Reunion

Back at the group with NightHawk, everyone looked at her core in surprise when she announced the World they were in. Applejack was the first one to speak up after the long silence. “You sure about that?” she asked, uncertain.

“Couldn’t be more sure now.” NightHawk replied, following the road while her screen showed the directions the GPS was providing. “This World is from where me and Mike come from.”

“And how do you know that?” Sam asked, observing the screen.

“Because of the connection.” NightHawk explained. “When I enter a World where technology is involved, I automatically search for a satellite connection to gather info of that World. And when I start, I always go with the standard hacking of my World.”

“Then your standard hacking worked in this one?” Tucker asked, everypony already lost in the explanation.

“No, and that’s the reason.” NightHawk replied. “My connection was instantly established when Mike initiated the GPS call from his side through my keys. I don’t need to hack any satellite, since it’s already accepting my standard access code for the GPS. Otherwise, I wouldn’t receive the call unless I was at least a thousand miles of distance.”

All eyes went towards the traveling distance to the destination on her screen. It announced more than five thousand miles.

“Mike’s technically at the other side of the World!” Wanda spoke, already back to normal. Cosmo was busy searching for things inside Pinkies’ mane, as Poof was being cuddled by Fluttershy, keeping her distracted.

Rarity, through the previous events her styled mane got so disgruntled, that she asked NightHawk if she could slow down a little to get it in place. NightHawk bluntly refused, and told her to tie it in a bun. After whining and complaining about the manestyle being out of season, NightHawk gave her the perfect answer.

“Either that, or asking Gabriel to cut your mane and tail. I’m not stopping. Your choice.”

She decided to tie it like Applejack.

“It will take days until we get to where he is!” she commented.

“And considering your state, I doubt you could endure such a long trip.” Ferb added, looking towards the rear.

The trunk of the car was bent inwards because of the ramming the GTO gave her. The rear suspension was greatly damaged, which made NightHawks’ rear graze the ground and leaving a trail of sparks. After everyone cringing at the noise, Cosmo and Wanda decided to give a magical lift on her rear, just enough to keep it on a steady level in order to not damage any further while NightHawk drove, carrying everyone inside. Or almost everyone.

Gabriel, the blonde that was sleeping at the trunk until NightHawk woke him up, after a brief introduction to everyone, decided to fly off to look for his Brother. With that said, a pair of glowing blue wings flared on his back and he took off. However, NightHawks’ warning about him being with Mike and the threat of what he would do to him if he ever left that group unprotected seemed to keep him close, although not very happy. So he flew on a low altitude above everyone, shooting quick glances at some girls from the group of ponies, mumbling and grumbling silently.

“Can’t argue with what you said.” NightHawk answered Ferb, as her scans gave her the entire damage report from the last fight. That EMP charge towards her gave quite a critical damage on the internal systems, but the worst of all was that almost everything was at near 90% damage, if not for a few systems that had already passed.

“So, what’s next?” Applejack asked. “Ah mean, where should we go to fix ya?”

“Considering my-” a loud bang was heard, making everyone jolt and look around bewildered.

“What was that?”

“Are we under attack?”

“From where?”

“Who’s the enemy this time?”

“Oh dear.”

“Everyone, calm down!” NightHawk called, before the situation got even more out of control. “We’re not under attack.”

“But that-” Tucker started.

“That, Tucker, was my exhaust pipe blowing up.” NightHawk interrupted in a growl. “That missile that hit me from below managed to damage my rear suspension, and must have had enough impact strength to go through the plating.” A few glances behind from Ferb, Sam and Tucker proved she was right when black smoke started rising from under the trunk. NightHawk continued. “As I was saying, considering my current state, we can’t get to our destination by normal means. And there’s not an auto shop that can repair me, considering I underwent a lot of modifications and upgrades.”

“Seriously?” Tucker asked. “C’mon NightHawk, can’t me and Ferb fix you? I’m a techno-geek and it seems that Ferb is a genius on machines!” Tucker leaned besides Rarity to look at NightHawks’ Heart Core.

“Although you two are really good with technology” NightHawk started “my blueprints are at Mikes’ house, and only Mike knows them by head. You would have to disassemble me entirely in order to fix me. And I don’t think it would be very advisable to do it here or anywhere else in a two thousand miles radius near Smith.”

Another bang was heard, making everyone flinch and look around. “I just got a flat.” NightHawk announced. “Auto-repair will fix it. At least it still works on the tires.”

The group of ponies looked at the front left wheel, just in time to see it inflate back to normal.

“Is it permanent?” Ferb asked.

Another bang was heard, this time from the front right wheel.

“Temporary solution.” NightHawk replied, as the auto-repair fixed the other wheel. “I’ve got sixty-two miles to change them, or I’ll be running on flat tires.”

“A good time to change rides.” Gabriel commented, looking at NightHawk from above. Several glares were directed to him. “What? Considering the state she’s in, it would be for the best to get another car!”

“Does another car have the same weaponry or technology as NightHawk?” Tucker asked, annoyed.

“If that bugger managed to fit so many things inside that car, what’s the difference of bringing a different car to him? He can just install everything again.” Gabriel countered.

“Excuse me?!” Rarity spoke up. “Are those any manners of treating NightHawk?”

“She managed to keep our hides safe while you were sleeping in the trunk!” Applejack yelled.

“If she knew my wake up phrase, she should have said it sooner.” Gabriel countered. “I would have dealt with that car the moment it appeared.” Some of them changed looks, but couldn’t deny he was right. “And why should I treat her any better? She might be intelligent, but she’s just a car! I’m way more advanced than her.”

Everyone was about to scold him about that last statement, when NightHawk cut in. “Gabriel, would you like that your pets decided to get another Guardian Angel if you put yourself all battered up in front of them?”

The sudden landing on top of the engine made the front suspensions of the car screech in protest. Gabriel slid a blade from his right hand and pointed it towards the engine. “What do you know about my pets?” He growled towards the Heart Core, everyone trying to look as small as possible at his expression.

“Do you really think I don’t keep an eye on what Mike sees?” NightHawk replied with a calm voice.

“He’s been spying on me?!”

“This is not the time or place for this kind of talk.” NightHawk evaded.

“Answer me!” Gabriel hissed, the tip of his blade starting to dent the top of the engine from the pressure. NightHawk noticed the damage on the engine go up in her report.

“What good is the morning if night never comes?” NightHawk asked casually, before hitting the brakes.

Everyone yelped at the sudden break, throwing Gabriel off her engine and rolling a few feet away.

“Next time, please warn me before doing that again.” Rarity complained.

“What in tarnation was that for?” Applejack asked, rubbing her muzzle to clear the pain from hitting the drivers’ seat.

“Sorry, had to teach him the hard way.” NightHawk replied, making her gatling guns come out.

“Is he okay?” Fluttershy asked, noticing that the blonde wasn’t moving.

“Just asleep.”

“Asleep?” Sam echoed, incredulous. “You just asked some strange question before braking and throwing him off your front!”

“I have to agree with Sam here.” Wanda added. “That landing surely hurt him.”

“Don’t worry, he’s sturdier than he looks.” NightHawk assured, keeping a safe distance towards the blonde. “Why does the dawn matter to sunset?” she asked.

“Because if it doesn’t come, I’m going to be bloody cross.” Gabriel griped, before jerking and getting up in a flash. He stared at the car in shock. “How do you know that?” he asked.

“Do you really think Mike doesn’t know how to put you and Caleb to sleep?” The group looked at each other in confusion about what those two were talking about.

Gabriels’ eyes widened. “So that bugger knows it too?!”

“And he never used it.”

“And it’s better if he doesn’t dare using it.” NightHawk shot a bullet, hitting Gabriels’ shoulder. The bullet however, bounced on his clothes, leaving him staring at the car. “Do you really want to get destroyed?” he asked as his left blade came into view.

NightHawk sighed harshly. “Gabriel, I’m going to be blunt for your own sake.” She retracted the gatling guns. “I admit that in my current state, facing you is suicide. However, if I wanted to ditch you and leave you on enemy hands, I would’ve already done it.” The blonde raised an eyebrow.

“I know your shutdown phrase, Gabriel.” NightHawk continued. “And I could have shot you while you were asleep. But” she advanced towards the blonde, stopping right in front of him “I won’t do it. And it’s because of Mike.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mike put his faith in Caleb and trusts you. Although you won’t admit it, he’s been helping you from behind the shadows. Although you won’t consider him a friend of yours, Mike considers you his.”

Gabriel stared at the car, as if something awful and unbelievable has been said to him.

“Considering the times Mike visited your World, and the times he helped you, not for his benefit, but for yours, you owe him more than you think.”

That sentence made Gabriel stare at the car in shock. “What?! I owe him?????!!!!!!! What the bloody hell?! I don’t own him nothing! He never did anything for me, how can I owe that bloody wanderin’ bugger anything?!!!”

“Take into consideration the times he visited you for a talk, the times he sparred with you for training, the challenge he issued you to one of your pets with the result of it and the gift he gave to another to support you.” NightHawks’ voice was calm. Too calm, even for the situation they were in. “Now tell me: aren’t those more than enough reasons for you to trust him at least a little?”

Gabriel was speechless. His hands gripped his blades as the A.I. gave him those truths. Everyone looked at him, worried that he might swing both blades at the engine and leaving them all stranded, waiting for a reaction.

“Gaaah! I hate being in debt!” he finally let out, stomping his foot. He glared at the car, pointing one of his blades. “And he’ll never have my trust! Why does he trust me?!”

“Because he recognizes your abilities and respects you. That’s why he’s never going to use your shutdown phrase.” NightHawk concluded.

“For someone that respects me, he has a nice way of showing it.” Gabriel deadpanned.

“Why do you think he created the G-Games?” NightHawk countered, amusement in her voice. “Now I believe you’re travelling with us in order to get reunited with your brother Caleb. And as I said before, he might be with Mike. The sooner we gather, the sooner you’ll be together. Can you help me out?”

“After all this, you still ask for my help?” Gabriel huffed. “You seem to be doing a good job, so why should I help you?”

Everyone just stared at him in disbelief. NightHawk had the urge to facepalm, if she ever had hands.

“Ugh… I’m greatly damaged and it’s a miracle that my engine still works and I can move. And my Time-Drive isn’t working so I can’t use its abilities, so I need yours.” NightHawk replied. “And if that isn’t reason enough, consider it as a way to pay your debts.”

Gabriel cursed, as his blade disappeared. “I’ve decided that I don’t like you.” He announced towards the Heart Core.

“Considering your behavior, the feeling’s mutual.” NightHawk retorted. “But we have similar objectives, so let’s work together for now.”

Gabriel stared, unamused. “Fine. But I’m not helping you getting to wherever your ‘owner’ is; you’re helping me to get where my brother is.” He looks at everyone inside the car. “We’re just going the same way, so I have no choice.”

Before anyone could protest, a message appeared on the screen.

‘LEAVE HIM BE. THAT’S HOW HE IS.’

“So what do you want?” Gabriel asked.

“Check my screen.” NightHawk replied. Gabriel went towards the drivers’ seat, looking at NightHawks’ center screen above her Heart Core. Her screen that was revealing the GPS directions at the time opened a small window to reveal some coordinates on latitude, longitude and altitude. “Can you teleport everyone here, me included, to the coordinates I’m showing you?”

***

Near one of the exits of Las Vegas, Smith walked slowly. As he walked, the debris from fallen buildings or destroyed vehicles that stood on his way were suddenly swept aside by a strong wind, as a small road of ice formed from where his feet stepped, slowly melting away after he passed.

Keeping his pace, he reached his destination: the road which NightHawk and the group escaped. However, he wasn’t interested in following the group. His eyes were set on the wreckage of a single car: a 1969 GTO.

The car however, was unrecognizable. Every metal on the body had rusted to the point of corroding every single part. Adding it to the sudden fire blast it received, the interior had burned completely, leaving no single trace of leather, plastic or rubber. The windshields had melted with the extreme heat and the doors were gone, either lost somewhere in the debris or reduced to nothing more than a pile of rust.

But between all the corrosion, Smith noticed a small glint. Using the wind to blow away the fallen pieces of the car, he found what he was looking for: a small round disk with a glass dome in the middle, glowing faintly. A Heart Core.

A small thorn vine sprouted from the ground, getting a hold of it and growing towards the armored man to give it to him. Smith took the Heart Core with his left hand, and put it on a small speaker he was carrying on his right. As soon the Heart Core connected, the speaker came to life.

“I swear if I ever get my locking system on that–” Judges’ voice was heard, before Smith interrupted.

“So she managed to escape.” Smith spoke up.

Judge went quiet at the voice.

“What do you have to say in your defense, Judge?”

“Your information was right in her being crafty.” Judge replied, keeping his voice neutral. “She had an ally capable of fighting, sir. They managed to catch me off-guard and–”

“And?” Smith interrupted coldly. “That’s your excuse? Didn’t I allow you to go all-out against her? Didn’t I order you to destroy her?”

“Sir, I–”

“And yet, you played with her until the last moment, allowing her to call out a little backup, ending with your body being reduced to a pile of rusty scrap metal.”

“My machine guns were cut down by her backup, sir.” Judge informed. “And he seemed capable of jamming seeking missiles.”

Smith raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Whoever that person was, there’s a high probability of him not being human. There is a high chance of being more like him on your enemy’s side.”

Smith smirked. “Now that’s an interesting piece of information.”

“Sir, please allow me another body to resume my pursuit. I will not fail you this time.”

Smiths’ smirk disappeared, as he stared at the Heart Core. “You’ve already failed once. This was your second opportunity and you’ve failed again.”

“Sir, please–” Judge started, his voice showing a hint of fear.

“You’ve served me well, Judge. Goodbye.”

“No, wai–” Judge tried to yell, but Smith removed the Heart Core from the speaker. And without any hesitation, he tightened his grip, crushing it to pieces. A small cloud flew out of the shattered glass dome in the center, before disappearing.

Smith looked at the road NightHawk took off with the group. “Her priority right now will be reuniting with the owner.” He muttered to himself, before smiling. “And I might have a good idea about his location.”

Raising both his hands, the wind started to surround him, speeding up. “Too bad she won’t be able to reach him.”

***

Gabriel stared at the screen for a while, frowning slightly at the coordinates. “Can you make it?” NightHawk asked.

Gabriek clicked his tongue. “It’s too far.” He spoke up. A few moans were heard.

“How so?” the A.I. asked.

“Alone I could make it, but you’re asking me to teleport a large group, you included, together.”

Everyone looked at the blonde, confused.

“So you’re saying that you don’t have enough energy for a mass teleportation?” NightHawk asked, literally giving everyone a simple explanation.

“Yes.” Gabriel replied flatly. “If it was a short distance I could probably do it, but teleporting everyone in here would drain me completely. I don’t know if this World has any mana in it, so I rather keep my energy source full until then.”

“I wonder where Mike befriended this guy?” Tucker muttered, confused by his way of talking.

“I am not his friend.” Gabriel growled. “He’s my Big Brother’s Little Hero pet.”

“Which makes him, by proxy, your friend.” NightHawk added, ignoring his fit. “So we either get closer to our destination, or we find a way of giving Gabriel enough energy for a mass teleportation. Any ideas?”

“How close would we have to be for that mass teleportation to reach Mike?” Ferb asked.

“Way less than fifty miles.” Gabriel replied. Everyone winced.

“That puts ‘getting closer’ out of the equation.” Sam spoke. “So our only choice is to give him a boost.”

“Maybe we could give him a boost with our–” Cosmo started, pointing his wand towards the blonde. Gabriel flicked his wand away.

“No magic boosts.” Gabriel cut in.

“Why not?” Applejack asked. “It would certainly give ya enough–”

“Different types of Magic cannot be mixed.” Gabriel explained. “My source of power is mana, which can be considered magic for the fairies, although on different levels. Who knows what’ll happen if they try to give me a boost with their magic.”

Everyone was caught in surprise by Gabriels’ sudden explanation. “Did someone or somepony understood what he said?” Applejack asked, rubbing her head.

“That explains why he was thrown back by that EMP from the other car.” Sam spoke in realization. “So you’re a robot?”

“I’m an advanced angelic android with a soul.” Gabriel replied.

“So you’re a cyborg?” Tucker asked in awe.

“I prefer the term ‘angelic android’. My objective is to oversee the World my older brother and I live, and decide when it’s time to destroy it.”

Everyone stared at him. “So you’re saying…” Tucker started slowly.

“…that I’ll end the World if I consider it full of flaws.” Gabriel finished. “I’m the Angel of World’s Ending.”

Shock and fear ran through everyone’s faces at the mention of ‘World’s Ending’. “Um…” Fluttershy started, meekly. “you’re not, um, going to destroy this World. Are you?” she asked, looking at him through her mane.

Before Gabriel could answer, NightHawk interjected. “Don’t worry, he won’t dare.”

Gabriel glared at the Heart Core. “What makes you so sure that I won’t do it?”

“One: you’re not in your World; two: this is Mikes’ World; three: is there any spare body for yourself after you destroy this World? Because if Mike gets his hands on you, you’re gonna need it.” NightHawk replied flatly. “And we’re getting off-topic here. Any other–”

An alarm suddenly blared, making everyone jolt. All eyes went towards the screen.

WARNING. HURRICANE DETECTED.

“A hurricane?” Sam asked, confused. “But whe–” her voice trailed off when she looked at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash was frozen stiff, her eyes pinpricks as she stared in horror the distance behind them. That was more than enough for everyone to slowly turn their heads to what she was staring.

“I think we should keep moving.” Tucker spoke up, eyes wide.

“Indeed.” Gabriel agreed, his wings opening and taking off.

NightHawk didn’t stay behind. The magical lift both fairies gave her rear was still in effect, and she sped up as much as her damaged body could handle, her engine complaining the strain it was receiving.

“When did that hurricane appeared?!” Applejack yelled over the wind, a hoof holding her hat.

“How should I know! Last I saw it was a clear day without a cloud!” Sam yelled back, watching the giant hurricane following them through NightHawks’ remaining rearview mirror.

Rarity was keeping track of the Force of Nature that followed them. “It’s gaining ground!” she yelled, noticing the distance between them getting shorter, together with the wind getting stronger.

“Can’t we step away from its path?” Ferb asked.

“Without my rear suspension, I can’t drive on land. And this is the only road in sight!”

“What about Air Road?” Tucker asked.

“It needs the four wheels!” NightHawk noticed Gabriel flying over them, his wings flapping harder to counter the wind current. “Gabriel, get in here!” she yelled.

Gabriel looked down and lowered. As soon as he was in reach, his wings folded and disappeared, making him land right in the trunk. “You better have a plan to get us all out of this!” he yelled, glancing back. “I can’t fly straight with that thing!”

“And who can?!” Rainbow yelled.

“Cosmo! Wanda!” NightHawk called, the wind almost making it audible. “I wish my batteries were fully repaired and fully charged!”

Both fairies raised their wands, preparing to grant the wish, but went limp right after. The fairies watched them in horror.

“What happened?” Rainbow yelled.

“It seems NightHawks’ luck struck out on our wishes.” Cosmo yelled back.

“That or the rules have finally kicked in!” Wanda added.

“What now?!” Sam asked.

NightHawk thought quickly. “There might be a way.” she replied. Her screen lit up, scrolling for several programs. A small text box appeared above the list.

Gabriel, I’m shutting down most of the software in me in order to provide you the energy needed for the mass teleportation.

I’m cutting several programs that are not needed or might drain some energy (speech included). Get ready to drain the energy from my Heart Core at my signal.

But be advised: my Heart Core is the same as your Heart. If it’s drained dry, I’ll die. Just make sure that my energy levels won’t be drained below 10%.

Everyone read the message. Then all eyes went to Gabriel. “Do you have the necessary energy?” he asked.

Eyes to the screen.

Probably. Can’t waste energy for a simulation though, so we’re going by instinct.

Eyes to Gabriel.

“Since when does a machine uses ‘instinct’?” the blonde asked.

Back to the screen.

After wandering for who knows how many years Between Time and Space, logic can short-circuit any machine and overheat any processor. was NightHawks’ answer. Now stop asking and start draining! We’re still in danger here.

Another window opened besides the GPS, revealing the Heart Cores’ energy levels, currently at 98%. Gabriel briefly glanced behind to see the distance the hurricane was from them, and stepped towards the middle of the car, balancing himself in the middle of the group to be closer of the Core.

“What are you going to do to drain her energy?” Ferb asked.

Gabriel didn’t reply. He just raised his gloved hands and approached them towards the circular piece in the middle of the dashboard. Before his hands touched the Core, the gloves suddenly disappeared, a pair of bracelets taking place on his wrists. With his hands free, he touched the Heart Core.

WARNING. HEART CORE ENERGY DROPPING. CURRENT LEVEL: 85%

Everyone just watched as the glass dome in the middle flared.

Whoa! Okay, didn’t see that one coming. the screen revealed as the energy levels started to drop faster. Gabriel, you better contribute with your share!

“I’ll do my part, you do yours!” he yelled back, eyes on the screen. “But the energy I’m getting is still not enough!”

WARNING. HEART CORE ENERGY LEVEL AT 42%.

Ferb, take the wheel! I’m shutting down auto pilot! Keep me steady! Pinkie, he’ll need the space you’re in. Get to the trunk!

Without hesitation, Pinkie Pie jumped and unfurled, landing right in the trunk. The steering wheel unfolded before the green haired teen, allowing Ferb to hold it. At the same time he held the wheel, the auto pilot shutdown.

“Ngh.” Ferb gruntled as he felt the car trying to flee. “You better hold on to something!” he yelled. “This ride is going to get even rougher.”

WARNING. HEART CORE ENERGY LEVEL AT 36%.

Sam was keeping watch on the energy level, noticing that it wasn’t slowing down. “Is it not enough yet?” she yelled to Gabriel.

“Not even close!” Gabriel yelled back.

WARNING. HEART CORE ENERGY LEVEL AT 21%.

“The hurricane is almost on top of us!” Rarity yelled, trying to adjust herself to the cramped space over Tucker. The teen was in a panic, between looking to the hurricane behind them and the blonde sucking the energy from NightHawk.

Cosmo, Wanda, Poof! Get to the coordinates and make sure my keys are in an open space! This is going to be a close call!

Wanda read the message and signaled towards Cosmo, who went to get Poof from Fluttershy. The yellow Pegasus however, was hugging the baby fairy and whimpering in fear, her eyes closed.

HURRY!!!!

Both fairies had to struggle a little to free Poof from Fluttershy’s forehooves. But as soon as they managed, to the dismay of the Pegasus, a strong wave of their wand made them disappear in a cloud of white smoke.

“Where did they go?!” she managed to yell over the strong wind.

“To make sure we have a safe landing!” Rainbow yelled back.

Unfortunately, the magical lift they were providing disappeared, forcing the rear to graze the ground.

WARNING. HEART CORE ENERGY LEVEL AT 13%.

“Is this all the energy you have?” Gabriel yelled towards the Heart Core.

WARNING. HEART CORE ENERGY LEVEL AT 9%.

DANGER! SOUL CORE AT RISK.

INITIATING OVERCLOCK OVERDRIVE.

Everyone stared at the screen in confusion. That confusion suddenly turned into surprise when the Heart Core started to glow, almost blinding everyone.

Gabriel however, managed to read a brief message on the screen.

Take it! Take it all!!!!!!!

He didn’t lose any time. He could already feel the pull of the hurricane right behind them. He started to drain everything as fast as he could, trying to get the necessary energy to teleport everyone.

“This’s gonna cut close!” Applejack yelled, holding her hat to prevent its escape, as the rear was starting to lift with the strong current.

Gabriel kept his eyes on the screen, making sure the coordinates didn’t change. At the same time, he kept the Heart Core energy levels at his sight. For some reason, it kept steady at 12%, even though he was still draining its energy.

“Gabriel!” Ferb called, breaking his line of thought. He looked at the green haired teen, just in time to notice that they weren’t on solid ground anymore.

They were floating.

On the screen, NightHawk gave him a small message.

It’s now or never! DO IT!!!!!!!!!

Everyone screamed as the car began to fly backwards towards the hurricane. But before they could reach the outer edge, they suddenly disappeared in a flash of light.

***

Back at the graveyard the group was gathered, looking at Mike. After he told everyone that they were at his World, Caleb signaled towards everyone to give him some privacy.

“Is he going to be okay?” Phineas asked, worried.

“I don’t know.” Caleb replied. “I’ve never seen him like that.”

“You disappear from your own World for an unknown time.” Danny started. “How would you feel if all your family and loved ones had passed away before you returned?”

“Not okay, that’s for sure.” Timmy replied, looking at Mike.

Mike stood in the same place ever since he announced everyone the World they’re in. Only his head moved, just to look around the row of tombstones, taking in the names of the family that surrounded him. His hair resumed the undulation pattern, although sometimes it gave a slight twitch.

Twilight glanced at everyone, took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Then, she opened her wings and took off towards the Wanderer, surprising everyone. She landed a few feet behind Mike and approached carefully, eyes on the hair.

“Mike?” she called. “I’m–”

“Don’t be.” Mike cut in. “Somehow, this is something I was expecting ever since I was thrown between Time and Space.” He sighed. “This is my fault.”

Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “Your fault? Mike, how can this be your fault if you weren’t here?” she asked, as the rest of the group approached them.

“Because I didn’t came back when I found my World at the time.” Mike replied, clenching his fists. “I kept delaying my return as I went exploring other Worlds.”

“Then you already found your World at the time you met all of us?” Caleb asked.

“No.” Mike turned towards the group, his face serious. “In terms of knowing everyone, being Phineas’ World the first and Calebs’ World the last, I found my World during the time I was with Caleb.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “Around the time I met Gabriel for the first time.”

“Then why didn’t NightHawk asked you to return?” Danny asked. “If she saw that was your World–”

“I never told her.” Mike interrupted. “When I found it, I marked the World and kept it out of NightHawks’ search.”

“So she’s been on a wild goose chase?” Twilight asked, frowning slightly.

Mike shrugged. “She can’t complain about it.” He replied. “Thanks to that, she was able to obtain several upgrades and different ammo from other Worlds during the search of our Home World.”

Danny chuckled. “Well, although I briefly knew NightHawk, she seemed quite pleased with some of the weaponry the Fentons offered her.”

Phineas nodded. “Me and Ferb once tuned her and gave her a few improvements.” He commented. “How did that go?”

“She ended up going to a racing World to test the improvements.” Mike replied, before chuckling. “I had to drag her out of that World before she started to call the wrong kind of attention.”

“I think we’re getting a little off track here.” Timmy called out. “Shouldn’t we find out where we are?”

“Timothy’s right.” Caleb agreed. “We need–”

A loud ‘POOF’ and a white cloud materialized from the air, surprising everyone around, as a trio of fairies appeared. Timmy yelped as his fairy godparents appeared. However, they didn’t notice him.

Cosmo, Wanda and Poof flew straight towards Mike, ignoring everyone who was watching them, and started talking in a rush and at the same time. Their faces revealed panic.

“HOLD IT!” Mikes’ voice echoed through the graveyard, making the trio fall in silence. He pointed towards Wanda. “Where’s the fire?” he asked calmly.

“Keys in an open space it’s going to be a close call HURRY!!!!” Wanda blurted as fast and coherent as possible.

Everyone looked at the pink haired fairy in confusion, as Mike raised an eyebrow. “Keys…” his eyes widened, quickly reaching his right pocket and pulling out NightHawks’ car keys. With a swift motion, he threw them towards an open space in the graveyard, large enough for a truck to be parked.

And as if on cue, the sound of a clap, together with a large flash blinded everyone, as a large bang was heard. The sound of a car engine was heard for a brief moment, before stopping. After everyone blinked the dark spots, everyone gasped.

“Oh… my…” Twilight breathed out in shock.

Mike stepped forward, eyes wide in shock. “What the…” he swallowed hard. “What in the World?”

Standing right in front of them was a completely damaged Pontiac Firebird. Mike just stared in disbelief, as he slowly approached the car, noticing the missing hood and roof. But who was inside surprised everyone even more.

Phineas brightened up. “Ferb!” he immediately ran towards the drivers’ side to hug his stepbrother.

Danny immediately flew towards Sam and Tucker when he noticed them under the group of ponies. “You two okay?”

“A little shaken from recent events, but I’m fine.” Sam replied.

“In my case, I’m thinking about avoiding meat, at least for a week.” Tucker added.

Twilight couldn’t hold her excitement when she saw her friends jumping out of the car. But her face fell when she noticed Rainbow Dash.

“Oh my Celestia, what happened?” she asked alarmed, noticing the bandaged wing. Rainbow didn’t answer.

“She tried to face a guy to help NightHawk.” Applejack replied. “That rotten apple burned her right wing off!”

Mike walked towards the drivers’ seat and noticed someone lying in the middle. “Caleb!” he called urgently, rushing inside and pulling a passed out Gabriel to the ground.

Calebs’ eyes widened, as he ran towards his younger brother to check on him. Everyone looked at the blonde, worried.

“He’s fine, but his mana reserves are almost empty.” Caleb announced, looking at Mike. “He must have used most of it to teleport everyone.”

“Will he be okay?” Sam asked.

Caleb nodded. “Give him some time to recharge and he’ll be back to normal.” He looked up. “But where were you for him to be so drained with this teleport?”

“Not far from Las Vegas.” Ferb replied. “And according to the GPS NightHawk was providing, we were almost practically on the other side of the World from you.”

Calebs’ eyes widened. “That far?!”

“He told us he needed a boost, so NightHawk gave him some energy in order to be able to teleport us all.” Tucker explained.

This time Mike looked up. “Some?” he repeated. He jumped towards the car, looking at the Heart Core in the dashboard. The light in the glass dome was dim. “Did she triggered Overclock Overdrive?” he asked, worry in his voice.

Sam and Ferb traded glances. “Yes, yes she did.” Ferb replied.

Mike sighed harshly. “Oh boy. NightHawk, you there?” he called out.

A childish giggle was heard from the car, startling everyone. Mike facepalmed. “Darn it.” He muttered under his breath.

“What’s the matter, dear?” Rarity asked, feeling a little nervous about the giggling.

“It’s a problem NightHawk has when her energy levels gets under 10%.” Mike explained. “Overclock Overdrive is a last resort ability. It gives NightHawk a boost of energy in order to protect her Soul Core from fading, but in exchange it shutdowns almost all of the programming in her. As a result, her personality becomes that of a five year old.” He sighed. “Dealing with her tantrums can be a pain.”

“Is she that troublesome in that state?” Twilight asked.

Mike looked at her in silence, before turning towards the Heart Core. “NightHawk, please reboot yourself.”

“No.” the A.I. replied bluntly with the voice of a child.

“NightHawk, reboot.” Mike insisted.

“Don’t wanna.”

“NightHawk–” a giggling was heard. Mike rolled his eyes. “You either reboot by yourself, or I’ll do it. Pick one.”

The giggling stopped. Then, a hydraulic sound was heard before Mike was ejected out of the drivers’ seat towards the group. Twilight caught him with her magic. “I think this answers your question.” He told the purple alicorn. Twilight nodded, putting him down.

“So, what do we do to reboot her?” Tucker asked. “Is there a button, or something similar?”

“Such a starry sky on a sunny day.” Mike spoke up, earning several confused looks.

“That sentence doesn’t make any sense.” Timmy commented.

“For NightHawk, this sentence is more than enough.” Mike replied, noticing a sound coming from the car. “Had this idea on your World, Caleb.”

Caleb blinked, looking between him and the car. “A shutdown phrase.” He realized.

“Indeed.” He turned towards the brothers. “Can you wake up Gabriel? I want to thank him.”

Caleb nodded and looked at his younger brother. “Why does the dawn matter to sunset?”

Gabriel’s eyes snapped open, before frowning. “Because if it doesn’t come, I’m going to be bloody cross.” he griped, although his voice came a little slurred. His eyes then set on everyone around him, relief passing through his face when he saw Caleb.

“Thanks for teleporting everyone here, Gabriel.” Mike spoke up with a smile.

He set eyes on Mike. “We’re even now.” He told him curtly.

Mike raised an eyebrow at that answer, but decided to shrug it off. He then turned towards NightHawk. “It’s a beautiful moon to go to the sea.”

The sound of small fans whirring signaled the A.I. starting up. “I’m a car, not a boat.” NightHawks’ usual voice replied flatly. “Dang, I thought we were all goners for a moment…” she started, before realizing where she was. “Are we…?”

“In a graveyard.” Mike finished her sentence. He pointed with his head towards the row of tombstones where his family was. “My whole family’s here. But changing the subject…” he crossed his arms. “What the heck happened to you to end up in this sorry state?”

“The trunk and roof had to be removed for a good reason.” NightHawk replied. “But the damage to my sides and the loss of my hood was caused by one person.”

Mike frowned. “Smith?” he asked.

“Yes.” NightHawk replied. “But that’s not the worst part.”

Mikes’ frown disappeared. He then glanced at her sides.

Small shards could be seen over the door. Light blue, almost white.

He looked at Rainbow, focusing on her bandaged wing. He heard Applejack say a guy burned her wing off.

He looked back at NightHawk, fear starting to rise.

“Smith has the Elements.” NightHawk spoke up, confirming his fears. “All of them.”

Everyone looked at Mike, worried about his reaction to what NightHawk told him. But before anyone could ask, a strong wind blast caught them off guard sweeping everyone away from the Wanderer. Mike felt himself being grabbed by thorn vines and pulled towards his tombstone, slamming his back towards it. The vines surrounded him, tightening around his body and piercing his skin. Before he could struggle to get free, a large sword flew from the sky, piercing him through the chest and getting stuck through the tombstone.

“MIKE!!!!!!!!” everyone yelled, as blood started gushing through the open wound.

Mike stared in shock at the sword going through him, before looking towards the group. “Run.” He breathed out before his consciousness faded.