So, you see…"

"I should be grateful because without Fluttershy I don't think I-"

But before Crona could continue, Dominator put her hand on their shoulder, causing them to curiously go "Hm?" in response. Then, without any words said, Dominator pulled them into a hug as she closed her eyes.

"Eh? Senpai? What's wrong? Senpai?" Crona said in confusion at the sudden display of affection.

Next to them, Marshall pointed at the four girls and Double-D, who were currently leaving as this was happening. "Um… guys? They are… uh… getting away. Shouldn't we… uh…"

"Leave them alone Marshall, they're having a moment. We'll deal with this ourselves." Crydius said.

In response to that, Chara pulled out a knife, which shined and sparkled in the light.

"No Chara, not like that. Put it away dear."

NEXUS

Ben, Roscco, Kevin, and Johnny were walking together through the forest, having each other's backs as they looked for the flag.

"Hey," Ben started a conversation.

"Yeah?"

"You ever wonder why we're here?"

"Plank says it's one of life's great mysteries, isn't it? Why ARE we here?" Johnny suddenly spoke. "I mean, are we the product of some cosmic coincidence or is there really a God watching everything with a plan for us and stuff?"

"That's gonna keep me up at night..." Kevin muttered.

"Yeah, I meant why are we out here when we should be sticking with our group? I mean, strength in numbers, am I right?" Ben pointed out.

"Hey, Plank just gave an answer!"

"AH! I'M ON FIRE! HELP ME!"

Going on high alert, the four boys headed towards the source of the voice to find a humanoid creature whose body appeared to be made of red molten rock and had a flaming head. He had an hourglass symbol on his chest, and he was panicking greatly.

"Wait, that voice... Flash is that you?!" Ben asked as what they could guess was Flash Sentry turned to them.

"Guys! Thank God! I don't know what happened! My watch was glowing, and I pressed it and-!"

"Whoa, easy man!" Roscco said as he moved to touch the hourglass symbol. In a flash of green light, Flash was back to normal and looking at his watch.

"That watch seems kinda familiar... It's not magic, probably alien technology, I think. We should have Double-D inspect it later." Ben said, sensing something off about this watch on Flash's wrist.

"In the meantime, we should keep looking for the flag." Kevin pointed out as the five boys headed off.

NEXUS

Meanwhile, Fluttershy was walking along through the forest with Jimmy when a little bird flew toward her.

"Oh, a birdy!" Jimmy happily said.

"Oh, there you are, Icarus." Fluttershy held out her finger, allowing Icarus to land on it, and gave her a piece of paper that he held within his beak. "You've found one of the notes with clues to the flag's location!"

Unfortunately for her, that's when Crydius and his two remaining Hellraisers, Marshall and Chara, walked up to her.

"You don't say! Do you mind if we take a look at that, Miss Shy?" Crydius asked as sweetly as he could muster.

Fluttershy immediately hid the note behind her back as she turned toward him. Jimmy shivered nervously but stood in front of her protectively.

"Ehm… well, that is… um…" She started sweating bullets as Crydius walked up to her.

"Come now Miss Shy, help us out here." Chara held up their knife, forcing Crydius to push them back.

"Hold on Chara, give her time. And I told you to put that away."

Suddenly two voices called out to Crydius, stopping him in his tracks.

"Hey!"

"Back up, Fish Face!"

In came Sunset and Sarah, who were both glaring at Crydius as he turned towards them.

"Oh, Sunset. I see you've finally caught up to me. And you've brought a friend along as well. How very much like you."

Sunset glared harder at his words. "What's your deal Cryd? You and your cronies have been causing nothing but trouble since we started. You're ruining the fun for everyone!"

"My dear Sunset, this is a contest. It needs to be won. Fun is irrelevant," Crydius said, taking enjoyment out of Sunset's anger.

"What's the point in winning something you can't enjoy?!" She countered.

Unfazed, Crydius simply leaned in towards Sunset as a smug smirk etched its way across his face.

"Well enjoy it all you want; it won't help you win. what, you think some idiot will just give you a call once they find the flag?"

As if on cue, Pinkie Pie started shouting "I FOUND IT!" at the top of her lungs, surprising everyone present.

"Wow, talk about plot convenience," Sarah said in response to what just happened.

After a few seconds, everyone immediately booked it to where Pinkie found the flag.

NEXUS

A Few Moments Ago...

"Find the flag, find the flag, find the flag!" Ed said as he ran with his legs carrying his upper half like he usually ran. Eddy was doing his best to keep up with his friend, but Ed's stamina was miles ahead of his own.

Suddenly, Ed stopped, and Eddy crashed into him, the two friends tumbling around until they landed at the foot of something. Looking up, they saw that it was the flag!

"Hey, you guys found it!" Pinkie Pie said excitedly as she also came in. Eddy and Ed got up and the three all looked at the flag.

"Alright, let's get this baby and skedaddle! I can already taste that cash prize!" Eddy excitedly said.

"Splits, Eddy!" Ed chided, wagging his finger as Eddy rolled his eyes.

"Ed, you and Double-D are my pals and so are Ben and Roscco! We're all goin' splits!"

"Um, guys?" Pinkie awkwardly said as Kojin, Eddy, and Ed looked to see the rest of the Mane Eight, the Hellraisers, and the rest of the Ed Squad all rushing towards them.

"HOLY SMOKES!"

What followed was pure unadulterated chaos. Kevin pulled out a baseball bat he'd kept hidden and began clashing with Marshall Lee, who was doing his best to get Pinkie Pie off his leg. Ed and Eddy ran around like headless chickens while screaming and/or laughing. Rolf was going to town on the thorny vines of Chara's pet potted plant Flowey, even chewing through them with his teeth so he could save Rarity from their clutches.

"I'm speechless!" Double-D said to himself, shaking in his boots as he watched Fluttershy and Chara in a powerful stare-down, a suffocating aura surrounding them and making everyone back away. Applejack and Dominator were matching each other blow to blow and Jimmy and Johnny were cowering in terror, Johnny holding up Plank to keep watch for danger.

"INCENDIUM GEHENNAE!"

"IFRIT'S FIST!"

Crydius and Sunset clashed against each other with fire spells as Ben and Flash ducked under the blasts of flames before Flash looked to see his watch glowing again.

"It's glowing, what do I do?!"

"Hit it! See what happens! Maybe you'll turn into a four-armed badass!"

Flash slapped his hand on the watch and in a flash of green light, he was now a tall and muscular, red-skinned humanoid with two pairs of yellow eyes, a black beard, and was still wearing his jacket, shirt, jeans, and shoes, except he had additional sleeves on his jacket for his extra pair of arms.

"Whoa, talk about foresight!" Flash said as he inspected himself before moving to help Sunset.

"HAS EVERYONE GONE INSANE?! WHY ARE YOU FIGHTING?!' Rainbow Dash exclaimed, having finished being healed to see the chaos going on. "DO YOU EVEN REMEMBER WHY WE'RE HERE?! WE'RE SUPPOSED TO FIND THE-!"

Rainbow stopped and looked to see the flag, which Eddy had dropped in the ensuing chaos. She then took the opportunity and grabbed it before bolting away.

"Hey!" Dominator exclaimed as she noticed this. "Skittles is getting away with the flag!"

"SAGITTA MAGICA: SERIES OBSCURANS!" Crydius yelled as he cast a spell that summoned several orbs of darkness that fired lasers at Rainbow, who quickly maneuvered through them with her speed.

"Nice try! But my parkour skills are nothing to laugh at either! Besides being the fastest in the school, I'm also pretty nimble, and agile, and-!"

And just like that, Rainbow tripped over the Rock of Maturity once more. Rolf and Crona watched as Rainbow once more badly injured herself violently, breaking her legs and arms in the process.

"She-Whose-Hair-Is-A-Rainbow does not know the truth of the Rock of Maturity," the Son of a Shepard sighed as he shook his head in disappointment.

"H-How?" Crona squeaked.

"Don't ask, you'd be more confused if you went to Peach Creek." Kevin shrugged.

As for the flag, it flew through the air and landed in Twilight's hands, who yelped in surprise at the sheer chance of her getting the flag amidst the madness.

"RUN, TWILIGHT, RUN!" Double-D screamed when he saw this. Taking the hint, Twilight began making her way back to the starting line.

"Oh great, Twilight has it!" Marshall groaned in annoyance, shakily getting up as he fought through the pain of his genitals being crushed by another man's knee. "Good luck getting it back. If we try to lay a finger on her, her bacon-haired watchdog will bite our heads off!"

"Then we'll have to try something a little more... subtle," Crydius said as he flipped through his spellbook before finding what he was looking for. He then began chanting in Latin as Ben perked up to feel a strange voice speak in his head.

Crydius finished his incantation and a demonic centipede-esque monster emerged from a portal of demonic fire, letting out a ghastly screech as it towered over Twilight.

"IT'S THE DEVIL WORM FROM INSIDIOUS DUO 6: THE RE-RISE!" Ed screamed as he clutched his head while Double-D nearly fainted at the sight, quickly being caught by Applejack, who also caught Rarity.

Crydius and Marshall stared at the demonic beast that had been summoned in silence before Marshall spoke up.

"Dude, I don't know what your definition of 'subtle' is, but there isn't anything subtle about this. And

isn't this a bit much, even for you?"

"Eh... in all honesty, this isn't what I was trying to do. I have no idea how this just happened." Crydius awkwardly replied.

"SERIOUSLY?!"

"CRUSH THE MONSTER!" Ed cried as he rushed in to help, having upturned an entire tree and carrying it over his head like it was nothing. Once he got close enough, Ed swung the tree with all his might, sending the demonic centipede away.

"Ed, careful with that Northern Dutch Elm!" Double-D called out.

"Atta boy, Ed!" Eddy cheered.

"That's my man!" May added.

"TWILIGHT!" Flash called for his friend, still in his transformed state as he rushed to help. Sunset ran beside him, her eyes glowing an unnatural shade of red as she picked up the flag and then, with a boost from Flash, stabbed the sharp end of the flag through the demon's gaping maw and out of its head.

Everyone stared in stunned silence. Crydius dropped his spellbook while Chara's eyes sparkled in admiration. Vinyl flipped up her shades to do a double take while Rolf closed his eyes with a smile.

"Ah, the power of unity can thwart the power of any evil force!"

NEXUS

Twilight, Sunset, and Flash had been declared the winners of the flag hunt, the three all sharing the gold medal. Twilight had even given them both kisses on the cheeks in gratitude for saving her.

After the award ceremony had ended, Crydius sat annoyed and by his lonesome. The rest of the Hellraisers had headed on home for the day but he stayed behind.

Looking at the symbol on his hand, Crydius frowned as he clenched it into a fist before it began glowing, causing him to open it back up and see the symbol shining.

"Hey, jackass," a voice called out to him. He turned only to be punched across the face, sending him sprawling onto the ground.

Looking up, Crydius saw it was Ben with the rest of the Cul-De-Sac Kids backing him up. All of them were looking at him with serious expressions.

"Don't think we forgot about that stunt of yours back in the flag game," Ben said, his eyes narrowed as his body was glowing in a bright white aura. "Something weird is going on and it has something to do with both you and me."

Crydius simply smirked in response as he got up, his own body glowing a malevolent blackish purple aura as if to contrast Ben's own. While most of the Peach Creek Squad backed away, Ben stared Crydius down.

"Yes," the teen dressed in black said, nodding his head in agreement. "It is time that we did talk..."

Knightmare Lord A/N:

In the next chapter, we finally get an answer as to why Ben and Crydius seem to have some strange connection with each other. Also, it seems Flash Sentry has gotten the Omnitrix from Ben 10, go figure.

Mrotrax A/N:

Getting into the meat of the story! You're all in for a treat! KML did all of this, I just added a few mentions here and there.

Read, review and stay safe, will ya kindly?