Amazing Spider-Man #700 Review

Everything comes to an end they say. But I never thought Amazing Spider-Man would in this day and age. No Marvel comic has ever reached #700, (unless you want to count Wolverine #1000) so that in itself is a huge feat. I've been a loyal fan of the character for as far back as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories was watching the marathons of the 90's Animated Series JETIX would air Saturday mornings, that's how I knew Spidey. My first comic was Amazing Spider-Man #438, guest starring Daredevil. (It's a little out of shape, but I still have it.) In 2002 I went with my dad to watch the big screen film, it was a great experience, I was only six. It was one of my first theater experiences. (Ten years later, here I am, watching the reboot called The Amazing Spider-Man.) What young kid doesn't like Spider-Man? But a true fan remains a fan throughout the years. But then you have to ask yourself...am I Spider-Man or Peter Parker fan? The truth of the matter is we're all Peter Parker fans, because that's who Spider-Man is. Steve Rogers is Captain America. Bruce Wayne is Batman. It's not about the title or costume, it's about the person inside. That is who we are a fan of. #700 is the death of Peter Parker, the rumors that had started as early back as last year are true. I haven't been a big fan of his comics since prior to Brand New Day. I didn't agree with the decision to have Peter and MJ split back in One More Day, and I still think it was one of the worst decisions in comic history. But, the series goes on and one had to choose whether to stick with it or not. I hopped back on the comic bandwagon in 2009, at the end of the Character Assassination arc. I have every issue since. While it has been up and down for me, I've stuck by the series. Here we are with the end. The hype (both good and bad, emphasis on the latter) was astounding. Finally we would see if Peter really would die and who the 'Superior' Spider-Man' would be. It's a truly interesting ending and beginning.

Doctor Octopus had switched bodies with Peter two issues ago in what was one of the most shocking reveals in all of comics. Last issue we saw Peter, being the smart guy is, formulate a plan despite being trapped in a dying body. The plan was one hidden in Doc Ock's memoroy. The Sinister Six (or Sigma Six as it's called in the issue, I wonder if they had G.I. Joe in mind) are formed, the mission is to retrieve Spider-Man. Things don't go exactly as planned, it all comes to a final showdown between the two. This issue was spoiled about a week in advance. Many read it, I stayed away. I was going in only knowing Peter would die. Who the Superior Spider-Man would be was the mystery. I didn't truly think Doc Ock would be, I thought Peter would defeat him and give the mantle to someone else. (Miles Morales was the popular rumor, ever since being mentioned at the end of Spider-Men #5.) Spidey 2009, aka Miguel O' Hara, was also a huge rumor. But this issue put those rumors to rest. Otto Octavius is the Superior Spider-Man. The road to that reveal in this issue was a truly intense one. Despite being in a dying body, Peter is at his finest. Dan Slott was able to balance the fact that he's dying, his care for the people he cares, and somehow his humor. (One of my favorite scenes is when he has the Trapster trapped with the letter "Courtesy of your friendly neighborhood Doc Ock.") It's also interesting to see how Dock Ock reacts to things since everyone thinks he's the real deal. The dialogue between the two is handled wonderfully. How he openly taunts Peter saying the people he cares about is in danger is priceless. Mary Jane is handled well. But...I don't think she was suspicious of him enough. Like, his constant reference to her as 'woman' should have made her suspicious.

Everything comes forth into the final battle. It's intense, greatly written, and the surprises don't stop. Peter was never was able to reconnect, but he manages to shoot his memories into Ock. This is interesting, it's through that when Doc Ock sees the value of life. It feels rather rushed however, even slightly forced. After I read that part, I was like,"That's it? Just like that he changes his evil ways and wants to protect the people?" There's a pretty nice scene earlier in the story, where Peter technically died for three minutes. He went into the afterlife and saw all of his deceased friends. The dialogue is really good, especially the parts with Silver Sable and Uncle Ben. I was never a fan of Humberto Ramos's cartoony style. Admittedly this is definitely his strongest issue. It still retains a bit of a cartoony look, but is excellent throughout, really capturing the heat of the final battle. There's also some fantastic panels with Doc Ock Spidey, fully differentiating from when the real Peter Parker wears the suit. There are two backup stories. The first one is about an older man as he tells his 'son' about the days he was apparently Spider-Man. Throwing whatever the heck this continuity this is from, it's a pretty touching story. The other story is a Black Cat-centered one. It was admittedly funny and the art by Stephanie Buscema was cute. I don't know about you, but I love the main cover. It's really cool how all the Spider-Mans make up the red part (did you notice Carnage?) while a bunch of Venoms make up the blue.

The Amazing Spider-Man #700 is a very fine comic. In it we see Peter in a dying body trying to stop an impostor. In it he dies, and Otto Octavius reigns. Peter Parker is dead. Spider-Man is not. So are you a Spider-Man or Peter Parker fan? The Superior Spider-Man will most likely do well in the beginning, but time will tell if people will stick around, because if people stop buying and start complaining, Perter will come back. And I have a sinking feeling they'll bring him back in time for The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Even though I am a Peter Parkjer fan, I will be buying the Superior Spider-Man, which starts in two weeks. In the end, it wasn't the Green Goblin or Venom he died in final battle against, it was Dr. Octopus, whom has a lot to do if he wants to earn the respect of Peter Parker fans everywhere. The death is handled well enough, even convincing that it will be permanent. We'll see in a year.

4/5

SH Monsterarts Godzilla (1995) Review

A year ago SH Monsterarts debuted the Heisei version of Godzilla. (And if you want to be technical, the one from the 1994 film, Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla.) Since then, the Monsterart line has become the new main line for Godzilla figures. It has faced controversy with some collectors, but for the most part it has been proudly praised. The last one was the highly anticipated King Ghidorah. In fact, I'd say it was the most anticipated one in the line. When it came some had the problem of 'fragile wings.' But for the most part people were satisfied with the buy. (The wings are rather weak, but my main problem is how easy the middle neck falls out!) The latest figure in this line was just released in Japan last week, the popular Burning Godzilla. (It's called Godzilla 1995 on the nice-looking box, but I will use the Burning title.) This figure is the start of the Godzilla vs. Destoroyah set. Junior is coming at the end of the month, with Destoroyah in February. Over the past few months I've acquired a few other Monsterarts, Godzilla, Fire Rodan, SpaceGodzilla, and King Ghidorah, so I know the line pretty well now. Burning Godzilla makes a fine entry and is easily the definitive figure of the character.

It would have been easy to just recycle the Godzilla figure and add the burning parts on it. But the company went the more favorable route, using a whole new mold. Burning Godzilla has a much more fierce face than his 94 counterpart. The figure captures that wonderfully. Upon playing around with it after opening is when I discovered how fierce it can look. So props to that. Articulation is very good, you can pose this guy however which way you want. However, due to it having better articulation than Godzilla, it sacrifices the more 'clean' look on the former. What I mean is that you can see the gaps of where to pose, especially in the left leg. (You can see the inside of the figure through the leg, upon first opening it was quite distracting.) Nothing really bad, it just looks more like an action figure in some areas than the rest of the figures do. Burning Godzilla is famous obviously for one thing...the patches of fire all over him. It looks quite awesome on the figure, done in translucent orange. They even got the eyes red like in the film, adding to the fierce look. The highlight is the dorsal plates. They look absolutely gorgeous, one of the best parts of the figure. Some were worried about the white dorsal plates on the side. It's really not that big of a deal, they're not as bright as they appear in some pictures online.

One of the famous things about this line are the accessories that come with each figure. Sadly the ones in this package are very lackluster. First off, it doesn't come with a beam. You can use the spiral beam from Fire Rodan's package, but if you didn't buy the bird, you're out of a luck. Seriously, it's almost a crime that it doesn't include a beam. However, it does come with two puny maser tanks. They're cool little things, but only two? At least four should have been included. But you know what else we get? Another pair of hands. A pair of hands. Instead of getting a beam, we get a pair of hands and two tiny maser tanks that could easily get lost. The accessories are the quite the letdown. Now, regarding scale. Burning Godzilla stands surprisingly above his 94 counterpart, and even SpaceGodzilla! On one hand, for all the money this thing goes for, I'm glad it's big. But for people that love 100% accuracy, it's too strange for him to be as tall as SpaceGodzilla. The real test is how he will stack up with Destoroyah.

Overall, despite lackluster accessories and showing some gaps, the Monsterart Burning Godzilla is a fine figure. It captures the fierceness of his on-screen counterpart really well. Even if it's a little bigger than it should be, it makes for a great purchase and will most definitely look great next to Destoroyah in two months. The burning patches look great, the face looks incredible, and the dorsal plates look fantastic. A great addition to the Monsterart line.

4.5/5

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes 'Avengers Assemble' Review

I remember when Earth's Mightiest Heroes was first announced. It was four years ago when they released a promo image, featuring Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man, Wasp, and Hulk, it was pretty exciting. The previous and only Avengers show, United They Stand, not too many people were fond of. (I still enjoy it.) This series looked to be the definitive Avengers show and quite possibly the Justice League of Marvel Animation. When the trailer was released it got for the most part positive reception. There were quite a few however who did not like the art style, in fact, some thought it would be kiddy because of it. But, when Breakout premiered two years ago, it was met with positive reception. Today, a lot of fans are disappointed that it's been cancelled in favor of the upcoming Avengers Assemble. (Technically it takes place after EMH, so we'll see.) There was a rather long hiatus between Season 1 and Season 2, about a year. The first part of Season 2 was about the Skrull Invasion with the Surtur subplot in the background. After the Skrulls were finished, the show went on to tell some one-shot stories, aside from the Kree two parter. Now we're at the final episode, which ironically is called 'Avengers Assemble.' It's pretty much an episode comic fans will have fun with, seeing all the heroes battling Galactus for the first time in amimation is pretty exciting. It's a cool episode, but would have worked better as a two-parter. It feels too rushed and Galactus was handled horribly. 

The beginning is pretty appropriate, a nice dialogue sequence with Tony and Cap. The former is curious about how the Avengers will be remembered in history. Soon a bunch of gigantic space debris appear, so the team is called in. A being called Terrax is the cause of this debris, which takes over Stark Tower. "I am Terrax, herald to the Devourer" and then the fun begins. It's always exciting when Galactus is involved in a story, because you know things are about to go down. As I've said, this should have been a two-parter. Terrax comes and right away announces Galactus is coming, then the big guy's ship appears some moments after. There's not enough time to grasp it for the "Wow" effect. Soon Cap calls in a bunch of heroes, including the Heroes for Hire. the Fantastic Four, War Machine, Winter Soldier, Wolverine (where's the other X-Men?) and of course Spider-Man, among a few others. It's pretty much a fan service episode to see all these heroes together. There's plenty of action as they take on Terrax and the other three heralds. (No Silver Surfer though.) I do have to question how the Human Torch's fire blast beat a cosmic water herald's blast. There are some really memorable parts from the script. I like how Tony said "Why is it always my building?" as the debris goes around Stark Tower. My favorite is when Terrax says "You believe you could defeat a herald of Galactus?" with Cap replying "We don't just believe monster, we're doing it." The show's writers did a great job with the scripts in this show, I hope Assemble lives up to it. Now this brings me to my major criticism with the episode, Galactus. 

Galactus has appeared in two different shows in the past. His first appearance was in the 90's Fantastic Four series. His major appearance episode was in 'The Silver Surfer and the Coming of Galactus.' He made a few other appearances later in the show. His next appearance would be in the very short lived Silver Surfer cartoon. (Never heard of it? Thanos was in it too.) In both shows he is displayed as omnipotent and has a personality. Neither good, nor evil, arrogant, but not without understanding. In this show it's the complete opposite. To be fair, not too much can be done in one episode when there are other focuses at the same time. The problem is that he has no personality. Reed Richards is correct when he says Galactus is a force of nature, but that's too literal in this incarnation. He doesn't even talk. Now that was a letdown, part of the reason why watching Galactus is so much fun is to hear what he says. He's defeated rather too quickly and if you weren't a longtime Marvel fan, you wouldn't fully grasp how powerful he is. If anything, you'd think Ultron was more powerful just basing things on this show. I would have really preferred if they had substituted Galactus for Surtur. Even if it was going to be rushed, and least we would have had closure to a major story. (Yes, even though Assemble is technically a sequel, it won't carry over previous plot threads. In fact, you can bet it won't even reference previous events at all.)

Overall, on the surface this is a pretty fun and explosive episode. Looking deeper, you begin to notice its faults. It feels too rushed and just put together so the show can have some kind of finale. There isn't much to Galactus, he has as much personality as Sentry 459. (Except the latter was actually cool.) It is admittedly fun to see all the heroes together, with Spider-Man naturally getting the most spotlight of the guest stars. (Now that's Spider-Man, none of that Ultimate nonsense.) In the end, it's a rather rushed finisher for this great series, like it was put together quickly so a deadline could be met. Still, it's a blast if you've been a loyal watcher of the show or a longtime comic fan. I hope Assemble lives up to this series, we shall see next year.

3/5

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fan Fic: 'Attack of the Giant Monsters'

Prologue

Another dimension. Another world. No ponies roamed around here, any were just simple animals on farms. It was midnight in the West. Somewhere far off the coast of Japan was an island. On it were many trees, bushes, waterfalls, pretty much everything an island in the middle of the ocean would have. In the center was a large ancient Rome-like structure. No sound was being made. Inside the structure were stone walls, stairs that led up, and a shrine. The walls had markings on them. Engraved in the center of the ground was a cross-like emblem. Standing on it were two tiny figures.

"Something is not right." One of them said.
"Yes. Why are they all disappearing?" The other asked.
"I do not know Moll. This is disrupting the natural order. The universe...reality itself cries out against the disruption. Things that belong here must stay here, or it could mean the end of everything."

The ladies looked at each other, they both we're thinking the same thing.

"We have to call Mothra."

End of prologue

This dimension. This world. Equestria. Ponyville. Nothing was out of the ordinary, it was a peaceful day. Ponies walked around happily, shopping, talking, and just enjoying the nice warm weather. On the outskirts of the village was the cottage of Fluttershy. The door burst open as Fluttershy exited. She was very happy today. She turned her head around to say something to her pet bunny Angel.

"Now you be good, I'll be back in a couple of hours after going out with the girls."

And with that, she closed the door and was on her way to Ponyville.

If it's one thing Fluttershy liked doing, it was hanging out with her friends. Though not everything was dandy, she had a very throbbing headache. It had started in the morning, she couldn't understand what had triggered it. "Oh well," she thought, "it would go away while being with the others". As she entered Ponyville she noticed some strange cracks in the ground.

"Sewer or construction work perhaps?" She said to herself.

Getting to the spa was only a couple of minutes distance. As she walked deeper into the village, she could spot her friends in front of the building.
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"It's about time she got here, she's like ten minutes late!" Rainbow Dash said as she and the others spotted Fluttershy coming their way.

"Fluttershy's always on time, I'm sure she has a good reason for being late." The always positive Twilight replied.

"Sorry I'm late girls, one of my hummingbirds had a broken wing so I had tend to it." Fluttershy said as she walked toward them.

"See, what'd I tell you? A good reason."

Then the ground shook beneath their hooves, all the ponies in Ponyville felt it.

"What in tarnation was that?" Applejack asked.
"Oooooh, look!" Pinkie Pie said as she pointed to the sky.

The Mane 6 and all the Ponies that were outside looked.up. Something was forming, something large that kept circulating.

"It's a portal!" Twilight shouted.

The portal kept getting bigger, then stopped. Something fell from it and hit the ground in front of them. The portal closed. Standing was something very big, far bigger than the ponies and even bigger than some of the buildings. Its color was dark green. On its back were large and very spiky dorsal plates, and it had a very long tail. It's face was that of some kind of lizard. The thing that had fallen out of the portal was some kind of monster.

"Is it some kind of dragon?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"I don't think so. Look!" Twilight shouted.

The dorsal plates on the monster started to glow blue. Moments later it shot a blast of something powerful from its mouth. It struck the ground, making explosions. Any other ponies that were still there fled in terror.

"Did that thing just shoot a blast of fire?!" Rarity asked.
"That wasn't fire, don't you recognize it? That's atomic radiation! That's worse than fire, it's far more destructive!" Twilight said.

The monster roared.

"I...I can understand him." Fluttershy said quietly since she was surprised.
"What was that dear?" Rarity asked.
"I'll be right back." Fluttershy said and then flew toward the monster.
"Fluttershy!" Twilight shouted.
"I'll get her!" Rainbow Dash said as she was about to fly, but was grabbed by Applejack.
"Hold on there Rainbow, let's see what Fluttershy's going to do."

The Poines watched earnestly as Fluttershy flew toward the giant. She flew by the side of its head.

"Um, excuse me, mr. monster sir, is it alright if I know your name?"

The monster turned its head toward Fluttershy. It was surprised she could understand him.

"The humans call me Godzilla." He said.
"Well Godzilla, um, can I ask you to not destroy this village?"
"I'm not trying to destroy your village, I'm trying to attack the thing that's underneath it."
"Underneath..."

And then as if right on time, something jumped, or rather drilled out of the ground some distance in front of them. It was another monster about the size of Godzilla. This time however it looked really strange. Its head resembled that of a beetle, it was black and yellow and instead of hands it had drills. It roared at Godzilla, taunting him.

Its name was Megalon.

Godzilla roared and charged full speed toward the drill-beetle. The latter roared what sounded like laughter in anticipation. Fluttershy flew toward him.

"What is she crazy?" Rainbow Dash said back on the ground.

Before Godzilla could make contact, Fluttershy flew in-between them. Godzilla stopped running and Megalon stopped laughing as they both looked at her. Fluttershy didn't quite understand why she felt no fear, she guessed it was the realization of the fact that her headache had stopped and she could understand these creatures. She turned to face Megalon.

"Um, maybe you and Godzilla could not fight here? It's damaging our village, and-" Fluttershy never got to finish because Megalan sent her flying with a whack from his right drill.

"Fluttershy!" Twilight shouted.
"I got her!" Rainbow Dash said and then zoomed to catch her falling friend.

Back in the monsters' point of view, Godzilla watched Fluttershy go flying, then turned angrily to Megalon. He was mad that such a creature who was nice to him got whacked away. He roared and swung his tail. Megalon ducked. He stood back up and started laughing at the fact that he just dodged an attack from Godzilla. The latter on the other hand was not amused and tackled a surprised Megalon to the ground. Back with the Ponies, they all watched in awe at the two giant monsters when Rainbow Dash returned with Fluttershy.

"Are you alright Fluttershy?" Twilight asked.
"Yes, but I understood him! The one with the spikes on his back. He said the humans call him Godzilla."
"What are humans???" Pinkie Pie asked. Applejack shrugged.
"I don't think Godzilla's evil. I couldn't quite understand what the other one was saying, it came out as jumbled, as if he were mindless." Fluttershy stated.
"Or as dumb as a rock." Rainbow Dash chimed in.

Godzilla's roar was heard, breaking the conversation. The Mane 6 then saw Megalon go flying.

"Run!" Twilight shouted.

They all ran and jumped out of the way as a beaten Megalon crashed into the ground, taking down the spa with him. After the realization that they could have all died right there, Twilight stepped in front and turned around for another inspiring speech.

"We can't let these monsters destroy Ponyville, we have to contact Princess Celestia."

The other Ponies nodded and they all raced to Twilight's house, all the while with Godzilla's roar in the background.

End of Act 1

It was madness as the Mane 6 ran through town. Ponies were running and screaming, the whole village was trying to evacuate. It was a good thing Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were out of town on a school field trip. Finally they reached their destination. Twilight bolted the door open.

"Alright Spike, I need to write a letter and...Spike?"

Twilight and then the others noticed he was shivering under a table.

"Did you hear them? They're not dragons Twilight, they're something a lot bigger!" He said in a frenzied state.
"Spike, get out of there, I need to write a letter to Princess Celestia."
"I already wrote to her, four times! She never got back to any of them!"
"What?"

Then Spike shouted in horror and pointed at the window. The Ponies looked behind themselves and gasped. A huge yellow eye was looking at them.

"Incoming!" Applejack shouted as the largest monster hand they ever saw appeared.

It crushed part of the house clean off. The monster then lowered its head so it could see. It had a crocodile like head, gigantic hands, and a hole in its left shoulder for some reason.

Its name was Orga.

Twilight noticed that the hole started to glow.

"It has a built in shoulder canon, run!" Twilight yelled.

She grabbed Spike and ran outside with the rest of the Ponies as a large yellow beam went clean through the house. Once they were outside they saw just how big Orga was, he looked like a monster that would do amazing in a wrestling competition.

"Can you believe it? That thing had a shoulder canon, what monster has a shoulder canon??" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Apparently these kind Pinkie." Applejack stated.

They were running but then out of nowhere Orga jumped in front of them.

"How can that brute of thing jump so high?" Rarity asked.
"Oh dear." Fkuttershy said as Orga charged up his shoulder canon.

The Ponies backed away, but there was no way for them to escape. Twilight couldn't believe this is how it would end. Orga was about to fire, but then some kind of spiky circular object smashed into him, making the beam hit the sky. The circular object went onto the ground and stretched itself from a ball. Turns out it was a four legged creature with a back full of spikes and could go into a ball form.

"That thing looks like an Anylosaurus!" Twilight said.

Indeed, for its name was Anguirus.

Orga was caught off guard, but once he saw how little Anguirus looked, he roared.

"Such a bully, he's laughing at him because he's so small!" An angered Fluttersay stated.

Anguirus growled, while Orga raised his hands to attack him. But before Orga could, something knocked him down from behind. It was a brown flying monster with a beak. It was on top of Orga, pecking at him before the later slapped him off. The flying monster got up and stood next to Anguirus.

"That's a giant Pteranodon!" Twilight shouted.
"The flying one and the spiky one are friends. Look, the he's telling him a plan and-"
"It's great you understand them Fluttershy, but we all should probably use this opportunity to get out of here." Applejack interrupted.
"Agreed. Let's go the other way." Twilight said.

Then they heard a familiar noise of a portal opening behind them. They turned around not knowing what they would face.

"What is that thing?!" Spike said.

Now this was a very odd looking monster. It had one eye like a Cyclops, except it was red and looked like it belonged on some science fiction robot. On its belly was a buzzsaw and instead of hands it had large blades. It was green and yellow. Gigan had arrived.

"Ooooh, it's a giant chicken!" Pinkie Pie said.
"Pinkie, how can you see a chicken in that thing?" Applejack asked.
"How can you not? Look at its head and beak and..."

Pinkie was interrupted by Gigan's high pitched shriek. None of the Ponies knew what he said, only Fluttershy, and it was something she wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon.

"I WILL CUT YOU OPEN AND CHOKE YOU WITH YOUR OWN INTESTINES!"

Fluttershy was shocked at how cruel something could be, she had never heard something so vile. Normally she would have start tearing up at something so mean, but not today. She instead flew so she was face-to-face with the red eye.

The rest of the Mane 6 looked at each other then back up to see what Fluttershy was going to say.

"Do you think just cause you're big you can say such cruel things to us? Listen because I know you can understand me, I..."

Fluttershy never got to finish her speech because Rainbow Dash flew in and tackled her away from Gigan's eye laser which would have fried her.

"Fluttershy, what is wrong with you?! You can't stand up to a monster like that!"
"But do you know what he said? It was so mean."

All of a sudden the flying monster crashed into Gigan, knocking them both down. The Ponies were standing by an onslaught of large bushes, where they heard a familiar voice say,

"Ponies, come in here, hurry!"

So they jumped inside the bushes.

"Zecora!" Twilight said.

"You ponies know not what you get yourselves into. These aren't just monsters my friends, they are daikaiju." The lady zebra said.
"Dai-what?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Daikaiju. Magical beasts. They are legendary creatures that are more powerful than the monsters around here, kaiju are planet threatening." Zecora said.
"And how do you know about them?" Spike asked.
"I've been to many places young dragon, there are some things you ponies should never have to face."

A few monster, or rather kaiju roars were heard. The Ponies including Zecora poked their heads out of the bushes. That area of Ponyville was completely destroyed, and there were still monsters fighting it out. And in the midst of it all, another portal opened, dropping an overly large shrimp.

"Chaos. Absolute chaos." Zecora said.
"Chaos...wait a second." Twilight said. She took her head out of the bush, as did the others.
"What are you getting at Twi?" Applejack asked.
"Don't you girls see it? Don't you think it's a little convenient that a monster or kauji or whatever popped up directly outside my house when we were there? Do you think it's a coincidence that one popped up behind us right after we were saved? It's almost like someone, or something is toying with us. Chaos. That's what it is, and this could only be the work of one being...

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"Ohahahhahaha. You are so bright Twilight Sparkle, always one step ahead of the competition, it makes toying with you all the more fun!" Discord said.

He was in a large dark, circular room capable of holding quite a few of the monsters. In the back was a  barred window. He was looking at an image of Twilight and friends through a little cloud he had conjured up.

"This is just marvelous. Wouldn't you agree my crystal-shouldered friend?"

He didn't receive a response from the monster on the other side of the room. It had its back turned, which was filled with dorsal plates. On its shoulders were two large crystals sticking out.

"Such fun, I could do this forever. I wonder what monster I should send next...oooh, perhaps this one, this one looks like a monster made of smog." Discord laughed at his own words.

The other monster didn't answer. Truth of the matter is it didn't care about any of that. It was only concerned with the thing it was watching through a crystal ball. Godzilla.

"You won't get away with this Discord!" A voice yelled from the right side of the room.

"Ohahahaha. My dear Princess Celestia, this is why I've missed you, always so heroic and trying to stay positive. Such drama is always fun to watch." Discord said as he walked toward the right side of the room.

There was a cage made by him, imprisoning both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

"Do you truly think that monster is going to work with you? He'll sooner betray you once he has fulfilled his desire, whatever that may be." Celestia said.

Discord laughed once again and lowered his head so only the Princesses could hear him.

"You see, I already have plans. After I'm done using his resources and the monsters from his dimension destroy all of Equestria, I'll go drop him off somewhere, perhaps Tartarus, hahaha."
"You don't understand Discord, I sense great evil in that creature, even greater than your own evil."
"My sister is right." Luna said.

Discord raised his head back and laughed once again.

"Ah my poor princesses, so honorable. Why don't we see what's happening now with our little ponies?"

Discord made a cloud appeared.

"What's this? I don't remember sending that monster."

The crystal shouldered creature turned around and started walking toward Discord. His face was similar to Godzilla's, with its head having some kind of yellow star, it looked like he had a crown on. He stepped next to Discord and looked into the cloud. He roared, the sound was deep and high pitched at the same time.

"Alright alright, keep your crystals on my fellow chaos-maker. I will send the Smog Monster, hahahahha."

On the other side of the room, the Princesses looked at each other, they were both thinking the same thing.

They didn't know how Twilight and her friends would win this battle.

End of Act 2

"Discord? The Elements of Harmony made that guy a statue!" Rainbow Dash said.
"Yeah, I mean, it's not like he can just get up and start walking!" Pinkie Pie added.
"I'm sure this is all his doing. Can't you see it? There's a system, he's toying with us. He's--"

Twilight didn't get to finish cause they heard a roar, though it was softer than the ones they've heard today. They looked behind. Something huge was flying toward them. It had wings, big blue insect-like eyes, and antennae.

"Ooooh, a butterfly!" Pinkie Pie said.
"It's a moth Pinkie." Fluttershy said.
"And she is just glamorous!" Rarity popped in.
"Uh Rarity, how do you know that's a girl?" Applejack asked.
"Can't you see her colorful wings? Only a lady could have such style!"
"Be careful my ponies, she is landing." Zecora said.

The giant moth landed on the ground some distance between them. For a few moments nothing happened, then suddenly Spike spotted something.

"Something's coming! Something small for a change."

In the distance a much smaller version of the moth was approaching. Riding on it were two little ladies, one dressed in blue and one in red. The little moth went directly in front of them.

"We are the Shobijin." The little figures said.

The Ponies looked dumbfounded at them. The ladies looked at each other, then the one dressed in red spoke.

"My name is Moll, this is my sister Lora "

The one dressed in blue smiled at them.

"And she is Mothra." She said pointing at the large moth.

"You are all aware of the monsters attacking your world?" Moll asked.
"Very much so, what do you-"
"Alright, that's it! What do you two little things know about this?" Rainbow Dash said, interrupting Twilight and confronting the Shobijin.
"Rainbow! Take it easy." Applejack said.
"She is right, an explanation is needed. But a quick one since we're running out of time. The monsters, they are not from here, your world, your dimension. They come from a much different world than this one. Hours ago we noticed a disturbance, something was messing with the natural order of things. The monsters were disappearing. Lora and I knew something had to be done. You see, a very powerful and evil monster known as SpaceGodzilla has been brought here, we fear he has a part in this."
"SpaceGodzilla? Would he be related to Godzilla?" Fluttershy asked.

The two sisters looked at each other, then Moll answered.

"We see you have already met Godzilla. Our main goal is to find him and the other Earth monsters. But first, SpaceGodzilla. He's a clone of Godzilla from outer space, when Godzilla's DNA merged with crystalline objects, it formed into him. Unlike the majority of monsters whose goal is to either survive or destroy, SpaceGodzilla wants to conquer. He is evil. He considers himself a god of destruction, he considers himself above everything else. But most of all, he wants to kill Godzilla in every way possible."

"That's horrible!" Fluttershy said.

The little moth flew in front of Twilight.

"We came to this spot because we sensed magical energies here, emitting from you six ponies. These energies are tied to the earth are similar to what Earth's monsters have. We need you six to find SpaceGodzilla and the other force we sense at work." Moll said.

Twilight thought about mentioning Discord, but decided against it for now. Suddenly the ground shook beneath them.

"Now what?" Rainbow Dash said.

Right in front of them a big creature emerged. It was dark red, had a horn on its head, big floppy ears, and walked on four legs. It was the complete opposite of the mean-looking Orga or insane Gigan.

"This is Baragon, a guardian monster." Moll said.

The red monster roared.

"Awwwwwww! He's saying hello, how cute!" Fluttershy said. She was already on top of his head, petting him. Baragon seemed to like it.

"So let me get this straight, these monsters or kaiju as Zecora calls them are from another dimension and this SpaceGodzilla is somehow involved? And a force around here is the source?" Rainbow Dash said.

"Precisely blue Pegasus." Moll said.

The little moth flew above them. This time they spoke together in sinc.

"We need your help, Ponies of this world."

Twilight stepped up to the plate.

"Of course we'll help. Introductions...I'm Twilight Sparkle, this is Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Zec-"

She interrupted herself because Zecora was no longer there.

"That's weird, she was there just a minute ago."

All of a sudden Mothtra roared. The little moth flew toward her. Fluttershy flew down to her friends.

"Mothra said we all should hurry since there's not much time." She said.

The two sisters went directly in front of Mothra.

"Mothra, go get Rodan and Anguirus, they are essential to the battle." They said.

Mothra nodded and she began to take off. Her glorious wings shined above as she flew over the bushes into the destroyed Ponyville. Baragon then lowered its head.

"Please get on, you'll travel much faster while riding on him." Moll said. The ponies hopped on Baragon one by one.

"Alright I gotta admit, this is pretty cool." Applejack said.
"What's the plan now?" Twilight asked.
"We sense powerful magical items, they will be essential in the fight. Do you know what they are?" Lora asked.
"Magical items...the Elements of Harmony!" Twilight said.
"We must obtain these Elements, once my sister and I can feel them, we'll know where SpaceGodzilla and the malevolent force behind this is." Moll said.
"They're at the library, or what's left of it." Twilight said.
"Please, tell Baragon how to get there from here." Moll said.

Twilight nodded to Fluttershy, who then said a few things into Baragon's giant ear. The monster's eyes widened. He roared, then started stomping toward their destination rather fast, forcing the surprised Ponies to hold on. Moll and Lora followed.

End of Act 3

There wasn't much of Twilight's library left. Moll and Lora were outside, and Baragon was sitting down. Some moments later the Ponies came out with Twilight holding a book. She put it on the ground. The little moth came toward it.

"That robot thing still creeps me out." Fluttershy said, looking at Gigan's severed body next to the library.
"It's more of a cyborg than robot." Twilight corrected.

Before Twilight opened the book, the roar of Mothra was heard. Everyone looked up. Coming from the distance was the colorful moth herself, and flying beside her the giant brown Pteranodon. In a few moments they landed on the ground next to Baragon. And then a large rumble was felt. Something was rolling toward them. A spiky ball emerged, then unwrapped itself. It was Anguirus. He stood next to the Pteranodon and roared. The former nodded.

"Excellent. Mothra has brought Rodan and Anguirus. Now, let us..." The two ladies were interrupted by a familiar noise coming from the sky. A portal started to open.

"Not again!" Spike shouted.

The portal kept getting bigger and bigger, then stopped. And then the craziest monster the Ponies had ever seen emerged from it. Its body was hard to make out, it was as if it were covered in smog. It had large diamond-shaped eyes. Its scent was pretty awful.

"That is the ugliest monster I have ever seen!" Rarity shouted.
"Hedorah." Moll and Lora said at the same.
"Who?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"A monster from another planet, it is highly dangerous and powerful." Moll said.

Hedorah roared, or rather made a strange sound. Rodan was the first to roar back, then flew toward the Smog Monster. Anguirus started to run toward it, followed by Baragon and Mothra. Rodan was going to attempt an attack, by flying straight into the Smog Monster. Before he could make contact, Hedorah swatted him away with its right hand, or whatever you could call it. Anguirus rolled into Hedorah, making pieces of smog go all over the place. Rarity yelled as a piece almost hit her. Anguirus tried tail-whipping, but it was ineffective. Baragon claw-swiped, but it didn't appear to phase Hedorah. Mothra shot a few beams, which seemed to annoy it, making it turn his attention to her. It stretched its arm out, slapping a surprised Mothra to the ground. By this time Rodan had gotten up and flew toward Hedorah. Instead of going for the body, this time he went for the legs, knocking down the Smog Monster. It got back up and made a sound. Then another sound was heard in the distance. A thump on the ground was heard, and another, and another. Then silence. And then a blue beam came from the distance, blasting a hole straight through Hedorah!

"Godzilla!" The Shobijin shouted.

Indeed, for the King of Monsters, Godzilla, had arrived. He walked into the area. Rodan roared in anticipation and flew by Godzilla side, and Anguirus did the same.

"Those three are very good friends." Fluttershy said to the rest of the Ponies.

Baragon roared a sound of alert. Hedorah was starting reform. Mothra shot a few beams, halting the reformation in time for Godzilla and his two friends to come. Godzilla plucked his hand into Hedorah, taking out its odd looking heart. He blasted it with atomic radiation, ending the Smog Monsters menace. Godzilla, Angurus, and Rodan roared in triumph. The Shobijin sighed. Then Moll spoke.

"Quickly! Open the book!"

Twilight opened it. The Elements of Harmony shined so brightly that it even got the monsters' attention. The ladies went toward them. They felt Twilight's Element and closed their eyes.There was silence for a few moments. Finally they opened their eyes and spoke in sinc.

"We know where SpaceGodzilla and the other malevolent force is. Somewhere hidden in a place called Everfree Forest. We will guide you."

Then they flew up to the side of Godzilla's head.

"Godzilla," they began, "we need your help. SpaceGodzilla is here."

Fluttershy noticed somdething in Godzilla's eyes, anger and determination. The later nodded. Then the ladies came down to the Ponies' level in front of Twilight. Moll spoke.

"Please, put on your Elements. You all will be needed in this battle."
"Pardon my asking, but with so many of these giant monster kaiju things, what can we do?" Applejack asked.
"We sense you six will play a major part in this battle." The ladies said.
"That's good enough for me!" Rainbow Dash said.

The Ponies put on their elements, which instantly re-energized them. Godzilla roared.

"He says we should get moving." Fluttershy said quietly to her friends.

The ladies flew next to Mothra.

"Follow us." They said.

Mothra roared the same thing so the other monsters could hear it. Baragon lowered himself so the Ponies could hop on him. Then everyone started to follow the Shobijin and Mothra into the Everfree Forest.

End of Act 4

While it was daytime, it felt like night in Everfree Forest. The Shobijin flew ahead, with Baragon and the Ponies on top of him in back. Godzilla and Anguirus followed, with Rodan and Mothra flying overhead.

"Is it me, or have the trees really grown?" Rainbow Dash quietly said.
"It's not just you Rainbow, the trees really have grown." Applejack replied.
"Ooooooh, look!" Pinkie Pie shouted.

In front of them all was a large door, big enough for a monster to go through. It was a normal wooden door, except the knob was missing.

"This is where the malevolent force is, now we must figure out how to get-" Moll was interrupted by something charging from behind her. That charge belonged to Godzilla who smashed into the door, breaking it down. Inside was total darkness. Godzilla turned around and motioned everyone to follow.

"I love this guy!" Rainbow Dash said.

The Shobijin went in, followed by the rest of the monsters. It was pitch black all around them, like they were in a void or had fallen into a black hole. The sound of lightning was heard, and slowly things started to appear. Far away a window appeared, and above them a roof. They were in a very, very large room. A familiar laughter was heard.

"Bravo, bravo!" A voice said.

Discord emerged from the shadows, clapping his hands. He looked exactly the same, except he was far bigger, the size of a kaiju.

"Discord!" Twilight said.

Godzilla got ready to charge, but Mothra looked at him, as if telling him not yet.

"You are the force bringing the monsters here!" The Shobijin said.
"Oh are these the little ladies?" Discord asked.
"You know not what you do creature, you are disrupting the natural balance."
"I know! Such disharmony, such chaos, it's really astounding."
"I knew it was you all along Discord!" Twilight shouted.
"Ah, always the resourceful one Twilight Sparkle. It's why I decided to toy with you ponies so much, sending out random monsters at the worst possible times, and sending a fake Zecora to explain things."
"No wonder Zecora disappeared, she was just an illusion!" Spike said,

Discord laughed.

"Of course, none of this would have been possible without my crystal-shouldered friend."

An area was lighted in back of Discord, showcasing a monster. It looked like Godzilla, except it was bulkier, had two large crystals sticking out of its shoulders, and had some kind of yellow crest on its head.

"SpaceGodzilla." The Shobijin said.

SpaceGodzilla roared, but did not move.

"Strange, I can't understand him." Fluttershy thought.

"Wondering why you can't understand, Fluttershy? You see, to make things even more interesting, I gave you the ability to make you understand these wonderful creatures!" Discord said, then laughed again.

SpaceGodzilla stood motionless, he looked bored.

"Now that you're all here, which I'm honestly surprised about, it's time I send out something I've been wanting to send out for awhile. Behold, even I'm about to be impressed."

Discord shot some kind of beam into the roof. A very large portal, the largest anyone had seen, started to open. SpaceGodzilla had been motionless the whole time, but now he seemed alive. He roared which almost sounded like a roar of panic. He shot a Corona beam into the portal, but it was too late. Something was falling from it. The thing struck the ground. It was the largest monster the Ponies had ever seen. It was red, purple, and black. It had two large bat-like wings, which was pretty astonishing if they actually worked because of the creature's size. On its shoulders a horns stuck out, and a very sharp one on its head. There was nothing but red in its eyes. The creature looked liked something straight out of Hell. Fluttershy noticed something in Godzilla's eyes. No one else would have noticed, but since she knew animals and creatures very well, she saw a slight sense of fear in his eyes.

"Destoroyah." The Shobijin said.

"Yes, isn't he just magnificent? The perfect monster aside from my crystal-shouldered friend." Discord said.

SpaceGodzilla didn't say anything.

"Now my demonic friend, why don't you go take care of our guests?" Discord said.

Destoroyah didn't do anything for a moment. Then he turned his head toward Discord.

"What, what are you doing?"

Destoroyah grabbed Discord by the neck. Godzilla roared and took this opportunity to charge toward SpaceGodzilla. Anguirus and Rodan followed. Baragon let down the Ponies and went to join himself.

"Well not much we can do at the moment." Twilight said.

The Shobijin came toward them.

"While you cannot combat them, you are all still needed, look." Lora said, pointing in the distance.

A barrier was there and in it two familiar figures.

"Princess Celestia, Princess Luna!" Twilight said.

Mothra shot a beam, breaking the barrier. The Ponies ran toward the Princesses. They look bruised and battered.

"My dear Twilight Sparkle, I knew you and your friends would come." Princess Celestia said weakly.
"My sister, it's time we send these monsters back to where they come from." Luna said.
"Yes Luna. Despite the crystaled one draining us of our power, combined we should be able to open a portal." Celestia said.

The sisters locked horns. Energy started to appear. They shot a beam passing right by Discord and Destoroyah. The beam opened up a portal. Unlike the other portals, this one had a sucking wind.

"That's my cue." Discord said.

He snapped his fingers and disappeared from the grasp of a surprised Destoroyah. The later started to get sucked in. He fought against it, being one of the strongest monsters in existence. He got ready to shoot a beam, but Mothra stopped him with a beam of her own, striking Destoroyah and sending him into the portal. She called to Godzilla and the other monsters fighting SpaceGodzilla. They responded by backing off and walking back toward the group. SpaceGodzilla didn't follow, rather he was curious of what they were going to do. Then he found out. The Princess moved the portal right in back of him. It started to suck him in. He lifted up his right hand and all of a sudden everyone was lifted off the ground. The portal's sucking wind ceased.

"His gravity powers were never this powerful, his power has grown." Moll said.
"It is because he has been stealing our power." Celestia said.

SpaceGodzilla stood observing, as if he were thinking of what to do with them.

"Please, you your Elements, they are only things that can stop him now." The Shobijin said.

Celestia noticed for the first time that the Ponies had their Elements on.

"Yes my little ponies, concentrate." She said.

Twilight looked up at her element, then nodded.

"Alright girls, concentrate."

All the Ponies closed their eyes, they slowly levitated out of SpaceGodzilla's hold. The latter roared in shock and observed. Twilight opened her eyes, it was filled with nothing but light. A barrier went around them, then a beam combined from the Elements fired. SpaceGodzilla roared and fired his own beam to counter. The beams collided. Due to his concentration on the Ponies, his hold weakened, and Godzilla broke free. He charged up and fired his own beam, striking SpaceGodzilla. The later was too stunned to continue countering and the beam from the Elements struck him, sending him into the portal. The Ponies fell to the ground, tired but relieved.

"Skreeeeeeonk!" Godzilla roared in victory.

End of Act 5

Epilogue

The evening had come, but it was still pretty bright out. Ponyville laid in ruins, but it was over. In the center stood everyone, the monsters, the Mane 6, the Princesses and the Shobijin.

"Thank you, thanks to you Ponies and Princesses the balance has been restored. We shall take our leave now. Farewell!"

Mothra's eyes turned green. From them she shot a beam. It opened up a portal. The Shobijin started to fly in, followed by Mothra, Baragon, Rodan, and Anguirus. Godzilla looked down to see Fluttershy, whom was looking at him smiling. He nodded and preceded into the portal. It closed.

"Well that was quite possibly our coolest adventure yet." Rainbow Dash said.
"Discord is still out there." Twilight said.
"Yes, but let's not worry about him now. We have a lot of rebuilding to do." Princess Celestia said.
"I think a celebration is in order!" Pinkie Pie said.
"Right after we rebuild a bit Pinkie." Applejack said.
"Godzilla was such an amazing creature. He has a really tough exterior, but on the inside, he's really caring." Fluttershy said.
"I still can't get over that monster made of smog!" Rarity said.

Everyone laughed and preceded to get started on rebuilding Ponyville.

The End.

LIMBO Review

LIMBO was once an exclusive Xbox Live Arcade title back in 2009. It later got ported to the PSN (which is how I played it) and Steam. I had heard quite a few interesting things about this game. I've heard how dark (in both senses) it was, and this giant spider that wanted to stab the main character to death. I was always intrigued by the concept, but never bothered to get it. After reading up on it more and how apparently it's a game 'all gamers should play,' I decided to download it for the price of $15. Recently I've managed to complete it, and wow. LIMBO is unlike any other game I've ever have played. It's not just a game, it's an experience. Keeping it from being perfect however is how short it is and not enough story background for interpretation.

Unsure of his sister's fate, a boy enters LIMBO

That's it. Only description of the story you're going to get. So you're kinda going in blind of what to expect, it's interesting. It's one of the things making this game so unique and engaging.You play as this unnamed boy who looks to be maybe 7, and apparently the goal is to find his sister who (now this is just what I think) is in a coma so he goes into the world of LIMBO to find her and...see if she's dead or not? The story is really how you interpret it. There are no 'cutscenes' or things that help you understand what's going on, you're just running. Along the way are many obstacles, and I mean obstacles. Spike traps, pits, boulders, razors that will literally cut you to pieces, among other things. Not to mention that for whatever crazy reason, there's a giant spider that wants to stab you to death. And then in the first act of the game there are these other nameless kids wanting to hunt you down. It's crazy, utter lunacy. It's a haunting game since you literally have no idea of what to expect. There's no intro or anything like that, it just starts with the boy waking up in a forest. From their the fun (or rather nightmare) begins.

This is a side-scrolling puzzle game. The puzzles are some of the smartest I've seen in a video game. For example, on one I kept trying to figure out over and over again until I decided to quit and try it the next day.  It was then that I figured it out. (Remember, when stuck on something, sometimes it's best to take a day break!) It's a really smart game that challenges your intelligence. Let's not forget the eerie feeling it gives. First you'll notice it's in black and white, with a very 'low' soundtrack. What I mean by that is the music isn't really a main focus, there are very few themes. Instead they're used sometimes to compliment the scene or make you feel prepared for something. In many instances you're most likely going to die a gruesome death before figuring out the puzzle, whether it being squished, drowning, or getting cut to pieces. It isn't gory, but it is a rather violent sight to behold. It really makes you want to avoid dying at all costs.

The first act is definitely something you won't be forgetting anytime soon. You're dropped in a black and white world, you have no idea what's happening. This game doesn't give you any warning, you're walking straight and then you see a boulder coming down, giving you a micro second to jump away. And then you run into the giant spider in a "Whoa, what the heck is that?" sequence as it tries to stab you. The most heart-pounding parts is when that thing chases you. Then the game decides to show you that you're not the only alive thing there, there are a bunch of other kids wanting to kill you for whatever reason. The first time we see one of them, they're running away and you're like "What the..." And then to make you wish you never should have bought this game, it treats you to a bunch of dead kids throughout the first act. Some that had drowned in the water, some dead from being hanged, and some in cages. Such nice sights to take in while playing at midnight. This is what LIMBO is all about, a creepy horror game that doesn't rely on gory scares, but rather subtle, simple scares thanks to the eeriness of it all.

Unfortunately, the game is really short. If you're really determined and have some hours to spare, you can beat it on a Friday night. I was shocked when I beat it so soon. The second act relies more on its puzzles than its eerie vibe, which I was kinda disappointed by. In the second act you no longer run into any of those crazy kids or any spiders. The ending is interesting, but too sudden. You don't feel quite satisfied when it changes to the credits. People have made lots of interpretations, but really, everything is too vague. Now for an 'open' game like this, I don't expect specific details, but I think more clues or something should been added. We have no idea what these kids mean, or the spider, or the ending. There's symbolism., but I would have liked a few more clues so the player can interpret it better. (I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think this game could use a sequel.) But overall, LIMBO is a game that yes, all gamers should play. It's an experience you won't be forgetting anytime soon. Unfortunately due to its short length and lack of clues for interpretation, it's not perfect. With a longer length and just a drop of more story, it would have been perfect. It's still worth the buy, so whether it be on the PS3, Xbox 360, or PC, you should give LIMBO a go.

8/10

Coraline Review

Part family movie, part horror, part fantasy, part haunted house, Coraline fits into quite a few genres. This rather unique adventure came out three years ago. I remember the hype for it being it one creepy little stop motion film in the vein of The Nightmare Before Christmas or Corpse's Bride. I had always been curious about this film, but never got a chance to watch it. Three years later, I decided to give it a go. Coraline is one of the most unique films I've ever seen. It's visually entertaining, and the story is really engaging. Want a good movie to watch over the weekend with the family? I recommend checking out this imaginative masterpiece.

'From the director of The Nightmare Before Christmas.' All these years I thought Tim Burton had directed that classic, only after watching this film I realized he hadn't. So during this movie, I thought he was the one behind it. The story is also something you'd expect from a stop motion Burton film. It's deep and has hidden meanings from how you interpret it. Coraline as you guessed is the main focus, we're introduced to her and her parents early on. Turns out she just moved to a place in pretty much the middle of nowhere. After meeting with a boy named Wyborne, she gets a 'gift' in front of her door. It's a doll that looks mysteriously like her. In the house she finds a rather small door. Upon opening it, there's just brick wall. Well that's the end of that, right? No. Once she she falls asleep, these mice come into her room, then run away. She follows them to the door. Upon opening it this time, she finds a circulating tunnel. On the other side is her house, except it's in less disarray and looks like a dream place. Her parents are everything she wants them to be...minus the odd looking buttons for their eyes. It seems like a dream come true, everyone and everything caters to her every need. But life can't be that perfect, right? Of course not. "Be careful what you wish for..." for the 'Other Mother' wants to EAT YOUR SOUL.

Quite the intriguing premise. This film does an excellent job establishing the characters and their quirks. Coraline at first is portrayed as a little unlikable, then we see that her parents barely pay attention to her at the moment since they all just moved in. As the film goes on she learns humility and appreciates her parents. (Especially after the Other Mother tries to practically destroy her!) Stop motion films aren't quite abundant, so when they do come, people look forward to them. (Frankenweenie.) CGI wouldn't be able to accomplish the atmosphere stop motion gives this film, it's quite a spectacle. A highlight is the garden unfolding in the 'Other World.' I also like how detailed the facial expressions are. One minute Coraline is smiling and the next she could be looking pretty mad. CGI also wouldn't be able to accomplish the creepy transformation of the 'Other Mother,' or 'Beldam' as the Ghost Children like to call her. There are some really interesting characters in this. We have Wyborne, whom we can tell has a little crush on Coraline after meeting her. He's a rather strange one, with head usually cocked sideways. His 'Other Self' is a pretty good character. (Considering that he's mute there, that's a pretty big feat.) There's also the downstairs neighbors, these elderly retired actresses, Miss Spink and Miss Forcible. They're rather exotic, which is thanks to the fantastic voice work. (They're also fortune tellers!) Then there's Mr. Bobinsky, circus performer. He's the 'smart one,' the one the audience likes for his charisma. A negative with the film is that he's really underused. He gets one major scene, then that's pretty much it. He could have used a little more of a role. (His Other self gets a better role, but it would have been good if he did more in the real world.) Then there's one of my personal favorite characters, the Cat. He knows what's going on, the writing is triple A plus. (Yes, he talks...well only in the Other World.) Whether or not he was inspired by the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland is up for debate, (they do have similar roles and talk similar) there's no denying that he's one of the big pluses in the film. Whenever he's chatting with Coraline in the Other World, it's good stuff.

Going into Coraline I didn't know what to expect in terms of villains. I knew from the trailers they showed her parents with the creepy buttons for eyes, so I had always assumed the 'villain' was some kind of warped other dimension. Turns out it's another world created by the 'Other Mother' or Beldam. (I can't decide what to call her!) She watches children who are unhappy through a doll that looks like them, entices them with a dream world in the little door, convinces them to sew their eyes with buttons, then...eats their souls. The transformation from Coraline's normal looking mom to that deranged thing was pretty horrifying, (thanks to the wonders of stop motion!) and the writing is phenomenal. An evil, but not mindless creature. Smart and cunning. Which brings me to a point...Coraline didn't act surprised enough when she saw that her 'parents' had buttons. It seemed like she just went with the flow. And later while trying to get the rat with one of the eyes, she actually throws the green seeing stone. What? I don't think anyone would risk losing something that important like that. Nothing major of course, just a couple of things worth pointing out. I also think we should have gotten a little bit of an origin for the Other Mother and the world she created.

Dakota Fanning does the voice work for the title character, an excellent job. She can display happiness, anger, and sadness all very well. The film's soundtrack is what you get when you grab a classic Disney film's and darken it. From the more light-hearted themes to the creepy orchestrated ones, they compliment the film. (I would have liked to hear some choir in there, but that's just me.) What really makes this film special and stand out is the atmosphere and how it draws the viewer in. You have no idea what's coming. It's little things like the doll observing from the window that adds to the creepy atmosphere.

Overall, Coraline is what I consider to be a 'real' movie. There's a lot of thought put into the plot, (unintentional rhyme) the characters are great, and the story itself is engaging. I haven't seen a film like this in awhile. Visually it's entertaining, with amazing visuals that only stop motion can capture. Let's not forget the creepy factor. It's really quite unnerving sometimes, which is impressive. With a great main character and fantastic antagonist, Coraline is a movie I recommend to everyone. It doesn't disappoint in the slightest.

9/10

Batman #13 Review

Death of the Family is arguably (or is it really arguable?) the most awaited story from DC Comics this year. Last year when The New 52 launched, one of their first titles was Detective Comics. And what better way to start it than have Batman battle his greatest enemy? In it we saw a very unexpected thing happen, the Joker had a villain named Doll Maker cut off his face. (What a haunting last page.) So as the issues went on people were wondering when that plot would surface again. A few months ago it was finally announced it would be returning in Batman as opposed to Detective. Now that was disappointing for the Detective readers, one of the main reasons why they had been the series was for that plot to come back, so others like myself has dropped the book and migrated over to this one. With all that aside, this story had great hype, with claims saying it would challenge the legendary Joker stories such as The Killing Joke. After reading the issue, I can definitely say it's one of the greatest comics I've ever read. This looks to go down as a classic story for future generations.

Here's the official description from DC Comics:

The Joker returns in 'DEATH OF THE FAMILY'!
He crippled Batgirl. He killed Robin. What will The Joker do now that he's returned to Gotham City? What must Batman do to protect his secret identity and that of those who fight alongside him? 

Joker is the type of character that never gets old. In this day and age, bring him into any story, you can expect people to get excited. Under a good writer, he can be one of comics' best villains. It's no different here with Scott Snyder, his Joker is amazingly written. Ever get chills when reading a comic? No? Then you must read this one. The Joker is at his finest, literally creeping out the reader and just being a blast to read. (You'll catch yourself smirking at some of the jokes.) One of the parts that really got to me was when he was explaining to Commissioner Gordon how he knows everything. You begin to wonder if he's telling the truth or just saying that to get to the Commissioner. Snyder's handle on Batman is much greater than that of Geoff Johns on Justice League and Tony S. Daniel over at Detective Comics. Ultra serious, but with a hint of emotion. It also amazes me that after all these years Joker is still able to surprise and confuse the whole cast.


Greg Capullo's art doesn't fail to impress. Joker with his buckled face looks extremely deranged. (I hope you're ready for the last page.) A nice touch is the how deranged the font is for when Joker talks. The thing about a lot of major Joker stories is that you, the reader, have absolutely no idea what happens next, it's no different here. The surprises keep rolling in. It's like we're Batman and we're discovering just as he's discovering them. "He's taking it back to where it all started..." I don't think we've seen a Joker like this since Grant Morrison's R.I.P. story. The main cover is unique, a flip one. It has Joker's face attached to  Batman. The alternate one is also very good. The 'backup' story really adds to the overall plot. Snyder doesn't fail to impress with the Joker in it. (Seriously, excellent writing. In its own demented way, it could get a little funny sometimes.)

Overall, Batman #13 is the start of what looks to be one of the greatest Batman stories ever. The Joker has never been more cruel and such a blast to read. Of course it's all also the characters whom are affected by his menace that's interesting to read. I haven't seen Commissioner Gordon try to hide fear like this in awhile. (I like how he asks Batman if his fear is showing. Also Batman's narration boxes are brilliant.) If you've never read a Batman comic, or any comic for that matter, this would be a really good place to start, things are only going to get better. (Or worst in Batman's case.)

5/5

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fan Fic: 'Futuristic Endeavor'

It was a sunny day in the land of Equestria. The residents at Ponyville were happily walking around, shopping, having lunch, all the while birds chirped to the glorious weather. Just outside the village was a grass land, perfect for relaxation spots. By a large tree is where the Mane 6, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash had their usual picnics, today was one of their outings. They had a large red and white quilt with food and apple treats made by Applejack herself. It was peaceful as the ponies talked among themselves.

Then they heard a noise.

"What was that?" Rarity popped up.
"It sounds like it's coming from that bush." Twilight answered.

By this time all the Ponies were up and were staring at the lone bush in front of them. Being a pony of curiosity and bravery, Twilight was the first to say,

"I'll go check it out."

Fluttershy flew by Twilight's side.

"Oh dear, don't you think we should go better prepared? It could be a monster."
"No time, whatever that noise is, it could be a danger to Ponyville, and all of Equestria for that matter." Twilight answered.
"Then let's go check it out already!" Rainbow Dash jumped up.
"Alright y'all, let's follow Twilight." Applejack said.
"Ooooh, this could be fun depending on what type of monster it is!" Pinkie Pie said.

After two years of many dangerous threats, the Ponies knew not to take any monstrous noise lightly. They started to walk toward the unusually large bush with Twilight in the lead. Once they got there, Twilight removed the bush with her magic. What they saw was something they had never seen before. It was green and and kept circulating.

"What is that thing?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"It's a portal, I read about those in one of my books." Twilight said.
"Don't get too close Twi." Applejack said.
"Not too close AJ, just close enough to observe." Twilight said as she took a few steps closer. "I have never seen of these before, look how it circulates, I wonder where it lea-"

Before she could finish, she was starting to get sucked in! Twilight yelled as she was lifted off the ground. The Ponies were only in shock for but a moment.

"Rainbow!" Applejack shouted.
"On it!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

The Pegasus zoomed toward Twilight and the closing portal. But it was too late. The portal closed right before Rainbow could get to Twilight and she crashed to the ground. That's when the Ponies started to panic.

"Oh dear! What do we do?" Fluttershy wanted to know.
"What if Twilight can't get back? Where did she go?" Rarity said.
"Take it easy y'all, Twilight's not gone for good. We'll find a way to bring her back. Somehow." Applejack tried sounding optimistic.

Pinkie Pie jumped in front of them.

"I have an idea! Maybe we can go to Twilight's house and find the book on portals, we might be able to create our own portal!"
"That idea Pinkie Pie will have to do. We should also let Princess Celestia know." Applejack said.
"What about Spike?" Rarity asked.
"We're going to have to let him know anyway since he'll be at Twilight's house. Let's not break it so bluntly to him. Let's go everypony!" Applejack said.

And with that, the Ponies raced back to Ponyville in hopes of finding a way to bring back their friend.

End of Act 1

Twilight awoke.

She had been unconscious for an indefinite amount of time. She stood up and looked around. It was the same area, but something seemed different.

"Looks like that portal didn't bring me too far, I'm still in the same spot, I could see Ponyvil-" She stopped talking when she noticed the tree. It looked dead. That was odd she thought, in fact, she started to notice how dark red the sky was.

"Something that doesn't seem right here, why does everything look so....dead?"

She noticed the trees in the distance looked withered. There was a dead silence in the atmosphere, no birds chirped and there was no sign of any animals. Twilight decided to head into Ponyville in hopes of seeing something, well, normal. It was a short walking distance, in less than 20 seconds, she had entered the village. It was a ghostown.

"Where is everypony?" She thought.

But then she saw why it was deserted. Buildings were crumbled, glass shattered. It looked like no one had been there in awhile.

"What could have done all this? It looks like some sort of hurricane had struck." Twilight said.

And then she saw it. She saw the thing that changed everything.

"No, it can't be." She said as her wide eyes widened.

Standing in front of her was a large stone statue of Queen Chrysalis. Twilight took a few steps back to gaze at it, the Queen was on her two back hoofs in a triumph pose. And then all around Twilight Changelings flew in. There were at least twenty of them in the air looking down on her.

"HALT, TWILIGHT SPARKLE! IN THE NAME OF THE QUEEN YOU WILL COME TO SERVE HER!" They all shouted in sync voice.

Twilight looked around, she knew she couldn't beat so many of them all by herself, yet she wasn't one to surrender so easily. She lowered her head and got her horn ready to shoot. But before all heck broke loose, a couple of Changelings were disintegrated by a blast. Twilight and the other Changelings looked. Something was flying full speed toward them. It was a blur of blue when it grabbed Twilight onto its back.

"AFTER THEM!" One of the Changelings shouted.

Once Twilight got her senses back together, she saw who she was riding on.

"Princess Luna!"
"No time to talk Twilight." The Princess of the Night replied.

There were Changelings following them at high speed. And then in front some appeared. Princess Luna shot a beam from her horn, disintegrating them. But out of nowhere a Changeling was coming from the side. Twilight back-hoofed it then disintegrated it with a blast. Luna smiled at the fact of what a fighter Twilight was. The Princess then turned around to face the oncoming onslaught of Changelings.

"Hold on tight." She said as she charged up.

The Princess shot a shockwave which eradicated the charging Changelings. With Twilight holding on tight, Luna charged into the ground. They went deep underground...

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Canterlot Castle was once a beautiful building, but now it was red and purple, with large spikes on the roofs. It no longer looked like a castle for a princess...it looked like a demon's castle. Entering the front door was a Changeling. It flew into the throne room of Queen Chrysalis. It lowered to the ground and bowed.

"My Queen, I bring news." The Changeling said.
"News, my Changeling? Just what news do you have for me? Queen Chrysalis said while sitting on her throne. The Changeling then spoke.

"The one called Twilight Sparkle has returned, my Queen. We attempted to capture her, but the one called Luna manged to grab her and escape."

Queen Chrysalis was caught off guard, she was still thinking about that first line. She stood up.

"Twilight Sparkle has returned? Impossible! She hasn't been seen in over ten years, why would she decide to appear now?"

The Queen then started to walk down the stairs from her throne. She spoke in an especially cold voice.

"I want Twilight Sparkle disposed of. Send all available Changelings and find her."
"It shall be done my Queen."

With that, the dark creature zoomed back outside. Queen Chrysalis sat back on her throne.

"So the so-called most powerful of the Ponies has returned. It doesn't matter, nothing can stop me."

She peered to her right to see a familiar looking statue.

"If Twilight thinks friendship is magic and that it can stop me, she's in for a surprise. I, Queen Chrysalis, rule Equestria. Those rebels and her will not matter in the slightest, bwhahahahaha!"

End of Act 2

Twilight had never been in the underground caverns of Ponyville. She kept asking Luna what was happening, but the Princess said it'll be explained once they reach the others. So Twilight followed her in a narrow, dimly lit tunnel. Finally, they reached a slightly brighter area. There were a few tunnels leading elsewhere.

"Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, I brought someone special!" Luna shouted. Soon a sound of running hooves were heard coming. Out of the front tunnel came out Applejack. She stopped running as her eyes widened.

"What in tarnation? Twilight!"
She ran and hugged Twilight so hard they fell to the ground.

"I'm so happy to see you Applejack! Ponyville's deserted, there are Changelings and a statue of..."

"Twilight!" Two voices shouted.

Those two voices belonged to Rarity and Fluttershy. They were both already hugging Twilight. After the greetings, Rarity was the first to speak.

"Twilight, darling, why do you look so young?"
"What do you mean?"
"We thought we lost you, after all these years..." Fluttershy said.
"Wait, years?"

And then Twilight began to notice. Her friends looked older, and injured. Applejack had an eye-patch around her left eye, Rarity's horn was bandaged, as was both of Fluttershy's wings.

"What happen to you girls? What happened to all of Ponyville?!" Twilight shouted.
"Ever since you vanished into the portal, sugar cube, things have changed." Applejack explained.
"Portal...Princess Luna, what year is it.?" Twilight asked.

The Princess looked at Twilight rather strangely.

"2027."

Twilight took a few steps back.

"I see now! Girls, that portal, it sent me to the future! Now it all makes sense."

The three ponies looked at each other.

"Now the question is what happened to this place and everypony? Where's Rainbow and Pinkie?"

Applejack was about to explain, but Luna intervened.

"No need to explain Applejack, I will. As you saw Twilight, there's a giant statue of Queen Chrysalis in the center of Ponyville. She returned from wherever she came from eight years ago. With you gone, the Elements of Harmony were useless. Her first targets were Cadence and Shining Armor.

Twilight began to understand what was happening as she held back tears.

"Soon after, the Changelings invaded Ponyville. None of the residents were prepared. Soon my sister, myself, and the rest of your friends met at Canterlot Castle to discuss what to do. But then Chrysalis barged into the room. Me and my sister fought bravely, but somehow the witch had gotten stronger. She was overpowering us. Rainbow Dash was the first to attack once we were down. It was in vain. But instead of destroying her, Chrysalis turned her into a statue. And then out of nowhere she shot a beam at Pinkie Pie, instantly making her a mindless slave. When me and my sister got up, she asked me to go. I told her I would fight by her side, but she made me promise to keep your friends safe from Queen Chrysalis's wrath. So reluctantly I led the three remaining ponies out to this underground cavern as my sister sacrificed her life to make sure we had enough time to escape and find shelter."

"We tried to go back and fight, several times, but each time we were forced to retreat." Applejack said glumly.

Twilight turned around and walked a few steps. She had never thought what a world without Princess Celestia would be like.

"Uh, Twi..." Fluttershy began.

"Now that I'm here," Twilight turned around, "We'll go to Canterlot Castle and use the Elements of Harmony on Queen Chrysalis!"

The ponies and Luna looked each at each other.

"Not to sound like a pessimist dear, but how can we use the Elements without Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie?"

"That's precisely it Rarity, we need them. We're going to storm the castle and rescue them. We need the Elements."

Princess Luna then flew to a tunnel on top and came back moments later holding a book. She gave it to Twilight who then opened it. The Elements shined brightly. Twilight put her's on. She gave the others their's.

"With that settled, now it's about getting into the castle."
"I can take care of that Twilight Sparkle." Princess Luna said.

Twilight looked up.

"Maybe the portal dropped me here for a reason. It's time to take the fight to Queen Chrysalis, for Princess Celestia, for Cadence, for my bother, for all of Equestria!"

And for the first time in eight years, the ponies had a glint of hope in their eyes. The time was set, Twilight and Applejack flew on Princess Luna while Fluttershy carried Rarity. They were on their way to Canterlot Castle.

End of Act 3

Lightning struck Equestria, but no rain came. Inside the dark castle sat Queen Chrysalis. Suddenly a Changeling burst into the room.

"My queen! Twilight Spark-"

Before it could finish, a blast disintegrated it. Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, and Princess Luna walked into the room. Queen Chrysalis laughed.

"Twilight Sparkle, it's been many years. Tell me, what made you decide to come back?"
"Enough Queen Chrysalis. We have the Elements of Harmony, we're going to put an end to your reign of terror!"

The Queen laughed as lightning struck.

"My dear Twilight, you think mere necklaces can stop me? You can't even use them since you're missing Loyalty and Laughter."

She looked to her right. Rainbow Dash stood there, in a flying pose, as a stone statue. Then the Queen looked to her right. Out of the shadows emerged Pinkie Pie. She looked normal except for one thing, inside her eyes were rainbows going round and round instead of pupils.

"I'm surprised at you Luna, bringing in the last of your kind to their doom, bwhahaha."
"Chrysalis, you shouldn't claim victory until you have it."
The Princess then looked at Twilight.

"Go Fluttershy!" Twilight shouted.

There was a blur of yellow and pink. Fluttershy reached Rainbow Dash and dropped her Element onto her neck. She then flew back to stand with the others.

"What's this?" Queen Chrysalis said.

The statue started to crack, crack, and crack some more. And then it cracked all the way, revealing Rainbow Dash in all her blue glory. She turned to Queen Chrysalis.

"This is for Princess Celestia!" She shouted.

She flew and gave the Queen a solid right cross to the jaw, knocking her over. Rainbow Dash went to stand with the others.

"Twilight, how are you-"
"No time to explain Rainbow, look!"

A horde of Changelings were swarming through the windows. Queen Chrysalis stood back up.

"Hahaha, fools! Don't think victory is within your grasp. My Changelings will be enough to shred you all to pieces! And I'll even make the pink one help."

After that was said, Pinkie started to walk toward the heroes with the Changelings.

"As planned, I will hold off Queen Chrysalis as you and others beat the Changelings and free Pinkie." Princess Luna said with her head lowered to Twilight. Twilight nodded, and Luna flew toward the Queen, who was laughing it up. Now Twilight and others turned to face the Changelings and Pinkie Pie, who was still walking toward them like a zombie.

"Alright everypony, we have to get Pinkie's element on her while also taking care of the Changelings."
"On it!" Rainbow Dash said.

The Changelings were approaching with Pinkie Pie walking in front. Twilight shot a few beams from her horn, disintegrating some of them. Rainbow Dash then zoomed and tackled Pinkie to the ground.

"Alright Pinkie, time to turn you back to normal!" She said as she was about to put Pinkie's Element on her.

But Pinkie then headbutted Rainbow, making the later dizzy. She then round-kicked her away.

"Oh dear." Fluttershy said as she watched the whole thing. Applejack was next on the scene, grabbing Pinkie's element and cornering her.

"Pinkie, would you stand still? We're trying to help you!"

Pinkie didn't answer nor could she. Applejack ran toward her. Pinkie stood there, then upper-cutted Applejack away. Meanwhile Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy were taking care of the few remaining Changelings.

"Fluttershy! You and Rainbow Dash hold Pinkie down as Applejack puts her Element on her!" Twilight ordered.

"Got it!" Fluttershy responded.

Fluttershy was once very shy, but over the years she has gained a great confidence, being one of the only Pegasus left. She zoomed and tackled Pinkie from behind. Rainbow Dash joined in on holding her down.

"Please forgive us Pinkie."
"She can't understand you Fluttershy."
"I know, but it's always nice to apologize."
"Would y'all just hold your moral implications for a sec?" Applejack said as she jumped in.

She put Pinkie's Element on, all the while with the latter struggling to break free. Once it was on, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash stepped back. The rainbow circles in Pinkie's eyes ceased. But instead of actinng like her cheerful self, she had an expression of great anger. She jumped and started pulverizing the few remaining Changelings. The other Ponies just stood and watched as an enraged Pinkie Pie let the Changelings have it. After a few moments, they were on the ground defeated. Pinkie Pie breathed with steam.

"Uh, Pinkie?"
"Twilight!!!!!!!!!!!!" Pinkie shouted as her expression changed from anger to her normal bright and cheerful smile.

She gave Twilight a big hug. All the other Ponies smiled. But then they saw Luna get thrown to the ground.

"Hahahahaha, after all these years, was that truly the best you could do Luna?" Queen Chrysalis laughed as thunder struck.

Twilight turned to her friends.

"Alright, it's been some time, but concentrate. Let the Elements of Harmony do their work."

The rest of the Mane 6 nodded and closed their eyes. They started to float as a barrier went around them.

"What's this?" Queen Chrysalis said.

Twilight opened her eyes, it was filled with nothing but light. From the barrier a large beam was fired.

"No, no!" Queen Chrysalis shouted.

She then fired her own beam. The two blasts struck. The Queen was actually managing to hold her own against it. But then Princess Luna got up and joined in with her own beam. Now it was easily approaching the Queen.

"This, this can't be happening! I'm Queen of the Changelings, I'm..."

Before she could finish being in denial, the beams struck, wiping out Queen Chrysalis for good. The Ponies levitated to the ground. They all breathed heavily and looked at each other. They nodded, as did Princess Luna.

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It was a cool dark night in Canterlot Gardens. The Ponies and Luna were enjoying the breeze.

"So what now Princess Luna?" Twilight asked.
"With Queen Chrysalis gone, we'll rebuild. It'll take awhile, but we'll bring Equestria back to its former glory."
"What about you Twilight?" Rarity asked.

 Twilight looked behind herself.

"I'm not sure, I belong in the past, not here. But you all need me here to rebuild. Besides, there's no way for me to get back."

All of sudden a noise was heard.

"That's a similar noise of when the portal appeared. Could it be..."

And then in front of everyone a portal opened. Twilight peered inside, it showed her friends standing at the same picnic spot.

"Go, Twilight Sparkle. You belong in your own time." Princess Luna said.

Twilight turned to her friends, all of them were trying to hold back tears. She went and hugged every one of them.

"Even though we only got to see you for today after so many years, it will be a day we'll never forget. Right y'all?"

The other Ponies nodded with enthusiasm. Twilight walked into the portal. It started to slowly close. She turned around to say one more goodbye, then remembered something.

"What happened to Spike!" She shouted.
"Spike became a full grown dragon and--" Before Princess Luna could finish, the portal closed and Twilight was back in the picnic area. The other Ponies turned around and ran toward their found friend

"It worked! My portal idea worked!" Pinkie Pie shouted with enthusiasm.
"It's good to have you back Twilight." Rarity said.
"Ohhh, but where did the portal take you?" Fluttershy wanted to know.
"It's a long story girls, a long story."

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Later that day in the spa, Twilight told her story for the third time.

"But I do have one question, where did that portal come from in the first place?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"That Rainbow Dash is a mystery we might never be able to solve."

And in the distance at that very moment, somewhere unknown, the laugh of Discord was heard.

End of Act 4

Epilogue

"Wake up Spike!" Twilight said as she entered her room.
"Huh, wuzzat?" Spike said sleepily as he stood up.
"I have a letter to do, get ready to send it." Twilight said.
Spike yawned as Twilight took out the quill and paper. She dipped the quill into ink and started to write.

"Dear Princess Celestia, today I learned that a friend could bring hope to what looks like an impossible situation. When you're down, a friend can make the difference. No one can change the future, but with friends, the present can be more fun."

The End
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Well, if you read the whole thing, thanks. The story was inspired by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episode 'Same as it Never Was.' I've been wanting to write a fan fic with these characters for awhile. Since it was fun to write and I think it came out okay, I have plans for another one. Except this time it'll be a crossover with the Mane 6 and a certain giant monster whose name starts with a G...