It seemed like a peaceful day as Celestia was having a nice picnic with Discord and her daughter, Hope. "Discord, all the times that we've known each other…" Celestia spoke with a calm, happy tone.
"Someone wise once said: 'We do not go forward by looking back.'" Discord told her with a smile.
"When did I say that?" Celestia asked him with a brow.
"You didn't, I did." Discord said before they both let out happy chuckles. But then a high-pitched scream was heard before they saw the Vermillion Warriors and the Hooves of Time coming right at them.
"Discord, protect Hope and stay by my side!" Celestia called as she gave a look at the Hooves of Time before she heard silents. "Discord…?" She asked before she turned and saw Discord and Hope turned to dust as she gasped while Krux and Acronix gave evil laughter while Celestia tried to block it out as she shook her head.
Celestia, who's mane is a bit more grey, was tossing and turning on her bed before she woke up and saw Discord, Hope, Misako, and Luna beside her and Wu, who woke up as well. "Discord! Hope! Sister! At my side." She said in relief.
"Of course. As we always will be." Discord said with a smile while holding Hope.
"As you and Wu always will be for us." Misako said with a smile as Wu and Celestia looked at each other before they frowned. "What is it?"
"Yes, what is wrong, siblings?" Luna asked in concern.
"We haven't told anypony, but when we fought Acronix at the Monastery, something… happened." Wu started with a frown.
"Something bad." Celestia added.
At the Samurai X Cave, Rivet and Aqua are still trying to reboot Frost. "This is bad." Aqua said in concern. "We told everypony to go back to the Airjitzu Temple while we got Frost back online and still nothing."
"After that sudden number Frost spoke up earlier, he's been out of it for some time." Rivet said while typing into the monitor. "All we got left is trying a total system reboot. Let's hope it works." She said as she pressed a button, which caused Frost to twitch before she pressed another button, which awoke Frost as he twitched with grunts before he stood up and turned to Rivet and Aqua.
"Rivet! Aqua!" Frost said with a smile, which the two girls did in return.
"Oh, we're so glad you're-" Aqua tried to say, but Frost cut her off.
"That potato was a flange. 41-823." Frost suddenly said as he then walked off past them. "A narwhal horn is too red as weather is greater than pudding. Fifty sheet auto doc feeder." He said as Rivet and Aqua quickly grabbed Frost and brought him back to the desk.
"Okay, Frost. Take it easy. That's it." Rivet said softly as they brought Frost back to his spot.
"Banana curtain nine." Frost said.
"Oh, come on!" Aqua as she picks up a screwdriver. "We've tried everything. What is going on in there?" She questioned as she hit Frost's head with the screwdriver.
Inside Frost's head, Pixal is seeing the whole thing while Aqua keeps hitting Frost with the screwdriver while Rivet watches. "What is going on is I'm trying to unscramble Frost's neural pathways so we can go recuse Cyrus Borg and Dr. Gear." Pixal said to them. "And you haven't tried everything. You need to realign Frost's neural inputs." She said, but Rivet and Aqua didn't hear her since she's inside Frost's head. "Can you two hear me? Hello?"
"Hello? Carrot dog rainy day in seven." Frost said with a smile as the two girls looked at him weirdly and shook their heads.
"Okay. Heh, heh. I think we may still have a few bugs to work out." Rivet said with a weird smile.
Aqua then has a thought. "Maybe what Frost need is-" She started.
"Don't say, a new binary power core." Pixal pleaded, while holding her head.
"-a new binary power core!" Aqua finished with a smile. "I'll be right back!" She called as she rushed off.
"Wait! No! Don't leave…" Pixal tried to say.
"Plate! Show! Clipboard…" Frost said while Rivet looked at him, "Flip-flop! Ice cream! Cockatrice!" He added, pointing to his head.
"Uh, Pixal, get Frost's mind into sleep mode." Rivet said as Frost powered down as Rivet hooked up Frost to the monitor as Pixal appeared. "Let me guess, you're trying to tell us how to fix Frost?"
"Yes. I'm trying to communicate through Frost's body, but I don't think you or Aqua understand me." Pixal said before she sighed. "I love Frost, but being stuck in his head can be frustrating."
"Well, Frost had to do something to save you after your old body was destroyed." Rivet said to her. "That shows how much he cares for you."
"Still, I'm hardly any help in Frost's mind. How is my request going?" Pixal asked.
"Still working on it. I had to keep it secret so that Aqua and the others don't find out while trying to reboot Frost." Rivet said to her.
"As long as it gets done, I am grateful." Pixal said with a smile.
"Anytime, Pixal." Rivet said with a smile. "Now, tell me how to fix Frost before Aqua comes back with that binary power core."
"Alright, here's what I need you to do." Pixal said with a nod.
"And at the Monastery, Acronix hit us with what he called the 'Time Punch'." Wu finished explaining to Luna, Discord, and Misako. "Now we're rapidly aging." He said while stroking his long beard.
"That explains the graying mane and tail and the silver long beard." Discord said in shock while he, Luna, and Misako looked at the two in concern.
"And it's only getting worse, look." Celestia said, extending a wing as several feathers fell off.
"Your feathers." Luna gasped.
"Each hour, we feel a year go by." Celestia said with a weak look. "And the effects are accelerating."
"And will continue to do so until-" Wu was trailed off.
"Master Wu?" Lloyd's voice spoke up as the door knocked.
"Celestia?" Twilight asked next as Wu and Celestia gasped.
"Say nothing. The Ninja must be distracted at this crucial time." Wu whispered to them.
"They might be able to help you two." Misako stated.
"Can we enter?" Twilight asked through the door.
"We can find a cure to your Time Punch." Luna insisted while looking at her siblings in concern.
"Our fates are inevitable, Luna." Celestia said. "Like the sun rising in the East."
"Like fall turning into winter…" Wu continued.
"Wu, Celestia…" Discord tried to say while Hope gave a sad look.
"Master Wu?" Lloyd asked as he and Twilight entered.
"Celestia?" Twilight asked as the two siblings gasped.
"You three must keep our secret." Celestia whispered as the four nodded as Wu and Celestia faked their sleep.
"How are they?" Twilight asked in concern as Celestia and Wu gave fake snores.
"Still recovering." Misako said with a smile before Celestia and Wu got up.
"So little time, so many lessons!" Wu exclaimed.
"The classes! The magic practices!" Celestia exclaimed as she and Wu looked around. "Fight with your back to the sun." She finished as she and Wu lay down.
"Eight cups of water a day is a myth." Wu added while Discord and Luna tried to keep themselves from chuckling. "You should have been there when we fought Acronix, but we-we-" The two then faked asleep while Twilight and Lloyd frowned.
"They're right. We should have been at their side." Lloyd said in guilt.
"We failed our masters and mentor." Twilight said in guilt before she gave a determined look. "We will not make that mistake again."
Outside the temple, the Ninja are training while Morro, Gaia and the rest of the Councils are training Clockwise and Tempura some basic moves while Trail is fighting the sparinging bots while Thunder holds up some exercises punches for Landrush to hit or buck while the Council help out with their training.
"Okay, Clockwise, even though you can fast forward in time, you somehow can't control how fast you're going." Morro spoke up to them. "And suddenly they activated on their own, right?"
"Yeah. Everytime I even tried to walk, I sped up and appeared on the spot I was going to be on." Clockwise said while looking at her hooves. "I just don't know where or when I might appear."
"Well, Elemental Powers can work in mysterious ways, darling." Gaia said with a warm smile. "But know that you control the power. It's connected to your will. You just need to accept them as a part of yourself."
"I-I don't know I could." Clockwise said uncertainly.
"Hey, I was on the same boat when my powers were in darkness." Morro spoke up. "But it really was a part of me. You just need to calm your mind and focus your powers. Just concentrate."
"Just think on the clock, sis." Tempura said while placing a hoof on her sister's shoulder. "If you can fast forward, just think of a moment in time and area you want to appear in and maybe you might have better control."
Clockwise was uneasy for a bit before she looked at her hooves as she took a deep breath and focus, which her hooves then started glowing green as she suddenly vanished, while the others looked around before she appeared on the temple's stairs. She was surprised. "Hey, I meant to be on the stairs!" Clockwise called with a smile.
"Nice one, sis!" Tempura cheered before Clockwise suddenly disappeared again before she appeared over her sister, which they laid on each other as they groaned.
"Maybe we should focus on concentrating when using your powers, partner." Applejack said with a cringe.
"Agreed." Clockwise groaned.
With Landrush and Thunder, Landrush then spoke up with a frown. "Frost is down." He said as he gave Thunder a few punches. "Folks disappearing all over town, and we can't do anything to help!" He called as he threw a couple of bucks kicks as Trail hit the sparring bots harder behind them. "If we just knew why Acronix and Krux are taking creatures…" He gave another punch.
"You know my theory-" Thunder tried to say.
"For the last time, they are not hostages!" Landrush interrupted as he gave another punch.
"How can you be sure?" Thunder asked.
"No ransom note." Landrush answered as he gave another punch.
"Oh, maybe they're gonna hypnotize them into being an army?" Thunder suggested.
Landrush gave a sigh. "Krux and Acronix already have an army…" He pointed out. "Of Snakurais," He added as he threw hard punches as Thunder backed away.
"Well, you know my other theories…" Thunder tried to say while Landrush kept punching.
"Do not say alien abductions again, or dimensional rifts, or elfin magic portals!" Landrush yelled in frustration as he punched harder and his hooves went into Magma Punch mode as Landrush jumped up an slammed his hooves down, which caused the floating island to go down a bit and Thunder flying as he crashed into the ground with a groan as Landrush rushed to him. "Sorry. It's just… I'm tired of speculating!" He said as the others regrouped.
"Yeah! We need to take action!" Rainbow called in agreement. "Right, Trail?" She asked as they turned to Trail, who is still fighting more sparring bots. "Trail? You haven't been the same since you squared off against Krux." She said in concern.
"Did he do something?" Fluttershy asked in concern.
"More like, said something to him." Clockwise said as Trail punched the sparring bot harder.
"No. Nothing. I'm fine." Trail insisted.
"Good." Landrush said as they walked forward. "'Cause I was just saying, it's time to stop guessing and to start fighting!"
"So you're suggesting we capture one of those Snakurias and bring them back here for Celesita and Wu to question?" Trail asked.
"I just want to fight somebody. But okay, we could do that too." Landrush said with a sheepish smile.
"You really need to realize that you can't solve everything by fighting, Landrush." Flash said with a brow.
"That plan won't work anyway." Lloyd spoke up as the others turned and saw him and Twilight coming out.
"Why not?" Pinkie asked as the two walked up to them.
"Because Master Wu and Celestia still haven't recovered from their battle with Acronix." Twilight explained. "They ramble. They passed out. We think they're a lot more hurt than they let on."
"Ah, great! All this and now we have no leaders, either?" Rainbow complained.
"Hey, Twilight is Princess of Equestria!" Flash exclaimed while giving Rainbow a look. "But without another leader for the Ninja side, it's gonna be tough."
"And with Wu out of commission, the um… logical successor would be…" Lloyd spoke up.
"You, the Light Ninja." Irona spoke up which caught the other's attention as she flew in. "It's pretty obvious, into you guys and you still haven't figured it out?"
"Why are you here?" Rainbow asked her.
"I thought I come and help you heroes fight those Snakurais." Irona said as she walked up to them. "I mean, if you'll let me"
"Thanks, but we got it covered." Applejack said.
"I don't wanna sound mean but it sounds likes you could use help since one of you can't control his own hooves." Irona said as Pinkie gave a laugh.
"Okay, but 'Master Lloyd'?" Landrush asked with a brow as they all gave a thoughtful look.
"'Temporary Master Lloyd', you mean." Rarity spoke up.
"...'In Training'." Thunder added.
"Okay, Temporary Master Lloyd in Training and Princess Twilight, we Ninja await your words of wisdom." Pinkie teased.
"Which I assume involves kicking some flanks till we get a few answers. Right?" Landrush asked eagerly as they all laughed and cheered while they high hoof each other while Flash sighed as they rushed off.
"It's wrong, and too random, right?" Flash asked with a knowing look.
"Yeah, we need a plan." Lloyd told them as that made them stop in their tracks.
"We have one: go kick some flanks!" Trail called out.
"Oh and before I forget." Rarity spoke up before she used her magic to levitate ninja suits over to Tempura and Clockwise. "I made this just for the two of you." She said as she gave a cyan-orange suit to Tempura while having a reverse color scheme to Clockwise.
"Wait? Seriously?" Clockwise asked in surprise.
"But, we're not Ninjas yet." Tempura said in confusion.
"Yet. But don't worry, from our experience, you'll get there." Applejack said with a smile. "Like us and Aqua." She added while gesturing to herself and the rest of the council.
"And besides, what better way to train you than on-the-job-training?" Rainbow asked with a smirk. "We do it all the time."
"Really? Then whose flank? Where?" Twilight questioned them as she, Flash, and Lloyd walked up to them.
"They got a point." Gaia said with a shrug.
"We'll work it out down there." Pinkie waved off.
"No. We'll work it out here first." Lloyd said to them. "That's what Wu and Celestia would do. Come on!" He said as he and Twilight walked into the temple.
"Oh, yay, I just love sitting around and talking instead of doing." Trail sarcastically said.
"Cut them some slack, guys." Morro said to them. "They're doing the best they can."
"And also, we all picked Lloyd and Twilight to be leaders for a reason. And if Lloyd ever went missing at a certain event, I'm looking at you, Morro." Flash said while giving Morro a brow as he gave a sheepish look. "I'm also a leader of this group. So come on. We need to plan this out." He said as he walked into the temple.
"Okay, now I regret that we made Flash the second leader." Thunder groaned as they all walked into the temple.
"Tell me about it," Morro said with a shrug as they entered the temple.
In Equestria City, parking meters were being pulled underground, a garbage pony lost the lid while also losing the trash can when he noticed they were gone. "Aw, come on. Junk! You ain't gonna believe…" He tried to say before he saw the garbage truck was gone. "Junk?!" He asked in shock.
Every creature around was talking on their phones while two pony stallions picked up each other's phones. "Hey, hey! Just calling to tell you that I'm walking to the coffee shop now!" He called his partner, who was next to him.
"Cool! I'll see you there!" The second stallion said, but then the antenna tower a bit far then suddenly collapsed, taking out communication.
"Hello? Hello?" The first stallion asked before he looked at his phone. "No bars. What's going on?"
The second stallion sighs. "Can you hear me now? Now?" He asked worry before he turned and saw something that made him scream as his partner behind him looked and gasped.
"The cell tower is down!" The first stallion called out as every creature then scream and ran off.
In Dareth's old dojo, Dareth screamed when he saw his fake trophy shelves were gone. "My trophies! Why would somepony steal them?! Why?! WHY?!" He cried out dramatically.
On top of a building somewhere, two of the Vermilion commanders were watching their soldiers gathering some more creatures and a bunch of metal objects. "Yes!" Raggmunk cheered. "Soon we will have all the metal we need, courtesy of the Vermillion Warriors!" He called as he gave a laugh.
"Really?" Blunck questioned.
"What?" Raggmunk asked his partner.
"All the metal? Like that's it? Finito?" Blunck questioned.
"Yeah. Why?" Raggmunk asked with a confused look.
"Nothing. Nothing." Blunck said. "It's… fine." He said as Raggmunk gave a blank look. "Acronix and Krux signed off on it?"
"Oh, who cares?" Raggmunk asked nervously. "Now let me concentrate!" He called as he focused on the hive mind. "Increase Operation Heavy Metal!"
"Really? That's the name you're-" Blunck tried to question.
"Oh, it doesn't matter!" Raggmunk exclaimed with a look.
In a shop, Ronin was dusting around with a smile while outside, Dareth was screaming as he ran up to Ronin's shop and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Help! Somepony stole my trophies!" He exclaimed in panic and a high pitched voice.
"I have an alibi!" Ronin quickly said before he realized something. "Wait? Why would anyone steal your fake trophies?
"I know! They were irreplaceable!" Dareth cried out before he smiled. "Which is why I'm here to buy replacements."
"You want world championships this time or just intercontinental?" Ronin asked with a smile while Dareth thought of the suggestions.
"Uh. Let's mix and match." Dareth replied.
"On sec." Ronin said as he went to the back before Dareth heard some rattling and turned to see some Vermillion Warriors grabbing some metal objects as Ronin came back with a trophy and gasped.
"Uh, they're not here with me." Dareth said with a shrug.
"Fellas, we have a very strict store policy against shoplifting." Ronin said firmly while showing a sign, which Ronin then flipped a switch and smacked the Vermillions down as they looked out the door as Dareth saw his trophies being carried away.
"Hey! Those are my trophies!" Dareth yelled as he rushed outside and grabbed one of his trophies. "Give them back!" He called as he tried to get one of his trophies free, but was having trouble as Ronin came out of his shop with his mech and grabbed Dareth as they flew away.
At the Airjitzu Temple, the team was in the library as Lloyd was going over what to do. "So I think we can safely rule out…" He stopped when he was interrupted by Thunder slurping his drink. "...these places as hiding spots for the missing creatures. These are too small. These are two public. And these are too obvious." He tried talking louder over Thunder slurping before he stopped.
"Or are they so obvious that they're actually the perfect hiding spot?" Thunder questioned while Twilight rubbed her chin.
"Mm. Interesting." Twilight said before Thunder continued slurping as it got louder before Rainbow got annoyed and slapped the cup off Thunder's grip.
"Hey!" Thunder exclaimed.
"What were you even doing, Thunder?! It was getting annoying!" Spike called in irritation.
"I'm bored. So I'm messing with them." Thunder said with a shrug.
"But now Lloyd and Twilight's starting over after interrupting!" Gaia whispered with a look.
"They're gonna take even longer." Rainbow groaned.
"Guys! Can we please take this seriously?!" Flash questioned in annoyance. "We got creatures to save and Hooves of Time to stop!"
"Maybe they are too obvious for us to overlook." Twilight mentioned as she rearranged some things on the board.
"Is this how it is to you heroes?" Tempura asked with a confused look while Clockwise's yawned.
"Half of the time." Morro said with a shrug. "After seeing Lloyd's memories when I was a ghost, the other half is that after trying to plan, trouble comes knocking on our door."
Just then, Ronin and Dareth came in. "Sorry to interrupt what looks to be the most boring party game ever, but the city's under attack down there." Ronin explained.
"Wow. That was a coincidence." Irona said in surprise.
"YES!" The others shouted with excitement, which earned them odd looks.
"Oh, I mean, that's horrible!" Thunder cried.
"Terrible!" Trail added.
"The worst!" Landrush added.
"Not fun." Pinkie said.
"So dreadful!" Rarity cried.
"Not nice." Fluttershy added nervously.
"So not awesome." Rainbow said with her hooves crossed.
"So bad." Applejack said while tilting her hat.
"Trouble alert!" Morro added.
"Bad guys attacking!" Spike added.
"My word!" Gaia added.
"There's a bunch of samurai and snakes stealing every piece of metal they can find." Ronin told them.
"They took my trophies!" Dareth spoke up. "My trophies!"
"Any sign of Krux and Acronix when this happened?" Flash asked the two.
"Who?" Ronin asked in confusion.
"Oh, right, we never send words to our friends about them." Spike said while smacking his forehead.
"Doesn't matter. Let's go!" Landrush called.
"Wait! This doesn't make any sense!" Twilight called out.
"Yeah, why are they after metal?" Lloyd added.
"We can ask them that as we pummel them!" Rainbow shouted.
"But, they don't even talk, just hissing." Clockwise pointed out.
"Yeah, that is true." Flash said in agreement.
"It might be a diversion to draw us away from the Temple so they could finish off Master Wu and Celestia." Lloyd theories.
"We can't just ignore the damage they're doing." Applejack pointed out.
"Nor that they have my trophies!" Dareth cried out.
"Lloyd and I are not leaving Master Wu and Celestia unprotected again." Twilight said firmly.
"Well, we're going." Trail said to them as they walked off.
"We're ordering you to stay!" Lloyd called out.
"And we're ignoring that order." Trail said as they walked off as Flash, Tempura, Clockwise, and Irona remained behind as Flash sighed.
"Uh, Master, your highness, permission for us to go along with them so we can make sure they don't do something stupid?" Flash asked the two.
"Yeah. So…" Ronin asked awkwardly.
"Just go." Twilight sighed as Ronin and Dareth smiled as they rushed off as Flash, Tempura, Clockwise and Irona looked at them in concern. "Go with them. They might need help."
"If you say so." Tempura said in sympathy as they rushed off after the others as Lloyd took out his phone.
"Aqua will have our backs…" Lloyd said as he then tried to use his phone.
Back at the Samurai X Cave, Aqua's phone showed no signal, which made Lloyd unable to call her as Aqua came back in with a binary power core. "Okay, Rivet, I have got Frost's-" She tried to say before she gasped when she saw some Vermillion Warriors that wrecked the area while a couple held Rivet down while trying to tear Frost apart. "Guys!"
"Get off me, you overgrown earthworms!" Rivet called as she struggled to break free.
"Nineteen!" Frost cried while struggling to break free. "Gargle my pudding! My pudding!" He cried before some Vermillion Warriors saw Aqua and went towards her. Aqua quickly started fighting back as she knocked a few of them down.
"Get away from my friends!" She demanded as she kicked a few down before launching herself right towards another before getting to Rivet and Frost as she knocked them off.
"Thanks, Aqua!" Rivet thanked as she brought out her new stun blaster.
"Anytime." Aqua nodded as she helped Frost up. "Come on, guys! Let's do this!" She said.
"Executive cucumber!" Frost called as he stood up and waved his hooves around before a Vermillion warrior kicked him back as Aqua bumped into him and fell to the floor.
"Or… maybe you should sit this one out." Aqua suggested.
"Sorry, Aqua. Didn't have time to fix Frost completely yet." Rivet said as she helped Aqua up.
"Fiber zinc taco! Fiber zinc taco!" Frost talked nonsense as the Vermillion Warriors surrounded the,
"Uh, Frost, if you have any more tricks, now would be a good time to use it!" Rivet called, knowing that she was really talking to Pixal in Frost's head.
Pixal got what Rivet said. "Brace yourself, Frost. I'm rerouting all existing power to your chest. In three, two, one…" Pixal counted down as Frost gave off an electrical shock that send the Vermillion Warriors flying and out of their armor as their snake forms slithered around while Aqua and Rivet held the weaken Frost.
"Ah, total electrical overload!" Rivet said in shock.
"Nice move, buddy!" Aqua complimented. "We knew you were in there somewhere. Of course, now we have to reboot you again, but that-" She stopped when she saw the rank where her old suit was as she gasped and gave a glare. "They stole my Samurai X Gear! Those thieving snakes!"
"No time for that!" Rivet told her before she brought a vehicle out from under the floor. "You have to help the others, they might need you."
"I hate not having tunes on the ride, but the USB port is the only way to power Frost back up." Aqua mentioned as they carried him to the vehicle and placed in the backseat. "Those snakes stole from the wrong mare!"
"Good luck, Ninja!" Rivet called as the floor turned to the hatch and drove off as a figure walked up behind her. "And you need a little more fine tuning." She said, not turning around to know who it was.
In the sewer tunnels, the Vermillion Warriors are carrying some metal and hostages while Acronix and Krux are leading the way. Acronix even made a few modifications to his armor as he now has an MP3 player and a BorgWatch. "Ah, all these tunnels under the city look the same, huh?" Acronix questioned his brother with a look. "Pretty confusing, I'll bet."
"It's a secret lair. It's supposed to be hard to find." Krux reminded him while looking at the map.
"Yeah, but not for us." Acronix told him.
"I'll figure it out in a second." Krux said while still looking at the map.
"Oh, get with the times, brother." Acronix told him before he held up his watch. "My new BorgWatch has a built-in GPS… The-unh…" He trailed off when he noticed he didn't have any signal on his watch.
"What's wrong?" Krux asked his brother with a brow.
"Um…nothing." Acronix said sheepishly. "Just respecting your feelings about tradition and…" He was cut off when Krux took his brother's hoof and saw the watch with no signal.
"No service. That's why I don't get with the times." Krux said as he shoved his brother back. "The old ways are still superior. Follow me!" He called as they continued on before they reached a dead end as they all smashed into each other.
"I hope things are going this well topside." Acronix grunted.
On the surface, some Vermillion Warriors are taking the support metals from an unfinished building. "Yes! Operation Heavy Metal's so good, the Ninja don't even know what's up." Raggmunk boasted. "Nothing will stop us!" Just then, the Ninja arrived in their vehicles.
"Way to jinx it!" Blunck retorted.
"Last one up is a rotten pony!" Rainbow challenged as they all started climbing while Tempura, Clockwise, and Irona were on the ground.
"They know we aren't as fast or best climbers as them yet, right?" Clockwise asked the two with a confused look.
"I think they're just showing off." Irona said with a shrug.
"Can't you just fly up there to join them, Irona?" Tempura asked in wonder, which made Irona gave a nervous look.
"Uh, yeah. The thing is… I can't." Irona said with a nervous smile.
"Wait, what?" Both twin mares asked in unison.
"But, aren't you part griffon?" Clockwise asked in confusion.
"I am. But me being a mixture of a pony and griffin, heh, I can only glide with these wings." Iron said with a sheepish chuckle. "And before you ask, my dad was a pony while my mom was a griffin."
"Just clear off as many Snakurai as you can!" Flash called out to the three.
"Okay, Flash!" Tempura called before she gave a shrug. "Well, might as well handle the ground forces."
"That we can do!" Irona cheered as they ran off to fight the Vermillion Warriors just as Aqua and Frost arrived in their ride as Aqua then started climbing as they all knocked some snakes down while Irona destroyed the armors by bending them.
"Wait, you can bend metal?!" Clockwise asked in shock.
"Uh, surprise?" Irona asked with a sheepish look.
Ronin and Dareth came in as Dareth got his hood on while Ronin was in his mech. "Wow! Total snake invasion!" Dareth exclaimed.
The ninja continued to climb up the scaffolding while knocking down as many Vermilion Warriors as they could. Trail then noticed a bucket hanging on a hook as he was surrounded by a few of them before he quickly jumped and landed on another platform. "Why am I so good? It's a curse, really." Trail bragged.
But then all the armor the Vermillion Warriors formed together into a bigger version and grabbed onto the platforms and climbed up to Trail. "Oh, great!" He exclaimed before it cut a support bar from the platform and caused the boards to fall, which Trail nearly lost his balance before his sister grabbed him by the hooves. "Aqua, what are you doing here?" He asked as Aqua pulled him up.
"I came to warn you about the metal-stealing snakes, but it looks like you already know." Aqua said to him.
"How's Frost?" Trail asked.
"He's, uh…" Aqua trailed off as they looked down to where Frost was.
"Avocados are not vegetables! 53-11!" Frost rambled.
"Uh, we're still working out some kinks." Aqua said sheepishly before the giant Vermillion came up behind them, but they dodged as Aqua spin kicks it down as it crashed into some others before crashing into the ground as the armors and snakes scattered before they reformed into a mixed version as it gave a laugh as Clockwise, Tempura, Irona, Ronin, and Dareth stood in front of Frost to protect him.
"Spleen sauce, cow-box!" Frost rambled.
"That's right, bring it on!" Ronin challenged as he ready his mech as the snake ran towards them as Dareth screamed and ran off. "Oh boy…" the Giant Vermilion Warrior started shaking his mech before opening it up and grabbing hold of him.
"Ronin! Not a good idea to fight an oversize snake!" Tempura exclaimed.
"I can see that!" Ronin called as he struggled to break free. "Feel free to jump in, guys!" He groaned as he was being squeezed.
"Come on, Dareth! We gotta help him!" Clockwise exclaimed while Dareth is hiding behind the vehicle.
"Sorry. My back's totally jacked again." Dareth lied, afraid to even go out and face them.
"These guys took your trophies!" Ronin reminded him, which really set off Dareth.
"Brown Ninja Vengeance!" He shouted as he flipped his hood up and charged at the giant Vermilion Warrior. He went into the giant warrior as it let go of Dareth as he smacked some snakes away in rage.
"Whoa! Who knew messing with Dareth could give him a push to actually fight?" Tempura commented as they looked surprised by Dareth's sudden rage.
Dareth jumped down as he kept waving around before he kicked Ronin, sending him flying until he hit the ride Frost was in. "Aah! My leg!" Ronin cried.
"Ronin!" Clockwise called as she, her sister and Irona ran up to him.
"You okay?" Irona asked in concern.
"Yeah. But I think Dareth broke my leg." Ronin groaned as they watched Dareth still moving around.
"Gotta get more snakes!" Dareth yelled as he kicked more Vermillions down before landing in a split.
"Remind me not to get on his bad side." Irona commented as the others nodded.
"Aqua, where are you going?!" Trail called out to his sister, who was climbing to the top of the building.
"Come on, I have an idea!" She called out to the others.
Flash heard this as he turned to the others. "Guys! Let's go!" He called as they all climbed up to the top with the Vermillion Warriors behind them.
"So, does anypony have a plan?" Pinkie asked them as the Vermillion Warriors came up.
"Not really." Spike said in concern.
"Welcome to Equestria!" Aqua called as she moved the crane and smack the Vermillions off the building and dropped them and the metal beams down as they crashed into the floor.
Raggmunk and Blunck saw this as Blunch looked in shock. "No! They've failed! And we haven't collected nearly enough metal yet." Blunch said in grim as Machia came in from behind.
"No, you haven't." Machia said to them, which the two commanders turned to her in surprise.
"Uh, was she here the whole time?" Raggmunck asked in confusion.
"Your plan didn't just have a stupid name." Machia interrupted as her snakes hissed. "It was also a stupid idea. So now it's my turn." She said as she walked to the edge and focused on the hive mind. "Commence with Operation Blackout." She said as the Vermillion Warriors reformed and began to move on with their orders. "That should buy the time you'll need to collect more metal." She said to the two commanders. "Assuming you don't mess that up as you did this." She said as she walked off.
"Operation Blackout." Blunch repeated. "Good name." He commented.
On the ground, the others regrouped once the Vermillion Warriors were gone. "Okay, that was something." Clockwise commented.
"Speak for yourself." Ronin groaned while Dareth supported him.
"Eheh, sorry about your leg, Ronin." Dareth said with a sheepish look.
"Since you broke his leg, I think we can all agree that you're the one who's going to take him to the hospital." Tempura told Dareth with a brow. "And you'll also be the one to pay his medical bill." She said as Dareth frowned sheepishly.
Rainbow then went up to Irona, "Okay Irona what's up? You have wings but can't fly, you can bend metal without even touching and you like hiding in a cloak on top of all that?!" She questioned as Irona flinched back.
"Rainbow, calm yourself, you're scaring the poor dear," Rarity admonished.
"Indeed, stand down, Rainbow Dash." Gaia added while pushing Rainbow back a bit from Irona. "How about we let her explain why and we can see the reason without yelling in some creature's face?"
"R-Right, sorry." Rainbow said as she shook her head. "But still, who are you Irona?" She asked Irona.
Irona sighed before she looked down. "I guess it's time I reveal who I am. But you all might freak." She said in concern while looking away nervously.
"From what we seen, might as well tell us." Aqua assured her as Irona gave a concern look before she nodded.
The others watched as Irona removed her cloak, which made them confused before they saw her full appearance as they screamed. What Irona is showing was that she's a half pony/griffon mixture with her having a pony body with griffon wings, feathers, and tails with her coat silver and wings dark grey.
"Sweet Celestia!" Spike exclaimed in complete shock.
"What the…?! Irona… you're… a pony and a griffon?!" Trail asked in shock.
"I told you you guys will freak." Irona said with a frown. "And yeah, I'm a griffon/pony hybrid."
"Okay, that actually explains a few things about ya." Applejack said with a confused look.
"A Poniffon!" Pinkie exclaimed.
"B-But, how is that possible?" Clockwise asked with a shocked look.
"Sure, we saw Hippogriffs and other hybrid creatures, but a hybrid pony, that's a new one." Tempura said.
"Yeah, I get that alot." Irona said with a shameful look. "You see, my mom was an Earth Pony and my father was a Griffon, but neither race ever seemed to want me. They think I'm a freak of nature of the two species. They called me a freak, monster, even a clown." She said in sadness as the others gave her sympathetic looks.
"Wow. That's harsh." Lanrush said with a frown.
"Yeah, no one should treat others how they look." Aqua added.
"But if you're part griffon, how come you can't fly?" Rainbow asked in wonder.
"Yeah, you have those wings on you. Can't you fly?" Morro asked.
"I can't." Irona said in sadness as she then tried to flap her wings, but could only get a couple of inches off the ground before she landed. "I can't even fly up because of my biology. So far, I can only glide with my wings."
"Boy, that's rough." Ronin muttered.
"Wait, if you can't fly, then how are you able to control metal? You aren't part unicorn or have a horn to use magic." Tempura stated.
"Well, that's the thing, I have my own elemental powers." Irona said with a small smile, holding up a paw as she generated a cube of metal in it.
Flash's eyes widened in realization, "You're…a Master of Metal," He said in amazement.
"Wait? She can't be the Master of Metal!" Trail called in shock. "We knew the last one and he was a yak! Celestia and Wu said with the except of Time, there can't be two masters of the same elements!"
"That's the thing. He passed his powers on to me when he retired." Irona said to them, which surprised the group. "Yak-Karlof, saw the potential in me to be the new Master of Metal. He gave me his powers and taught me how to control them. And I found other ways to control metal other than armoring up in metal."
"Wait, seriously. He gave you his powers, like that?" Thunder asked in surprise.
"Wow. He must've been proud of you to carry on that responsibility." Fluttershy commented with a smile.
"He was until those snakes kidnapped him," Irona frowned, which shocked the others.
"What?!" They all exclaimed.
"The Acronix and Krux kidnapped Yak-Karlof?!" Morro asked in shock. "How?! Even without his powers, he's a tough yak!"
"I don't know. But he's out there somewhere." Irona said with a frown. "The only friend I know is somewhere. And I have to find him. But, I can't… do this alone. And I don't know if I could."
The others looked at her in sympathy as Morro walked up and placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll help find Yak-Karlof." He promised as Irona looked surprised.
"Really?" She asked.
"Hey, we're friends with Yak-Karlof as well." Rainbow said with a smile. "And if those Hooves of Time caught him, they're gonna get it for taking our friend."
"Father and uncle cross the line this time." Tempura said with a serious tone. "When we find them, we're gonna teach them a lesson."
"A lesson in pain." Clockwise said with a smirk as Irona then gave a smile.
"Thanks, guys." Irona said with a smile before the city power went out.
"Okay, what's happening now?" Gaia asked as they all looked around in the darkness.
At the Airjitzu Temple, Luna, Misako, Discord and Hope look at the sleeping Wu and Celestia while Twilight and Lloyd start pacing around. "You two are worried?" Luna asked the two.
"Yes. Master Wu and Celestia look pale." Lloyd said in concern.
"Not only that, but Celestia's mane is turning gray." Twilight added with the same concerning tone.
"No, she meant you are worried about the others." Misako corrected.
"I'm more mad at them than concerned." Lloyd mentioned. "I gave them an order and they disobeyed me."
"So you're not worried at all?" Discord question with a brow.
Okay, fine. But you heard Master Wu and Celestia." Lloyd said to them.
"They wished we were there for them when they fought Acronix." Twilight said with a frown. "We won't leave and disappoint them again."
"You…didn't disappoint us, Twilight." Celestia said as she and Wu sat up.
"Celestia! Master!" Both Twilight and Lloyd said.
"When we said we wished you were there, we were speaking of you both and the team." Wu spoke up. "If we brought the entire group…"
"Perhaps things would be different." Celestia said with a frown as Twilight and Lloyd still frown. "You both still appear concerned. What is it?"
"My first time in charge and I blew it." Lloyd said with a frown.
"The others ignored our orders." Twilight said with a frown as well. "Masters, what do we do now?" Wu and Celestia sighed as they fell back to sleep as the group looked out the windows. "We're no leaders. All we do is make mistakes."
"May I tell you both a secret?" Misako asked with a smile. "Master Wu, Celestia, and Luna make mistakes too." She said, which surprised them.
"It's true. We make a lot of them." Luna said with a sheepish smile as Wu and Celestia weakly turned to them. "The true measure of a leader is not whether we make mistakes/ It is whether we learn from them."
"Wu and Celestia's mistake was going in alone." Lloyd said to them before he realized something. "So was ours!"
"Yeah." Twilight said with wide eyes. "We're supposed to be fighting alongside our friends!"
"Yes." Misako nodded with a smile. "Even if they aren't ready to follow you yet… they will be."
"Trust me. I learned that the hard when you and the other ponies release me from the stone and help me become better." Discord said while Hope giggled in her father's arms. "Maybe you two should go with your friends."
"But we don't know where they are." Lloyd pointed out, but then in the distance, they saw that Equestria City was blacked out, much to their surprise. "Okay. That's a pretty big clue."
"We better head to the power station, that's most likely where the action is going down." Twilight theorized before she smiled at the others. "Thank you."
"What are friends for?" Discord asked as Twilight and Lloyd rushed out before he turned to Celestia and Wu. "You two can stop pretending now."
Wu sighed as he and Celestia turned to them. "Lloyd and Twilight must make their own decisions." Wu said with a smile.
"Twilight is already a great ruler of Equestria and Lloyd will be a real master soon enough." Celestia said with a tired smile before she looked at Misako and Luna. "And by the way, we do not make a lot of mistakes."
"No. Just one big one." Misako said with a smile as the three circled the two aging ponies.
At the power station, the Ninja arrived as they saw Lloyd and Twilight in front of them as they exited their vehicles. "What took you so long?" Lloyd joked.
"We were- Hey, how'd you two know those Snakurai would be coming here?" Thunder asked in surprise.
"Well, when all the power went out, we assumed that they must be at the source of it." Twilight said with a smirk.
"And we knew you would be here too the moment the power went out." Lloyd added.
"You two figure that out yourselves?" Trail asked with a chuckle. "Nice. We had to follow them."
"We should have been following them with you guys from the beginning." Lloyd said with a small smile.
"We're sorry we went overboard." Twilight apologized.
"Hey, you both were just trying to do your best to help out Equestria." Flash assured the both of them. "We get that you both are doing the best you can, but sometimes we have to take a step back."
"Yeah, and sorry we weren't listening." Rainbow said with a sheepish look. "We were just looking for some action."
"So, what's the plan, Temporary Master Lloyd and Princess Twilight?" Clockwise asked.
"In training." Pinkie finished with a smile as Lloyd chuckled.
"We go in there and kick some snake flank…" Lloyd said with a smile as he walked up to the door. "Or whatever passes for a snake's flank. Like it?"
"Love it!" Rainbow shouted with a grin.
"Yeah." Landrush nodded.
"That's a great plan." Morro added.
"The treadmill was invented in 1818." Frost said as he walked by.
"What?" Twilight asked in confusion.
"Don't ask." Aqua said as they all entered the power station.
"Alright, snakes, time to…" Thunder called but stopped when they saw nothing. "Where are they?"
"The place looks empty." Irona added as they walked forward.
Flash then turned to Frost. "Frost, you detecting any snakes?" He asked as Frost scanned the area before he found some spots.
"Cranberries. Cork screw. Squab." Frost said.
"Multiple contacts. Six meters in." Aqua translated while the others gave her weird looks. "Uh… after a while, you start to pick up on the meaning."
Then the Vermillion Warriors came in while some were apart while using office supplies to move around. "That's a bunch of Office Warriors! Literally!" Pinkie exclaimed.
"Weapons out, now!" Twilight called out as they each pulled out their own weapon.
"Okay, let's do this! All of us!" Lloyd called.
"All of us?" Aqua questioned while gesturing to Frost who was hitting on a wall repeatedly.
"Oh, right. Frost, stay here." Lloyd said while Frost was still hitting his head.
"Newt." Frost groaned as the others put on their hoods while Irona ready her powers.
"NINJA, GO!" They all exclaimed as they charged at the Vermillion Warriors, but some barrels rolled by that caused them to trip .
Applejack and Rarity used some barrels to knock a few more as Trail and Flash tripped up a few more. A giant warrior slithered towards Landrush and Fluttershy. "You don't look so big." Landrush taunted, but the warrior stood up as it showed its full light.
"And now you do." Fluttershy said nervously when she saw this before the giant warrior then started attacking them.
Twilight and Lloyd fought some Vermillions back while Gaia and Aqua faced the warrior attached to a desk. "A desk is no good without a chair." Gaia spoke as Aqua moved a chair.
"Have a seat!" Aqua called as she kicked a chair at the desk warrior, but it grabbed onto the chair and rolled up to them. "Aw, come one!" She exclaimed as she and Gaia avoided the chair as Lloyd did Spinjitzu to knock it down.
"I hate not having a full team!" Lloyd called out. "We could really use Frost's help right about now!"
"Right now he basically has one move: Short himself out with a massive blast of power." Aqua mentioned as she pointed towards Frost who kept on moving into a wall while some Vermilion Warrior armor suddenly glumed onto him. "It creates a magnetic field that yanks off their armor."
Twilight then had an idea as she turned to the turbine. "Those turbines. They're basically rotating electromagnets." She said with a smirk.
"Yeah." Aqua said with a smile as they fought the Vermillions down.
"So, if Frost were to hook in directly and super charge one of them, all this metal armor the snakes have-" Lloyd said, getting the plan.
"I'm on it!" Aqua called as she rushed up to Frost. "Frost! I need you." She said as she dragged Frost to the turbine.
"Hog knock!" Frost rambled.
"We have to buy Aqua and Frost a little time!" Lloyd called as the others are still fighting the Vermillion Warriors.
Aqua then placed Frost's hooves on the machine as surges of electricity moved in. "Got it! Now Frost! Now!" Aqua encourage.
"Gargle my pudding! Gargle my puding!" Frost cried as he lost power and fell to the ground.
"We need more juice!" Clockwise exclaimed as she focused her powers and disappeared and reappeared behind a Vermillion warrior and kicked them down.
"Thunder!" Lloyd called out.
"On it!" Thunder quickly shot the turbine with his elemental power as it started to gather anything metal, including their weapons. Soon the armor of the Vermillion Warriors came off as the snakes fell to the ground.
The others looked at the snakes with a smirk. "Boo!" Tempura called as the snakes slithered off. "That's right! Slither away back to father and uncle! Hahahah!" She laughed.
"Way to go, Aqua." Trail complimented his sister.
"Well it was Lloyd's plan." Aqua mentioned.
"Way to go, Master Lloyd!" Pinkie cheered.
"Yeah, and you forgot the 'temporary in training' part." Lloyd told her.
"Just don't let it go to your head." Gaia told him.
"Uh, not to ruin the feel-goods here, but maybe we should save the celebration for after we get the power and Frost back on?" Morro mentioned before they looked at the short circuited Frost.
A bit later, they were at the control room while Aqua was pressing some buttons. "One more switch and…" She said as she pulled a switch and the monitors turned on as the news played.
"Well, we know civilization has been restored. The TV is working again." Clockwise said as Frost twitched and was brought back online.
"Hello everypony. What have I missed?" Frost asked as he was fully operational.
"Not much, just missing creatures, Snakurais trying to steal your skin, Lorna is a Poniffion, and both Clockwise and Tempura are the daughters of Krux who has been here for like 40 years under our noses." Pinkie listed out. "But we kick their tails, or snake butts, if they have butts. It's still an open question. But for now it's game over."
"Uh, I'm not sure about that." Flash spoke up with concern. "Look at what's on the news."
"Snakes are attacking Monster Amusement Park. They appear to be after anything metal that isn't nailed down, including the nails themselves!" Gayle exclaimed in panic.
"Ninja, we're leaving." Lloyd said to them.
Then they all rushed out to their vehicles as they hopped on while Trail turned to Aqua. "Aqua, when this is all over, there's something I need to tell you. Something important." He said to her.
"Okay, big brother." Aqua nodded.
"An amusement park? Really?" Pinkie asked in shock. "Do these snakes hate fun?"
"Nah! More like they love metal." Spike joked.
"Agreed." Frost nodded. "I cannot think of a better place to steal it from. I'm sure you concur, Pixal?" He asked with a smile, but got no response in his head as he frowned. "Pixal?" He asked, trying to reach her.
"Now, let's roll!" Aqua called with a smirk. "I've got a Samurai X Suit to get back." She said as they drove off, but Thunder remained behind.
"Wait!" Thunder called, but the others didn't hear him as he gave a concerned look. "There is a better place. A scrapyard. Like the one that belongs…" He then gasped in realization. "...to my parents!" He cried.
Without a second thought, Thunder revved up his bike and drove off to his parents' junkyard, knowing that it's the most scrap metal place in Equestria for the Vermillion Warriors to be there as he drove to help his parents if they're in danger.