Everyone was inside the living room, waiting for the meeting to start. Bulk Biceps was able to lay Tree Hugger on the couch to recover from her previous episode. As everyone got their gear connected to what Dr. Whooves was working on, Shining Armor and Cadence were wondering what happened outside.
“What happen to Tree Hugger? And what’s Gilda doing here as well?” said Cadence.
“And why is there a white tiger in the house?” Shining Armor nervously asked.
“We’ll explain during the meeting on both questions,” responded Twilight. “Where do we stand?”
“Almost ready,” replied Dr. Whooves. “Micro Chips, make sure we have any computers we need to use connected to my computer.”
“Yes sir.”
Once everything was connected and ready to go, Dr. Whooves turned the unit on, producing an image on the wall. A camera was up on the wall so that the other groups would see Jack’s group. Three video images soon appeared in what was a chat room. One image displayed Professor River Song and the remaining Manehattan Knights. Another was of Principal Celestia and Mr. Discord coming from the his office, and the third one was one that Coach Iron Will brought up to Jack after the game, Coach Tirek.
Celestia asked, “Is everyone accounted for?”
“Yes sister,” replied Luna. “We also have Gilda on our team as well.”
“That’s good,” replied Celestia.
Discord said, “I’m sure you all know Coach Tirek from Equestria University.”
“Nice to see you again, Tirek,” said Spitfire.
“The pleasure’s all mine,” Tirek replied. “And it’s nice to see Iron Will as well.”
“Iron Will is glad to see Tirek again.”
“And we have Professor River Song with us as well,” said Celestia.
“Good to join you all today,” replied River Song.
“So with that out of the way, we can-” Celestia stopped for a moment and took a closer look. “Is that a white tiger in the room?”
“This is going to be a long day,” said Jack.
“I see that Whiteblaze was able to get there today,” said River Song.
“You could have told me that he was missing me in the first place,” replied Jack.
“And where’s the fun in that,” Double Diamond responded as he showed himself on the screen.
“It’s a good thing you brought him here, because he just helped us find something important about our fellow Shadowbolts,” explained Twilight.
“We believe that they are emitting some kind of raw aura, which Whiteblaze reacted to as a threat,” explained Jack.
“Can you explain what you mean by this…aura?” asked Discord.
Twilight and Jack looked at Tree Hugger, who was still trying to recover. But Sandalwood got up and decided to explain it to them.
“An aura is like this cosmic force that comes from each of us. It’s what define us for who we are.”
Luna explained. “Jack was able to read Tree Hugger’s aura senses and saw the aura that came from everyone.”
“And what about the Shadowbolts’ aura?” asked Celestia.
Luna said, “It was…well…”
“Evil,” said Tree Hugger. “It was dark, negative…I don’t know how to, like, explain it.”
“I think I do,” said Jack. “When I saw my life as Master Edge, I noticed something similar that came from the Mane-iac when she revealed herself.”
“A soul eater,” River Song replied. “I got the report that you sent to me, Jack. That could only mean that the Dark Star Organization is responsible for all this.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Jack replied. “Did you get any info on these soul eaters?”
“Just a bit, but my source is looking into more about them. It could take some time,” explained River Song.
“Give us what you know,” Celestia said to River Song.
“From what he told me, they are dark creatures that are from some unknown realm, feeding off the souls of those who are weak or emitting negative energy. And from what Jack has told me, my guess is that they take the soul’s body to use it as a way to blend in with the world, looking for their next victim until they no longer need it.”
“Sounds like a bunch of shadow hunters if you ask me,” said Applejack.
Lemon Zest responded. “Dude, what does that make us?”
“Yea, there can’t be soul eaters in us, are there?” added Sour Sweet.
“I don’t think that you would be in control if a soul eater was inside you,” explained River Song.
This got Jack to start thinking. Then something came to mind. “Luna, Indigo, a word with you in private.” Luna and Indigo followed Jack back to the kitchen to talk. “Indigo, you remember what to told me about that strange feeling you got from Principal Cinch.”
“Yea. There was some barrier coming from her that was blocking whatever I was sensing.”
“Jack told me about this after the game,” said Luna. “You think a soul eater could be inside her?”
“I don’t know,” replied Jack. “It’s just that…I was able to break through that barrier of hers. Could be due to my time in the Realm of Souls, I’m not sure. But what I sensed inside of her was not usual.”
“What do you mean?” asked Luna.
“What I sensed was…two souls.”
“Two souls? That can’t be possible. I mean, we’re talking about Sunny Flare’s mother here,” explained Indigo.
“I know. If one of them was a soul eater, it must be keeping Cinch’s soul alive,” explained Jack.
“Could it be because of Sunny?” asked Luna.
“That’s my best guess,” replied Jack.
“She won’t believe it,” said Indigo.
“That’s why we won’t say anything about it for now,” said Jack. “It’s best to keep this info limited on who should know it. I’ll explain it to the professor later on.”
“And I can tell my sister when I get home,” said Luna.
“OK. I’ll leave it to you two for now,” said Indigo.
All three of them went back to the living room with the others.
“Anything you wanted to add?” asked Celestia.
“I do, but not on this open channel. I’ll tell you back at our house,” explained Luna.
“Agreed,” replied Celestia. “Anything else that you’ve discovered?”
“We have,” replied Twilight. “There’s a good chance that someone is trying to cover up the knowledge of Dark Star. Micro Chip was able to find a post talking about what could be the Equestrian Knights fighting against Dark Star. Someone on those boards posted what could have been a warning, we’re not sure.”
“Do we have an ID on this person,” asked Tirek.
“We might,” said Nurse Redheart. “The user name listed could be Radiant Hope, a nursing student from Equestria University. She was supposed to have graduated last spring, but didn’t show up for the finals.”
“Because she died in a car accident, I know,” replied Tirek. “A student of mine was friends with her. He was shocked when he learned what happened.”
“Well, there’s more to it.” Twilight noted Bonbon to pull up the news article. “We found out that there were no remains at the crash site.”
“If they were turned to ash, it would require intense heat, like in cremation,” explained Sugarcoat. “This here wasn’t the case.”
Twilight continued. “We think she knew something about the Dark Star Organization, and someone wanted to keep it a secret. And if there weren’t any remains, then maybe she’s still alive and in hiding.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” replied Tirek. “Send me what you found on this and let me look into it. I have better sources on my end.”
“I’ll see to it that you get them,” said Spitfire.
“That’s about all that we know on our end,” said Twilight.
“Then allow us to fill you in on what we know,” said River Song. She looked at Party Favor to explain.
“Remember when you told us about that mysterious woman you saw two years ago?” A picture came up on the screen showing a lady wearing a long coat, long hat, and shades. She was with two men in black business suits. “Showed up a couple of days after your big win.”
Jack and Coco recognized who they were looking at.
“That’s her. That’s the one we saw back then,” said Coco.
“And guess what she was ask for from Professor Digger…in detail?” said River Song.
“Masamune and Muramasa,” replied Jack. “So she was looking for those blades all this time.”
“Either she was at the game, or someone that works for her was there,” explained River Song.
Jack had a feeling that the person that was there was Principal Cinch herself, but he would need more proof first.
Celestia said, “Do you have a better picture of her?”
“Glad you ask,” replied River Song. She pulled up a close-up picture of the same woman in the hallway.
“How were you able to get a picture of her that close?” asked Jack.
“Spoilers!” River Song replied, holding up a pair of shades.
“Spy glasses. We have a couple of pairs ourselves,” Lyra said as she was pointing to Bonbon.
“They have a mini camera and USB port on them,” explained Bonbon.
“I guess that explains how you got the picture,” said Jack.
Celestia said, “Micro Chips. Is that ID program ready to go?”
“Yes. But I only have access to the school database to work on.”
“We got that covered,” replied Fleetfoot. She nodded to Sunny Flare.
Sunny walked up and took out a USB cord from her pocket. She attached it to one of her data bracers and handed the other end to Micro Chips.
“Hook this up, and I can get you access to a national database that we can use.”
“Thanks.” Micro Chips plugged it into his laptop, then asked, “Is that the Model 2500?”
“You know your gear well,” Sunny replied as she was working on her datapad. “I hope the next model has the cords in them.”
“Sunny can hack into any database with those,” Indigo explained. “Sugarcoat designed the program and had them installed.”
Celestia said, “Would that include-”
“No,” Fleetfoot hastily replied. “She wouldn’t do that unless I asked her to.”
A beep came from Sunny’s bracers. “There. You should have access now.”
“OK. But I can only rely on what is visible in the picture,” explained Micro Chips. “It could take some time.”
“Do what you can,” replied Celestia, allowing Micro Chips to begin his search. “If we’re lucky, we can find out who she is.”
“Forgive me for asking, but what does this have to do with the Dark Star Organization?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“We believe that both blades may possess the souls of their creators,” explained Moon Dancer. “And if Dark Star is working on anything related to souls…”
“Then having these weapons would be useful to their cause,” Gilda finished saying. “Just like having the same powers you have, Jack.”
“Exactly,” Jack said. “And my guess is that they want to start another Great War after what happened during the last one.”
“That’s why we created the Manehattan Knights in the first place,” added Coco. “To keep his gift a secret from others that want power like that.”
“If there’s a connection to all this, then it could be our best lead we have,” Jack explained. “Just one question. How were you able to keep tabs on the museum when she showed up, professor.”
Night Glider said, “We asked for Scar’s Night Watchmen to monitor the area for anything suspicious.”
“And I might have filled Professor Digger a bit about what you possess,” added River Song.
Jack and Coco sighed and grunted, shaking their heads.
“Sooner or later, he would have to know about it,” said Chrysalis.
“She’s right,” said Twilight. “If I remember him well, he’s an expert in anything mysterious. Even the stories that come with the artifacts. Even I couldn’t believe what he said, but they were stories in the past, and those people once believed in that stuff.”
Sugar Belle decided to step in. “Speaking of artifacts, he has asked for the knights to assist him on transporting some old items to the museum.”
“Any reason why?” asked Jack.
“All we know is that they are well preserved. But the metal on some of them are not of this world. He’ll know more once it gets to him,” explained River Song.
Twilight started to question this strange metal and make a recommendation. “Jack, I think it’s best that he fully knows about your gift. If there’s any connection to this, he might know more about what we’re dealing with.”
Jack thought about this. “The Soul Art scrolls were also well preserved. I wonder how far back we would have to go to find people who had powers like me.” That’s when he came to a decision. “Professor, bring him up to speed, including the blades. Somehow, he had a reason for giving them to me, so I think it’s best that he understands what we know as well.”
“Let him know that I’m helping him out,” explained Twilight. “He should still remember me.”
“Will do,” replied River Song.
“I don’t mean to change the subject, but this ID program. Was this created because of my past actions?” said Sunset.
“Yes,” replied Micro Chips. “But think of it this way. Having created a program like this could get me into EU’s computer science program. I haven’t had a challenge like this in months.”
“And if we didn’t have this program, we wouldn’t be able to find out who the mysterious woman is in the first place,” explained Celestia.
It was then that a sound came from Micro Chips’ laptop. “I got nineteen hits.”
“Let’s see them,” ordered Luna.
Nineteen faces came up in four rows. All of them women with a pink to lavender skin tone and similar features.
“Wow. That’s a lot to look into,” said Pinkie Pie.
“Yea, how do we know who to look for?” said Applejack.
Coco came up to Jack and whispered, “Look at the second row. Second one from the right. Doesn’t she look familiar?”
Jack looked at the selected picture and whispered, “Your right. She does look familiar. I wonder…” He said, “Micro Chips, can you limited the search by location?”
“Yes, but it can only be their current location.”
“Set it to residents of Manehattan,” ordered Jack.
Micro Chips placed the location parameters and it limited the list to four profiles.
“Sugar Belle, you think you can look up those four profiles?” asked Jack.
“Already on it.”
Twilight came up to Jack and whispered, “You think she would be behind this?”
“You know what we’re talking about, right?” whispered Coco.
“Yea, but it can’t be her. She’s done a lot for the city,” whispered Twilight.
“Still, anything’s possible,” whispered Jack.
“I got them,” said Sugar Belle. “One lives in a retirement home for over a year, another has been a resident of the city for four months. I got one who have lived here for several years, but works at one of the smaller hotels on the cleaning staff. Which leaves us to this.”
A lone profile showed up on the screen. She had pinkish skin and purple and teal hair.
“Starlight Glimmer?”
“If she’s the one, then I say lets bring her in and question her,” said Sour Sweet.
“Like good luck with that,” said Sandalwood. “You need a lot of money and powerful allies to get to her.”
“And what makes you say that?” asked Sunny Flare.
“Because she’s the mayor of Manehattan,” replied Twilight. “And a big hero of the city.”
“Yea. She like exposed some dirty politicians for corruption, including the former mayor,” explained Sandalwood.
“You must have heard the reports back then,” said Twilight.
“Oh yea,” replied Sandalwood. “It’s best to know who you plan to take on, even if it’s a politician.”
“So, what’s her story anyway,” asked Rainbow Dash.
Twilight explained. “She worked in the city capital back then as a normal worker, just like Mayor Mare did. When she came across some illegal dealings with other businessmen, she brought it to the media anonymously. When the news reports came out, lots of pressure came across the former mayor, which led to his impeachment. A temporary mayor was put in place until the next mayor was elected, which was in a few months.”
“I remember that happening,” said Double Diamond. “Several politicians filed to have their name in the next vote. Even the temporary mayor. Calls were coming in asking for my parents to support one of them. But they weren't sure who to support.”
“Because all of them had some kind of dirt on them,” said Twilight.
“If they were dirty, why not take a shower to wash it off?” asked Pinkie Pie.
“She means they did something bad in their life that no one wanted to know,” explained Sunset.
“Oh.”
Twilight continued. “Anyway, Starlight did the same thing to each one as well without any of them noticing. It wasn’t long before the media came up to them, pressuring them to the reports. When all except the temporary mayor dropped out, she quit her job and decided to run for mayor herself. That’s when the city learned that she was submitting the reports that she learned about the other politicians. She promised to clean up this city of all of its problems and won the support of the citizens. Thanks to that, she won the election in a landslide.”
“And to this day, she’s done a good job doing so,” added Double Diamond.
“But how was she able to afford the money need to run a campaign in such a short time?” asked Rarity.
“You don’t know the Glimmer family that well, do you?” Everyone looked at Ms. Raven. “I remember Starlight Glimmer well. I was her babysitter when I lived in Manehattan. Looked over her for her foster parents when they were out on business.”
“You mean she was an orphan back then?” Twilight asked Ms. Raven.
“Yes. Mr and Mrs. Glimmer were known as the richest couple in Manehattan. Their ancestors were the ones that founded Manehattan, which is why it’s a big name in the city. But they were only children. They had no family members living, and to make matters worse, Mrs. Glimmer was unable to bare children. So they adopted Starlight to their family. She took the family name later on.
“They hired me as their babysitter while I was attending Manehattan University at the time. Kept on doing so after I graduated. But it was early in her freshman year, that we received the bad news. Her foster parents were killed coming back from a theater performance. She was shaken up, but she recovered a week later. Their will listed her as the sole heir of the Glimmer estate, but listed me as the caretaker of the estate until she was eighteen and graduated from high school.
“So I stayed on and took care of her until then. She graduated from Mane Coast Academy as the top of the class and got a dean’s scholarship at Equestria University. Asked that I watch over the house while she went to college, allowing her to come home about every weekend. Major in politics and finished college in four years with honors. During that time, I got married and divorced twice in my life. When she decided to run for mayor, I decided to move on. Her dream was to take down corruption and make the city equal to all. I didn’t want to hold her back, so I decided to moved here. You all know the rest.”
“Do you think she would do something like this?” asked Twilight.
“I doubt so,” Ms. Raven replied. “She the smartest, brightest lady I know. She would never do something like this.”
“I have to agree as well,” said Twilight. “I looked up to her and wanted to be just as smart as her.”
“There’s even a plaque of her at Mane Coast Academy,” added Shining Armor.
“But if it’s her, then why would she be interested in the blades that Jack has?” asked Applejack.
“I think I know why,” said Spitfire, “and we might have just given it to her.”
“Would this have to deal with the national high school basketball tournament?” asked Discord.
“It does,” replied Spitfire. “Before coming to this school, I was on the sports council along with Coach Tirek. We were approached by Starlight Glimmer, who’s an EU alumni, about starting a national tournament for high schools in all regions. We talked to the rest of the sports council about it and agreed in doing so, since Tirek has heard about Crystal Prep’s perfect record, and another heard about the rivalry between Mane Coast and Filly High. We started to select cities to hold this tournament, and Starlight was able to add Manehattan into the list, which we thought it would be hard to compete. But when the plans were laid out for that city, a majority of votes went to Manehattan.”
“I’m sure that Manehattan University is the second largest school in the nation,” explained Twilight, “but there’s not a lot of hotels in the area. It’s mostly apartments.”
“Not anymore,” Jack said. “It now has the biggest hotel in the city, and I think my dad’s company might have also played a role in this. Double Diamond, pull up the plans to the Mane Central Hotel.”
A display of the hotel plans appeared on the screen, slowly rotating around.
Jack continued. “We were able to keep records of its development since my family moved to Manehattan. The hotel is about nine square blocks, which were acquired after relocating the small stores that were in the area promising them that they can move back in if they wish to.
“The first floor has the main lobby, a restaurant, jazz bar, and enough convention space for two, if possible. It also has new small shops that allowed the old owners to move back in. Second floor has several meeting rooms, as well as a swimming pool and weight room for hotel guest, plus a balcony for others to enjoy the view. Third to tenth floors carry about a hundred rooms on each floor, and the eleventh and twelfth floors hold about 30 suites.
“Project started the summer two years ago, and was finished a week before Christmas. Interior teams took over and completed the hotel by spring break.”
“But how can you finish construction of a place that big?” asked Applejack.
“Yea, you have to have a lot of money, workers, and resources to do so,” added Rarity.
“That’s because Mr. Fix-It owns the hotel,” replied Jack. “He placed the bid to the city and plan to take ownership of the place as well. This is a business tycoon we’re talking about who like to give back to the people. And he knew how to get what was needed to make it happen. Was able to hire new workers to work with experienced workers, and my father was in charge to oversee the project. With the company’s clean record, it was a win-win for everyone.”
“And since then, the city has become a tourist magnet to everyone,” explained Double Diamond. “Lot’s of conventions and business meetings have been planned in advance, and they were able to hire enough staff members during the winter and spring seasons before opening day.”
“Mr. Fix-It knows how to get the money and resources to make anything happen,” said Jack.
“But why put all the effort to have a tournament anyway?” asked Twilight.
“To test Crystal Prep against some more experienced teams than what they have faced,” explained Fleetfoot. “Crystal Prep has a perfect record before this school year, and a basketball tournament is all they need to make sure that what they have been creating really works.”
“And after what we just did to them a week ago, they’ll be pressured in making sure this tournament is a success for Crystal Prep,” added Shining Armor.
“So if she’s the one pulling the strings on all of this, how do we stop her?” asked Applejack.
“By making it to the national tournament,” replied Tirek. “It’s the only way we can verify her motives in all of this.”
“He’s right. And there’s a good chance that Principal Cinch could be a part of this as well.” Luna turned to Sunny Flare and said, “I hate to say this, but she could be caught up in this mess and doesn’t even know it.”
Before Sunny Flare could respond, Indigo placed her hand on Sunny’s shoulder and said, “She might be right. Your mother has been acting strange as of late. And I have been getting some bad feelings from her since then. We need to be careful as to what’s going on right now.”
“There’s also that story about what happened after she lost her husband before you were born,” explained Sunset. “That could have had an effect on her as well.”
“Don’t forget what I had to do when I challenged her after the game,” explained Jack. “I don’t want to bring you into this again like last time, after she tried to do whatever she could just to be victorious.”
Sunny looked down, trying to take in what they were talking about. Then she came to a conclusion. “OK. I’ll keep my guard up for now. Just make sure my mother isn’t harmed in all of this.”
“We’ll do what we can to resolve this matter, somehow,” said Twilight.
Tirek said, “Jack, I have a request for you. I want you to take part in the boys and girls basketball teams. I’ve been told how well your powers have grown physically. But now, we need to improve them mentally. Trying to support both teams is needed if they plan to make it to the tournament. They don’t have to win, but they need to qualify in doing so. Spitfire can fill you in on the details.”
“I have to agree,” Luna said. “He also needs to learn how to handle a sword in battle, as well as the remaining soul arts. This might be the perfect time to do so.”
“Then I leave all oversight of this group to you and Spitfire from here on out,” explained Celestia. “Twilight, I’ll leave Star Swirl’s book in your hands.”
“Thank you Principal Celestia.”
Celestia said, “If that’s all, then-”
“One more thing,” Jack interrupted. “Double Diamond. Where do we stand on Project Dragon?”
“It’s still a no go, captain.”
“Damn.” This got Jack to start thinking again.
“What’s Project Dragon?” asked Luna.
“It’s a skilled group, designed to look into the high ranking businessmen and politicians,” explained River Song. “We think the students of Mane Coast Academy are best fitted for this task.”
“With the Night Watchmen handling the dirty work, and the knights in the spotlight, we need someone to handle the big wigs,” explained Double Diamond. “And my connections with some of those kinds pf people would be too easy to uncover.”
“That why we created this project before I left Manehattan,” explained Jack. “Shining Armor, you went to Mane Coast Academy your freshman year. Do you think they would be just as good as Crystal Prep?”
“Maybe. But what makes you ask that anyway?”
Jack explained. “I heard that they won their regional championship last week for the seventh straight time, breaking the record in the school’s history. I’m just wondering…”
“You think they could be a target as well, like Crystal Prep?” asked Twilight.
“My thoughts exactly,” Jack responded. “And if Starlight Glimmer has ties to the school, that makes it easier to work with. Double Diamond, have you talked to Blaze about the operation?”
“No. His focus was on winning the championship for the school, so I didn’t want to distract him with it.”
“Well, that’s your new task,” said Jack. “Talk to him about forming the Manehattan Dragons. Tell him about what my gift and that his school could be a target as well. Take what necessary steps you need to make this happen…captain.”
Double Diamond looked confused. “Excuse me, but did you just call me…captain?”
Jack looked at Coco and both of them nodded.
Jack ordered, “Double Diamond! Night Glider! Step forward!”
Both of them stood up and made sure they were visible on the screen.
Jack said, “Due to recent events, I hereby transfer my role as captain to you, Double Diamond. I know you can fulfill the role well.”
Coco said, “Night Glider, I hereby transfer my role as second-in-command to you. Support Double Diamond in leading the knights to glory.”
Both of them saluted, saying, “Yes sir!”
“We well be acting as advisers from this point forward,” said Jack. “Do the knights proud.”
“YES SIR!”
River Song said, “Jack, I’m guessing that you will be leading a new team in Ponyville, right?”
“I already have. And I’m requesting for Twilight be my second-in-command on this team.”
Twilight was shocked. “Really? But wouldn’t Coco be best suited for this role?”
“I was when I was a part of the knights. But this team is different. And I think you can help support the team better than me.”
Jack said to Twilight, “You have resources in this school that I don’t have. And you have a way to bring others together when needed the most. That’s why I need you at my side to help me.”
“Well, do we have a name for this team?” asked Twilight.
“Good question.” Jack thought for a moment before he saw Fluttershy raise her hand.
“Um, how about…soul guardians?”
“I think that sounds wonderful,” replied Twilight.
“Then Soul Guardians it is,” said Jack.
“If that’s the case, then you have the Talons’ full support in this,” said Gilda.
“Same goes for the Shadowbolt Five,” said Indigo Zap. “We’re done being called the Elite 5 that everyone likes to call us.”
“We know our talents aren’t normal, so being called as elite doesn’t fit us anymore,” added Sunny Flare.
“If we’re all in this together, then what should our next move be?” asked Applejack.
Luna said, “Jack, this is your team, your call.”
Jack took a moment to plan everything out in his head.
“Here’s the deal. If Starlight Glimmer is working for the Dark Star Organization, then the only way we can prove this is to get into the tournament. We need to find a way to block the Shadowbolts’ powers on their team.”
“Dude, we can just let you guys win,” said Lemon Zest.
“We still have the guys on the team, Lemon. And we can’t let our guard down in front of the school,” said Indigo Zap.
“She’s right,” Jack said. “There has to be another way that they can’t sense us. Shadowbolts, do what you normally do, just be careful around Principal Cinch. We still don’t know if she’s connected or not.”
“If we plan on doing this, we’ll need support from the team to find that weakness,” explained Twilight.
“Agreed,” replied Jack. “But how?”
“I can work with Mrs. Harshwhinny and Rainbow Dash on the girls’ team,” said Spitfire.
“And Iron Will will work with Soarin on the boys. If we can find a way to have them work with us without exposing your gift, that should make things easier for you.”
“Good enough,” replied Jack. “Sunset, work with Gilda on understanding the Talons. Find out what strengths and weaknesses they have. I don’t know when we’ll need them, but I want you to be ready to issue the orders to them when the time comes. Twilight, can you work with Master Luna on understand how dreamscape works? If me and Sunset plan on returning to the Realm of Souls, we’ll need a way to do so and bring her along as well.”
“We’ll do our best,” said Twilight.
“Jack, be aware that the Dark Star Organization has been looking for the Tree of Harmony during the Great War. If it’s in the Realm of Souls, then you need to be careful that they don’t know its location,” explained Tirek.
“Noted. Everyone else, just play it safe for now and let it play out,” explained Jack. “If we’re lucky, we might find out where Dark Star is located.”
“Jack, I just remember one more thing,” said River Song. “My inside source is sending a lady on his team back over here with a few items. I might be able to make them as tools that you can use once they get here. I was also told that she would have ties to Ponyville, so I want to send her your way to help out. The only thing I know about her is that she’s into rocks and minerals.”
Pinkie Pie went up to Jack and said, “I know who she’s talking about. But it’s a surprise.”
Jack rolled his eyes and said, “I’m guessing most of you know as well.” About everyone nodded. “Well then, any questions before we leave?” Everyone shook their heads. “Then the game is set.”