In the pod room:
Applejack was sitting by herself staring at Twilight's pod. She felt so helpless in the situation. She couldn't believe that the ponies she loved most were hurt and would not wake up from their unconscious state.
Applejack blamed herself for what had happened. She thought maybe if she had thought it through, they never would have tried to break the crystal wall. Her best friends, who had stayed by her side through thick or thin, were in a weakened state and there was nothing she could do about it. She remembered the words of her hosts when they found the ponies
(~)
Two hours ago, in the pod room everyone was present. They had just rescued Applejack's friends from space. Since they had spent longer than her in space, it would take them more time than her to heal, but it was impossible to say how long.
Applejack was in front of the others and the most concerned. She then felt a hand on her shoulder, it was the Altean Princess, who came to comfort her.
"Please Applejack, I know you're worried about them but you must eat."
Applejack, not turning her gaze from the pods said, "I'm fine."
The Princess tried again, "Then at least rest, you've been through a lot."
"Not more than them that's for sure," Applejack said in a deadpan voice.
The Princess was getting angry but before she could blow up, Kieth intervened, "We understand your worried but they'll be fine. You don't have to starve yourself, just to have some reassurance that you didn't leave them."
At this point Applejack was getting annoyed, "But I did, I won't let it happen again. Not after last time."
Kieth was getting impatient, "Stop feeling bad for yourself, it won't change anything."
Applejack had had enough, "It's not like I'd expect you to understand, I already lost my parents, I can't go through that with my friends!
Kieth had reached his tipping point, "You're not the only one who's had to go through that. I never knew my mom and my dad died when I was six. You're not the only one to lose family.
"Well I had to take care of my granny, brother and sister, plus an entire farm, since I was five and earn my keep to pay for their needs. I had to take responsibility at that age with no help!
Kieth couldn't take it anymore, "I had to leave Earth to become a Paladin of Voltron. I also had to take responsibility!"
"The difference is you did it because there was nothing else for you to do. I did it because I had to survive and had no other choice. I can tell just by looking at you, that you never left anyone or anything important behind, while I left my family, my home and my entire village, and the ponies who would have made easier, are hurt and I can't do anything about it! We are nothin' alike."
Both were fuming with anger while everyone was silent, trying not to get involved in the argument. Before things could escalate, Shiro put his hand on Kieth's shoulder and looked at him with a gaze that was telling him to calm down. Shiro turned to the fuming pony, "We won't try to interfere, just get some rest soon."
Applejack turned back to her friends. "I'll rest when they wake up," she said returning to her deadpan voice as she went back to sit in front of the pods
Seeing as there was no use trying and to negotiate with her, they all left the room, not before Shiro caught one last glimpse of the pony looking at him from the corner of her eye, as the door closed.
(~)
The memory made her realize how mean she was to Kieth, but she quickly pushed those thoughts away, when she remembered what he said to her. But the face of a certain Black Paladin remained at the back of her mind.
In the lounging room/area:
Everyone but Kieth was present. Since the argument he didn't have the courage to face the others. After all the mean words he had said to the innocent and obviously hurting pony, he couldn't face the others' judgement.
Pidge started, "What do we do about the 'pony' situation?"
Hunk, leaning on the couch, asked, "What about it?".
Pidge continued, "Well, she might pass out from exhaustion and starvation. Then we would have another problem to deal with."
"Should we try talking to her again? Allure suggested.
Lance quickly refused, "No, No. N-N-N-N-NO! Did you see what happened the last time we tried that."
"Then what should we do?" Coran asked.
Pidge put her fingers on her chin, "Maybe we could..."
But Shiro wasn't fully listening. His mind was fixed on Applejack, just like her he had left someone he loved, something he considered his fault. As he continued to drift in his thoughts, he suddenly heard voices in his head.
"Let's get this thing open."
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"Don't worry, nothing will happen."
"Take cover!"
"Everypony, Look out!"
"Guys!, Twilight!"
"Shiro?" he snapped back to reality when someone called his name. "Are you okay?" Pidge asked, concerned about their leader.
"Yeah, just drifted off for a second, "he said reassuring the others.
"Well I came up with the idea that maybe only one of us should go to talk with Applejack. We were thinking perhaps you or Allura," Pidge explained.
Shiro immediately stood up. "I'll go," he said before he got out of the room.
Everyone looked at each other and Lance said, "That was weird, right?"
The pod room:
Shiro stood at the door outside the pod room. He knew how to reach her; he just had to make sure he touched the emotional nerve and not the defensive one. He entered the room and found Applejack in the same spot as before, sitting before Twilight's pod.
She spoke up, "If you're here to tell me to eat or rest, you're wasting your time. I'm not movin'."
Shiro walked up to her, "Actually, I wanted to join you." Applejack looked at him, wondering why he would want to wait with her. "If you'll let me." Shiro finished.
Applejack returned to her unfazed state and answered, "Sure, do whatever you want since it's your castle and all"
"Actually, it's Allura's, this room was the place where the Paladin's and I first met Allura and Coran. We were all a little skeptical, since they had marks on their face and had different ears than ours." Shiro started as he sat beside her, "When I first saw the Black Lion, I thought maybe, just maybe, it could help me get a chance at a new life. Since my old one was practically gone."
"Why are you telling me this?" Applejack asked, showing some curiousness in her voice.
Shiro turned to look at her, straight in the eye and said, "Because I know what it's like to leave someone you love behind and not knowing if they're safe or are okay."
She could see the hurt in his eyes and pain in his heart. So instead of arguing with him, she asked, "What happened?"
He turned his head, not able to face her and said with anger in his voice, "The Galra. A barbaric, alien race that captured me and Pidge's brother and father about a year ago. I was prisoner and forced to fight in the gladiator pits for entertainment. I barely survived and came home with this." He said as he clenched his robotic fist. "The worst part was that, even after I escaped and got back to Earth. I only got to see one person I missed, while the other and the rest of the world think I'm dead. With this war going on, I might never see him again. But it does give me hope to fight, if not for the others then for him." He finished and shed a few tears, and was given a surprising hug by the pony.
"I'm so sorry. I never realized that you guys might also go through their own type of pain, especially you. I guess we're those types that don't express feelings all that much, huh?" Apple jack looked at him, still hugging.
Shiro chuckled, "What are you talking about, you literally blew up on Kieth."
This put a frown on her face, "I'm sorry for acting like that, guess what he said brought out the anger I've been holding back for years, and I guess he did too."
"Well everyone has some suffering they're going through. For Coran and Allura, they lost their family and entire planet to the Galra, Pidge lost her father and brother to them too, Hunk and Lance left their families and entire life to make sure others didn't, and Kieth was hardest, he was the one who was lost by his dad, his mom and almost me. So he instead closed himself off and never got attached to anyone, to make sure he never felt that pain again. I know you're worried for them, but they wouldn't want you to continue like this. It's not your fault and even when you tried to warn them, shows that you care."
Applejack was surprised, "How did you know?"
Shiro smiled caringly, "Because I can tell just by looking at you, how much guilt you feel." Applejack smiled and shed some happy tears. She tightened her hold on Shiro, and this time he hugged her back.
She felt at peace and lighter, she had finally let the guilt and pain she had been feeling behind. Shiro also felt better, he never knew how much pain he was feeling till he said it out loud. He didn't know why but he felt he could trust Applejack, like they had known each other forever. Whatever he was feeling was obviously not love, but a sense of comfort and trust. The connection they were feeling was though unexplainable, was there and was strong, that was the honest truth.
In Kieth's room:
The Red Paladin was sitting on his bed staring at his blade, as usual. The only difference was that he was thinking about the fight with Applejack. He had mixed feelings about it, on one hand he was angry at her for what she said, and on the other hand, he knew she was right. If only she knew why he did this.
As irony would have it, he heard the door opening and quickly hid his knife. Standing at the door entrance was Applejack looking worried and guilty. "May I come in?" she asked.
Keith closed his eyes and calmed down, to ensure he wouldn't blow up at her again. With eyes still closed he said, "Sure."
She walked into the room and started to speak, "I know you don't want to see me, but I didn't come to fight, I wanted to apologize. I know I had no right to say what I did, and you didn't deserve any of it. I guess I didn't realize how much anger I've been keeping till I let it out."
Kieth stood up. "I guess I should apologize to you too. Even if we said some mean stuff to each other, you were right. I joined Voltron since I thought it could give me purpose and show that I'm not the angry orphan, that I was more than that. I never considered the whole purpose of Voltron, to bring peace to planets taken over by the Galra. Plus I never left anyone behind, because I never had anyone to lose. So you're right, I don't really have anyone to care for. I'm just a selfish loner."
At this point of time Applejack had had enough and said, "Stop feeling bad for yourself it's not gonna change anything! You taught me that and you were right, it didn't change anything then and it isn't now. I understand you don't want to lose others but it's part of life. The experiences you have with others are the best parts of life. Finding connections with others is one of the best things about friendship, it helps you find the people you can relate and bond with to grow together, and you got one friend right here. So what do you say, want to give it a shot?" She asked hopefully.
Kieth was surprised, a few hours ago they couldn't stand each other and now she wanted to be friends with him. This pony was strange, but in a good way. He wondered if this could be what he needed to finally feel like he matters or help others who feel the same way. He smiled, " Thanks. I'd like that."
"No problem. That's what friends are for," she replied.
Finally, the two had made amends and cleared the air. Hopefully this friendship would help them improve on how they handle loss, in future.
In the dining room:
Some time later, in the dining area everyone but Coran was present. Applejack was staring at the strange food in front of her. It was a green goop that would jiggle every time you touched it. This was food goo, also known as alien space food.
Applejack touched it and some of it stuck to her hoof, she quickly shook it off. "Are you sure this is edible? " she turned and asked the Paladins and Alteans.
"It's not so bad when you finally get used to it. Take it from the person who got used to it in just a week. It was practically the best thing I had to deal with when we first came here." Hunk said, hoping to reassure the pony. She looked back at the food and slowly moved in and took a bite, chewed and swallowed.
"Not bad. Definitely better than Pinkie Pie's strawberry, cinnamon, cilantro cupcakes. The sickening flavor combination tastes just as bad as it sounds. " she said, cringing at the disgusting memory.
"I don't even want to know. " Lance said, hoping he would never get the chance to try it.
Allura smiled, "I'm so glad to see you out of that room and up and about."
"Yeah, we weren't sure if you'd ever come out." Pidge agreed.
"Well you have Shiro to thank." she said after she swallowed a mouthful of food goo, leaving some crumbs on the sides of her mouth. She actually enjoyed the goop. She continued, "You've definitely got a good one."
"I'm not sure what we and Voltron would do without him," Allura agreed.
Shiro smiled but blushed on the inside at the compliments. Applejack swallowed the last of the food goo and said, "I guess I was hungrier than I thought. By the way, I've realized that I've told you a lot about my life and you've not told me about yours. Do you mind telling me what's Voltron, and what exactly is the Galra war?"
Everyone looked at each other. "You mean you don't know?" Kieth asked.
"Know what? I've just heard you talking about it, so thought I'd ask you later or find out at some point. Why is there something I should've known?" Applejack asked, wondering what her new friends knew.
Hunk looked at her and asked, "So you don't know about the ten thousand year war against the Galra?"
Applejack got off her chair to face them. "There's been a war for ten thousand years! I believe ya, but why haven't I heard about it?"
Kieth crossed his arms, "It could be because the Galra have never heard of you. Think about it, there are no records in the castle about Equestria and I'm sure they would have invaded it, if they found out there was a way to locate the Lions or even have the power to replicate it with the magic there. They probably would have found the other Lions long before we even knew they existed." It made sense since Alicorns have very powerful magic and he probably would have either captured them to use as super weapons and locate the Lion's, or drain their magic to do the same thing.
Shiro turned to face the pony, "I suppose you have the right to know. Voltron is-"
He was interrupted by Coran's voice on the display screen. "Princess, I have great news."
"What is it, Coran?" Allura asked.
"Have we arrived at the Marmora base?" Shiro asked, stepping forward.
"Well no, we're still a few hours away. I wanted to inform you that the pods are deactivating. The ponies should be waking up any second now. I'm about to head down." Coran finished.
By this time Applejack was already at the door and turned back. "Well don't just stand there we've got some ponies to see," she said and ran out the door. Applejack was so excited to introduce her old friends to her new friends. The others were also excited to meet them, after all Applejack had told them about them. It would be nice to actually interact with other ponies and a real-life dragon and find out more about Equestria. They followed Applejack to the pod room.
In the pod room:
Applejack had just entered the pod room. Her friends were still inside the pods. She was tempted to kick the pods open, when she heard a sound. It was the pods opening, one by one her friends came out all rubbing their heads.
Applejack didn't waste any time and hugged her friends. They were all surprised, since they had no idea they were unconscious for hours. "I'm so glad you guys are okay. You have no idea how worried I was." she said as she released them from the tight hug.
"What are you talking about A.J? The only thing that's bothering me is this headache." the pegasus, Rainbow Dash said.
"Indeed. I haven't felt this much of a headache since the whole 'princess dress' situation in Canterlot. I hope my mane isn't frazzled." the unicorn, Rarity agreed touching her mane
The earth pony, Pinkie Pie popped up from under her mane and spoke in her usual enthusiastic and annoying voice. No frazzled or frizzy mane here." she said before she zipped off to where she was before.
"What happened?" the pegasus, Fluttershy said in her quiet voice.
The alicorn, Twilight Sparkle spoke up, "I don't know. My memory is a little fuzzy."
"I think I remember a bright light then I blacked out." Spike said tryin to recall what had happened
"Well that bright light sent us into space. If it wasn't for the others finding us, we'd probably still be floating around unconscious." Applejack explained
"It must've been ancient magic, 'cause I've never seen anything like it." Twilight said, walking towards Applejack. "But I have no idea where we are now. This definitely isn't Equestria or space. Does anyone have any idea where we are?"
Applejack spoke up, "We're aboard the Castle of Lions, in space. That's all I know, I'm sure the others could explain once they get here."
The ponies and dragon looked at the orange earth pony with confused looks. "The Castle of what?" Spike asked.
Rainbow Dash followed by saying, "And what did you mean by 'others'.
The door suddenly opened and the Paladin's and Alteans came through. Lance spoke, "Applejack, maybe slow down next time. We don't all have four...legs." he stopped when he saw the new ponies and dragon staring at him.
Fluttershy slowly backed up and hid behind Rainbow Dash. The blue pegasus flew up and said bravely, "Who are you and where are we? Don't do anything you'll regret or you'll be sorry."
"Let me guess you're Rainbow Dash, she's as cocky as you said." Lance said which angered the pony.
"That's it!" Rainbow Dash said before she tried to go and kick him in the gut, but was stopped when Applejack held her tail with her teeth and pulled the pegasus back.
"Calm down Rainbow, he's just a loud mouth named Lance, who says anything on the top of his mind without thinking it through. I'm sure you can bond with him on that later" She said ignoring the glares from Lance and Rainbow Dash while Hunk, Pidge, Coran, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy giggled quietly.
"Girls, Spike, I'd like you to meet Coran, Princess Allura and the Paladins of Voltron; Lance, Hunk, Pidge, Kieth and Shiro." she said to her Equestrian friends and turned to face the others. "And guys these are my friends Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Spike and Princess Twilight Sparkle," she finished and went to stand next to the alicorn.
Allura stepped forward, "It's nice to finally meet you. I'm sorry if we startled you."
"Don't worry, I've seen humans before, a few times." Twilight brushed it off. "But why do I feel like I've heard the word 'Voltron' from somewhere?" The ponies looked at each other trying to remember.
"Sorry to burst your bubble Twilight, but it's hard to remember anything, when your memory's foggy." Rainbow Dash said.
"Come on guys, the book! The one with the purple cover and the yellow gem chest on the front. Seriously, I thought you had better memory." Pinkie Pie said reminding the others.
"Pinkie Pie, you're the best!" Twilight said with joy and hugged the pink pony.
When she released her, Pinkie Pie said, "Yeah, I get that a lot. Now about those bubbles!" she finished grabbing Rainbow Dash by her neck.
Twilight walked past them and towards Applejack. "Do you have our saddle bags?"
"I do." the Yellow Paladin said, walking towards the Alicorn princess. "I thought you might need them."
"Thanks" Twilight said as she levitated the bags to their owners. This amazed the others, the magic Applejack had told them about was real. It looked beautiful, the way the essence of her magic surrounded the bags with magenta sparkles. She placed the saddle bags on everyone's backs except her own and took out various books and inspected each. "No-no-no-ugh! Who took my book?!" She said looking at her pony friends. Everyone shook their heads except for a certain blue pegasus trying to quietly escape. The alicorn caught her, "Rainbow Dash?" She turned around and smiled nervously.
"He-he. Sorry Twilight, I was bored on the train ride and wanted to check it out." she said as she removed the book from her bag and Twilight levitated it to herself and rolled her eyes.
She flipped a few pages and turned to Applejack's new friends, "Does the words 'Voltron Lions' mean anything to you? Or is there a ten thousand year war going on?" This shocked the Paladins and Alteans, could the Galra have actually invaded Equestria in the past or was there something else going on.
"Yes, we're the Lions' pilots. And there is a ten thousand year war going on against the Galra. How do you know about it?" Shiro asked.
Twilight held the book on the page of the five main Lions and looked at it, then the Paladins, then the book, then the Paladins, then the book, and it finally hit her. She flew up and celebrated... by herself, "I can't believe we finally found it! The map, the crystal wall, the light, it was all to send us here, to you and the Lions! I can't believe it! Woohoo!" When she finally realized what she was doing, she blushed and came back to the ground. "Sorry. I got a little excited. I've been trying for weeks to find some or any more clues as to where the Lions were and now the map brought us straight to them!" Twilight said not trying to hide her excitement.
Applejack walked over to her and said, "Wait, your saying that-"
"Yes. The evil in the book wasn't just legend, it was real," she answered.
"Hold up. Your saying that Zarkon guy is real?" Rainbow Dash said, trying her best not to show her fear.
"I think I liked it better when it was just a story." Fluttershy said, shaking in fear while lying on the ground covering her face.
"Can someone explain how the heck you know about that guy?!" Lance asked while yelling.
Allura stepped towards Twilight, "How did you find out about Zarkon and the ten thousand year war?"
Twilight closed the book. "Do you have a large room here? Maybe I could explain, but I need the right amount of space to do it." Twilight asked.
"Perhaps the bridge, it's probably the largest room on the ship." Coran said.
"What does it look like? Is there anything unique there?" Twilight asked.
Pidge raised her hand, "Well there's a large magical crystal at the center of the room."
Twilight nodded, "Got it. You might wanna prepare yourselves, it's a little weird the first time you try it."
Lance looked at her and asked, "Try what?" but before he got his answer, Twilight's horn started to glow a bright magenta and a sparkly aura surrounded them. Then a bright light engulfed them and they had all disappeared.
On the Bridge:
In the empty and quiet bridge, a bright light engulfed the room and when it cleared, everyone appeared. The ponies and dragon started to walk around and look at the scenery while the Alteans and Paladins did not move. The sudden act of teleportation made them feel dizzy. Lance managed to get some words out, "Let's never do that again. I need to sit down."
After a few moments, the Paladins and Alteans felt better and saw Twilight standing at Allura's post staring at the Balmera crystal, closed her eyes and shot a magic beam to it, which activated the map. The ponies and Spike gathered and stood by the others.
Hunk finally spoke up, "Uuhhh... How did you do that?"
"I just used an activation spell that is commonly used on Equestrian artefacts. I learned it back in Celestia's school of magic. Now where is it?" Twilight said as she used her horn to move the map.
"Uh.. Twilight, we already checked and there's no record of-" Applejack was interrupted when an image of a planet with white, fluffy clouds, large forests and a special crystal castle in a small village."-Equestria. You found it!" Applejack finished.
"But how, I thought you said it wasn't on the database?"Kieth asked, turning to Coran.
Twilight turned to face them and said, "Well it wasn't. I just had to look for a place with a specific type of weather that could never happen anywhere else."
"And what is that?" Shiro asked, curious to know.
Twilight sighed and said, "Cotton candy clouds and chocolate rain."
Spike and the ponies, except Fluttershy, all groaned. The Paladins wondered if it was fake or not, but what was really surprising is that they sounded annoyed that they experienced that type of weather. "
You're kidding, right?" Lance asked.
"I wish we were," Rarity answered.
"Why are you so sad about it? That would be a dream come true." Hunk said, his mouth watering at the chance to taste chocolate rain.
"The problem isn't the weather, it's who caused it."
"Discord." They all said in unison.
"Come on guys, just because his 'Lord of chaos' doesn't mean he's that bad," Fluttershy said, trying to defend her friend.
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow, "Have you met Discord? He's the most obnoxious guy in Equestria, even more than before he was reformed. "
"Guys I think we're getting a little off script." Twilight said, looking at the ponies. "Anyway, I guess I can show you this." she said as a large display of the page with the five main Lions from the book appeared. She started to explain, "A few weeks ago I found this book in my library, it's about five, mighty lions that protected their world from evil and those who would try to harm others. They were famously known as 'Voltron, the protectors of the universe'. That was until great evil forced them to disappear for ten thousand years, and has since then inflicted harm on their world." she said as the picture of the Lions disappeared and was replaced with that of the purple snake and bat. "The evil civilization's leader, Zarkon destroyed thousands of worlds and lives in search of the Lions and energy to grow his empire , including an old friend, Alfor, and his homeland of Altea." she said as she changed the image display to the purple snake and a majestic blue, yellow and white bird fighting on a destroyed world.
Allura covered her mouth, the bird Alfor represented her father, King Alfor. The memory of the last time she saw him suddenly played in her mind and with a quivering voice, she said, "Alfor, was my father." The ponies and young dragon gasped, but in a less dramatic way.
Twilight changed the image to that of the lizards and other creatures beside the Lions. "But after thousands of moons, they finally returned and have been getting their world back on track and recruiting allies to help them try to end the war. But the most interesting thing was this." She changed the picture to that of the six Lions and the Elements of Harmony.
"How... is that possible?" Allura asked, still amazed by the picture.
"It's beautiful, but why are there six Lions?" Pidge asked, surprised to see a Pink Lion.
"I don't know, but one thing I do know is that we can't go home until we defeat the Zarkon. if not for ourselves, then for Equestria. If you guys are okay with that?" Twilight asked her friends.
Applejack walked over to the alicorn and answered, "Of course we are, Twilight." The ponies and dragon shared a quick hug.
Twilight thanked her friends, "Thanks guys."
The moment was interrupted by Lance, "Whoa- whoa-whoa. You're gonna help, just like that!"
They looked at each other. "Well duh! We'd never leave our friends hanging. That and we're used to defeating bad guys before breakfast." Rainbow Dash said before she did a hoof-bump with Applejack.
Pinkie Pie popped up from behind her and said, "And we've never lost! Like the time Sombra almost took back the Crystal Empire, or the time he came back and almost destroyed the Elements, or when Luna was Nightmare Moon, or the time Chrysalis pretended to be Cadance, or when Tirek came back and absorbed all the magic, or the other time Chrysalis tried to take over, or in the mirror world when Sunset stole Twilight's crown, or when the Dazzlings went to Canterlot High, or with Cozy Glow in the school!" She took a deep breath and asked, "Am I missing anything?"
Rarity started, "Pony of Shadows."
Spike flew up, "Starlight, when she was evil."
Fluttershy joined him, "Discord when he was evil."
"Do Flim and Flam count?" Applejack asked, wondering if they should be included.
"See, we've always come out alright," Rainbow Dash said cockily.
Twilight disagreed, "That's what you said last time, and King Sombra almost destroyed the Elements permanently."
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah, yeah we got them back, didn't we?"
"I think you're missing the point." Applejack stepped forward to Allura, "We're just trying to say we're here for you. You're not alone."
Allura smiled, "Thank you Applejack."
"I know you may not want to but could you explain to us what Voltron is and the war?" Applejack asked, hoping not to offend the Altean Princess.
She sighed and said, "I don't like the idea of telling you about all the horrible things the Galra have done. But since you've told us about your battles, we can tell you about ours. It started a few months ago when-"
She was cut off when a certain pink pony started narrating for her, very fast. "-Shiro came back to Earth after being captured by the Galra, with Pidge's father and brother on Kerberos, and was being held against his will by the Galaxy Garrison, but was saved by Kieth, Lance, Hunk and Pidge. Then they found the Blue Lion, and went through a wormhole and found Allura and Coran in the Castle of Lions. After travelling to different planets to retrieve the Green and Yellow Lions, they discovered the Red Lion on a ship heading for them. Of course, they got the Lion then released the Black Lion and fought against Commander Sendak and his ship. When they thought they were about to lose, they formed Voltron, a giant robot, defeated the ship and became the new Defenders of the universe! Also they recently found the Galra who originally helped Shiro escape, who told them about a secret organization of Galra working to defeat Zarkon. And now they're going to the Blade of Marmora's base to get allies to finally stop the Galra and save the universe! Any questions?"
Everyone's jaws dropped. No one could find the words to speak. The Paladins and Alteans were wondering 'how the heck did that pony know all that'. Then again she came from a magical world. "Now that that's cleared up, I'm going to bake some cupcakes," Pinkie Pie said as she hopped out the door.
"How the heck does that pony know all that!" Lance asked, literally screaming to get answers.
Applejack answered him, "When it comes to Pinkie Pie, best not to try and understand her, or her Pinkie sense. You should've seen what happened last time, just ask Twilight."
The pink pony zipped into the room. "I'm back! Should take a few minutes. Who knew melted zatanium tastes like honey." she said as she pulled out a spoon with a purple liquid and liked it clean.
"Seriously?" Lance asked.
"So there's really some good Galra out there?" Twilight asked, trying to change the subject.
"We have reason to believe there is, we just hope they can be trusted." Allura said.
Fluttershy then heard a small squeak noise, but instead of running she turned around and saw four different colored mice standing behind the console. She walked over to them and crouched down. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. My name is Fluttershy and it's very nice to meet you," she said in a very low and calm voice. The smallest mouse moved closer and made a few squeaks. To others, it may seem like random squeaks, but Fluttershy could understand the squeaks perfectly, since she had the ability to talk to animals.
She giggled, "Thank you, you're too kind. I don't think I've seen mice like you before. Where are you from?" The tallest and slimmest mouse came closer and squeaked.
"Oh, I'm so sorry you lost your home. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" the shy pony asked.
The big, yellow mouse started to squeak, interesting Fluttershy. She gasped, "Really? That's amazing, it's perfect. Would you want to give it to her?"
The second smallest one squeaked, "Of course, that's a wonderful idea." Fluttershy said, carrying the smallest mouse and putting her on her mane. She was about to lift the other mice when she noticed everyone was looking at her. She blushed.
"What are you doing?" Hunk asked.
Twilight decided to answer for her, "Fluttershy has the special ability to understand and talk to animals." The alicorn nodded and let the pegasus continue.
"They were just telling me about your home, Allura. It sounds like it was wonderful," Fluttershy said, hoping to remind the princess about the good times.
"Yes, it was." Allura agreed.
Fluttershy looked at the mice, "I was hoping to do something to make you feel better, and the mice showed me that the answer was closer than I thought." She said before she dug into her saddle bag and removed something. It was a beautiful pink and magenta flower with a long stalk and its lower part in a small cloth bag.
Allura gasped, "Is that... a juniberry flower?!"
"That's impossible, any trace of Altea was destroyed," Coran said.
"Maybe not." Kieth stated.
Shiro spoke up, "Where did you find it?".
"When we got to the abandoned village, I found a small patch of them near the cave. I had never seen a flower like it before, so I was planning to take it home and study its origin. I never would have guessed it came from another planet." Fluttershy started and petted the head of one of the mice. "But I know it would be better with you. So you can have a piece of home." She handed the flower to Allura. "I hope you like it?"
Suddenly she was pulled into a tight hug by the Altean Princess. "Thank you, Fluttershy" she thanked.
Fluttershy smiled and hugged her back, "You're welcome."
Suddenly Fluttershy started to glow a sparkly yellow and started to float. "Uhh Twilight?" the pony asked.
"What's happening?" The Green Paladin asked. Twilight, not understanding what was happening, said, "I don't know but-"
She was interrupted when Fluttershy's Element glowed a bright pink and everyone shielded her eyes.
Fluttershy's appearance started to change, her hair became longer and flowing. Teal, light blue, purple and dark pink highlights were added on her mane and tail. Mini versions of her cutie mark appeared on her hooves, around her original cutie mark and on her Element in blue, purple and yellow. And her wings faded from yellow to pink at the tips and had teal green designs that made her wings look like that of a real butterfly. Her appearance was changed to that of when she battled Tirek but with her Element.
The light cleared and everyone opened their eyes, including Fluttershy. "Uuhhh... what happened?" the yellow pegasus asked. They all gasped. "What is it? Why are you all looking at me like that?" Fluttershy asked.
"Uhh... you might want to look in a mirror," Lance suggested. She looked at her reflection on the floor.
Uhh... What happened to me, Twilight. I look exactly like how I did when we fought Tirek."
Twilight walked over to the transformed pony. "I don't know, but I'm sure I will after some research. Spike?"
The dragon growled, "Seriously, we just got here and you want to do research? Can't I get a break?!"
"Maybe Hunk and I can help, he and I are the tech guys on this ship, plus I've been wanting to know more about Equestrian magic ever since we found Applejack." Pidge said.
"Sure, that would be great. Looks like you got your vacation, Spike" Twilight said and the dragon hugged the Green Paladins leg.
Spike looked at her and said, "Thank you."
"Now we can finally celebrate. Who's ready for a party?! Woohoo! Pinkie Pie yelled before pulling her party cannon, (out of nowhere) shooting confetti all over the place. Once the confetti cleared, decorations were everywhere and the room was filled with colorful lights.
Pinkie Pie ran to the Dj console and yelled, "When I say 'Voltron' you say 'party'. Voltron!"
The ponies, Spike and Lance responded, "Party!"
"Voltron!"
"Party!"
"Voltron!"
"Party!"
"This pony knows good chants," Lance said remembering the time he tried to make a team chant.
"I try." Pinkie Pie said before she heard a ding noise. "Ooh, the cupcakes are ready." She zipped off and not more than a second later, she came in... with a whole tray and cart of cupcakes! "Now this is a party. I got the cupcakes and custom made ones with everyone's favorite flavors! Here you go," she handed everyone their cupcakes.
"Mmhh, this is delicious! Is it juniberry?" Allura asked. Pinkie Pie nodded.
"Yup, I got some extract from the flowers, when we were looking for clues in the cave." Pinkie Pie said as she removed a glass with a purple liquid from her mane and put it in her saddle bag.
"How did you know I like strawberry?" Lance asked.
Pidge chuckled, "Really Lance, strawberry?"
Pinkie Pie started to talk, "Well, I got files on everypony here, they have all your likes and dislikes." She took out one and started to read, "Coran likes cold and spicy foods, but hates salt." Everyone looked at him, and he slowly scooted away.
"This party ain't stopping 'til I see smiles on everyone's faces. Now let's par-tay!" She said and blew a party horn. The others cheered, ready to have some fun.
As everyone scattered across the room, Kieth stood still holding his cupcake. The man he considered a brother, walked over to him. "Are you sure we should be celebrating? We haven't even beat the Galra." the Red Paladin asked.
Shiro smiled, "Well, it would be relaxing to have some fun once in a while, instead of always worrying about the Galra. Besides we have a few hours before we get to the Blade of Marmora base, might as well make the most of it.
Kieth's face softened, "I guess you're right."
Pinkie Pie came over to the two and said, "Come on guys, no standing in one place and I need some smiles or I won't stop this party 'til I do. Now come on, we're about to play 'Pin the tail on the pony'." She skipped off and the two Paladins followed her and they all partied and there was not a single frown in sight. The ponies and Paladins adventure has just begun.
Author's Note:
Dun-Dun-DUN! Sorry if you didn't like the whole Applejack/Shiro thing, but I wanted to make a connection between the two. Since they both don't usually share or show there feelings. The next chapters will continue the series of VLD. Stay tuned for the Blade of Marmora!