Waking Nightmares

by Jonathan "KnightMysterio" Spires

Chapter 23: Pony versus Machine

Part 1: Blink

The disclaimer about copyrights from the last chapter will apply to this and all future chapters. This story starts three days after the events of Chapter 22. Also, I would appreciate any help in keeping the TV Tropes page for Waking Nightmares updated and edited. Thanks in advance.

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BLU Base...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Engineer and Pyro lay on one of the upper balconies, looking out over Ponyville. "Well, I'm ready," Pyro said. "When do we begin the defense training?"

Engineer sighed, removing his goggles and rubbing his forehead "The Running of the Leaves is in a couple days. The Princesses have approved our requisitions and the supplies should be here the day after. They've got to be gathered first and shipped through Everfree t'get here, that's why it's taking so long. We'll be able to set up the training programs and the new defenses soon," he said. "Provided there's not another robot attack..."

Pyro shivered. "We came so close... If the Mayor hadn't been there..."

"We cain't think about that, Pyro," Engineer said, nuzzling her. "We just... have to be ready..." A thought occurred to him. "Pyro, is there any way that you can 'show me' Balloonicorn? Ah need to ask him something..."

Pyro stared at him and giggled. "You want to talk to one of the voices in my head?"

"Ah'm being serious," Engineer said. "Ah know you've been hanging out with Trixie in between the battles and have been learning illusion spells from her. Plus, ah've got a theory about Balloonicorn that may mean he'd be able to help us."

Pyro shrugged. "If you say so," she said. She trusted Engineer's judgment implicitly. "I haven't QUITE gotten the hang of this spell yet, though..."

"Ah just need Balloonicorn, not all of Pyroland," Engineer said.

Pyro nodded, concentrating. Her horn lit up, blue magical flame dancing around it as she focused on the spell. Wisps of smoke emerged from her horn, glowing brightly as they wrapped around something drifting in midair. Soon, a baby-blue colored balloon in the shape of a unicorn appeared, floating in midair.

"Wow... Hey Pyro, what was that?" Balloonicorn asked.

Pyro turned to Engineer, idly adjusting the bow in her mane, and gave him an expectant look. Engineer smiled, nodding. She giggled. "Yay, it worked!"

"What worked?" Balloonicorn asked.

"The spell to let me see you without any help Pyrovision goggles," Engineer said, tipping his hardhat to the floating balloon.

Balloonicorn blinked. "Wow..." he said softly. "Pyro, you're getting great at magic!"

Pyro beamed. "I owe it all to the Great and Powerful Trixie!" she said.

Engineer rolled his eyes. "Anyway... Balloonicorn, ah need to ask you something. Have you noticed any magical changes within yourself since you've come here?"

Balloonicorn hesitated. "...Yes," he said after a long moment. "Normally, I'm only aware of what Pyro is aware of, and what's in her general vicinity. For... well, obvious reasons. But lately I've been able to explore on my own more, learn things separate from what she knows."

Pyro gasped, grinning excitedly. "Mister Balloonicorn... you're really becoming real!?" When the balloon unicorn nodded, Pyro let out a delighted squeal. "That's so awesome!"

"I'm not fully real yet," Balloonicorn said. "I can explore a little ways around you and see things that you don't."

Engineer looked thoughtful. "What's your 'range,' thereabouts?"

"Twenty feet around her in any direction," Balloonicorn said. "I just confirmed that this morning. I've been thinking I could start helping out more, warning Pyro of things that are close to her..."

"You're a true friend, Mister Balloonicorn!" Pyro said, making the balloon blush.

Engineer nodded. "If you are becoming more of y'own person, we might be able t'use you even more, to contact the RED Pyro's Balloonicorn back home. If nothing else, we could get an update on those dang robots and the Mann brothers..."

Balloonicorn hesitated, and sighed. "No need for that," he said, shifting from baby blue to pink. "I'm connected to both Pyros."

"WHAT?!" Engineer and Pyro said, shocked.

Balloonicorn nodded. "Yes. Which is why I haven't been there sometimes, as I have to be there for RED Pyro too. But please don't try and make me explain. Because of the nature of Pyroland and everyone in it, I can't do anything to hurt her. And revealing the truth would hurt her."

Pyro looked visibly shaken. Engineer looked at both Balloonicorn and Pyro, concerned.

"Darlin,'" he asked Pyro, "What's wrong?"

Balloonicorn frowned, shifting back to baby blue. "Tell him. He deserves to know."

Pyro shook her head. "I can't, I..." she said, visibly frightened.

"If he's like you believe him to be, then it won't matter. TELL HIM," Balloonicorn insisted.

Engineer gently turned Pyro's face towards her and kissed her. "Pyro... You know that I'll always love you, always be there for you, no matter what..."

Pyro, tears in her eyes, gulped hard. "I... I'm a split personality, like Christian Brutal Sniper," she said. Engineer looked surprised, but not revolted. Pyro shuddered, and continued. "My real self is Mariko Tsukiyomi. Her mother was... a monster. A failed geisha and a whore who took out her problems on Mariko, or made her do work when she couldn't get any. Her favorite method of torture was burning her with cigarettes and sometimes setting her hair on fire. And then one day, on her seventh birthday... Mariko just snapped, and I was born. Me, the confident, dangerous madwoman. I created Pyroland for her, starting with Mister Balloonicorn, a place where everything was happy and wonderful. And she's let me have control of our body ever since. I killed our mother, which gave me most of my burn scars, and have been burning ever since." She tapped her forehead. "Mariko's still there, inside me. She's unaware of what I'm doing and doesn't want to know. Pyroland is her happy place, my way of protecting her, and she doesn't want to leave it, doesn't want to face the world again. I... I never told anyone about who I really was at first because I thought their guessing was funny... and then I fell in love with you, and didn't want to tell you because... because I was afraid you wouldn't love Mariko like you did me..." She nuzzled Engineer, tears in her eyes.

Engineer closed his eyes, and smiled. He kissed her again, and said, "Pyro... You've been an angel to me ever since we've met. And as for Mariko... she's as much a part of you as you are of her. The good in you would be a part of her as well."

"Engie..." Pyro said softly.

"Don't you worry none, darlin,'" Engineer said, smiling. "Mah heart belongs to you, no matter what."

Pyro nuzzled him, Balloonicorn sighing in relief.

"Okay... That being said, I can give you something," he said. "I can't reveal everything, but I can tell you this: since shortly after you lot disappeared, Gray Mann, the long lost brother of the Blutarch and Redmond, came back. He killed his brothers, luring them to a private location, and took over the businesses that the Administrator and Saxton Hale hadn't tricked them into giving up. Gray's robots, which are powered by cash, amazingly enough, have been attacking every Mann Co. facility on the planet in an attempt to gain control of Australium caches Hale knows about, the REDS fighting them whenever they can get to a facility first."

Engineer blinked. "Wait, powered by cash? How does that even work?"

"RED Engineer said the same thing," Ballonicorn said, chuckling. "And..." The balloon sighed, and continued. "Gray's working with Slenderman now."

Pyro blinked. "SlenderMAN!?"

Engineer went wide-eyed. "There's one of them in our world?!"

Balloonicorn shook his head. "I... I guess so... RED Demoman and RED Medic reported sighting him on the day Captain Punch attacked Ponyville. I can't see him directly because something about this Slender thing rots away Pyroland..."

"Marvelous..." Engineer muttered, facehoofing. He looked up, and saw the spell that made Balloonicorn visible was wearing off. "You're fading..."

Balloonicorn looked himself over. "I am?"

Engineer nodded. "Will you help us when you can?" he asked.

Balloonicorn nodded. "I will. I'll relay information through the Pyros," he said. "Please, take care of her..."

"Ah will," Engineer promised, Pyro nuzzling him. Balloonicorn faded from view, the balloon floating off to another part of Pyro's damaged psyche.

Truth be told, Balloonicorn was terrified. He was becoming more self-aware every day, realizing more and more that he was becoming separate from Pyroland. And he had no idea what to do, or what it all even meant. He could only pray. After all, what could a balloon do to stop something like Slendermane?

As Engineer and Pyro cuddled together, watching over the clouds, somepony coughed from behind them.

"Aheh..." Trixie said, grinning nervously. "I... ah... Trixie doesn't know how much of that she was supposed to hear..."

Engineer sighed. "How long have you been there?"

"Since the balloon thing appeared," Trixie said, pawing the floor. "Big Mac had to go to out of town to secure some business for the farm, and I was bored, so before I went to my daily errands, I decided to go see what Pyro was doing and..." She shrugged.

Pyro smiled. "It's okay," she said. "I like you, so I know I can trust you to keep a secret," she said, motioning for Trixie to join them.

Trixie nodded, laying a little ways away from them. "It's not like I wouldn't have found out anyway. We're all obviously going to merge at some point, and I'll end up sharing memories with you..."

Pyro grimaced. "I really hope it's my memories you share and not Mariko's... Sometimes, when mommy couldn't get work, she'd sell Mariko out instead..."

Trixie and Engineer gave Pyro a horrified look.

Pyro shrugged. "She paid for it in the end," she said. "Mommies shouldn't hit their little girls." A cruel grin crossed her face. "Bad mommy..."

Trixie coughed. "ANYWAY," she said, "In what Trixie hopes is not too desperate an attempt to change the subject, Trixie did have a purpose in coming here to try and pester Pyro."

Pyro giggled, feeling a little better. "You can't pester someone who's always glad to see you," Pyro said, leaning over and nuzzling Trixie.

Trixie blushed a little. "Ah... yes," she said, coughing. "Trixie saw something on the way here that made her want to tell you something, Engineer. When Trixie saw you and Pyro together, she decided to kill two birds with one spell."

Engineer frowned. "What did y'want to tell me?"

Trixie smirked. "It seems that Gem Sentry has joined the Cutie Mark Crusaders."

Pyro tried and failed to stifle a giggle as Engineer groaned, his head drooping to the floor. He grabbed his goggles and slipped them on again. "Where are they?"

"Oh they're..." Trixie said, being deliberately coy, "'hanging around' downtown. Near Sugarcube Corner, I believe."

Engineer gave her a confused look. Trixie just snickered. "Some things are best shown, Engineer," she said.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Downtown...

Later...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Trixie did indeed show them, leaving for her own errands shortly after dropping them off.

"..." Engineer said, he, Spy, Scout, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash staring at the tableau before them. "...What," he managed after a moment.

Pyro was laying with her hooves over her muzzle, failing miserably in her attempts to stifle her hysterics.

"...To be fair, this isn't as bad as it looks," Scootaloo said, dangling from a high branch, sticky tree sap holding her in place.

"Yeah, we've been covered by tree sap much worse before!" Sweetie Belle said, pinned belly-down and sideways to the tree by sticky tree sap.

Apple Bloom nodded, hanging from Gem's dangling hoof by the sticky tree sap holding her there.

"...Before?" Scout said, unable to keep himself from snickers.

"This happens a little more often than y'might think..." Applejack admitted, a tired expression on her face.

Gem, who was stuck upside-down to the tree by the sticky tree sap, tooted her toy trumpet happily.

Pyro giggled. "I think it's really cute that she kept the toy horn Pinkie gave her," she said.

Gem tooted the horn in agreement.

"...Do you three have a condition where you just FORGET ze good advice your elders give you ten minutes after you get it?" Spy said, one eye twitching, his wings flick-flicking in irritation.

"Sometimes I wonder..." Sweetie Belle admitted.

"Honestly, this coulda gone worse," Rainbow Dash said after looking over the three Crusaders and their ersatz new recruit.

"Indeed," Rarity said, rubbing her temples. "Remember the last time?"

"I don't want to," Scootaloo muttered. "I got tree sap in places I don't think I'm supposed to be thinking about yet..."

"Ah..." Scout said, "Before we go into too much information territory, explain how this particular mess happened."

The three Crusaders looked at each other as best they were able, cringing. Gem just let out a beeping giggle.

"Someone had fun, at least," Pyro said.

Apple Bloom decided to start. "Well... We were workin' on what's been suggested our real talents were... ah'm makin' real progress on that apple-buckin' machine Engineer suggested, and Sweetie and Scoots were plannin' on doin' an act in a talent show Diamond Tiara's organizing t'thank Cheerilee for helpin' to... well, y'know."

The older ponies smiled, relaxing a little.

Sweetie Belle took up the story next. "And we saw Gem Sentry wandering around, and Apple Bloom remembered Engie, Gem, and Pyro talkin' about how Celestia and Luna agreed that she was real enough that she might even earn her own Cutie Mark!"

Engineer chuckled softly. The Princesses, after sensing Twilight becoming an alicorn again, had come to see her after the battle with Nightmare Gardener and Nightmare Brutality. They were surprised to see Gem, to say the least. To the robot's dismay, they said they couldn't crown her a princess, but they had confirmed that, because of the magic inherent in her creation, she was real enough of a pony that she could potentially develop her own Cutie Mark.

It had been an amusing encounter. Even if Celestia did seem out of sorts for most it... And there was that horrid cough Celestia had...

Sweetie Belle continued. "Well, we thought, 'we might be working on our own talents, but that don't mean we can't help another pony with their own talent!'"

"Doesn't mean, Sweetie dear," Rarity corrected gently. "'That doesn't mean we can't.'"

Sweetie Belle nodded. "Right, sorry."

"And lemme guess," Rainbow Dash said, chuckling and shaking her head. "You decided to try some of your old stunts to see if any of them took."

Scootaloo grinned weakly. "Pretty much," she said. "It became a blur after some point. Spaghetti noodles may or may not have been involved, and... well, here we are."

Pyro, Rainbow Dash, and Scout began laughing. Applejack and Rarity traded long-suffering looks, while Spy and Engineer both facehoofed.

"Does Gem have her Cutie Mark?" Apple Bloom said. "None of us are stuck at an angle where we can tell..."

Spy checked. "No, she doesn't," he said, somewhat grumpily.

"Shoot..." Scootaloo said. "I coulda sworn that we did SOMETHING that took..."

"That may have been a laser," Sweetie Belle said, squirming to try and get out of the sap holding her to the tree. "If I'm remembering correctly, we tried target practice at one point..."

Gem spoke, making cheerful-sounding electronic warbles. Rarity, Engineer, and Pyro smiled.

"What'd she say?" Sweetie Belle asked. "None of us can understand her."

Pyro grinned. "She said she really doesn't care that she didn't get her mark right away. She just had too much fun doing everything," she said. Gem tooted the toy horn happily.

The three fillies grinned. "Well, if nothin' else, we entertained a new friend," Apple Bloom said.

"That's gotta count for something, right?" Scootaloo asked, grinning weakly up at the snickering Rainbow Dash.

"Sure enough, sugarcubes," Applejack said, sighing and smirking. "Now c'mon, y'all. Let's get these here critters down before the sap hardens..."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Everfree Forest...

Twilight Castle...

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Princess Twilight Sparkle sat on her throne, a pair of stoic unicorn guards standing nearby, Spike sitting at the foot of the throne. Standing below the steps leading to the throne were two mares. One wrapped in a full body costume that seemed to draw the shadows in around it, a wide-brimmed hat and cloak obscuring her wings and horn, the other in a sleek blue bodysuit the color of the sky, a fiery, windblown red mane atop her head.

Twilight smiled warmly. "Mare-Do-Well, Spitfire, I appreciate your willingness to help. But you have your own cities to protect. Mare-Do-Well, you've done marvelously in helping the police clean up Manehattan," she said.

Mare-Do-Well nodded slowly, her mask not betraying any emotions. But the mare behind the mask was smiling widely. It felt so very good to help ponies, to save lives. Every time she saved someone from being killed, a little part of the guilt-ridden nightmares haunting her were eliminated. And that strange, dark alicorn she kept encountering in her dreams was also a comforting presence as well...

Twilight turned to Spitfire. "And your Wonderbolts have all of Cloudsdale to keep watch over," she said.

"For what little good we actually do," Spitfire muttered, frowning bitterly.

Twilight shook her head. "You do more good than you think you do, Spitfire," she said. "Don't let a comparatively small handful of failures take away from the things you have accomplished. Plus, your heroics inspire other ponies to excellence as well. Rainbow Dash, for instance, idolizes you and credits a lot of her own heroics to the inspiration you've given her."

Spitfire chuckled weakly. "Well... she has mentioned that a few times... I've never been really sure what to think of that..."

Twilight nodded. "I wouldn't lie about this," she said. "Never forget that you do help people, Wonderbolt. Never stop believing in yourself and the good you do."

Spitfire managed to smile. "I... thank you," she said, sighing. Flashes of memory came to her, small bits of good she had done. "I'd almost forgotten that."

Twilight nodded. "Is there anything else?" she asked politely.

"My lady," Mare-Do-Well said, "there is nothing of importance from me. All I really wanted from this meeting was a chance to offer my assistance in the recent attacks. I wish to repay Applejack, Apple Bloom, and the rest of you for your part in my redemption."

Twilight smiled. "Just continue doing good, Mare-Do-Well," she said, keeping to Mitta's costumed identity. She may think superhero comics were silly, but she would respect a hero's need for their mask.

Spitfire nodded. "I pretty much wanted the same thing," she said. "A lot of good has come out of this town, and we don't want to see it wiped off the map."

"We are taking measures to improve Ponyville's defenses," Twilight said, "as Ponyville seems to be a primary target due to the presence of the Elements of Harmony. Should the situation prove excessively dire, I will call for you, but for now I'd prefer that you stay to defend your own homes."

Both Spitfire and Mare-Do-Well bowed to her. "As you wish, your majesty," they said, turning to leave.

"Mare-Do-Well, wait a moment," Twilight said. The dark superheroine paused, turning towards her curiously. "Did... did you experience any recent surges in power? I know part of your strength comes from me..." Twilight asked.

Mare-Do-Well shook her head. "No, my lady. Whatever power I got from you, it is based on your form as a unicorn," she said.

Twilight nodded, sighing. "Okay, I just wanted to make sure," she said. "Thank you both once more."

Mare-Do-Well bowed, she and Spitfire filing out.

"Been a while since I've seen you, Mitta," Spitfire said once they were out of the castle.

"Mystery resolved," Mare-Do-Well said, her costume vanishing in a flash as she changed back to Mitta. "I've been busy. As have you, apparently. So much has changed. Values are different..."

"How so?" she said. "I mean, I know about the whole 'ancient zompony recently restored to life' thing 'cause we've been keeping in contact, but how different were things back then?"

Mitta chuckled, blushing. "For one thing, ponies are far more prone to displays of public affection," she said. "Such things were frowned on back in my time. Gray Hoof tried to make things more relaxed, but I think that was because he was trying to get us to forget about what was really going on..."

Spitfire frowned when she saw Mitta's face fall. She decided to press on in the hopes that she could get to a better topic. "Anything else different?" she asked.

Mitta hesitated, and said, "The number of ponies in same-gender relationships. At least in Sunnytown, there was a dogma against them, but to see so many being so casual..." She shook her head, blushing. "And to see such beautiful mares being affectionate with each other..."

Spitfire quirked an eyebrow, a slow smirk coming to her face. "You been thinking about love?" she asked.

Mitta shook her head. "No, I... I'm still adjusting to this time period. The heroics as Mare-Do-Well help, but I'm still getting used to the new customs," she said, blushing. "Although I admit the... openness... is somewhat exhilarating."

Spitfire shrugged. "Maybe you just need someone to help you adjust," she said, smirking.

Mitta frowned. "I wouldn't know who to ask," she said softly. "I'm making friends, but I still barely know anypony..."

Spitfire grinned. "Maybe someone should ask you, then," she said.

Mitta laughed weakly. "Right," she said. "Who'd ask out a weird little Earth pony with a shield on her butt?" She gestured to her Cutie Mark, shaking her head.

"Maybe me," Spitfire said. "Always wondered what the Manehattan night life was like. You doing anything this weekend?"

Mitta blushed, visibly shocked. But she was smiling.

Twilight, who had enhanced her hearing to listen in, just smiled, dispelling the enhancement as she stepped down off of her throne.

"My lady?" asked one of the guards.

Twilight shook her head. "Sorry, sorry. Just listening in to those two to make sure they were all right. It's been a while since I've seen them."

The guard nodded. "There are no others who wish to hold court with you today, Princess," he said.

"Thank you, Power Words," Twilight said to the unicorn. She smiled at him and his partner, a mare named Swift Saber. "And... thank you both for being willing to come back."

Swift Saber just smiled. "Thank YOU for being willing to come back," she said. "We missed you, my lady."

Twilight blushed. "Thank you..." she said softly. "Are the others coming as well?"

Power Words nodded. "So far it's just us, but the rest are coming. They just have to be moved out of their current assignments," he said. "It's a bit more work than it would be, since the unicorn guard has been without a proper captain for quite some time."

Spike hopped up on Twilight's back. "Geez. It's really been that hard to replace Shining Armor?" he said.

"Captain Shining Armor was a gem," Power Words said. "No surprise that he's the Prince of the Crystal Empire, if you can excuse the pun."

"Better than I probably could have come up with," Twilight said, giggling.

"That's for sure," Spike added, looking innocent when the two guards cast him an irritated look.

Twilight ignored it. "Anyway, you must have had SOMEONE leading you," she said.

"Barricade and Harbinger share duties nowadays. Blueblood volunteered at one point," Swift Saber said, looking moderately ill at the memory. "And... to be fair, we gave him a chance."

"After a week, the unicorn guard as a whole threatened to stage a coup if he wasn't reassigned immediately," Power Words said.

"Yeah, that's pretty much how I expected it to go," Spike muttered, Twilight giggling. Spike shook his head. "Seriously though, why doesn't somepony just stick him in an army unit as a private somewhere and tell the commanders they can get away with doing whatever they want to him? Maybe let someone like Soldier have him, or..." Spike continued, trailing off.

Spike and Twilight both froze, evil grins coming to their faces. Swift Saber and Power Words traded amused looks, getting the idea moments later.

"Spike?" Twilight asked.

"On it," he said, hopping down from Twilight's back and running off to find some parchment. "I'll meet you back in town."

Twilight giggled wickedly, and coughed, quickly composing herself. "Anyway," she said. "Let's get back into town. You should meet up with the BLUs."

"I'm surprised they haven't presented themselves in Canterlot yet," Power Words said. "They seem like decent enough ponies."

Twilight chuckled, shaking her head. "Some things just need to be seen," she said. "I'm sure meeting them will go fine, though."

Swift Saber couldn't help it. She had to say it. "Princess, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the last time you declare something would be 'fine' immediately get followed up by Lady Rarity trying to make fashionable storm cloud patterns?"

Twilight grumbled, conceding the point, making the two guards chuckle.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Elsewhere...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Captain Jack Harkness, generally called Orion by the populace, was bored.

Bored bored bored.

So bored that he was fairly certain at this point he could be chopped up into another wooden bench like the one he was laying on right now.

Not that he minded bored at times. Bored meant nothing was trying to kill him. Bored as an excuse to go flirt with some cute guy. Or girl.

Or both, if he was lucky.

But there was nopony else around, just the captain and his own thoughts. He lay on the park bench, sighing, debating taking a nap. It really was a lovely area.

Pretty flowers.

Relaxing breezes.

Lots of shade.

And even a lovely statue to add ambiance.

Orion blinked. "Wait, statue?"

He looked over at the statue in confusion. Since when did the park have a statue?

He blinked.

And the statue was gone.

Orion paled. Oh fuck me and not in the fun way, he thought, terror overtaking him. He flew off at top speed to find the Doctor.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Human world...

2Fort...

RED Quarters...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Merasmus gently stroked Archimedes, RED Medic fidgeting nervously as an eldritch blue energy was drawn out of the bird. After a few minutes, Merasmus handed Archimedes back to RED Medic, sighing, and opened the Bombinomicon.

"Vhy did you want to study Archimedes?" RED Medic said, stroking the nervously shaking dove.

Merasmus thumbed through the pages of the Bombinomicon, hmming softly.

RED Soldier snarled. "Answer the man," he snapped, he and the other mercenaries glaring at the wizard.

"BLU Archimedes, before his death and his soul's subsequent merging with his RED counterpart," Merasmus said, "he was just starting to touch the portal, a bit of the eldritch energies used in the portal infusing themselves to the bird's being. I'm cursing myself for not noticing it sooner, as I can only transport one of you to Equestria, and only for four days."

The REDs suddenly traded shocked looks. "You... You can send us there?" RED Scout said, grinning excitedly.

"Only one of you, and only for four days, after which you will be pulled back automatically," Merasmus said, sighing. "And... you're about to become very mad at me once again."

"Just say it, ye git," RED Demoman said, glaring at him.

Merasmus sighed. "Whomever I send cannot try to claim the other half of their soul. Something is binding the BLUs there, so if you do claim the other half of your soul, it will be left behind once you are pulled back."

RED Sniper swore. "Then what's the bloody point of going over there?" he snapped. RED Pyro twitched, as if listening to something.

Merasmus frowned. "Intelligence gathering. Letting the BLUs know what sort of threats we're facing here, and finding out what sort of threats they are facing there. If we can coordinate our efforts somehow, we may be able to put a stop to at least Gray, if not Slenderman. If nothing else, Gray working with Slenderman has given us a temporary reprieve. One that we can use to form strategies against them."

RED Heavy grumbled. "Stinky wizard said is bad to fight Slenderman," he rumbled.

"Maybe not fight, but at least drive off," Merasmus said. "And please stop calling me stinky."

"You do kinda smell, amigo," the Bombinomicon quipped.

"You keep out of this," Merasmus said, smacking the book.

RED Pyro hesitated, and said, "Mister Balloonicorn can update us. He's in contact with BLU Pyro, right?" She looked to the air beside her, as if for conformation, and nodded.

"Balloonicorn has stated that he is limited in what he can actually tell us through you. But he will make for an effective means of communication once we have something established," the wizard said. He studied a few more pages, and nodded.

"All right," Merasmus said. "I have the spell I need to send you there."

RED Demoman frowned. "From THAT book of magical spells?"

Merasmus sighed. "Look, do you idiots actually want an idea of what's going on or not?"

There was some annoyed grumbling, but they couldn't think of anything better. This was way out of their league...

Bombinomicon snorted. "All right, the idiots agreed to it," the book said. "Who we gonna send over?"

"I will go," RED Spy said, surprising everyone by stepping forward. RED Spy puffed his cigarette. "Why look so surprised? I am ze infiltrator, ze intelligence gatherer. I am ze most logical choice."

"Yeah, but we don't want you flirtin' with every pretty mare there instead of doin' your job," RED Scout teased, getting chuckles from the others save for RED Pyro, who had a spooked look on her face, and RED Engineer, who was giving RED Pyro a concerned look.

RED Spy scowled. "Oh for heaven's sake, Scout," he said. "I'm human, not a pony."

"No, but ye are known for horsin' around," RED Demoman said, cackling and trading high fives with a grinning RED Soldier.

RED Spy facepalmed. "It will be good to go if only to escape you idiots for a few days," he muttered.

Merasmus rubbed his temples. "How they haven't murdered each other in their sleep is beyond me," he said under his breath.

Bombinomicon snickered. "They's compadres, that's why. Of course, nobody likes you so you wouldn't know anything about friendship," the book teased, ignoring the glare Merasmus gave it.

RED Spy snorted, putting out his cigarette. "Shall we begin, zen? Or do you need us to change locations?"

Merasmus glared at the Bombinomicon a moment more and nodded. "The place where the BLUs were taken still holds a dimensional weakness to it. I will try to place you close to where the BLUs are," he said.

RED Spy nodded, taking a long puff of his cigarette. He let Merasmus lead him into the BLU base, and he chuckled softly.

"What is it?" Merasmus said without turning around.

"Nothing," RED Spy said. "It's been a while since I've just brazenly walked into ze BLU base like zis." He looked around as they went downstairs, the two of them feeling the eyes of the other REDs on them as they descended down to the hallway outside the intelligence room.

Merasmus paused at the spot where the BLU's vanished. RED Spy walked past him, into the intelligence room.

"Where are you going?" Merasmus asked.

"I wish to check something..." RED Spy said, walking into the intelligence room, where a briefcase lay unattended, collecting dust. He went over to it and picked it up.

"I've turned the automatic responses off," the Administrator said over the intercom.

"Hnh," RED Spy said. "Looks like Scout and I win ze bet. I was wondering where you had gotten off to. You've been suspiciously quiet lately."

"Oh believe me, Frenchman, if I had something to say to you fools, you'd be hearing it. I control the volume on these speakers," the Administrator teased.

"Where have you been, anyway?" RED Spy asked, glaring at the ceiling. "You usually insult us at least twice a day. Ever since Gray paused in the attacks..."

"I have been busy with other matters," the Administrator said. "None of which are your concern, infiltrator."

RED Spy snorted, and went out to Merasmus, who was setting up a circle of glowing spheres on the ground around the scar on the floor where the BLUs vanished.

He shivered, remembering how it happened...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The past...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

RED Spy and RED Scout both ran into the intelligence room at the same time. They both fired rounds at each other, checking to see if they were the BLU Spy, and smirked.

"I'll cover you," RED Spy said. "Grab ze case and go!"

"Got it!" RED Scout said, grabbing the briefcase.

"The enemy has our intelligence!" came the automated response from the Administrator. RED Scout snickered, and started to run out the room, RED Spy following behind, reaching for his invisibility watch.

BE-BEEP. *chrrr*

"SHIT!" RED Scout said, scrambling back as the level 3 Sentry finished setting itself up near the exit, firing at him as Engineer pulled out his Wrangler. He and RED Spy tried to go the other way, but the distinctive sound of an ubercharge activating along with Heavy's distinctive laughter coming down the stairs caused them to turn back. They ran into the intelligence room to try and plan a new means of attack.

They ran right into Pyro, who had come in through the other entrance.

Pyro laughed, spraying her flamethrower into the air, forcing the two RED's back out of the intelligence room, both of them knocked back by a stickybomb from Demoman, who had come down the stairs with Heavy and Medic, Soldier and Scout standing near Engineer as he set up a Dispenser, grinning viciously. RED Spy and RED Scout, jerked back and forth, aiming their guns at all the BLUs as they surrounded them, Pyro coming out of the hallway they were just in, Spy and Sniper emerging from the shadows of the other entrance to the intelligence room.

"Ze others..." RED Spy started.

"Are respawning," Soldier said, grinning viciously. "Those maggots died like the dogs they are, leaving you two idiots."

RED Scout huffed. "Man, those losers ain't good for anything," he said.

"Ah'd put down that briefcase if ah was you," Engineer said, aiming his Wrangler right at RED Scout's chest, Pyro poking RED Spy with her flamethrower. "Otherwise, you'd best start prayin, boy.'"

"We intend to win, monsieur," RED Spy, sneering. He almost casually pulled out a cigarette and lit it on the pilot flame of Pyro's flamethrower.

"Ye ain't gonna win this round, laddies," Demoman said as he and the other BLUs surrounded them.

RED Scout snorted. "Whattaya say, spook? We go down like men?"

RED Spy sneered. "I will go down like a man. You will go down like a chittering bunny rabbit," he said.

"Fuck you," RED Scout snarled.

"I'd prefer his mother," RED Spy quipped, pointing to Scout, Soldier chuckling despite himself.

"Asshole," Scout muttered, aiming his scattergun at RED Spy's face.

And then the darkness came.

"What in tarnation!?" Engineer said as the spiraling strands of darkness swirled around the BLUs. RED Spy and RED Scout backed up against each other, looking around frantically as the BLUs were engulfed by twisting strands of shadow.

"What the fuck's going on?!" RED Scout shouted, the sound almost lost in the magical din. A powerful wind ruffled their clothes, forcing RED Scout and RED Spy to their knees, frost forming on their guns as the room grew colder and colder. The BLUs could be vaguely seen inside the darkness, thrashing about fearfully as they tried futilely to escape.

The strands of darkness coalesced, forming into a rainbow of dark colors, exploding and engulfing the room in darkness. RED Scout cried out fearfully, RED Spy reflexively grabbing him and covering RED Scout with his body...

And then the darkness faded.

RED Scout and RED Spy looked around, shaking from the cold, frightened looks on their faces.

The BLUs were gone.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Now...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"It is ready," Merasmus intoned, gesturing grandly to the circle of spheres. "Step in the spheres."

RED Spy frowned, cautiously stepping into the circle. "So what happens now?" he asked.

"This," Merasmus said, snapping his fingers.

The spheres glowed, forming a pentagram beneath RED Spy. And then, to RED Spy's dismay, the spheres turned into bombs with short burning fuses.

"You miserable, stinky, festering SONUVA..." RED Spy started to say, glaring at Merasmus, who was already running away.

KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

The BLU base shook as the magical bombs detonated, literally blasting RED Spy into another dimension. Merasmus peeked into the room, seeing the portal glowing brightly. He cautiously walked over to the portal, poking it with his staff. It rippled, but didn't break, or pull him inside.

Merasmus nodded, satisfied. "He has been sent," he intoned. "Now, we just wait."

"You do realize, amigo, that the first thing he's gonna do when he gets back is punch you in the face," Bombinomicon said, floating nearby, an amused expression on its cover.

"Do hush," Merasmus said.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ponyville...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

RED Spy appeared in the town in a flash, thrown up into the air by the force of the magical explosion. He flailed about in midair, grabbing onto a branch of a nearby tree as he fell down, managing to arrest his fall.

Muttering curses in French, he slowly calmed himself down, and looked around at the scared, frightened-looking colorful ponies as they stared nervously at him. Some with wings were taking to the air, while some with horns were backing up, their horns glowing.

Save for two that were wearing golden armor.

"You there!" shouted the deeper voiced one, RED Spy guessing it to be a male. "Identify yourself!"

"Come down from that tree!" said the lighter voiced one, RED Spy guessing it to be female. "Keep your hands where we can see them!"

RED Spy looked beyond the two, seeing a startled-looking lavender mare with wings and a horn, wearing golden hoofshoes, a golden horse collar, and a tiara with a star-shaped gem in it, guessing she was royalty of some kind. He nodded, and dropped down, slowly lowering himself to his knees.

"It's all right," RED Spy said. "I mean you no harm."

"Identify yourself at once!" the male guard said.

"And keep back from Princess Twilight!" the female guard said.

"I am your ally," RED Spy said. "I am a member of a group called Reliable Excavations and Demolitions..."

"Called RED for short..." the aforementioned Princess said, a shocked look coming to her face.

RED Spy nodded, smiling. "Yes. I believe that you have been working with my counterpart and his associates in Builder's League United for some time now, correct?"

The princess nodded, coming forward despite her guards protests, motioning for him to stand.

RED Spy slowly stood up. "I am..." he started to say. But as he spoke, a sudden dizziness overcame him. He staggered, and began to collapse, spirals of darkness forming around him as he fell.

Twilight's wings flared fearfully, and she ran to his side, the guards staying with her the whole way. As RED Spy fell, he was transformed by the spirals of darkness. By the time he hit the ground, he had been completely transformed into a red colored pegasus in a red suitcoat and balaclava.

"Get the others," Twilight said to her guards. "Get Barricade. Get them all to the BLU base, and FAST."

The two guards nodded, rushing off into town.

Twilight looked down at the unconscious red pegasus, her horn flaring softly. "But that's impossible..." she said softly.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Later...

BLU Base...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

RED Spy groaned, slowly coming back to his senses. As he awoke, he found a blue unicorn mare with fiery red hair and a cute little bow in said hair standing over him, a demented grin on her face.

"Hey," the mare said.

RED Spy blinked, wincing as he slowly pulled himself upright. "Who..."

"Dunno how you got here," the mare said, giggling madly, "but I'm glad to see you. I've MISSED you, infiltrator. Hey, wanna play our favorite old game? Weenie Roast?"

A growing look of alarm came to RED Spy's face "...the BLU Pyro?"

The mad, grinning mare nodded. "You may not have known you were playing it, but we played it a lot! See, I set you on FIRE and you roast like the weenie you are!" she cackled, RED Spy shrieking in fright.

"ENOUGH Pyro!" shouted a voice. RED Spy looked around, noticing for the first time that he was surrounded by ponies, inside a building. Some he could guess were BLUs, but the others were an unusual group. Four pegasi, one with a rainbow colored mane and a rough look on her face, one with unusually crossed eyes and a worried expression on her face, one with a fiery mane and wearing a blue flight suit, and a fearful-looking canary-yellow one that seemed to be hiding behind her mane. The princess he saw earlier was there with her two unicorn guards, a titanic pegasus that looked similar to the canary-yellow one standing nearby. A figure cloaked in a full-body costume was there, her outfit hiding her species. An elegant looking unicorn was standing next to a unicorn in a wizard hat and cape. Next to the one he guessed was Spy was a zebra in a cloak. And finally, two ponies with no distinctive species features stood there looking at him with suspicion. One a rough-looking mare in a cowboy hat, the other a spastic-looking pink thing with poofy hair.

The Pyro pony flinched, turning towards the source of the voice. "But..."

A smaller unicorn in a hard hat and goggles came forward, the look too distinctive for RED Spy not to think it was Engineer. "We need him alive, Pyro. We need to find out what's going on," he said.

"...Can't I burn him just a little?" Pyro pleaded, looking surprisingly cute.

Engineer shook his head. "No, Pyro," he said.

Pyro turned to glare at RED Spy, who flinched. After a long moment, she said, "I'm gonna set him on fire." Her horn began glowing, RED Spy letting out a yelp of fright and starting to scramble backwards. His wings flared out in fright, and he found himself confused by the sensation, realizing for the first time that he was no longer human. Pyro just giggled madly, the aura around her horn getting brighter and brighter.

Engineer sighed. "Pinkie Pie, I need a rubber duck before I finish this-"

The pink pony with the poofy hair vanished and reappeared in an instant, holding a rubber duck in one hoof and smiling.

"-sentence. Thank you," Engineer said, his own horn glowing as he levitated the duck up and held it in front of Pyro's eyes. Pyro froze, her horn's aura vanishing. Engineer squeezed the duck with his magic, making it squeak.

"Ducky," Pyro giggled, a cheerful smile coming to her face as she took the duck out of the air and began to play with it, heading off to one side.

RED Spy looked down at himself, at his hooves and his tail. He felt his muzzle, frowning. "What... what happened to me?"

"You were changed, mon ami," said his own voice. He turned, seeing Spy behind him, glaring suspiciously. "You're now like me, a half-changeling pegasus."

RED Spy frowned, looking down at himself. "...How did zis happen?" he said softly. "Ze spell was just supposed to send me over here for four days..."

"What spell?" the princess asked, her guards standing sternly nearby.

RED Spy looked up at the gathered ponies and frowned. "Yes, I suppose I had best answer your questions first," he said. "Although I would like to know who I am talking to, if zat is all right..."

Princess Twilight looked to the largest pony in the room, who nodded slowly. The alicorn went around and introduced everyone RED Spy didn't know. RED Spy bowed.

"You know our names, now who might you be?" Zecora asked, visibly confused by the sudden presence of two Spies. "Your presence is a worrisome thing to me."

RED Spy sighed, and reached into his coat pocket reflexively, looking for his disguise kit. He needed a cigarette.

Spy snorted. "You don't have your disguise kit or any cigarettes," he said. "You can shapeshift now, you don't need it. You don't have sappers either, they couldn't translate into a power. So don't think you can sap Gem either."

RED Spy glanced over to the crystalline mare who was hiding behind Engineer nervously. Engineer scowled. "And if you tried, boy, ah'd break your damn neck."

"As I said," RED Spy said, "I am here as an ally."

"So you've said," said Rarity, RED Spy pleased that the unicorn sounded as refined as she looked. "The question asked though, is how did you get here?"

"And why are you here..." Mare-Do-Well said, her glare evident even from beneath her mask.

RED Spy sighed, and fumbled a little with his mask. Nopony offered to help him as he slowly worked his mask off. He finally managed to get it off, and said, "I was sent here by Merasmus. The spell will last four days, and zen pull me back home automatically."

Soldier sneered. "Shoulda guessed that smelly old weirdo was involved..."

RED Spy glared at the ground. "Yes... The spell he used to transport me over here came out of the Bombinomicon," he said.

Demoman blinked. "A spellbook that's focused entirely on explosions has a spell te send ye to another world?"

"Well, he did first appear out of an explosion," Swift Saber said. Demoman snickered.

RED Spy frowned. "At the moment, I believe we have a mutual problem," he said. "Are you familiar with ze creations of one Gray Mann?"

The silence and the worried expressions that came over everypony's face told him everything he needed to know.

"I see..." he said softly.

"A robot called Captain Punch came," Barricade said, briefly describing the encounter. "It nearly destroyed the town."

"Interesting..." RED Spy said. "When we faced ze good Captain, he showed no signs of ze spider head trick... It may have been an upgrade, or zat ze number of headshots Sniper and I were scoring on it disabled zat ability..."

"Tell us everything," Barricade said. RED Spy nodded, and explained everything he knew of the situation, from Gray Mann's murder of his brothers and constant attacks on Mann Co. facilities to his new alliance with Slenderman.

Worried murmurings began to fill the room as the BLUs and Elements began talking with each other. RED Spy watched them all, taking stock of them. The BLUs, Barricade, and the Princess's guards seemed to be most at ease, the Elements, whom RED Spy guessed were civilians unused to war, looking nervous. Gem seemed to cling to Engineer's side, visibly scared of RED Spy.

RED Spy frowned, guessing that the robot had experienced a sapper before, probably from one of Gray's robots, and it was an unpleasant experience for her. He doubted he'd be able to earn the crystalline mechanism's trust before he was pulled back.

He shook his head, sighing. This may be a little harder than he originally anticipated.

After a few minutes, Twilight spoke up again. "Why do you have the same soul as Spy?"

The others stared at her in confusion. RED Spy smirked, closing his eyes. "I was wondering when it would come to zat..."

"What are you talking about?" Spy asked, frowning.

"He has the same soul as you," Twilight insisted. "To my magic, it feels like he's in two places at once."

The other native Equestrian unicorns frowned, their horns flaring briefly, shocked looks coming to their faces.

"This... this can't be right..." Rarity said.

"It's a trick," Power Words said. "Has to be."

"Trixie is the mistress of tricks," Trixie said. "No illusion is this good..."

"Vhat are you saying? Vhat is going on?" Medic demanded.

RED Spy sighed. "Gentlemen... I know why we are exactly alike. Why we talk, move, think, and act alike. Why we have ze same history..." He took a deep breath to steady himself, and explained, telling about the Mann brothers plan, about the stolen spell the Administrator cast that split their souls and turned them from nine to eighteen.

The BLUs stared at him in shock, stunned speechless by the revelation.

"But... but that makes no sense," Pinkie Pie said. "By MY standards that makes no sense! Why not just clone them?"

RED Spy puffed. "The Mann brothers had us fighting over gravel pits which they insisted were valuable sources of fuel."

Pinkie Pie nodded. "Well sure, if you process it right, you can get good gems out of gravel and..." she trailed off, noticing everypony staring at her save for the BLUs, who were all staring at empty space, still trying to process this new information.

"What?" she said, shrugging. "My family are rock farmers. I may not have been any good at actually DOING the rock farming, but I remember all I learned while I was there."

The others just stared at her for a moment before turning back to RED Spy. "...At any rate, ze point I am making is zat ze Mann brothers are to practicality what fire is to being cold. And if zat didn't sell you on it, I managed to cajole ze Administrator into telling me how zey planned to produce an heir."

Twilight suddenly grimaced. "...I am really hoping a surrogate mother is involved in this," she said.

"Somewhat," RED Spy said, smirking. "They just hadn't decided which of zem would be ze mother."

THAT snapped the BLUs out of their shocked state, save for Spy, who simply focused his gaze on his RED counterpart intensely.

"Wait, are you tellin' me those wrinkly old fucks were gonna... EEEEWWWW!" Scout said, gagging as realization came over him.

"Hearing about things like this make you appreciate your own employers," Barricade said softly, looming in the corner of the room.

RED Spy nodded at the looks of disgust that crossed the faces of the various equines in the room. "Yes, we..." RED Spy's next words were cut off as Spy suddenly grabbed him in a headlock, whipping out his knife and holding it to RED Spy's throat. The others moved to stop him, but the BLUs motioned for them to stay back, watching the confrontation intently.

"What are you doing?!" RED Spy demanded, struggling clumsily with his hooves to try and keep the knife away from his throat.

"Reclaiming the rest of my soul," Spy said, his voice cold as ice. "I will kill you and reclaim what is mine, and have all ze knowledge you had in ze process."

RED Spy scowled. He should have expected this, and cursed himself for not seeing it coming. "It will do neither of us any good to make a kill. Merasmus sensed a powerful magic binding you here, and my half of our soul will be pulled back home in four days!"

Spy frowned. "...Why should I believe you?"

RED Spy glared at him. "Because I would have tried to kill you already if I thought I would benefit from it," he said simply.

"Enough," Twilight thundered in her Royal Canterlot voice, startling both Spies into letting each other go. "Nopony's killing the other. We're all allies in this, although you haven't fully explained why you're here."

RED Spy nodded. "Yes... Yes, my apologies. We seek to coordinate our efforts against Slenderman and Gray on our side with your efforts against Slenderman's incarnation and allies in zis world."

"It's called Slendermane here," Barricade said, looking thoughtful. "And it would be useful to have some help... Especially after that robot was sent through."

RED Spy nodded. "Zere's more zan just ze good Captain. Gray's basic troops consist of robotic versions of ze nine of us, all wielding ze equipment we started out at ze beginning of ze war games. Zere are variants equipped with other weapons, usually with a hat or a decoration of some kind to make zem distinctive, and giant versions with special abilities." He sighed. "We've lost several facilities simply because we couldn't catch a giant Scout robot before it broke through..."

"The giant Scouts are the fastest?" Engineer asked, a thoughtful look on his face.

RED Spy nodded.

Rainbow Dash smirked. "Not faster than me, I'll bet," she said. Gem made a quick series of beeps, a confident look on her face. Everypony guessed she was proclaiming she could stop anything.

"Captain Punch was test," Heavy said suddenly. "Tiny robot maker plans on sending over entire wave of robots."

The ponies traded nervous looks.

"And of course the defense supplies aren't here," Barricade muttered. "All right. We need to keep watch for the robots. Flutters, can you get the animals in Everfree to watch out for the robots and have them warn us if they show up?"

"I can try," Fluttershy said softly.

Barricade nodded. "Spitfire," she said. "Can I count on you to have the Wonderbolts on call if need be?"

"Yes Captain," the flight-suited pegasus said, saluting.

"Good. Head back to Cloudsdale immediately after this and get them ready. I'll send someone in case you're needed," Barricade said, turning to the masked and cloaked pony. "Mare-Do-Well, we may need you to hang around for a bit. If they don't come by midnight, head back to Manehatten. Sound good?"

The mysterious pony nodded, watching Spitfire as she quickly flew out a nearby window.

"All right," Barricade said. "Your highness, we need to do some planning."

Twilight nodded. "Of course," she said.

"Everypony else, head back to your homes. But be ready. Spy, you're responsible for your crimson lookalike," the titanic pegasus said, heading off with Twilight and her two guards.

Spy nodded, the others slowly filing off, casting worried looks in RED Spy's direction. Soon, only Spy and Zecora remained.

RED Spy sighed. "So now what?" he said. "I'm not used to being out in ze open like zis..."

Spy snorted, and gestured to his balaclava. "Pick it up," he said. "If you're stuck here for a few days, you might as well learn something."

RED Spy looked down at his balaclava, and then at his hooves, frowning. He pawed at the balaclava with a hoof, scowling in frustration.

Zecora chuckled softly despite herself. Taking pity on the RED Spy, she showed him how to pick up the mask with his hoof, putting it in his pocket. RED Spy sighed.

"Thank you..." he said. "Zis is going to take some getting used to."

"Though you may be here for a short time, we'll make sure that everything's fine," Zecora said, smiling.

RED Spy quirked an eyebrow, smiling. "Hnh. Lovely voice," he said.

Spy grinned back at him. "Oh, I agree," he said.

Zecora blushed. She stepped back as the two Spies walked up to each other. Spy sighed. "I suppose we should feed you, at least. And explain a few things about zis world..."

RED Spy nodded. "I would appreciate zat," he said. Spy looked to Zecora, and suggested "Haute Cuisine's?" When the zebra nodded, Spy motioned for RED Spy to follow as they left the base.

RED Spy grinned. "Interesting name. A fine dining restaurant, I presume?" he asked.

"Oh yes indeed, their food is grand. I especially enjoy their carrot flan!" Zecora said, licking her lips.

RED Spy blinked.

Spy snickered. "I hope you're prepared for a vegetarian diet while you're here, my crimson copycat," he said.

RED Spy groaned softly. He started to say something else, when a voice spoke in his head.

Spy? Why are there two of you now?

Spy flinched. "My queen, it is a long story," he said. "Zis is ze RED Spy, my copycat from another world. Part of my soul is in him."

"What... what is zis?" the RED Spy said, looking around frantically. "Who are you?"

Spy hushed him, Zecora watching them both with concern.

Interesting. You have not explained his place to him yet?

"No, my lady," he said. "I was going to over dinner."

Interesting indeed... I will be there shortly, in disguise. I wish to meet this second you...

"As you wish, your majesty," Spy said, bowing, ignoring the odd looks from onlookers.

RED Spy scowled. "What ze fuck was zat?"

"I said we were half-changeling pegasi," Spy said softly. "Zat voice in your head was ze Queen of all changelings, Queen Chrysalis. She has... a bit of a temper, so I'd be very polite to her."

RED Spy frowned. Complication after complication...

Zecora smiled, the expression a warm, friendly one that made RED Spy more relaxed just from looking at it. "Do not fear, do not hold fright. Hold onto yourself, and it will be all right. For now relax, and enjoy the day! Don't let tomorrow's gloom take it away," she said.

To live for today... to truly live, and not worry about tomorrow... RED Spy felt stirrings in his heart, stirrings he hadn't felt since breaking up with Scout's mother...

Spy just smiled knowingly, and nudged him. "I saw her first," he said.

"We are ze same person technically, are we not?" RED Spy said, smirking. "I'd say we saw her at ze same time."

"Ah, but we are two at ze moment, it is somewhat awkward for two men to romance ze same woman," Spy said reasonably.

"Perhaps. But zere are ways to have fun for two males and one female," RED Spy said, a little surprised at himself that he was even considering it.

Zecora blushed brightly as the implications came to her. Bad brain! Bad! There's a serious situation going on, you don't need to be fantasizing about two handsome stallions at once treating you like the naughty filly you are oh Samedi oh Maman help me the idea is appealing... Zecora thought, her mind betraying her.

"A threesome?" Spy said, smirking. "Interesting thought. Interesting too, zat you would be so willing to consider it in ze short time we've been here."

"You know me, brother," RED Spy said, grinning wickedly. "We have ze same taste in women. And we're usually more zan willing to try anything once."

Zecora blushed even brighter, making a very Fluttershy-esque squeaking sound.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Elsewhere...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Protecting the farms and the grocery stores will be the biggest priority..." Engineer said, thinking aloud as he and Pyro walked along. Gem had walked with them for a while, but she had noticed a cat wondering around and began following it. "Probably should have the foals put in one place should an attack come..."

"Engie..." Pyro said softly, staring at the ground.

"We're gonna have to rely heavily on Cheerilee's plant and earth powers for defense walls until the supplies arrive..." Engineer said. "Ah wish more of Twilight's guards were here, we need all the fighters we can get..."

"Engie, please," Pyro said, looking at Engineer.

Engineer blinked. "What is it, darlin'?" he asked.

"Doesn't... doesn't it bother you at all? That we have only half a soul?" she asked.

Engineer sighed. "Of course it does," he said. "But it don't do no good to just sit around and mope about it! Y'gotta focus on the now, and the now is that we have to worry about Gray Mann."

"Easy for you to say," Pyro said, shivering. "You don't have my problems. Is it just me that's divided? Or is Mariko divided too? She's way deep inside Pyroland, Engie! I don't know if the soul split would reach her!"

Engineer frowned. He hadn't considered that. But still, he couldn't let her worry. He hugged her tightly, and smiled. "If it did reach her, then nothin's really changed," he said. "Because both halves of Mariko have a fiery guardian to protect her. And if she wasn't divided? Then she's extra safe, 'cause she has two you to protect her."

Pyro sniffled a little, and slowly grinned, nuzzling Engineer. He smiled. "Don't you worry none, Pyro. Ah'll make sure that you, Gem, and..." he said, pausing when he turned to look at Gem. The crystalline robot had wandered off. Engineer groaned softly. "Stay here, ah'll be back." He ran off to look for Gem.

Pyro sighed, and sat down. The street they were on was empty, but it was still lovely. The leaves, all sorts of red, orange, and yellow shades, rustled softly in the breeze. Pyro smiled, imagining raking up all the leaves once they had fallen and making a nice bonfire out of them.

Whistling softly, she continued to look around. It was then that she spotted the statue, standing alone amidst the trees.

"Huh?" Pyro said, standing up to get a better look. The statue was of an alicorn with its hooves held over its eyes. Pyro frowned. "What's that thing doing there?"

She blinked.

The statue was now looking at her, a curious expression on its face.

"What the?!" Pyro exclaimed, startled.

She blinked.

The statue was now halfway towards her, staring at her intently.

Fear started to grip Pyro's heart with icy fingers, her fiery magical aura flaring to life around her horn. "What... what is this?!"

She blinked.

The statue was now right in front of her, a cruel smile on its face. Pyro let out a shriek of fright, her panicked mind making the connection that the creature was moving when she blinked. And somehow, she got a sense that this statue monster was taking its time, that it was enjoying this.

"Do. Not. Blink," the Doctor said from behind her, startling Pyro. She didn't turn around, too afraid to look away from the statue.

"Do not blink," the Doctor repeated. "Keep your eyes on the statue at all times, but do not look at its eyes. It can get into your head as it does."

"W-What?!" Pyro said, glancing at its eyes quickly and then moving them back down.

The Doctor turned his gaze up to the statue. "As for you," he said, scowling, "I don't know how you got out of Tartarus, but you're going right back!" He turned to Pyro again. "Stay here, keep this thing here. I need to get Twilight, she's the only one who's had experience with Tartarus other than me. Don't blink. You're dead if you blink," he said, running off, leaving the terrified Pyro standing there, tears flowing down her face.

"Doctor!? Doctor, don't leave me here!" she cried, feeling her eyes start to close. She sobbed, whimpering as she stared at the statue "Please..." she begged softly. "Somebody..."

"Pyro?!" shouted Engineer.

Pyro blinked.

And the statue was gone.

Pyro looked around frantically as Engineer and Gem ran up to her. "Pyro... Pyro, what's wrong?" Engineer asked.

"The statue... where did the statue go?" Pyro said, her head whipping about fearfully.

"Pyro, what statue?" Engineer said.

Pyro, Gem, and Engineer blinked.

And then Engineer vanished.

And then the Weeping Angel began to scream.

Ribbons of darkness emerged from the spot Engineer disappeared from, lashing in and out of the statue's body. The stone warped into agonizing positions, a howl of agony coming from the creature as the Rainbow of Darkness destroyed it.

In Carousel Boutique, Rarity suddenly collapsed, a coldness and fear suddenly overtaking her body.

In the human world, RED Engineer let out a scream, his body fading in and out of view, to the horror of his gathered comrades.

And at the spot Engineer had disappeared from, the Doctor, Twilight, and Barricade ran up just in time to see the death throes of the Weeping Angel as it was destroyed, consumed by the darkness.

"SleeeenndddDDDeeeRRRmAAaanne eeeEE! YoooouuUuu LiIiiieEEddd ttoooOOO meeee!" the Weeping Angel screamed out in a horrifying voice as it was consumed completely by the Rainbow of Darkness, which faded quickly.

"What... no... NO!" Pyro said, staring at the spot Engineer vanished from, scrabbling at the ground frantically. "Engie! ENGIE!"

Gem paced about, confused and terrified. No tears flowed from her eyes, as she wasn't equipped for that, but she was visibly crying, pitiful sounding beeps coming from her as she cried out for her father in her electronic non-voice.

"What happened?!" Twilight shouted. "What was that!?"

"It's dead..." the Doctor said softly. "I didn't think that Weeping Angels could be killed..."

"FOCUS!" Barricade roared, affixing her Glare on the Doctor. "Where's Engineer?!"

"I..." the Doctor yelped, cowering under Barricade's baleful gaze. "The Weeping Angel... it took him. It kills by sending someone back in time and letting them live to death, feeding on the years they would have had. Because Engineer was an Element of Harmony, I guess the Rainbow of Darkness fought back, though..."

"Time..." Twilight said. "Well, that's great! My power's been greatly increased as an alicorn, I should have a greater range on a time travel spell!"

Pyro and Gem traded hopeful looks. "You... You can get Engineer back?" Pyro said.

Twilight nodded. "We just need to know how far back he went," she said.

The Doctor nodded and quickly scanned the area Engineer vanished from with his sonic screwdriver. He held it up, looking at the results... and paled.

"He's..." the Doctor stammered, gulping. "H-He's been sent to a planet twenty light years away... and two thousand years into the past..."

Pyro and Gem turned expectantly to Twilight, their faces falling when they saw the horror on her face.

"Two thousand... and so far away..." Twilight said softly. "Not even Celestia and Luna together are powerful enough to go back that far..."

Gem staggered, falling to her knees as she began to sob again.

Pyro's scream of despair and rage could be heard all across Ponyville.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Gray Industries...

Human world...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Well, that explains why it just needed the one Weeping Angel," Gray said, chuckling. He straightened his tie and looked at his portal device. The Australium was almost worn out, so he only had enough charge left to send one wave of robots over.

"One wave is all I'll need, though," he said, chuckling. "Especially now that Slenderman's given me such a wonderful commander for them."

He sat down in his plush office chair, grinning wickedly. "Oh, I wonder how those mercenaries will react when they see that their beloved Engineer has become Nightmare Clockwork..."

TO BE CONTINUED IN PONY VS. MACHINE PART 2: ONE BY ONE WE BITE THE DUST