> One Thousand Years Ago, Book 2
>  by Scroll
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: Take Off
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When Cozy watches her mother disembark the ship she has a surreal feeling. For so long she had wished for something like this, to get some distance from this supervisor and jailer. Now that it is actually happening, however, a feeling of vulnerability overcomes her instead. This is likely due to a realization that if she now assesses Twilight as less of a threat, then she can only be considered an asset but one she's about to lose due to distance.

    Flashbacks of her as a frightened foal come back to her when she had to wave goodbye to her first friend who was also an adult figure. This reminds her of that feeling of once having some protection from an older and more powerful figure and then subsequently losing it.

    Cozy frequently bragged to herself about her own personal assets and how it would be enough to allow her to survive. This is likely the only reason she isn't panicking now. She is smart and she is resourceful. Right now, she even has a few friends and others that she can at least call useful allies. She'll be fine.

    But noticing that one layer of protection being removed momentarily makes her jittery. She is strong, but it's one thing to be strong and another to be required to be strong. With fewer safety nets, the challenges of the journey all rests on her shoulders now.

    Several methods of contacting her mother are available to her, and if that happens then Twilight can just pop in using her magic. It helps to know this useful ally is still potentially accessible, but given the distance they will gain between each other, it is likely that Twilight will become less and less available. Even in her direct presence, Twilight was frequently too busy to devote much time to her daughter. The older pony once claimed that this prospect bothered her. At the time, Cozy didn't believe her, but now she's not so certain anymore.

    Butterflies fill Cozy's tummy. This weakness partially disgusts her, but right now she can't help it. She is leaving the only home she's ever known since . . .

    Ah . . . when and where was the last place I called home? Cozy thinks and rethinks this, then comes up with, I hate to admit it, but right now I'm thinking Tartarus. I didn't want to be there, but I was stuck there for a time, so I felt forced to call it my home.

    Captivity feels so stifling, but freedom can bring with it its own sense of panic. With endless options in front of her, she might pick the wrong one which could make her situation bad. She has enough wit to potentially climb out of it, but relying on that is still taking a chance.

    It's strange to think that, as much as she craves freedom, she also fears it deep down.

    Facing the unknown, as all of her shipmates are about to do, feels scary, but at least she has the company of very useful and comforting allies. Some of them she'd call unusually skilled. Facing the unknown with such company almost feels like cheating, and that is exactly the way Cozy likes it! Stacking the odds in her favor is something she has always strived for.

    Nevertheless, by knowing that all that extra skills and protection may soon be tested to their potential limit is unnerving to her. When push comes to shove, she really does feel safer in Canterlot. That might be a foolish feeling considering the fact that Princess Celestia was ponynapped right out of the castle several times, and a few attempts almost succeeded with her mother. By knowing that, Cozy is forced to face the reality that she can be vulnerable anywhere, but the castle still feels safer.

    Related to that subject, First Officer Desora Aeroya compels a mandatory lecture to the guests aboard the ship about where the emergency parachutes are located on the upper deck. Of that, several are secured to a few posts in the middle of the deck and a bunch of them are located just under the guard rail all around the upper deck of the ship. There is more located in each of the quarters as well. Desora also gives instructions on how to put the parachute on, when to use it, and how much weight they can support. Desora is particularly critical to giving these instructions to the non-fliers of the group. Despite that, the First Officer still makes sure that all the fliers know how to secure these emergency parachutes to the non-fliers.

    After that lecture, one final checkup of all the ship’s stations and critical equipment is made before Desora informs her captain that all stations are secure and ready for departure. Captain Tidus accepts this with a curt nod then passes the order to untie the ship from being secured to the dock. Once that is done, he instructs the helmsman to set course then take off.

    At first the ship is very calm but, as they start to clear the city line, Cozy felt some lurching which made her stance less steady.

    On the way out, she stands by the port side rail and watches as a large crowd waves them goodbye. Explosions of tons of party confetti shoot up into the air in several areas along the city then twirl down like twirling and colorful snow.

    Cozy watches the familiar sight of the buildings of Canterlot start to shrink as they ascend in height while also picking up speed. She knows this because she flew over the city plenty of times before, but this is the first time she has done so on a massive zeppelin.

    A small grin grows on her face when she considers the fact that so many of those creatures down there wish they are her right now, or anyone else aboard this ship. It is likely how the astronauts felt in human Cozy's world before they took off into space, or better yet . . . to the moon.

    Cozy grins further as she wonders what Princess Luna would have told those astronauts about the moon if she had the chance.

    Once the Flying Carpet leaves the airspace of Canterlot, a squadron of Wonderbolts zip past the airship in aerial formation. Colorful clouds trail after them as a means to help keep track of them even from a great distance. They spiral around the airship several times then depart only to return adjacent to the ship while performing complex aerial acrobatics and formations.

    While this is happening, Cozy happens to spot Rumble partially following along, but he is not joining their formation despite his training. Instead of that, he takes pictures of them with a professional-looking camera that has a long-necked lens to it. Sometimes he parks himself at a certain spot and waits for the Wonderbolts to come to him. No doubt that his training on their routines allows him to predict where and when they'll be. As a result, he is prepared to take close-up photos of them right as they zip past him or while they perform one of their multitude of fancy aerial formations.

    Cozy rests her elbows on the rail. Her face sinks into her hooves as heart symbols pop about her head like bubbles rising from a boiling cauldron. During this moment, she finds Rumble absolutely dreamy! She especially likes it when she watches his mane swish in the wind as the Wonderbolts pass by him at very close proximity.

    Cozy grows alert when she notices Rumble suddenly fly ahead of the ship really fast. Her ears perk up and her eyes follow him when it suddenly looks like he's leaving them altogether. Then, at a great distance ahead of the ship, he flies backwards and aims the camera back at the ship. Cozy almost felt like posing until she hears a massive sonic boom close by. Feeling startled, she looks off the rail of the ship and notices a huge ring of rainbow light seem to project away from the ship. The origin point of that blast started behind the ship but not that far.

    Cozy realizes that she is witnessing a Sonic Rainboom, a signature move of Rainbow Dash that, to this very day, nopony else can replicate. Since this is the case, it confirms, without a doubt, that the Element of Loyalty herself must be among this flight formation.

    Only a moment later, that theory is fully confirmed when Rainbow Dash zips up to the ship's port side, gives a final and somewhat cocky salute (which several crew members on the deck of the ship happily return) before veering off to rejoin the rest of the Wonderbolts in mid-flight.

    Even from this distance, Cozy hears an uproar of cheer from those back in Canterlot one last time as that colorful ring of light explodes away from the aft of the ship as if the Sonic Rainboom is helping to propel the ship itself.

    And yeah, Cozy actually did feel the ship lurch forward for a brief moment when the shock wave of the Rainboom caught up to the ship.

    After that, Cozy hears and even feels explosions on this ship. Looking down, she notices canons being fired from this ship in a rhythmic pattern. What is being fired are fireworks and cannonballs which explode into giant balls of confetti.

    “Party canons! Awesome!” Cheese Pie cheers next to Cozy which momentarily startles the young mare because she didn't hear Cheese's approach at all. “My folks are probably proud of this.”

    “Cheese! You startled me!” Cozy complains, then asks with a coy grin, “How do you know they haven't snuck aboard and are the ones firing the canons right now?”

    Cheese thinks on this for a moment, then admits, “You know . . . I wouldn't put it past them.” Cheese passes her friend a soft smile as she notes, “So . . . we're underway. How does it feel?”

    Cozy does not answer right away. Instead, she trots toward the bow of the ship until she arrives there. From there, she gazes down at the vast landscape that is sprawled out in front of her. Nice, puffy white marshmallow-like clouds dot the air which casts columns of shadow down upon the mostly green terrain. Cozy also spots the considerably shrunken sight of Ponyville itself. From this distance, the two things that stand out the most are the large orchard of apple trees and a single giant purple crystal tree, her mother's former castle, which gleams in the sunlight. Likewise, the visible lakes, rivers, and waterfalls also shine in the light, the latter of which also cascades a rainbow down the waterfall to the sides of the School of Friendship.

    Gazing upon that school from this distance gives Cozy an unexpected pang of longing. When she analyzes those feelings, she finds herself questioning her life's choices. One of the most critical pivotal moments of her life occurred at that school. Part of her wonders how different life would have been with just a few different turns at that point of her life.

    Does she feel regret? Her life has turned out pretty swell right now, but she went through hell to get here. Hell that still leaves vicious scars on her psyche.

    All of a sudden, Cozy is blasted in the face by headwind that the ship drives into. It causes her to squint and drags her backwards for a second, but then she leans into it. She makes her way back to the bow of the ship then latches onto it with her forward hooves.

    At that point she basks in the wonder and freedom of all of this. She lifts her head, closes her eyes, and spreads her wings a bit to catch and savor the wind that passes her face, through her mane, and through each of her feathers on her wings. She even feels it ripple the fur on her chest.

    The exhilaration she feels at this moment reminds her of her first flight, as in her first true flight into the sky without the threat of being shocked from her magic collar for straying too far from Verko's remote.

    Back then, she remembered being scared at first, but her first friend not only eased her fears, but empowered her with words of encouragement.

    Scorpan bent down and soothingly stroked Cozy's withers as he said, “There is no reason to fear this, little one. The sky is your heritage,” he assured her calmly. Cozy looked up to him while still shivering a little, but she admired the fact that he recovered his speech so well during these past few moons. The more of that he recovered, the more she realized how educated, sophisticated, and above all old he was.

    “You wanted freedom very badly,” he reminded her. “Have you ever asked yourself why? It's because pegasi like you are not meant to be caged. Instead, they are meant to fly free!

    “Look at those clouds up there!” he encouraged with a voice full of wonder. With a point, he guided her gaze up to it. Far above and somewhat ahead of them, they saw what kind of looked like a tower of clouds. It was thicker and wider at the base, and it was the only part of the cloud that looked gray. Above that, it billowed and puffed out, eventually somewhat narrowing at the tip almost too high to see.

    Cozy recalled a longing stir in her chest as she gazed up at it.

    “Your kind can walk on clouds,” he told her as he looked back down at the little filly with soft fondness.

    “What do they feel like?” Young Cozy asked with awe and wonder.

    “I don't know,” he said with a slightly mischievous grin, which suggested to her that he wasn't being entirely honest with her. “Why don't you go up there and find out? You can tell me about it later.”

    “You used to fly before,” Cozy reminded him as her gaze shifted back at him, “although I don't know how long ago. Can't you tell me what it's like from your experience?”

    The fondness and love in his eyes towards her seemed to deepen for a second, and yet he bade, “Close your eyes.”

    She did.

    “Breathe deep,” he went on.

    She did.

    “Let the air fill inside you. As you do, remember this always . . . you are one with the air, and one with the sky. With each breath you take, you shall feel it beckoning you; eager to welcome you home!” he told her passionately.

    Cozy recalls smiling, for she felt enchanted by his words. Some tears formed in her closed eyes both in the past and present.

    “Spread your wings, my little filly.”

    After he said that, he backed off a bit to give her room to do so, which she did.

    “Feel the wind rustle within your feathers,” he instructed with wispy passion.

    She did so.

    “The song of the sky calls to you. The magic of the wind brushes through your mane, tail, and feathers as you stand there. Freedom awaits you. Be brave, and take the plunge.”

    Thanks to his encouragement, she felt energized and empowered. She slowly opened her eyes and gazed up at the sky. She no longer feared it. She felt excitement instead.

    “Now fly, little filly!” Scorpan coaxed. “Fly!”

    Cozy sniffles back in the present as she opens her now tear-filled eyes. Everything about that moment felt incredibly symbolic of what she's going through now. It's a thrill but also scary, and now a lot of regret taints her heart as well. Growing up has been a very painful experience for her. So much so that she really has to question if all the maturity she gained since she was a little filly was really worth it.

    But now she's standing at the bow of an airship as it plunges her into the heart of another grand adventure, and this time she isn't facing it alone.

    As if to prove that particular point, Cheese Pie suddenly embraces her friend in a hug from behind.

    “What are you doing?” Cozy yelps, startled.

    “I felt from you that you needed this,” Cheese answers as she continues to squeeze her friend in a tight hug. “Plus, I like giving hugs. It's one of my things.”

    Cozy smiles softly and gratefully at her friend over her shoulder, then looks forward again as she wraps her wings around her friend’s forward hooves.

    Even back then, as a little filly, Cozy grew addicted to friendship because of her experience with her first friend. It was something she wanted to experience more. The journey between now and then was quite rocky, but she finally feels likes she is making decent progress. Progress that makes her feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
> Chapter 2: This is My Life Now
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    Cozy Glow is sitting upright on the bottom bunk of her new dinky little room. She gazes around this twelve by twelve by sixteen square feet, in her head she can't help but compare it to her room in Canterlot which is filled with furniture, pictures of stars and moons along the walls and, most importantly, it has a lot of space. Not just outwardly, but vertically as well. Compared to that, Cozy feels claustrophobic in here. What makes it worse here is she has to share this room with Cheese Pie.

    To make matters worse, the room is additionally cluttered with various suitcases from the two mares. It is Cozy's understanding that these were delivered to her room for her, probably by the diamond dogs. As a result, it might be worth checking to see if any of her stuff is damaged, although the clothes are probably okay. She squints at the thought of her luggage suffering some scratches or covered in dog slobber. She makes a mental note that her luggage might have to be cleaned soon.

    Fortunately, at least for the moment, the stacked suitcases are secured to the walls via several ropes. That is the only thing holding them in place for the moment.

    Cozy then glances at the porthole window in their room for a few seconds. Outside, she notices that it is now nighttime. Because of how dark it is, the only reason either of them can see something in this room is because of the lantern on their wall filled with glowing bugs. It makes Cozy wonder if it is her responsibility to feed the little bugs now or if some member of the crew will take care of that.

    With a frown, Cozy looks at and tests the softness of her mattress. It is a six-inch thick spring mattress set on top of a wooden platform which is secured to the wall on a swivel link and two chains on the corners of the bed. This is a far cry below the quality of her cloud mattress in her room.

    Cozy lays down on the mattress while applying her left hoof on her forehead. She is gazing up at the wooden part of the mattress above her. She is lying on her back right now. That is not a position comfortable for a pegasus because it cut off blood circulation in her wings which eventually makes her wings grow numb. Prolonged exposure would also atrophy the muscles in her wings. This is especially true at the joint where her wings meet her spine. That area would ache if she slept in this position all night unless the mattress is super soft, but doing this for a few minutes on any surface is okay.

    What am I doing here? Cozy thinks to herself in misery. I can't believe this is my life now. Pony feathers! I am a royal princess! I shouldn't be subjected to this kind of treatment.

    But this is for my counterpart. She needs me. Sombra too. This is equally bad for him because he wants his rest.

    And to think . . . I actually want immortality like he has, but if I get to be his age . . . would I find it a curse too?

    “Hello, Cozy!” Cheese greets as she hangs upside down over the edge of her mattress above. Noticing her friend's spaced-out look, she calls again, “Hello Cozy! Equestria to Cozy. Come in, Cozy. Over.”

    “Hi, Cheese,” Cozy says despondently.

    “What's wrong?” Cheese asks in a chipper way. “Why the frown? Isn't this exciting? We're off on a grand new adventure!”

    “One that is way outside my comfort zone,” Cozy complains. “If it weren't for the stakes involved, I probably wouldn't even be here.”

    “Oh . . . don't be like that. Roughing it can actually be a lot of fun!” Cheese encourages cheerfully. “You probably need this, too. Far more than you know.

    “Think about it. How many times have our older peers like my mother and the other Elements of Harmony saved the world? They had a deeply bonding experience each and every single time. I always envied them for that. I wanted to go on a grand adventure just like they did, and I wanted to do it in the compony of my own friends, and here you are!”

    “Doesn't that hurt to hang upside down for that long?” Cozy wonders aloud. “All that blood rushing to your head. One would think it's enough to make you sick after a while.”

    “You might have noticed that my family likes to do things a little differently,” Cheese points out. “I come from a family that eats rocks and breaks the fourth wall all the time. What did you expect?”

    “And a family that thinks like rocks, for they have rocks for brains,” Cozy says with a slightly disgusted smirk.

    “What's wrong with that?” Cheese asks innocently as she crosses her forelegs across her chest, but she doesn't really look offended. “Maybe some of my family really do have slow wits, but we all tend to specialize in something. Maud Pie graduated from college, and I look up to her for that. She's the first Pie to do so in several generations. I'm looking forward to being another.

    “But even if I did have slow wits, that's okay. I can still enjoy life.”

    For some reason, Cheese starts idly swinging from side to side.

    “Sometimes it's easier for the intellectually challenged to enjoy life because they don't overthink or overcomplicate things. They just accept things as they are without trying to understand them. They're happy to leave all the big thinking to ponies like you.”

    Cheese looks above her which is actually down at Cozy.

    “Does being a genius really make you happy?” Cheese challenges. “I noticed you struggling with that a lot. Sometimes I wonder why. It's as if ponies like you see something in life that is kind of depressing. Deeper layers of meaning, maybe.

    “I've noticed your mother freak out a bunch of times as well. My mother told me that Twilight used to be much worse; that she used to be neurotic.” Cheese giggles. “They even had an affectionate name for that. They called it, 'Twilighting', although I'm still fond of her brother's term of 'Twilight Nanners.'”

    Cozy's look grows a little spacey again when she contemplates what her friend said. It honestly isn't the first time an idea like this occurred to her. She has noticed that many ponies who are celebrated to have high intellects frequently suffer from some kind of neurosis. Everypony has quirks, but gifted minds have been known to have especially epic meltdowns.

    “Maybe I should ask Sunset Shimmer about this sometime,” Cozy ponders aloud. “If there is some common sociological and psychological reason that brilliant minds also tend to be . . . ah . . .”

    “Quirky?” Cheese offers as a softer term. “Or how about simply calling them unique?” She furrows her brow. “Although does that really make them special if we're all unique?”

    “You're the anthropologist,” Cozy reminds. “You should be more aware than I am about cultural idiosyncrasies.”

    “I'm really more of a student of anthropology,” Cheese corrects. “Having an interest in something doesn't make one an expert yet. Time and experience are what eventually makes that distinction. Sunset and I actually have that in common. We're both working on new fields of expertise, but ventures like this are exactly what we need to grow. We call it ‘field experience’ in the education biz.”

    “You're not dumb, Cheese,” Cozy remarks with a slight frown. “In fact, you're the most brilliant member of the Pie family I ever met, including Maud. More than that, there is an inner wisdom in you that sometimes makes you seem a lot older than you actually are.”

    “Ah! Gee! Thanks, Cozy!” Cheese says with a giddy and affectionate blush. “I guess I can return the sentiment. You're the most brilliant member of your family that I ever met as well, including Twilight. That's a hard call to make, too, because she sets the standard awfully high, but who else can nearly conquer Equestria on her wits alone twice?”

    “I had some help,” Cozy reminds. “Especially the second time.”

    “My point is,” Cheese goes on, “you've done great things in the past using your wits and charm alone. Terrible things, but great nonetheless. I, for one, am excited to see how much good you will accomplish instead that now that you have accepted friendship into your heart. You're going to continue to do great things, Cozy Glow. I just know it.”

    There is a knock on their door. Both mares look to the exit. In Cheese's case, she simply looks to her left. Cozy sits up and looks at the door off the hoof of her bed.

    “May I come in?” Rumble asks beyond the door. “Actually, more to the point, Cozy . . . will you come out and join me? There is something I want to show you. A secret spot on this ship.”

    “Ooo!” Cheese looks giddy as she looks up at her friend. “That sounds exciting.”

    “Might be a little chilly for you, though,” Rumble warns beyond the door. “You might want to consider dressing warm if you have the gear.”

    “Ponies have fur. I'm sure we'll be fine,” Cozy says as she swings her hind legs off the edge of her bed and dangles them there. “Pegasi in particular are accustomed to high altitude and chilly weather.”

    “Well, alright, then. Come to the top deck of the ship. I'll meet you there,” Rumble instructs before trotting on. His hoof clomps sounded loudly at close range considering the wooden floor.

    “How about that, Cozy!” Cheese remarks cheerfully. “Your crush is asking you out. Go get 'em, tiger!”

    Cozy blushes deeply for that remark.









    “Can't sleep?” Flapjack asks Cozy along her way to the upper deck. Once she hears him, however, she pauses and assesses him. He is whittling something on one of the benches in the mess hall, but he sets it down as soon as she looks at him. After that, he nudges his hat up a scoosh and peers back at her under the rim of his hat. “Not used to the rigors of a ship, ah recon, but ah trust ya to get used to it eventually.”

    “I'm the adopted daughter of the Princess of Equestria,” Cozy informs. “Of course I'm used to higher standards.

    “Although, I have to say, your cooking is pretty interesting.”

    “Coming from ya, ah'll take that as a compliment,” he says with a grin. “Thank'ee, ya Highness.”

    Cozy scrunches her face slightly as she wonders why she feels slightly insulted. Is it because his remark came off as sarcastic? He didn't seem that way.

    Cozy decides to let this one slide for now.

    She turns to look back in the direction of the exit. She almost takes a step, but then something occurs to her. She looks back at the chef as she asks him, “What are you making?”

    Flapjack blows tiny bits of wood off of his carved object before answering, “Don't rightly know yet. Ah'll find out when ah'im finished. Until then, ah'll discover what it chooses to be.”

    Cozy squints one eye at the chef as she asks, “Is that supposed to be a metaphor for something? Are you trying to teach me a lesson?”

    Flapjack shrugs as he says, “Ah reckon ya can take it that way. Ah s'pose life is always some lesson or another. We learn every day, don't we?”

    “I guess that's true,” Cozy figures.

    “Don't ya worry,” Flapjack assures. “Ya'll fit right in, little missy. Just you wait.”

    “I guess I'll have to take your word for it,” Cozy says with a little worry. “But, for now, did you see Rumble recently?”

    In response, he jabs his whittling knife down the hallway she was proceeding and says, “Down the hallway an' on to the upper deck. Ya'll find 'im there unless he took off into the skies. But, even then, the moon is shining full tonight.”

    Luna, Cozy thinks to herself. I wonder if I'll get another dream of my counterpart tonight.

    “Thanks,” Cozy says as she makes her way to the upper deck.

    “Not a problem, little missy. Ya take care of ya-self now. Ya hear?”









    After reaching the upper deck, Cozy slows down from a canter to a slow trot as she witnesses Rumble. She is enchanted by the radiant way his gray coat glows while bathed in lunar light.

    “There you are!” Rumble exclaims as he passes her an amused look. “Took you long enough, slowpoke.”

    “I was just . . . um . . .” Cozy trails off. Her heart is aflutter and she feels herself blushing bashfully. She hopes that is not well revealed in the moonlight.

    “Well come on! Hurry up. Times a wasting,” Rumble encourages.

    Cozy shakes her head then trots up to him as she asks, “What are we doing exactly?”

    “Well . . . you asked for flying lessons, didn't you?” Rumble reminds. “Time for your first flight with me.”

    “Really? Tonight?” Cozy asks as she glows bashfully again.

    “Yeah. Why? Is something the matter with tonight?” Rumble asks innocently.

    “Oh no! No-no!” Cozy hurriedly assures as she flushes beet red. “It's just . . . I didn't expect it so soon, nor did I expect it to take place after dark.”

    “That's why we're going to take it easy tonight,” Rumble assures. “I'm not even going to give you much instruction except for one thing, and that is to follow me. I want to observe you and your natural flight pattern. You in?”

    “Of course!” Cozy chirps happily.

    “Then come on! Tally-ho!” Rumble cries out as he starts to gallop to the starboard side of the ship.

    “Hey! Wait for me!” Cozy cries back as she races after him as swiftly as she can.

    Once Rumble reaches the edge of the ship, he leaps off and spreads his wings widely. He catches the air in a glide more than a flight.

    Cozy follows suit.

    Cozy spares a moment to glance back as she witnesses the airship shrink in the distance. The details of it vanish fast due to the dim illumination of the night, but some parts of the ship emanate a glow of their own. This is mostly the various porthole windows along the middle of the ship as well as the bridge in the front of the ship and a few glows through the curtains of Prince Salizar's extravagant tent at the back of the ship.

    When Cozy turns her head forward, she closes her eyes for a second as she spends a moment just to savor the wind passing through her or the weightlessness of gliding through the air. Such things always felt “right” to her.

    When she opens her eyes again, she scans below. Most of the terrain below doesn't stand out too much since it is caked in shadow. The explanation for that is a lot of cloud cover above it, but some of those clouds are actually below their elevation.

    Cozy also spots a flight of geese in V formation down below. She can vaguely hear them honking at each other. Right now she does not have her bearings enough yet to tell which compass direction the geese are flying towards. No doubt Golden Compass would've instantly been able to tell in her place.

    “You cozy back there?” Rumble asks his flight companion over his right shoulder.

    “Oh ha-ha,” Cozy says sarcastically as she rolls her eyes up. “Good one. I never heard that one before. You're a warrior-poet.”

    In response, he grins mischievously. That pun was definitely intentional, yet he says, “I'm just asking to make sure you're comfortable and not having any problems.”

    “Nope,” Cozy assures more seriously. “No problems back here.”

    Cozy feels turned on a little when she witnesses Rumble carefully analyze her from the lead with a practiced, professional eye. She saw the way his eyes scanned every inch of her, especially her wings. He also pays close attention to her legs beneath her.

    “Air galloping?” Rumble observes.

    “Huh?” Cozy looks down and notices she is galloping in the air as if she's still on solid ground, then she blushes towards Rumble as she says, “Ah . . . sorry. Force of habit.”

    Rumble shrugs slightly as he says, “Don't sweat it. Lots of pegasi do that. It's an unconscious habit because they get so used to requiring that motion in order to facilitate forward momentum.”

    “Does this mark me as an amateur flier?” Cozy checks.

    Rumble squints and tilts his head as he says, “Well . . . more like a common pegasus flier. As I said, it's a force of habit to a lot of pegasi. That said, it is definitely a sign of not being a professional flier. Most professional pegasi, like the Wonderbolts, know to tuck their forward legs in close to their chest and hold their hind legs straight because it makes them more aerodynamic.”

    “Oh. Like this?” Cozy tries to tuck her forward legs close to her chest and hang her hind legs back, but there is a part of her mind that rebels and even panics slightly as if afraid she's going to trip or stop because she's not galloping anymore. If she did this while on land and not using her wings, she'd certainly crash to the ground. “Ul! This feels weird.”

    “That's not quite right,” Rumble notes from the lead. “But . . . getting there.

    “As I said, we can focus more on detailed flight instructions later. Right now I'm just getting a feel for your center of gravity, the strength of your wing strokes, the shape of your body as the wind passes through you . . . the whole nine yards.”

    “Yay!” Cozy cheers. “Finally I'm being assessed by a professional flier! I can't wait for your instructions to improve my flight technique.” She smiles coyly. “Who knows? Maybe someday I'll be skilled enough to be a Wonderbolt too!”

    Rumble waves her off as he says, “I encourage you to think that. You'll need that motivation to improve. I have to ask, though . . . won't you be too busy focusing on princess duties?”

    “I'm talented and smart,” Cozy brags. “Maybe not as much as you, but I think I can juggle multiple tasks. Besides, why do I need to be good at only one thing? You, of all ponies, should understand this.”

    “I certainly do,” Rumble agrees. “You're right. The sky is the limit, my young friend. Soar as far and as high as you feel you need to. Mind you, I said you need to. When your heart guides your path, magic will follow.

    “Now come.”

    After Rumble says that, he slowly banks into a right curve. As Cozy follows suit, he carefully analyzes her again. Feeling such scrutiny makes her feel like he'd be undressing her if she had clothes on, for there is a certain level of exposure one feels when scanned by such a professional eye like that. It does feel a little embarrassing since it makes her feel exposed and vulnerable, but in a good and exciting way, in this case. She also doesn't feel too afraid of him because a professional would exercise professional restraint. He's the last kind of pony she would expect to suddenly turn into a psycho maniac and attack her.

    So, while his scan does make her feel a little exposed, the reason she doesn’t feel too vulnerable is because she trusts him.

    She grows curious when he nods to himself as if he figured something out. But, after a moment when he does not say anything about it, she decides to call him out on that.

    “What?” Cozy prompts.

    “Nothing important yet,” he reports. “Just a little observation. I'm making some mental notes and going through a checklist in my mind.”

    “And?” Cozy prompts further. “Do I have strong potential, or less so?”

    “I'd say average,” Rumble answers. “Your intentions are what will set you apart later. A lot of pegasi start off like you. It's nothing to be ashamed of.”

    “Um.” Cozy feels a little uncomfortable with that assessment. She hoped for a little more reassurance. “Is there anything about me that sets me apart as becoming a potentially great flier?”

    “Your will,” Rumble answers quickly. “Also how great of a teacher you have.”

    Cozy smiles brightly as she says, “Now that . . . I can live with.”

    “I'm sure you will.

    “And . . . here we are,” Rumble says as he lands on top of the balloon of the zeppelin. From there, he spins about quickly to catch Cozy in case she stumbles on her landing.

    Sure enough, the surface of the balloon isn't made of a surface she's used to stepping on. It's very smooth and slightly squishy as the balloon bends inward with the weight of each of her steps. Because of that, she misjudges how much she needs to lift her hooves in order to step over each artificial dip. Because of that, the edges of her hooves catch the tip of the bump which throws off her equilibrium. As she slips and trips forward, Rumble catches and steadies her.

    “Oh! Um . . . thank you!” Cozy chirps while flushing with a bit of embarrassment.

    “Entirely my fault,” Rumble apologizes. “I should have warned you about the surface of this balloon. I guess it just slipped my mind since I'm accustomed to far greater challenges.”

    Cozy frowns as she says, “In other words, this was an amateur stumble on my part.”

    “There is nothing wrong with being an amateur,” Rumble insists. “All paths start at the beginning. In fact, I'd say being an amateur at something is an honor because it means you've embarked upon a course to a new destination. A lot of growth and development will occur whenever one tries something new. Such things expands our horizons and makes us better and wiser ponies.”

    “I suppose you would know,” Cozy says as her cheeks blush. “You try new things all the time.”

    “If there is anything to admire about me, then that is why. It is my willingness to try new things, like I'm doing right now . . . talking to you and getting to know a new pony.”

    “And?” Cozy prompts in the hopes he'd say something about her that he finds admirable and impressive.

    “Fishing for compliments, I see,” Rumble notes with a grin. “Well . . . at least you're not like Trixie who doesn't believe she needs to seek out evidence that she is impressive. Instead, she draws it all from within.”

    Rumble gazes up at the moon as he adds, “But that is one of the traits I actually do find impressive about her. Her confidence in herself wells from within. Because of it, she doesn't need to seek it from others.” He looks back at her. “And yet she does seek it from others. When she does, her own pride deludes herself into always finding that approval, even if it isn't there.

    “She used to be much worse when she first moved to Ponyville, but her enhanced experience with socializing with others has caused her to be wiser. Practice makes perfect in any field of expertise.”

    Cozy feels a little disappointed when he sets her fully down onto the balloon. When he lets her go, she notices, for the first time, how chilly it is up here. His body must have been shielding her until he set her down and let go. At that point she wonders why she didn't feel it as much while in flight. Maybe because she isn't moving as much? Slower movement means slower blood circulation. That, in turn, makes her more vulnerable to the cold.

    When Rumble notices her shiver, he rolls his eyes and says, “I told you to bring something warmer.

    “Um,” he looks around for a moment, then bids her to follow him with a “Come here” motion using the tip of his wings. From there, he moves to one of the giant buckles that secures the balloon to the rest of the ship. Once he arrives, he lays down flat towards the aft end of the belt. Cozy lays down beside him. Once there, he wraps a wing beneath her, curls it around her, then pulls her close. Cozy happily nestles beside him then quickly grows intoxicated by his manly scent.

    Once they lie there, she eventually notices how the wind mostly passes over their muzzles. The giant buckle above their heads must be partially acting as a windshield.

    “Check that out, Cozy!” Rumble says with an enchanted voice. “Completely unobstructed view of the stars! Without the giant balloon above us, this view is sprawled out in front of us instead.”

    Cozy looks, then widens her eyes as she gazes at this sight in wonder. The ocean of stars reflects off her wide, enchanted eyes.

    What makes this view even better is the fact they are many miles away from any civilization. Light pollution is far from their current location. Besides, they are resting on the top of an airship which is, itself, quite high in the sky. Higher than any mountain on the horizon.

    Deep, introspective thoughts sink into Cozy as she gazes up at these stars because, all a sudden, she is overcome by the duality of her nature. After all, such a sight like this reminds her of a time when her counterpart was younger. She rested on a picnic blanket with her adopted mother as Twilight quizzed Cozy about the names of the various consolations above them. Many of them Cozy got right back then, but if she did not know the answer or she got it wrong, her mother affectionately informed or corrected her.

    But, at this moment, Cozy additionally feels in awe of how small she is in the universe. Even if those stars look close from here, she recalls how she was told an extremely great distance exists between most of those stars above. Enough to fit several dozens solar systems, and beyond, between them.

    As she continues to gaze upon those wondrous stars, she contemplates her fate again, but this time it isn't so specific. Not like a set path or plan of action. Instead, it is more of a feeling of a path.

    Oddly enough, at that moment, she felt connected to the stars above somehow. A thought occurred to her that her soul might identify with one of those twinkling lights above. If that is true, then perhaps that is also true with each of her friends. They, too, could be one of those twinkling lights above. Each distinct with their own unique light, and yet together they join in harmony like each individual instruments joining in a symphony of enchanting music.

    Together, but separate, Cozy ponders. Connected and one.

    I feel this truth, yet not certain what it means on a conscious level. Usually it is my habit to analyze things, but right now I feel these things instead. I'm one with the moment. It becomes me.

    An intense glow rises in her chest when she thinks about the fact that she is sharing this moment beside Rumble. For both warmth and emotional comfort, she snuggles her muzzle into his burly chest. Beside him, she feels so complete.

    Please don't let this be temporary, Cozy begs in her mind. I need him.

    She wonders if Trinity Star once said that about Sombra. Odds are the answer is yes. In a way, he probably thought the same way.

    But now I'm Cozy Glow. I'm a mare, and a mare needs a stallion. I just hope that he'll feel the same way about me, too.

    “Rumble . . . please don't ever leave me!” Cozy begs softly under her breath.

    She does not know if he heard her, but he seems to respond by hugging her more tightly. Other than that, he does not say a word.

    Cozy looks back up at the stars as they share this wonderful moment together.
> Chapter 3: Common Threads
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The day after takeoff from Canterlot, Cozy tries to read some of her books in peace, but her friend’s antics keep her distracted, even if Cheese isn't talking to Cozy directly. That doesn't matter. Cheese passes some of the time singing to herself, and the acoustics of the small room with sparse furniture makes this annoying habit impossible to ignore.

    Eventually Cozy gives up in frustration. At first she thinks she can find someplace else to read quietly but, as she gets up, she recalls the fact that there might be something more productive and/or fun she can do.

    “Where are you going?” Cheese asks her friend and roommate as Cozy makes her way to the exit.

    For a second, Cozy was going to snap back at her friend with a biting remark, but she swallows it down before it escapes her lips. She rethinks her tactics and decides to go with a softer approach. In this case, the truth. Besides, what is the point in lying to an empath anyway?

    “I was thinking about seeking out Rumble so we can go for another flying lesson.”

    “Again? So soon?” Cheese sits up on her top bunk and gives her friend a coy grin. “Alright. I get'cha. Wink-wink. Nudge-nudge.”

    Cozy's face flushes with embarrassment as she insists, “It isn't like that!”

    “Sure it isn't,” Cheese sarcastically agrees with a roll of her eyes then lies flat on the bed. “You two go have fun. Just try not to have too much fun.”

    Cozy grunts in annoyance then reaches for the doorknob with a hoof, but pauses just before she touches it as something occurs to her. She looks back at her friend over her left shoulder as she asks, “What about you? Did you have any plans today? It's bound to be a long voyage, even by airship, and you seem the type who could get bored easily.”

    “True,” Cheese agrees as she crosses her forelegs behind her neck while she faces up towards the ceiling above her. “I actually have given that some thought. I was thinking about maybe exploring the ship some more. Another thought that crossed my mind is to check with Flapjack and see if he'd be willing to have some assistance. I do have some experience baking pastries, after all. Comes with the territory of growing up in a pastry shop.”

    “Really? Didn't your folks get their own place?” Cozy checks.

    Cheese shakes her head as she says, “No, it's the other way around. Mister and Misses Cake got their own place when they retired. My folks inherited Sugarcube Corner and promised to take care of it until Pound and Pumpkin were old enough to take over, or at least that was the initial plan. It turns out the Cake twins are in no hurry to inherit that responsibility. I think it's because they enjoy having us around.

    “My mother used to tell me horror stories about how she used to foalsit for the Cake twins. The irony is, as they grew up, it became their turn to foalsit me.

    “But, of course, I was a little angel,” Cheese brags, possibly not seriously.

    “Hmm. Flapjack specializes in country-style cooking. Do you really think he'd hire you?” Cozy wonders.

    “Okay, first of all, a lot of pastries can match country-style cooking. Ponyville kind of specializes in that.

    “Second of all, even if that wasn't true, what makes you think that wouldn't be a selling point for me? I can do something that he can't in that case. Wouldn't that make me more marketable? After all, if he hires me on, we'd have more versatility in the meals we prepare together, and who doesn't like sweets?”

    “Hmm. Maybe a dragon?” Cozy guesses.

    “Hogwash, I say! Dragons can eat anything, even more so than the Pie family can claim, although their favorite is gems. Also, haven't you seen the meals Spike eats? Not only does he like sweets, but he can make some of them.”

    “Yeah, but Spike isn't a typical dragon. Most of them wouldn't be caught dead wearing a cute little apron, let alone use it to help them prepare cute little meals.”

    “Shows what you know,” Cheese retorts. “Okay, yes, such things aren't the most popular things in dragon society, but their ways of thinking are changing thanks to the School of Friendship. They are learning to embrace new ways of thinking and eating thanks to the new social connections they are making. Of the dragons that tried those meals, most of them claimed that they loved it.”

    “Really?” Cozy asks hopefully.

    “Really,”' Cheese confirms. “Cross my heart and hope to fly . . .”

    “. . . stick a cupcake in my eye,” they finished together, then Cheese goes on to say, “Ex-actly.”

    “Wow. I guess I really didn't know how much the world was changing because of that school,” Cozy muses aloud.

    “Didn't you used to attend that school?” Cheese checks.

    “Yeah. I was one of its first students,” Cozy answers, then brags, “Also one of its top students. I was Twilight's right-hoof filly for a little while there.”

    “So you should know this stuff,” Cheese argues.

    “Actually,” Cozy says with a roll of her eyes, “I secretly thought the entire affair was a fool's errand at best, and sinister brain-washing at worst. I thought the school was a way to try to indoctrinate all the other races to being docile to the pony master race, but I didn't think it would actually work! Races like yaks, griffins, and dragons, in particular, surprised me. In fact, I was even surprised any of them showed up in the first place.”

    “Considering where you came from, I suppose I can understand that attitude,” Cheese realizes. “What about changelings? Didn't you regard them with suspicion?”

    “Queen Chrysalis, yes,” Cozy answers. “The rest were obviously wimps. I didn't see them as much of a threat anymore, and for good reason. They seemed all-too-willing to embrace pony culture, but they also twisted it with their naive misunderstanding.”

    “Wow! You are racist.”

    “I prefer the term, 'enlightened',” Cozy corrects, “because I know the truth. I know how these horrid, non-pony races think!”

    “Forgive me for saying, but I think your knowledge is a tad out of date,” Cheese argues. “Even you should be able to see that.”

    Cozy looks down as she lowers her ears, then admits, “I guess that's true. I've been surprised one too many times to hold on to my previous beliefs with full conviction.” She looks back at Cheese. “I'm smart. I can learn.”

    “By Celestia, I think she's got it!” Cheese cheers. “Anyway, you think about it as you go off and have fun with your new friend,” Cheese says with a dismissive wave of a hoof.

    Cozy decides to go before her hoof ends up in her mouth again.









    Cabin boy . . . Cozy contemplates that. Where would a cabin boy be assigned on this ship?

    Answer; wherever he is needed. Prince Salizar said that in person.

    So, okay. That means there is no fixed place she can check to find him. This annoys Cozy and makes her realize that a systematic check of the ship will be required. The problem with that is he could be in the air too, and it would be very difficult to check the entire sky. In that case, Cozy figures that finding him up there is a lost cause, so she might as well check where she can find him.

    In this case, she decides to check the top deck first, but stay alert along the way up.

    “Psst. Young mare,” a familiar voice calls to Cozy along her way up when she nears the stairs leading up or down to or from the upper deck. Cozy swivels her ears about to check where the sound seems to be coming from. Based on that, she finds Sombra standing in a small compartment behind the stairs.

    “I would speak with you for a moment,” Sombra requests.

    Cozy momentarily opens her mouth to answer, but then it occurs to her that no one else will be able to see or hear whom she is talking to. That realization makes her hesitate and check if the coast is clear. If it isn't, she knew she'd look like a crazy fool who is talking to empty air.

    “Use your mind if it bothers you so much to speak aloud, young mare,” Sombra reminds telepathically with a bit of annoyance. It is eerie to hear him in his mind and yet the hallucination of him in front of her did not move his lips. He did, however, narrow his eyes slightly.

    “Oh. Sorry,” Cozy apologizes to him mentally. “So,” she grins, “what's on your 'mind'?”

    “Very cute,” Sombra sneers.

    “Yeah. I'm pretty good at that.”

    Sombra's expression grows more serious as he says, “There was a stray thought from you yesterday that caught my interest, and that was based on an observation of yours.

    “First of all, let me just say that creating a mobile disk of force strong enough to stand on, let alone float in the air, is a rare gift because it takes a lot of magical energy to sustain a force field so intense that it can not only support the caster's own weight, but suspend him or her in the air. Technically, a unicorn could fly using a technique like that, but it is very power inefficient and most unicorns lack the training to make a force shield that strong. Prince Salizar is, therefore, obviously well trained, but of course he can afford the best in the business. To his credit, he takes such lessons seriously.

    “Another strategy for a unicorn to float is simply to levitate themselves, but that strategy tingles and tickles. Most unicorns can't sustain their concentration under those circumstances which is why that is very rare. Creating and standing on a force shield, however, bypasses that problem at the cost of power efficiency.”

    “Interesting,” Cozy thinks a little nonchalantly.

    Sombra waves a hoof as he says, “I thought so to, but that is beside the point.

    “The real point I want to make is the other thought you had attached to that observation earlier. You know, the one about human Rarity's magical ability to create gem shields.”

    “Yeah. So?” Cozy questions, then realizes something. “Oh, wait a minute! That's up your alley, isn't it?”

    Sombra nods emphatically, then says, “Indeed.

    “Do note, I have your counterpart's memories as well, and it informs me of yet another fascinating bit of trivia about Rarity's talent. You see, unlike Prince Salizar with his force shield, Rarity's talent creates actual solid materials. My guess is her magic geode allows her the ability to sort of copy itself. One who knows crystal science as well as I can tell you that gems aren't normally created out of thin air but rather grown from a base material, like a seed that grows a plant. In this case, it's probably her geode.

    “More to the point, unlike the force shield, Rarity's gems can be more permanent and even customizable in terms of shape. In my eyes, there is only one more . . . No, two things she is missing to catch up to my potential.”

    “Ah . . . two things?” Cozy checks.

    Sombra nods as he confirms, “That's right.”

    “Well, one of them is obviously knowledge about crystal science. In other words, the enchantment process.”

    Sombra nods again as he agrees, “Right . . . but my knowledge on either version of Rarity claims that she is no wizard, despite one of them being a unicorn. Accordingly, training her in the necessary spellcraft lore would be quite the challenge for her, and that is required for crystal science. Knowing how to imbue magical energy into crystals is almost the same as weaving raw energy in the air to form a spell. There is structure to it. It's a weave.”

    “Well . . . Rarity is very good at sewing,” Cozy points out.

    Sombra shakes his head as he says, “So she is, but that is not the same thing. I fear that, in this case, Rarity could create the base materials needed for crystal science enchantment, but her contribution likely stops there.

    “Another potential problem is she'd also need the ability to create multiple types of gems because each type is better suited for certain kinds of spells. It's not impossible to pour any enchantment you want into any type of crystal, especially if it's quartz. That is the best blank canvas of the crystal family. However, the right or wrong type of crystal can either boost or hinder the end result. If she can create multiple types of crystal, or at least learn how, then her usefulness in this endeavor is considerably boosted.”

    “A moot point, isn't it?” Cozy questions. “Rarity, either version, isn't a wizard. You said so yourself.

    “But ah! Sunset Shimmer is a wizard, or at least she used to be. Maybe you can teach her how to enchant the crystals. Rarity can make them for her, and Sunset can enchant them.”

    Sombra smiles proudly as he commends, “Now you're catching on, and here is another interesting tidbit of information. Sunset Shimmer is a mind sorceress. With a little extra training, I can just give her the knowledge I want. I can pour and basically, 'download' the knowledge of such spellcraft directly into her head without the need to devote years of training to the craft. In effect, she can just copy and paste my own experience in the field then 'recall' it as if that knowledge has always been hers.”

    Cozy tilts her head as she asks, “Isn't that risky? What if she uploads your ego and personality as well?”

    “My memory suggests she can be more selective with the knowledge she gains. In fact, so far, she has to be, unless she scans surface thoughts. The knowledge she gains is based on the answer to a question. In this case, all she would have to do is ask herself before touching this geode,” he points to it at Cozy's neck, “'How does Sombra practice crystal science?' or something to that effect.” He shrugs simply. “For her, that's all it takes. Technically, she can download anypony's knowledge that way. That is a great strategy for gaining knowledge quickly, but it comes with potential psychological risks. For instance, if she tried this with Queen Chrysalis, I fear Sunset risks gaining the mad changeling queens psychosis along with any knowledge that she is after.”

    “That's what Doctor Patience feared,” Cozy recalls.

    “It's a valid point, unless Chrysalis is faking her condition in order to get her captors to underestimate her. I wouldn't put it past her, either. She's very accustomed to being insincere, much like you.”

    “Huh.” Cozy looks down. “Why didn't I think of that?”

    Sombra shrugs as he goes on to say, “Considering her losses, what she's been through (such as the curse of stone) and the natural hunger her nature would induce, it is possible she really has gone insane. Even one of these factors really could have been enough to push her over the edge. Aside from that, her sanity was questionable even before all this happened to her.

    “I'm afraid we can't know for sure. Not without making some very dangerous tests.”

    Sombra pauses a moment as he looks off to his side, then looks back at Cozy as he changes the subject.

    “There is something else I wanted to talk to you about as well.”

    “Oh?” Cozy querries curiously.

    “It's about this journey,” Sombra clarifies. “I am seeing a lot of parallels between now and the journey I made over a thousand years ago. At first, I dismissed it as a coincidence, but the evidence keeps piling up.”

    “What evidence?” Cozy asks curiously.

    “The connection between you and me, for one thing,” Sombra mentions. “I don't know if you really are a direct incarnation of me, but there are patterns which are distinctly similar but in some cases complementary opposite between you and me. It's almost as if the energy between us was attempting to balance itself.

    “Sunset is another prime example because there is another from my time which Sunset reminds me of, and that is the mind sorceress responsible for erasing our minds in the first place. Talent like that is extremely rare, so what are the odds that a sorceress who caused us all to forget about our past is balanced out by yet another sorceress who can undo this damage one thousand years later?”

    Cozy blinks as she thinks, “Huh. Interesting.”

    “Add to that, Sunset becomes a victim of that very memory stone later,” Sombra puts in. “Coincidence? At first, I would have said yes, but now it's as if fate were preparing Sunset for this journey.

    “I can go on like this. Flurry Heart is guarding and attuned to the Crystal Heart, just like her predecessor, Trinity Star. Trinity just happened to be the first queen of the Crystal Empire, and lo and behold . . . Flurry is just born into royalty as if to resume where she left off.

    “Then there are also the Elements of Harmony who are in sync with and even rescue the original Pillars who created them. They, too, end up legendary heroes, just like their old predecessors.

    “The more I think about it, the more I realize that history is repeating itself, but with a twist. It is kind of like staring at a reflection that is reversed.”

    “So?” Cozy asks with rapt attention.

    Sombra gives Cozy a warning look as he tells her, “So what if the problems of a thousand years ago repeat as well? Many of them already did. I was among them, and yet I still see heroes gathering together such as on this ship. It's as if it will be necessary to prepare us for what is to come.”

    “Oh.” Cozy now looks spooked.

    “So beware, young mare,” Sombra warns. “The last time I saw epic heroes gather like this, it was in response to some epic threat. It is important to pay attention to these patterns because they may herald the coming doom.”

    Cozy gulps.

    “There are some important distinctions, though,” Sombra goes on to say. “Back in my time, I wouldn't necessarily say there were any heroes or villains. They just didn't fit with that era. Instead, there were only winners or losers. Survivors or the dead. I dare you to find any survivors of that era who do not have any blood on their hooves, for desperate times called for desperate measures.”

    “What about the Pillars?” Cozy questions. “They are pretty heroic, and they hailed from your time. Also there is Trinity Star. She seemed innocent enough not to have blood on her hooves.”

    Sombra shakes his head as he assures, “Trinity, like Mage Meadowbrook, both had one thing in common . . . they are healers, and healers often have blood on their hooves, but they didn't cause it. In fact, they are the kind of ponies working to heal such problems, but one does not encounter such violence repeatedly and keep their innocence fully intact.

    “Actually, though I am loathed to admit it, Trinity had another trait about her that I both loved and despised about her, and that was the fact she was often a martyr. In fact, that is often how she healed other ponies. First she absorbs their wounds, then she painfully heals it on herself.”

    Cozy winces as she looks taken aback and thinks, “What?! That's stupid.”

    “Trinity was an empath,” Sombra reminded. “In her mind and heart, she would be suffering in the presence of suffering anyway. At least that way she worked to relieve it.”

    “But Mage Meadowbrook didn't have to use that strategy, did she? She's like Zecora. Both of them used potions instead.”

    “Exactly,” Sombra agrees. “Both had different strategies, knowledge, capabilities, training, strengths, and drawbacks. For instance, Trinity didn't require some rare herbs to grow in the area. She didn't need time to analyze the symptoms of a sick pony and test individual remedies, didn't need time to brew a potion, and her power source was self-regenerating as long as she was in decent health, both mentally and physically. However, her own methods physically hurt her, and it was a terrible drain on her magical energy. That, in turn, limited how many patients she could heal at a time or the degree she could heal each one.

    “Meadowbrook, in contrast, and other healers like her, can just keep going as long as she doesn't run out of materials.”

    “Huh.” Cozy blinks. “That's interesting.

    “Tell me . . . is that why, she went into your room while you were going through a magical temper tantrum, she did not raise her magic shield? Because, you know, she totally could have done that.”

    Sombra looks down with a guilt-stricken face as he says, “Trinity knew that I cared for her so she put herself in harm’s way deliberately to compel me to calm down. Seeing me hurt had hurt her in return, so she did what she thought was necessary to alleviate the situation.” He looks back at Cozy. “Trinity was always like that. Always willing to absorb and take on the wounds of the world just so that the world suffers less. I admired her compassion for being willing to do something like that, but it also felt cruel and unjust. Whenever she got hurt, I felt like I failed her, especially if it happened to her under my watch. That's why I hated her for it as much as I loved her.

    “True love is complicated, young mare. If and when you experience it, I will pity you as much as I would admire you.

    “Anyway,” he waves her off. “Food for thought.”

    Right after he says that, he vanishes before her eyes.
> Chapter 4: The Meaning of Courage
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Despite the shade caused by the giant balloon above, emerging from the shadows of the second deck causes Cozy Glow to wince in irritation. She shields her eyes behind her left pink pegasus wing to help compensate. She peeks under the wing as she scans across the deck for any sign of Rumble, but she does not find him here.

    “Look'en fer somepony, wee lass?” and older pony asks Cozy from somewhere nearby. When she looks, she sees it is the legendary Pillar of Strength, Rockhoof.

    “Ah . . . yes,” Cozy answers honestly. “Have you seen Rumble?”

    Rockhoof scratches his head as he thinks about it. As he does so, Cozy finally notices that a sailor's hat is on his head which completes his sailor ensemble. Cozy feels certain he wasn't wearing that ridiculous outfit yesterday. In fact, she had never seen him wear it.

    “Nah, ah ha-vent, sweet lass,” Rockoof reports after a moment of thought. “Naught recently, by my account.” Rockhoof focuses on Cozy fully. “The lad is probably working in the lower decks, ah wager.”

    “Cute outfit,” Cozy comments. “Doesn't seem your style, though. I can't imagine this was standard for the Mighty Helms.”

    Rockhoof roars out with mighty laughter which Cozy can feel from her short distance. When he recovers, he says, “Aye. 'tis naught that standard outfit of me mates back in thah day.” He looks across his outfit. “Mostly um wearing this tah fit in wit dee crew. I know First Officer Desora likes it, and Captain Tidus respects it.” He grins. “From evah'wee pony else, though, ah mostly get amused laughs, indifference, or e-van a wee bit o' disgust, ah must confess.”

    “I think I fall into the amusement category,” Cozy says with a slight giggle. “There is something strange about an outfit that dorky worn by a pony who otherwise cuts an imposing figure.”

    Rockhoof shrugs. “Well, it lets evah'wee pony know that I proudly work as part of thah crew.”

    Cozy looks over her shoulder down the direction she came from as she says, “Well, I didn't see Rumble along my way up here, but I suppose I could go down to take a closer look.”

    “If ya is hoping to bugger thah lad fo' flying lessons, let him stick to his duties for dah moment instead,” Rockhoof advises. “But, I promise ya lass that, the next time ah see 'em, ah'll tell 'em ya was look'en for 'im.”

    “How did you know that I wanted flying lessons from him?” Cozy asks Rockhoof in surprise and minor alarm.

    “He told me last night when we was trading stories,” Rockhoof explains.

    “Really?” Cozy asks as she slowly lowers her left wing since her eyes are starting to adjust to the morning light. “How did a subject like me come up in the first place between you two?”

    “You're an interesting pony,” Rockhoof says. “He knows it, and ah know it. One does not simply ignore the likes of Cozy Glow aboard this ship.” He gives Cozy a mischievous grin as he adds, “Seems only fair, aye? He tells me that you are interested in 'im as well.”

    Cozy thinks about what Rockhoof says for a moment, then she asks him, “Tell me, I'm curious; do you hate me or are afraid of me for what I've done?”

    “Hate ya?” Rockhoof looks taken aback. “Let me tell ya something, lass, ah don't dispense grudges lightly. Aye, there were a few who earned it in thah past, but what they've done is ten times more personal than ennah slight ya caused me.

    “As for fear, well . . . ya may have noticed ah 'ave a wee bit o' a style when it comes to me fears. It usually ends wit o' smack by dah end o' me trusty shovel. Bury ya six feet deep, it would.”

    “Why don't you hate me? I thought most ponies do.”

    “Well,” Rockhoof tilts his head slightly, “ya may 'ave inconvenienced me o' couple o' times. Both times drained me magic, but to be fair, that was mostly Tirek thah second time. Scrawny as a wee lad, it made me.” He shakes his head. “But hate ya? Nah, me lass. I 'ave higher standards when it comes to scum and villainy. Used to be ah be trashing a monster o' week. 'appened too many times to take each one too personally in most cases.” His look grows much darker as he says, “But thah ones oo 'urt me commrades and mate, or me family . . . aye. Dey are thah ones ah remem'bah. Ah ain't nev'ah be forgetting those faces . . . or forgive.”

    “Your strength and size is still a byproduct of magical augmentation?” Cozy asks curiously. “Personally, I thought this was your true form now. Legends say you used to be small and scrawny, but when that changed, I thought the magic changed your true form permanently.”

    Rockhoof looks to be in a much brighter mood as he looks back at her and says, “Nay, me lass. Great magic burns wit'in me still. If it's drained, I'm scrawny enough to be blown like a leaf on thah wind. Aye.”

    “How did this happen to you?” Cozy feels compelled to ask. “The only explanation I previously got was, 'something magical happened', but I'm not satisfied with that. I demand a better explanation.”

    Rockhoof rubs the back of his neck as he confesses, “Well, me lass, ah didn't 'ave much time to contemplate these things when ah was busy digging a trench to divert lava wit’ me shovel, but ah remem'bah mah shovel cracked in'toe somethin' as ah was digging. Ah looked and ah saw that me shovel shattered in'toe some crystal buried in thah earth. From it did magic pour into me. Next thing ah knew, I was big and strong, but ah didn't 'ave much time to relish my fancy augments. Ah 'ad o' village to save. Me own village, ah might add. So I just kept on digging an digging till me shovel broke out o' thah side cliff and ah lept out o' dah ravine in time to dodge thah lava.”

    “It sounds like he got augmented by the magic stored within an ancient meteorite which was once known as Starlight Dust,” Sombra mentally explains to Cozy. “Those crystals are the source of all magic on this world. The one he encountered sounds like a shard that didn't completely burn up in the atmosphere. When his shovel bit into it, the magic stored within the crystal seeped out and enchanted the nearest living being. Since he is an earth pony, the magic augmented the most basic quality about him.”

    “Let me get one thing straight wit’ ya, me lass,” Rockhoof proclaims, inadvertently interrupting the one hidden within her. “Wit’ you, ah don't feel hatred or fear. Instead, what ah feel inside is hope wit’ a wee dash o' excitement. Ya see, ah trust ya mother's judgment wit’ you. She believed that ya could be saved . . . that there be some good in ya. Aye, an ah believe in second chances. If ah always did, maybe we would 'ave nev'ah had o' wee bit o' conflict as we did wit’ me old comrade, Stygian. Ah learned me lesson, as did thah rest o' me ol' mates. Strength doesn't just come from our legs, me lass,” Rockhoof proclaims as he flexes a foreleg, “but it also comes from thah heart.” The same leg he used to flex a moment earlier instead pounds his chest over his heart area. “Thah willingness to forgive an'ah see thah best in anypony . . . that’s true strength, an ah be knowin’ a thing or two about strength, me bonnie lass. Aye. Strength, compassion, courage, and hope. If we treat other ponies like they be a monster, then they be a monster. Treat ‘em like a friend, then they be a friend.

    “Ah'm a hero, me lass. As such, I always follow me heart in such things. I always 'ave thah courage to stand up for what's right, regardless how difficult it is. That is what makes a hero, me lass. Strength of thah heart, not just me legs.”

    Cozy frowns a bit as she slowly looks down before admitting, “You make it seem so easy, but personally . . . I'm scared to be here. I know what's right, at least sometimes, but I still fear it.”

    “Ah, lassie,” he steps forward and puts a large hoof on her shoulder but he does not press down too hard. “That is why ye 'ave loads of courage. Ye are holding ya ground even when it is hard, an ya doing it for thah right reasons.”

    She looks up at him with a hopeful, “You really think so?” kind of look.

    “Aye. 'tis true,” Rockhoof confirms as he puts the hoof on her shoulder back to the deck of the ship. “Courage is not thah absence of fear but thah willingness to do what is right despite thah presence o' fear. Those who are truly fearless are 'artless, ignorant, or possibly even dead, but those wit’ courage recognize thah danger an chose to face it anyway.

    “Ah promise ya this, me lass, ya won't be ah face'in these dangers alone. We stood on opposite sides once, me lass, but ah be look'en forward tah fight'en by ya side this time! Ya may be a wee lass, but ya courage be crumbling mountains. Ye inspire me, and it makes me all thah more determined tah fight by ya side even harder.

    “Leave thah heavy lifting to ya ol' comrade Rockhoof while ye plan strategy wit’ good ol' Stygian. Ah be thah brawn, ye be thah brains. Together, we be unstoppable!

    “In me old age, ah not be as strong as ah once was, but ah still 'ave enough strength in me to resist a dozen stallions in their prime.”

    “Wow! If you're serious, then your strength is still outrageously incredible!”

    “Aye, lass!” Rockhoof brags proudly. “Still some adventures left in me ol' bones before full retirement. One last ride.” He looks off the ship with intense excitement and conviction. “One last adventure for me an me ol' trusty shovel. Aye.”
> Chapter 5: The Tooth Fairy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cozy does eventually spot Rumble. He is on the second deck going from room to room doing what Cozy can only describe as maid service. She observes him from a distance as he performs this chore while singing a jaunty tune. It is at this moment when she decides that he really does look busy so she'll bother him later.

    But that leaves a question of what to do instead. At that moment it occurs to her how displaced she is on this ship. There is no reason for her to be there or role on the ship until they land and find one of Sombra's past artifacts. Even then, she's basically just a translator for some internal ghost.

    Thinking about this makes her more depressed because it occurs to her that has been the theme for the majority of her life. She's always been this outsider who has to fight to assert her place in Equestria. She had lofty goals a few times but they keep backfiring in her face.

    With a sad sigh, she decides to check on Sunset in Sunset's room but Cozy does so quietly and carefully because she fears she might end up disturbing Sunset as well.

    Cozy winces when the wooden door to Sunset's room creaks a bit in the process of opening it. She opens it only a few inches. It is enough to peek through the crack. What she sees confirms the fact that it was wise for Cozy to be cautious, for Sunset does indeed appear to be busy pouring over piles of books. Judging from the condition of the book's cover from this angle, she estimates that the books focus is on arcane study.

    Judging from the slight shagginess to Sunset's mane, it indicates to Cozy that Sunset has been a little frustrated with her progress, or rather lack thereof, so far, but she is also very focused and determined at the moment.

    Cozy slowly and carefully shuts the door before leaning her head on it.

    Now what? She asks herself. This could be my life for days, weeks, or even moons. Normally I like being a spoiled princess but this journey . . . it feels important. I want a role in this affair. One that is important, and one that strictly belongs to me. I don't want to simply be Sombra's shadow anymore.

    “I agree,” Sombra mentally asserts to her. “I won't be staying in this world so it is important to assert your own independence.

    “One thing I can offer that may help you in your journey is more spellcraft study, but I am intrigued by a proposition you made a week ago while on the tour of this ship. During it, you demonstrated some interest in the engineer's profession for the sake of learning. I'm curious . . . does that interest still hold?”

    “Golly! You're right!” Cozy thinks as she lifts her head again. “I completely forgot about that.

    “Thank you, Sombra, for the reminder.”

    Cozy gets a mental image in her head of him bowing to her gracefully before silently fading away.









    On her way through the cargo section of the third deck in order to get to the engineering section in the back, Cozy Glow notices how the terrain has changed somewhat due to all the extra stuff packed on the third deck. She sees the total of six canons, three on each side, parked a bit away from the shut wooden windows while sitting on a track to help move the canon back and forth. Between that and all around the third deck are many piles of wooden crates and barrels which are secured by hemp nets. The pile is especially high at the bow of the ship. The only section that is mostly open is the middle of the deck which is probably kept deliberately clear as a trot-way.

    Cozy knows that most of the food and water for the voyage is stored here, but there seems to be too much here for so simple of an explanation. Canon balls and explosive powder are probably also here. Likely many other tools and supplies to help repair the ship.

    Along the way, Cozy passes a very interesting and amusing sight, but the primary reason it is amusing is only because of the knowledge that she has of her counterpart's world. The sight she sees is the three diamond dogs, plus Blaze, gathered around a crate while sitting on some other crates. They are all playing cards with each other and apparently using bits of gems to tally the score.

    Dogs playing cards. Cozy wonders where she saw that before.

    From the looks of it, Blaze is easily dominating this game, for most of the bits of gems they are using are gathered in a pile closest to the dragon. To Cozy, this isn't too surprising. Blaze seems to have the most wits, and maybe also luck, of the bunch. As for the diamond dogs, she'd be surprised if they can count at all.

    “Did anypony ever tell you that it's rude to stare?” Blaze asks aloud, presumably to Cozy, but she isn't certain because the dragon isn't looking at the pegasus. Instead, her eyes are concealed behind a claw full of playing cards.

    “Ah . . . are you talking to me?” Cozy asks with uncertainty.

    Blaze's eyes peek at Cozy over the edge of her cards as she asks, “I don't know. Are you the one currently staring at us?”

    “Want us tah beat her up, Boss?” Biggs offers as he sets down his cards and smacks his left paw with his closed right paw. In the process, he ends up revealing his entire paw of cards because he set it on the crate facing up.

    Seeing that, Wedge sighs in distress and throws his cards down on the crate as well, only this time the cards are facing down. After that, he declares, “Well . . . I fold.”

    “Nah. Settle down, big guy,” Blaze commands Biggs. “I'm pretty sure there would be consequences if we gang banged one of Equestria's princesses.”

    “Duuuuuuuuuuh.” Bigs scratches the side of his left saggy cheek in confusion, which Cozy privately determines is very easy to do with this guy. “What you want us do with her, Boss?”

    “That depends on her,” Blaze answers as her look transfers from Biggs to Cozy. “Care for a game?” she offers.

    Cozy takes a moment to privately debate this. She was on her way to the engineering section of the ship, but she smells an opportunity to gather information on this group. The cunning strategist in her finds it difficult to avoid an opportunity to gather useful data which may aid her in manipulating this group later on. It also occurs to her that she has no deadline or fixed appointment with Gizmo, so she says, “Okay, sure.” She approaches. “Deal me in.”

    “My gems!” Wedge practically barks in objection as he pulls his meager pile close to his chest. Although, to be fair, he has the second-largest pile of the four. “Mine! Pony get her own.”

    “Tell you all what,” Blaze brings up. “We'll finish this round. After that, we'll deal cards to everyone here, including the new player, but we won't use the gems at all.”

    “Won't use gems,” Maul echoes then giggles hysterically.

    “We aren't?” Wedge asks in confusion. “But . . . how we know who wins?”

    Blaze shakes her mostly bold red-scaled head as she declares, “The gems won't be important. We'll just play the cards together and have some fun.” Blaze smirks at Cozy. “Personally, I'm looking forward to having more of a challenge than you lot.”

    “Sorry, Boss,” Biggs apologizes as he picks up his cards again even though it's moot at this point. “Me dumb. Me no play no good.”

    “Me dumb! Me dumb!” Maul echoes again followed by yet another round of unnerving sounding giggles.

    “Yes! Of course you're dumb!” Wedge agrees irritably to his fellow diamond dog companions. “Half the time I have to prevent you two from outright eating the cards! Boss does not want dog slobber on her precious cards.”

    “Precious cards! Precious cards! Yep-yep!” says Maul.

    “Must he always do that?” Cozy asks while looking at Maul with a wince of irritation.

    “Unfortunately I can't get him to stop,” Blaze growls. “It seems to be an uncontrollable reflex for him.”

    “I bet Sunny would know the medical term for that,” Cozy figures.

    “Who is Sunny?” Wedge asks Cozy curiously.

    “The affectionate nickname for Sunset Shimmer,” Cozy answers honestly.

    “Oh.” Wedge blinks. “She the unicorn with the bright golden and fiery red mane and tail?”

    “Yes,” Cozy confirms simply.

    “And is she the one with the weird picture on her flank of a sun thingy?” Wedge double checks.

    “Yes,” Cozy agrees a little more irritably through gritted teeth. She felt that the question did not need to be that specific enough. “And it's called a cutie mark. That is what the picture on our flanks is called.”

    “Oh.” Wedge blinks again as he thinks about that, then asks, “Why for ponies get butt pictures? What purpose does it serve?”

    Cozy sighs because she figures that explaining such a complex and somewhat philosophical concept to these three diamond dogs would be like trying to pound a newborn chick back into its egg using a sledgehammer while trying not to kill it in the process.

    “We don't need to get into that,” Blaze says. “Suffice it to say, it is a pony thing.”

    “I'm just confused,” Wedge complains to Blaze, then looks at Cozy as he asks, “Who put on your butt picture, and why did you choose that particular image?”

    “I said we don't need to get into that,” Blaze reminds firmly. “Drop it.”

    Wedge sighs despondently, but obediently says, “Yes, Boss.”

    “Read 'em and weep, boys!” Blaze triumphantly declares as she drops her cards on the crate face up at the conclusion of this round of the game. Doing so reveals her winning claw of cards.

    Obediently, Maul really does weep, but it is unlikely over his understanding of the game itself. He did so simply because he interpreted Blaze's words as a serious command. Far more disgusting than that is when he blows his nose on his paw of cards.

    “I told you not to do that!” Wedge yips at his companion irritably. “How many times must I tell you?”

    “I withdraw my earlier offer to join this game,” Cozy says while looking at Maul with a straight face.

    “Understandable,” Blaze says while glaring at Maul and blowing black smoke out of her nostrils.

    Wait! Is that what's missing here? Cozy wonders to herself. Was some of the dogs smoking while playing cards in the picture?

    Gah! I can't remember.

    “Pardon me, but would it be rude of me to inquire about your villainous past?” Cozy asks Blaze while cutely batting her eyes at the dragon. “I'm a connoisseur of fine tales, you see.”

    “Bogus,” Blaze rejects. “You just want some ideas to refine your own attempt to take over the world.”

    “A girl needs a hobby,” Cozy proclaims with a playful roll of her eyes. “You should be flattered that I'm interested in your tale.”

    “I don't give a flying tail flick what your interest is. I don't give services for free,” Blaze declares.

    Irritation shows on Cozy's face briefly. It is severe enough to make her veins bulge for a moment, but she swallows her anger down in an attempt to regather her composure.

    “Look, we're both business creatures, right?” Cozy asks while adopting a slimy grin. “Maybe we can exchange information, or better yet . . . it might not be such a bad idea to have a princess aboard this ship who owes you a favor.”

    “Okay, now you're talking,” Blaze says with rising interest. “Since we are on the subject of exchanging information, first tell me why you're so interested in my past.”

    “You do know who I am, don't you?” Cozy checks.

    “Not well,” Blaze answers. “I know you're the daughter of the princess of Equestria. I guess that makes you next to ascend to the throne or something if your mother passes away, which might be a very long time indeed. After all, the only kind of creature who might be able to outlast a dragon is some creature who truly never dies of old age. That is not immortality, that is simply agelessness.”

    “Well, you're half right,” Cozy says as she collects her forward hooves in front of her mouth. “I'm also secretly a magical tooth fairy that flies about collecting loose teeth in exchange for precious gems.”

    “Really?” Biggs asks Cozy in amazement. “Oh wow! What you want all dem teeth for? Also, you're rich!”

    “You bet your bottom I am,” Cozy agrees as she peers narrowly and sharply at Biggs.

    “What a coincidence,” Blaze says as she narrows one eye at Cozy. “I was a fairy godmother before I assumed this draconic form, and I have to say that I that I don't recognize you under my employ.”

    “You are?!” Biggs asks Blaze with wide eyes in astonishment.

    “That's because I wore a different form as well back then,” Cozy explains to Blaze. “A form that most ponies did not approve of. I wanted friends, but the form I had scared all my potential friends away, so I had a choice . . . I could keep my previous form and remain alone, or adopt a new disguise and fit in. Eventually, I chose the latter.”

    “Interesting,” Blaze says since she interprets Cozy's true meaning which went way over the heads of her adjacent underlings. “Do you regret your new form? It can't be easy trying to fit into society while knowing you're not being true to yourself.”

    “Wait! This is not your true form?” Biggs asks in awe.

    Cozy shrugs as she says, “My days now are much like the ones I had before. I still have ups and downs. The only difference is it's provoked by different reasons.”

    “Do you miss your previous form?” Blaze asks shrewdly.

    Cozy does not answer right away. Instead, she slowly looks down at the crate between them as if deciding the answer to that question right now, to which she eventually declares, “I suppose I do very often, but I know I can never go back to the fairy world. I wouldn't fit in there anymore.”

    “Ah! Because the door is now too small,” Wedge realizes with a knowing nod of his head. He looks proud of himself for figuring that out. “Sad, but true. Ponies are much larger than fairies.”

    “Too big! Too big! Yep-yep!” Maul puts in.

    “Besides, there is a lot I've gained as a pony that I wouldn't want to give up,” Cozy continues, mostly to Blaze directly. “But, in my heart, I guess I'll always be stuck between two worlds.”

    “Then use a crowbar to get unstuck,” Wedge suggests. “Although, if you are like us, you can just dig your way out using our sharp paws.”

    “I know what you mean,” Blaze says to Cozy. “It seems that, to gain something in this world, it must always cost something. To change forms is to grow and become something different, but one loses the world we had before. It's just like those hippogriffs that don't have a magical, transforming pearl. To live on the land or sky, they must give up their magical life under the sea. I think we can both sympathize with the weight of that decision.”

    “The land of fairies is underwater?” Biggs asks in confusion. “Wow. Won't they drown?”

    “Some of us did drown, I suppose,” Cozy agrees as she looks at Biggs. “Life can get pretty dark while deep underwater. If we're not strong enough to navigate those deep ocean currents, we just get swept away or consumed by some larger fish.”

    “Wow!” Biggs says in awe.

    “Wowie-wow-wow!” says Maul.

    “Wait a minute,” Wedge says with a suspicious look. “Are you two talking in metaphors?”

    “Meta-fours is a language?” Biggs asks in confusion. “Wow. I can't speak that. You two are soooooo smart!”

    Blaze looks at her lackeys in amusement, then looks at Cozy while shaking her head. After that, she waves a claw at Cozy as she says, “We'll talk more about this later. Perhaps even in privacy. I don't think I want to give away everything about me in one sitting anyway. I like the idea of being a bit mysterious.”

    Cozy shrugs lightly before she warns, “Okay, but two can play at that game.”

    “What game?” asks Biggs. “Can we play?”

    “Yeah-yeah!” Maul yaps. “Can we? Can we? Huh-huh-huh?”

    “No,” Cozy answers as she stands up from the crate she was originally sitting on. “I don't think you three have the capacity to play our game.”

    “Oh.” Biggs lowers his ears in disappointment. “That's not fair.”
> Chapter 6: The Knack
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The engineering room is more than just the room with the propulsion engine for the ship. With all the spare parts, whirling doohickeys and various lab tables, this is also an inventors room. It looks cluttered but Cozy actually enjoys it. The smell of steam and oil in the air actually calls to her soul for some reason. She also enjoys the feeling of vibration in the room or the white noise rumble of the engine towards the aft of the ship.

    For a moment, Cozy is a little alarmed to notice Gizmo is absent from monitoring the aft station where the engine is, but he is in the room and, apparently, Widget is crawling over the rear controls as if keeping an eye on it.

    Instead of being at the engine itself, Gizmo is sitting in front of one of three work tables in the room. A lot of parts and tools are in front of him. One object, in particular, looks partially assembled. He is fiddling and inspecting it. As Cozy paces close to him, she hears him mumble something under his breath very rapidly. It is hard to catch because the volume is so low and he's speaking too fast, but it sounds like he is talking about the various parts of the machine in front of him and how to either assemble or disassemble it.

    Cozy half expects Gizmo to be startled when she asks what he is working on, but instead, he simply answers her with a long-winded and technical explanation without looking back at her. Despite the fact that eight percent of what he says goes over her head, at least she is aware of it and she is still fascinated.

    She wishes she was educated enough to ask intelligent questions about this, but instead she is forced to just nod her head in silence. Interest does not equal automatic expertise, after all, and she had very little actual experience with things like this. Really, she was trained in it for only a few moons, and that was years ago. She was learning quickly, though.

    “How do you know all this stuff?” Cozy asks in fascination.

    “I often get that reaction from outsiders of my village,” Gizmo responds as he swivels his stool about to face her. At that point he also leans back on the edge of the table behind him and rests his elbows on it. “But to me, growing up in that environment, this stuff,” he thumbs behind him at the table for a moment before resting that elbow back on the table, “is normal to me. This is the world I grew up in.”

    “I suppose that makes sense, and as I said to you a week ago, I visited Narch for a few moons several years ago. Not only was it home to one of the few resistance forces against the Storm King, but it was also home to a whole village of engineers and inventors. I was especially interested to note that the power source of most of that tech was actually magic. I used to hate magic back then, but that particular use of it fascinated me. I like how accessible it made it to those of us who are magically challenged.”

    “Huh.” Gizmo scratches the side of his cheek. “I never felt handicapped about it. To me, magic is a basic tool like steam or fire would be. Hardly anyone else could innately cast spells either, so we didn't feel too ordinary in comparison.

    “I share the same interest as a vast majority of my people. The only difference is I'm especially good at it. Sometimes I think my brain is made of gears and wires.” He taps his head for emphasis which is still wearing the aviator’s cap which is modified with a lot of lenses built on the side of it. “I say that because that is how I think; in logical and connecting patterns. Engineering is like a mathematical puzzle. I just love figuring how to assemble it properly, especially when I come up with a new design. At that point, I'm also forced to be creative. So,” he waves his trotters at her, “invention is a combination of both sides of the brain, for its users need to be both technical and creative. High prerequisites for high rewards.”

    Cozy blushes slightly as she says, “I'm afraid I'm not that good at it yet, but I'd like to be. How do I get started?”

    “Huh. That's a good question,” Gizmo realizes as he looks up. “I've never taught anyone else how to do this before, and for me . . . I just grew up with it. Learning how to invent is sort of like when we first learn to speak.” He looks back at her as he shakes his head. “I can no more tell you how to do this stuff than I can recall what my first words were. It's kind of a process.”

    “My mother has access to some of the greatest libraries in Equestria,” Cozy mentions.

    “Good for her, but unfortunately she's not here,” Gizmo reminds, then asks as he tilts his head, “Right?”

    “No, but I have a means to contact her.” Cozy sighs. “However, the best libraries in Equestria doesn't have much access to knowledge beyond Equestria.” She looks around the room. “Some stuff we have in that country approaches this kind of caliber, but doesn't quite match it. That's especially true with the magic and technology synergy.”

    Gizmo shrugs. “Well, I wouldn't say learning by books is necessarily the way to go. Reading about how to swim doesn't necessarily mean you're ready to just jump into the deep end of the water. Instead, I find experience to be the best teacher.”

    “Then let’s do that,” Cozy agrees. “Do what you normally do, except trot me through the process. Explain what each part does and why you're applying it there. Also, teach me more about the tools.”

    “Hmm.” He looks at his trotters, then at Cozy's hooves as he asks, “Do you think you can manipulate the tools with those?”

    “Don't ask how we can do it, but we can use tools just fine,” Cozy mentions as she touches a screwdriver. It suspends on her hoof as if her hoof has hidden magnets.

    “Yeah.” He scratches the side of his head again. “I've seen that before, but darn if I ever figure out how you ponies do that.”

    “Magic, I guess,” Cozy theorizes with a shrug. “The important thing is we can do it. Best not to question it. Also, if we have trouble with that, I can also use my wings or mouth.”

    He shrugs as he says, “Fair enough.”

    For the next several hours, Gizmo walks her through the process of how he does things at his workstation. Cozy follows along with his lessons attentively and grasps it enough to ask intelligent questions on the subject in order to further refine her lesson. As the process continues, Gizmo gradually begins to respect the young mare more and more. In his eyes, Cozy is clearly an amateur at this but one with a lot of interest and potential.

    When they finally take a break, he asks her, “Are you sure you got the right cutie mark? Those pictures on your species flanks is supposed to represent your talents and destiny, right? Shouldn't it be a bunch of cog symbols together instead of a red tower thingy?”

    “This is a rook,” Cozy explains as she glances at her flank. “It represents an important piece in chess, or more specifically, it represents my talent for strategy.” She smiles smugly at Gizmo as she brags, “I am very smart.”

    “I can see that!” Gizmo complements in a very impressed tone. “I kind of wish you were my daughter or sister or something.”    

    “Aw!” Cozy blushes. “Thank you!” Then she proposes, “How about a friend? That kind of relationship is always a choice.”

    “Yeah!” Gizmo nods enthusiastically. “Now that is a title I can live with.”

    Unexpectedly to them both, Cozy's geode on her neck lights up with a red hue.

    “What is this?” Gizmo asks in surprise as he regards the lit geode.

    “I don't know,” Cozy answers. “It's never done-” She is interrupted when he grabs and yanks it forward which ends up dragging her closer to him too. “Hey! Watch it!”

    “That's what I'm doing!” he complains. “Now hold still so I can watch this more closely.”

    “I didn't mean the . . .” she begins then trails off with a grunt. “Oh, nevermind.”

    Gizmo fiddles with some dial on the side of his helmet which causes one of the many lenses off to the side of his helmet to slip in front of his eye. Unlike the other lenses, however, this one is obviously magical because it glows with some kind of symbols when he aims it at her geode.

    “Ooo!” Cozy widens her eyes in fascination. “What's that?”

    “The Lens of Analysis,” Gizmo explains. “It optically dissects the arcane signature of whatever it is staring at. With that kind of information, I can discriminate the arcane formula of the object or magic aura I am analyzing.”

    “I don't remember that being standard gear in Narch,” Cozy mentions with a very impressed tone.

    “Yeah.” He grins proudly. “You can say I won slash earned it due to my expertise with magitech. While the item is rare, it is also necessary for the work I do, else I'd not be able to discern the arcane problems of an item, nor fix or build them.”

    “That's so neat!” Cozy cries out in excitement, then shifts the subject to another related one. “So . . . what kind of magical signatures are you seeing from this item?”

    “The fact that it is psycho-active,” Gizmo answers. “In other words, it responds to your emotions.”

    “It is even more specific than that,” Sombra inwardly informs. “That crystal is enchanted to absorb the feelings of affection the wearer shares with others. In other words, it is geared to respond to the Magic of Friendship.”

    “Did your expertise in crystal science teach you that?” Cozy asks Sombra.

    Cozy briefly got the mental image of him shaking his head. When that image disappeared, he once again becomes an ethereal-sounding, disembodied voice that mentally says, “While it is true that I could have used those skills, in this case, I don't have to because I have the knowledge of your counterpart to draw upon. When Discord gave this to her, he explained that the one who created it, not him, enchanted it to respond to the Magic of Friendship. Once this knowledge was known to her, Sunset agreed to train her in its usage. She said that the stronger her affections for others are, and vice versa, the stronger the gem will become.”

    “So, in other words, to get the maximum potential out of it, I have to 'level up' my relationship with others, huh?” Cozy figures.

    “I know it sounds corny, but that is the way that crystal was designed,” Sombra answers.

    “A psycho-active crystal. I could almost call it psionic. How utterly fascinating!” Gizmo cheers. “There are other kinds of arcane patterns I am detecting. I'd need a chance to study it longer, but there is something familiar about these patterns. For an arcane formula, it seems really organized.”

    “Either let me take off the necklace so I can loan it to you, or pucker up and give me a big kiss,” Cozy insists. “Either way, I insist not to maintain this position. It’s hurting my neck.”

    “Huh?” Gizmo looks at her in confusion.

    “Just in case this fact continues to elude you, that necklace of mine is attached to my neck, you know.”

    “Yeah? So?”

    “So . . . you are using it to pull me awfully close to your face!” Cozy barks forcefully.

    “Yeah? So?” Gizmo repeats. Cozy realizes he might be truly oblivious to the concept of personal space.

    Cozy lowers her eyelids halfway as she sighs, then says, “Okay. Let me hoofle this.” She is about to use the crystal to magic the necklace off of her but is interrupted by another startling surprise. Widget climbs close to them on top of the worktable behind Gizmo. When it makes a series of click sounds, mysteriously Cozy can understand it this time. It is not like a logical thing. She simply seems to empathically understand the little droid all of a sudden. In this case, it says, “Since you offer, I wish I could kiss her. Unfortunately, I am built without any lips. Yet another oversight on your part, Builder.”

    “What's that got to do with anything?” Gizmo asks in confusion to his tiny mechanical companion. “You don't have lips because you don't need any. What would you do with it anyway? Eat some bolts? Besides, what provoked you to regret the fact you can't kiss her?”

    Cozy widens her eyes in astonishment when she realizes, through Gizmo's response to his tiny companion, that she did indeed understand Widget correctly.

    When Widget clicks again, Cozy can once again understand it on some empathic level. This time the little machine is saying, “There is no use in explaining it to you, Builder, for you are not built to understand such things. Like me, you'll forever be a dysfunctional machine.”

    Gizmo chuckles at this, then says, “True. I may have a knack for machines, but it has a cost.”

    Oh my Celestia! I can understand this thing! Cozy inwardly exclaims to herself.

    “I believe I am able to provide an explanation for this,” Sombra ventures to say. “It is known to me that your counterpart has technopathy with this crystal. Not only can she empower other machines with it, but she can also mentally control them. It is not a stretch to believe she could have understood machines as well if it happened to be intelligent in some way, and I also know the crystal responds to empathic feelings of friendship. When you started to form a bond with Gizmo, the magic of the crystal likewise responded. When it does, it has a certain way to respond. You could use it like a regular unicorn horn, but it is a horn with a very unique talent of its own. A talent for synergy with machines.”

    “Oh yeah!” Cozy recalls. “When you went nuts while I was visiting the human world, all the machines in the hospital were also going crazy!”

    “Exactly. I was unconsciously connected to the crystal too because I'm now part of your counterpart,” Sombra explains. “Through that crystal, I unwittingly provoked damage inside that hospital, but I assure you I was absolutely unaware of that fact at the time.

    “Since I only had an unconscious connection with the crystal, your will dominated the crystal once you had it in your possession because a conscious mind, while having less raw power, had considerably more focus. It is like the visual input of an eye. The peripheral may be more sensitive to light, and therefore can be considered 'more powerful', but what the eye stares directly at gains more information on the surface of one’s thoughts.”

    “What is this?!” Gizmo exclaims in intense surprise. “I am detecting the magical signature of an entire person in there, and oddly that person has the same magical signature as you!” He looks directly at Cozy. “One thing about this crystal is clear to me . . . it is magically connected to you.”

    “You got that right,” Cozy agrees. “That's true in more ways than one.

    “Now, can you please let go of my necklace?”

    “Why?” Gizmo asks with a confused blink.

    “Because I said please. Also it is rude to hold a lady so close to you like this without her permission, and this position is quickly putting a crick in my neck.”

    “Oh! Sorry.” Gizmo finally let go. “If you felt that way, you should have told me.”

    “I did!” Cozy insists.

    “No, you didn't,” Gizmo rejects. “Instead, you made some passive observation that I was pulling you close and you were offering to kiss me for some reason.”

    “I didn't ask you to let go?” Cozy wonders aloud.

    Gizmo shakes his head.

    “It's true,” Sombra confirms. “You might have implied it, but you did not directly request for him to let you go. Apparently you need to be very direct with this one. I think he has tunnel vision similar to Golden Compass as well as true ignorance of proper social etiquette. It just isn't the way he thinks.”

    “Good to know for future reference,” Cozy replies.

    “I agree.”

    “I, ah . . . need to be excused to the little ladies room,” Cozy lies as she backs up a few steps.

    “You don't need any excuse,” Gizmo argues. “If you need to go, then go. I just have one question for you before you leave. Are you coming back?”

    “I, ah . . . I'm not sure,” Cozy answers. “I'm feeling a little fatigued and I need to process everything that I've learned today.”

    Gizmo leans back on the edge of the table behind him again but this time he crosses his arms. After that, he says, “True. We did go over a lot of information these past few hours. Probably best you sleep on it before we resume our lessons.”

    “Speaking of which,” Cozy looks at the ship’s main engine in concern. “Shouldn't you be monitoring the ship’s engine? While you've been paying attention to me all this time, you haven't been paying attention to that. Isn't that kind of important?”

    “Not really,” Gizmo answers as he looks at it. “At least, not for the moment. It's running so I don't need to constantly monitor it until I make a change. Besides, even from here, I'll be alerted if there is any kind of problem.”

    “How?” Cozy asks him curiously.

    “I'm sensitive to these kinds of things,” Gizmo answers her as he looks back at her. “I think that's why I can talk to my little friend here. I just have a knack for machines, and I'm afraid you caught it too. I'm sorry, my friend, but I'm afraid you have been afflicted with it as well.”

    “With what?” Cozy asks in concern.

    “The Knack,” Gizmo answers mysteriously and ominously. “It's a terrible, terrible disease that one is born with. The afflicted will be condemned to a lifetime of social awkwardness, but in exchange, they'll be able to talk to and tinker with machines.”

    Cozy widens her eyes in astonishment at Gizmo because of his choice of words.

    “Well . . . at least he's somewhat self-aware of his weaknesses,” Sombra mentions with an amused chuckle.

    “I can tell from the smell in the room, the vibration of everything I touch, and the sound of the engine if there is a problem with it or not,” Gizmo goes on to say. “It talks to me and willingly tells me if there is a problem or not. Right now,” he nods at it in satisfaction, “it is purring like a kitten, but it does need some maintenance to sustain that condition. Machines are sort of like a pet or a partner. They need sustenance and attention to maintain their best work. Provided they get that, they'll work with maximum efficiency, or at least as far as their design will permit.

    “Now me, for example,” Gizmo points to himself for a second, “I can be the healthiest warthog in the world, but that still doesn't mean I'll be able to fly without wings or without some kind of contraption because I wasn't built for that function.” He shrugs. “Machines are the same way. They can only do what they are designed to do as long as their optimal condition is maintained.”

    “Sort of like us,” Cozy realizes. “We need food, water, air, sleep. All of that stuff to sustain our optimal condition.”

    “Exactly,” Gizmo agrees with an enthusiastic nod. “We may be built from different materials, but we ultimately serve a similar purpose.

    “But, in addition, we are also architects. That is a rare talent for a non-carbonated life form, but I won't say it doesn't exist.

    “Our relationship with our creations is symbiotic, or at least it should be. We build and maintain them, and they provide us with some service in exchange.

    “To me, machines are our friends, and they deserve just as much respect and appreciation as a carbon life form.

    “Everything responds to our emotions, Cozy. Even things.” He gestures to her crystal as he adds “Some things are more sensitive to emotions than others, but the lesson still applies in a broader context. Treat things with love and respect, and they will respond in kind.”

    “I'll keep your lesson at heart,” Cozy promises honestly. “Thank you, my friend, for all you've taught me today. I look forward to sharing more lessons with you.”

    Gizmo smiles widely as he says, “Anytime, my friend.”

    With that, Cozy starts her trot out of the engineering room.

    “I advise you to share your recent discoveries with your mother,” Sombra recommends to Cozy along her way out. “Provided, of course, the opportunity is available.”
    “That's the plan,” Cozy responds in agreement. “One thing I definitely have a 'knack' for is capitalizing on an opportunity.”
> Chapter 7: Motherly Friendship Advice
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Cheese, do you still have that communication crystal?” Cozy asks shortly after she enters their room.

    “Sure do!” Cheese confirms cheerfully. To prove her word, she yanks down on her pink, poofy mane for a moment using one hoof while the other holds up a book she is reading. During that time, she is sitting on a wooden chair in the corner of the room. A chair which was not there earlier today. When she lets go of her mane, it bounces back up. The crystal Cozy needs ejects from her hair. The hoof that originally pulled her mane returns to her book to hold it open before her. Without even looking at it, Cheese catches the crystal with her tail then stretches it across the room like some kind of tentacle made of cotton candy, then says, “Here you go.”

    “Ah . . . golly, thanks,” Cozy expresses as she accepts the crystal by grabbing it with the feathers of her right wing. She gazes past the crystal at her friend with a slightly raised eyebrow. She feels tempted to ask how Cheese managed to pop out this crystal alone when surely dozens of other items are in her friend’s mane as well, but Cozy ultimately decides against this. She realizes that logic and the Pie family have parted ways long ago. Even Cozy's counterpart realized that in the human world.

    “Um . . . gee, Cheese, do you mind if you . . . um . . .” Cozy expresses nervously.

    “Head out so you can have a private conversation with your mother?” Cheese guesses, then answers, “Sure. No problem.” Cheese bounces to her hooves and stuffs her book into her mane. “I'll be back in a few hours. Don't have too much fun without me!”

    Cheese starts to make her way to the exit of the room but hesitates when her friend asks her a question.

    “What were you reading anyway?” Cozy checks. In truth, she isn't really too curious, but figures expressing some interest in her friend’s activity might come off as a bit of an apology. Plus, there is always a chance the answer will be interesting and that she could use that info in some future scheme.

    Information is power, after all.

    “Oh, this?” Cheese asks as she points to her mane. “Why, it's only one of Flapjack's books on cooking recipes. The reason I have it is because, earlier today, he said he wouldn't mind an assistant as long as I could prove my worth as a chef. I told him that sounds fair. He loaned me the book and told me to prepare anything I wanted from that book. If I pull it off well, then he'd accept me under his wing. I was looking through it in order to decide what I wanted to make.”

    “Any decisions yet?” Cozy probes further. Privately she admits to herself that her interest got piqued more than she thought it would. After all, this is her friend. She has a vested interest in Cheese’s success.

    Cheese shakes her head as she answers, “Nothing definitive yet because I haven't finished reading the book. So far, there are three that is a tossup, but I want to finish the book before making any official decision.”

    “Oh.” Cozy looks down. “Neat.”

    “So, without further adieu,” Cheese bows to Cozy, “adieu.”

    With a pep to her step, Cheese makes her way out of the room.

    As Cozy's gaze follows Cheese, she inwardly thinks, That Cheese Pie . . . always keeps me on the tip of my hooves. She certainly knows how to keep life interesting.

    Cozy moves to sit on the chair Cheese recently vacated. She holds the crystal between her hooves as she closes her eyes in order to concentrate just as Sombra taught her during the week before she left Canterlot. In particular, she focuses on which of the other communication crystals she wants to contact. Doing so causes the crystal she has to flash three times. During that moment, she knows the crystal she is attempting to contact flashes a similar color.

    Knowing how busy her mother can be, Cozy Glow is very surprised when somepony answers the crystal on the other end after the second series of flashes. It is as if her mother is sitting with the other crystal, constantly staring at it and eager for her daughter to call.

    However, when the magical line picks up, Cozy Glow's ears go flat in disappointment when she discovers that it is not her mother that answered the other end of the line but rather some mare she hasn't seen before. In this case, it is a lime green mare with dark green mane intermittently mixed with strands of purple. Her mane is long behind her head and short at the front. Her mane and tail is straight except for the tip which curves back up the last few inches. She wears horn-rim glasses. Her eyes are sky blue.

    “Oh, wow! This actually works. This is neat,” a holographic image of the mare says in front of Cozy. A mare who also looks around the room. “Oh, and I take it this is your room? Your room on the Flying Carpet?”

    “Excuse me, but who are you?” Cozy asks the magical projection beaming from her crystal with caution and annoyance in her voice. During that time, her ears perk back up.

    “Oh!” The mare bows to Cozy. “A thousand apologies, Your Majesty. I guess this is the first time we've met, huh?” She rises from her bow while gesturing to her chest with a hoof. “My name is Scripted Scroll, and I've been assigned by your mother, Princess Twilight Sparkle, to attend this communication crystal in her absence.”

    Once again, Cozy's ears fell flat as she looks down. It occurs to her that she probably should have expected this, but it still hurts.

    “Try to understand, Your Majesty,” Miss Scripted requests as her own ears lower halfway. “Your mother loves you very, very much . . . but she is Equestria's primary monarch. She has other duties that she needs to attend to on a daily and sometimes even nightly basis. She's doing the best she can. That's why she assigned me to this task, although I can't fathom why she would choose me in particular.”

    When Cozy looks back at Scripted, she notices how Scripted Scroll's horn ignites with a golden/brown magic aura. She uses it to shift her horn-rim glasses a little further up her muzzle in a manner that strongly reminds Cozy of Professor Sunburst.

    “Did she say Scripted Scroll?” Sombra asks as he, too, materializes beside Cozy while looking at Scripted, but of course Cozy is the only one that can see him.

    “Yes, she did,” Cozy confirms. “Why? Does that matter?”

    “Hmm.” He gives Miss Scripted an analyzing look, then decides aloud, “I'll tell you more about it after this conversation.”

    “Let me guess,” Cozy says as she looks back at Scripted. “You are a mousy librarian who is great at magic but is also anti-social.”

    “Ah . . .” Scripted looks taken aback. “Um . . . Have we met before? It sounds to me like you're reading a scroll with my life scripted all over it.”

    Cozy rolls her eyes as she says, “No, but I've seen your type before. My mother seems to attract them by the dozen. First herself, then Moon Dancer, skip a few years then we have Luster Dawn.” Cozy shrugs. “My mother loves libraries. That's all there is to it, and in that environment she has a talent for spotting certain types of ponies. Specifically, mare unicorns with great potential for magic but their social skills could use a little polish. I'm thinking my mother pities unicorns like you because she sees her past self in mares like you, so she goes out of her way to get them socially involved with somepony. In this case, that somepony is me.”

    Miss Scripted sighs as she looks to her left seemingly at nothing. After a moment, she says, “I had a feeling that was the case.” Her eyes shift back to Cozy. “As it stands, I'm flattered that she'd think of me, a lowly librarian, to be assigned such a prestigious honor. But, at the same time, I am very nervous about this assignment.

    “To be honest, I'd rather just quietly read books and occasionally assist a few ponies with a book they are looking for. Now I'm getting mixed up with Equestrian royalty on two fronts. This is not what I signed up for.” Scripted focuses more fully on Cozy. “So, if you don't want me after all, I'd be more than happy to assign you to some other pony.”

    Cozy shakes her head as she says, “Nah. Like it or not, I think we're both stuck with this assignment. I know my mother. When it comes to friendship issues, she can be surprisingly insistent.”

    Scripted half frowns as she says, “While it is true that your mother encouraged me to develop a rapport with you, my actual assignment is to make answering these calls my number one priority and write down any messages you have for your mother.” Scripted cuts a hoof across the air. “So go ahead and call me whenever you'd like, although I would request you be reserved about it. At any time, day or night, even while I am sleeping, I will answer this call and write down whatever you want. In return, I'll also read to you any messages your mother had for you. To start with,” she gestures to herself again, “there is your introduction to me.

    “Oh!” She blinks. “And, ah . . . if you'd like, I can also look up information for you and read it off when next you call.” She waves a hoof around her, presumably to gesture at something Cozy can't see. “I am in a library, after all, so that means you sort of have access to all of this information.”

    “Now that could be useful to me,” Cozy admits, “but the only way I'll gain access to that information through you is for you to read the information to me verbatim.” Cozy shakes her head. “Not a situation I would normally call the most ideal, but having access to an entire library of information while on route may still come in hoofy.” Cozy nods at Scripted in approval. “I'll remember that offer because I might take advantage of it sometime.”

    Scripted brightens a little as she says, “Feel free. Spreading information is something I rather enjoy, although my typical tactic to do so is to allow other ponies to check out the books for themselves.” She uses her magic to push up her glasses again. “Of course, I can't read you any information from a book that is already checked out. Sometimes you might need to be patient with the information you requested. Other times the book in question might not be here at all. I could write a scroll to another library and have it mailed here, but it could take a few weeks. Perhaps even moons.”

    Cozy nods in acceptance, then says, “I understand. I know how libraries work. I've used them before.”

    Scripted gives Cozy a slightly cautious look that Cozy had often seen. It is a look that is a reminder of her famously villainous past.

    “Yes. I'm sure you are,” Scripted agrees.

    Cozy decides to shift her slight annoyance at that reaction into a playful tease as she says while lifting and wiggling her hooves to the side of her head while shaking her head slightly. “Ooo! And I might use that information to plague Equestria with a nightmare where crayons are the only writing tool left to write with. Ooooo!”

    “That's insidious!” Scripted exclaims with wide eyes but there is a slight twinkle in it which shows that she is aware that this is a tease. “Ooo, you are a wicked mare!”

    At that moment, she looks to her right at something Cozy can't see. Whatever she sees, it surprises her greatly.

    “Oh my Celestia! There she is!” Scripted exclaims in amazement.

    “What? Who?” Cozy asks with sharply rising interest. As a result, her ears really perk up.

    Scripted looks back at Cozy as she reports, “Your mother! She's actually here. Do you want to use this opportunity to talk to her directly?”

    “YES!” Cozy chirps brightly. “Please.”

    “Hold on.” Scripted looks back at presumably Twilight. “Um . . . in fact, I'll have her call you back when she's ready. If she refuses, then I'll call you back. How does that sound?”

    “Perfect!” Cozy cheerfully agrees.

    “Then we'll do that,” Scripted decides. “Oh, and, if this is the last time we talk to each other today, it's good to see you, Cozy. I look forward to our next meeting.”

    No, you don't, Cozy objects in her mind but she bit her tongue on that one.

    The call hangs up. Cozy waits for a few minutes for the crystal to flash again. During that time, she excitedly swings her hind legs under her seat.

    “This may be a golden opportunity to inform you that I have some association with that family,” Sombra informs. “If, indeed, it is the same family I am thinking of, for you see,” he passes her a serious look, “if she is from that family, then you are beholding a very distant living relative of my family.”

    Cozy widens her eyes at the disembodied image of Sombra as she exclaims, “Are you serious?!”

    Sombra nods. “What's more, one of them discovered the Red Crystal which housed my Crystal Sage persona over a century ago. At the time, he needed some help with a minion of my other self, the Dark King.”

    Sombra gazes forward fondly as he reminisces on that memory.

    “He was a very good friend.” He says, then speaks again after a short pause and looks back at Cozy. “Also an enemy of mine of my other persona.” He shakes his head. “It feels weird to have both memories within me, but I lean on favoring him fondly because Crystal Sage spent much more time with him. Almost two decades, as a matter of fact, before he passed the Red Crystal to his daughter and onward till the last generation. The reason they did that was because I tasked them with the duty of gathering positive energy with the intention to use it to one day return the Crystal Empire from Limbo. Ironically, both halves of my soul, King Sombra and Crystal Sage, had that goal, but they had different intentions afterwards.” He waves a hoof at her. “I'm sure you're well aware what happened to King Sombra, but Crystal Sage passed on when the Red Crystal got absorbed into the Tree of Harmony. The energy given to that Tree allowed it to pull the Crystal Empire back into the prime.”

    “Oh. So that is what happened,” Cozy realizes in a slight amount of awe.

    “That should have been the end of me,” Sombra laments. “But, next thing I knew after my second defeat by the magic of Twilight and her friends, I awoke in your counterpart's mind.” He looks down and shakes his head. “Sometimes I still wonder if I'm a mere copy of the original Sombra or Crystal Sage. I don't know for sure. All I do know is I want to return to rest.”

    Instinctively, Cozy reaches to pat his shoulder but her hoof passes right through him. She gets an empty feeling in her heart for a second before shaking it off and assures, “You'll get there someday. That's why we're on this journey.”

    Sombra grins at her proudly as he goes on to announce, “It may interest you to know that my distant decendant, who discovered the Red Crystal, was also reputed to be Equestria's first known flying unicorn.”

    “Really?” Cozy asks with a little interest.

    He grins further as he adds, “You may be doubly interested to know that his daughter became a spellcasting pegasus. At first she used the Red Crystal itself to supplement for her own surrogate horn, but eventually she forged her own crystal wand.”

    Cozy's eyes widens much further as she asks with much sharper interest, “Really?!”

    “I thought that would get your attention,” Sombra figures. “So, you see, you really aren't the first pegasi I've attempted to train in spellcraft.”

    “How did it go for her?” Cozy asks curiously.

    “Complicated,” Sombra answers, “but also really well. For multiple reasons, Star Breeze was very talented.

    “Oh, by the way, she was also the one who invented that,” he stabs a point at the magic geode Cozy is currently wearing.

    Cozy shakes her head as she expresses, “I hate to sound like a broken record, but really?!”

    Sombra nods, then says, “She became good friends with your human counterpart in a fractured reality. Crystal Sage was still in the Red Crystal at the time, so he bore witness to the whole thing.” He looks forward with a dull look. “That is a really long, crazy, and complicated story, so I'd rather not get into that.” He looks back at Cozy with a more normal expression. “But, because of that journey, Star Breeze made that geode and requested for her friend, Discord, to deliver it to your counterpart, only this time the version that isn't in a fractured reality.”

    “Wait, she knew Discord?” Cozy asks with a wince of confusion. “That doesn't add up. She lived a long time ago, right? Before he got freed from stone?” She adds that last sentence a little bitterly.

    “Yes, but she had a means to travel through time and space,” Sombra explains. “Plus . . . it's Discord. He can do anything, including travel through time, space, higher and lower dimensions himself without needing any external assistance. When it comes to beings like him, it is best to consider his potential in a non-linear fashion.”

    “Is this before or after he was, 'reformed',” Cozy asks with hoof quotes.

    “After,” Sombra answers quickly, “so he wasn't as much of a jerk, but he almost always was a total prankster and a troll. In fact, his first meeting with Feather Wind was downright antagonistic, but despite that, Feather Wind was among the few in that time and space machine to actually make friends with Discord later. Vision was the other one.”

    Seeing Cozy's confused wince, Sombra explains, “Feather Wind was Star Breeze's father, the first known flying unicorn. For further reference, his birth name was Quill Scroll.”

    “Oh. Okay. Gotcha,” Cozy accepted. “And Vision?”

    Sombra grins a bit as he says, “Put it this way. Vision was the mare who wrote Predictions and Prophecies.”

    “Oh! So she's a seer,” Cozy realizes.

    “Most definitely yes,” Sombra strongly confirms. “A shockingly hoofycapable blind seer.”

    The communication crystal between Cozy's forehooves flashes three times.

    “I'll leave you two to it,” Sombra decides then fades away.

    Cozy takes a deep intake of breath then releases it slowly to calm herself down. During that time, the crystal has enough time to flash three more times before she answers. This time she is pleased to see that it is indeed her mother on the other end of the line. The transparent, ghostly projection of her majestic mother seems to now be standing inside her room.

    “It's good to see you again, my darling Cozy,” Twilight greets with a very fond smile at her daughter. “It's only been a day, but I already miss you.”

    Cozy blushes a bit, but happily. She says, “Thanks, Mother. It's, ah . . . surprisingly good to see you too.”

    Twilight bows her head as if to touch Cozy's forehead with her own, but ends up only hovering inches from Cozy's forehead. They spend a few minutes in silence simply enjoying each other's company, then Twilight lifts her head as she attempts to regather her regal bearing.

    “So . . . what do you think of Miss Scripted Scroll? Do you think you can get along with her?” Twilight checks with a hopeful look in her eyes.

    Cozy scoffs, then says, “To be honest, she seems like a typical pick for you, Mother.”

    “Is that a bad thing?” Twilight asks with a tilt of her head. “You're not the only one I assign friendship homework to. Many other ponies need to learn and grow as well. Miss Scripted is also very close to your age so I thought you had that in common. I was hoping you two would get along.”

    “She'll do,” Cozy accepts with a wave of a hoof. “The fact she also works at a library is a pleasant bonus because that means I'll have some access to all that information. And, as you know, information is power.”

    “So is friendship,” Twilight reflected. “You said so yourself when you were still a little foal.”

    “I know. I remember,” Cozy assures. “And I have not forgotten.”

    Or forgiven, at least to some extent.

    “Yay!” Twilight stood up on her hind legs for a few seconds and uses that opportunity to clomp her forehooves together in applause. “I'm sure you two will get along great!”

    Twilight returns to all four of her hooves before she goes on speaking.

    “I also assigned her to this task because I wanted somepony who could always be available for you. I regret to say this,” she says sadly, “but I cannot be as available for you as I would like to.” She brightens a bit as she goes on to say. “But I'm nothing if not resourceful. Being Princess of Equestria may have its drawbacks, but at least it also means I have others who work for me. I simply delegated one of them to you.”

    “And not Spike?” Cozy checks.

    Twilight shakes her head as she says, “Spike is also too busy. In fact, I think I rely on him a little too much. Now he never complains. He says he's proud to be so useful, and I believe him, but I also think he gets too overworked sometimes. If I don't put my hoof down, he could work himself ragged, and I care too much for him to let that happen.”

    “I see,” Cozy says with a distant, thoughtful look.

    “So . . . what is it you wanted to talk to me about today?” Twilight asks.

    “Oh, um . . .” Cozy trails off as she tries to recall.

    “The geode,” Sombra inwardly reminds her.

    Cozy shakes her head as she exclaims, “Oh yeah!”

    “Thanks for the reminder,” she tells Sombra inwardly.

    She feels him bow to her as he says, “You're welcome.”

    Cozy focuses back on her mother as she says, “This geode.” As she said that, she makes it float a few inches up using its own magic to levitate itself. “It had a very curious reaction today.”

    “Really?” Twilight asks with rising interest. Then, suddenly, a bunch of quills, ink bottles, and scrolls teleports next to Twilight and hovers nearby her within a magenta color magic aura. “Tell me everything and don't leave out any details!” Twilight quickly and excitedly demands. She almost looks crazed when she said that.

    So much for regal grace, Cozy thinks inwardly. Just, 'poof'. Gone.

    “Ah . . . sure,” Cozy says a little lamely as she eyes the new floating items blankly. After that, she shakes her head to refocus herself again then proceeds to elaborate on today's events. In particular, she mentions the part of the crystal's reaction in the engineering room while talking to Gizmo.

    “And you were suddenly able to understand Widget after the geode glowed?” Twilight double checks after her daughter finishes explaining.

    Cozy nods, then reminds, “You do recall what function this geode served for my counterpart, right? She was able to use it to empower and control machines. Apparently that may also include magitech machines. Perhaps especially those kinds of machines.”

    Twilight rubs her chin with a thoughtful pose as she recalls, “Discord gave your counterpart that crystal, but he was being annoyingly evasive with answers about it ever since. I asked Fluttershy to beg him for some answers at one time, but she just shrugged at me and said,” Twilight suddenly mimics Fluttershy's voice and mannerism. During that moment, she even has her hair swooped over in front of half her face exactly like Fluttershy. “'Oh Twilight. You should know him by now. Discord is just being Discord. He can't be himself without at least a little chaos.'”

    Twilight shakes her head as if to force herself to return back to her own character. When she does, her mane returns to her normal ever-flowing and sparkling style.

    “The only thing I remember him saying about it,” Twilight goes on to say, “was the fact he claimed he was just the messenger doing a favor for somepony else.

    “I wrote to Sunset Shimmer multiple times ever since your counterpart got that geode in order to gain a follow-up report. She told me that this geode was very similar to her own insofar as it responded to the Magic of Friendship. She theorized that the deeper the other Cozy makes genuine bonds of friendship, the stronger that gem became.” Twilight returns her hoof that she was using to rub her chin back to the ground as she goes on to say, “But, regardless of its strength, its function was quite clear. It had a magical link to machines.”

    “And it might have the same function here in Equestria,” Cozy suspects. “You know, besides doing what a unicorn horn can normally do.

    “You know, at first I thought the function of this gem was strange, but then I recalled I did, at one time, have a fascination and even some talent with machines back when I visited Narch. What I learned during that time also taught me to network magical items to serve a greater purpose.” Cozy grew sheepish. “You remember how that turned out.”

    “Riiiiiight,” Twilight says dryly. Her expression almost instantly returns to normal after a brief shake of her head. “Anyway, that's quite plausible. This crystal has a link to you as much as it does for your quasi-twin sister in another world. I think it can benefit you too, but only in the same way it did for her. Since it responds to the Magic of Friendship, you should continue to promote your relationship with others. As you said so long ago, friendship is quite literally power, but it's far more than just that.

    “You wanted to become a Princess of Equestria too someday, don't you? Is that still true?”

    “Of course,” Cozy answers. “I want your job.”

    “And I'd be willing to give it to you,” Twilight tells her daughter. “But, unlike my predecessor, Princess Celestia, I won't suddenly spring it on you all willy-nilly. Instead, my plan is to gradually delegate more and more assignments and responsibilities on you until you adapt to the role over time. You must also demonstrate a keen understanding of the magic of friendship, and now I have something that will give me a visual report on that.” Twilight points at her geode. “The stronger I see you master that crystal, the more I'll be aware that you mastered this important lesson.”

    Twilight's expression softens as she goes on to explain, “Friendship is important, Cozy. Such relationships are far more than just loyal, dutiful servants. Friends go above and beyond the call of duty. Friends try their best to anticipate your needs and act on their own for your greater benefit. Surprise parties, and the like, are really good examples of that.”

    “Yeah, but Mom . . . what if I have to reject a request of a friend because I have to serve the greater needs of the country?” Cozy asks in concern. “That's exactly what you did to me all these years.” Cozy Glow looks down sadly as she droops her ears. “All this time . . . I felt like a lesser priority in your heart.”

    “Oh Cozy!” Twilight moans sadly as she tries to lift Cozy's chin with a hoof, but just like Cozy's attempt to do that to the mental projection of Sombra, Twilight's hologram has no greater luck except for the fact that Cozy lifts her gaze on her own because her mother tried that. “You have never been a lesser priority in my heart. I'm so sorry if I made you feel that way, and it is true that the well-being of my country is also a high priority.”

    Twilight sighs, then admits, “I'm not going to lie . . . you may get into a similar conundrum in your life. Balancing duty to your country as a princess with one's personal loyalty as a friend can be very tricky at times. It will always be a hard lesson. One we can grow from. One we must continually adapt to. Every situation is different just as every pony is different. Sometimes I do favor my friends over my country. When I set aside time to see my friends in our Friendship Council, that is all of us making a sacrifice to simply be with each other.

    “But, that said, friendship has far more rewards than drawbacks. They comfort you when you are feeling depressed, and they uplift you further when you are feeling joy. They are a shoulder to cry on, a friend to laugh with, a means to enhance new experiences together. We're always the greater for it.” She applies a hoof to her chest. “I'm willing to be the first to admit that friendship isn't always easy, but it is definitely worth fighting for.”

    Cozy grins fondly as she recalls, “You said that to me back in Friendship School.”

    “And it remains no less true to this day,” Twilight assures.

    They spend a quiet moment together. Twilight is the one to eventually break that silence.

     “So, I have an assignment for you,” Twilight announces. “A friendship assignment.”

    “Joy,” Cozy says dryly with a sarcastic roll of her eyes.

    “You do want friends, right?” Twilight checks. “Friendship is power.”

    Cozy waves her mother off as she says, “Go on.”

    “Think of this airship like its own kingdom,” Twilight says as she spread her wings as if to wave to indicate their surroundings. “It's like a private little island in the middle of the ocean. On it, it has a sparse population of very unique and talented individuals. Your assignment is to make friends with them as deeply as you can. Spend time with each one and get to know their individual interests. When you do, try to find some common ground where you can build a bond.”

    “Is that against the rules for a captain of a ship?” Cozy wonders. “I think they normally have some kind of professional detachment. On some vessels, they have their own private quarters and mess hall just to keep them more separate from their crew.”

    “True, and that might prove to be an interesting challenge for you,” Twilight accepts, “but even a captain has to work through his or her crew to get things done on a ship. That means that the profession is an inherently social profession. If you apply a serious effort, you'll find a way. Captains, just like any social creature, don't want to be lonely. You can still find some common ground with him on a level that you can both accept.”

    Cozy thinks about it for a silent moment but shifts her eyes back at her mother when her mother resumes speaking.

    “Consider this practice for being an Equestrian Princess,” Twilight encourages. “The more friends I see you developing on this trip, the more ready I'll evaluate you for the next level of your training. But remember . . . we all have to learn our lessons in gradual steps, Cozy. It took me many years to get where I am today.”

    Cozy sighs, then says, “I know.”

    “If you do this, you won't just accumulate magical power,” Twilight says, “you'll also gather friends and allies who will watch your back. Friends who are willing to do whatever it takes to make you as happy and as fulfilled as possible, because that is the way you make them feel.” Twilight crosses her wings in front of her while interlocking her feathers together. “We all need each other, Cozy Glow. We share this world together. The more friends we have, the stronger our influence grows in this world in a positive way. Imagine how powerful you could be someday when you not only command incredible magical might on a personal level, but you're surrounded by an army of friends who will do whatever it takes for you to win together.”

    “Okay-okay!” Cozy exclaims. “You made your point.”

    “Then remember it and act upon it,” Twilight encourages as she folds her wings behind her back again. “I'm doing this for your benefit as a mother, a friend, and as the Princess of Friendship.”

    Cozy sighs again before saying with a soft smile, “I know . . . and I do believe you. It's just . . .” Another sigh. “. . . it seems so long and involved. So much work.”

    “Friendship is a journey, much like the one you're taking on this airship right now,” Twilight tells her daughter. “There will be challenges but just as many rewards. Let that encourage you and give you strength to keep moving forward. You're not the only one who will benefit in the attempt. They will too.”

    Twilight pauses a moment as she looks out the porthole window. The silence sinks in deep before she speaks again.

    “Besides,” she looks back at her daughter, “I can't help but get the feeling that the progress you make during the journey will be important. You are traveling to lands unknown, just like them. There might be a lot of danger in that, and who knows what you'll awaken along the way? The progress you make in not only strengthening yourselves might be necessary to prepare you all for what is to come.”

    “Sombra said that too,” Cozy says in a spooked way.

    “A mother can't help but worry for her foals,” Twilight expresses with a worried frown. “You may understand my position someday when you get to be my age.”

    “Well, for now, I'm just focusing on living long enough to get to your age,” Cozy says.

    “You have all the tools you need for that right in front of you,” Twilight tells Cozy. “But, like anything else in life, tools take time to learn how to use. Relationships are especially complicated because they talk back.”

    Twilight takes in a deep breath, lets it out, then asks her daughter, “Are you still interested in magitech?”

    “Oh, absolutely!” Cozy chirps so happily that she unconsciously flutters her wings.

    “Then I'll ask Scripted Scroll to dig up some books on it,” Twilight decides. “I might do some digging of my own, too.” Suddenly she looks smug as she says while draping a wing on her chest dramatically, “I do happen to know my way around a library, after all.”

    “And water is wet,” Cozy says with emphasis. “See? I can state the obvious too.”

    Both girls laugh merrily together for a moment.

    “Oh, Cozy!” Twilight says with intense love gleaming in her eyes towards her daughter. “As much as I fear for you, I'm excited for you too. You're going to have such a wonderful time on this ship with your new friends. I promise I'll do everything I can from my end to help you.”

    That look in her mother's eyes is starting to remind Cozy of the look Twilight's human counterpart gave her twin sister. Maybe it was there for years, but either Twilight is finally opening up enough to show it, or Cozy finally growing perceptive enough to notice it.

    Twilight can't always be there for Cozy personally considering all of Twilight's duties, but if that love is genuine then all the rest doesn't feel as important. Maybe that is a sign that that is what Cozy wanted all along.
> Chapter 8: Flying Drills
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A knock on the door jolts Cozy Glow awake. And, for all she knows, probably her roommate as well.

The latter is confirmed when Cozy hears Cheese speak after a groan.

“What time is it?” Cheese asks tiredly.

“Time to be woken up by a knock on the door, apparently,” Cozy observes with a complaining edge to it.

Yet she acknowledges that, for a split second, she didn't know here she was. Nevermind the fact that it takes her hours to fall asleep in a bed that is less comfortable than a cloud bed. That doesn't matter to an unconscious mind. However, she is so accustomed to waking up in her room in Canterlot, formally known as Princess Luna's room, that she feels momentarily disoriented whenever she wakes up in this place.

“I'm coming, I'm coming. I'm .  . .” Cozy cries out irritably, but then an idea occurs to her. A cunning grin spreads across her lips as she privately commends herself for her cleverness. She acknowledges the fact that magic does indeed take a lot of effort, but it also has the well deserved reputation for it's potential range.

You're a witty one, Misses Glow! She sings to herself in her head. Even tired as you are, your mind thinks a mile a minute.

Concentrating in the magic of her geode, she uses it to attempt to envelope the doorknob with a crimson aura. She uses it to attempt to turn it, but the doorknob budges only slightly. She attempts to pour more power into this, but she manages only to drawn upon her emotional frustration.

“Emotion is the fuel for magic,” Sombra inwardly lectures, “but focus gives it direction, and you, my dear, are too tired to have that in spades.”

“Oh be quiet!” Cozy mentally snaps at her mental companion.  “Rub it in, why don't ya?”

Sombra makes no reply. Apparently he is cooperating with her instructions.

Cozy inwardly curses since her magic is apparently not strong enough to turn a mere doorknob yet. Levitating chess pieces are within her grasp, yet one of the most basic life utilities continue to elude her.

She feels taunted.

Irritably, she gets up, trots to the door, and opens it. But, as soon as she does, her ears immediately perk up and her eyes widen with delight when she realizes that her senpai, Rumble, has noticed her this morning. Cozy wags her tail behind her.

“Good morning, Cozy Glow. Time to rise and shine!” Rumble encourages. “Come out for some quick breakfast. We are having biscuits and gravy, which is definitely a county classic. After that, we're  going on the top deck for some flying lessons.”

“Yes, Senpai!” Cozy cheers in delight, although the terminology seems to confuse him. On second thought, Cozy realizes why. That term actually came from the mind of her twin sister. She thinks it means “respected one” that “one looks up to”, based on the context of how her sister usually used the word.

She shakes her head before rephrasing, “Uh, I mean . . . Yes, Rumble. I'd be glad to join you.”

“Excellent! That's what I like to hear,” Rumble cheers enthusiastically. “Come on!”











After breakfast, Cozy's enthusiasm fades a little, only to be replaced by confusion, when she realizes she won't be getting a private lesson this morning. Instead of that, every other flier on the ship is on the top deck. This includes herself, Rumble, Captain Tidus, Golden Compass, and Blaze. For some reason Desora is also here, but despite being related to a parrot species, Cozy kind of doubts that she is a serious flier.

Also, for some reason, there are several bags of sand on the ground which is stacked in a pile. Straps are located near that pile. In her head, Cozy put two and two together and realizes that this flying lesson includes adding more weight to each flier, likely for exercise purposes. There is also enough in that pile as well as a variety of sizes to indicate that every flier here is meant to participate in this session for some reason.

Then Cozy considers the fact that she, along with all of these other fliers, were awoken early for this session. This strikes her as a military tactic. To rise early and train hard during a moment when it is still difficult in order to condition for a more rapid and efficient response later.

“Good morning,” First Officer Desora greets the group as she stands in a very formal fashion with her feathered hands folded behind her back. “Some of you might be wondering why you have been called up to the top deck so early in the morning.”

“Not me,” Blaze says as she scratches herself while yawning. When she's done with that, she continues, “You've scheduled these drills before.”

“Of course not you,” Desora emphasis as she narrows her eyes at Blaze. “But you may have noticed that this group is a little bigger than our previous session, haven't you?”

Blaze assumes a dull look as she says, “Believe me, I've noticed.” Then her look shifts to a cross between intrigue and confusion. “Though I have to say that I'm surprised you're recruiting her Highness into these drills. Not only is she a mere passenger on this ship, and therefore a civilian, but she is also an Equestrian Princess. I thought that would have granted her diplomatic immunity or something like that.”

“She has wings, doesn't she?” Desora asks sharply. “For as long as that remains true and for as long as she remains on this ship, training for emergency preparation is a high priority.”

“Whoa, there,” Captain Tidus cautions. “Actually, Blaze has a good point. Cozy Glow is not only a passenger and civilian, but also Equestrian royalty. As such, she shouldn't be subjected to this if she doesn't want to be.”

Desora sighs in irritation as she gives her captain a sharp look for correcting her in front of her “troops”, but her look softens as she looks directly at Cozy as she says, “Very well, Your Highness, you may be excused from these drills if you wish, but perhaps you'd care to hear us out on the importance of  why these drills are necessary before you dismiss it out of hoof.”

“Now that is a better approach,” Captain Tidus accepts. “Let's give her an educated choice.”

“I think I'm already gathering the gists of it,” Cozy expresses. “Based on who is here, the equipment I see on the ground, and the terminology used thus far, I have come to the conclusion that this training is all about training to rescue the non-fliers on this ship just in case this airship takes an emergency nose dive for some reason.”

“That's the long and short of it,” Captain Tidus agrees to Cozy, “although, in your case, I would call it optional. Everyone else here,” he uses his beak to gesture across the gathered group, “officially works as a member of the crew in some capacity.” He focuses back on her. “Except for you, so you do not have to participate if you don't want to.”

“That said,” Desora quickly cuts in, “I highly encourage you to consider joining us. No matter how inconvenient you may consider this duty to be compared to your previous royal pampering lifestyle, you'll still be glad you did it when an actual emergency rolls around.” Desora waves her feathered arm/wing thing around. “Take a look around. You may notice one critical difference that sets us apart from an ocean going, sailing vessel.”

Not that it is necessary, but Cozy does look around. Because of it, she spots Prince Salizar Alabaster looking down at her from his balcony within his mansion/tent. While he does that, he is holding up his bubble pipe to his lips with a hoof. Several bubbles rise and pop above the pipe. As he looks at her, his expression is difficult to read since it appears so neutral. Undoubtedly that comes after years of practice negotiating with others as royal merchant. Still, the fact that he is so focused on her specifically demonstrates interest. It is as if he was aware this conflict may arise and he wants to know what she ultimately decides.

Seeing him is also a reminder to her that not all monarchs are fat, selfish, and lazy. In fact, ponies like him may actually make decent adventurers in their own right.

As for the others, Rumble is giving her an encouraging look, Golden Compass doesn't seem like she's paying attention and seems to wish she isn't here, and Blaze is giving Cozy a slightly disgusted look as if she expects Cozy to take an easy exit from an annoying chore.

Looking back at Desora, Cozy notices that First Officer points directly up as she says, “That is not wind sails above us, that is a giant balloon strapped to the ship. That is what is keeping us aloft and that is a very giant target for other would-be aggressors who wishes to take down the ship. I will say it is made of very puncture proof and fire retardant material. It also has a lot of cloth fragments within it to help plug up small holes in case there is a leak, but any large damage from something like a cannon ball or swipe of a claw from a giant dragon would tear a hole so large that the cloth fragments within would simply leak out as well.”

Desora folds her hands behind her back again as she continues to lecture, “We currently have twenty souls aboard this ship. Of those, only five can be considered a full-fledged flier. That's only twenty-five percent of everyone on board.” She looks at and nods her beak towards a wooden post on the top deck that has some of the parachutes, then says, “We do have these parachutes in case of an emergency, and I went over that before we launched this ship. It's standard procedure for all new crew and passengers to know this.” She looks back at Cozy. “But, during an emergency, there can be a strong tendency to panic, especially among civilians. When this ship starts to fall, every second counts. A second wasted could equate to a life wasted.”

“Our job is to get them to the parachutes or safe landing on the ground,” Rumble put in. “While falling, it can be very hard to maneuver through the ship.”

“That said, there are a few who have some advantages,” Captain Tidus announces. “For instance, Doctor Pink Heart. She may appear to be the most feeble pony aboard, but her magic makes her quite formidable. I've seen her not only lift herself, but her entire wheelchair up the stairs of the lower decks. Granted,” he gives a pushing motion with a talon, “she doesn't weigh much and even her wheelchair is made of tough but light materials. In an emergency, I think she could navigate her way through the ship with ease. And, if she can't outright fly with her magic, she could at least slow her fall. Enough so that such a scenario would not be lethal to her.”

“I know that magic tingles and tickles,” Rumble adds. “It's why most unicorns don't levitate themselves all the time, but that said . . . they could lift other objects that they are on, such as Doctor Pink Heart's wheelchair. If she concentrates on that instead of herself, she may have to lift more weight, but it's otherwise easier to concentrate.”

“That, and the fact that her wheelchair has a built-in parachute behind her back seat,” Captain Tidus further adds. “So Doctor Pink Heart should be one of the least of our troubles. She might even be able to help us rescue the others, but the point of this exercise is not to count on that.”

“Despite my appearance, I can't fly,” Desora put in. “That said, my wings aren't just for show. If I take off my jacket so that all of the feathers of my wing arms is free, I can use them to at least glide, but there is no way I can lift someone else while doing it. At least not reliability.”

“Which means the First Officer is a low priority for rescue,” Tidus says after his First Officer. “And, obviously, the fliers of this ship can handle themselves.”

“That still leaves Flapjack, Gizmo and Widget, Biggs, Wedge, Maul, Professor Stygian, Professor Rockhoof, Sunset Shimmer, Cheese Pie, Prince Salizar, Mirage and Curb Stomp,” Rumble lists. “Of those, we got some with some heft to them. Biggs, Rockhoof, and Curb Stomp are probably the most challenging to save.”

“That is why,” Desora begins, “I want to make it clear that, in an actual emergency, the goal is not to save everyone, but instead save as many as you can. As long as you apply your best effort, you should have little to no regrets, even if a few of us pass away. That is also why these practice sessions are so important.”

“I can lift some of the big guys,” Blaze mentions. “Rumble might be the most skilled and highly trained flier among us, but I have the most strength. Not only that, I have the most potential to get a grip on others. I can carry others with both of my foreclaws, my mouth, and carry a fourth wrapped within my tail.”

“Can you even fly while carrying all that?” Cozy asks Blaze in rising awe.

“Well,” Blaze reaches up to rub the bottom part of her very long neck, “that depends who they are and their combined weight, but it is very unlikely. If I was carrying someone in each of my limbs, chances are that is too much weight to lift them and my own body weight. Don't forget, I have some heft to me, too. But, at the very least, I can slow them down as they descend and that, in turn, will ultimately save their life.”

“Saving even one life on board this ship could make all this training worth it,” Desora encourages. “So how about it, Your Highness? Are you in, or out?”

Cozy sweeps another look among those gathered. The only one whose expression changed a bit is Golden Compass. Now even the navigation mare is looking at Cozy, but still without much interest. The others, however, have much the same expression as they did before.

After looking among them, Cozy looks down as she thinks.

This sounds like a lot of work, but it also sounds important and could be an opportunity to gather some respect. Respect, in turn, could lead to friendship and greater power down the line. Her mother told her last night that she'd be willing to consider surrendering her crown to Cozy if she wants it so badly, but she needs to pass a series of tests first. Of those, gathering the friendship of everyone aboard this ship is part of her homework. This is a group activity where many are involved, and even some of the non-fliers may appreciate her efforts because it could ultimately lead to saving one or more of their lives.

Aside from that, Cozy wanted more flight lessons with Rumble and here he is, participating with this activity. Likely this was done with the First Officers instances but somepony Rumble probably approves. He's been trained among the Wonderbolts so he understands and appreciates the importance of training like this.

Then she thinks of the alternative of not being prepared. Besides the loss of respect of those present for not even trying, it is frightening to think about facing an actual emergency like this and not be prepared. Cozy can probably save herself at the very least, but there is a part of her mind that imagines how horrified she'd feel if she watches helplessly as one member of the crew fell to their death because she can't help that person.

The first person she thinks of is Flapjack. In her head, she can imagine the holler of his voice as he descends to his death. He does not strike her as a cowardly pony by a long shot, but a circumstance like that probably would overwhelm even the bravest of ponies.

As a test, she tries to shift her mind to someone on this ship that annoys her; therefore, might  bother her less to imagine dying in such a way. In this case, the first one her mind jumps to is the shortest diamond dog, Maul. In her head, she imagines him falling. In this case, while he normally comes off as rude and insane to her, in this case his face nevertheless adopts the most extreme form of  horror a mortal being is physically capable of. As he falls, his limbs flail about in panic as he desperately cries out, “Pony, heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllllllp.” His voice quickly grows fainter as the distance increases.

Cozy shudders. Even if Maul is the one she's most uncomfortable around, imagining him in that much terror and knowing he will die if he isn't rescued requires her to be far more pitiless to be unaffected by this hypothetical thought.

That's odd, because she also recalls a time in her life when she wouldn't have given this a second thought. This is especially true back when she was a slave in Klugetown. Almost everyone, except her first friend, were always selfish to the maximum extent. Growing up in that kind of culture made her heart cold which, at the time, seemed like it was inevitable and necessary to survive. Sometimes she would even enjoy the sight of others suffering, especially if they used to cause her own.

But then she thinks of that moment in the hospital of the human world when she stopped and helped up an old man who collapsed. She helped him even during a crisis and through her own fear. Back then, she didn't really think about it. She just acted, but that heroic act left her perplexed ever since. It seemed so out of character to her, so why did she do it?

If someone as annoying as Maul makes her shudder merely to imagine him dying in such a horrific fashion, what would happen if she replaces him with someone she actually cares about? Like Sunset, for instance?

The moment her mind even attempts that, it immediately shut down. Her emotions violently rebel before the image even has a chance to start in her mind.

As a final test, she replaces herself as the victim. She pretends she has no wings or hers is too injured to be of any use at that moment. After all, that has happened to pegasi before.

Normally she likes flying, but the prospect of falling from this height is truly horrifying. It is enough time to contemplate her doom, and yet death seems inevitable in such a scenario. If she isn't someone like Pinkie Pie who can inflate her head and float off like a balloon, or at least be bouncy enough to cushion the impact, then death is virtually certain.

Even if, by some miracle, she happens to survive the full impact this kind of height could deliver, the pain that would follow would surely be so excruciating that she'll wish she had died instead.

For the first time in her life, Cozy is starting to understand the fear her twin sister feels when faced with heights.

No-no-NO! Cozy cries out in her mind as she closes her eyes and violently shakes her head. I love flying, and I don't want to fear it. I am a pegasus. I am one with the sky. This is my home, so I do not need, or want, to fear it.

“Cozy Glow?” Rumbles calls to her as he touches her. Since she was so absorbed in such uncomfortable thoughts, she jolts in panic when she feels that touch or hears his voice.

Startling her startles him. He jolts back as well and immediately releases her, but then asks, “Are you okay?”

“I, ah . . .” Cozy wants to deny it, but tears rise to her eyes. Her lips quiver in pain as she admits, “No. I'm not okay.”

“What's wrong?” he asks with worry. He seems concerned that she might reject this offer of training after all.

“I was . . .” She pauses as she sniffs, then starts again. “I was imagining the others on this ship falling to their deaths if I'm too weak to help them.” She closes her eyes, bows and shakes her head. “It made me so upset to imagine that. Then I thought about how I would feel in such a predicament. Doing so is severely distressing me. It almost makes me afraid of flying.”

“Then don't imagine that!” Rumble discourages. “Instead, imagine yourself as a strong flier,” he now encourages. “That you have the power to save those lives because you are gifted. You have wings. You are a pegasus, so they sky is meant for you. Join us so that others may share in that blessing.”

“This is why we train,” Desora says sympathetically but also with a firm edge hidden in her voice. “So we don't have to imagine failing others. Instead, we can imagine rescuing them. Keep your mind focused on that vision, for it will give you strength.”

Cozy sweeps a look across them all. This time they are looking at her more encouragingly, including Blaze, who also seems surprised that Cozy is considering it this far.

“I, ah . . . I'll do it!” Cozy declares with conviction firming in her eyes. She says that even while her body is shaking. “I'll join you all.”

A cheer erupts from most of the group. Of them, Desora remains the most silent and composed, but even she nods quietly at Cozy with approval and pride.

Blaze outright slaps Cozy's back hard enough to push her and for it to hurt, but she says proudly, “Wow! I didn't think you'd have it in ya. I figured you're too soft and used to a pampered lifestyle.”

“I am,” Cozy assures, “but I'll not allow that fact to limit my destiny. If my friends need me, I will be there for them!”

Another cheer arose from the crowd.

Looking back at the balcony, Cozy notices Prince Salizar spin about and head back into his luxurious tent. He's still mostly unreadable, but the fact he head back inside now seems to indicate he's no longer curious what Cozy would do. He has his answer so he doesn't consider observing her necessary anymore. She hopes that is a small sign of approval.

They accepted me! Cozy cheers in her mind. I'm part of the group now. Yay!
> Chapter 9: Proud of You
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Got a patient for you, Doc,” Blaze announces as she walks into Doctor Pink Heart's office while carrying a very pained Cozy Glow in both of her arms.

“Oh dear!” the doctor exclaims when she beholds Cozy wincing tight in pain. “Just, ah . . . put her on the operating table right there,” Pink Heart instructs while using her writing quill to point at one of three empty operation tables.

“Sure thing, Doc,” Blaze accepts as she approaches the indicated table and sets Cozy down on it fairly gently for a dragon. Once Cozy is set down, she winces in tight pain again.

“Hey,” Blaze calls down to Cozy which makes the little mare crack her eyes open up at the dragon above her. “You did good out there, kid. Some real fine work.”

“I never was able to carry up the large sandbags,” Cozy reminds sadly. “I could barely lift myself with the extra weights on me.”

“I know,” Blaze returns with a tone of acceptance. “You did what you could. You pushed yourself to your absolute limits.

“Now me and the others,” Blaze thumbs over her left shoulder, “we've been doing this for a while, so that's why we could toss the old sandbag back and forth in mid-air without breaking too much of a sweat. I also expected excellence from Rumble, too. He's used to this kind of training regiment. Likely this is even easy for him compared to what he's been through, but you,” Blaze nods to indicate Cozy, “you're a manzy, panzy, spoiled pony princess. I didn't expect you to accept this training session at all, let alone push yourself as far as you did.”

Blaze nods at Cozy in approval as she says proudly, “You got guts for a pony princess. I'll give you that.” She leans her head further down as she adds, “Since you've shown a willingness to grit your teeth, I'll give you some advice that is common in the dragon lands.” Blaze gives a forward pushing motion with her right claw as she says, “'Push past the pain', we dragons always say. If you decide you want something,” the same claw that gave a pushing motion earlier now stabs downward with a point instead, “then you fight for it! You do whatever it takes to achieve your goal, and if it causes some pain along the way, then that will ultimately make you stronger in the long run.”

Despite her pain, Cozy looks cornerwise down as she smiles with a fond look while saying, “Another mentor I've known in the past said something similar to me. Actually, in a way, two individuals said that to me.” Cozy looks back up at Blaze. “Funny thing is, they are brothers to each other, yet they haven't seen each other for a long time.” Cozy's eyes shift to her right as she adds with a slight wince of confusion, “Also . . . they really don't look related.” She looks back up at Blaze. “I'm guessing that 'brother' is more of an honorary title even though they don't get along anymore.”

Blaze nods in acceptance as she says, “That can happen. Many cultures bestow such a title to each other for a variety of circumstances. I've known dragons who call each other that when they fought together, or even against each other, in some epic battle. Once that mutual respect is established for whatever reason, their will makes that title more meaningful than blood ever could.”

When Blaze offers an open claw between them, Cozy did not understand what to do at first. As it held there and Cozy observes this meaningful offering look to Blaze's eyes, Cozy figures it out. Despite the stabbing pain in her back, she lifts a hoof and places it in Blaze's offered claw. Once she does, Blaze surrounds her claw on Cozy's hoof with a tight grip.

“I've never called anyone an honorary sister before,” Blaze tells Cozy. “I didn't even do that with Smolder, a dragon who inspired me and challenged me to try a radical new way of thinking and living. I do respect and appreciate her for what she's done for me, but I reserve that title for someone who wholeheartedly earned my respect, and Cozy . . . you are not there yet. It will take a lot to earn that title from me, for I have high standards. But, today, you took a big step towards that achievement. Keep it up. Be strong! If you do, you'll not only earn a friend, but an honorary sister.”

“Then that is what I'll do,” Cozy promises firmly as she pushes into Blaze's claw almost like a hoof wrestling contest. Blaze does meet that challenge with resistance, too. During that time, Cozy meets Blaze's eyes with a “blaze” of determination and resolve in her own eyes.

In reply, Blaze nods in respect.

At that moment, they both grow surprised when Cozy's geode glows a little brighter. As Cozy looks down at it, she realizes it has become a little stronger due to the bond she's starting to establish with Blaze. That is a visual confirmation of an emotional connection. More than likely it means that Blaze has been absolutely genuine with Cozy.

“What does that mean?” Blaze asks curiously.

Cozy smiles up proudly at Blaze as she answers, “It is a magical sign that I have gotten stronger,” Cozy answers. She's tempted to add, “I've gained a level,” but that role-playing game terminology from her sister's world is too likely to go over the dragon's head, so she says instead, “It means I've reached a step closer to an important goal of mine. Something I want, and something I'm determined to continue to pursue.”

“Excellent!” Blaze says proudly with another tight squeeze of Cozy's hoof.

They continue to stare into each other's eyes with mutual respect for about a solid minute, then Blaze stands up straight as she lets Cozy's hoof go.

“Well then, I'll leave you to the tender loving care of our local physician,” Blaze decides.

“Yes,” Doctor Pink Heart agrees in the background while she continues to write something and absently monitor the progress of several of her brewing potions. “You do that.”

“I'll see you around, kid,” Blaze tells Cozy in such a way that indicates she looks forward to that. She waves a claw at Cozy as she takes off. “Later.”

After Blaze leaves, the room falls silent for a few moments. Cozy tries to look at the doctor out of the corner of her eyes, but given the fact it is so painful to turn her head because it is connected to a spine that is in such pain right now, she can barely see the doctor or her expression. From what little Cozy can gather, the doctor isn't even looking at Cozy right now. Instead, she's too busy writing down notes.

“Aren't you going to tell me that I've been a fool for pushing myself too hard?” Cozy asks to break the silence in the room.

“If I did, would it make a difference?” the doctor asks in reply. “I'm aware of the power of youthful enthusiasm. Seems to me you have something to prove to yourself.”

The doctor's hot pink magic aura envelops her wheelchair and uses it to not only turn towards Cozy, but wheels herself much closer to her patient. Just like Cozy at this moment, Doctor Pink Heart can't move her head at all, so she merely uses her eyes to gaze down somewhat sternly at Cozy.

“It is true that, as a physician, I care about the health and well-being of others,” Doctor Pink Heart expresses. “But I also don't like to waste my time and effort on futile struggles. I have enough challenges in my life, as you can well imagine. If you are determined to keep hurting yourself for some reason, then the only thing I can say to that is I'll match that determination with an equal resolve to heal you. I'd urge you not to make my job any harder, but you do what you feel you have to do because you're going to do it anyway. I've seen the type plenty of times before. After all, where do you think they keep ending up at the end of the day?

“While you do all that, I will do as I feel I must as well.”

Cozy frowns a bit. For some reason, a lecture from this doctor actually stings her a little. She is quickly starting to suspect that this doctor has a cunning silver tongue as well.

“Where does it hurt?” the doctor asks while her expression softens a bit.

“All along my spine, mostly,” Cozy answers. “In particular, the mid part of my spine.”

“Where your wings are located,” the doctor concludes. “This doesn't surprise me in the least.”

Cozy almost yelps when she is surrounded by a hot pink aura. It tingles and stings, but she's somewhat accustomed to this because of her mother. She feels her stomach sink a little when she's gently lifted up, slowly flipped over, then gently set back down on the table. During that time, Cozy notices a very curious sensation. It feels like a rhythmic pulse of energy that spreads out from Cozy's mid-back. It is as if Doctor Pink Heart is massaging Cozy's back using magical telekinesis alone. Although it really stings, she eventually notices that it doesn't sting nearly as much as a unicorn's magic normally does, and rhythmic pulse of energy gradually releases the tension otherwise locked in Cozy's back muscles.

“Lie still . . . and try to relax,” Doctor Pink Heart encourages with a voice so soothing it almost feels otherworldly. “I shall not harm you. I promise.”

“I believe you,” Cozy says in a dreamy way. The soothing releases of so much tension on her is starting to put her to sleep.

As the doctor continues her tender yet very precise professional work, she floats some kind of ointment off one of her shelves. She floats some kind of white paste from it. It quickly fills Cozy's nostrils with something she can't fully put her hoof on, but the closest approximation to this scent is something minty. Whatever it is, the doctor floats and rubs this paste onto Cozy's back. The reaction it has is a curious sort of sting that is a mix between hot and cold. It almost intensifies the ice-prick sensation of the doctor's magical aura, but for some reason, it actually feels very soothing.

“Knock-knock,” came Sunset's voice at the door to this clinic. “May I come in?”

“You can come in,” Cozy invites. “But it might be a little challenging for me to respond. Whatever therapy session Doctor Pink Heart is practicing, it is quickly lulling me to sleep.”

“I better hurry, then,” Sunset decides, “for you are indeed the mare I came to see.”

“Please keep it brief,” Doctor Pink Heart requests of Sunset. “My patient needs to relax.”

“Don't worry. I won't be long,” Sunset assures as she trots next to Cozy's bed. “Hey, kiddo!” Sunset greets upon arrival. “I just wanted to tell you that I'm,” she applies a hoof to her chest, “so proud of you today!”

“Why? For getting myself hurt?” Cozy asks skeptically.

Sunset returns her hoof to the floor as she shakes her head while saying, “No. That's not it at all, but while we're on that subject . . . I'm surprised that Rumble, of all ponies, encouraged this. He was trained by the Wonderbolts and my understanding is he did very well in the Academy. Seems to me he would know something of back strain from too intense of a flying regimen, so I'd expect somepony like him to lecture against this.”

“He did try,” Cozy admits, “but he may have also been distracted working with so many new fliers and getting to know them and their limits. As a matter of fact, he did promise to keep a closer eye on me next time.”

“As well he should,” Sunset agrees. “Pushing one's self too hard actually slows one's progress, because now you'll have to spend so much time recovering. Time that could have been spent training if you only paced yourself better.”

“Funny. He said the same thing,” Cozy tells Sunset. “Almost exactly like that. Word for word.”

“In that case, I can accept him as a true professional who made an honest mistake today,” Sunset figures. “Anyway, what I wanted to tell you is that I'm proud of you not because of what you've done, but because of why you did it.”

Cozy tries to meet Sunset's eyes but the other mare is standing too far to her left. She can only see Sunset out of the corner of her peripheral vision.

“I think you pushed yourself today as hard as you did because you care,” Sunset elaborates. “And it's not just to impress Rumble, although I must say you probably had that aim as well.”

Sunset lowers her head and draws it closer to Cozy's face as she says, “Cozy . . . you've been a very good girl today! I am very, very proud of you. I think you've come a long way from the tyrant you used to be. Believe me when I say I know what it feels like to have to climb out of that proverbial pit that we've dug for ourselves, but I want to make sure you know that your efforts are acknowledged and appreciated. In fact,” Sunset adopts a slightly embarrassed, and slightly mischievous grin as she goes on to say, “I spoke with Cheese Pie about arranging a celebration for you as a reward for your efforts.” Sunset waves a hoof back and forth as she assures, “Nothing too big or fancy. Trust me, but she did say she's going to prepare a special meal for you, and she urges for you to look forward to it.”

“Mission accomplished, then,” Cozy informs. “I am, indeed, looking forward to it. Cheese is a pretty good chef, and she knows me well.”

“She knows you well because you have accepted her as a friend,” Sunset informs.

“Yeah, I guess,” Cozy accepts. “Cheese wasn't nearly as pushy about it than Flurry was, but in the end . . . I regret neither results.”

“Oh Cozy!” Sunset sounds gushy. “I want to hug you, but I fear that may hurt you.”

“Yeah, please don't,” Doctor Pink Heart urges as she continues her work. “Cozy Glow needs to take it easy for the next few days.” Then she suggests, “How about a peck on the cheek?”

“Oh, that's a good idea!” Sunset agrees then proceeds to do so. She gives Cozy a light, friendly, and grateful kiss on the cheek, then says, “Thank you, Cozy! Thank you for making a sincere effort toward being a good girl today.”

“Okay, okay. Enough,” Cozy urges with a slight blush of embarrassment, but she also feels a happy inward glow inside of her. Getting praise from Sunset, somepony she really cares about, feels great, but enough is enough!

“Time to go, I think,” Pink Heart urges Sunset gently. “You delivered your message, and it is successfully received. I'm sure she's looking forward to the party.”

“Sure am,” Cozy agrees.

“Take care of yourself, Cozy,” Sunset urges warmly.

“That's the plan,” Cozy agrees as she closes her eyes while feeling dizzy with comfort, warmth, and relaxation.
> Chapter 10: Mind Palace
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flinging the door open, Cozy Glow leaps onto her bed and squishes her pillow between her forehooves. As she does so, she nuzzles her pillow with her face while tears of joy sink into it. Giddy and affectionate feelings overwhelm her as she thinks about the simple party she had in her honor in the mess hall.

As Sunset had promised, it was such a small thing, but it felt so meaningful to her to know that some of the friends she made so far were all there to support and cheer her on. Cheese Pie made a delicious strawberry cheesecake which, incidentally, was the favorite of her human twin sister. That's why she got so into it as well, and there it was. It impressed Flapjack enough to land Cheese a job as an assistant chef on this ship, too. Bonus.

Cozy did not expect to be so moved during the celebration, but when the lights were off on the second deck of the ship except for a few candles on her cake, Cozy recalled looking around at those gathered to celebrate her and she thought, They are here for me! They are actually here for me! Hooray!

Cozy is sniffling when she feels a warm pulse emanate on her chest as well as within herself. She pulls the pillow back enough to check what it is. She's only half surprised to notice that her geode is giving off a warm, pulsing red glow.

“Knock-knock,” Sunset greets Cozy at the entrance of her room.

“Oh! Sunset!” Cozy says excitedly as she sits up. “Come in! Come in!”

“Thank you,” Sunset says with a warm smile as she enters.

“So what brings you here?” Cozy asks quickly in an effort to divert the subject away from her exposed feelings.

“Uhhhhh,” Sunset pauses as she blinks at Cozy. “You invited me here. Remember? Back at the party, you said to meet you in your room after the party. So . . . here I am.”

“I did?” Cozy asks, feeling perplexed.

“Yes, you did,” Sombra inwardly reminds, “because I asked you to.”

“Oh, right!” Cozy exclaims in realization. “Now I recall.” She focuses on Sunset. “The truth is, I wasn't the one who really invited you here. Sombra was.”

“Oh?” Sunset looks taken aback. “Okay, so . . . what does he want?”

Cozy's eyes glaze as she listens to his response, then focuses back on Sunset as she answers, “He says he wants you to touch me and we all join together in something he calls a 'Mind Palace'.” Cozy tilts her head in confusion at Sunset. “Do you know what he's talking about?”

“I think I do,” Sunset responds. “Basically, I think it means he wants the three of us to talk face to face.”

“That sounds about right,” Cozy figures. “I think I have some idea what this conversation will be about, too. There is some tricks he wanted to teach you.”

Sunset sighs as she shakes her head, then says, “Let's stop guessing and find out for sure.” Sunset approaches and touches Cozy on the shoulder, then asks, “You ready?”

Cozy nods as she says, “Sure,” before closing her eyes and accepting her fate.

Moments later, she can feel magic wash over her. The next time she opens her eyes, both Sunset and her are standing in a dark void on top of some transparent, circular, glowing platform along with Sombra standing nearby.

Also, noteably, Sunset regained her human form while here.

Sunset sweeps a gaze across this empty surroundings with a frown, then she asks, “Couldn't you invite us to someplace less drab, Sombra?”

“Our surroundings are irrelevant to this conversation, at least to me,” Sombra answers. “You two are the guests here.” He bows to them a little. “So I will defer to your creative judgment. If you wish to change our surroundings, then be my guest.”

Sunset taps the bottom of her chin with a hand for a moment as she gives a thoughtful look, then she smiles as she says, “Okay. I think I can cover that.”

Sunset closes her eyes and concentrates. Their surroundings quickly change to some kind of grassy park.

When Cozy sees her new surroundings, it quickly becomes familiar to her. Apparently she isn't the only one. Sombra, too, seems overcome by a wave of nostalgia. Only after seeing that did Cozy realize where she had seen this herself.

“Oh, I recognize where we are!” Cozy exclaims. “This is the same park that you and Rainbow Dash . . .”

“. . . took me to play some sports,” Sombra and Cozy finish simultaneously which prompts a curious look to each other.

“Oh yeah!” Sunset exclaims in remembrance. “I keep forgetting that both of you have human Cozy's memories.”

Sombra's thoughtful look transfers from Cozy to Sunset, then he looks across the park with a glazed look. “I . . . or rather human Cozy had lots of picnics here, too. One of them was with her mother as the two of them gazed up at the stars.”

“Another was a time when she came here with Diamond Tiara and the Belle family,” Cozy also recalls. “She was still scheming against Diamond at the time, but since Diamond was already depressed, she allowed her to recover some so that it would hurt her more to tear her down later.”

“Instead she ended up her beloved adopted sister,” Sunset points out rather insistently. “Plans can change.”

“Indeed,” Sombra agrees with a reminiscing look.

They are silent for a moment until Sunset asks Sombra, “So . . . what is it you wanted to talk to me about?”

Asking that question drew Sombra's attention back to Sunset. For a moment, there is a distant look in his eyes that reminds both Cozy and Sunset of Cozy's human counterpart, but it vanishes after he closes his eyes, shakes his head, and opens his eyes again with regathered composure.

“Right. Well . . . I have multiple subjects to address to you both,” Sombra begins as he faces the two women more fully, then he focuses on Cozy in particular. “Let's start with you,” he decides. He nods to her in respect as he says, “I applaud your efforts and determination to get stronger for the sake of others. However, it seems I need to remind you to play to your strengths rather than your weaknesses.”

“Huh?” Cozy asks, perplexed.

Sombra waves a hoof across the air as he says, “Don't get me wrong. Working on your strength and stamina will ultimately work in your favor. If you want to become a better flier, this is likely a good path to take.

“On the other hoof, I don't think it is realistic that you'll get strong enough any time soon to lift the others on this ship. You're not working with significant equipment here, at least on the brawn front.”

“Oh!” Cozy blinks in realization. “You're saying I should stop working on making my physical muscles stronger and instead continue focusing on my magic?

“But, Sombra, I can't even turn a doorknob using my magic, let alone pick up anypony else.”

Sombra half shrugs as he says, “Be that as it may, I still think you have far greater magical potential rather than physical, especially since you're further augmented by your magic geode. As you continue your relationships and deepen your social bonds, that gem will only get stronger and stronger. In the long gallop, it is the more likely path for you to achieve this particular goal. Moreover, it can do it more efficiently. Using your magic to manipulate others has far better reach and potential precision.”

“I suppose you have a point,” Cozy accepts as she looks off to her side. “That would further my magic training, too, which is something else I wanted to work on.” She looks back at Sombra. “This latest development only gives me more incentive to train harder in this route.”

Sombra points at Cozy as he announces, “To that end, I would like to draw your attention to this place.” The same hoof that originally points to Cozy now waves around them. “You can withdraw your mind into the crystal you wear at any time. When you do, time outside of the crystal becomes relative. Depending on your will, you can make it move as fast or as slow as you wish. The only thing you can't do is make it run in reverse.” He looks to his side. “Of course, there are other tricks to hoofle that aspect.”

“So I can use this place as a location for a training montage,” Cozy realizes, “and time can be frozen outside of the gem.”

“Yes, but this only applies to mostly mental affairs,” Sombra points out. “If you practiced martial arts here, you'd know it out there.” He waves outwardly. “Strangely enough, this even applies to muscle memory because the mind is part of reflexes. If you master a physical skill here, you can master it out there to some extent.

“However, if you build a machine here, it won't be built out there. Use this place to practice the profession, but out there is the only place you do it for real.

“Also, just like the environment can be customized to your will,” he makes a brown brick suddenly materialize in the air which he floats using his magic, “you can also materialize mental facsimiles of objects here. They are not real, however. They are just a mental projections which is similar to dream stuff. Some effort may be required to simulate them realistically, but I know one trick that could help you both gather some authenticity on that account.”

He looks at Sunset as he says to her, “Which brings me to you. There are several tricks that I'd like to teach you and you have an interesting spell to help you learn them fast. In particular, I want to teach you the 'Scan' spell, and I also want to teach you crystal science as well as the enchanting process thereof.”

“Scan spell?” Sunset asks.

Sombra nods as he announces, “I know a spell that will analyze the properties of an object you scan. Once you've done that, the information the spell gathers can be stored here.” He waves outwardly, then causes a book to suddenly materialize which replaces the brick. This, too, he also floats. “If you imagine a book like this, one will materialize in here and be remembered by the crystal. As you will, the information you gained from the 'scan' spell can be imprinted in this imaginary book which can have as many pages as you want. It, in turn, has perfect memory, though I won't say unlimited memory capacity.” He looks around. “Crystals can store a great deal of information. Even your tiny little geodes  could hold the text of all of Equestria's great libraries.” He looks back at Sunset. “But that said, mediums like this do eventually have their limits, though it can be increased by either increasing the size of the crystal, or networking them to other crystals. If that is achieved, then that crystal matrix can accomplish something akin to the human world's internet.”

“Wow. So we can store information here in any form we desire?” Cozy checks.

Sombra nods at her as he explains, “A tablet, a computer, a book, a scroll . . . anything you want. Ultimately it does not matter what form the information takes as long as it is recognizable and usable to you. In truth, the crystal itself is where the information will be stored. You may add information here at your leisure up to the crystal's maximum capacity which is an achievement unlikely to be accomplished within either of your mortal lifetimes.” He looks back at Sunset as he adds, “Although the scan spell can be aimed at other books as well. If and when you do, a mental copy of the book could be stored within this crystal or yours, Sunset Shimmer.” He shrugs as he says, “Note, the book you scan will have the same spelling and grammar errors as the original book. It will also have the same writing style as the original author, though the mental copy can be very easily edited here with the mere act of will. If you don't do that, however, the information can be remembered here pretty much indefinitely, thus rendering it immune to the ravages of time.”

He looks at Cozy as he tells her, “In the Red Crystal, I had a mental copy of every book in the Crystal Empire library. Over the centuries, Crystal Sage gradually added to that information by writing in other virtual books, or modifying the information of the copied books. I'm glad I had them, too. It gave me something to do across those many centuries.

“My point is, both of you can do the same thing with your crystals. Information can be stored here permanently. After that, all you'd have to do is either mentally withdraw inside here, in which case time becomes relative outside, or you can summon a sort of hallucination of the mental book on the outside. If you do that, time flows normally. Also note that nobody else who isn't connected to this crystal will be able to perceive it at all unless they have some other ability that will allow them to gain access to this information.

“So,” he looks back at Sunset, “I want you to touch me and use your crystal to absorb my memories. When you do, I'll offer very specific ones. In particular, I will offer the knowledge of the 'scan' spell. Once you have that knowledge, you can touch Cozy and pass this knowledge on to her.”

Sunset looks uncomfortable as she asks, “Are you sure? Cozy is barely versed in spellcasting at all, and I am badly out of practice with it myself.”

“Then the knowledge I offer you may help you catch up,” Sombra tells her. “I'm quite an accomplished wizard, if I do say so myself. I was trained by the great Star Swirl the Bearded back in my day, so it doesn't get much more top tier than that.”

Sunset crosses her arms as she holds an uncomfortable look.

“You do want to be magically prepared in this journey, do you not?” Sombra reminds. “You, too, can save passengers on this ship from a lethal fall. You had the knowledge of the teleportation spell. That is a spell that even I haven't mastered. With it, you can just teleport would-be victims from this ship straight to the ground or anywhere else that you like, though I'd advise doing it quickly before they build much momentum which could be carried with you as you teleport to your destination.”

He nods at her as he adds in a lecturing tone, “Kinetic force is among the things that can be transferred along with whatever creature or object you teleport, though a very skilled wizard knows how to be more selective with what is included in the journey. You could teleport a subject without their clothes, for example, or without the built kinetic force of the falling subject. I warn you, however, a sudden halt of that built kinetic energy is very disorienting to the subject. There is rarely greater odds of teleportation sickness than the circumstance I just described.”

“If a teleportation spell can be that selective, then it seems to me it could be used as a very lethal weapon,” Cozy realizes. “For instance, teleport a living subject anywhere else but don't include the subject’s heart. That person will arrive on the other side and die within mere moments.”

“It can be worse than that,” Sombra warns Cozy. “Teleport a non-flier high into the sky, or deep under the ocean, or into lava, or worse yet . . . into solid rock. In that case, they'll fuse into the rock, creating near-instantaneous death.” He shakes his head. “Nasty way to go, but very few have mastered that spell, let alone learn to be that creative and precise with it.”

“I do want to re-master my old gifts,” Sunset promises Sombra. “It's just that . . . something about this strategy rubs me the wrong way.”

“Short cuts to power isn't inherently wrong,” Sombra lectures to Sunset. “It's how you use it that determines morality. Power, in the right hooves, can be used for great benefit.”

Sunset pauses for a moment in silence as her eyes look down slightly, then she looks back at Sombra as she realizes, “Yeah. That's it. That is why I'm uncomfortable with this strategy. Power can definitely corrupt when it is used and abused in the hands of those who did not take the time and effort to earn it fairly. That lack of wisdom creates the seeds for greater mistakes later.”

Sombra looks slightly offended at that response as he says, “That is, of course, your prerogative . . . but would it still be that easy to morally justify that opinion when it costs you the life of your friends, I wonder? There is definitely value in being prepared for danger.” He lowers his head slightly as he peers at her sharply. “Look . . . I agree that wisdom takes time. That will always be true, but learning while having the tools in your hands can be a lot faster than learning how to build those tools in the first place. Both strategies have their own value, but one of them leads you to be more prepared to defend your friends in a more timely manner.

“Look,” he gestures to his chest then waves off at Sunset, “the method I'm offering isn't much different than if you stand here and I teach you in person the long way. Considering this place’s potentially timeless environment, that really is a valid option, but gathering my memories may include the wisdom I've learned in the process.” He cuts a hoof across the air. “It shouldn't corrupt your personality because it's a very small part of my memories. Once you have it, use it as you see fit. I just want to give you the tools you need to be prepared for your future.” He stomps a hoof in the grass below him. “This is my way of expressing care and concern for you. Do you deny me this?”

Sunset gives a pushing motion towards Sombra as she says, “Look, I thank you for your concern and your offer. I might even take it, but I'm uncomfortable making a habit out of this.” She crosses her arms again. “I remember a time in my life . . . actually, several in fact . . . where I attempted to use certain short cuts to great power. Magic is very mysterious and sacred . . . and it can do so much damage to those who are not prepared for it.” Sunset's eyes shift to look at Cozy as she adds, “Just ask her. She siphoned magic from Grogar's Bell to jump-start an evolution to an alicorn, but the one she became is very different from the ones that came before her.”

Cozy looks down with a slight frown as she still recalls that memory with strong appeal, but what came afterwards still makes her shudder.

“It isn't your knowledge that I fear directly,” Sunset says as she looks back at Sombra. “Instead, I fear what I might become when something like this is thrust upon me too suddenly.”

“The method might be sudden at first, but further development continues to occur over time,” Sombra offers. “I'm trying to teach you a method to gather yet more knowledge faster and more precisely. This is the same as hoofing you a microscope. Once you have the tool, you are the one who must choose to use it. Once you scan a book, you are the one who needs to come in here and read it. All you've done is store a mental copy of it here. Regardless if there is relative time outside of this crystal, you are the one who must spend your time and effort learning the knowledge the book has to offer.”

“I guess,” Sunset relents a little. “Okay, how about this . . . teach me just the scan spell. I'll pass that on to Cozy.” She nods to Cozy as she adds, “With her permission, of course.” She looks back at Sombra. “However, I draw the line there. I'm willing to learn crystal science from you, but teach me using more normal methods. I want to learn this myself, not suddenly inherit it from you.”

Sombra frowns at her and shakes his head slightly as he says, “What a waste. You're the only one I know who has a power like this. You could use it to gather more knowledge so much faster.”

“I do to some extent, but I've learned to be very careful with my abilities,” Sunset says. “Gathering the wrong kind of knowledge can do a lot of damage, even unintentionally. I've stumbled upon secrets that I'll go to my grave regretting the fact that I've gathered them. Secrets that are very personal to the subject in question. It's also possible I can 'inherit' nasty habits like a craving for smoking or something like that.

“The mind is a very complicated place, and it can be treacherous to explore without the wisdom to do it cautiously. That's another reason I've been studying psychology recently. Knowing how and why people think and feel the way that they do helps me to navigate hidden hazards when I explore within. I've come to respect the dangers this kind of power offers. It is not to be taken lightly.

“In fact, I have the same philosophy when it comes to magic in general. It is a wondrous gift and it can offer many chances for deepened understanding and learning, but it can also offer horrors and misunderstanding. By respecting the power, I also learned not to abuse it. It's important to know when to use it, and when not to.”

Sunset tilts her head at Sombra as she asks somewhat emphatically, “Tell me, Sombra, if you had this philosophy a long time ago, do you think it's possible you might have avoided some of the mistakes you made? Or are you going to stand there and tell me you have no regrets at all?”

Sombra sighs, then admits, “Touché. You've made some excellent points, Sunset Shimmer. In some ways, you've demonstrated more wisdom now than I have learned in over a thousand years.”

“It helps to be open-minded and willing to learn from your mistakes . . . and friends,” Sunset expresses.

Sombra shrugs a bit as he says, “And I don't want to push anything upon you that you're unwilling to receive. If I did, that would be abuse, and I shudder to think to do that to a mare.” He looks her up, down, then up again as he corrects, “Or woman, I should say.”

“That's one of the reasons I'm willing to accept your offer, at least to a limited point. It helps me to know you're unwilling to harm me,” says Sunset. “If I didn't know that about you, I wouldn't trust you with this method. As it stands, I'm willing to accept your offer as long as you are very specific with it. Teach me the scan spell. I'll learn the rest on my own.”

“Very well.” He closes his eyes. “Proceed,” he invites. “I am concentrating on the knowledge of that spell. Target that, and you shall gain only that which you are willing to receive.”

Cozy watches as Sunset vanishes and reappears next to Sombra in order to reach and touch him, but the pegasus knows that Sunset didn't really teleport in here. This is a dream reality. It works on a different set of rules.

While it might be a mere cosmetic effect in here, Cozy nonetheless sees Sunset's geode glow brightly even right through her hand which clasps it. As in, the hand that isn't touching Sombra.

When Sunset is done, she steps back and appears to need a second to adjust. During that time, she briefly seems a bit dizzy. When she recovers, both she and Sombra open their eyes simultaneously and look at each other. When their eyes meet, Sunset nods at Sombra as she says, “The formula is actually pretty simple. Much more simple than I expected.”

“Simple to learn, but potentially complex in execution,” Sombra says. “The spell will reveal the truth of the item you scan, but you are not guaranteed to understand the information it presents. If you scan an unidentified substance, the mental copy of it will still be just as mysterious. If you scan a book written in a foreign language, the text will remain illegible to you. Keep that in mind as you use it. It preserves a copy of what you scanned in here. That's all. It's up to you to learn from it based on that.”

Sunset nods in acceptance as she says, “Which makes it less overpowered than I thought. Still,” she puts her fingers to her lips, “it opens up interesting avenues of possibilities. By scanning a food I like, I can eat it in here over and over again without fear of getting fat. I can also scan and drink poison with no physical consequence in here.”

Sunset appears to realize something, then she asks Sombra, “What if I scan a magical object? Will a copy of the magical functions be retained in here?”

“Sort of,” Sombra answers. “A copy of its energy patterns can be scanned and preserved in here, but it’s important to understand that the only thing created here is merely a mental projection of that information. Thus, scanning a cursed magical item will not harm you in here, but it does give you a chance to study it under safer conditions.”

“What if it's an intelligent magical item?” Sunset queries further. “Did I just create a new life in here?”

This question makes Sombra pause. He even widens his eyes slightly as he thinks about that, then eventually admits, “I . . . don't know. The scan spell will give you an accurate mental facsimile, but mental energy is all that is required for conscious thought. Basically, that is what we are when we reside in here. I wouldn't call us a copy, but still . . . that's an interesting point.

“Based on my previous observations, I would say it is possible you'd copy the mental faculties of the sentient magical item, thereby making a copy of its consciousness.

“Well done, Sunset Shimmer. I honestly haven't thought of that before despite my very long period of existence.”

“That's something to keep in mind, then,” Sunset realizes with a thoughtful look as she turns her head to the side. “If the object I scan happens to contain an evil consciousness, then I just created a dangerous opponent in here who is capable of its own free will.”

Sombra shrugs as he says, “Think of it as a challenge. You did say you like to redeem former villains. Why should the consciousness of an evil magical item be any different?”

“True, I could try that,” Sunset figures as she looks back at Sombra. “Still, it's wise to keep that danger in mind. To do otherwise is to be unprepared for the threat.”

Sombra nods in respect to Sunset as he commends, “Once again, I bow in respect to your remarkable foresight. You are a credit to your wizardly profession, Sunset Shimmer. If all of our kind was as wise as you, we might have avoided many mistakes in the past . . . or future.”

Sunset grins as she says, “Something to keep in 'mind', huh?”

Sombra chuckles, then agrees, “Indeed.”
> Chapter 11: Arrival at Marewaii
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first series of knocks merely makes Stygian squint, but the second stirs him awake. He rises his head off the scrolls on his desk. He looks upon it and winces again when he notices his drool made the ink blur again. He ignites his horn to dry up the drool on his scroll and his mouth then shifts the magic to do a little repair work on the ink of his scroll. That spell came in handy for him far more than once.

At first Stygian thinks another school professor is the one waking him up to alert him that he is late for class, but one look at his surroundings reminds him of the fact that he's on the airship, the Flying Carpet, instead.

“Ah . . . yes. Hello. I'm coming,” Stygian says to the one at the door. He hops off the chair of his desk. A chair that was made deliberately made low to the ground to help accommodate for his short stature. He faces towards the doorway. He ignites his horn and uses it to open the door just as Rumble was about to knock on it again.

“Good morning Professor,” Rumble greets after the door opens.

“Good morning, young man,” Stygian returns. “How can I help you today?”

“Actually, it's more like I can help you,” Rumble corrects. “You tasked me to alert you when we arrive near Marewaii islands.”

“Indeed, I have,” Stygian recalls. “Is it that time already?”

“Yeppers,” Rumble confirms then knocks on the frame of the door. “So rise and shine, Professor. The day eagerly awaits to greet you.”

“My word!” Stygian exclaims as he looks out the porthole in the hull of his room. “Oh, how the time flies.” He grins a bit as he adds, “And so are we, apparently.”

Stygian's ears shift to the doorway, followed by his gaze, when he hears Rumble depart. After that, he trots in front of a mirror to examine himself. He uses his magic to straighten his cloak and comb his short dark blue mop-top mane. When that is done, he floats on his saddlebag and a bunch of scrolls, ink, and quills in it. He also floats a bagel into his mouth. Finally, he races out of his room to the top deck. He shuts the door to his room with his magic without even looking.











Just when Stygian arrives to the top deck, he gracelessly trips over the last step. This causes him to fall face first into the top deck and slide a foot and a half forward due to his lingering momentum.

“Careful, me lad,” Rockhoof cautions as he lowers a large hoof to help his friend pick himself up. “Attie-up!” the large warrior stallion says as he helps his friend up. “Naw need tah be in such ah rush there, me lad. Thah islands will still be there, an racing 'ere don't make it arrive much faster.”

“I'll try to keep that in mind,” Stygian says with a slight blush in embarrassment.

“Chin up, me lad!” Rockhoof encourages before slapping Stygian's back so hard he sends his small friend flying forward about eight feet and crash back into the ground, but this time his back injury prevents him from rising back up as fast.

“Ow!” Stygian complains while lying in a crumpled heap.

“Ah! Sorry, me lad,” Rockhoof cries out in embarrassment mixed with concern as he rushes forward and, once again, offers the same hoof to help his friend stand back up. Stygian takes it, but he doesn't rise to his hooves as quickly this time. “Ah canna rememb'ah me own strength sometimes,” Rockhoof explains and apologizes simultaneously.

“After our previous adventures together, I suppose I should have anticipated this,” Stygian figures within a wheeze.

“Aye, me lad! Adventure!” Rockhoof cheers as he reflexively and inadvertently crushes his tiny friend against his chest which forces Stygian to make a squeaking sound. At that moment, Stygian's eyes explode wide due to a huge burst of pain. His eyes instantly grow red cracks in them.

“Just think of it!” Rockhoof encourages while oblivious to the pain he's causing his friend. “You an' me, tah'geth'ah again! Side by side, we march gloriously tah adventure! With yah brains an' me brawn, there ain't NOpony which would be abe’ah tah stand in our way! We'll crush them all wit' your strategy and me trusty shovel. Aye!” Rockhoof promises as he squeezes his friend especially tightly when he said the word, “crush”, causing Stygian to squeak again.

By this point, Stygians's whole face is growing redder due to oxygen starvation, and he is gasping for breath.

Following that, Rockhoof takes in a deep, savoring breath then slowly lets it out. “Ya smell that, me lad? That is the smell of adventure! AH! It is good tah smell that again! That's fer sure!”

“If you don't release him soon, you'll be down one companion before your adventure has a chance to start,” Doctor Pink Heart cautions as she magically rolls her chair near the pair of stallions. “Eventually he'll be beyond even my ability to save him.”

“Huh?” Rockhoof looks down at the doctor in confusion, then transfers that look down at his gripped companion. During that moment, he releases much of his pressure. As a result, Stygian hangs over backwards on Rockhoof's giant hoof in a limp way. Even his tongue hangs out his mouth and his eyes are rolled back in his skull as if dead. “Oh me gosh!” Rockhoof exclaims, feeling quite startled. “Ah dinn'ah mean tah crush ye, me lad.”

“Please, allow me,” Pink Heart requests as she envelopes her new patient in a hot pink aura. Doing so steadies the small stallion even as Rockhoof releases his friend. After that, the doctor uses her magic to rhythmically and gently squash and stretch Stygian's back muscles in order to release the pressure. Doing so causes Stygian to, at first, release a gasp of pain, but it soon relaxes into pleasure.

“Thank you kindly,” Stygian says to the doctor gratefully when she's done.

“I'm pleased to be of some service,” Pink Heart replies to Stygian happily before narrowing her eyes at Rockhoof as she says in an accusing tone, “As for you, you big oaf, you need to be much more careful around others smaller than you, which I admit is most of the crew.”

“Sorry,” Rockhoof says a little sheepishly, but it is mixed with much shame on his face. “Ah dinn'ah know me own strength sometimes.”

“Well it's time you learn in a hurry!” Pink Heart insists while holding her accusing tone. “You can seriously hurt others if you don't.

“And another thing. I heard you bumping into walls and banging your head against archways along the ceiling in this ship. You need to be much more careful before you hurt yourself or somepony else.”

“It's me girth,” Rockhoof explains to Pink Heart. “I know mah way around a ship, but one problem ah neve'ah been able to solve is me girth. Causes me to bump into all sorts of things, it does.”

“Do you seriously think that problem can't be solved by being more careful?” Pink Heart presses.

Rockhoof casts a long sigh, then admits, “Aye. Ye are right. Ah need tah be much more careful, for I certainly don't want to harm me friends and comrades.”

“That's all I ask,” Pink Heart expresses in a relenting tone.

“The Pillars and I have encountered this problem before with our big friend here,” Stygian mentions to Pink Heart. “I suppose we sort of grew used to it, and what damage he does to us by accident, he makes up for with the damage he does to our opponents on purpose. One just needs to learn how to adapt around him.”

“That goes both ways, Professor,” Pink Heart insists. “You're not the only one with a brain in your head, Professor Stygian. Your friend here taught classes for years. I'm sure he can learn to be careful, too.”

“Aye. She's right,” Rockhoof says with a shamed but also accepting tone. “Ah need to be more careful.”

“Glad to hear it,” says Prince Salizar as he trots up to the group while floating his bubble pipe to his side. “Perhaps this way he'll cause less damage to my ship.” The prince floats his pipe to point at Rockhoof as he adds, “If you can do that, I wouldn't mind you on cargo transporting detail, but I have to know that our goods won't be damaged in the process.”

Stygian winces as he hisses through clenched teeth, then tells the Prince, “Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I'm afraid I must advise against that course of action. Now, if you want a certain wall permanently out of your way, then he is the pony you need, but allowing him to carry any precious cargo, even the non-fragile ones, would be a huge mistake.”

“Hey!” Rockhoof barks, finally feeling offended. “Lest ye forget, ah'm a sail'ah. Ah traveled many a voyage on thah ocean. Aye. During that time, ah carried me fair share of cargo. Thah Migh'ee 'elm thought ah was a great 'elp at that.”

“Once again, you must pardon my objection,” Stygian says to his friend this time, “but I remember the ways of the Mighty Helm as well. You broke their cargo plenty of times on their ship. The only difference is your former shipmates just laughed it off and slapped your back for it. To them, shattering things is almost as accepted as it would be for the yaks. In a way, they were actually proud of you for pulling that off so easily while also knowing that it really was an unintentional accident. You are just that powerful, my friend.”

Rockhoof lifts a hoof in objection as he opens his mouth, but he freezes when he thinks about it. A moment later his eyes shift to the left as he thinks back on his past more carefully, then he lowers his hoof back to the deck as his face adopts a look of startled realization. “Oh mah goodness. Ye're right!” Rockhoof realizes, then looks crestfallen as he looks down. “Wow. Ah guess ah really am just a big, dumb oaf.”

Stygian applies a hoof high above him to barely reach Rockhoof's chest in a gesture of reassurance as he says, “One who has plenty of advantages as well. When it comes to a crisis, there are nary many ponies I can count on more than you to be as strong, tough, brave, loyal, and experienced. There were plenty of our former opponents that regretted crossing us, especially with my winning strategies backing you up. When things get tough, you're usually the first one to charge into action, and you're typically the last one standing when the dust settles. When it comes to an adventure, there aren't many others I'd rather have by my side.”

“Ah! Thanks, me wee lad!” Rockhoof cheers with a great big smile.

On sheer reflex, Rockhoof almost reaches to crush his friend in another hug, but Pink Heart intercedes by chastising, “Ah-ah-ah! Careful,” she reminds.

“Oh. Right. Me bad,” Rockhoof apologizes. In response, Pink Heart rolls her eyes.

“Cozy, you've got to check this out!” Cheese cries excitedly as she leans over the port side rail of the ship. She hangs her tongue down and drools like a dog while wagging her ponytail.

“I'm coming. I'm coming,” Cozy assures as she moves to join beside her friend. Once she's there, she gasps, then asks, “Whoa! That's Marewaii?”

“I know, right?” Cheese asks with clear excitement in her voice. “Isn't it beautiful?”

“Captain, may I speak to you for a moment?” Stygian requests when he sees the captain step out of the bridge and stretch. He looks at Stygian as the short stallion speaks, then approaches cooperatively. “I would like to request that the majority of your crew hang near the docks for a little while.”

This request immediately takes Captain Tidus aback. After that, he says in a somewhat objecting tone, “That's a disappointing request. I'm sure my crew was looking forward to shore leave, especially on an island like Marewaii.”

“I know,” Stygian accepts with a regretful nod. “I'm not suggesting that your crew don't enjoy themselves. All I am saying is that your crew should remain prepared for takeoff in a hurry.”

Off the corner of Stygian's left eye, he notices Cozy's ears perk up at this point, then turns to aim back at him. He decides that her interest and concern is okay. If Stygian really believed that his information is a security risk, he would have insisted this conversation take place in private. As it stands, he actually wants everyone to remain on their guard.

“I have reason to believe that a certain famous dungeon delver resides on this island for the moment,” Stygian announces to the captain. “The prince and I both agree that she would make an excellent final addition to our expedition. Her skills in this age as a professional explorer are second to none.”

“Sounds reasonable, then, to attempt to recruit her,” Captain Tidus figures. “Also, I have to say that if she's such a professional explorer as you say, you two are dangling one juicy bait for her.” Tidus bends a talon under his beak as he looks up with a discerning look for a moment, then looks back at the short stallion ahead of him as he asks, “I take it you are referring to Glenda, the famous griffin explorer and supposed successor to the now retired Daring Do?”

Stygian can now tell that Cozy is doubly interested.

“Indeed, the same,” Stygian confirms. “The prince and I are also quite convinced that we can recruit her to join this journey.”

“Then what's the problem?” Captain Tidus checks.

“The problem, Sir, is that trouble follows Glenda like dust on a horseshoe,” Stygian clarifies. He waves a hoof. “It may be nothing. Perhaps I am being overly cautious, but there is a reason Glenda is one of the most celebrated adventurers. She goes to the dangerous places no other creature would be willing to go, and the dangerous artifacts she acquires thereof are of interest to many seedy characters. There is a chance that . . .”

Stygian trails off as Tidus lifts an objecting talon while he says, “Say no more. You've made your point clear.” He looks at Prince Salizar as he asks him, “I take it you concur with the professor, Your Majesty?”

“At least for the first few hours,” the prince answers. “During that time, the professor and I, along with my trusty bodyguard, will attempt to find and recruit Glenda. As we do so, we'll establish what her situation is. If, by then, we determine it to be safe, I'll send a message back to the ship to report that shore leave seems relatively safe. Until then, I want this ship remained prepped for launch.”

“That's disappointing, but understandable given the circumstances,” Tidus accepts. “That said, I would have Miss Brizebe and the hauling crew trade stock at the docks at least. We'll need extra supplies for the next trip because it seems that it might be a long haul.”

“That is fine,” Stygian agrees. “We'll probably need those supplies for the next leg of the journey. Do instruct them to be swift, however. There is no telling how long we can safely remain here.”

“Being chased out of Marwaii due to danger?” Tidus scratches his head as he asks that. “That would be a first. This island, and its natives, are one of the most hospitable I've ever encountered.”

“That may be so, but we cannot let our guard down just yet,” Stygian insists. “Glenda is not the only one trouble seems to follow. Case in point,” he nods to Rockhoof who is standing next to Stygian.

“Ya will invite me on this quest, will ye?” Rockhoof checks. “Adventure is what I live for and the reason ah agreed to go on this journey.”

“Yes,” Stygian confirms to his friend. “However, I want you to hold your distance, at least at first. Do you remember our adventure at Gong Bell island?”

Rockhoof has to think about that for a moment, but realization quickly dawns on him. At that point he says, “Oh!” He winks at his short friend. “Gotcha. Jus' rememb'ah, though, subtly and I go together like a brick belongs in a pile of food.”

Stygian shakes his head as he says, “The fact you are noticed isn't important. I just need to make sure it doesn't seem like you are traveling with the Prince and I. You, my friend, could actually serve as a distraction in some respects, but if I give the signal-”

“Then ah come charging in, shovel a swinging!” Rockhoof finishes. “Oh . . . it will be just lack ol' times, me lad.”

Stygian waves at Rockhoof as he says, “Just like the advice I gave to the captain, it's just a precaution. We don't know what we might be facing down there, but it's unlikely to be anything too monstrous.” Stygian knocks on the wooden floor. “That said, I want to remain prepared.”

Stygian peers sharply at Cheese Pie while silently reminding himself that, last time he checked, that mare has the communication crystal. As long as that remains true, he remains in contact with her and anypony else she travels with. To that end, he calls to her aloud, “Miss Cheese Pie, are you planning on disembarking the ship?”

“Sure!” She cries out enthusiastically. “I'm not missing this golden opportunity to explore a new culture!” Cheese says insistently in the same excited tone.

“I'll be disembarking as well,” Doctor Pink Heart brings up. “There are some ingredients I could use for some of my potions. I also want to see what they have on stock.”

“You're coming with me too, won't you, Cozy?” Cheese asks her salmon pink friend hopefully.

“Sure,” Cozy accepts. “I always wanted to see Marwaii, and I should keep an eye on you, too.”

“Funny,” Cheese says with a grin and a wince of one eye at her friend. “I told my parents the same thing about you.”

“In that case, I'll keep an eye on both of you,” Sunset decides as she trots up to join them. When she arrives, she looks over her shoulder at Pink Heart as she encourages, “Why don't you come along with us? The more, the merrier. You want to come here to shop for new ingredients, and Cheese wants a look at the culture, but she can do that anywhere on the island, so we might as well follow you.”

Stygian nods to himself privately. As long as those mares stick together, he remains in potential contact with them all. Pink Heart’s objective might come in handy, too.

“I have absolutely no problem with this,” Pink Heart also agrees. “Sure,” she says directly to Sunset. She turned her chair to look at the other mare. “I will join you.”

“Thanks!” Sunset cheers. “You can help me keep an eye on these two. Your arcane eye spell might really come in handy for that.”

“I don't know,” Cheese says with a roll of her eyes. “In a game of Hide and Seek, I'm pretty good at both when I want to be.”

“In that case, do us a favor and stick with your friends, won't you?” Sunset encourages. “And if you are really good at seeking, that might come in handy-”

“Hoofy,” Cheese quickly and reflexively corrects.

“-in whatever endeavors we may face out there,” Sunset finishes as if Cheese never interrupted her. “I can imagine more than a few scenarios where solid seeking skills could come in . . .” Sunset trails off when she notices Cheese widen her eyes at the older mare. “. . . hoofy,” Sunset finishes with a slight giggle. “I grew up as a mare in this world too, you know. I know how to speak horse.”

Those standing on the top deck of the ship feel themselves lift a bit as the ship tilts slightly.

“Well, that's my cue to get back to the bridge,” Captain Tidus decides with a look over his shoulder at the bridge, then looks back at Stygian. “I will abide by your advice to keep the majority of my crew at the docks on one condition.”

“Which is?” Stygian checks with a lift of an eyebrow.

“Take Rumble with you,” Captain Tidus requests. “He's the best flier we got on the ship. That would leave him available as a resource to you should you need him to report something back to me in a hurry. Also, since I'm aware of the fact that he has trained in and mastered martial arts, it also means he can hold his own in a fight.”

Stygian brightens as he says, “That's a good idea! An asset like that may indeed be invaluable on this mission.” He looks up at the prince as he asks, “Do you concur?”

“Sure,” the prince agrees simply.
> Chapter 12: Marewaii Adventures
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The descent to Marwaii feels like an elevator to Sunset Shimmer. There is a noticeable lurch upon their initial descent. After that, she can't feel it much even as they continue to descend.

The view of the island from above is fantastic! Crisp, deep blue oceans surround lighter teal shores around the island. She can see several dormant volcanoes rising from the center of the island. Even from this height, Sunset can make out several gorgeous waterfalls cascading down those mountains except, instead of water, it is rainbows. The majority of the island is clearly tropical.

As they continue to descend, they pass a few native pegasi who are working tirelessly on the weather to maintain this tropical paradise. Some of the pegasi mares are dancing on clouds instead as they sway their hips back and forth while wearing grass skirts. Still more pegasi flew up to the airship itself in order to welcome the new visitors with a native-style greeting. Some of them also bequeath a crown or necklace full of tropical flowers. Sunset, herself, is among those to receive such generous gifts. As far as she can tell, the natives are not charging a bit for those gifts. It is just pure native hospitality.

Of course, they might recoup their financial loss later with some of their tourist attractions, Sunset realizes with a cunning grin. And dang, it sure works on me. I do, indeed, feel very welcome here.

Rumble, for his part, flies off the ship and takes pictures of some of the natives that fly near the ship or dance on clouds close by.

Further and further they descend. Eventually it becomes clear to Sunset that the helmsman is planning to take this airship all the way down to the crisp, clear ocean waters. Just before the vessel actually does touch down on water, First Officer Desora steps out of the bridge and warns the passengers standing on the top deck, “Everyone, hang onto something tight. The moment this ship touches down into water, there will be quite a lurch forward.” Then she calls to those standing at the bow of the ship, which includes Sunset Shimmer, “As for those standing on the bow of the ship, brace yourself. You may get wet up there.”

“Ooo! Really? Do you promise?” Cheese asks excitedly. She does not even wait for an answer before racing to the front of the ship. This causes Desora to roll her eyes and shake her head. “C'mon, Cozy!” Cheese calls back to her friend. “This'll be fun!”

Cozy giggles a little before moving to follow her friend.

Sunset looks around herself for anything she can grab to brace herself. She notices one of the thick belt buckles which attaches the giant balloon above to the ship. She surrounds her hoof around the belt then leans away from it in order to make the grip tot. Since she is still relearning how to pick up things with her magic hooves, she decides that this will have to do for the moment.

With wonder, Sunset notices the gleam of the sun twist around the ship as they circle in for a landing. She's a bit startled to notice the speed they are traveling before landing in the water. As a result, she braces herself hard. She even winces some.

Rumble flies ahead of the ship then twists about to fly backwards as he aims his camera back at the ship, presumably to take a picture as soon as the airship connects with the water. Upon seeing this, Sunset privately concedes how useful it is for a photographer to be a species like a pegasus. It is so much easier to control the angle of the shot for someone who can fly in the air. A unicorn could float a camera in the air too, but without the ability to actually see through the camera, it limits that potential advantage into a blind shot.

When the ship does connect with the water, it causes a giant lurch forward, as Desora promised. A giant wall of water also shot up two sides around the angle of the bow. Cheese cheers enthusiastically. As a result of all of this, the velocity of the ship is cut in half in seconds. After that Sunset thinks that the ship is still moving across the waters fairly rapidly. It takes about three seconds for her head to turn fully right to left as she locks her gaze on a single wave they are rapidly passing. It seems to her the airship is skipping across the top of the waves like a skipping stone. The likely cause of it is the balloon above. Even though they are on the water now, that balloon continues to make the airship much less heavy than a typical seagoing vessel.

Now that the vessel is on the water, Sunset is noticing a much stronger rise and fall as it sails the choppy waters. This causes Cheese to laugh with glee as if the ship is a fun ride.

Sunset realizes that some may quickly get sick while riding these choppy waters. She knows that her human friend, Applejack, definitely could not find her sea legs throughout the majority of a previous sea cruise. She claims she is a lot better about it now.

A blast of wind hits Sunset. It almost knocks her off balance. When she recovers, she leans into the wind and shuts her eyes as she savors this experience. The scent of ocean mist mixes with floral perfume. Every breath she takes fills her with abundant life and energy.

Up above, a flock of seagulls follow the airship. As they do so, they sometimes squawk at each other.

“Cozy, I want you to do something for me,” Rumble requests as he flies in close enough to speak to the mare without having to shout. “Spread your wings wide.”

“Like this?” Cozy asks as she proceeds to do so. The moment she does, however, she almost loses her balance as the heavy winds hit her even harder.

“Lean into the winds,” Rumble encourages.

Cozy does so. When she does, she regains her balance. During that time, the wind ripples through her mane, tail, and feathers of her wings.

“That's it!” Rumble cheers. “Now, I want you to adopt an adventurous smirk. Narrow your eyes a bit with a daring look as if you're challenging the winds to knock you over, but you know you won't let it.”

Cozy does so.

“Excellent! Now hold that pose,” Rumble says before flying backwards and further ahead of the ship. He lifts his camera and aims it back at Cozy. When he takes a shot, Cheese spontaneously photobombs it at the right moment by leaning in the way and giving a silly expression.

“Cheese! Get out of the way!” Cozy gripes at her friend.

Cheese giggles but then gets out of the way. As she does so, she says, “Sorry! I just couldn't help myself.”

Rumble chuckles a little as he shakes his head before lifting up the camera again in preparation to take another shot. Sunset presumes he takes several before he is satisfied.

“Thanks, Cozy,” Rumble says with a quick salute to her with a hoof.

“Look, Cozy! Dolphins!” Cheese cheers as she looks down at the water in front of the ship.

Both Cozy and Sunset look down. Sure enough, a pod of dolphins appears to have taken a shine to follow along the side and front of the ship. Most of them swim pretty close to the surface. On occasion, some of the dolphins leap above the waters in an arc while maintaining their course ahead of the ship.

Rumble aims his camera down at their escorts and takes a few shots. Sunset hopes that he managed to capture some of them in the middle of a playful leap who often do a graceful spin in mid-leap. Considering his previous skills and his natural talent, she actually finds this likely.

“I want a copy of some of those pictures,” Cozy requests up to Rumble.

“Me too!” Cheese agrees enthusiastically.

“Don't worry. I got ya covered,” Rumble promises confidently as he continues to take photos.

The spirit of adventure enthralls Sunset, but it is momentarily diminished a bit as she thinks about her mother. Right now, her mother is swimming in a higher dimension and is being filled with knowledge and experience far beyond the mortal realm. So much so that it made Sunset feel momentarily primitive while standing next to her mother's more evolved spirit, but she also recalls that her mother said Sunset's spirit will be greater still when she moves on to the afterlife. Moments like this are probably why it will be so. Sunset Shimmer realizes that she always was an adventurer at heart. She is brave enough to take some very daring chances. As a result, it has considerably expanded her knowledge and experience. It's far more than just tidbits, however. She feels enhanced somehow. Thrill and wonder fill her being, making her feel so grateful to be alive!

Wait for me, Mother, Sunset inwardly requests as she looks up into the sky with eyes shining in happy tears. When I re-join you, I will have so many wonderful stories to tell!










It is not until Stygian sets his hooves on the docks when it occurs to him that, not only could a potentially dangerous situation be ahoof (despite appearances), but he hasn't been in a situation like this in many, many years. It was almost two decades ago.

Back then, Stygian used to be fairly competent in this but that relied upon a few contingencies. For the most part, the librarian strategist is at his best when he has a lot of research and prep time before engaging in whatever monster the Pillars were dealing with. His companions were always more accustomed to playing by the tips of their hooves with a few exceptions, but Stygian never felt secure in an adventure even with a plan.

Now it occurs to him that he has had decades of being complacent and waking up every morning with the realization that it is very unlikely anything will try to kill him today. As a result, it might take him some time to get back into the groove again.

“Are you alright there, Professor?” Prince Salizar asks fairly casually as he disembarks from the plank leading up to the ship. After he asks that, the short scholar takes a moment to assess the prince's attitude. Not only does the prince retain his regal bearing, but he also holds himself with the kind of confidence like he can easily hoofle danger even if it presents itself. No ordinary monarch would act like that and truly mean it. This stallion must have some true skills. This isn't just a prince, he's a true adventurer. Stygian had seen his like before, sort of.

“Ah! Don't be daft,” Rockhoof discourages as he disembarks the ship. The plank audibly creaks due to the warrior's heavy weight. Since it happens with Rockhoof, it is surprising that Curb Stomp doesn't cause as much of a disturbance, especially since he stands more upright. That would mean even more weight is pressing down at two points instead of being spread out on four hooves. “Thee ol' professor may be an adventurer at 'eart, but inside, 'e's still an ol' softie.”

“Tarry naught long with us,” Stygian advises his large friend. “I don't want other ponies associating you with us so soon.”

“Aye. Don't ya be worrying about that, wee lad,” the large stallion assures. “Ah be shuffling off nary before long. Besides, there is sexy island mares to be had. Aye! Now this is ma kind o' adventure.”

Rockhoof keeps his word by moving along. It doesn't take him long to be intercepted by a dozen islanders who gladly greet him with friendly native hospitality.

Stygian smiles at his old large friend fondly even though he also experiences a small shade of jealousy. Wherever Rockhoof struts, he ventures forth boldly and with deserved confidence. That isn't just a byproduct of his culture. It is also a result of his experience, power, and just who he is as a pony. It’s almost as if Rockhoof’s scrawny true form is the real lie. The magic that later augmented him simply caused him to be what he was always meant to be at heart.

Stygian can be mighty too, even on a grand scale, but it usually is with a lot of preparation and/or dark magic. Until then, he really needs to stay on the tips of his hooves because almost anything can easily kill him.

The scholar/pony looks back at the prince just in time to notice something interesting. Apparently the prince whispered something to his lovely retainer Mirage. Whatever it is, it causes Mirage to close her eyes as she bows before rising, opening her eyes again, then takes off. Stygian's eyes follow her in surprise before passing that same look back to the prince.

“You're splitting her apart from us now, Your . . .” Stygian almost finishes that question with the word “Majesty” out of sheer habit, but stops himself when he realizes it might be a wise idea not to over advertise the prince's royal heritage in open public. At least not until it is strategically sound. He swallows hard, then decides to start over by saying, “You know that splitting the party too much may be an issue later if we have to depart from this island in a hurry. If you don't mind me saying so, I don't think it's wise at this time.”

“Oh, don't you worry about my vassal,” the prince calmly assures as he uses a small bottle to pour more bubble soap into his pipe. “She'll meet up with us if we have to depart in a hurry. In the meanwhile, I sent her on an errand, for I have more than one issue to deal with on this island.” He floats his bottle away in the saddlebag under his white cape and floats his pipe to his lips. “Anyway, there is no use side-stepping my question.”

Stygian sighs, then admits, “Honestly, Your-”

Pony feathers! I almost said it again! He mentally berates himself.

“Well,” he starts over, “I consider it wise to remain on edge when engaging new and potentially hostile situations. Only a fool would allow complacency to excuse lack of alertness.”

“Well said, Professor,” the prince commends. “That said, there is no reason to be too uptight either, and I still have a formidable security force with me. Plus, I'm sure most of the natives are as friendly as they seem.”

“I'm sure they are,” Stygian nervously agrees as he sweeps the docks with a cautious look. When his gaze returns to the plank leading up to the ship, he sees Cozy, Sunset, Cheese, and Pink Heart disembarking. The professor is not the only one to feel a little nervous about watching the crippled doctor roll down the plank, but apparently the doctor's magic seems to have firm control over the wheels of her chair. The doctor is the last to disembark between the four. Sunset keeps sparing a quick glance back at her wheelchair companion cautiously.

“Where is she going?” Cozy asks when she reaches the base. Stygian follows her gaze and soon realizes that the princess is referring to Mirage.

“I sent her to do some errands,” the prince repeats, unbeknownst to Cozy.

“You sure that's wise?” Cozy checks. “You know that-”

The prince interrupts her with a lift of his hoof before saying, “I already had this discussion with the Professor. Yes, I am confident things will be fine. She'll be back on the ship before you know it if we have to take off quickly.”

Stygian notices the Equestrian princess gives the prince a slightly suspicious look. It is as if she's adding this unusual detail to the ever-growing list of mysterious facts about the prince's seemingly most demure vassal. Upon noticing her reaction, he feels relieved to realize he's not the only one keeping tabs on that mysterious mare.

“Well, you boys don't have too much fun without us,” Sunset playfully cautions. “As for me, I had always wanted to go to islands like this in the human world. Normally it's too expensive.” She sighs. “All I really wanted to do is spend some time relaxing and sunning myself on the beach. Alas, duty calls.”

Cheese breaks into a snicker before saying, “You want to sun yourself, Miss Sunset?”

“Hey, what can I say?” Sunset says with a simple shrug. “I am a girl who knows what she likes.”

“Well, if it's any consolation, you can admire the scenery along the way,” Pink Heart attempts to console. “But I need to have a look at the local medicines. We might need it for the trip ahead. I don't want us to continue our voyage unprepared.”

Cheese shrugs as she says casually, “Well, thanks to the communication crystals, we-”

“Shh!” Stygian hisses at her to shut her up. “Let's not be too blatant about that information while we're ashore, shall we?”

“Oh! Right. Sorry,” Cheese says with a sheepish grin.

“Come along,” Pink Heart bids as she magicks her wheelchair forward. “There is work to be done.”

“And what should I do?” Rumble asks as he lands upon the docks.

“You know what Glenda looks like, right?” Stygian asks Rumble quietly.

“Uh . . . I haven't met her personally,” Rumble tells the professor in the same volume. “That said, I have seen some pictures of her in the newspaper. Unlike her predecessor, Glenda isn't a novelist like Miss Yearling so I'm not as familiar with her. Still, I'm pretty confident I would recognize her when I spot her.” Rumble gains a shrewd look as he goes on to ask, “And let me guess . . . you want me to scout for her in the sky?”

“If you would be so kind,” Stygian acknowledges with a slight bow. “Meanwhile, you'll find us roaming the approximate-”

Rumble forestalls the professor with a lift of a hoof before saying, “Say no more, Professor. I'm sure I can spot you guys.” He looks at Curb Stomp before adding, “Especially this guy. I could probably spot him a mile away.”

“I see you got your camera too,” Stygian notes as he observes the device hanging from Rumble's neck. “Excellent. Be sure to take some pictures of anyone directly engaging either Glenda or I, but also be discreet about it.”

“Huh.” Rumble rubs the bottom of his chin as he says, “I haven't been a member of the paparazzi before . . . but I'm sure I can manage it.” He lowers his hoof back to the deck as he asks, “If I do spot her, you want me to fly back and inform you of her position?”

“Subtly,” Stygian instructs. “Don't approach us directly. Instead, take something reflective, like the lens of your camera, and use it to reflect the sunbeam in my general direction until it gets my attention. Once I look at you, wave to indicate where she is, but keep your distance.”

“Got it,” Rumble accepts with a nod, “but what if you or she gets into a scuffle?”

“That's why I want you to initially keep your distance,” Stygian informs. “When I give the signal, which will be a flare from my horn, I want you to primarily target anypony who is capable of shooting a projectile. Neutralize them before they threaten the rest of us too much. They are your top priority.”

“Curb Stomp and I will hoofle the rest,” the prince calmly assures Rumble before blowing a few bubbles from his pipe. “Well, that and Glenda too, of course, assuming she's capable of action.”

“Okay, but what if there isn't anypony armed with projectiles?” Rumble checks. “What do I do then?”

“In that case, hold back,” Stygian advises. “Chances are strong that the rest of us will be pretty well covered. I don't want you to . . .” He trails off as he considers this further, then says, “Actually, if it seems that we and Glenda are fine then I want you to keep an eye out for the innocent bystanders in the area. If they get into too much trouble, do whatever you can to help them but do it within your discretion. Do you understand? I'll leave that to your judgment call on what you can and can't hoofle.” Stygian peers at Rumble sharply as he asks, “Have you been in a crisis situation before?”

“Kind of,” Rumble answers. “Officially, no, but the Wonderbolts gave us some training on how to hoofle various crisis situations.”

“In that case, I'm sure you'll do fine,” Stygian figures. “Go then. We'll rendezvous with you later.”

“You got it!” Rumble affirms before he takes off.

“What a fine specimen of a stallion,” the prince's remarks before giving the professor a casual look while waving ahead of him. “Well then, shall we?”











Stygian sighs with regret as he lowers his magically hovering spyglass from his left eye before saying, “Sometimes I hate being right.”

“Let me guess,” the prince begins, “the lady is engaged in troublesome affairs?”

“From what I can tell from Rumble's wing signals, she isn't in a scuffle yet, but she is surrounded by eight potentially hostile characters. The situation might explode at any moment.”

“Then we'd best hurry,” the prince decides calmly before he canters ahead. “Not that I don't have confidence in her ability to hoofle this situation, but I still think it would be polite to render assistance when and if required.”

“Agreed,” Stygian concurs as he rushes to keep up with the prince. Because of his shorter legs, however, the scholar almost hast to break into a full gallop to keep up. “Truth be told, I thought all of these precautions would be unnecessary, but I had to take her reputation into account, and I did not want to rush in unprepared.”

“Are you certain you wish to participate in this personally, Professor?” the prince asks with a note of concern in his voice before offering, “You don't have to. I'm sure Glenda, my bodyguard and I can hoofle them. There is no need to expose yourself.”

Stygian grimaces before saying, “I admit, showing up personally is a strategic risk. I'm usually the last pony that should be in the front lines of danger, but that said, the asset is so valuable to acquire in this case. If there is anything I can do to help convince her to join us, or at least protect her from danger, even a little, then I want to be there to help.”

“That's noble and brave of you,” the prince commends, “but you're supposed to be the smart one here. When danger is a serious possibility, it is important to remember one's limits.”

“I suspect I'll get plenty of reminders of that as our journey continues,” Stygian informs grimly as they continue to hurry ahead. “Maybe it's best to get used to that now. I've probably been out of the adventuring saddle for far too long. When our circumstances warrant a change in attitude, I'll adapt as I must.”

“That's the spirit, I suppose,” the prince loosely accepts. “But do not confuse bravado for foolhardiness. When action starts, do the smart thing and fall back a little. Like myself, you are a unicorn anyway. I'm sure there is something you can do to assist us from a distance, but it's probably best not to draw too much attention to yourself unless you are certain you can hoofle it.”

“As I'm sure you are aware, there is no such thing as certainty and guarantees in an adventure,” Stygian counters. “Superior strategy and resources may stack the odds in favor of one side or the other at any given moment, but every creature involved in a scuffle always assumes some risk.” He frowns as he looks down. “That includes the innocent bystanders, if any.”

“Ah! There you go!” the prince cheers as he realizes something. “If a fight breaks out, please do what you can to guide innocent bystanders to safety. You told Rumble this too, and that was a wise precaution. You can follow through with that advice yourself. If Glenda sees that, she will respect that. That, in turn, may improve our odds of luring her to our cause.”

“I suspect our bait alone would be too tempting for her to resist joining us,” Stygian figures. “That said, your suggestion may be a wise call. I'll keep that in mind.”

Stygian peers ahead with a grim but also calculating look, then he announces, “In the meantime, we must also consider why these potential aggressors are here to bother her. It may be prudent to realize that they are either trying to hire her for a dangerous mission, or she already has her talons on something they want.” He peers at his adjacent racing partner sharply. “There might be some room for negotiation here, and that is your forte. Keep in mind, however, that if it involves something she already possesses, it might be too dangerous to pass on to them.”

“Which means we need more information,” the prince concludes, “and that won't occur much until we announce ourselves and get involved.”

Stygian nods as he looks forward as he says, “Aye.”











Stygian, Prince Salizar, and Curb Stomp continue to race ahead until they near Glenda and those who surround her. At that point the three slow down as they take careful stock of what's ahead of them. So far there isn't any active combat yet, but they can clearly sense the tension in the air. This seems to be particularly true for Glenda, for she is the one surrounded by some pretty burly ponies.

Like his partners, Stygian carefully assesses all of those who surround the lone griffin. In doing so, he quickly notices two patterns about this group very quickly. One is the fact they are all males, including the one currently talking to Glenda. The second fact is that they are all ponies, but Stygian can't spot a single pegasus among them except for the one currently talking to the adventuring griffin. Of all of them, only the one talking to Glenda seems the most civilized. The rest could pass for bouncers at a bar, except for the fact that they appear more scummy than the average bouncer.

Stygian narrows his eyes grimly when he notices some of the potential aggressors are on high platforms around this area. They are on balconies and are likely trespassing on private property of the natives. These mercenaries don't seem to care about that fact one bit. What's worse is the fact that all of them on the high ground are unicorns. Not only that, but they are visibly equipped with loaded crossbows which they'll no doubt wield with their horn magic when and if the fighting starts. They are not actively aiming them at Glenda yet, but they could at any moment. Those objects alone severely defy the spirit of the local natives.

Speaking of which, the scholar takes stock of the attitude of the innocent bystanders. Of them, the feedback he's getting is rather mixed. Some of them are roaming about and doing their own business while seemingly oblivious to this local tense situation. Others seem aware of it to a variable degree and it does seem to be growing as they alert others. Of those who do seem aware of a potentially hostile situation, they are keeping their distance but also observing. They are not afraid enough to panic and flee yet. Only a few are shuffling off nervously. This is especially true of those who have young in their presence.

Those archers are a major obstacle here, Stygian privately realizes. If a fight breaks out, they need to be neutralized as soon as possible. He grunts. It looks like Rumble might have to get involved with them after all. I wish that wasn't necessary, but he can probably hoofle them far better than any other innocent bystander in the area.

	If a fight breaks out, the natives will probably scramble out of the area as quickly as they can. I doubt the aggressors will target them either unless they are convinced a hostage could be used to secure Glenda's cooperation. Given her reputation, that strategy might even work. He narrows his eyes with determination. We'll just have to make sure they are kept too busy to seriously consider that option. One thing that is in our favor is I don’t think they were expecting us at all, but that includes Glenda.

Looking around carefully, Stygian notices that there seems to be a total of four possible archers armed with loaded crossbows, all of which are currently positioned in high ground. He figures that chances are very strong that Glenda has noticed them, too. She's probably considering to fly out of the local area as soon as she can if a fight breaks out. That alone could ruin the archer's line of sight as soon as she scales over the buildings or under the pier. She'd probably take them out one by one as they scramble to reposition themselves.

Except for the one who is talking to her, none of the potential aggressors are fliers, so she could quickly assume air superiority. Even the one pegasus that is here seems to be a terrible flier because he's too overweight. He might be obese enough to prevent him from flying at all. He doesn't look to be a fighter anyway. He's the face that is here to negotiate with Glenda and order his goons around, but probably nothing else.

Next, Stygian peers sharply at the leader of the potential aggressors to see what he can discern about this stallion. Right off the bat, nothing immediately comes to the scholar in terms of recognition of this particular stallion but that does not surprise him at all. Even in his native time, Stygian tended to recognize only his scholastic partners, frequent customers of the library, and famous leaders. In this new time he's even more out of touch in a world that has a significantly higher population.

Still, some things can be gathered by examining this stallion personally. The one currently talking to Glenda is a well-dressed gentleman dressed in all white. Not only is his outfit white, but he is himself. White hide, wings, tail, mane, and slit mustache. Combined with his pink eyes, Stygian quickly gathers that this stallion is a straight-up pure albino pegasus who wears a fancy white outfit and a white fedora hat with a black stripe on it. From his outward attitude, the white stallion seems to be a gentlepony, but a strong danger instinct within the scholar insists this is not somepony he'd want to meet in a dark alley. There is a definite shady feeling to this guy which is made all the more obvious by the compony he keeps.

As for the rest, most of them are fairly brutish-looking earth ponies. They're here to serve as a reminder of the consequences of refusing their boss. On their time off, maybe they'd be the kind who could sing a lullaby or tell a story to lull young foals to sleep, but when they are on the clock, they might not have any qualms about breaking somepony's legs when their job calls for it.

As for Glenda, Stygian notes there is a lot of tension in her stance. She keeps glancing around her carefully in order to remain alert if anypony suddenly attempts to spring into action upon her. Not only that, but she seems concerned about the innocent bystanders too. To her credit, she is also the first to notice the approach of Stygian, Curb Stomp, and the prince. Her eyes alight with recognition of the prince in particular. Other than that, Stygian feels disturbed to notice that their presence seems to subtly bother her. It's as if she views them as an intrusion to this situation.

From an audible perspective, Stygian does not get the chance to gather much information. By the time he gets close enough to eavesdrop on this conversation, one of the boss's goons gives a whistle to signal for attention. Once the goon has it, the earth pony stallion nods at the approaching intruders. Doing so draws the albino pegasus's attention towards the newcomers. Once that happens, he pauses to assess everything he can about them. Of them, he seems interested in the prince in particular. At first Stygian wonderes why Curb Stomp didn't gather interested attention instead until he looks back and notices the bodyguard is here but a bit of a ways back as if not announcing his presence yet. The scholar wonders if that is an oversight until it occurs to him that this kind of approach might be a deliberate strategy on the prince's part.

“Can I help you, gentleponies?” the albino boss asks politely. “Are you lost or . . . do you have business with us or this fine lady here?”

“The latter,” the prince answers immediately. “If you don't mind.”

The mob boss cocks his head curiously at the prince as he says, “I don't mind as long as you wait your turn, Mister . . .” he leaves that word deliberately hanging in order to invite the prince to fill in the blank.

Stygian regards his partner as well, curious how the prince chooses to answer that particular question.

Prince Salizar floats his white cape back a bit as he bows slightly while announcing, “You, Sir, have the honor of addressing Prince Salizar Alabaster of Saddle Arabia.”

Stygian lifts his left eyebrow at the prince curiously for that announcement. For some reason, he wasn't expecting the prince to be honest with that response, or at least not that honest. He could have simply said he was a merchant and that might be fine. A full disclosure of his royal titles comes with some pros and cons. Which side is stronger depends upon whom he's engaging. In this case, the scholar doesn't think it was wise to be fully honest with this audience. If it was for Glenda's sake, he might understand, but she seems to recognize him anyway so a full disclosure doesn't seem necessary in her case.

Looking back at the mob boss, Stygian notices a glint of suspicion sink into the albino stallion’s eyes. He clearly doesn't believe the prince. He might even take that answer as a mockery.

Under these circumstances, Stygian can figure out why the boss gave that initial response.

Maybe the prince expects that response, Stygian figures. To what end? Does he hope to provoke a fight?

“A prince, huh?” the mob boss asks skeptically. “And of Saddle Arabia, you say? A place well known for their merchants, I see.” When he said that, his eyes drew back to Glenda. “It may be far fetched to believe an actual prince is here, even if I consider your reputation and the compony you tend to keep, but a merchant I can believe.” He points his cane at Glenda which is magically pressed to his hoof. “You didn't expect me to show up today so it's logical to conclude that they didn't expect me either. They came for you, Miss Glenda, which leads me to believe that you were expecting them.”

“You'd be surprised,” Glenda says tightly. “To be honest, I wasn't expecting any of you.” She shrugs lightly. “Well . . . I take that back. I half expected to run into you somewhere along the way. I heard of your contracts for hired mercenaries about your intentions to seek certain artifacts. How do you think I found out about them myself? And, of course, I knew I had to get to it first before it fell into the wrong hooves.”

The albino stallion lifts then stabs his cane back into the wooden pier floor as he says, “I know you beat my mercenaries to the Glazetec Temple. You were there. Some of the traps had already been set off, disabled, or safely bypassed. It seems you even found out the password to safely bypass the guardian golems of the temple. I tip my hat at you for that, Miss,” he says before promptly doing so. “You really do your homework. I should expect nothing less from you, the understudy of Miss Do.”

Stygian's eyes lit with horror and recognition the moment this stallion mentioned the Glaztec Temple. He heard of the history of that civilization and the dark artifact that is there.

“I make my own name in this profession, thank-you-very-much,” Glenda remarks in an insulted way. “I have nothing but admiration and respect for my old mentor, but everything I do in this profession is to my own credit. You would be wise to remember that.”

“Fair enough,” the stallion concedes with a bow. “As you said, in recognition of that fact, I have to consider that you have already planned ahead.” He rises from his bow. “You penetrated the temple, you found what you sought, and I think you already have a buyer lined up.”

“A buyer?” Glenda scoffs. “I think you're projecting too much. I don't think like you, Fernando Fedora. When I acquire dangerous artifacts, I do so specifically to keep it away from ponies like you, or to those you would sell it to.” She straightens herself with a look of dignity. “Unlike you, I have a higher calling. My interest is to protect this world, not destroy it.”

Fernando shakes his cane at Glenda as he says, “But nevertheless, you do have it. Until recently, I assumed you simply hid it somewhere. That might have been the most prudent course of action unless you knew you had the means of disposing of it somewhere, or should I say . . . somepony. I'm not in the business of second-guessing your private motives, Miss Glenda, and frankly, I don't care to that extent. I'm trying to be polite here, but there is only one thing I came after and, as you have no doubt guessed, I'm not taking 'no' for an answer on this.”

“Get used to disappointment, then,” Glenda warns. “Because 'no' is the only answer you'll get one way or another.” She sinks into a battle stance. “I'm not like your typical 'clients'. I don't capitulate to bullies like you. Rather, I defy them. Challenge me if you feel you must, but you'll meet with the same end as most of my opponents.”

“Are you sure we can't be civil about this?” Fernando wonders with a lift of a white eyebrow which is hard to see on his white hide. “Your merchant and his lackey notwithstanding, you may have noticed that you are quite surrounded, my dear.”

His lackey? Stygian reflects privately. He doesn't recognize me. Good. I'll use his ignorance to my advantage.

For that matter, he doesn't recognize the prince either. His Majesty does dress the role he claims to be, but he could just dismiss that as either a rich merchant instead or a well-disguised con artist. After all, those who work in the criminal underbelly may have a tendency to think that everyone thinks as he does.

Glenda shakes her head as she says, “I keep telling you, I wasn't expecting them either.” She throws a glare back at the pair in question. “Nor are they welcome to be here.”

“As I said, I'm here for my own business,” the prince reminds. “Your issues do not concern me unless you intend to hurt the lady here.” While still holding a mostly civil stance, the prince passes Fernando a warning look. “If that is your plan then I'm afraid that does interfere with my business. Personally,” he places a hoof to his white garment chest, “I'm all for civil business. That is the way I prefer to deal with my business. My bodyguard, on the other hoof, deals with a different business entirely.”

That introduction seems to be the signal Curb Stomp was waiting for before stepping up and stopping behind his liege. He stops there while folding his arms across his chest as he glares at those ahead of him menacingly.

Stygian notes the fact that it works, too. Despite the fact that these potential aggressors still outnumber them, they actually back off from the minotaur, some of them with wide-eyed expressions.

“I would like to assure you all that you have nothing to worry about him as long as we all agree to keep things civil,” the prince expresses. “The choice, of course, is yours.”

“Boss,” speaks a large gray earth pony stallion with a square bottom jaw and a short orange mane, “ya may pay me enough to follow your orders in general, but I'm telling you . . . I ain't signed up to attack some large, battle-hardened minotaur.”

In response to that comment, Fernando Fedora momentarily lost his composure. He growls to the lackey in annoyance, “You will either answer to me or Mace directly. I suggest you consider that wisely.”

Stygian observes Fernando's goons shiver in fright which leads the scholar to realize they are dealing with a toady. Fernando has his own boss in their organization. One they fear even more than the white-suited, plump, albino stallion. Just for that, Stygian levitates a scroll and quill with ink out of his saddlebag in order to literally write himself a note about that name; Mace. He adds to that name that it might be the true mob boss who is after whatever artifact Glenda took from the Glazetec Temple.

“Enough of this!” Fernando barks out in annoyance as he looks at Glenda again. “Earlier you alluded to the fact that you hid our prize somewhere, but if this so-called 'prince' came here to collect something from you, chances are strong you have what I seek in person. If you are not willing to give it to me willingly, I will have to resort to other means at my disposal to secure my prize. As I said, I did not come here to get no for an answer.”

Glenda says nothing in response to that threat. Instead of that, she takes a stance that is ready to herself. She observes sharply and narrowly at every threat around her in order to monitor who might engage her first. She also assesses her environment, those within it, and plans accordingly.

Professor Stygian has been holding himself ready this whole time. So, when everypony started moving in an aggressive way, he is the first to act by backing off while tensing his head and neck with a tight squint of concentration. The result is a build-up of energy gathering into his horn. Everypony else did not pay attention to it at first until he launches a brilliant flaring projectile high into the air which trails sparkling light. Once it ascends to a distance of about forty-five feet, the light explodes into a bright white flash which is followed by a shower of cascading sparkles.

The reaction to that spell for most of the battlefield is to pause and assess this. Very few know what it means so most of the potential combatants watch this because they aren't certain if it will be a threat to them. Even Glenda analyzed it for a moment. The only one who completely ignored it is Curb Stomp who immediately charged into battle.

Other than the raging minotaur, to her credit, Glenda is the next to recover. While the distraction briefly held the attention of every hostile pony around her, she charges between the thick of a dozen hostile ponies which, at first, seems like a tactical error to Stygian until it occurs to him that her new position affords her cover from all the archers above. Sure, her shields will probably attack her, but the archers can no longer hit her without going through their own companions.

More than likely Curb Stomp kind of ruined her plans by taking off his chain from his chest and swinging it in a wide arc in front of him. In that one swing alone, three of the goon earth ponies are immediately knocked unconscious.

In the process that exposes Glenda to two archers above who are standing next to each other on a second-story balcony. Due to that temporary opportunity, they attempt to line up their shots by magically levitating their crossbows ahead of them then shutting one eye in order to view out a cross-hair above their crossbows. Seconds later they fire, but their crossbow bolts end up getting whacked away by Curb Stomp’s fast-spinning chain which he uses as a makeshift shield.

The archers who fired end up getting stunned for a second with surprise at how their efforts got thwarted. After that, they are about to start to reload their crossbows but pause again when they see the raging minotaur charge below them while roaring with such volume that it echoes in the distance. He ends up a bit below their line of fire. Along the way, he is spinning his chain above him to gather momentum. Following that, he swings his iron chain so hard that he shatters through two support beams beneath the balcony. Because of that, the balcony buckles. The forward end tips forward and spills both archers painfully tumbling to the floor.

Glenda, meanwhile, holds her crouch as she carefully assesses three remaining hostile ponies in front of her and two more a bit behind her and off to her right, but they aren't as close. She waits for them to make the first move, intending to counter whatever they do, but it turns out they are doing the same thing. They end up just staring at each other, each not wanting to make the first move.

Several things happen simultaneously.

The roar of a new warrior charges into the battlefield behind Glenda. She does not tear her eyes away from the three opponents ahead of her, but she does tilt her head a bit to the side in order to listen to this new potential threat charging in behind her.

From Stygian's perspective, however, he notices that the pony charging into the fray is none other than Rockhoof. He is actually roaring fairly loudly considering he is also biting into the middle stem of his shovel. Every opponent that comes into contact to the left and right of that shovel stem is ending up getting shoved forward with a fair amount of ease. When the shovel stem to the left side of Rockhoof's mouth catches up to Glenda, she ends up ducking without even looking back. One of the opponents ahead of her tries the same thing, but Rockhoof tilts the left side of the stem a bit down to catch that opponent anyway.

Altogether, Rockhoof ultimately ends up shoving six burly earth ponies off the pier entirely in one single charge.

While that is happening, one of the archers Curb Stomp knocked down recovers faster than his partner. That unicorn whacks the towering minotaur once by swinging the crossbow itself in desperation with his magic. In response, Curb Stomp just stands there and accepts the hit. The crossbow ends up getting shattered against his flesh because, apparently, he's more solid than the makeshift weapon used against him.

The attacker widens his eyes at this, then whirls about in order to buck at the minotaur three times, and three times the minotaur simply accepts the hit to prove how immune he is to it. Every hit of that rear kick connects with Curb Stomp’s abdomen as if it is made of solid iron. However, on the third kick, he finally moves to snatch the left leg that was used to kick him as if convinced he's proven his point by then. Once he has that leg, he slowly lifts it up and dangles his opponent helplessly before him. By then the attacker gave up trying the offense and instead attempts the sympathy card. Upside down, he smiles shyly and apologetically. The battle-hardened minotaur just stares at his opponent for two seconds before whirling his prize about and uses his opponent to smash the other archer back down who was starting to recover and crawl up until he is smacked back down with the body of his own ally.

At the same time, Stygian observes how a dark cloud inexplicably flies into the fray towards the remaining two archers above. After that, the scholar hears a brief sound of kicks and hits within that cloud. He concludes that it is most likely Rumble that pushed that cloud directly into his opponent in order to gain concealment from the remaining archer. From there, it sounds like Rumble's kung fu skills made short work of that opponent, especially considering that opponent was blinded during the attack. That should apply to Rumble too, but he was expecting this and probably trained under these conditions.

That leaves only one last archer to threaten Stygian's friends. He looks at that opponent, who is standing on one of the slightly slanted roofs of the buildings around them. That archer attempts to line up a shot at Glenda. The griffin notices this too and holds herself ready. The professor also notices how the adventuring archaeologist spreads her wings slightly, most likely in preparation to flap her wings at the projectile and knock it off course.

However, when the archer fires, the projectile ends up bouncing off a magical shield that suddenly pops up in front of him. Since the transparent shield has a brownish-golden color, Stygian figures the spell belongs to the prince. Glancing at him for a brief moment, Stygian confirms that the prince's horn is shining the same color at that moment.

While the last archer blinks in surprise at this development, the shield, which blocked his projectile earlier, proceeds to bash into that opponent a second later. This attack knocks him unsteady on his already slanted surface. For good measure, the shield vanishes. A moment later one of the archer’s limbs gets enveloped by a golden/brown aura color. The prince telekinetically drags that opponent down then off the edge of the roof. He ends up crashing onto a pile of wooden square crates down below. That landing injures his back so severely that he is paralyzed for the rest of the fight.

“Attack him, you fools!” Fernando orders his remaining minions while nodding to indicate the prince. “If you hold him hostage, that will hold the minotaur in check.”

Meanwhile, Stygian notices how Fernando hasn't made a move against any of the professor's allies at all. The mob boss literally has just been standing there the whole time while observing the fray around him. Since the start of this fight, the only action he's ever taken is to order the rest of his minions. This seems to indicate that Fernando is meant to be the brains of this outfit (such as it is) with authority, but nothing else to offer that's noteworthy unless he's hiding a secret trump card like some kind of magical object. If that is the case, however, he has yet to pull it out. For his part, the professor observes how the mob boss looks quite flustered, but not afraid yet.

In response to the order, one earth pony minion steps up to the prince. In this case, it is the dark gray stallion that earlier said he wanted nothing to do with the minotaur. So far he's kept his word about that, but he has fewer qualms about engaging the prince directly.

“Need help, laddie?” Rockhoof offers the prince calmly while he stabs his shovel into the wooden floor beside him.

“Nah. I got this one,” the prince replies calmly as he turns to engage his new opponent.

Because he said that, Curb Stomp freezes in mid-step then pulls back away from his liege. Instead, he stands up straight while crossing his arms, content to observe the rest of the fray while remaining prepared to act just in case.

“Ya got this one?” the gray stallion asks the prince in a mocking tone, then goes on to say, “I beg to diff-”

His speech is interrupted when the prince flings the bubbles in his pipe directly into his opponent’s eyes. In response, that stallion reels back, shuts his eyes, and cries out in pain. While that happens, Prince Salizar floats his pipe close to opponent’s right foreleg and uses the hook of the pipe to drag that leg forward and up. This ends up flipping the gray stallion down into a prone position, especially since he's still struggling with the pain of soap bubbles in his eyes. While on the ground, the prince floats the pipe around so the mouth end is aimed at the gray stallion. From there, he jabs that somewhat pointy end hard into the gray stallion's temple. This ends up knocking the stallion unconscious with that extremely precise attack.

After that, the prince floats his pipe back to him, squints in disgust at the mouthpiece now, then floats a white rag from his saddlebag in order to wipe the mouthpiece clean anew before floating it casually back into his mouth.

“Well done, laddie,” Rockhoof commends while stomping one hoof down on the ground in a gesture of congratulation. “That's showin' 'em. Aye.”

Rumble flies up to Stygian then hovers three feet in the air before the diminutive scholar while saluting and reporting, “All innocents have already cleared from the area. Apparently they made their own way out of the battlefield.

“Furthermore, all combatants have successfully been neutralized as well, except for him.” Rumble nods to indicate the mob boss himself.

Fernando Fedora leans both of his forward hooves heavily into his cane as he glumly scans about, eyeing each of his easily dispatched goons one by one. When he eyes the last one, he says, “I was prepared to deal with Glenda alone, but I didn't expect allies of her own would suddenly show up, especially considering her stubborn determination to operate solo.” He peers sharply at the prince, then says, “You really are the prince of Saddle Arabia, aren't you? Very few other ponies could afford quality bodyguards like those you've employed.”

“I have never denied that in this encounter, and I see no reason to start now,” the prince replies calmly at the lone white dressed mob boss. “And, as you can see, as a merchant/prince, I have an eye for quality.”

Fernando sighs in frustration, then asks, “So . . . what happens to me now?”

“That depends on the lady,” the prince says as he eyes Glenda before adding, “If it were up to me, however, I'd be inclined to let you go because you've caused no lasting harm and you're no threat to me. I don't expect you ever will be, either.” The prince flashes Fernando a warning look. “If you ever attempt to be a threat against me again, I warn you that I have significantly more resources at my disposal to call to my defense just in case you're ever feeling both lucky and stupid.”

“Believe me,” Fernando replies as he narrows his eyes at the prince, “I won't forget what you've done today. Whatever I plan to do next, it will take into account what I've learned today and then some, for I have every reason to expect a true royal prince to have much at his disposal.”

Prince Salizar bows at Fernando slightly as he acknowledges, “That would be most prudent of you, Sir.”

“As for me,” Glenda pipes in, “I'm not much of a fan for holding prisoners, nor am I a fan of either using or suffering from torture. I also try my best not to kill, but that said, I may seriously wound active combatants against me and, under those circumstances, mortal accidents have been known to happen despite my best efforts.”

“So, in other words,” the prince clarifies as he transfers his look from Glenda to Fernando while simultaneously transferring his pipe from the left side of his face to his right, “you're free to go, unless the native authorities on this island have anything to say. If you manage your way off this island, warn your boss that Glenda is under my protection for as long as she chooses to be. During that time, she is off-limits, lest you evoke my wrath again. Have I made myself clear?”

Fernando nods while glaring sharply under the rim of his hat as he says, “Yes, Sire,” he answers tightly. “You have made yourself perfectly clear.”

As he said that, some of his goons groan and start to pick themselves up. As for those pushed off the edge of the pier, they are still busy swimming and attempting to find their way back onto the town on a cross-network of interconnected piers.

“May I go now?” Fernando asks in a continued tight and tense voice.

“You may go along with the understanding that any further hostile actions will be met in kind, and I might not be so merciful next time,” the prince warns.

“Duly noted,” Fernando acknowledges with a tip of his hat then starts to trot away. Eventually he is followed by his minions, some of which need assistance from their allies.

Glenda's gaze follows the mob out. When it seems they are out of earshot, she calls over her shoulder to the prince while continuing to eye the retreating threats, “I take it that is your airship the natives have been abuzz about on the island? Sea ships they see plenty enough, but airships are not too common out on these parts.”

When the mob is finally out of sight, she turns her head back to look at the prince as she says, “There aren't many that I know of who can afford such extravagance so easily.”

“Indeed, I won't deny that,” the prince replies, then tilts his head before asking, “I'm curious, are you pleased with the prize I awarded you in our previous encounter together?”

“Oh yes, Sire. Definitely,” Glenda responds as she pats her saddlebag affectionately. “Not only does it hold my most valuable stuff, but I even live in this thing now, especially while out in the wild.”

“Huh?” Rumble asks as he finally landed and folded his wings on his back. “You lost me.”

“The item in question is a magical device,” the prince explains to Rumble. “It shrinks anything placed within the bag, including living creatures. Not only does that significantly reduce the weight of the items placed inside, but makes them considerably more portable.”

“Wow!” Rumble exclaims in amazement. “For how long?”

“Until the items and/or creatures leave the bag,” the prince answers. “At that point, the process reverses. Anything leaving that bag resumes its normal weight and size.”

“Interesting,” Rumble says as he transfers his look from the prince to Glenda. “And you say you actually live in that thing now?”

Glenda smirks as she nods before saying, “Yes. I've got several pieces of furniture within there, including a bed, desk, and other unmentionables.”

“Did you really penetrate the Glazetec Temple?” Stygian asks Glenda in alarm as he trots forward until he's beside the prince.

“Um . . . you're Professor Stygian, right?” Glenda asks the professor with moderate recognition.

Stygian confirms with a nod as he says, “Yes Ma'am. I am.”

“And you're Rockhoof, one of the legendary Pillars of the ancient Equestrian civilization and the Mighty Helm,” Glenda goes on as she looks at Rockhoof with admiration in her gaze and her voice.

Rockhoof smiles as he replies, “Aye, lassie, that ah am, and may ah just say that ah'm so pleased that ma reputation continues to hold after all these centuries.”

“Well . . . I am an archaeologist, and your legendary exploits are no small deal,” Glenda explains to Rockhoof before looking at Stygian. “To answer your question, yes. I have successfully penetrated the Glazetec Temple and I have secured a certain dangerous prize from it. If you've all come for that, you shall be met with the same resistance I gave to Fernando.”

Stygian widens his eyes then whips a hoof back and forth ahead of him while shaking his head before saying, “No, no, no. I have no intention of setting a hoof on that cursed object. I'm also well invested to make sure nopony else receives it either. I assure you, we have approached you because of another matter entirely, but your success at that particular temple may necessitate a further adjustment to our plans.” Stygian tilts his head at Glenda as he goes on to ask, “Tell me . . . you're not currently in possession of any other world-ending artifacts that have a time limit to solve, are you?”

Glenda squints one eye at the short professor sharply as she asks, “If I were, do you think I'd tell you?”

Stygian sighs before admitting, “I suppose not, especially while out in public like this.” He looks to the prince beside him. “I suggest we continue that conversation someplace more private.”

The prince nods with a bit of a concerned look as he responds, “Very well. We can discuss the details of that issue at a later time, but for now, I feel compelled to ask if the item in question really is so . . . apocalyptic?”

Stygian's expression relaxes a little as he shakes his head and replies, “By itself, no . . . but I assure you, Your Majesty, that item can do a lot of damage in the wrong hooves nonetheless.”

“Wrong hooves like our dearly departed friend, I take it?” the prince checks.

“Most definitely,” Glenda assures.

The prince nods as he says, “I see.”

“If you all aren't here for the artifact, then why have you come seeking me out?” Glenda asks in a guarded pose.

“Put simply, to employ you in a once in a lifetime opportunity,” the prince answers.

“Oh?” Glenda asks as she lifts a feathered eyebrow, feeling a bit intrigued now. “In that case, you have my attention. Far be it for me to question your capability to pay your employees and/or royal servants,” she says as she spares a quick glance at the menacing minotaur. That is a potential opponent that intimidates even her.

“To elaborate, how would you like to join us as we venture to explore lands unknown?” the prince offers. “More specifically, we have our hearts set on a course which may deliver us to the lands that Stygian here, and others of his ilk, originally hail from.”

“Really?!” Glenda asks, now deeply intrigued. “In that case, I'd be interested to learn more. Much more.”

“Then let us make our way to my ship and humble tent where we can discuss the details of the particular issue in greater detail. That, and likely more,” the prince suggests.

Glenda flashes them all a cautious look one last time as she seems to assess them and weigh her options. In the end, she says, “Well, Rockhoof here is a legendary hero of ancient Equestria and is known for mighty deeds even in our current era. If he trusts you all, it is more likely I'd be safer in your company rather than outside of it.” She looks at the prince. “That is . . . until we reach our destination. I warn you, Sire, that traveling with me invites cursed opportunity. There will be trouble if you all stay with me, but a chance to achieve something glorious if we overcome that challenge.”

“Is that supposed to talk us out of it?” Rockhoof asks skeptically. “Because, ah got tah say, lassie, yar doing a mighty poor job of that if that is the case. Back in mah day, the Mighty 'elm would've considered ya a lucky charm if ye be honest.”

“I think glorious opportunity is before us regardless,” the prince responds. “That's why I want the most experienced team for this mission that I can get my hooves on. That's where you come in.”

“I'll have conditions,” Glenda further warns.

“Likewise,” the prince replies evenly. “Nor would I expect any less of you.” He grows a smug, salesman-like smile. “So, if you'll follow me, we can go to a location where negotiations and explanations can more safely proceed.”

After that declaration, he gestures back the way he came with a flourishing wave of a hoof.

They notice Glenda's feathers ruffle a bit as if either something the prince said, or the way he said it, bothers her somewhat. Despite that, she nods in cautious acceptance.











Cozy Glow's ears perk up and she stands on edge as she asks her nearby companions, “Did you all hear that?”

“Sure did,” Cheese answers as she looks in the direction they all heard and felt a loud rumble. Seconds later she scans among the local residence, then adds, “Looks like we're not the only ones to notice, either.”

“If I had to guess, I'd say our friends found some action after all,” Sunset Shimmer suspects. She gives the nearby Doctor Pink Heart a look bordering between caution and apology as she says, “We may have to cut our trip here short after all. It's too bad, too. I really wanted to spend more time on Marewaii.”

“Indeed,” Doctor Pink Heart concurs with a sigh. “The items I could have gathered here might help us prepare for our trip, but if an emergency calls-”

The doctor's words get cut off when Cozy yelps as sharp pain stabs into her rib area which is coming from the direction of a dark alley she's standing next to. The next thing she knows is the sensation of hot breath on her right ear which makes it wiggle in reflexive irritation. To that ear, a pony's voice whispers, “Don't scream.”

Right after that, she is seized from behind. A hoof surrounds her mouth from behind before being yanked backwards. She issues another startled yelp even through her closed mouth as she is dragged back into the shadows.

“Cozy?” Sunset asks in alarm before exclaiming, “Cozy!”

Without any further hesitation, Sunset charges into the darkness while igniting her horn with a bright teal aura in order to illuminate her path ahead of her. As she proceeds, panic assails her because she was put in charge of protecting Cozy. This is a responsibility a dear friend trusted her with, and she's likewise deeply concerned for the welfare of the mare herself. A thousand fearsome possibilities grip her as she charges ahead, all of which she vehemently tries to squash down. Beneath that, fear and rage boil. Over and over again, the thought that strongly pervades her is; If you hurt her . . . if you hurt one bit of fur or feather on her, I swear to Celestia that I'll make you PAY!!!

	“Sunset, WAIT!” Cheese cries out behind her.

Indeed Sunset slows from a hard gallop to a gentle canter when something startling and mysterious happens ahead of her. She sees an emerald flash of light ahead of her as if cast from a greenish flame. It only lasts for a second. After that, she hears a startled scream ahead but it lasted only half a second. Fortunately it didn't sound like a scream from Cozy. Rather it was somepony male who had a raspy voice.

While the mystery slowed Sunset to a canter for a moment, urgency propels her back into a hard gallop as she grows doubly determined to catch up. It sounds like Cozy's assailant got attacked himself, but what if this new assailant doesn't stop there? Is Cozy now in greater danger? If so, from what?

Well, whatever the answer might be, she is determined to catch up and save her dear friend.

However, Sunset screeches to a halt when yet another new phenomenon suddenly ignites in the area, this time between Sunset and Cozy Glow. A ball of hovering light erupts between them. It hovers five feet in the air. The glowing ball seems a little recognizable to Sunset but she can't put her hoof on it until it spins about and she notices a brighter light on one end of the hovering, glowing ball. It is then that she realizes she is beholding Doctor Pink Heart's arcane eye. The fact that the magical eye is glowing hot pink is yet another dead giveaway whose spell this belongs to.

The arcane eye bobs in front of Sunset as if to bow to her in acknowledgment for a moment before spinning about and floating closer to Cozy. After that, the eye flashes as it projects sound which has a slightly echoey tone to it. From it, Doctor Pink Heart remotely asks, “Cozy Glow, are you alright?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Cozy responds as she picks herself up then wheels about to view behind her. As she does so, she rubs the back of her neck in discomfort.

“You're rubbing the back of your neck right now,” Doctor Pink Heart observes. “Are you in any pain in that area? How bad is it?”

“Not severe,” Cozy answers, “but because of it, I can't say I'm perfectly fine.”

A flood of anger mixed with concern washes over Sunset. During her approach, she attempts to assess Cozy's former assailant who is now lying on the ground. He's either unconscious or downright dead. At that moment she isn't sure which possibility she'd prefer, but either way, she knew she'd need time for her nerves to calm down.

“Cozy, get back!” Sunset orders. “Come to me, Honey. I will protect you.”

“From what?” Cozy argues as she gazes down at her immobilized attempted ponynapper. “He seems disabled.”

“You can't be sure of that!” Sunset fiercely argues. “Besides, what took him out? Is it friend or foe? Until we know for sure, I want you away from this area.”

“Do as she says, Honey,” Doctor Pink Heart's echoey arcane eye expresses. “If you do, I will investigate the body here and determine whatever I can. Whatever is here can't threaten me through my spell, and Cheese is guarding me from my wheelchair. I could use an extra pair of eyes or two to make sure I remain safe back there while I investigate this area. I can't see through my normal body while I use this spell.”

Cozy continues to stand there for a moment as she sighs, then looks back at Sunset as she asks her, “Did you see that brilliant emerald flame?”

“Don't argue with me!” Sunset orders firmly as her horn glows brighter in preparation to not only illuminate the area (as she is doing now) but also maybe yank Cozy out of the alley if she has to. Sunset feels reluctant to do that because she knows her friend has issues with those who use magic against her, but if she has to do it to protect the elder filly, she will. “Come with me as we get out of this area. I'll answer any question you want me to as soon as we're once again standing in the light of day and in public. You want to protect the doctor and Cheese from further danger too, don't you?”

“Okay, fine!” Cozy relents. “I'm coming, but please answer my question.” She proceeds back to Sunset. “You did see that light too, right? I'm not the only one? Sunset, this is important!”

“Not as important as keeping you safe!” Sunset argues. “I can't relax until I deliver you from danger. I care for you, Cozy, so I cannot accept you in further harm’s way.”

“Aw!” Cozy smiles and casts a shimmering look from her slightly watery eyes at Sunset. “Thanks! It's so good to know you care.”

“I hope you don't really question that,” Sunset says in a slightly spooked tone. “Now, come with me! Let's get you out of here.”

Cozy follows but she spares a quick glance over her shoulder at the hot pink glowing orb as it floats down to investigate the unmoving body on the ground closer. She notices the stallion's body also glow hot pink as Pink Heart moves the body in various positions. Doing so reminds the princess that the doctor can use her magic remotely through her arcane eye. That should give her enough tools to work with to manipulate the crime scene as necessary to uncover more information. That knowledge helps Cozy to feel satisfied with leaving this in the doctor's professional care.

“If he lives,” Cozy says to the doctor's body as she emerges from the shadows of the alley, “maybe we should detain him for questioning.”

“It seems obvious to me why he might have attacked you,” Cheese Pie mentions. “You are an Equestrian princess, after all. Being ponynapped sort of comes with the territory. No offense. If he was successful, he could have used you as leverage against your mother.”

“But how would he know I'm an Equestrian princess?” Cozy checks. “I didn't go out of my way to announce that fact. Not like Prince Salizar did when he arrived at Canterlot.”

“You did arrive on an airship,” Cheese reminds. “Something tells me that's rare out in these parts. Even a hot-air balloon would be pretty uncommon here. I don't think something like that would even make it this far into the Luna Sea, but a full-size zeppelin ship? Those are exceedingly rare unless your name is the Storm King.”

“Plus, as an Equestrian princess, your photo has been in the newspapers plenty of times,” Sunset reminds. “I'm sure you made the front page of such things even before you were adopted by Twilight. Like it or not, Cozy, a lot of creatures know your face.”

Cozy looks back into the dark alley for four seconds with a thoughtful look. She transfers that look to Sunset as she asks her, “Now will you finally answer my question? Did you see an emerald flame in there?”

“I saw it,” Cheese answers instead. “Even way back here. What gives?”

“I did see something to that effect,” Sunset admits now that she can relax her guard a bit more. Protecting these mares is her top priority. As long as that objective seems more secure, she can spare some thought on other topics.

“Weird, huh?” Cheese asks. “Have any of you ever seen something like that before?”

Cozy gives the dark alley a hard look as she answers firmly, “Yes, I have!”

“Oh?” Sunset asks curiously. “Where have you seen such light before, Honey?”

“Changelings,” Cozy answers as she gives Sunset a grim look. “Notably, the bad kind! The less than reformed kind.”

Sunset's eyes slowly widen at Cozy in horror. It is a look that she transfers to the dark alley.

“Are you sure?” Sunset asks Cozy without looking at the young princess.

“I am, but even I have only seen it once before and in only one individual . . . and that is Queen Chrysalis.”

“But Chrysalis is locked up in Canterlot,” Cheese reminds. “It couldn't be her. Furthermore, that room has security measures in place to make sure she can't use her magic, so we know it can't be another changeling impersonating her either.”

“True,” Cozy agrees, “but she might not be the only one to use such corrupted changeling magic. How do we know that all of the changelings have been reformed?”

“Well,” Cheese puts a hoof to her lips, “every changeling that has been reformed were forthcoming about what they knew to Thorax. Every agent that they knew about, they told their new pack leader. That's how they were able to track down and reform the remaining stragglers, as in not the ones who were at the hive when most of them got reformed.” Cheese lowers her hoof back to the ground as she goes on to say, “Changelings used to be starving all the time. The chance to end that curse is a powerful incentive for them all. That, and the promise not to put up with their former queen's abuse.”

“Exactly,” Cozy agrees as she gives her friend a sharp look. “All the changelings at the hive informed Thorax about those that they knew, and they might have even been honest about it. However, if there is one thing you can count on when it comes to my old partner in crime, it's that she likes to hide a trick or two. I wouldn't be surprised if she hid some agents from the rest of the hive just in case they turn on her. Maybe these other agents were kept in complete isolation other than Chrysalis herself. That might also explain why they didn't get reformed along with the others. In the long gallop, it might be drilled in loyalty to their former changeling queen.”

“Even if you're right, why would an evil changeling try to save you from being ponynapped? That doesn't make sense,” Cheese argues.

“Did you find anything on the body?” Cozy asks Doctor Pink Heart.

“Yes . . . eventually,” Pink Heart answers. “It was hard to spot, but I did find two puncture wounds on his neck. I'm collecting a blood sample right now. I'm going to test it when I get back to my lab in the ship.”

“Can changelings create poison from their bodies by morphing into a form that has it?” Cheese wonders aloud.

“They don't seem to have too many limits to their morphic abilities,” Cozy replies. “But even if they do, the method of poison into his system can be delivered by many other means, including a normal tool.”

“That's true,” Cheese concedes.

Doctor Pink Heart’s arcane eye floats out of the alley while floating a small blood sample. She floats out a small empty vial and transfers the sample into the vial. From there, she seems to cast something directly at the blood sample.

“What was that spell?” Sunset checks with the doctor. As she does so, Pink Heart cancels her arcane eye spell then floats the vial into a bag behind her wheelchair.

“I cast something at it to preserve it from degradation,” Pink Heart answers. “Now then . . . I suggest we make our way back to the ship unless we feel content remaining captive by native authorities and answering a lot of questions.” She spins her chair to face the group. “I say we leave the body to the authorities and let them hoofle it. He is alive, by the way, so they have a suspect to interrogate. I, however, do not wish to be added to that list of suspects.”

Cozy looks at the alley longingly, feeling reluctant to depart. She says, “But I want those answers too. Whatever he knows might be important. For instance, did someone hire him or was he acting alone?”

“But getting caught might complicate other issues,” Sunset argues. “I'm with the Doctor on this one. I say we err on the side of caution and get out of here.” She looks at Cozy. “Your mother is the princess of Equestria. I'm sure she can pull some strings and get the answers you seek, even from a distance. She'll probably feel motivated to investigate this anyway. Somepony attacked her only adopted daughter. I could be convinced she'll take the news calmly, at least from an outsider’s perspective, but to do nothing with that information? That would be out of character for her.”

Cozy sighs as she relents by saying, “I suppose.” She wheels about. “Come on.” She canters away.
> Chapter 13: Return to the Carpet
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cozy Glow lands back beside her traveling companions on Marwaii. Her hooves make an audible clomp sound on the wooden pier when she does so.

“So . . . any luck spotting them?” Cheese asks her friend hopefully.

Cozy closes her eyes for a second as she shakes her head before opening her eyes again and answering, “Not as such. I thought I could track them by noting the frantic activities of the other natives in the area, but even they seem to have calmed down. I can no longer tell where they are based on that evidence alone.”

Sunset casts a long sigh, then says, “Well . . . I figured it was a long shot.” She focuses on Cozy with renewed hope. “What about the Carpet? Is it still in the docks?”

Cozy looks at then nods at Sunset before answering, “Yes. I definitely spotted that. The Carpet is still sitting cozy in the docks while looking pretty.” She tilts her head slightly before she resumes. “I had considered flying over to them and asking if they arrived yet, but then I figured we can all do that in person. It's not that far.” She straightens her head again and looks off in the direction of the parked airship for a moment. After that, she looks back at her friends. “In the meantime, I figured I'd return and report what I have and haven't spotted so far.”

“Hey! I got an idea!” Cheese spoke up brightly. “Why don't you simply fly higher? That way you can see even more of the terrain around you!”

Cozy could tell, based on her friend’s enthusiasm, that she's honestly forgetting the problems with that suggestion. The sheer stupidity of it causes Cozy to reflexively face-hoof herself for a brief moment before lowering her hoof back to the pier deck as she says, “No, Cheese, that isn't going to work. Sure, I could fly higher, but that would only make everything smaller and harder to spot individual details. You do understand how distance and perspective works, right?”

“Oh. Yeah. Right.” Cheese flushes with embarrassment. She then waves it off. “Sorry, sorry. I forgot. I'm not used to flying.”

Cozy squints one eye at Cheese as she reminds, “You've been on an airship, Cheese, for the past several days. One would think that would make matters of perspective quite clear. Also, haven't you seen Ponyville from the heights of Canterlot? Think you can spot Mayor Diamond trotting to city hall in the morning from there?”

“I said I'm sorry! Geeze!” Cheese now complains in annoyance. “Just drop it already.” Then she pauses a moment as she thinks about it. A moment later she giggles at herself before saying, “Well . . . Mom always said if we do something stupid, we might as well have the good sense to laugh at ourselves for it.” She shrugs. “After all . . . everypony makes mistakes.” A few seconds later she brightens again with another idea. “Hey! I got a better idea!” She focuses on Cozy. “Why don't I use the Communication Crystal to contact Stygian? After all, he does have another one of those crystals. Also, you should consider contacting your mom and report what happened so far.”

“Communication Crystal?” Doctor Pink Heart asks in confusion.

Cozy growls at Cheese before complaining, “Cheese . . . that was supposed to be a secret.”

“It is?” Cheese asks in surprise before her face fell into depression. Likewise, her fluffy pink mane deflates a bit. “I'm sorry. I just can't do anything right at the moment, can I?” After a moment of consideration she realizes, “I, ah . . . I don't think anypony told me that it was a secret.”

Now it is Cozy's turn to look confused. “But . . . weren't you there in the Prince's meeting before we took off from Canterlot?”

Cheese shakes her head as she answers, “No. I was too busy trying to arrange Rumble to show up on that day.”

“I guess we forgot that you weren't there,” Sunset realizes. “I guess it's our fault for not informing you that particular detail was a secret.”

“Communication Crystal?” Doctor Pink Heart reminds again.

Sunset sighs before explaining to Pink Heart, “Look . . . that was a slip of the tongue. We promised the Prince to hide certain details so we can't explain that to you right now.” She looks at Cozy. “Cheese does have a good point, though. Let's continue our way to the ship and go someplace private. We can attempt to contact Stygian and your mother from there.”

Cozy looks down as she thinks to herself, That is a good point. Why didn't I think of that sooner? I guess I'm just not used to having a resource like that. She looks in the direction of the ship. But communicating to my mother from this distance requires the Crystal to be near a strong ley line. I'll have to check if there is one nearby. She looks around at her local environment as she thinks, There probably is a good one nearby considering all the life and magic that is in this area. At the very least we should be able to contact Stygian. Unless there is no magic in the area at all, the Crystals should be able to contact each other at a short distance. She looks down. That is, assuming, he didn't lose his Crystal or died.

“Well, in any case,” Pink Heart says as she magically turns her wheelchair in the direction of the airship, “we should resume our way to the ship. The others might meet us there anyway and we have to make sure we protect our little princess here from yet another ponynapping attempt. There is also the matter of the potential changeling to report. Furthermore, I want access to my lab so I can test the blood sample I've collected. I'm about seventy percent sure I'll find it filled with some kind of toxin.”

“The changeling,” Cozy muses under her breath then speaks up more loudly, “Hey, everypony, before we proceed back to the ship, I have a request I'd like to make.”

The others look back at Cozy. In Pink Heart's case, she has to turn her entire wheelchair to face Cozy again. When she has their attention, Cozy speaks on. “Look . . . I don't mind us sharing the attempt to ponynap me, but we should seriously consider keeping the detail of the changeling to ourselves.”

“Why?” Cheese asks curiously.

Cozy's eyes shift to look at Cheese as she points out, “Because . . . what if somepony on the ship is the changeling?”

“That's a dangerous line of thinking,” Sunset says in discomfort. “If we start thinking like that, we could develop paranoia about everything and everyone.”

“Changelings tend to do that. They used to relish it,” Cozy says grimly. “Remember . . . we're talking about one of the bad ones now. We can't afford not to consider the possibility that one of us on the airship got replaced.”

“Well,” Sunset pauses for a moment of thought before resuming, “We can be pretty darn sure none of us is a changeling. We traveled together ever since we left the ship.”

“Stygian and the prince also traveled together,” Cheese reminds. “Plus, we saw the changeling’s emerald fire near us during the moment of heightened activity presumably wherever our friends are, so it is highly unlikely that any of them got replaced unless we're talking about more than one changeling.”

“That's possible, but unlikely,” Cozy says. “Most of the changelings have been accounted for. If there are some left who have not reformed then it's probably only a small hoofful. Then again, it seems to me these agents were always under deep cover. If the changelings back at the hive never accounted for these ones, it's possible that they have never known about this group. In that case, there is no telling for sure how many of them there are. The only one who probably knows is the former changeling queen herself. I'd expect her to be tight-lipped about those details even if she still had her sanity.”

Which reminds me, Cozy thought to herself, she mistook me for one of her agents last I spoke to my former partner in crime. She even referred to me by a specific name; that of Zexizmel. Maybe that is the name of the agent following us.

“If what you say is true, why should we not warn our friends at the ship of a possible changeling infiltration?” Cheese asks in concern.

“Because doing so would also tip the changeling off that we're on to it,” Sunset answers, then sighs. “I hate to admit it, but Cozy is right. We should verify the identity of each one before we make any open declarations.”

“Well, since we can trust each other at least, we can work with what we've got,” Cheese brings up. “I'll concentrate harder when we get back to the ship to see if my body reacts strangely to any of them. If one of them has something to hide, I might be able to sense it.” She focuses on Sunset. “Once I have a suspect, you can use your mind-reading crystal to double-check my findings, just like that one time we found the culprit back in Sire's Hollow.”

Cozy growls before complaining to Cheese, “Cheese, that is another secret we were supposed to keep to ourselves.”

“Well how was I supposed to know!” Cheese exasperates. “No pony told me to keep that to myself.”

“It should have been obvious,” Cozy counters.

“We seem to have a lot of secrets among us on the ship, don't we?” Pink Heart observes. “I'm normally not one to judge, but these issues don't seem conducive to trust and cooperation among those of us on the ship.”

“And you're asking us to keep yet another secret from the others,” Cheese complains to her friend. “I can keep a secret if I'm well informed about them, but I don't have to like it.”

“You know . . . it occurs to me that there is only a small hoofful of ponies who left the ship who are also alone,” Pink Heart brings up. “Those at the ship itself are probably well observed, and we possibly saw one changeling nearby us during that time. Rumble and Rockhoof also got separated from the group, but if either Stygian or the prince reports seeing either one of them during the time Cozy got attacked, they are probably in the clear. The one pony we can't account for in either scenario is Mirage.”

Cozy widens her eyes a little in stunned realization, then proceeds to look at Sunset as she says, “It would fit the m.o. of the evil changelings to keep one of their operatives near royalty. Chrysalis would have plenty of incentive to want to keep tabs on somepony like Prince Salizar. Thanks to me, there is now a second royalty on the airship to keep track of.”

“But we shouldn't forget that it was the Prince himself that sent Mirage on an unknown errand on this island,” Sunset reminds the group. “Plus there is the fact that this changeling, if indeed there was one, actually saved Cozy from harm . . . but to what end?”

“Prince Salizar probably wouldn't know that his servant is a changeling,” Cozy figures. “They are normally very tight-lipped about that fact. Revealing herself as a changeling defeats the point of assigning her to him. So, whatever errand the prince sent her out for, it likely wasn't with the knowledge that he's working with a compromised agent.”

“And you know . . . I haven't been getting much feelings from that particular pony,” Cheese adds. “Yet I always felt in my gut that she has something to hide. She always seemed so . . . elusive. I used to think it was because she was guarding state secrets along with her prince, but now I'm not as sure.”

“Evil changelings are empaths too in their own right, at least a bit,” Cozy informs. “I've been told that they can smell emotions. Certain types of emotions makes them salivate with hunger.” She looks at Cheese. “This could mean she was aware that you are a possible empath as well and therefore took additional precautions to guard her mind. Plus, if she is a changeling, she's probably been in deep cover for a very long time. I also get the feeling that any agent that is so top secret that Chrysalis wouldn't even trust that knowledge to the other members of her hive would also have especially superior quality training. We might be looking at one of the most skilled changelings the hive has ever produced. So good that they might be able to hide their intentions even around other empaths and mind readers.”

“So we have a suspect,” Sunset concludes. “I'll do what I can to check to verify our suspicions, but in the meantime, it probably is best we keep this little detail to ourselves.”

“None of this changes our destination,” Pink Heart puts in. “Only our actions once we get there. So, if there are no further suggestions which may delay our course, then I suggest we get a move on. Agreed?”

Cheese nods as she says, “Agreed.”

Sunset echoes, “Agreed.”

Only Cozy hesitates as she stares at Pink Heart, then says after a few seconds of silence, “There is just one more issue we need to deal with. I would appreciate it if you kept other accidental details of our conversation to yourself. In exchange, I could request to the prince to allow you to be included in further details of what we discussed here.”

“I don't require a bribe as incentive to hold my silence,” Pink Heart says back. “But, that said, if you all do choose to include me in the details of whatever secrets are left between us, I both promise to keep it to myself and I'll listen attentively. Whatever they are, I'm sure my employer had good reasons for making that request. Based on what I've learned so far, it's easy to imagine why he may have made that request, but for the moment, I don't want to speculate too much since it risks drawing the wrong conclusions. I prefer to verify my theories before I put serious stock into them.”

“A wise policy,” Sunset agrees. “I used to think a lot like that back when I was Celestia's student, and even before that.”

“But you agree with it no longer?” Pink Heart checks with Sunset.

“In a way, I still do,” Sunset says while rubbing the back of her neck for a moment.  “But that said, there were times that I've learned with my friends in ah . . . someplace distant that I have to trust my gut sometimes. In the absence of evidence, I have to cautiously draw whatever conclusions I can when time is of the essence. Over time I'd say my instincts have gained some refinement.” She grins to herself. “You could say I've gained a few levels in that department.”

Based on the look in Sunset's eyes, Cozy figures there wasn't a strong chance her companions would get that nerdy reference but she still felt compelled to make it.

Pink Heart's response is to lift an eyebrow at Sunset curiously. She also pauses a moment as if giving Sunset an opportunity to explain herself. Sunset does indeed use that opportunity to explain, “It's, ah . . . local dialect of the lands I came from. I don't need to get too much into it.” She sighs a bit sadly. “Though now that I mention it, I suddenly feel a bit homesick.” She frowns. “I miss my friends and my video games.”

“Well, um . . . games can be quite stimulating, I'm sure,” Pink Heart says. “As a psychologist in training, you'd probably be even more aware of the psychological ramifications of it than I am.”

“Sure,” Sunset casually agrees with a light shrug. “In the meantime, we should probably get moving.”

This time no pony disagreed. They resumed their journey back to the airship.











“There they are!” Missus Brizbe calls out excitedly while standing on the main deck facing the port side. She waves a dark claw hand high above her head. When she does so, it is the only part of her clearly visible above the rail since the rest of her is too short. The only reason she is able to spot the approaching group is to view through the bars of the rail of the ship.

In response to Missus Brizbe's notice, Blaze, who is leaning with her hip on the rail of the ship and facing inwards towards the ship, turns her long and flexible neck one-hundred and eighty degrees in order to look in the direction her adjacent shipmate had indicated. Upon doing so, Cozy Glow inwardly shudders at the sight. It is like watching her mother's pet owl spin his head around. It may be a natural ability of the species, but some part of Cozy can't help but imagine a neck-snapping as her own would upon such an action.

Of Cozy's group, Sunset Shimmer is the first to ascend to the upper deck. Daisy anxiously  meets Sunset at that point. Despite that, Sunset is the first to speak between the two.

“Are the others back yet?” Sunset asks Daisy just as anxiously.

Based on Daisy's initially stunned then disappointed reaction, Cozy already figures out the answer. A moment later the quartermaster confirms Cozy's suspicions by saying, “No. No one else has come back yet. Truth be told, we were hoping you could provide us an update.”

Sunset's ears fall flat as she says, “Sorry. We just got back ourselves.”

“Excuse me,” Pink Heart brings up to remind Sunset she is still standing in the way. During that time, the doctor has to envelop her whole chair in her magic to help hold herself in place in such a slanted position up the rail.

“Oh! Sorry,” Sunset expresses as she resumes her trek up to the upper deck then quickly side-steps out of the way, thus giving the good doctor plenty of room to rise to the upper deck.

“Thank you,” Pink Heart responds politely. Her magic shifts from her chair to just her wheels as she forces it to spin enough to rise the rest of the way onto the ship. Cozy, then Cheese, follow suit.

“About the only thing we do know is a spike of activity somewhere further into the island,” Sunset explains as her full party arrives on the top deck of the ship. “It made the natives frantic. My guess is the others ran into some trouble after all.”

“We came to the same conclusion,” Daisy agrees as she looks over to Blaze for a moment then back to Sunset. “In our case, I guess you can say Golden Compass was our lookout in this situation. She parked herself high up on the clouds, you see, in order to give her a better perspective of the island so she could draw a map of it, I guess. Her work was interrupted when she saw a great spark of light flare high into the air. Shortly later frantic activity rose in that same area. After that, she packed up her work then flew back here to report her findings.”

“Sounds to me like the others did run into some trouble,” Cozy figures. “Professor Stygian was anticipating that. I'd bet my right hoof that it was him who caused that magic flare. Most likely it was a signal to the other members of his party to do . . . something. Either that, or their opponents caused that signal for some reason. Possibly it was a call for some back-up.”

“We can't safely assume too much from here,” Pink Heart cautions as she spins her chair about to face the group. “Let's just wait for the others to arrive back and see what they have to say.”

“How did your activities go?” Daisy asks the group in concern.

“We've had some progress, but ours was interrupted by the activities on the island,” Pink Heart reports. “Shortly after the frantic activities arose elsewhere on the island, somepony tried to ponynap the princess here.”

“Oh no!” Daisy exclaims in shock at Pink Heart then looks at Cozy in strong concern. “Are you hurt?”

Cozy shakes her head then opens her mouth to verbally answer but stalls then shifts her eyes at Pink Heart when the doctor beats her to the punch.

“Not as such,” Pink Heart answers which draws Daisy's attention back to the doctor. “I examined her myself shortly after the attack. Other than the shock of the experience, the princess seems none worse for wear.”

“Oh good!” the quartermaster exclaims as she releases a sigh of relief. When next she speaks, her concern returns. “But . . . shouldn't we try to find out if the others need our help?”

“The 'others' left well prepared for action,” Blaze says confidently as she holds her pose with arms crossed across her chest and the back of her hip still leaning on the ship rail. “Rockhoof is a legendary action hero and his friend, Stygian, is a master strategist. Those two are used to working together. You know Prince Salizar and Curb Stomp can hold their own in a fight. Curb Stomp alone could probably solo an entire arena of champion fighters. As for Rumble . . . he seems a well-capable pony and he could always fly away if worse comes to worse. Let's not forget about Glenda either assuming the others found her. She's challenged and beaten many adventures before. Frequently she did it outnumbered as well. Rather than them, I feel sorry for the lot that dares to face our companions.”

“You're probably right,” Daisy concedes while still looking a little worried.

“What alarms me more is the attempted ponynapping of our local princess here,” Blaze continues as she reaches up and rubs her chin between her thumb and pointing finger. “The timing seems suspicious, and how did anypony know she would arrive on the island today? Unless the news showed up here by dragonfire, it is unlikely for anyone to know she would arrive here ahead of time, yet the situation almost seems coordinated.”

“It might be a coincidence,” Sunset offers tentatively. “It's possible the attempted ponynapper didn't even know how valuable of a prize he had.”

“It was a he?” Blaze double checks.

“Last I checked,” Sunset answers. “Pink Heart examined him closely as well.”

“How did the attempted ponynapping fail?” Captain Tidus asks as he approaches the group on the top deck. “Obviously it must have since the princess is standing here, but why? Did one of you stop him?”

“Actually, that's the most interesting part,” Sunset mentions as her gaze shifts to Cozy. “We owe her rescue to a mysterious benefactor. Some creature took out the attempted ponynapper.”

“Took out?” Blaze repeats as she widens her eyes in surprise. “As in kill?”

“No. Just knocked unconscious,” Pink Heart answers. “I did discover a small puncture wound on him. Since then, I gathered a small sample of his blood and used my magic to preserve it. I'll have to analyze it in my lab in order to determine anything else.”

“If he's alive and recovers, that leaves someone for the authorities to question,” Captain Tidus figures. “You did report this to the local authorities, correct?”

While Pink Heart and Captain Tidus were talking to each other, Cozy Glow glances at Cheese in curiously to see how her friend is taking all this news. When she does, she notices an oblivious look to the yellow mare as she happily bobs her head back and forth as if listening to some song stuck in her head. Upon seeing this, it reminds Cozy of a few moments when she saw Cheese's mother do the same thing at times and the only pattern the princess can decipher is it seems to happen whenever Pinkie is at least a little bored. During such times, her mind wanders.

It's times like this when her friend strongly reminds her of Cheese's parents. That's not too mysterious, she supposes, because the influence is strong on both sides of Cheese's family.

But, just when Cozy is starting to think Cheese isn't following along, all of a sudden she meets eyes with her friend. At that moment Cheese passes Cozy a cheerful wink. It seems like a look of assurance, as if the yellow mare is trying to convey, “Don't worry. I'm still paying attention.”

A faint fond smile touches Cozy's lips and eyes as she lightly shakes her head. During that time, she reminds herself that the very moment anypony starts to develop some assumptions about a member of the Pie family, that is also the moment that is a setup for a surprise later on.

Cozy looks back at Sunset in time to notice the older mare hesitating with the answer to the captain's question. It's as if Sunset is trying to decide how to explain the reasons for not informing the local authorities about the would-be princess ponynapper. Looking around, Cozy notices that the others present seem to pick up Sunset's hesitation as well except for Blaze who is looking over her shoulder at something. Whatever she sees, it nabs her attention.

“Captain,” Blaze speaks up before Sunset does. When the others around her look at her, she uses that attention to thumb behind her as she says, “Our intrepid companions have returned.”

“Really?!” Brizbe asks with surprise mixed with relief. Right after she asks, she ran up to the rail of the ship and gazes beyond it.

Meanwhile, Sunset breaths a quick breath of relief as well for two reasons; the return of her friends, and a timely interruption from an uncomfortable subject.

Examining them herself, Cozy grows alarmed to notice two of them are missing, Rumble and Rockhoof. In concern, Cozy approaches Stygian as soon as he arrives on the top deck and asks him, “Where are Rumble and Rockhoof?”

“Rumble I sent on an errand,” Stygian replies to Cozy quietly. “We did run into some trouble so I sent him on a scouting mission to ensure things remain clear. With his camera and expert flying abilities, I know he can keep a safe distance while also gathering the evidence I need.

“As for Rockhoof, he left of his own accord.” Stygian pauses a moment to cast a small sigh before continuing. “I'm sure he'll be back before long but not before he becomes well acquainted with a local tavern and all of its wenches. It is customary of his culture to boast upon victories like the one we have achieved, especially if he was involved with a direct battle to accomplish it.”

“Which this was, I take it,” Cozy figures. “A battle, I mean.”

“It was more like a landslide,” Stygian elaborates in the same hushed tone. “Curb Stomp lives up to his name and reputation quite well, and I already knew Rockhoof was a one pony army. Our opponents barely stood a chance against us. After all, they were only expecting and prepared for Glenda alone, and even then, she probably could have soloed them. This is her bread and butter, after all.”

“I'm glad to see you are all alright! I'm so relieved!” Daisy cries out to those who rise to the top deck.

“Of course we are,” the prince replies confidently as he rises to the top deck. He is closely followed by his minotaur bodyguard. “And we're successful with our mission as well. Behold . . . our new traveling companion.”

“Careful. I haven't officially decided on anything yet,” Glenda cautions who is also the last to arrive on the top deck.

The prince passes her a downright cocky grin as if he already knows what she will decide, but he decides to “play” along by bowing to her and saying, “Forgive me for my assumption. I shall, of course, do everything in my power to persuade you to accompony us. Perhaps we should start with an introduction to your fellow shipmates as well as a tour of the ship?”

“I suppose,” Glenda says with a careless shrug. Right after that, she passes a firm look to the prince as she goes on to say, “But let me get one thing straight with you. You may own the ship and the crew may either be paid or sworn servants. That's fine. They can take care of the ship and you to your heart’s content. The only reason I might tag along is to explore the dungeons of foreign soil. When I do, the thing you need to understand about me is I . . . work . . . alone!” she assures with fierce determination. “This is non-negotiable, and I am not here to make friends either. Do we understand each other?”

Wow! Cozy thinks to herself. My mother might have considered this a friendship emergency.

“I see,” the prince replies a little stiffly. He seems caught off-guard by that declaration in Cozy's perception, but that seems a little weird. Glenda is a famous explorer of their age, right? Wouldn't these little idiosyncrasies be known to him at this point?

“About that,” the prince continues, “we should discuss this in greater detail in the privacy of my meeting room. There are extra details about this mission you need to be aware of.”

“Information that is on a need-to-know basis?” Pink Heart figures as she turns her chair to the prince. “It's my recent understanding that there's a lot of that going on here.”

Prince Salizar regards the doctor with a bit of surprise. He follows up that look with a scan at her recent companions as if trying to ascertain, at a glance, who might have spilled what secret. He actually locks eyes on the correct target as well, staring at Cheese a second longer than the others.

“Look,” the doctor brings up, “allow me to assure you that I don't find too much offense at this. You are well entitled to your secrets. The fact you are a political leader makes this all the more understandable, but let me get one thing straight with you as well.” The prince returns his gaze to the doctor as she goes on speaking. “I came aboard to do a job, and that is to help heal those I come across. I would also like to research foreign substances in order to use them to improve my craft. Not just for myself, but for all healers who trot my hoofsteps ever onward. That is why I am here and that is what I do. Keep your secrets if you wish, but if I ever find out that you are using that leverage to endanger us, we're going to have issues.”

“There is always a chance for danger when exploring the unknown,” the prince counteres. “But that said, I can assure you I'm not trying to intensify that danger on purpose. I care for everyone aboard my ship. Even the passengers. Any careless decision on my part taints my reputation as a leader. Believe me, I always keep that in mind.”

“You do what you feel is necessary. I'll trust you for now,” Pink Heart replies. “Don't give me an excuse to change my mind.”

The prince's gaze lingers on the doctor a moment longer. During that moment, he squints his left eye slightly as if trying to determine something about her. Whatever that thought is, he loses focus on it when he spots his last servant rise to the top deck.

“Permission to return to your side, My Liege?” Mirage requests.

“Have you accomplished your mission?” the prince asks his servant.

“Yes, My Liege,” Mirage replies.

Prince Salizar nods in satisfaction as he says, “Then I gladly welcome you to return to my side.”

“Touch her,” Cozy quietly whispers to Sunset. “Use your magic geode now!”

Upon making that request, Cozy notices pained hesitation on Sunset's part. Thanks to her knowledge of her human counterpart, Cozy is able to determine the reason for Sunset's hesitation, so she goes on to say, “Look . . . I know you don't like scanning other people's minds without permission, but if Mirage is what we suspect she is, she isn't going to give you that permission, and what we don't know may hurt us. Remember, she may be one of the bad changelings. Such a creature can do some serious damage on a voyage like this. Believe me, I know. I worked with Chrysalis herself for a while.”

A look of sad acceptance sank into Sunset's eyes. There is resolve but it is mixed with regret. She nods at Cozy in understanding. After that, she focuses her gaze on Mirage before she moves to intercept.

“That's a really pretty dress you have on,” Sunset says in an admiring tone as she stands in the way of Mirage returning to her master. “You look so beautiful in it.”

“Why thank you,” Mirage replies for just a moment. She gazes back at her master and almost moves again until Sunset speaks again.

“Is that silk? It really looks so smooth,” Sunset says in an admiring way. “May I touch it?”

“Perhaps later,” Mirage answers before stepping forward. She seems to lean to her right but then suddenly twists and spirals around Sunset's right side in order to get around her obstacle with the grace of a skilled dancer. This fools Sunset for a moment. She looks to her left, followed by her right side then spins about to notice Mirage already behind her and proceeding close to the prince. After that, she catches a glance with Cozy as she causes her eyes to give a blaze of determination and firmly nods yes.

Sunset's head shifts down as she closes her eyes, gathers her courage, then looks back at Mirage with greater determination. This time she ignites her horn and uses it to envelop Mirage with a teal aura. The earth pony has only a moment to notice this before being forcefully yanked back next to Sunset who immediately uses that moment to touch the dancer.

The prince widens his eyes in surprise at this. Curb Stomp growls and, for a moment, makes a threatening step towards Sunset.

“Please, your majesty, don't!” Cozy urges. “We have a good reason for doing this.”

In response, the prince lifts a hoof to signal for Curb Stomp to stop. He does, but he looks back at his liege as if to ask, “Are you sure?” The prince replies to that look with a nod as he continues to eye Sunset touching Mirage. While that happens, Sunset's eyes glow momentarily white.

There is a twitch of movement from Mirage as well as if she was about to floor Sunset, but upon noticing her master's nod of acceptance to Curb Stomp, it convinces her to reluctantly allow this to happen.

Six quiet and tense seconds later, the glow from Sunset's eyes fade. When that happens, she grows momentarily dizzy. As she starts to sway, it is actually Mirage herself that reaches a hoof to steady Sunset. After all, she is the closest at that moment.

“Okay . . . what just happened?” Daisy asks in confusion.

“More need to know secrets, I suspect,” Pink Heart figures. She turns her chair to face the prince before she asks, “So . . . I take it Sunset, Cheese and Cozy are also cordially invited to your meeting chamber for a private discussion?”

“You’re quite astute, Doctor,” the prince replies. “Though there is one flaw to your guess.” He looks over to those Pink Heart guessed as he declares,” Ladies,” he says as he sweeps his gaze exactly to the ponies Pink Heart specified. “With the exception of Miss Pie, I would be honored if you join me in my meeting chamber as well.”

“Oh?” Cheese blinks, momentarily startled to realize she’s the sole exception to that invitation but she shrugs it off a second later. “Um, well . . . okay. See the rest of you later. And, ah, Glenda,” she calls and waits till she has the griffon's attention before going on to say, “I’m so glad to finally meet you in person. I should also warn you that, although you aren’t coming with us to make friends, I do notshare that sentiment.” She stands up on her hind hooves as she throws up her forelegs which casts forth a burst of party confetti. After that she declares, “Welcome to the team!”