> Destiny's Awakening
>  by Strange Harmony
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Awakening
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                                                               

Awakening




(Soon to be rewritten, along with chapters 2 and 3)



Equestria is a land ruled by friendship and harmony and it has seen its fair share of conflicts. In the end, however, the power of harmony always triumphed. Normally, the ponies of Equestria live happy and easy-going lives. They all do what they love and they feel safe knowing there is a powerful group of friends who wield the most powerful magic known to Equestria; the magic of Friendship. Equestria has already survived the incarnation of envy, a mad king seeking to enslave an entire kingdom, a creature who almost managed to destroy the magic of friendship, and a Queen who managed to become stronger than Celestia herself. What then, could be worse? What then, could be more powerful? The answer, dear reader, is a frightening one…


Discord walked peacefully under the pleasant spring sun. He was enjoying his new life has one of the “good guys”. Every now and then he liked to pull a couple of pranks for his amusement. These pranks meant everything from a harmless joke on some ponies, to actions which ultimately had bigger consequences than anticipated. When Celestia gave him a break from experimenting with his powers for “the greater good” he liked to wonder off far away and find a nice place to relax (maybe cause some mischief). The hill he was on right now was a new one to him. There were many trees and flowers everywhere. The sweet scent of spring came from every direction. The sun above him was perfect and it was an all-around perfect day. The only thing missing from the perfect spring scene were the animals. He found a particularly comfortable looking shadow under a tree and sat down to think.


“It’s been a while since I caused any trouble. I think it’s time for me to do something about that,” he said to himself.
Looking around he looked for a creature to turn into his minion for a bit of chaotic fun. While there were no creatures in the vicinity he did catch a glimpse of some ruins in the distance. This caught his attention and he decided to investigate.
Upon reaching the site, he discovered they weren't ruins but rather the remains of several machines that appeared to be built to wage war.


He saw several white banners bearing Celestia's cutie mark, but there were also black banners with a symbol bearing an eclipse over what appeared to be Celestia's sun. He didn't recognize it and wondered what it represented. Exploring deeper into what had once clearly been a field of battle he saw several grisly sights. He saw the aftermath of confrontations which must have ended tragically for either side. He saw a few bones scattered around and suits of armor which had been trashed. He couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for whatever pony had been part of this conundrum. He saw the edge of the hill approaching. Not knowing what to expect because of what he had just seen he decided to take a peek at whatever was down the hill. He recoiled from what he saw. An enormous field was before him. Just like the hill he was on this field contained the remains of many contraptions of war, several banners bearing the two symbols, and other things that indicated a great battle once took place here. 


He noticed some of the rubble had been vandalized and some of the things there had been clearly stripped of anything of value. Most likely the work of wondering ponies. As he walked through the decimated battle field he felt a presence in the air…an evil presence. He couldn't explain it but he enjoyed this feeling. It reminded him of how fun it was to be evil, that is, when your not turned to stone. As he walked he tripped on something.


“OW! Great way to ruin a nice walk down memory lane,” he muttered to himself.


He picked up whatever he tripped over and discovered it was a piece of armor. It appeared to be the front part of a chest plate. In the plate he saw the mysterious symbol he couldn’t recognize. But unlike the other armor he saw, this one was beautifully decorated. The symbol was outlined with gold and the plate had several gorgeous Jet black diamonds in it.  He couldn’t help but stare at the piece of armor. He must have stood there for several minutes looking at the armor as if in a trance. Then…


“What brings thee to this forgotten no man’s land?” asked a beautiful voice that resonated with power.


“What? Who said that?” asked Discord looking around puzzled.


“’Tis I traveler,” responded the voice.


At this point Discord realized the voice was in his head. When he looked down at plate of armor again he couldn't believe what he was seeing. The metal plate had what appeared to be fog in the surface. In this fog there were a glowing set of eyes.


“HAAA!” screamed Discord and dropped the plate.


“Do not be scared traveler” said the voice. “Do not run away like everypony else that sees me. I am but an unlucky soul bound to this accursed piece of armor by the war you see but the rubbles of.”


He now felt a little uneasy in this place. The presence of evil lingered…yet those eyes commanded him to stay. “I should really get going. I think the princess is calling. Oh, what is it Celestia? I’ll be right there.” Said Discord in a slipshod excuse for leaving that place. Although a force he couldn’t explain made him want to stay there he started to slowly walk away but heard to voice say: “Do you like pranks traveler.”


Discord stopped and looked at the plate. “Yeeesss. How would you know that”.


“OH JOY!” exclaimed the piece of armor. “A fellow prankster. I have always been able to read individuals like yourself. You know, pulling pranks was one of my favorite things to do.”


“Was?” Asked Discord half-heartedly.


“Yes. I was a regular earth pony in a village when I was called to fight in this terrible war. At one point during the fighting I encountered a unicorn who POOF! Zapped me with some sort of spell. Next thing I knew I was a piece of armor laying on the ground. What sort of spell would do something like that?” Spoke the voice with a touch of sadness.


“That does sound kind of unfortunate” said Discord “Wish there was something I could help you.” He said and continued walking.


“Actually. There is. Before coming here I studied every aspect of war. Including magic. I realize I am an earth pony and can’t use it but I was always curious about it. As you can imagine I have had some time to think. And I believe to have devised a spell that can break me from this curse. I need the help of someone who CAN use magic however. In this case it is thy help I seek. I know your kind is adept with magic.” A tone of hope had entered the voice.


Discord thought about it skeptically. I am one of the good guys now, and if I help this pony maybe I could get something good out of it. Like a new side-kick. “Alright, I shall help you.” Said Discord blinded by the ideas floating in his head.


“Repeat after me and try to keep up it is a very long spell.” Said the voice and started reciting magic words. Discord followed the pony’s words syllable by syllable. Several seconds passed after he finished casting the spell but nothing seemed to happen.


“Well pony, I guess you are bound to live the rest of eternity in that piece of armor.” He began. “Pony? Where did you go? Humph. Maybe it did work. There's my good deed for the day” He said and started walking away. He hadn't gone far when a sharp pain shot through his head. His knees buckled and he seemed to lose control of his limbs.“HAAAAAAA!” Roared Discord in agony.


He fell and rolled over on his back. When he looked to his right there stood a tall grey figure over him surrounded by a bright light. Through the sweat falling in his eyes Discord managed to see it was an Alicorn. The presence of nostalgic evil Discord felt had been replaced by terror and confusion. 


“By freeing me from the prison I was forced to trap myself in you have sealed the fate of this land in ashes! For this I thank thee Discord. Now rise and take your place has my new slave…” said the Alicorn with an ice cold voice that sent a grave chill down his spine.


“WHO ARE YOU! HOW DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?” Discord screamed frantically as he tried to free himself from whatever force had taken hold of him.


“That is none of your concern puppet”


Discord tried to teleport himself out of there, but trying to use magic only made an agonizing pain shoot through his entire body. “What do you want from me?” asked Discord.


“You are a speck of dust to me. You are my puppet, a mere tool for me to use in my ploy to exact revenge upon this land. I will break the meaningless cycle that is life for what it has done to me.” 


Discords consciousness faded away and in his place a mindless puppet stood up. 


“Now…let’s see how the cycle has changed the land and how the ponies of the land cope with their new destiny. A destiny…covered in blood…”


Part II


Two ponies, with bags around their necks, soar through the sky with Canterlot faintly in the background. As the two ponies fly through the sky they do spins and twirls in attempt to prove who is better. One is a pink mare with a red and light pink mane, the other is a dark blue Stallion with an even darker blue and red mane. The mares cutie mark is a flaming trophy in the shape of a pegasus with the number one shining brightly on it. The stallions cutie mark is a trio of stars with a red on in the middle shining brightly. 


"Hey where are we going again?" The stallion says as he catches up to his pink friend. 


"We're going to Phillydelphia to try their Equestria famous Fillydelphies remember?" The mare responds. 


The stallion looks saddened, "You know who would've loved to visit with us?" 


The mare looks at him with the same saddened expression, "Not now..." 


Clearing his throat the stallion looks forward and says, "So have you ever been to this place?" 


"No but I've heard nice things." 


"Like?" 


The mare pulls out a journal from her bag, and flips a few pages. "I remember Mom and dad telling me about this place one night when I couldn't sleep." She says as she keeps flipping pages until she comes to a stop. 


"I also read plenty of reviews from other ponies who visit here from time to time. They've all said that 'Phillydelphia was a gorgeous, luxurious city. There were giant buildings that called for attention and had many pleasant looking shops to spend an afternoon at. There were parks full of beautiful birds and monuments to great ponies. An aura of culture and civilization could be felt in the air. The delicious smell of feed was ever so present in the air.'" 


The stallion scratches his head, "Where are those country famous Fillydelphies I keep hearing about? " 


"Hmm..." The mare flips through all her pages and says, "I have nothing about them in here but that just makes me even more excited about trying them!" 


The stallion laughs, "Try not to explode ok?" Both ponies look forward and their eyes grow very wide as they slowly come to a stop on a road leading into a large, beautiful city. Large beautiful trees were centered all over the city. Plenty of parks could be seen upon entering the city which were filled with families. The city was everything any pony could have dreamed of! 


Both ponies stood in awe and spoke in unison, "This place is amazing…"


The stallion shakes his head, "Now wheres the bakery...?" 


The mare begins to look around with him. They find the nearest pony who appears to know where he is going and decide to ask for help. "Let's ask him, maybe he's seen it." 


The stallion nods. "Right!" They begin to walk up to the unicorn. He has a very light yellow coat, a jet black mane with teased spikes and a hint of red in it. The unicorns cutie mark is a few musical notes that form a star. The mare is first to approach, "Umm.. excuse me sir, would you happen to know where the city bakery is?" 


The unicorn responds with a smile and says, "As a matter of a fact I do. I was actually heading there for some of their magnificent Fillydelphies myself." 


The pair look at each other, smile and then back at the Unicorn, "Would you mind taking us there? The Fhillydelphies will be on us!" 


The Unicorn ponders this for a moment, "I see no problem with your request, why not? I love meeting new ponies anyways." The pair high hoof and then the three ponies all together begin walking in the same direction as the unicorn was walking before they approached. They talk, they joke and see plenty of buildings that stand out. From a wacky colored hat shop, to a very luxurious Hotel with gold plated letter bearing the name 'The Pon Hotel'. On their journey to the bakery, they see a green stallion with wings, a blonde mane and brown bag around his shoulder looking worried. The pegasus' cutie mark is the symbol of a lion on it's hind legs. 


He's across the street so the blue pony stops and shouts to him, "Hey! You with the green coat!" 


He turns and looks at the blue stallion, he says nothing, turns away and keeps walking.


The stallion keeps at it, "You're lookin' kinda worried, you alright?" 


The pegasus stops to look at the 3 ponies across from him and gathers up some courage, "W- well no… I've never been here before…" he answers shyly.


The unicorn steps into the conversation and shouts to the green pony. "Do you maybe need any help finding anything?" 


The pegasus looks around before looking back at the unicorn and answering with, "Umm… s-sure…"


The mare also steps forward, "Why don't you join us for a snack? I'm sure some nice Fillydelphies can help clear your head!"


The pegasus responds, "Well… I am pretty hungry but I don't have any bits on me, a-are you buying?" 


The blue stallion flies to him and brings him toward the group, "You have got nothing to worry about, it's on us!"
The two stallions join the group as they walk toward the bakery. The three ponies go back to how they were before but the green pony barely even makes eye contact with any of them. As they proceed down the street, the come to a plaza full of some expensive looking shops and the unicorn leading the way stops. "Here we are! Phillydelphia's magnificent 'Golden Cream puff'!" 


The blue stallion walks to the door and holds it open, "After you." He bows. 


The mare then steps in front of the unicorn who had already started to walk in. "Why thank you kind sir." She says with a laugh. The blue stallion walks in behind her and holds it open for the other two to follow inside. Upon entering the bakery they are all hit by the nice cool breeze and notice all of the beautiful, high class decorations. Beautiful multicolored frames for the windows, tables made of marble polished so you can see your reflection, and not to mention, the best attraction. The tables surrounded a giant solid gold cream puff in the middle of the whole shop! 


The four exclaim in unison, "Wow!" They find a nice comfy table next to a window with velvet cushions on the stools for them to sit on. 


A waiter then dashes to the table. "Howdy every pony! Y'all like yer doin' great this afternoon! Did y'all come here fer our Equestria famous Fhillydelphies?" The blue and pink ponies nod and smile with big smiles. 


The blue pegasus bangs his hoof on the table and says to the waitress, "You bet yer right hoof we did!" 


The waiter laughs and says, "Alright, be back faster than you can say Golden Cream puff!" She dashes off. 


The pegasus laughs, "Ha we'll see, Golden Crea-" The pony brings back a tray filled with four drinks of punch and with what seems like brown toasted flowers with cream in their stigmas.


"You lose, now you have a nice day y'all!" 


The blue pony sits in embarrassment and watches the waiter walk away but his eyes slip a little lower than they should and his female friend is the only one to notice knowing what he's staring at. 


The pink pegasus yells, "Hey!" and the slaps him in the back of the head. 


The stallion gives her an angry look then smiles, "It was totally worth it, now let's all dig in." 


The green pegasus takes a bite of his cream puff before he finishes and sits in embarrassment, "I-I'm sorry, I was real hungry…" The three others laugh and begin to eat along with him. 


The unicorn grabs a Fillydelphie and asks, "So what's this I see here? Are you two a couple?" 


The mare gives a disgusted look, "No! This is my brother, Omega. You can call me Alpha." 


"My apologies ma'am, my name is virtuoso."  Alpha smiles, "Very nice to meet you Virtuoso." Omega is about to take a bite of his cream puff when Alpha nudges him and flicks her eyes at Virtuoso, then back at him.


"You already did it for me." said Omega jokingly as he devoured his cream puff. After shaking her head, Alpha does the same.


"And how about you?" Virtuoso turns to the green pony, "What is your name?" 


"My name is Lightning Courage." He pops a cream puff in his mouth and smiles. He swallows his cream puff and says, "It's very nice to meet all of you." Everypony smiles and and gives a toast. 


"So, what is everypony doing here?" Virtuoso asks as he takes a drink of his punch. 


Alpha pops in another cream puff and says, "Well me and my brother came to try these things! Pastries of legend!" 


Lightning looks up from his meal and drink, "I can see the resemblance between you and your brother." 


Virtuoso turns to Lightning, "And you Lightning? Do you have business here as well?" 


Lightning turns his head and stares at the cloudy sky through a nearby window, "I'm looking for a place to stay for a while," he looks back at Virtuoso. "just some place to get myself situated." Omega finishes his drink with an "Aaahhhh" Alpha nudges him and gives him an angry look. He smiles worriedly. 


Something then pops into head, "Come to think of it, we need a place to stay too. Can't sleep in the boxes outside, it'll damage our manes." 


Virtuoso finishes his drink as well and says, "My folks have a pretty big place here, I came to visit them for the weekend. You three are welcome to stay for the night if you'd like." 


Alpha gets up from her seat and bows, "Me and my brother are very thankful and we accept your offer!"


Omega scratches his head, obviously focused on something else, "Now we don't have to spend any bits, thanks Virtuo... Virtuso…" 


He laughs, "Virtuoso, and you're welcome." He turns. "How about you Lightning? Would you like to stay a day or two with me and my folks?" 


Lightning looks at his cup, then back to Virtuoso. "May I get a drink first, you know? Something to help me think it over?" 


Alpha looks at his cup and says, "Didn't you just have some punch?" 


"It was never filled..." He then gets up and asks, "Would you all like to accompany me to the Spurbucks nearby?" 
They all agree and Alpha says, "Sure lightning, lead the way!" 


Virtuoso gets up, "it's very close by actually, I don't see why not." Omega grabs the tray with cups in his mouth, as the other ponies walk to the door, and places it on the counter along with a couple of bits as payment.


The waiter pops out on the other side of the counter. "Y'all come back soon OK?" 


Omega continues walking with his head forward and responds, "Oh, we will!" then begins to follow the other three out the door. 


Lightning walks outside and looks around, "Where is this shop anyways?" He looks to a building right next door to the bakery, and notices Virtuoso opening a door. 

"It's right here guys." They all laugh and Lightning lowers his head in embarrassment. They walk into the coffee shop and quickly emerge out of it with Virtuoso holding a drink holder with his magic. His magic, a dark blue aura, surrounds the holder. He latches it over Lightnings back so he can drink it portably by just turning his head. 


"Why did we go into a coffee shop and come out with milk, if you don't mind me asking?" Alpha asked as they walked away from the shop. 


Lightning looks back at her with a smile, "Ha… I don't know..." Alpha gives him a blank face as he drinks his milk. As they begin to walk down the road to get to Virtuoso's family home, smoke begins to emerge from a faraway home. Lightning notices it almost immediately and spits his milk on the floor. 


"Oh no!" He points to the smoke. Alpha gives a gasp when everypony notices. "We have to go help!" Lightning says as he spreads his wings and knocks the tray off his back. He rushes in the direction along with Alpha and Omega behind him. Virtuoso begins to take off but stops and heads back to clean up Lightnings mess and places it in a trash bin nearby then speeds off to help. When he arrives, the three others are already at the scene asking if everypony is Ok. 


"My baby is still in there!" A frantic mare says as she grabs Lightning by the shoulders. 


Lightning calms her and says, "Don't worry ma'am as long as I'm here, your baby will be safe!" What happens next surprises every pony. Lightning spreads his wings and spirals into the air. A bright light shines from what appears to be an earring no pony noticed. The earring sends a red aura around his body, turning his coat completely red. He flies back down and into the fiery home. 


"Lightning! No wait!" Alpha yells as she flies toward him in an attempt to stop him but is too late. He bursts into the collapsing home and is completely engulfed in flames. 


The building collapses and the mother of the foal inside screams, "NO MY BABY!" 


Everypony around watches in horror as the rest of the building begins to burn, "Dear Celestia..." Alpha exclaims. Just then, the wood rustles from underneath the fire, and Lightning bursts from the flames with his coat now grey looking hard as stone with the foal covered under one wing and a handkerchief over its snout. 


"I told you your baby would be fine, as long as i'm here." 


The mare runs up to Lightning, grabs her baby and then hugs and kisses Lightning several times. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! You're my baby's hero!" She gives him one last hug and then walks away saying to her foal, "That's the last time I let you try and cook while I'm out." Lightning gives the distant mare a puzzled look and is greeted by the other three ponies. 


Omega wraps an arm around Lightnings neck, "That was sick dude! That thing you did with the light and the… the pshh and the... yeah!" 


Alpha jumps up to him and says, "Yeah! You totally killed it in there! Nice job!" 


Virtuoso walks up to Lightning astounded and asks, "How in the hay did you pull that off?!"


Lightning works his way out of Omegas grip and puts a little space between the siblings and himself, "It was with this earring my grandfather gave me when he passed away, it allows me to change the texture of my coat to resist things like fire or like when I came out with the foal, my coat was rock." 


Virtuoso gives him a surprised look and says, "I don't even think any of us noticed the earring, did you two?" 


The siblings respond in unison, "Nope."


Almost immediately, fire fighter and construction ponies arrive on the scene and begin the restoration of the home.  They finish congratulating Lightning and begin walking down the road, still on the journey to the family home.  As the ponies walk down the road passed the destroyed home, they notice natures true beauty. The wind is blowing a fresh breeze, the flowers have bloomed and the birds are singing a melody. 


Alpha looks at the flowers and plucks one, "This place is so beautiful Omega, why don't we just stay here instead?"
Virtuoso and lightning stop behind them and allow them this time for a small conversation.


Omega laughs, "We're too cool for this city." Alpha gives him a blank look telling him she's serious.


Omega plucks a flower as well and places it in Alpha's mane, "You know we can't do that sis, come on let's keep walking."


She smiles at him and puts the flower she plucked in Omega's mane then continues walking ahead. When Alpha isn't looking, Omega shakes his head and the flower flies out of his mane and into Virtuoso's. Virtuoso doesn't notice but Lightning does and gives a chuckle then speeds up so he can catch up to the siblings. Virtuoso quickly follows behind and the flower flies out.


As they walk they begin to hear a violin being played by a filly outside of a nice middle class home decorated with flowers and outside furniture. “Ah, such sweet music…” says Virtuoso and all the ponies stopped to listen. Suddenly, the sweet melody turned into a disarray of off-tune notes that made all the ponies cringe. Virtuoso went over to the filly and asked, "Hey kid need some help?" 


"Only if you'd be willing to give it, I can't get this part right." 


"See, it's all in the posture, stand up straight and feel the music when you play the piece, then just focus on nothing but that piece as you play it." The filly did as instructed from the part he messed up and continues on to play a beautiful solo. 


"I did it! Thank you so much!” 


"No problem kid."


“That was a nice bit of coaching back there.” said Alpha as they continued walking.


“Thanks, music is my passion. I moved to Ponyville because the open surroundings provide great inspiration. I also have a friend over there who shares the same passion. In fact, she plays for the Canterlot orchestra and is also an amazing singer.” Virtuoso suddenly stopped and after thinking said, “Can you go wait over there by that fountain while I go get another Fillydelphie?” 


Lightning quickly puts his hoof out to stop him and says, "Wait, actually I'm gonna come with. Those things were amazing!"	Alpha and Omega nod and continue to walk on ahead toward the fountain. While they sit there, they watch Virtuoso and Lightning walk back down the road they came from. The two also notice the bakery is in plain sight down a different road. The siblings look at each other with blank faces.


While they sat there they noticed several ponies decorating a house. They didn’t want to say anything but the decorations could use a bit of work. They looked at the house and thought of many decorative ideas even an expert designer would have trouble coming up with.


One of the ponies spot Alpha and Omega observing and asks after looking back at the…horribly decorated house, "Hey can you help us a bit?" 


"Sure, whatcha need?" responds Omega. 


"Well somepony dear is coming home today, and we want to surprise him when he gets home, but as you can see…" They view the horribly decorated house with a ‘welcome home’ sign. "We need an outside opinion." 


"This is where being the best at everything pays off!" Says Alpha. They walk into the house and immediately begin decorating both sides of the house. Working fast as lightning they finished decorating in seconds. The final product is a beautifully decorated house that looked as if it were meant to welcome 100 ponies back home! One of the ponies ran inside the house and shouted. "He's coming, everypony hide!" 


Everything gets quiet and they can hear the pony approaching the door. He opens it and immediately Omega shoots a party cannon into the ponies face, the blast sends him flying right back out the door the second it opens. Alpha immediately flies outside and scoops him up with a chair, and spins him in front of a table with a white cake that says "Welcome Home!"


The pony is still, obviously still stunned from the blast. The pony then shakes the confetti off of his head and to everypony's surprise, it's Virtuoso!  “Wow! This is amazing! Did both of you plan this?”


Lightning then entered the house and staggered when he saw the amazing decorations. “Wow, this is quite the welcoming party. The ponies that decorated this place must be fashion savants.” Alpha and Omega look at each other grinning but don’t say anything. 


After Virtuoso finishes greeting his family he asks his mother, a red pony with an auburn mane, “My new friends here need a place to stay for the night. Is the guest room being used by anypony?”


“No, tell them to leave their things there right now if they want. There are exactly three beds.”


Virtuoso walked over to the three ponies and exclaimed, “I just met you guys and you know, your all pretty cool. Go ahead and take your things up to the guest room. It's upstairs, first door to the right, there are exactly three beds.” Alpha and Omega immediately rush to the top with Lightning behind them and return within seconds. 


Upon returning Omega says, "Now that that's out of the way…" He pulls some DJ PON-3 glasses out from under a turntable and screams, "TIME TO PAAAAAAARTAY!" 


Lighting follows with a faint "Woo-hoo." He accidentally bumps into the party cannon causing it to shoot into the air once more and the ponies begin to party…Several hours later, after almost everypony has left or gone to bed, Virtuoso goes to the guest room to check on his new friends. Everypony is sitting on a bed talking and joking around and they welcome him in. 


“Your family is pretty cool” Said Lightning. 


"Thanks, their a bunch of loving ponies who always love to have guests. Most of the time we never have any though." 


The siblings are finished getting ready for bed. "That was an awesome party! Especially, you know, since I was there to make it awesome." Omega says as he jumps into his bed. 


Alpha looks at him laughing, "Yeah right, I guarantee you that without you, the party would have been 10 times better." She lays on her bed and begins to cover herself. "Uh huh whatever." Omega says as he covers his whole body and everyone in the room begins to laugh. The room gets really quiet after and the ponies sit in silence.


To break the awkward silence that had settled in the room Virtuoso asks, “So what is everypony going to do tomorrow?”


“I was thinking of going out and looking for an actual house, maybe a job.” said Lightning. 


Omega uncovers his face, “Alpha and I were planning on sight-seeing. We have heard many amazing things about this
city.”


“You don’t have to rush and find a house Lightning. I’m sure some of my siblings can help you out without rushing things and perhaps making a decision you’ll later regret. As for you two, I would love to be your tour guide. After all I spent many years of my life here and have a couple of connections. If you’d like, I insist you stay here” responded Virtuoso.


“I don’t mean to impose” Said Lightning, “but thank you for the offer, I’ll think about it.” 


“We wouldn’t want to be a bother either. My brother and I could easily afford a hotel. In any case, it’s getting late. We should all get some shut eye”


“Your right, good night everypony” Said Virtuoso and started walking out of the room.


“Wait!” said Lightning. “Can you tell me where the…umm…bathroom is?” 


The other three ponies gave a small laugh and Virtuoso said” Third door down the hall and walked out. That night, as the four friends lay in bed they all had the same thought in their head, "Friendship really is magic."


The next morning Alpha wakes up in her guest bed with no pony else in the room. "Omega?" She gets up from her bed and slowly walks to the door and opens it. She pokes her head out and walks down the stairs and notices the whole house is a mess and there's no pony to be found. She walks around the room and notices there is cake just about everywhere, even on the ceiling! She lays on the sofa, and the boys walk into the house and close the door behind them.


Alpha picks her head up and says, "What was so important that you couldn't wake me Omega?"


Omega steps forward, "Well I saw that you were asleep like a foal and I didn't wanna wake you up."


"Whether i'm up or not, you let me know where you go, don't leave me here worrying!"


"Ok! I'm sorry! I just thought I'd surprise you with some of these babies before we leave."


He opens his bag and pulls a smaller bag bearing the logo of the Golden Cream puff. Alpha quickly snatches the bag from him and eats a cream puff. "I'm still mad at you though..." Alpha says before she goes up stairs and grabs both of their belongings. She quickly comes back downstairs with their bags, "Ok Omega, you ready?"


"When you are." He turns to Virtuoso. "Ready to give us that tour?"


Virtuoso nods. "Definitely, this place is really beautiful, I know after today, you'll want to stay here longer."


Alpha puts her bag over her shoulder and places the cream puffs inside. "We'll see about that now won't we?"


Virtuoso then turn's to Lightning Courage. "I want to thank you for hanging out with us, it was quite the night!"


Lightning bows, "The pleasure is all mine! I think i enjoyed your party a lot more than you did!" They all laugh and then head to the door. Omega once again, opens the door first and allows Alpha to proceed outside first.


"Thank you sir." Alpha says with a smile. The other ponies follow behind and stand in front of the house.


"Well Lightning, I guess this is goodbye for now, It was awesome meeting you." Virtuoso says as he shakes Lightning's hoof.


"Same here!" Alpha and Omega shout in unison. Alpha gives Lightning hug and says, "Thanks for making that party so fun Lightning, and thanks for the place to stay Virtuoso."


He bows. "My pleasure my lady, now! Are you two ready for that tour I promised?"


Alpha responds while Omega is focused on something else. "As ready as ever."


Lightning puts his bag over his shoulder and begins walking, "I'll be seeing you guys arou-"


An earthquake. Then an explosion. The four turn towards the sounds and watch in horror as building after building crumble in front of them. Virtuoso watches in horror as magic shoots out of nowhere right into the side of his family's home.


"No no no! Move!" As he pushes everyone out of the way the building explodes and all that's left is fire in its place.


Lightning gets up looking around frantically, "Where is that magic coming from? Is someone attacking?!" 


Just then, they see a stallion approaching very fast, the expression on his face shows that he is horrified. He stops in front of them breathing heavily. "You all… need to… leave. Now! She's destroying… everything!" 


They hear a nearby explosion. Omega grabs his shoulders and tries to calm him down. "Calm down dude! Who's attacking? Where is she?" 


"I don't know but she'll be here any moment and she-" A red aura of magic consumes the stallion and electrifies his whole body. "RUUUUUUUUUN!!" After he screams his final words, the pony falls to the ground...lifeless.


The four ponies slowly raise their heads and already in their faces is a grey Alicorn with a blond majestic mane, red eyes and a cutie mark bearing a solar eclipse over Celestia's sun. The Alicorn raises the lifeless pony's body with her magic and throws him across the road into another barely standing house. The house crumbles on top of him. She turns away and begins to take flight, a dark blue aura shines around her, not allowing her to move.


Virtuoso's horn is glowing and he's gritting his teeth, "You think you can just destroy this beautiful city and not pay?!" He screams this at the Alicorn as he uses his magic to slam her body into the floor. The Alicorn rises up from the ground and walks toward him and places her face right in front of his. 


"You, pony, are going to pay dearly for that..." She says in a calm and angry voice to Virtuoso. Her horn glows a bright red and before she is able to pull back and land a finishing blow on Virtuoso, Alpha and Omega immediately fly towards her and tackle her down.


Alpha yells to Lightning and Virtuoso, "Go! We'll hold her as long as we ca-" The Alicorn gives a yell and sends out a blast that electrifies both ponies and sends them flailing off of her. Alpha and Omega land right next to each other and attempt to get up but are paralyzed from the blow. They lay there helplessly while the Alicorn quickly charges up the same magic she used on the ponies earlier and shoots the beam toward them. The two ponies can barely move so they embrace one last time before they welcome their fate.


They close their eyes but the blast never hits, they open their eyes again and see Lightnings coat has turned purple. He says to the Alicorn,  "You've got some guts coming here thinking you're an all powerful Alicorn don't you? You think you can just waltz in here and destroy the city? What's worse, you think you can hurt my friends? That is one thing i will not allow don't you DARE touch my friends!" 


The Alicorn gives him an angry look and Her horn begins to glow.


Virtuoso calls to lightning, "Lightning! Look out!" He points to an orb above Lightning but knows he won't see it in time but gallops at full speed and pushes Lightning out of the way, taking his place inside of the orb.


The Alicorn chuckles, "You take his place and you risk your life for his? So be it, the ending of this will be the same for all four of you!" 


The siblings are still not able to move but shout, "Virtuoso! No!" They attempt to get up, trying to move their wings but to no avail.


Lightning dashes toward the Alicorn and attempts to break her concentration with a full force tackle but he makes contact with an electric force field and he goes flying back right into the floor with Alpha and Omega in the same condition as they are, paralyzed.


The Alicorn gives an evil laugh and her horn grows brighter. The orb begins to get brighter and brighter until it is almost blinding. Virtuoso, still stuck in the orb gives a frantic look but knows there is no way out so he puts his head down then looks back to his friends. He smiles and his horn glows. 


The three ponies watch in horror as the orb explodes into a ball of lightning and Virtuoso falls to the ground motionless. 
"NO!" They all scream. Lightning grits his teeth and  manages to turn his head toward the alicorn who is right in his face. She smiles at his face of sorrow and her horn glows red.  An aura shines around Lightnings neck. She laughs as Lightning begins to lose consciousness. All that can be heard from the silence are burning buildings and Lightning gagging.


"Let him go…" A pony says from nearby. There, Virtuoso stands, with barely enough energy left over to speak.


The Alicorn looks to Virtuoso with a surprised look and tosses Lightning aside. She walks to the barely standing Virtuoso and with great force slams his body into the ground with her hoof. She smiles evilly to the sky but is immediately taken back to Virtuoso who begins to raise her hoof with all the remaining strength he has left in his body.


The Alicorn exclaims in surprise, "It seems I have underestimated all of your abilities." Her horn glows a bright red and the four ponies rise into the air and are slammed with full force back into the floor then back into the air. She then speaks.
"In my eternal life I have seen countless lives be born and die out like the small fires of candles. This endless chain I curse and wish to destroy or be freed from. You would challenge me. Could it be that your will out-strengthens my own?Mortal ponies, you stand no chance but you still wish to fight? Be it your choice but know this, you WILL fall. I have longed for some type of amusement! I accept you challenge. Free me from this chain or watch everything you love burn. I shall await thee for I must first restore my full power so I may raze this land of illusions.  Now, you who value friendship and love so much, let this motivate you."


She places the four ponies back down and shoots a beam of light into the clouds. Thunder roars from the clouds and 4 beams shoot out and then shoot into the ponies. As they shine from the beams a silhouette begins to form in front of each of them. The silhouettes seem to be live ponies carrying out their daily lives, unaware of what is happening. With the groups barely open eyes, they watch.


"The ponies you see before you, they are the remaining vessels you require to bring forth a power which has been long forgotten. A power I had once corrupted for my own use but was careless and lost control of it. The only way to unlock the power is with 8 special artifacts from 8 special ponies. They are known as the Artifacts of Chivalry. I suppose your wondering what these artifacts are, as of now, they are your hearts!" She holds her head high and her horn begins glowing a bright red. The chests of the silhouettes and the four live ponies begin to glow. Their chests begin to expand and you can hear the bones inside their chests breaking and their skin tearing. Before they know it their hearts burst from their chests. The ponies, including the silhouettes, immediately lose their warm feeling and completely go still and lifeless. The ponies then open their eyes to nothing but pain. They scream and gasp for air as they feel a severe sharp pain in their chests. The silhouettes, drop to the floor motionless for a few seconds and then all spring up in different ways feeling the same pain the ponies in front of Destiny felt. As the ponies lay on the ground, the wounds on their chest slowly begin to seal and leave the ponies in excruciating pain.


"These ponies are now dying and now, so are you. To claim these ponies hearts back as well as yours and save all of your worthless lives, you will find these ponies and their artifacts. You have until all of your hearts stop to come and face me." Destiny stands on two legs and raises her body to the sky. Her horn begins to glow a bright red and the hearts of the eight ponies appear circling her horn, slowly morphing into different orbs of light. The orbs begin to circle around her horn at an increasing speed then blast into the sky and split off into eight different directions across Equestria. "I expect a worthy challenge."


Destiny turns and begins to take flight and disappears into the clouds. The ponies watch as their villain flies away but can't keep their eyes open for much longer and evidently pass out from pain...
> Healing wounds, Uncertain future
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Healing Wounds, Uncertain Future



The four friends were in a white tent; the air inside was thick with the smell of chemicals and there were dirty rags and bandages littered all over the floor. It was now afternoon and the smoke from fires still raging throughout the city blocked the brilliant beams from the sun. The once lush and beautiful city of Philydelphia would now be forever stained by the atrocities of the Alicorn Destiny. Aside from firefighting ponies the town was also full of royal guards. The day in which they all had something to look for quickly turned into the worst day of their lives; moreover, their lives would never be the same.


Alpha was the first one to wake up; she opened her eyes quickly and gasped for air as if waking up from a nightmare. She tried to remember how they got there but thinking only made her head hurt. She heard Omega groan and was relieved to see him open his eyes.


“Brother! Are you okay?”


“What kind of question is that sis? Do I look okay to you?” he answered with a hint of frustration.


“Excuse me for worrying then, oh, and by the way, I’m fine thanks for asking,” she replied sarcastically. Still, she was relieved inside and felt a little better.


“I’m sorry, it’s just that I’m so…confused and disoriented. I don’t even remember wha-” the memories of that morning started to slowly return to his head. It seemed like it was going to be a perfect day. Alpha and he were going to check into a hotel and then Virtuoso was going to give them a proper tour of the city. He planned to get some more delicious Fillydelphies and later check if Lightning had found a job and a house. However, all that seemed like a past life or a fantasy. He started remembering Destiny. The tall grey Alicorn with long blond mane had done something to them before she left, but he couldn't remember what.


Virtuoso was the next one to wake up. The first thing he heard was a buzzing in his ears, after a while the noise faded and he heard Alpha and Omega talking. It seemed they were reminiscing on happier times. He tried to sit up but the sudden movement only caused him pain. “AH!” he screamed.


The siblings were startled and turned their heads towards him.


“Haha, that wasn’t a very smart move, now was it,” he replied to their gazes as he lay there awkwardly.


Alpha let out a breath of relief, “That’s three of us, now let’s just wait for Lightning to wake up,” she said as she turned to Lightning with a worried expression.


They started talking about the day before, when everything was normal. Now and then one of them made a joke and even though it hurt, they laughed. The conversation eventually descended to silence and eventually they got so bored they started playing games like twenty questions and I spy, although in a small tent like the one they were in that game didn’t last long.


“Hugh! This is stupid!” groaned Omega. “I would rather be out there helping anypony that needs a hoof,” he tried to stand up but only managed to get two legs off the bed before the pain became too great to ignore. “Gosh darn it! Why the hay haven’t we seen any nurses or doctors!” he screamed before lying down…defeated.


“Calm down, I want to help as much as you do but we can barely move. Besides, we can’t just leave Lightning,” said Alpha firmly but understandingly.


“She’s right. There will be time for helping, but for now we must recuperate our energy,” said Virtuoso fluffing his pillow with his magic.


Another dreadful two hour passed with not much to do or talk about. Alpha drifted in and out of sleep. Virtuoso started thinking of lyrics for a song about this whole experience and Omega started daydreaming. Still, Lightning wouldn’t move. In the silence the only thing they could hear was the wind coming in from the entrance to the tent and each other’s breathing. Omega’s hunger was influencing him to try to make another attempt at standing up and leaving when Lightning finally seemed to stir. He sat up suddenly and violently and started gasping for air. “NOOO!” he screamed and looked around frantically.


“Lightning! Calm down! We are all fine. Snap out of it!” said Alpha trying to calm him down.


He looked around and breathed heavily. “Guys, I was having a horrible nightmare. I…I saw you all die and…and…” he couldn’t stop the hot tears from falling down his face. “We had just met…” He slowly regained control of his emotions and for the first time noticed how stiff his body was. He lied down and after noticing his friends were staring at him he blushed.


“Lightning you have no idea how relieved we are to see you awake. I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say we were starting to get worried,” said Virtuoso.


Just then, a nurse walked into the tent, “Is everypony okay? I was passing by and I heard some screaming.”


“About time some personnel showed up!” exclaimed Omega, “We haven’t had anyone ask us if we even want water since we woke up.”


“I apologize, it’s just that there are so many ponies to take care of. Somewhere along the way we must have forgotten about this tent.” The nurse changed their bandages, gave them food, and informed them on the state of the city. She was getting them ready to sleep when suddenly the flap of the tent flung open.


Everypony turned to see who had entered except Omega who said, “Can’t I just get some decent sleep already.” Alpha threw a pillow at him and he sat up startled. “What was that for?” He hissed. With her hoof, his sister pointed at the entrance and his jaw dropped.


Standing there with royal guards on each side was Princess Luna. The princess wasn’t wearing her usual attire however. She donned brilliant black armor made to resemble a dragon. There were many kinds of small gems which sparkled like the stars in the night sky. The leggings she wore had a particular set of mean looking spikes that would surely cause serious damage to anypony who was hit by them and her helmet had the fierce expression of an angry dragon. The ponies weren’t used to seeing any of the princesses in battle armor so the sight filled them with awe and a little bit of fear.


“Princess Luna, forgive my manners,” started Omega, making an awkward bowing gesture while lying in the bed.


“It is alright, there are currently more important matters than formalities. But first, I want to thank all of you for your exemplary courage during this morning’s events. I hear you were the only ones brave enough to stand up to Destiny.” 


“So word of what happened finally reached Canterlot?” asked Lightning.


“Yes, I’m sure you saw Destiny’s power. I didn’t travel here just to congratulate all of you, no, there is something very important I must speak with you about,” The princess looked at the nurse who had been quietly standing by Alpha’s bed. The nurse realized she was being asked to leave. She bowed and stepped out of the tent without a word.


“Now,” started the princess, “I need you to tell me exactly what Destiny did to all of you”


Virtuoso closed his eyes and tried to remember the order in which events happened. “We were getting ready to depart from my house when a short earthquake happened…then…I remember various explosions throughout the city. They were rapidly getting closer when a stallion ran our way and told us to run. He was in the middle of explaining what was happening when…a bolt of red lightning hit him. He was lifted a couple of feet and managed to scream ‘run’ before falling to the ground…dead” remembering the whole scene made his stomach turn. “I’m sorry…it hurts to think.”


The princess nodded in understanding, “Can anyone else continue the tale?”


“I can,” responded Alpha, “after destiny killed the stallion, she proceeded to destroy the home of Virtuosos’ grandparents. He tried to stop her by slamming her into the ground but I think that only annoyed her. She was about to zap Virtuoso with the same magic she used on the stallion when my brother and I tackled her. We only managed to keep her in the ground for a couple of seconds before she used some sort of spell and zapped us with a small field of electricity, this single spell drained us of our energy and we just laid exhausted on the ground. After that, she used her electricity spell and was about to finish us off when Lightning jumped in front of the blast and managed to survive using his magical earring.”


“May I see thy earring?” said the princess turning her head towards Lightning.


“Yes, your majesty.” Lightning moved his mane and showed her the earring, “It allows me to transform my coat into different colors and resist various types of elements. It was given to me by my grandfather…before he passed away…”


“What a most useful tool it must be, and I’m sorry about what happened to your grandfather.”


“It’s alright Princess. Anyways, although I managed to stop her first spell she began to cast a second one that I couldn't notice in time. Virtuoso pushed me and took my place in what appeared to be ball of electricity. When the ball exploded I was sure Virtuoso had died but…” He looked at Virtuoso and smiled, “I’m glad I was wrong. I remember feeling extremely angry and was about to get up when she used her magic to choke me,” He looked down at his hooves “It felt awful, I was powerless, I thought I had just seen one of my friends die, and I thought I was next. She let me go when she heard Virtuoso speak. Ha…the look on her face was priceless. She must have been surprised we were actually fighting back and were still alive. That’s when…it happened.” Lightning suddenly stopped talking and sat in silence.


“I know this is hard for you to talk about but it is important. So I ask, what exactly happened?”


“First,” started Omega, “she picked us up and slammed us into the ground. That part wasn't necessary if you ask me; we weren't getting up any time soon. Then, she shot a beam of light into the sky. Four beams shot back down into us and I vaguely remember seeing in front of us four silhouettes of what appeared to be four different ponies doing everyday stuff. Now comes the fun part…I remember a sharp pain in my chest which slowly increased. Then our hearts ripped out of our chest…I need to repeat that because it sound so crazy! Our hearts RIPPED out of our chests! Princess, how are we still alive!”


Princess Luna had a look of concern. “Did she say anything before leaving?”


“She gave an entire speech about the pointless life cycle of all ponies or something like that. She mentioned something about the silhouettes being the remaining vessels needed to awaken some kind of power. She also mentioned some artifacts, they were called The Artifacts of…umm…the artifacts of...GAHH! I can’t remember!” Omega’s eyes started to become watery, “It was supposed to be a great day…”


“Calm down brother,” said Alpha in a calm, soothing voice. Then to the Princess, “Our hearts turned into orbs, each of a different color. There were eight in total, the other four must have been the hearts of the four ponies whose silhouettes we saw. Apparently these orbs are the keys to awaken the power she mentioned. The orbs flew high into the sky and went their separate ways…she also said we were dying, and so were the other four ponies. If we want to save our lives and all of Equestria we are going to have to find them and awaken this power. But princess, the orbs must be all over Equestria! We don’t even know who the other four ponies are! What’s more, why would she tell us a way to defeat her? I’m not sure if we have any right to know, but it would help if you shared with us your knowledge of Destiny…she claimed she almost defeated you and Princess Celestia”


Luna closed her eyes and thought about the situation at hoof. “Equestria wasn't kind to Destiny. She grew up poor and neglected, this kingdom wasn't always the rich land you see now. There were towns with hardly enough food. Just like any other kingdom, our history isn't perfect, there existed periods of time when food was scarce and animosities existed in the hearts of many ponies. Destiny had the misfortune to be born in one of the worst villages at the time.” The Princess suddenly appeared very tired, as if remembering this was physically exhausting for her, “When my sister found her she was a scared and battered unicorn...she felt great pity for her and took her in. Because of her past, Destiny focused on helping fillies and colts that were in situations similar to what she had gone through. After some time, she appeared to fully understand generosity and the importance of helping those in need; thus, my sister helped her become an Alicorn. Destiny even received the villages that were in poor conditions. My sister does not like to think about it because it is one of the biggest regrets of her life. Destiny helped restore these villages and bring happiness to the ponies…at least that’s how it was in the beginning. The immortality that comes with becoming an Alicorn didn't have a positive effect on Destiny. She became attached to many of the ponies she helped and when she continuously outlived them…well you can only imagine the great pain it must have caused her. Over time her heart darkened but she kept quiet about it, this is why me and my sister were never able to help her. Eventually sadness turned to hate and one day she started ravaging villages in a quest to ‘End the pointless cycle’ as she put it.” The princess closed her eyes and stayed quiet for a while until she said with a tone of command. “I understand all of you won’t be able to move freely for a couple of days, so I need you to rest for now. However, once you have gained enough of your energy back I ask that you go to Canterlot immediately. As for why Destiny would tell you a way to defeat her…I cannot say. Now, I must bid you all farewell,” with these final words the princess walked out of the tent and left the four ponies to think about the story they had just heard.


The next day they were transferred to an actual hospital and upon request they were all given the same room. The hospital was nothing special, the big grey building stood out from the city because it was located in a mostly residential area where most buildings were no taller than 2 floors. The room they were given was big but rather bland; it only had two windows and not much for entertainment value. The only picture in the room that wasn't medically related was a poster showing a cat hanging from a tree branch with the caption “Hang in there” at the bottom.


“How cliche,” had said Omega the first day.


The days passed by slowly, every morning they would wake up take their required medications or treatments; then they would lie in bed slowly recovering. After three days they regained enough mobility to stand up and walk around but they weren't ready for Canterlot just yet. They would talk for countless hours, sharing stories and jokes. The outside world couldn't affect them in the hospital, but they all still had a feeling of dread in the back of their minds. How were they alive and would everything be ok? Who were the ponies whose silhouettes they saw and how were they coping with not feeling their heart in their chest. Surely the four unknown ponies must have all realized something was wrong by now. There was also still so much to learn about Destiny and her past. For now though, they focused on getting better.


Finally, the day came when they planned to leave for Canterlot. They awoke anxiously and eager to leave the bland rooms of the hospital where the 6 days spent there seemed like an eternity. They packed the few possessions still belonging to them and stepped outside, hoping to never return in the same conditions. The sun outside felt great and they were happy to see a hint of normality returning to the city. These feelings didn’t last long however, they passed a newspaper stand and what they saw inflicted them with worry.


The headlines read: “Dangerous Creatures Sighted across Equestria.” There was also a picture of what appeared to be a three headed snake attacking a small village. Lightning bought one of the newspapers to read on the way to Canterlot.


“Alright guys, I guess we won’t be going our separate ways anytime soon. Is everypony ready?” asked Omega. Looking around, he noticed Virtuoso was nowhere to be seen, “Where did Virtuoso go? Our train leaves in about 30 minutes.”


“Over there!” pointed out Lightning. 


Not too far away they saw Virtuoso sitting by the rubble of his family’s house where a couple of days ago they had all partied. Omega was about to call him over when Alpha put a hoof to his mouth and started walking over to Virtuoso.


From the corner of his eye Virtuoso saw the three ponies approaching. “Oh, sorry guys. Go on ahead, I’ll catch up…momentarily…” Instead of obeying his request the three ponies huddled around him and comforted him. Soon after the emotions became too overwhelming and he started to cry.


After some time Virtuoso stood up. “Thanks guys…back at the hospital I asked if my mother and grandparents had made it. It seems my mother will pull through, though I didn’t get the chance to see her, but my grandparent…” he seemed to hold back more tears. “They passed away this morning…”


Alpha walked over to him and put a wing over him. “We are sorry for your loss, and we want you to know that we will always be here for you. Just like we know you are going to be there for us.” And with a forced grin added “I don’t think our relationship is that of normal friends anymore…”


“Humph… I guess you’re right. Now let’s be on our way, we certainly don’t want to miss that train,” the four friends hurried to the train station and boarded the train heading to Canterlot. When the train was miles away from Phillydelphia they all looked back at the shrinking city hopping to someday return and have fun.
> Hello Canterlot!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hello Canterlot!



The train ride to Canterlot was supposed to take the entire day, so, to keep themselves entertained Alpha, Omega, and Virtuoso explored the train. When they decided to find out what sort of entertainment the train could offer them Lightning had been reading the newspaper he bought back in Phillydelphia and insisted in them going without him. The trio went to the food cart and had a delicious lunch, Alpha saved some for Lightning, while at the hospital the doctors told them it was important to eat plenty of food in their recuperating condition. After lunch, they went to a luxurious train cart were they hoped to find some entertainment. It was sort of like a mini casino, there was a small bar and a couple of tables to play card games on; moreover, it was perhaps the busiest cart in the train.


Omega spotted a poker table with 6 ponies and started walking over when Alpha put her hoof in front of him and stopped him.


"Brother, Let's not do this today, We have plenty of bits and I just want a relaxing train ride without any conflicts."


Omega was about to protest when he thought better of it and simply replied, "Fine, I was just looking for a little bit of fun. Anyways, lets go get something to drink, I'm thirsty."


The siblings started walking over to the bar and Virtuoso was left standing there. He thought about what he had just seen and wondered if Omega had some sort of past in gambling. He decided not to think about it  any further and joined the siblings at the small bar.


"Excuse me, bartender, can I get some orange juice?" called out Alpha.


"Sure thing miss, what can I get you two boys?" Answered the bartender, he was a yellow stallion with a red mane. He was dressed in fancy clothing and Alpha thought he belonged in a classy tavern rather than a small bar in a train.


"Actually, orange juice doesn't sound half bad right now, I'll take some too," said omega taking a seat next to his sister.


Virtuoso sat left of Alpha, "I'll have a dry double double Espresso Ristretto on a Demitasse. Actually make that extra dry, with half skim, and caramel syrup. If you could use soft flavored beans that would be great..." after a moment of silence Virtuoso noticed that Alpha and Omega, along with the bartender, were starring at him. He blushed, "you know what, warm milk sounds pretty good right now."


"So, Virtuoso, have you ever been to Canterlot before?" asked Alpha after they had received their drinks.


"Actually, I have," responded Virtuoso after taking a sip of his milk, " I like to travel there and see all the wonderful musicians. I think I mentioned this before, but I have a friend from Ponyville that travels there often to play for the Canterlot Orchestra, I go and see her sometimes. I also like to roam the streets and see what sort of entertainment I can find. What about you two? have you ever been to Canterlot?"


"Actually, Omega and I are from Canterlot. We have a house there so we don't have to worry about where we'll be staying for the night."


"Is that so? Maybe you two can give Lightning and me a proper tour of Canterlot?"


"Don't forget you two," whispered Omega, "We aren't going to Canterlot to have fun. Princess Luna made it clear we need to see her and Celestia as soon as possible."


"Brother, this isn't like you," said Alpha and gave him a soft nudge, "Cheer up."


"You're right...I just have...an uneasy feeling about all of this."


"You're not going to start crying again are you?"


"Ha!" Omega chugged the remaining juice he had, "real funny, come on, let's go back and see if Lightning read anything interesting." Omega got down from the stool and started walking towards the cart door.


Virtuoso and Alpha finished their drinks and were about to follow Omega when they heard a pony yell. "That's it! You have to be cheating! There is no way you could win that many times in a row!"


Everypony in the cart turned to the sounds of the commotion. Over at the table Omega had eyed earlier a orange stallion had pinned a white stallion against a wall and was screaming in his face.


"You snake, you think its okay to cheat and steal bits from ponies who earned them through honest work!?"


"What are your talking about?! I was playing clean, you're just mad I kept winning." the white stallion was trying to break free of his aggressors grip.


The bartender let out a long sigh and walked over to the quarreling stallions, "Alright you two, break it up, you're making a scene."


The orange stallion looked at the bartender and then at the stallion he had pinned against the wall. He appeared to think for a moment and decided whatever he was about to do probably wasn't worth it. He dropped the stallion and started walking away and had only taken about three steps when the white stallion whispered something. Neither the siblings nor Virtuoso heard what it was but whatever it was must of been pretty bad, the orange stallion looked enraged. Without a second thought he turned around and flung himself at the white stallion; all the ponies in the cart gasped and gave the two combatants some space. The two fell on the floor and the orange stallion hit his adversary in the face. The white stallion quickly recovered and sent the orange stallion flailing into the poker table with a kick. The bartender, knowing better than to get directly involved, ran to look for train security.


The orange stallion was in the process of picking himself up when the blue stallion mounted him and started hitting him in the mouth. The train cart had descended into turmoil as the two fought. With a hard right hook to the gut, the orange stallion managed to break free; however, blood now dripped from the side of his mouth. The two stallions stood still, wondering who would make the next move.


It was during this pause that the bartender returned with security ponies. Everypony that hadn't left the cart already made a passageway for the security. The two stallions hadn't noticed the security come in and were about to go at it again when the four security guards surrounded them. Both stallions were subdued by two of the security ponies and escorted out of the cart, Omega could still hear both of them shouting all sorts of insults at each other and couldn't help but grin.


Alpha signaled to both Virtuoso and Omega, "Come on guys, I think that's enough excitement for one train ride."
As they made their way back to their own cart Alpha said aloud. "See, if you had played poker with them you might have been part of that little scuffle."


"Oh come on sis, you know I'm smart enough to not get involved in something like that," said Omega, he felt a little offended inside.


"Still, thanks for not playing..."


"...No problem..."


Virtuoso's curiosity was again aroused but he dared not ask anything for fear of bringing up an unwanted topic. They reached their cart and found Lightning still inside, looking at the outside world through an open window.


"So, did you guys find anything interesting to do?" the question sounded more like forced politeness rather than actual interest.


"Actually yeah, we were getting ready to come back here when a fight broke out in the trains mini bar" responded Omega.


"Really?!" this sounded more sincere, but Lightning didn't give any of them a chance to respond. "I finished reading the newspaper and, well, just like I expected there was nothing in there I was glad to read about."


"What did you read about? Has Destiny attacked other cities across Equestria?" asked Virtuoso with genuine concern.


"Not directly, but just like the front line indicates several monsters have been spotted across Equestria, some small, others..." rather than saying anything else, Lightning opened the newspaper to a page with a heading that read: "Small northern village nearly destroyed by single monster, hundreds dead and even more wounded."


"Sweet Celestia," said Alpha and sat down on her bed.	


"Apparently hundreds of royal guards are being deployed all over Equestria in order to minimize casualties from attacks like these, but...what if Destiny decides to attack again? I don't think some royal guards would provide much of a threat to her."


The four friends sat in silence until Alpha remembered she had saved some food for Lightning, "Here you go lightning," she said handing him an apple and a dandelion sandwich she had  saved from her lunch. "remember what the doctor said, in our condition we need to eat as much as we can."


"Thanks Alpha, I was so sucked into the newspaper I hadn't even realized how hungry I actually am."


"Before you start eating, Lightning, have you ever been to Canterlot?"


"Actually, I have, a couple of times. The last time I was there was for the coronation of Princess Twilight."


"I was there too," started Virtuoso, "then again, so was most of Equestria. It was such a happy occasion, how long has it been? A month? Two months, hard to believe."


The four sat in silence remembering how happy  the festivities of that day had been, Alpha broke the silence of melancholy by reminding Lightning of his food, "Lightning you should hurry up and eat that."


"Oh right!" Lightning devoured the food rapidly while Alpha, Omega, and Virtuoso decided to take a nap for the rest of the train ride. After he finished he tried to get some sleep too; however, none of them could fall sleep because of all the thoughts floating in their heads.


They were finally drifting off to sleep when a loud whistle startled them. Lightning looked out side and saw Canterlot fast approaching. "Guys, we're here!"


They had all been to Canterlot before, Alpha and Omega even lived there, but the breath taking sight of the splendorous city never ceased to amaze. The giant city with its many splendid buildings was the pride of Equestria, its beauty only rivaled by the Crystal Empire. The sparkling waterfalls emanating from deep inside the mountains that surrounded Canterlot created rainbows as they plummeted to the valley below. The many different colored and shaped buildings stood up like pedestals reminding everypony that saw them of how far Equestria had come from the days of poverty, hate, and discord.


The train stopped and the four friends gathered their belongings. The sun was quickly setting and they all suddenly felt very tired. "Is there anywhere you guys want to go before heading to our home?" asked Omega.


"I'm fine," answered Lightning, "I just want to hit the hay,"


"What about you virtuoso?"


Virtuoso opened his mouth and was about to say something when he changed his mind, "No, I'm good. I agree with Lightning, what we need after that long train ride is some proper sleep, I think it would be best if we were in optimum conditions when meeting with the princesses."


"Alright then," said Alpha and started walking alongside Omega. After 30 minutes of walking they reached a big house. "Here we are, home sweet home."


Omega took out a pair of keys and held the door open for his sister.


"Why thank you kind sir."


Lightning and Virtuoso stepped in next and finally Omega who locked the door. The inside of the house was well decorated and there were all kinds of trophies in shelves. Both Virtuoso and Lightning so these but were so tired they decided to ask about them the next morning.


"So," started Virtuoso, "I see two couches, Lightning, which one do you want?"


"Oh heavens no, I won't allow our new friend sleep in our couches. Omega and I will take the couches, you two, follow me." said Alpha. The last sentenced sounded like a command so Virtuoso and Lightning followed.


"Take these two rooms," Alpha had led them to two rooms upstairs, obviously hers and Omegas. "Now I'll see you two in the morning."


"Umm...Alpha," started Lightning.


"Bathroom is two doors down the hall." she said with a laugh.


"Right..." said Lightning and started walking down the hall.


Alpha and Virtuoso shared a small laugh, and then he said, "Thanks for everything, I'll find a way to repay this to you and your brother."


"Nonsense, after you let us stay in your grandparents house what kind of ponies would we be to make you guys have to find an inn. Anyways, I'll see you two in the morning." With these final words she made her way downstairs.


Virtuoso entered the room and didn't even attempt to find out which of the two siblings it belonged to. He got under the covers and almost instantly fell sleep. After using the bathroom Lightning entered the opposing room and did the same. 


The next morning approached and...a heartbeat, or at least what felt like a heartbeat. 


Virtuoso immediately rose up in pain from his bed at the same time Lightning did and put a hoof to his chest. Virtuoso and Lighting managed to crawl out of the rooms and lay on the floor outside, on the hallway.


Virtuoso turned to Lightning, "You feel it as well?" He asked, barely able to get the words out.


Lightning, not able to bear the pain just nods. Virtuoso tried to stand up but didn't get very far in his efforts and tumbled down to the floor again. 


"Alpha, Omega, are you two ponies…feeling this pain as well?" Virtuoso asked still in pain himself.


He heard Omega's strained voice, "Oh yeah, we're totally feeling it! Care to come down and join us?"


Almost immediately hears a hoof make contact with something hard and then Alpha's voice, "Shut up… stupid! This isn't the time for jokes!" Her voice cracks from the pain. "Virtuoso, is Lightning ok?"


Lightning whispers, "Celestia… help us…"


Another heartbeat like pounding.


The four screamed in pain and then silence followed. The only sound that can be  heard is the sound of all the ponies trying to catch their breath. Virtuoso walks to Lightning and helps him stand up. When virtuoso manages to get Lightning on his hooves, they both head downstairs to see if the other two are ok. They find Alpha and Omega sprawled on the couches and help them recuperate from what had just happened.


"Thanks guys." Alpha says still rubbing her chest. She went to the kitchen and got some water for every pony while the boys helped Omega.


"Well, that was a great morning don't you think?" Omega says after they got him to a sitting position. "She can at least let us get a good night sleep." he says gritting his teeth. 


Alpha returned with a tray holding four glasses of water. She hands everypony a  glass with a straw  and sets the tray on a table in the middle of the two couches. "This is the first time something like that has happened to us, do any of you have an idea of, well, why that happened?." Everypony can hear the worry in her voice.


Alpha found a seat next to Omega on the couch and the other two ponies sat on the couch adjacent to them.


Virtuoso took a sip from his drink, "I don't know, but I suppose these chest pains are going to come frequently, which is no good for any of us." 


"I was scared for my life up there but I was more focused on your guys' safety rather than mine, so I tried getting up but the pain was unbearable…I felt weak." He lowered his head and took a drink of his water.


"Nopony is weak here Lightning," Omega says trying to cheer him up. "That Alicorn has us all where she wants us to be, what can we do?"


Lightning lifts his head back up,  "We're gonna do what we came here to do."


Virtuoso nods his head and finishes his water, "I agree, we need to go see the princesses immediately and report what has happened this morning."


The rest of the ponies agree and finished their drinks before gathering a few things in their bags and heading out to Canterlot's majestic castle. The road there was a beautiful one. Spring  was showing it's true colors this time around and the cool breeze kept the day from getting any hotter. Every pony, including fillies, seemed to be admiring all the newly bloomed flowers and all the return fauna. Mares were walking with their stallions along the road obviously enjoying the day. Everypony seemed to be enjoying themselves and everything looked lively. 


Upon approaching the castles gates, they were stopped by a royal guard in his armor, "Ah, I believe the princess has been expecting the four of you." He said in deep assertive voice.


Virtuoso steps forward and bows, "Yes sir, would you mind leading us to her chamber?" He asks.


"Right this way." The royal guard says as he pushes through the gates and leads them into the castle.


The four followed the guard to the front of the castle where two more guards stood. He waved his hoof at them and they opened the grand doors of the castle. The five ponies walked through the doors only to be struck in awe by the countless wonders of the castle. There were statues and busts galore of famous ponies and icons across Equestria. The tile was polished enough to see their reflection in and the halls were quiet enough to hear each hoof step throughout the entire castle. Upon walking through numerous halls, the five ponies finally reached another set of grand doors guarded by multiple guards.


The royal guard stopped, "The princesses await beyond this door," he opened the doors for them, revealing both princess Celestia and Luna, "good luck ponies." He says as the ponies walked in and he closed the doors behind them.


The four of them walked to the princesses and bowed in respect, Alpha was thinking of what to say when Omega blurted out, "So what exactly is happening Celestia."


"Omega!" Alpha slapped her brother on the shoulder and could not believe his lack of courtesy.


"It is quite alright my little ponies," said princess Celestia, "I understand this is urgent so I will not waste any time with pointless babble. Luna has informed me of everything she could learn, both from the four of you and several other witnesses. I believe the power which Destiny spoke of is a power which has been forgotten because no pony could ever learn to harness its power. Luna and I are no different, we have only been able to harness the power of the elements of harmony, although that is lost to us now as well. I regret to say neither my sister or myself know much about this power. Destiny tried to harness its power once before but failed. I'm not sure how she tried to do it or what exactly this power even is, from what I have heard it is harnessed through objects like the necklaces I am sure the four of you are familiar with."


"The ones Princess Twilight and her friends use to harness the full might of the magic of friendship?" asked Lightning.


"Yes, we must look for these orbs which serve as the keys to this power, but first...we must find these other four ponies. I have arranged a train to take you to Ponyville, you must speak to princess Twilight there, she will help you start your search."


"Princess. This is all useful information but I still don't understand why Destiny would tell us a way to defeat her." said Alpha, it made no sense to her that Destiny could have easily killed them; however, she let them live and even told them how to defeat her. Was she just toying with them and already knew she could not be stopped?


"I'm afraid only Destiny herself can answer that...now, you must hurry up and leave. I am sorry this audience was so rushed but you must understand I cannot allow to Equestria to remain in this state. Destiny must be stopped, and the sooner, the better."


"We understand princess. We will leave as soon as possible." responded Lightning. They bowed and started heading towards the exit. 


"We would like nothing more than to help you but we must stay here and protect Canterlot."


"We know princess, you can trust us."



                                                                                                                                                                 


...Two ponies hiking the mountains close to Canterlot stopped to take a break. One of them was a green stallion with a light red mane, the other, a purple mare with a yellow mane. 


"You ok honey?" asked the stallion.


"Yeah, didn't I tell you hiking these mountains was going to be a fabulous experience. This road is beautiful and the air feels amazing."


The couple laughed and joked as they rested and everything seemed alright. A horrible roar echoed through the woods and both ponies were startled.


"What was that? It sounded...it sounded like a lion..." said the mare in a frantic voice.


"A lion...in the mountains of Canterlot...that's impossible." the stallion didn't sound too sure of his own words.


Then they heard what sounded like hissing, and then what sounded like a goat. This bizarre set of noises was quickly scaring the couple and they stood up, ready to run away in case anything dangerous approached them.


"Those noises have no business here," said the stallion, "maybe we should start heading back to Canter-" Without warning, a beast leaped from the top of some trees and landed close to the couple. The beast was huge, perhaps almost the size of  a two story house. It had the body of a lion, on its back was a goat's head which sluggishly flailed side to side , and instead of a tail, it had a snake with horrible glaring eyes that almost paralyzed them in fear. It was a Chimera, a mythical creature that shouldn't even be found in the depths of the Everfree forest. Such a beast should only be found in Tartarus, but the three headed guard dog was guarding its entrance...right? 


"RUN!!!" screamed the stallion and the two took off in a full blown gallop. They didn't get very far for another Chimera leaped in the road and roared. They stopped dead in their tracks and started backing off. However, they were stuck, the two Chimeras had surrounded them and were slowly closing in. The couple embraced one last time before the chimeras pounced...and nopony was there to hear their screams of agony. 


After the chimeras had dispatched of the innocent couple they continued rapidly making their way to Canterlot.


	
> Train of Consequences
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Train Of Consequences



It was only 11:28 in the morning and the four friends were already tired. What happened to them in the morning coupled with the new task placed on their shoulders by princess Celestia made them realize it was going to be a long day, and for the first time, the real gravity of the situation was finally starting to settle in. A little more than a week ago they were all normal ponies going about their lives, and now, that reality appeared as if it never existed. 


After exiting the castle they had made their way to a nearby park, there weren't many ponies around yet, so Alpha and Omega decided it would be the perfect place to stop and analyze the situation. Virtuoso, suddenly being overwhelmed by many realizations, started walking slower until eventually he stopped. Raising a hoof to his chest, he held it there hoping to feel what he knew was no longer there. He started breathing heavily and nearly collapsed before the other three finally noticed. They ran back to Virtuoso when they saw him fall on all four knees and look at  the sky with a blank expression.


"Virtuoso, are you okay?" asked Alpha, concern evident in her face.


"Yeah, actually, no, actually...AUGGHH!" stomping his right front hoof against the ground, tears of anger started dripping down the side of his face. "What the hell is happening here?!" he yelled vehemently.  


Putting a hoof on the flustered unicorns back, Omega tried to calm him down, "What's the matter Virtuoso? You're not having an emotional breakdown after everything we've been through already, tell us, whats bothering you?"


"Haven't you guys realized whats happening yet?! We aren't legendary heroes, my magic can barely go past casual uses. You three can fly, but how would you deal with giant monsters like the ones we saw on the newspaper? Lightning has his grandfathers earring but even that can only go so far. You saw what Destiny did to Phillydelphia, and I don't think all these monster appearances are a coincidence. Don't get me wrong, If she wants a fight, then I'll give her a hell of a fight, but what if she's just toying with us? What if she already knows we can't defeat her? Can't princess Twilight and her friends do something about this?" The tears had been replaced by the angry scowl of a soul that couldn't understand why all of this was happening. Alpha, Omega, and Lightning had never seen this side of Virtuoso, so it took them a while to react. Alpha looked around and was relieved to find that there weren't any ponies nearby to witness this little scene.


"Virtuoso...I've had these thoughts in my head for a while too, and to tell you the truth, I've silently cried a couple of times since Destiny attacked Phillydelphia..." Omega was surprised to hear this and felt a little guilty about not noticing his sisters pain. "I'm sure none of us wish we had to do this, but we can't just sit by while other ponies do the fighting...slowly wasting away. We have to fight to win back our hearts like Destiny said. And if she really is toying with us, then lets make her regret it." Truth be told, they had all felt similar feelings like Virtuoso, he had just been the first one to express them in open anger.


Omega stepped in, "She's right, and as cheesy as it sounds..." Omega made a silly face as he said this aloud, "...we have each other." He finished this sentence with a forced grin. Virtuoso couldn't help but laugh when he heard something like that come out of someone like Omega. Lightning smiled and started walking again seeing his friends little emotional breakdown had been taken care off. 


Virtuoso regained his poise and was a little embarrassed about the scene he had just caused, and so, they made their way back to Alpha and Omega's house. Still, the feelings of dread lingered in all of their heads, and so far this day hadn't been all that great. They were outside of the house when Lightning heard something.


Raaaawwwwrrrrr!!!


Lightning suddenly stopped. Virtuoso had been walking next to him so he immediately noticed and turned around, "Is everything alright Lightning?"


"Did any of you hear that?" asked Lightning while looking around puzzled.


"What? a rumbling? that was probably just my stomach." While Omega laughed at his own joke Lightning listened carefully.


Raaawwwrrrrr!!!


This time everypony heard the roar; moreover, it seemed like all of Canterlot heard it this time. Everything grew eerily quiet, some ponies called their foals back inside their houses, and even all the birds appeared to have grown quiet.


Raaaawwwwrrrr!!!


Countless flocks of birds flew out of the forests that surround Canterlot, it was evident something big was approaching the city. Omega had entered the house and was gesturing to Alpha, Lightning, and Virtuoso to do the same, and soon after the streets were deserted. Royal guards started coming from all directions of the city and headed to the gates that separated Canterlot from the outside world. The ground under their hooves shook and some of the guards started backing away from the gates, fear plain in their expressions. Then...


Raaaawwwwrrrr!!!!


The gates of Canterlot were suddenly struck by something with incredible force, the guards looked at one another in search for answers as to what to do. The gates were assaulted by an onslaught of strikes, more guards joined the ranks forming inside the city and then the gates finally gave way to whatever was outside. The two giant doors fell and what the guards saw made some of them drop the weapons they carried in their mouths. Two giant chimeras were standing over the knocked down gates looking down at all the guards. The eyes of the lion moved from guard to guard while the snake it had for a tail hissed and did the same with it's beady eyes. The goat head on it's back appeared to have no intelligence and just kind of lazily flailed side to side. The beasts were huge and some of the guards started to slowly back away from them.


Lightning, who had been looking outside from inside the house was joined by his friends, they watched in horror as the two chimeras got ready to pounce on the guards, "Guys," whispered Lightning breathing heavily, "The guards won't be able to do much against those things..."


"What do you propose we do?! Those things are huge!" protested Alpha.


"We have to do something, we can't just let them des-" Lightnings words were cut off by an ear piercing roar that shook the house itself. 


The two chimeras had jumped at the still guards and easily smashed through their ranks, one of the chimeras slashed at one of the guards who bravely, or foolishly charged him, and cut though his armor with little effort. The guards body hit the ground, a nasty looking cut across his chest. The guards who had initially been too stunned to do anything were knocked back into reality by the realization that they had to protect the city. Some Pegasus guards, swords in mouths, dive bombed into the fray and slashed at the beast. They hit their marks and the chimeras let out horrible groans of pain. This did little to stop the rampaging chimeras however, with their massive size they easily knocked whatever flying guard they could reach. If the sheer impact of the chimeras strike, coupled with the impact of hitting the ground, wasn't enough to kill the brave guards, then the chimeras would make quick work of the injured ponies. The unicorn guards attacked with their magic, shooting all sorts of spells, they were able to damage the chimeras who had no sort of protection against the arcane magics. This proved effective against the beast and for a second, the guards assumed control of the situation. That ended when the chimeras, through brute force, charged into the group of unicorns and 'swipe after swipe' easily decimated the ranks of guards.


With the guards in disarray and in panic the chimeras turned their attention to the buildings, sniffing around as if looking for something. One of the two chimeras set its eyes on a house that was nearby. Standing up on two legs, the chimera smashed its massive body against the side of the house. The walls of the house stood no chance against the brute, and a family of cowering ponies huddled in the corner of the room the chimera had smashed into were starring the beast eye to eye. They closed their eyes as the chimera looked around the room, apparently not finding whatever it is it was looking for he finally turned his attention to the family and was about to strike when a beam of magic hit the goat head. The infuriated chimera fell back on all fours and looked back at the pony who had struck him. A single guard stood in the middle of the street and looked at the chimera. The chimera roared and the guard took off running; the chimera followed him and they disappeared behind some buildings, a scream of agony soon followed.


"They're killing all the guards, I have to go out there and help!" screamed a frantic Lightning, Virtuoso and Omega had to grab him in order to keep him from running outside and getting himself killed.


"Lightning, I know you want to help using the powers your grandfather's earring give you, but those things are way too big for one pony to take on. They'll destroy you!" tried to reason Omega.


"But I have to do something!" tears of anger and helplessness started forming in Lightnings eyes as he tried to break free. Alpha was thinking of some way to help the guards without getting directly involved, that's when all four of them heard an agonizing scream followed by a roar that indicated another life had been taken. 


Lightning managed to break free and was about to rush out of the door when a voice boomed.


ENOUGH!!!


Looking outside, through the window, Lightning saw princess Celestia and Luna descending in battle armor that had not been present during their audience. Luna wore the armor she had when she met with them back at the hospital tent in Phillydelphia, but princess Celestia donned brilliant Golden armor with diamonds in crested in it. The body covered all vital areas and her helmet had a razor sharp blade that stuck out in front of her horn. Just like Luna, the armor that covered her legs had several spikes. There were three spikes on each hoof, and three more on each joint of her legs. The chimeras three pairs of eyes turned toward the princesses, and with a mighty roar, they began charging at them with increasing speed. Celestia's horn glowed a bright yellow and a force slammed one of the chimeras into the ground, the other chimera leaped at Celestia but she paid it no mind because she knew her sister had her covered. Before the chimera even got close to Celestia Luna flapped her wings and flew at full speed into the chimeras side, bashing him right into a nearby abandoned building. Trying to end the fight as quickly as possible, Celestia increased the pressure on the chimera she had pinned down in an attempt to crush it but to no avail. The chimera quickly rose to it's feet, pushing as hard as it could against the force of Celestia's magic. Celestia descended into the ground in order to have more stable footing and tried to stop the beast with her magic multiple times. The chimera growled and began to walk against the force Celestia was imposing on him, it eventually  gaining enough strength to jog and finally Celestia's magic seemed to not be affecting it at all. When Celestia saw the beast was getting close she tried to fly into the air and out of its reach. With its giant paw, the lion swung at her and missed, but the snake it had for a tail quickly traveled over its body and smacked the princess on the side, slamming her back into the ground.  


"Princess!" Lightning said and rushed outside the door and towards the chimera. The other three attempted to stop him but had no luck as Lightning quickly caught the beasts attention. "Hey buddy! Over here." All three of the chimeras different animal heads turned toward the sound, and Lightning kicked the lions face with all of the momentum behind his charge.


The chimera swung a paw at the Pegasus but he ducked and landed another kick on the chimeras face, driving it into a mad rage. The beast snarled and constantly swung it's paws at Lightning. With his agility and speed Lightning dogged all of them but was headbutted to the ground by the goats head. The chimera immediately pounced on top of him and was about to strike once more but was stopped by Alpha and Omega, they were holding back the lions paw and as indicated by the strained look on their faces it was no easy task.


"Hey Lightning? I think it'd be best to move." Omega said with a chuckle in his voice. 


The paw was enveloped by the blue aura of Virtuoso's magic, "Let me help you with that."


The chimera pulled it's paw toward it's body and thrust it back out with full force, sending Omega flying towards a building, and Alpha face first into the ground. Before Omega slammed into the building a yellow aura surrounded him and places him back down on his hooves. Omega turns around and sees Celestia with only a portion of her armor undamaged by the blow from the snake. A huge dent could be seen on the right side of her armor and Omega wondered if her bones were also injured. The sound of Luna's cry reacheed them. 


"Sister!" Celestia saw the chimera Luna had tackled into a building was fast approaching, shooting a powerful beam of energy at the first chimera she sent it right back out the fallen gates of the city. Turning back to the approaching chimera it had made its way to her faster than she anticipated with a giant paw struck her, she managed to create a small shield of light but was still tossed to were Lightning stood with his friends.


Lightning was about to help Celestia when she rose from the ground once more and yelled, "I have had enough!" Her horn glowed a golden yellow and an aura appeared around the chimera that had just hit her. The beast  was slammed into the ground so hard it caused some of the earth below them to rise, indenting the chimera into the earth. She spread her wings and her eyes glowed a bright white as she soared into the air concentrating her energy on one massive attack. All that could be seen of her was her outline as she twirled her head and thrust a large beam of energy toward the fallen chimera. The beam traveled fast and met with the side of the chimeras torso, this thrust the beast further into the ground to the point were it was no longer visible. The beam disappeared with the chimera, and from the crater, came a blinding ray of light, followed by silence. The princess descended from the sky and gathered her composure.


The Princess looked tired after what she had just done and the chimera that remained was standing back up. From outside the city it looked at her and she looked back at it. Celestia was getting ready to blast him with another beam of energy when Luna put a hoof in front of her sister. "Sister, allow me to take care of this one, you do not have to handle this alone." The chimera must have sensed something bad was about to happen to it because it seemed hesitant to attack. The lion head continued to roar but the goat and snake were beginning to make horrible noises, as if in pain. The chimera seemed to make its final decision and charged back into the city, this is just one what Luna wanted. She closed her eyes and her horn began to glow, an aura enveloped the chimera and slowly he began to levitate until eventually he dangled in the air, helplessly. The aura around the chimera darkened until it became impossible to see through the magic. The chimeras hisses, roars, and Maaa's of protest began to morph into noises that indicated the beast must have been in great pain. Soon, the entire city was covered in the screams of agony of the three animals that made up the chimera.


"Are you sure there wasn't any other way to deal with it?" said Celestia to her sister.


"I apologize sister, but this is the least...messy way." 


The four friends were looking at each other wandering what in the world could be happening to the creature inside of Luna's magic. Alpha covered her ears in an attempt to stop the horrible noises from invading her brain. After about four minutes that seemed like an eternity the beast seized to cry in agony, and so, Luna released her magic. 


When the final chimera fell motionless, the four looked at each other in relief and tried to catch their breath. Princess Celestia and Luna landed close to them, also exhausted from the battle. The princesses looked around and seemed to finally notice the damage the beast had done to their city. Celestia looked down, saddened; Luna, on the other hand, looked furious and looking back at the body of the beast, noticed it was fast decaying. All the skin, organs, and even the blood seemed to be sucked into the ground. Only the skeleton remained...along with a horrible smell.


"That's...that's disgusting." said Alpha placing a hoof over her snout in order to protect it from the invading stench. "Is that what happens to creatures from Tartarus when they die?"


Without looking at her, princess Luna answered, "creatures from Tartarus cannot be slain, at least not as far as we know. Once defeated, their souls will return from whence they came and be reborn over the course of time. The process of reincarnation may take anywhere from a couple of days, to centuries."


Princess Celestia had joined her sister and had a hardened expression on her face. Several guards,both solar and lunar, that had been absent from the battle showed up and stood about, ready to carry out any orders their princesses issued. Princess Celestia looked at the solar guards and ordered them to help any citizen that had been injured by the destruction the chimeras had caused. Luna, told her guards to help any of the guards that remained alive. Medical ponies soon began to arrive and just like in Phillydelphia after Destiny's attack, the streets of Canterlot were full of medical tents.


Alpha, Omega, Lightning, and Virtuoso had found a nice tree to sit under while the princesses finished giving out their orders. Lightning wanted to help, but was convinced by his friends that in his current condition he wouldn't be much help. They watched as princess Celestia called her sister over, the princesses looked at the four ponies sitting under a tree and began discuss something. They were however, too far away for any of the four friends to make out anything they were saying. After about 3 minutes of discussing something, the two Alicorns walked over to the shade were the ponies had been resting. When they approached the four ponies stood up and bowed. 


"At ease, we believe to have discovered why those monsters came to Canterlot," said princess Celestia with a rock hard gaze.


Omega didn't like the way she was looking at them, "and that reason would be?..."


"You," said Celestia. One word, one simple word is all it was, but to the four ponies it felt like a hammer blow to the ribs. They looked at each other with worried and guilty expression and then back at the princesses. "We believe those beast came to Canterlot looking for you, we received information from surviving guards that the chimeras appeared to be looking for something. If they were here to simply wreak havoc, they could have easily gone on a frenzy and destroyed any building they were closed to. By now you must have realized that Destiny's return and this sudden outburst of monsters is tied somehow. Well, would you not say that it is very likely that Destiny sent those beast here to search for you?"


"That makes sense, but...why? was she hoping the chimeras would kill us?" asked a puzzled Lightning.


"I'm afraid that is another question I cannot answer," the stern look Celestia had when she began to speak had been replaced by a look of sympathy and sorrow. "I am sorry, my little ponies...but I must ask you to leave Canterlot and go to Ponyville at once, your presence puts the city in danger."


Alpha felt horrible, if it was like the princess was telling them, then it was their fault so many ponies had lost their lives and homes. Could it be true? "Princess...we're so sorry...we didn't mea-"


"I know, and I am sorry, but you must understand you are all targets for whatever monsters Destiny sends to find you. Now, please make haste, gather your things, I will send a messenger to inform the train station you four are to be taken to Ponyville immediately. Is there anything you would like to ask before leaving?"


"No," responded all four of them. In reality, they had many questions, but deep inside they knew neither of the princesses would have an answer, and so, they bowed to their princesses and departed for Alpha and Omega's house to grab whatever belongings they planned to take. 


Virtuoso and Lightning quickly grabbed their bags from the two rooms they had stayed in, Alpha and Omega knew what they wanted to take and the four of them quickly gathered everything they would need. Virtuoso, who was drinking a cup of water in the living room while Lightning and Omega took turns going to the bathroom, noticed Alpha take a picture from a drawer and wondered what the picture was off. He realized the siblings probably wouldn't return to their house in a while, so it must have been a picture that held sentimental value. He decided to ask her later, right now they had to hurry to the train station.


After all four of them had gathered everything they thought was needed they walked outside, Alpha and Omega were the last ones to step outside. Wondering how long it would be before they returned, they took one last look at everything they loved and finally Omega locked the door. The four made their way to the Canterlot train station wondering what sort of sick games Destiny had planned for them. No, not games, Destiny didn't seem like the kind of villain that takes delight in pointlessly torturing her enemies, so then what was the point of sending two chimeras after them? a test maybe?


Upon arriving at the train station they were greeted by a pony that must have been one of the trains engineers, "You four look like the ponies we're supposed to take to Ponyville, the conductor has been expecting you, lets go," he said without even introducing himself. Virtuoso thought he either wasn't a very friendly pony or the messenger Celestia sent made it clear this was an urgent matter.


The train they rode on this time was much bigger than the one they took to Canterlot. The cabins were a little more spacious and it appeared to be longer too. The four friends were led to a cabin and soon afterwards the train began to move. Slowly at first, they all looked outside the three windows their cabin had and saw Canterlot slowly being left behind. It was almost night now and they were all tired from the days events. Disregarding the doctors orders and eating a proper meal for dinner, they each had a single hay sandwich and tried to get some sleep.


Virtuoso thought he would never be able to sleep with all the thoughts in his head, but that proved false and he quickly fell sleep. The others thought the same but soon everypony had fallen sleep. The only sounds were the wheels of the train, the occasional train whistle, and Omegas snoring...   


Dawn approached and Virtuoso was awoken by a strange sound. In sounded like hooves making contact with metal, but what could it be? a train engineer? no, that couldn't be it because it sounded like it was coming from  the roof of the train. The cabin they had been given had two bunk beds, alarmed, Virtuoso carefully got down from the top bunk of the bed he shared with Lightning.


"Pssst, Lightning, wake up," 


The Pegasus slowly opened his eyes, "Virtuoso? what is it?"


"Do you hear that?"


Lightning closed his eyes and listened, at first he didn't hear anything strange, but he soon heard it too, "What is that? it sounds like-"


"Like hooves taking a mid night stroll on top of the train?" said Omega, Lightning wondered if Virtuoso's movement woke him up, or if he had been awake for a while now. 


Omega got out of bed and called out to his sister, "Hey Alpha, rise and shine, looks like our day stars early today."


"What are you talking about? It can't be more than-" she was cut off by a loud smash that couldn't have been more than two carts away. They also heard some ponies scream and gasp, "...What was that?"


Virtuoso was preparing for the worst, "I think the most rational answer would be more of Destiny's pests, guys, I think we should get out of this cabin...and probably this cart."


Lightning was the first to step outside, the halls were dark, as expected, but numerous lights were beginning to turn on as more ponies were waking up. Lightning heard another loud smash coming from the cart right in front of theirs, followed of course, by startled gasps and screams. A deep threatening voice demanded, "Where are they?!"


"Who are they?!" asked a stallion, panic and fear in his voice.


"The vessels, we can smell them nearby. Now tell me where they are or I'll smash your skull open!"


We? Great, that meant there was more than one, and that last sentence alarmed Lightning. "Guys," he said quickly, "go to the back of the cart, where all the carts carrying commercial materials are, I'll lead them there and we can dispatch of them there."


"Are you crazy we don't even know what these things are, how are you so sure we can get rid of them?" protested Omega.


"Well what else can we do? if we don't show ourselves they'll hurt the other passengers!"


"You won't tell me then?" came the same deep voice from the cart, "then I guess you're of no use to us,"


"NO!" screamed a mare and a filly, they must have been the stallions family.


"Ok, hurry Lightning, we'll be waiting at the cart with coal I saw before we got here, maybe once whatever those things are get on it we can open it and they'll fall out." Omega, Alpha, and Virtuoso ran to carts that trailed in the back of the train. These were the carts that carried coal, lumber, etc.


After they had exited the cart Lightning hurried to the door that connected his cart with the cart containing the monsters. "Are you looking for me?" he exclaimed as he opened the doors. He saw three Minotaur, they were a bit smaller than a Minotaur called Iron Will he saw while passing by a town once, but they definitely looked meaner. Unlike Iron Will, the're coats were black as night and they had red eyes that gave them a menacing look. Their horns were sharper too and they appeared to be wearing mantels over their muscular bodies made of skinned animals. The one holding the stallion dropped him before doing any damage and told his comrades, "Hunt him down!"


Lightning quickly took off in the direction his friends ran and hoped they had figured out how to open the door to the cart containing coal. The Minotaur were much bigger than Lightning so they had trouble chasing after him, eventually they must have gotten tired of being careful. One of them stopped and after letting out a deafening "RAAAAA" charged at Lightning, smashing through anything that got in his way. The brutes went right through everything disregarding their own bodies, they smashed through metal bars, anything left in the hallways of the train, and Lightning even stopped closing the door every time he entered a new cart because he realized it was pointless. He finally entered a room that was full of coal, and figuring they only had a couple of seconds before the Minotaur were upon them looked around for his friends. Walking over the coal was uncomfortable and he was relieved to see Virtuoso waving to him across the room, he saw that Virtuoso and Alpha entered the next cart and Omega was ready to pull a lever. He ran past Omega almost tripping on all the coal and seconds later he heard the horrible stomping of the Minotaur. that particular cart didn't have a roof and there was a pillar of coal in the middle of the cart, so, they couldn't see if all the Minotaur had entered but Omega didn't wait and pulled the lever. 


The train was now on a bridge, and to either side was a long drop leading to a lake. When Omega pulled the lever, the door fell wide open and the coal started falling to the lake below. They heard two bodies hit the coal with an "hoof!" and two of the three Minotaur were slipping with the coal out of train. They tried to crawl back into the train, but the current of coal was too difficult to go against and they fell to the lake. One of the Minotaur remained, he had grabbed the edge of the door and managed to hold on while most of the coal fell out of the cart. He was regaining his footing and looked at the four ponies, anger evident in his gaze. Omega realized they couldn't keep retreating into the back of the train or they would be trapped, so...


"Guys, we have to fly out!"


'What!" exclaimed Virtuoso. 


"Don't worry Virtuoso, we'll catch you." Alpha and Omega were already flying besides the train. Lightning quickly jumped out and only Virtuoso remained in the train. The only remaining Minotaur was carefully making its way to were Virtuoso stood with a conflicted expression. Virtuoso looked at the Minotaur and jumped out. He closed his eyes and sure enough Alpha and Omega caught him by the front hooves. The sudden gain in weight made Alpha and Omega drop in altitude and lose a bit of their balance, Virtuoso expected to suddenly feel himself falling again but Alpha and Omega quickly regained control. The three Pegasi, along with Virtuoso, flew to the front of the train and entered the conductors cabin.


The windows in the conductors cabin didn't have any glass, and aside from the trains controls the only other thing in the cabin was a door that separated it from the room were the firemen adds coal to a furnace to fuel the train. The conductor was startled by the four ponies who suddenly flew inside his cabin through one of the big windows.


"What are you four doing here?" he asked after getting over the initial shock.


"There is no time to explain," started Omega, "Is there any way you could stop the train and get everyone of board?"


"Why would you ask something like that?"


"There is a marauding monster on board, and we need to get rid of hi-" 


A frantic pony ran into the cabin, "There is a Minotaur making his way here," he stopped to catch his breath, "all the passengers are inside their cabins and he hasn't barged into any of them, but he keeps yelling something about vessels."


Lightning exchanged look with Virtuoso who was just recovering from the little flight he had just taken. The cabin started to shake, the Minotaur was getting closer. Virtuoso looked at the conductor, "stay here, we'll take care of him," he said not sounding too sure in his own words. The four friends went the the furnace cabin and waited for the Minotaur to walk in. None of them were sure of what to do, Omega noticed one of two point pitchforks used to poke coal once inside the furnace and picked it up with his mouth. What were they thinking? what could they possibly do to such a beast?


The Minotaur burst through the door of the furnace room and looked around. Lightning, Omega, and Virtuoso were standing in the middle of the room and Alpha was in the far corner. The Minotaur moved closer to the three stallions standing in the middle and made a swing at Virtuoso, he missed and before he could regain his posture the three stallions leaped on him. They were trying to wrestle him to the ground with little success, Alpha, not sure of what to do began maneuvering around the struggling Minotaur. She was passing the open furnace when the Minotaur managed to fling Omega into one of the carts walls. The impact of Omega hitting the wall shook the cart and made the furnace door fall and almost hit Alpha. Alpha had slightly unfolded her wings due to the heat coming from the furnace and managed to duck before the heavy door hit her. The door, however, managed to shut on the wrist of her right wing. 


"Aah!" she screamed, catching the attention of the Minotaur. Looking at her, the Minotaur flung Lightning and Virtuoso off his body and approached the trapped Pegasus. Alpha frantically tried to free her wing, it wasn't exposed to the fire of the furnace but without freeing it she wouldn't be able to move. The Minotaur, who had a sadistic grin on his face, put a massive hand on the Alpha's neck, opened the door to the furnace, and slowly started to push her head in. "NOOO!" screamed Alpha as she struggled, but there wasn't much she could do against the brute force of the Minotaur. Omega, who had just recovered from hitting the wall, saw this and had one thought. I need to kill him. Now.


Looking around, he found the two point pitchfork he had picked up when he had first entered the room and picked it up with his two front hooves. Since the room wasn't too big he only needed a small propulsion of his wings to reach the Minotaur. With a scream of rage he thrust the pitchfork into the Minotaur's neck, instantly releasing his grip on Alpha. She fell to the floor and rolled away from the Furnace, the Minotaur tried to pull the pitchfork out, but it was lodged far too deep. He gagged for a while before falling to the floor of the furnace room. The Minotaur's skin began to turn into black fog and after a while the only thing that remained of him was his skeleton. Alpha ran to Omega and he comforted her as she cried...


The sun was rising and Ponyville could be seen in the distance. 


	


	 


	 





	
> A Day at the Farm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


A Day at the Farm



The four friends trudged back to their cabin, the fight with the Minotaur had left them exhausted. Virtuoso couldn't stop thinking of the perplexing explanation he had given the train conductor, he couldn't get the conductor's confused expression out of his thoughts either. Lightning was happy everything had been resolved without serious casualties and tried to stay optimistic. Omega, walking behind his sister, kept asking her if she OK. She would always reply with "I'm fine Omega, don't worry," but he could see she was still trembling. The warm rays of the sun now bathed the landscape with their light and they were just a couple of minutes away from Ponyville. Thanks to their visitors they had not been able to get a proper nights sleep, and now, three of the four ponies had bags under their eyes. Lightning looked at Virtuoso and wondered how the unicorn didn't look tired at all, he had mentioned earlier he was exhausted but he sure didn't look the part, he wanted to ask how he kept himself so well groomed but that kind of question seemed horribly out of place at the moment, so he held his tongue.

 
"Does this mean we are going to be constantly chased by evil, blood lusting creatures?" asked Alpha as she fashioned a beautiful pink bow on her head. She looked extremely tired and after what happened in the furnace room, Omega wanted to do nothing more than comfort her. He knew, however, that she wouldn't let. She didn't like to show weakness.

 
"Probably, that is why we must make our stay in Ponyville a short one, I suggest you guys look around town for any clues indicating where one of the ponies we need to find is while I ta-" the loud whistle of the train cut off whatever Virtuoso was about to say. after it passed, he didn't bother repeating himself and instead just gathered his belongings, the others did the same and soon, they were on their way out of the train. To the ponies discontent, many, if not most of the ponies that had been in the train were looking at them as they passed. They tried their best to ignore their gazes and kept walking.

 
"Do you think your house is big enough for all of us?" asked Omega once they had gotten out of the train, they saw several ponies trot by, tools ready. They were probably called to fix the parts of the train which had been damaged, and this was no small number. Virtuoso decided it would be best to leave the scene before they were called for questions and motioned for his friends to follow him.

 
Virtuoso noticed how Omega didn't think twice about asking the question and how Alpha didn't stop him and say something like, "We could just find a hotel or something." He liked that because it meant they had grown closer. "Sure, before we do anything else though, I want to visit someone." 


With this, his friends began following him down a street, the air entering their lungs felt refreshing and made them feel a little bit better. Many of the ponies they passed waved at them and Virtuoso even greeted them some of them by name. Eventually, they stopped at a two story house. Virtuoso knocked on the door and a voice called out, "Just a sec."

 
A white mare wearing purple glasses answered the door. when she saw Virtuoso a look of relief and happiness appeared on her face, she accommodated her blue hair with azure streaks and Virtuoso deduced he must have woken her up. Without warning she leaped and gave him a hug, "Virtuoso!? Dude! Where have you been? Octavia and I have been worried sick, you said you would write to us when you were safely with your family, but oh boy am I glad to see you're safe, who are your pals here?"

 
"Hey there Vinyl, long time no see, I'm sorry I didn't write or anything, my life has been kind of...complicated lately, as for my friends here," he stepped back and pointed a hoof at Lightning, "this here is Lightning Courage, hes fast, brave, and ironically a bit shy."

 
Lightning blushed a little when his stomach growled but shook Vinyls hoof all the same, "pleasure to meet you miss...miss." 

 
"The name is-"

 
Omega pushed Lightning out of the way, "Vinyl Scratch! One of Equestrias best DJ's and one of my personal favorites, pleasure to meet you," Omega vigorously shook the startled mares hoof.

 
"Always nice to meet one of my…umm number 1 fans." chuckled Vinyl nervously. 

 
"My name is Omega, but you can call me whatever you want sir, I mean miss, can I get your autograph? Can you sign my coat? What's your favorite meal, colo-" the barrage of questions coming out of Omega's mouth seemed to be overwhelming Vinyl, not to mention he had not stopped shaking her hoof. Alpha stepped in and pushed her brother aside.

 
"You're making an idiot of yourself Omega, get a hold of yourself. I'm sorry about him miss Scratch, he can be a bit of a...fan boy, anyways, I'm Alpha and I'm glad to meet such an accomplished musician and friend of Virtuoso's."

 
"Don't sweat it Alpha, I can't help but drop the beats that drive my fans crazy so i'm used to this, and I'm always pretty stoked to meet some new ponies. Anyways, you still haven't answered me Virtuoso, where have you been?"

 
"It's...kind of complicated Vinyl...I'll explain later if we have time, but I can't stay for too long so I need to make this visit as brief as possible...where's Octavia?"

 
"She's been in Canterlot for the past two days, something about a-"

 
"Shes in Canterlot!? Vinyl, I don't know if you've heard, but Canterlot was attacked by two chimeras yesterday!"

 
"What! no-no-no-no, do you think shes okay?" Concern appeared in the DJ's face as she spoke, "She was staying in those fancy hotels or whatever, where all the snooty musicians stay."

 
"If that's the case then she should be fine, princess Celestia and Luna took care of the chimeras before they went deep into the city." Vinyls worried expression relaxed a little. "It's been great seeing you again and I promise to visit again before leaving Ponyville but I have to get going."

 
"Wait! Before you leave...do you know whats happening? I mean, all these monsters and stuff suddenly coming out of nowhere, and whats this I hear about an evil alicorn?"

 
"Vinyl, I really wish I could explain but...Its not really the best time, I have to get going."

 
"Alright...I, I think I understand. I'll hold you to your promise though!" Vinyl forced a grin but Virtuoso could clearly see the confusion and worry in her face.

 
"I'm sorry about all this Vinyl..." Virtuoso hugged her again and started walking away.

 
"I'll catch you all later then, its been a pleasure meeting you all," The DJ waved at all of them as they walked away and they waved back, a while passed and she went back inside the house.

 
"Guys, I just became friends with Vinyl Scratch!" exclaimed Omega excitedly as they walked.

 
Alpha shook her head and decided to ignore her brother. "Where do we go now? Your house Virtuoso, or should we go see Princess Twilight?"

 
"I think we should go see Princess Twilight, I would like to leave Ponyville with a lead by tomorrow if possible."
 

"You four, stop!" called out a deep voice that resonated with power, the four ponies looked at the direction where the voice had come from and saw a royal guard hurrying to them.

 
"What now?" asked Omega, slightly annoyed.

 
"I have been instructed by Princess Celestia herself to take you to Princess Twilight, so you may discuss the matters at hoof."

 
"Well that certainly saves us time," said Alpha, happy Celestia had already arranged everything, "can you take us to her right now?"

 
"Certainly," answered the guard. "This way."
 

Omega and Alpha had never been to Ponyville before, and they finally began to notice how beautiful the village was. Most of the buildings were at least two floors, but unlike the buildings in Phillydelphia, they perfectly blended with the surrounding nature. It created a strange harmony between civilization and nature that they had previously only seen in Cloudsdale. After walking for about ten minutes, a big tree stood before them. The tree was nothing new to VIrtuoso, it served as the Ponyville library and as the home of Princess Twilight. To his friends however, the tree was a new sight, they found it extremely beautiful and well designed. The guard reached for the door when it suddenly swung open, almost hitting his face. A small purple dragon walked out and payed no mind to the five sets of eyes staring at him. With a frown, he mumbled something to himself and disappeared behind some houses. The guard walked inside the house, seemingly not bothered by what had just happened and waited for the four ponies to walk in as well before closing the door.

 
Princess Twilight was writing something at her desk but stopped when she noticed her new visitors. "Oh! Hello there everypony, I'm glad you all got here as quickly as possible, there is much we need to discuss." Twilight noticed Alpha was about to bow, "No no! None of that, please...I um...I'm not one for that kind of stuff."

 
"Oh, I'm...sorry Princess. Anyways, I am Alpha, this is my brother-"

 
"Omega, I know. Sorry if that seemed a bit rude but I've already been informed of all your names and everything that has happened since Destiny attacked Phillydelphia, I'm also aware you are looking for four ponies and I think I have a lead." Twilight didn't say this as if it was a good thing, she looked worried and her expression grew solemn, "my friend Apple Jack, she has been acting strange lately, its obvious something is wrong, but she always avoids me or changes the topic when I try to confront her about it. It's not like her."

 
If Alpha wasn't mistaken, Apple Jack was supposed to be the element of honesty, Princess Twilight didn't say Apple Jack was lying to her but something must obviously be wrong if she was hiding something from one of her closest friends. "What would you like us to do princess?" asked Alpha, determined to get to the bottom of this.

 
"I think it would be a good start if you went to Sweet Apple Acres and tried to talk to her. I doubt you'll get anything out of her but it’s the best we can do right now.” The princesses expression changed when she had finished speaking. Maybe a ray of hope filled the princess but no one was too sure. 


Virtuoso looked at the floor "Princess, what if I told you that I can't go with my friends?"


"What do you mean?"


Before he could answer, Omega said, "Wow, hold on, Princess," he gestured at Alpha and Lightning, "This is our first time being here, If Virtuoso can't go for whatever reason how will we know where Sweet Apple Acres is?"


"I'll take care of that for you." The princess responded and waved her hoof to catch the attention of the guard who was distracted by the books on the shelves.


"Ma'am?" The guard rushed to her and bowed, obviously showng his dedication to the Royal Guard.


"Don't-" She sighed.  "Never mind, anyways, I need you to take these three ponies to Sweet Apple Acres, and it's very important they make it there quickly, so if possible, don't stop for anything." The guard nodded and walked to the door. He opened the door and waited for his companions to join him. Before the group could reach the door they were stopped by the princess herself, "Wait, Princess Celestia also informed me that Destiny might send monsters to hunt you down, and that they somehow always know where you are. I must take care of that before you leave." The princess took a few hoof steps back and her horn began to glow, a magical veil soon surrounded the four friends. The ponies couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement because not only was this magic they had never seen, but it was Princess Twilight herself who was performing the spell. The purple veil individually surrounded the ponies slowly closed in on their bodies until it was skin tight. Lightning began to feel numb and tried to squirm uncomfortably but Alpha stopped him. The force loosened up on the ponies and seemed to turn rock solid. It gave a faint white glow before disappearing, leaving the ponies to feel normal once again. 


"Did whatever you do work Princess?" Asked Omega, feeling his body for any slight changes.


"Do you know who you're talking to?" Asked the princess playfully, "of course it worked, this should keep you safe from any monsters that might be looking for you. Even though this spell is learned by a unicorn of pretty much the lowest level, it comes in handy. Some of the mining unicorns use this to-"


"To cloak themselves and their findings so they're not detected by a dragon or some other creature who happens to be in the same area." Virtuoso said with a grin.


"That's correct!" The princess said as she smiled and clapped her hooves. "I see someone has done their homework. Now, why is it that you can't go with your friends to Sweet Apple Acres?"


"I know this probably isn't the time, but, can I stay with you for a while? I want to learn more, not so much new spells, but about magic itself."


The princess pondered for a moment and came to her conclusion, "You may, it'd be my pleasure to teach you the most important subjects about magic and I'm sure it will help you on your journey." 


Virtuoso turned to his friends, "I'm sorry about this guys, but I just can't pass this chance up. Besides, we'll be fine so long as this spell works like it's supposed to. Good luck everypony, I promise to catch up as soon as possible."


Lightning shook a hoof at the unicorn, "Don't worry, we understand, good luck to you too." With that, the ponies departed to their destination. As they walked down the roads of Ponyville Lightning grew increasingly hungry until he could bear it no longer. "Excuse me, sir?" Lightning asked the guard nervously. 


The guard turned to him with a smile, obviously trying to hide the long day he must be having, "Yes? What can I do for you?" 


"I know this probably isn't the time but, I'm actually very hungry and i'm not familiar with this place at all. Do you know where I can grab a bite?" Alpha and Omega looked at one another. This is only about the second time Lightning had shown his nervousness when talking to ponies. They were sure if Lightning had to keep talking to the guard by himself, not only his face would turn red but possibly his entire coat.


"You and me the same" said the guard, "I was only given details on where Princess Twilight's closest friends were located. Luckily, one by the name of Pinkie Pie works in a bakery we passed not too long ago, will that work?" The guard asked. I know Princess Twilight said to not stop for anything, but I haven't even had breakfast yet, besides, I can just tell the other two where to go.


The nervousness on Lightnings face began to disappear as his mind began to wander, thinking about all the treats only found in Ponyville. Before he knew it, his mouth was wide open and watering from the thoughts of all those delicious desserts. 


Alpha walked over to close his mouth and he caught himself, "Will you both be ok without me?" Lightning asked.


"Yeah, I'm sure we will, there's hopefully a sign up ahead that points to Sweet Apple Acres." Alpha said and turned toward the guard, "We just follow this road all the way to our destination right?"


The guard nodded, "Yes ma'am, and just like you said, there should be a sign. If we can, we will catch up as soon as possible." The guard and Lightning began to walk back while the siblings continued to make their way to Sweet Apple Acres.


Suddenly, Omega stopped and turned around, they were still within shouting distance so he bellowed, "BRING ME BACK SOMETHING LIGHTNING!" 


Lightning and the guard had only been walking for about a minute when he heard Omega's request. Turning around to nod he is greeted with the stares of many of the Ponyville residents, blushing, he quickly nodded at Omega and quickened his pace to the bakery.


Omega turned to his sister and in a sarcastic uptight voice said, "Shall we continue?"


She hit him on the head and laughed, "Idiot." The siblings continued walking down the road until, sure enough, there was a sign that read 'Sweet Apple Acres ahead'. "I suppose we're not too far from it now." They started walking again and noticed a change of scenery. Apple trees were everywhere! They observed every bit of their surroundings, viewing every tree, checking which apples were ready to be picked, which were not and which ones were rotten. The pair was so observatory that they eventually deviated down a wrong road and ended up at a tree house instead of a farm.


"Hey sis?" Omega said, eyes on the tree house.


"Yeah?" Alpha responded.


"You think we took a wrong turn?" 


"Is this a farm?" She turned to look at him with a dull expression.


"I don't think so," he flew up to pick a ripe apple and flew back down to his sister. "Why?"


She slapped the apple from his hoof, "Then we took a wrong turn!" She hissed. When she turned to look back at the tree house she noticed three pairs of eyes staring her down from the window. Faint whispers could be heard from the tree house.


"We could ask her." 


"She seems kinda mean dontcha think?" said another one with a southern accent.


"We don't even know her, I really like her mane though." said the last one with an adorable squeaky voice.


Alpha wondered what they were talking about so she flew to the door of the tree house and knocked. Omega stood where he was and watched.


"Uh...no ones home, leave a message." The first pony responded.


A second pony whispered, "You expect her ta believe that, Scootaloo?"


"Well Apple Bloom, I don't wanna ask her, how about you Sweetie Belle?" 


"Fine, I guess, since Apple Bloom's being a big Scootaloo, you chicken." She teased.


"Hey!" The other two ponies said as Sweetie Belle opened the door. "My friends wanted to ask where you got your bow."


"My bow?" Alpha touched the bow and a warm smile appeared on her face when she remembered how she obtained it. "My mother gave me this bow when i was around your age. She gave it to me as a present when i got my cutie mark." Alpha continued to smile until she noticed none of the three filly's had their cutie marks. "I'm sorry girls…I'm sure its not long before you get your cutie marks."


"I'm starting ta doubt that..." said Apple Bloom as she lowered her head, "we've been tryin' ta get our Cutie Marks for ages!" The sadness in all of their eyes was too much for any pony to bear.


"Tell you what," Alpha said as she raised Apple Bloom's head, "how about today, I help you three get your Cutie Marks?" She looked at all three filly's with a warm, reassuring smile. Their eyes widened and huge smiles spread across their faces. "Even if you don't get them today, I can at least give you ideas on what might get you your Cutie Marks."


One of the filly's, a orange pegasi whom Alpha thought had the cutest little wings began jumping excitedly, "It's worth a shot, Rainbow Dash's methods didn't seem to work, maybe hers will."


The girls filled the clubhouse with screams of joy as they jumped around the pink mare. Alpha couldn't help but laugh and felt happy she had chosen to help the girls. It was a welcome break from fighting monsters and running for her life. She walked over to a nearby window and peered outside to see if Omega was still there, to her surprise, he wasn't. She felt relieved, Omega must have realized that Alpha had just gotten herself into a compromise and decided to carry on alone. Her brother was usually a bit of a clown, but Alpha wasn't worried because she knew that he was reliable in the end. 

_________________________________________________________________________________________


"Is that all you say?" Asked Omega, "can't I talk to someone else who actually prefers to speak in complete sentences?" The red stallion he was speaking to pointed a hoof at a more elderly looking pony tending to some carrots. "Thank you."


"Eeyup." The stallion responded. Omega walked away and shook his head. All the buildings in the farm appeared small in comparison to the vast fields full of apple trees and other crops. There were too many trees to count and there were animals scattered around going about their day. Everything seemed to be in order, except, where was Applejack?


"Ma'am?" Omega stood beside the old mare.


"Yes, sonny?" She turned to look at him, "Oh you're new around here arentcha?" 


"Yes, ma'am, I am," He nodded. "but I need to talk to Applejack."


"Oh, go right on ahead, I haven't been able to talk to her recently, she seems about as down as worm in this here soil." She stuck her hoof into the ground and pulled out a worm to show Omega.


"Uh…huh, is she inside?" Omega would've loved to make more small talk and take more time to get to know these ponies but the clock was ticking.


"Yep!" With that, the old mare went back to tackling the carrots, literally.


Omega walked slowly toward the house pondering in his mind how to tackle the situation, never being able to talk to mares as a young colt was a major downfall for him, something he'd never be able to get a Cutie Mark for. He reached the entrance of the house and slowly opened the door. The creaking from it filled the entire home. Closing the door behind him he explored the first floor, no one was downstairs so he climbed the ladder to try his luck upstairs. "Wow," he said when he noticed how many doors the second floor had. Idiot, I should have asked where her room was.


He went room to room, slowly opening each door, "Applejack?" he asked as he entered each room. When he opened the second to last door down the hall he saw a orange mare sleeping. Her head lay on a cloth woven pillow with her hair a mess and her hat beside her. Omega peered in through the doorway and examined the room intently, looking for anything that might have sent her into this state. He decided to quietly walk into the room and have a look around. He flapped his wings ever so slightly, just enough so he'd quietly glide along the floor to a dresser where he found several pictures of the strong mare and her family. She looked so lively, full of energy, full of life and happiness. What happened to her? What brought her down like this?


"You could've knocked ya know." Omega turned to see the mare wide awake and staring at him with her green eyes. She must have faked being sleep to see what he would do, or maybe so she wouldn't have to talk to anyone. 


The stallion caught himself, "O-oh um… hey Applejack, s-sorry for barging in." He couldn't look her in the eyes, he started turning red and tried to think of an excuse as to why he had just walked into her room and was now looking through her stuff.


"Don'tchu worry yer head there fella, ah don't bite." Applejack said as she sat on the edge of her bed fixing her mane. 


Omega took a deep breath and gathered his composure, "A-Applejack, I...I was sent here by Princess Twilight to see if I can see what's kept you down in the dumps." he said and flashed her a forced smile.


It took a while for Applejack to react, but when she finally said something, she sounded angry, "Now I told y'all there's nothin wrong with me, I feel fine." She got up and seemed to forget about her mane, which was still messy, and opened the bedroom door. "Now if ya don't mind, i'd like you ta leave!"


"AppleJack, your friends are worried about you and I'm sure they've done everything in their power to try and help you." Omega reasoned to the best of his ability. "You've given them no choice but to look for outside help, and right now that outside help is me."


Her voice sounded tight and she was holding back tears, "Ya know, ah wanna know what's wrong with me too. Ah don't know what's goin' on, all these monsters an things I've been hearin' about, what's happenin' to Equestria? I'm not even myself anymore." Crying now the mare attempted to wipe her tears, "Ah use ta be so happy, but with all this stuff happenin' now…Ah cain't even tell mah friends what's happening with me, ah have ta LIE ta the people that matter ta me…and here ah am openin' up to a complete stranger..." 


Omega felt like the right thing to do was comfort the mare, he walked to her but she brushed passed him and went to sit on the bed once more. "Applejack, listen, I haven't been myself either, something's been missing in my life and I'm trying to get it back, think of all the things you have in your life, great friends, a wonderful family! There should be no reason for you to be this way."


"Fella…" AppleJack said as she sniffled a bit, wiping away the rest of her tears, "Ah ain't sad because ah ain't got enough," She slowly walked toward Omega now. "Ah don't give two apple about what yer missin', this is about me here, about what i'm missin'." 


Omega could see this wasn't the Applejack every pony was talking about, and he was gonna get down to the bottom of this and make things right. "Then tell me! What is wrong? Show m-" Before he could finish his sentence Applejack grabbed his hoof and placed it on her chest. Surprised, he didn't know what to do, he felt blood rushing to his face...but then, he realized what she was trying to tell him and he noticed something was missing.


No heartbeat.


So many thoughts rushed through Omega's mind at once but one seemed more important than the rest.


"I found one..."
	


	
> Pies, Crusading, Magic and More
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Pies, Crusading, Magic and More 



Virtuoso turned to his friends, "I'm sorry about this guys, but I just can't pass this chance up. Besides, we'll be fine so long as this spell works like it's supposed to. Good luck everypony, I promise to catch up as soon as possible."


Lightning shook a hoof at the unicorn, "Don't worry, we understand, good luck to you too." With that, the ponies departed to their destination.


With his friends on their way to Sweet Apple Acres, Virtuoso now had the opportunity to take care of something that had been gnawing at his consciousness for some time now. Turning to Princess Twilight he wasn't sure how to explain his worries, "Princess, I...I feel like I am only going to get in the way in the future. I can't fly like my friends and my magic isn't very strong, so I ask, teach me more, I want to learn everything I can while I am here, anything you can teach me would help. I'm sure our trials are only going to get tougher from here on out and I want to be ready."


The princess giggled, "Well you certainly get an A for enthusiasm, and I know how horrible feeling helpless can be, so, let's not waste any time." Twilight smiled at Virtuoso and extracted many books from the shelves with her magic and placed them on the desk that occupied the middle of the room. She motioned for him to get closer and he happily complied. "Now, let's begin by testing your knowledge of magic in general, this will give us a better starting point on actual lessons. Now what are the main elements of conjuring up a successful spell..."


Virtuoso felt a surge of emotions as he listened to the princess, excitement, curiosity, and a thirst for the unknown. Ever since he could remember, he had always felt indifferent about magic, but now, now he wanted to know, he wanted to learn, he wanted to become stronger. Not only to protect his friends, but anypony else who they might come across. Alright, I have to give it my all now.


_________________________________________________________________________________________


Suddenly, Omega stopped and turned around, they were still within shouting distance so he bellowed, "BRING ME BACK SOMETHING LIGHTNING!"


Lightning and the guard had only been walking for about a minute when he heard Omega's request. Turning around to nod he was greeted by the  stares of many of the Ponyville residents, blushing, he quickly nodded at Omega and quickened his pace to the bakery. 


"Haha, your friend has no shame does he?" said the guard giving Lightning a soft nudge.


"Yeah...he's so light spirited and shameless, sometimes I wish I was more like him..." they walked in silence until Lightning noticed the guard was looking at him, he blushed and regretted saying anything at all.


The guard started cracking up, he threw his head back and Lightning was sure he was even tearing up, his timidity turned to anger and he was about to ask this guard what was so funny when the guard gathered his composure and said.


"You know kid, I used to be like you, When I was in cadet school there was one colt that stood out more than everyone else...he was, 'the perfect specimen,' tall, strong" he got closer to Lightning and whispered, "good looking too, all the mares swoon over him when the higher ups weren't around." going back to his original stance he continued, "I told one of my pals. you know, I wish I was more like him. But now, now I see the reality of the things. Looks rarely reveal everything, he was the perfect colt in cadet school, but when we graduated and our first real test came, he didn't last a second. Some rogues attacked a village we had been stationed in and he ran away when one of them scratched him with a sword. Haven't seen him since then. Still, I hope his alright, he wasn't a bad guy...I guess he just wasn't cut out for the real deal." Looking at Lightning, he realized he had his full attention," the point of this story is that you shouldn't worry about being like someone else, be yourself, I've heard things about you kid, what you did back in Phillydelphia, saving that foal and trying to protect your friends, a lot of ponies heard about your bravery."


"But I have my grandfathers earring, if it wasn't for that, I would hav-"


"The earring has nothing to do with it kid, you have a powerful tool there, and instead of using it for selfish desires, you use it to help those in need. That tells ponies a lot about who you really are. Now come on, we're both hungry and yakking all day isn't going to fix that."


And just like that, all the anger Lightning had felt towards this guard was gone, it had been replaced by respect. There is more to everypony than we know, guessing someones character based on the way they look isn't justified...he realized another thing, he didn't even know the guards name. "Excuse me sir, I don't believe you've told me your name." 


"I haven't? well then lets fix that. My name is Steel Fortitude. Been a royal guard for 6 years now, and would you look at that, we're here, Sugar Cube Corner." Emerging from within the shop came the sweet aroma of all sorts of desserts. Steel Fortitude pushed the doors open and the smell intensified. 


It took a surprising amount of will power for Lightning to keep his mouth from watering. Following the guard inside he caught glimpses of several heart-warming scenes. Starring deep into each others eyes while sharing a smoothie, a couple sat at the table closest to the door. At the table next to theirs, some friends were sharing stories over cold lemonade. In the middle of the place, a young colt ate with his parents, laughing. All the while the ambrosial scent of candy held its presence. Sitting at a table, one of the only two open ones, Steel Fortitude took off his helmet and let it clang on top of the table.


"Finally! I haven't eaten anything since I was deployed here" said the Steel, passing his hoof over his sand colored mane.


Taking the seat directly across from Steel, Lightning unbuttoned the saddle bags carrying the few possessions he still had. Relieved to lose the burden, if just for a moment, he let out a deep sigh. Looking across the table, he noticed Steel's eyes were closed. He wondered if he had fallen sleep and was about to ask when a pink mare appeared out of nowhere and startled them both. 


"Howdy ponies! My name's Pinkie Pie, what's yours? I don't think I've seen you two before, are you visiting?" She asked with a tilted head.


"I'm Steel Fortitude and this here," he pointed his hoof at Lightning, "is Lightning Courage." Lightning smiled at her and she laughed.


"Nice to meet you Steel Fortitude, and you too Lightning Porridge, I'll be right back with your order." A second later, the mare dashed to the kitchen at what might have possibly been the speed of light. 


"Not only did she get my name wrong," Lightning mumbled. "But we didn't even order any food, what is she cooking?" 


"Who knows? To be honest, I'm too hungry to care." The guard said with a chuckle. He paused as his nostrils were filled with the sweet scent of whatever was being cooked in the kitchen. He turned to Lightning and noticed that he was looking at the kitchen. He turned to the kitchen as well and the doors flew open, Pinkie Pie was happily pushing a cart with two golden brown, magnificent pies filled with what seemed like some sort of pink paste. The two stallions were astounded, not by the sight of what seemed to be simple pies, but by the aroma that filled the room. All the ponies who were in the bakery stopped whatever they were doing and looked at the pies being pushed to were Lightning and Steel sat, some of their mouths watering. The delicious smell of strawberries and sweetness filled the air as the cart was pushed to it's destination for what felt like an eternity. 


"Here ya go!" The pink mare said happily, setting the tray with two pies and glass cups filled with punch on the table. "This is the Ponyville Impressively Nutritious Kicking Intense Extravaganza Pie Special. Only new ponies visiting here get to taste this super duper delicious pie that I bake up myself!"


The guard put a hoof under his snout, thinking, after a while he laughed, "So only new visitors get the P.I.N.K.I.E Pie Special, I hope it tastes good as good as it smells."


"Well it's not called the P.I.N.K.I.E Pie Special, it's called the Ponyville Impressiv-" A blue mare put a hoof on her mouth, "Pinkie, I think these gentlecolts would like to enjoy their food dearie." She said in a happy voice and let go of her mouth. "Why don't you go clean the kitchen?" 


"Ok, nice meeting you Steel Porridge and Lightning Fortitude." She turned and hopped merrily back toward the kitchen. The two stallions couldn't help but laugh.


The blue mare turned to Lightning and Steel, her pink swirl mane bobbing as she moved, "I hope you like your meal dearies, if you need anything, just ask. I'm Mrs.Cake, one of the owners of this cake shop." 


"Thanks Mrs. Cake, Pinkie Pie must be quite the employee," said Steel Fortitude, getting ready to take a bite of his pie. 


"Oh, she is very reliable, don't let her attitude fool you, she can be very responsible. Besides, we don't let her have any sugar after dinner. Now you two enjoy your stay." and with that, she returned to cleaning the mess some of the customers had left behind. Expertly moving from table to table.


"Well, our foods here and I'm starving, so let's get right to it." Lightning said, grabbing his cup.


"Sounds good Lightning," The guard said as he grabbed his cup as well.


Their cups met with a clanking sound, "Cheers!"

_________________________________________________________________________________________


"So girls, what have you tried already?" Alpha asked as she pulled out her notebook from her bag to cross out potential activities they had already tried.


"Well, there was this one time we tried singing and dancing!" Sweetie Belle responded.


"How did that go?" Alpha asked with a hint of worry in her voice.


Scootaloo walked backwards toward Alpha, "Do you see a Cutie Mark?"


Apple Bloom saw a hint of irritation rise in Alpha's expression. "Scootaloo! She's tryin' ta help us, she sure as heck won't help us if yer bein' a big ol' smarty pants!"


Scootaloo turned herself around toward Alpha and apologized, "I'm sorry Ms. Alpha. I just feel like this is gonna be a waste of time, just like the rest of our attempts to get our Cutie Marks."


"Pffft, apology accepted, with me, you won't fail girls. I guarantee you'll all get your Cutie Marks by the end of today. Now, I've written down a long list of activities we're going to attempt today to cover every possible way to get your Cutie Marks." She flashed a two page list from her notebook at the girls.


The trio stared at the list surprised, "Oh boy." They said together hesitantly, not knowing what to expect for the rest of the day.


They're first stop was at the Ponyville park. "Alright girls, how bout some jump rope?" Alpha said as she pulled a jump rope from her bag. What that bag contained was still a mystery to the girls.


"Heck yeah!" Scootaloo shouted as she moved first in line to participate. Apple Bloom stepped out of the way and Alpha handed the other end of the rope to Sweetie Belle.


Scootaloo stood in the middle of the two ponies holding opposite ends of the rope and got in position. "Ready?" Alpha asked.


"You know it!" Scootaloo said with confidence, and with that the game started. With ease the filly jumped over the rope, each time with increasing speed. One jump after another, she timed her jumps perfectly, obviously showing off her skills. There was even a point when she jumped the rope with her eyes closed.


"Oh, I see we have a little daredevil here." Alpha stated as she stopped the rope and went to her bag. "Here Sweetie Belle." She reached out,  handed her another jump rope so she had one in each hoof. Now the filly stood in between two ropes and suddenly her confidence disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Once again the game began, but came to an abrupt end when just after the second jump Scootaloo's hoof got tangled in the rope and she slammed into the ground.


"Are you okay?" Alpha said with a hint of worry in her voice as she ran to help her up.


"Yeah, I'm fine," responded the filly, trying to hide her embarrassment. "That was way too much for one filly to handle."


"Not if you're a master," Alpha said with nothing but confidence in her voice, "who's next?"


For about half an hour, the group tried jump roping. One after another, each filly attempted to beat the two ropes but failed continuously. They tried and tried until they eventually all fell to the floor exhausted.


"This...is...too much..." Sweetie Belle said, out of breath.


Alpha giggled, "Girls this is just your first activity, you still got 2 pages to go!" They each let out a sigh letting their bodies know it was going to be a long day.


The group walked all around Ponyville, trying everything possible. After every activity, the filly's always checked their flank for a Cutie Mark that just never seemed to appear. They were welcomed with disappointment after every single trial they were put up against, but Alpha was determined and promised she wouldn't fail the girls. So on they went, giving it their all in every single activity on Alpha's list. The girls pushed themselves beyond their own body’s limits and still to no avail, but only disappointment. Alpha started feeling disappointed and guilty inside as she marked off all the things she had written down with an "X". In the end, they returned to the tree house, defeated.


"Girls, I'm...I'm so sorry..." Alpha said as she held back tears.


"Let's face it girls, we're never gonna get our Cutie Marks," Scootaloo said as she lay her small body on a pillow inside of the tree house, "we've tried everything!"


"We're gunna be blank flanks forever..." Apple Bloom said in the saddest voice Alpha had ever heard. Sweetie Belle stood quiet, not because she had nothing to say, but because tears were already flowing down her disappointed face. Alpha tried to think of something to say but couldn't gather the words. The girls trusted her and she failed them, something that never happened. What was this feeling she discovered? Defeat? Guilt? Whatever it was, it was killing the mare on the inside as she watched the filly's cry in different positions around the little house. She was about to give into the tears before it hit her.


"Girls, there there, don't cry." She gathered all three filly's together in the middle of the tree house and sat in front of them. "Girls, I know you've heard this so many times but, you'll get your Cutie Marks someday. Just because you didn't get them today doesn't mean it's the end of the world, it just means you've got so much potential to be whatever you really wanna be. You've got so much heart and confidence, all you have to do is look inside of yourselves." She placed her hoof on her chest and paused for a moment. It still caught her by surprise that she had no heart, let alone no heartbeat to go with it, but she disregarded these feelings and continued on. "You need to look inside your heart and ask yourself, 'what do I really wanna be, what is it that I really see myself doing? Do I wanna be a doctor or a mail mare?' Girls, the possibilities are endless and it's way too early to give up! if anything, today we got rid of a bunch of possibilities as to what you especial talents can be!" Alpha shouted happily trying to give the girls the boost of confidence that they needed to change their moods.


The filly's wiped their tears and looked at each other, "You know what? She's right; it's way too early to give up." Sweetie Belle said as she tried to cheer up her friends.


"Yeah, why are we quitting now? We pushed ourselves so much today, there'd be no point." Scootaloo said with her 'can do' attitude.


Apple Bloom gathered herself, "Ah know fer sure now, we'll have ta get our Cutie Marks in somethin now, not fer ourselves, but fer Alpha. She's helped us so much; it'd be a darn shame if we gave up on her."


Alpha laughed, "You girls have lots of determination, which means giving up is the last thing you'll ever think about. I've opened so many doors for you girls, the sky's the limit, and there are no boundaries." She looked out the window and noticed it was getting close to sunset. "Girls, I apologize, but I need to get going. I wish you the best of luck."


Before she could turn toward the door she was stopped by their voices calling out, "Wait!"


Alpha turned around to see them digging into a bin, trying to find something. After a few minutes of searching they pulled out a sort of cape bearing the symbol that was painted all around the treehouse. The cape said "CMC Leader."


Sweetie Belle grabbed the cape in her mouth and ran over to Alpha, "We forgot to tell you about our little group called The Cutie Mark Crusaders. We made this group for all the blank flanks who are searching for their Cutie Marks just like us. We never actually came up with a leader but, as founding member of the CMC, we want to make you the leader."


Sweetie Belle gave Alpha the cape, "I'd be honored..." she said, tying the cape around her neck she felt warmth inside. She was glad to have spent the day with these girls, maybe her methods of helping them could have been better, but she felt like she had really helped in the end. Not only that, but all of her negative feelings disappeared. Even though they didn't get their Cutie Marks today, the girls were going to get them someday. In the end, she knew they would be successful.


Alpha finished tying the cape around her neck and looked back at the trio. She couldn't help but shed a tear, "Thank you." She said before flying around the house gathering up all three of them in her arms. She hugged them tightly and allowed more tears to flow.


They hugged her back and in unison said, "No, thank you."

_________________________________________________________________________________________


Feeling the sweat drip down the side of his face, Virtuoso felt a surge of distress. What did balancing a glass of water on ones nuzzle while levitating three cones of ice cream have to do with magic? Oh yeah, and he was using his magic to allow himself to walk on water as well. Why is she having me do this? he asked himself. Deep down, he knew why, Twilight had made it very clear that many spells required immense concentration. What better way to train concentration than to have someone simultaneously perform a bunch of nonsensical tasks right? He began losing concentration over the ice cream cones when he allowed his mind to wander. Oh no he though, he was familiar with the process that followed. First, he dropped the glass of water while trying to regain control of the cones. Then, the ice cream began to melt because he was concentrating solely on keeping the cones airborne and ignored the fact that the ice cream would melt if he didn't help it maintain its shape. Trying to gain control over one thing made him lose control over another. Uh oh.., and with that, the last of his concentration faded and he felt his magic give out. Exhausted, he didn't even try to keep himself afloat and allowed himself to fall into the water. Allowing himself to float for a minute he thought about how physically exhausting magic training could be. 


"You can take a brake now, if you want." It was Princess Twilight, observing him from the shore of the swimming hole they were at, she had been carefully instructing him on what to do. After studying for some hours in the library, she felt it was finally time to go out and get some real world training. 


Virtuoso swam back to shore and laid on the sand with his eyes closed, when he opened them, he saw the princess starring down at him, smiling. "How long did I last that time, Princess?" he asked, suddenly feeling drowsy. 


"Very good, you lasted for almost twenty five minutes! that's your new personal best." Looking up, the princess saw the afternoon sun beeming down at them. "I think we've done enough for now, I've taught you a couple of new spells and ways to improve your magic. I think it's time we go back to my home, maybe the others have already returned."


"Can I stay here for a while princess? I'm exhausted and I want to enjoy the splendid rays of the spring sun before they are replaced by the scorchers of summer."


The princess giggled, "That's fine, just don't take too long." walking away, she stopped after some steps to look back and say, "I'm really proud of you Virtuoso, you showed your dedication many times today and I think you've learned a lot for just one day."


Virtuoso stayed silent for a while, "Thanks Princess, I just hope I can remember everything you've taught me..."


"Don't worry, I'm sure you will, and you can just call me Twilight, now I'll be seeing you at the library," she called back as she walked away.


Lying under the warm blankets of the sun, many thoughts crossed his mind. A little more than a month ago, I was looking forward to seeing my mother and my grandparents...now look at were I am. Trying to improve my magic to fight a evil alicorn bent in destroying life in Equestria. He laughed a little at the thought, not knowing why, he guessed when ones life is altered so drastically to the point were everything seems like a fantasy and you could be facing your own death, feeling pity for yourself would do now good, so, there is aught to do but laugh. He also thought about princess Twilight, she was so nice and seemed so distant from what he envisioned a princess to act like, still, there was something about the aura around her that let you know she could be serious and take charge if she wanted to. "I should get going," he said to himself and stood up. Before walking away, he took one last look at the beautiful spring sun shimmering over the soft ripples in the water, and hoped everything would be alright. 

_________________________________________________________________________________________


Omega couldn't believe it, he had found one of the ponies they needed. Looking back over his shoulder, Applejack was still following him. After Applejack had put his hoof to her chest so he could realize what she had been trying to tell him, she had started to cry. Omega tried to comfort her as best as he could. Even the strongest of ponies need comfort. Holding this secret in must have been one of the hardest things Applejack had ever had to do, Omega could only imagine how good it felt to let it out. Still, he wondered why she hadn't told one of her friends. What had she been scared about, that her friends would view her differently? Omega had let her feel his chest as well, she had seemed somewhat relieved to meet someone that was going through the same thing. 


"So why can't ya tell me what's happenin' to me?" asked the Applejack. 


"Because I'm not sure I can fully explain it by myself, besides, I think it would be good if you talked to Princess Twilight about this."


After hearing this, Applejack didn't say anything, she just lowered her hat so it covered her eyes and kept walking.


Applejack looked like her old self, but Omega knew she wouldn't start acting like it for sometime. After realizing this, Omega thought about why he didn't feel much different. He had no heart, literally, but he acted like his old self. He couldn't say it didn't bother him at all, that would be a lie, but he hadn't gone into a state of depression like Applejack had. Then he realized why. He hadn't been alone, since the beginning of all of this he had been with his sister and their new friends. They had helped make everything feel...better. He could do without the life threatening encounters they had with monsters but, he was glad he didn't have to do all of this alone. I just hope we can get Applejack to act like her old self again. It killed Omega to see somepony who was usually so energetic and happy act like this. 


Finally, the library was in sight, Omega didn't know what to expect. He wondered how Virtuoso's training with the Princess had gone and what Alpha had done with the fillies they had met on their way to Sweet Apple Acres. But more importantly, he wondered how Princess Twilight would react to finding out her friend Applejack was one of them, one of the ponies needed to defeat Destiny. Another thought appeared in his mind. Why hadn't Applejack been attacked like they had? They had already been attacked by monsters from Tartarus in Canterlot, and on the train ride to Ponyville. Why then, had Applejack not been attacked, in her current state, she might be the easiest target out of all of them. What are you planning Destiny?... 


They reached the door of the library, Omega took in a deep breath and pushed it open. Smelling the now familiar scent of wood and books, he entered and waited for Applejack to follow, inside were Alpha, Princess Twilight, the guard he had seen earlier, Virtuoso, and Lightning. The whole gang is here... he thought with a chuckle. Applejack finally entered reluctantly. She raised her head and her eyes met Twilight's...


"I'm sorry Twi..."