//------------------------------//
// Friendship (Ness's Sanctuary) 
// Story: EquestriaBound Girls 2: The Journey for the Eight Magical Melodies 
// by Lucky Ness 
//------------------------------//

-The Next Morning-

"It's missing something." Ness says after hearing the Mane Seven and Princess Twilight perform the Eight Melodies for the fifth time since they had set up in the barn at Sweet Apple Acres.

"I don't know what could be missing, Ness." Sci-Twi says as the group deponifies from singing the song.

Ness reaches into his pocket and pulls out the Magic Ocarina that Ninten gave him with his last letter, remembering what it said.

'Ness,

I want you to have my Ocarina. I feel that Giegue is going to return soon. Wait until the right time to use it. You'll know when that time is.

Ninten.'

'Maybe.'

Ness puts the Ocarina to his mouth and blows into it. Ness was shocked to realize that the melody that came from the Ocarina was the new song that Sci-Twi and her friends found instead of the one that Ninten found.

'This must be what Ninten was referring to. The right time is now. When the lives of me and all of my friends depends on it.'

Ness turns to look at Sci-Twi and the rest of the girls, whose talking with Paula, Jeff, and Poo.

'Yes. I know for certain that those eleven people are my closest friends.'

That was when Ness heard the song he collected a year ago start to play.

'Am I hearing things?' Ness sees that everyone is looking a him. 'Apparently not,' he thinks as he pulls the Sound Stone out of his pocket, which is starting to glow. 'Is this MY Sanctuary here? Are these eight girls my Ninth Sanctuary?'

The Sound Stone floats out of his hand, drawing his Star Pendant with it. They float closer together until they eventually touch, fusing together in a brilliant flash of light. After Ness's vision returns, he notices that his Star Pendant now has a brilliant white music note  where the star used to be. The Melody Pendant floats down over Ness's neck until it rests on his chest. The moment it does, Ness is engulfed by a brilliant flash of white light. It's the last thing that happens before Ness fades from consciousness.

----

"Ness? Are you okay?" A voice says as he comes to.

Ness groans as he puts his hand to the side of his head. It's then that he notices that his ears seem to be missing. He moves his hand up and down the side of his head until he feels pointy ears at the top of his head.

'Are these . . . pony ears?' He ponders as he tries to sit up, only to spin around in mid-air. 'Am I . . . floating?'

"What happened?" Ness asks the group of people who are standing around him.

"Ah think you might of ponied up, Ness." Applejack says honestly.

Ness looks at the Pendant hanging on his chest.

"I think we found what was missing," Ness says. "Come on, let's try it one more time," He says as he floats over to the group's instruments with his Ocarina in his hand.