As the portal faded, the Cybersquad and their friends found themselves no longer in Equestria. Instead, they stood under a blistering sun in what looked to be a barren desert. The dusty, sandy ground stretched around them, broken up by scattered old warehouses and structures.
Nearby, they spotted a building with a faded billboard bearing just one word: "RED." In the distance, a rickety wooden tower loomed, looking like it might collapse at any moment. A little farther off, they noticed a training area, complete with practice dummies and an old rail system still lined with carts, seemingly left abandoned.
"What is this place?" Matt asked quietly, carefully scanning their strange surroundings.
"I don't know," Inez replied, her brow furrowed, "but I'm pretty sure we're not in Equestria anymore."
"Oh, really?" Stewie scoffed, rolling his eyes. "I wonder what possibly gave that away."
"Hey, Stewie, does the remote say where we are now?" Jackie asked, glancing at the device in his hand.
Stewie pulled the remote from his pocket, pressing various buttons, but nothing seemed to respond. "Hmm... it appears to be having some difficulty," he muttered, looking a bit concerned.
"Is everything okay?" Martin Kratt asked nervously, watching Stewie struggle with the remote.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine... but this remote isn't," Stewie replied in frustration. "It was working perfectly just moments ago—I don't understand what went wrong!"
"What do you think happened?" Digit asked, frowning.
"I'm not sure," Stewie admitted, frowning down at the remote. "It's possible the device has malfunctioned… probably because I didn't have time to repair it properly."
"But I thought you said you fixed it back at your house?" WordGirl questioned, tilting her head.
"I did! But I was in a hurry, and..." Stewie paused, trying to keep his frustration in check. "Look, there's no need to panic! I just need to find some tools, and I'll have it up and running again in no time." He said, attempting to reassure them with a confident smile.
"Looks like we're in the right spot! There's gotta be some tools around here somewhere," Matt grinned, glancing around.
"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's get searching!" Martin Kratt exclaimed, already taking a few steps forward.
"Hold on!" WordGirl interjected, her eyes scanning the area nervously. "I don't think that's a good idea. Technically, we're trespassing, and we can't just take things without permission."
Peter waved off her concern with a laugh. "Relax! We're not taking anything, we're just borrowing. I'm sure whoever owns this place will understand."
Stewie raised an eyebrow. "And exactly who are we supposed to ask? This place looks deserted! Look around! There's not a soul in sight."
"Maybe," Chris Kratt said, looking around hopefully, "We can't be so sure. There could be someone nearby who could help us out."
Stewie rolled his eyes and sighed. "You know, with all this talking, we could've already found the tools, fixed the remote, and been out of here by now."
WordGirl shifted, her gaze falling to the ground. "I just don't feel comfortable taking things without permission, that's all." She murmured.
"Look," Matt said gently, trying to ease her worries. "We're not here to steal anything. We'll just borrow whatever we need to get the remote working and leave everything just as we found it."
"Yeah," Martin Kratt chimed in, giving a reassuring nod. "We're not causing any harm. We'll be in and out before anyone even notices."
WordGirl still looked uneasy but gave a small nod. "Alright… but let's be quick and careful."
"Yeah, we'd—" Jackie began, but her words were cut short by a sudden clanging noise. All heads turned in the direction of the sound, spotting a strange red object ricocheting off one building before skidding to a stop near their feet. It emitted a faint, ominous beeping that grew in intensity.
Cautiously, they edged closer to inspect the object. Suddenly, Stewie's face went pale with alarm. "EVERYONE, GET BACK!" He shouted.
There was no time to react. In an instant, the object detonated with a deafening explosion, the force sending them sprawling backward onto the dusty ground. They lay there, stunned, their ears ringing and hearts pounding. Though unharmed, they were overwhelmed with shock and terror, staring at the spot where the object had exploded.
"WOAH! WHAT WAS THAT?!" Matt yelled as they slowly got back on their feet, still dazed from the blast.
Before anyone could answer, the ground began to rumble as if a herd of wild bison were charging their way. A chorus of shouts and yells filled the air, growing louder by the second.
They turned just in time to see a group of armed figures barreling toward them, brandishing an assortment of weapons. One of them, a hulking man with bulging muscles, hefted a massive machine gun and opened fire. Another figure, sprinting alongside him, aimed a grenade launcher directly at them, firing relentlessly.
Realizing they were under attack, the Cybersquad and their friends scattered in panic, darting off in different directions to avoid the deadly assault.
After sprinting frantically for what felt like an eternity, Stewie ducked behind one of the buildings, his breath coming in short, panicked gasps. There, he spotted a small toolbox lying half-buried in the dirt.
Without a second thought, he snatched it up and fumbled through it, his trembling hands attempting to repair the malfunctioning remote. His heart pounded in his chest as he worked, knowing they were still being chased.
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over him. Stewie looked up just in time to see one of the attackers—a slender, aggressive-looking man wielding a baseball bat—charging at him. With a desperate yelp, Stewie scrambled backward, narrowly avoiding the bat's brutal swing as it whooshed past his head. But in his frantic retreat, the remote slipped from his fingers and clattered to the ground.
Before he could react, the man's bat came down hard, smashing the remote to bits in a single, devastating blow. Stewie's eyes widened in horror as the shattered pieces scattered across the dusty ground.
"YEOW!" Digit screeched, frantically beating his wings to gain altitude as flames licked dangerously close to his tail feathers. A man in a gas mask was hot on his trail, relentless with a roaring flamethrower that spewed a jet of fire inches from the terrified cybrid. Digit swerved and zigzagged, barely managing to stay out of reach.
Meanwhile, Martin Kratt had found a temporary sanctuary behind a stack of crates, gasping for breath as he leaned against the rough wood. His momentary relief was shattered by the sharp ping of a bullet ricocheting off a crate just inches from his head.
Startled, he spun around to see a shadowy figure in the distant tower aiming a sniper rifle directly at him. Without hesitation, Martin bolted from his hiding spot, not giving the sniper a second chance.
In his frantic escape, he collided with his brother, Chris, and before they could regroup, two figures emerged, blocking their path. One was dressed in medic attire, a sinister smile on his face as he readied a syringe gun, while the other wore the rugged clothes of an engineer, calmly setting up a small, buzzing sentry turret. The brothers exchanged a panicked glance, realizing they were cornered.
"Well, what do we have here?" the Engineer drawled, his voice thick with a Southern twang that reminded them of Applejack.
A cold smile spread across his face as he tipped his hard hat slightly, eyeing the two with a mix of curiosity and malice. His hands hovered over the controls of the sentry turret, which hummed ominously, ready to fire at any moment. The Medic, standing beside him, chuckled darkly, twirling a syringe between his fingers as if weighing the best way to use it.
Martin Kratt swallowed hard, instinctively stepping in front of his brother. "Listen. We're not here looking for trouble," he said, trying to keep his voice steady, even though his heart was racing.
The Engineer's grin widened. "Oh, I reck'on trouble just found you," he said, with a tone that sent a shiver down their spines.
On the other side of the base, a man with a massive helmet obscuring his eyes was cackling madly as he fired an RPG repeatedly at WordGirl, who zipped and weaved through the air to dodge the relentless rockets. From her vantage point above, WordGirl caught glimpses of her friends, cornered and struggling on the ground below.
Her patience was wearing thin. These men had been attacking them without any provocation, and she was done playing defense. Determined to put an end to the chaos, WordGirl swooped low, using her super speed to dodge gunfire and explosives. One by one, she managed to grab each of the nine men, catching them off-guard as she swept through the base with incredible speed.
Spotting a thick coil of rope discarded by an old warehouse, she flew in a tight circle around them, binding them together with practiced precision. Despite their furious struggles and a colorful string of profanities hurled in her direction, WordGirl only pulled the ropes tighter, securing them all in one furious, writhing bundle.
...
"Hey! What the hell's your problem?!" The Scout yelled angrily, thrashing against the ropes. The other Red Team members were equally furious, struggling to break free as they continued to shout threats at them. The rest of the Cybersquad stepped closer, trying to maintain control of the situation.
"Our problem? What the hell's your problem?!" Peter shot back, his face red with frustration.
"Yeah! You're the ones who were trying to kill us!" Jackie added, her voice tense.
The Demoman scoffed, his thick Scottish accent coming through as he spoke, "Aye, what in the bloody hell are ye doin' on our turf, then?"
"Calm down!" Chris Kratt said, raising his hands to placate them. "We ended up here by mistake! We didn't mean to come to your base!"
The Spy narrowed his eyes, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, how convenient. 'By mistake,' you say... and yet, here you are."
Sniper squinted at the group suspiciously. "Right, then. Mind tellin' us what you're really doin' here?"
Peter crossed his arms. "Not until you tell us why you were trying to kill us!"
The Medic interrupted, his German accent icy. "Ach! Vhat did you expect? You vere trespassing on our base! Ve had every right to defend ourselves.
"Damn straight!" the Soldier barked, pointing a finger at them accusingly. "You coulda been BLU spies for all we knew!"
"BLU spies? What's a BLU spy?" Jackie asked, completely baffled.
"Long story; doesn't matter right now," the Engineer cut in, sounding slightly calmer. "Look, seems like we got off on the wrong foot here. Why don't ya untie us, and we can have ourselves a nice, civilized conversation inside, huh?"
Digit looked hesitant. "I don't know… you tried to burn me alive just five minutes ago!"
"Listen," the Engineer said, his voice lowering, "I swear on my wrench it was all a big misunderstanding. What do ya say? Start over?"
Jackie glanced at the others, then nodded. "Alright. This has all been one huge mix-up. Let's try again from the top."
Slowly, the Cybersquad agreed, and Digit's beak transformed into a large pair of scissors. He hesitated for a second, then cut through the thick ropes, setting the Red Team free.
The Soldier rubbed his wrists, his eyes narrowed as he watched them closely. "Alright, you maggots... now, state your names and tell us what you're doin' here!"
Matt nodded cautiously, understanding the need to de-escalate. "Fine. We'll explain everything. Let's go inside and sort this out."
The Red Team eyed them warily, but with a series of reluctant nods, they led the Cybersquad into their base, the tension still lingering in the air.
...
In the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, what was once a place of joy and harmony now lay in ruins. Buildings that once thrived with life were now charred skeletons; some were completely destroyed, while others stood precariously, threatening to collapse at any moment. Fires had raged and smoldered, only recently dying down to reveal the scars they left behind. The fate of its inhabitants remained a mystery, lost to the chaos.
The royal castle, once the proud heart of the town, now had deep cracks snaking across its walls. A large section of the grand structure had crumbled away, revealing a hollow, broken interior.
Deep beneath the ruined castle, hidden in a small, dark bunker, sat King Friday, slumped in a worn wooden chair. His hands trembled as they covered his face, his voice cracking with despair.
"What kind of king am I?" He muttered, staring at the cold floor. "How could I let this happen to my kingdom? To my friends... my family..."
He pushed himself up from the chair, pacing the confined space, his steps echoing in the silence. "They've all been taken, while I cower here... waiting." A low rumble reverberated through the bunker walls, the sound of destruction above.
"What kind of leader am I, hiding while they suffer?" he whispered, his voice breaking. "Maybe I deserve whatever fate is coming."
His thoughts were shattered by a crashing sound, growing louder and closer with every second. His breath caught as the door to the bunker burst open, splintering on its hinges. A swarm of Zachbots poured into the room, grabbing him before he could react.
"No! Unhand me you metal brutes! King Friday shouted, his struggles pitiful against the cold, unfeeling metal. Suddenly, a shadow loomed in the doorway—one of Donita's Mannequins. It moved with eerie precision, its eyes flashing as it activated a posing beam. In an instant, King Friday's body froze, his voice silenced.
Powerless to resist, he was dragged upwards, back into the ruins of his once beautiful kingdom. He glimpsed the devastation—fire-blackened stone, broken towers, empty streets—as the Zachbots forced him onward. His heart sank, and he could not look away from the horror.
One of the Zachbots raised its arm, activating a swirling portal. King Friday, locked in the unyielding grip of his captors, felt a surge of dread and... strange relief. Maybe, wherever they were taking him, he'd finally find his friends and family again, even if it was in the clutches of their enemies. The portal closed behind him, sealing away the ruined Land of Make-Believe.