Upon returning to the castle in Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Rarity, and Amethyst found everyone in the study, awaiting their return from Charlock. Apple Seed wasn’t there, having already been sent home with Big Macintosh. Twilight noticed that Pinkie Pie and Surprise were also absent.
Seeing that Twilight’s group wasn’t burnt to cinders was a hopeful sign. As they gathered around the round table, Princess Celestia was the first to ask, “What did the Dragon King say? Were you able to convince him to help?”
“We were,” Twilight answered to their delight, everyone sighing in relief. With the Tree of Harmony still but a tiny sprout, the magical map still wasn’t working. Fetching a large map, Twilight unrolled it upon the table as she recounted what had transpired at Charlock Castle.
“So you called the Dragon King out on his stubbornness? Whoa! Go Twilight!” Rainbow Dash compliment for her friend’s boldness.
“’Bout time somepony talk some sense into him,” Applejack remarked.
“Yes, we certainly did make some progress with him thanks to Amethyst here. I only hope for his sake that he listens to reason,” Rarity replied.
“I hope so too,” Princess Celestia added. To hear such a change in a heart so hard was possible gave her hope. After all this business with Hargon was over, Celestia was determined to go and have a heart to heart with Ryuo. Even though she had already explained her actions to him, and they were indeed for the greater good, she still felt that amends had to be made.
“In his words, the Dragon King said, ‘the sacred resting place of the wyrms of the north is located between the Roof of the World, the City of Crystals, and the home of the yaks’. Look here...” Twilight then pointed a hoof to the Crystal Empire on the map, “...the City of Crystals…” She slid her hoof west to Yakyakistan, “...and the home of the yaks.”
“But where in tarnation is ‘the Roof of the World’?” Applejack asked.
“The Roof of the World is an old term for Mount Everhoof,” Midnight explained, joining her mother by the map and pointing to the highest mountain in Equestria.
Using her magic to summon a compass, a marker, and a ruler, Twilight made some calculations. “If we triangulate these locations, Hargon’s hiding place should be… right… here!” With the marker, she highlighted a valley located directly in between the three landmarks.
“No more hiding for you, Hargon,” Spike growled.
“All of the dragon graveyards are protected by magic. I’m certain there’s an illusion spell or a barrier covering the valley.”
“Like Crescent Island,” Amethyst noted.
“Or under the Dragon King’s Castle,” Rainbow Dash also said.
“We always have Spike,” Fluttershy reminded. “As the Dragon Prince, he can open the way like he did there.”
“Ah’m sure that Hargon added his own spells as well,” Applejack raised a valid point. “This may be trickier than before.”
The doors to the study opened and Surprise and Pinkie Pie walked in pulling in a cart of pancakes and assorted toppings. As they wheeled in the spread, Pinkie cheerfully sang, “But first… who wants breakfast?”
“What’s all this?” Twilight asked, everyone hungrily eyeing the heaps of freshly made pancakes.
“Well, we all been running around all night, and I figured we’ll need a big meal to keep our energy up if we’re gonna storm Hargon’s castle,” Surprise explained. “So we started cooking as soon as you left so it’ll be ready as soon as you got back.”
“But we were only gone for a few minutes. How did you make so many…” Spike started to ask but then remembered who he was talking to. That and his stomach started to growl upon smelling the tantalizing scent of butter and syrup. “Never mind.”
Though Twilight, along with everypony else, was desperate to save her husband, she knew that they would need all of their strength to face Hargon, his cult, and the demons they’ve summoned. Despite the urgency of the situation, Twilight agreed it may be best to take a short break. “I guess a little breakfast is in order.”
“Dig in, everypony!” Pinkie Pie called out as she and Surprise started to pass out plates. Rarity used her magic to daintily manipulate her utensils while Spike inhaled a stack of fifty pancakes at once. Rainbow Dash poured excessive amount of syrup on her pancakes, and Applejack poured herself a glass of apple juice to go along with her meal.
As they ate, the ever looming sense of dread was somewhat alleviated. A few smiles were spotted and a few laughs were heard. Not only did the delicious meal renewed their vigor but it also boosted their morale. The combination of the revelation of Hargon’s hideout with the generous meal provided by Surprise and her mother caused a flash of blue light to run through the growing Tree of Harmony. Another Element had been restored.
As everyone enjoyed their breakfast, four creatures approached Twilight’s Palace. Flying on bat wings, they hovered in front of a window. After chattering amongst themselves, one of them smashed the window before they all flew inside to carry out the mission their master had assigned them. Cackling in manic glee, they scampered through the halls of the castle.
Back in the castle’s study, Pinkie Pie offered Celestia a plate, but the princess politely declined. “Thank you, but I must return to Canterlot. Luna and I need to make preparations. In the meantime, please do enjoy your meal.”
“You’re right. We need a plan before we attempt to save Flash,” Twilight agreed.
“Yeah! And to take down Hargon!” Rainbow Dash enthusiastically added.
“I’ll return in a few hours,” Celestia told them with a parting bow, which everyone else respectfully returned. Afterwards, she disappeared in a flash of sunlight.
*****
After Princess Celestia had materialized in her personal chambers within Canterlot Castle, she made her way to her sister’s bedroom. After rousing Luna from her sleep, she explained the events that had transpired and began to discuss a counter strike against Hargon.
“The clock is ticking. If Hargon manages to summon Malroth, it will open a gateway to Tartarus. Countless hordes of demons will flood the world.” Celestia emphasized. Remembering something, she continued, “The refugees have unwittingly placed themselves on the front lines of this war.”
“Should we order an evacuation of the Crystal Empire?” Luna asked.
Celestia thought about this suggestion but shook her head. “No. For the moment, it’s still the safest place for them. But if we fail now, it wouldn’t matter where they go. Even the Crystal Empire’s defenses would fall to a never ending onslaught of demonic forces.”
“Then how shall we go about this? We don’t know how large is the enemy force. Who knows how many demons they have already summoned. And with the loyalty of the Royal Guard in question, we don’t have an army at the ready. All we have are the yaks and the Crystal Ponies that Shining Armor has deployed to find the missing refugees.”
“Who we now know were actually Hargon’s followers,” Celestia added mirthlessly. “Shining Armor and Rutherford's teams will have to do.”
“Isn’t there anyone else we can call upon? The griffons perhaps?” Luna suggested.
“I’m not sure. The griffons wouldn’t be able to make here in time.” Celestia pondered, thinking of any and all allies they could call upon in such a short notice. Celestia’s eyes lightened as a name came to her. “Luna, I need to return to Ponyville. In the meantime, I need you to pay a friend a visit.”
“Certainly. Who did you have in mind?”
*****
As everypony finished their meal, Spike looked to the now empty cart. Being a dragon and thus much larger than his friends, he ate most of the pancakes by himself. But he was still hungry. He frowned in disappointment, but then Surprise wheeled in another cart.
“We thought you might want seconds,” the cream colored Pegasus giggled.
“Don’t mind if I do!” Rainbow Dash said, rushing in front of Spike before he could reach for the cart. Lifting the metallic dish off of the plate, Rainbow Dash lurched back in shock at what she saw. “What the…!?”
Sitting on the platter was a monkey-like monster. Where there should be hair, its body was covered by purple scales. Little horns adorned its heads and tiny wings protruded from it back. In its grubby little claws were the remnants of the pancakes. The monster looked up and saw that it had been discovered. After looking around at the shocked faces looking down at it, the monster spat the chewed up pancakes in Rainbow Dash’s face and cackled as it flew off.
“Hey! You come back here!” Rainbow Dash angrily called after the gremlin, wiping the mush off her face. Three more dish covers then flipped over and three more gremlins flew after the first, fleeing the study and into the halls of the castle.
“What were those horrid creatures?” Rarity asked.
“I don’t know, but I bet Hargon sent them,” Spike growled.
Hearing this, Twilight gasped. Her home had been infiltrated by Hargon’s minions and were now running loose. “Evening!”
Panicked, Twilight ran from the table and threw open the doors, everyone following closely behind her. She looked down both ways of the hallway, waiting for another sign. A heavy thud boomed to the left caught her attention, but Twilight sprinted in the opposite direction to Evening Star’s room. Her son was injured and those things was running amok in the castle. She wasn’t about to let whatever they were get to him and harm him even further.
Watching his mother run to the right, Spike knew where she was going. Turning his head, he said, “Pair up and search the castle. Find them.”
Everyone nodded in acknowledgement before splitting up, Spike following after Twilight Sparkle. Amethyst and Midnight went with Rarity to check on their rooms, Thunderbolt and Rainbow Dash went to search the upper rooms, Sour Apple and Applejack went to check the entry hall, Posey and Fluttershy went to inspect the throne room, and Surprise went with Pinkie Pie to check the guest rooms.
Twilight reached her son’s room, opening the door to see that Evening Star was resting on his bed. She sighed with relief but then quickly scanned the room for any sign of disturbance. With everything seemingly in place, Twilight approached her sleeping son, brushing his blue mane with her hoof. A moment later, Spike snaked his head into the room.
“Clear?” he quietly asked as to not wake his brother.
“Clear,” Twilight confirmed, leaving Evening Star’s side. Spike backed up out of the doorway to let her by. Before either of them could relax, another crash and crazy laughter sounded nearby. Spike made as though he was about to chase after the culprits, but Twilight stopped him. “Stay here with him. I’ll check it out.”
The doors to the throne room slowly creaked opened as Posey and Fluttershy peeked cautiously inside. In the center of the room were the seven thrones of the Council of Friendship. Between them was the round table that used to act as the map that led them to friendship problems across Equestria. Hearing a chiming sound coming from above them, both mother and daughter looked up and gasped. Hanging from the chandelier made from the roots of the old Golden Oak Library were the gremlins. Their insane cackling echoed throughout the room as they swung from the illuminated crystals.
“Oh my!” Fluttershy exclaimed from seeing the strange imps, but then floated up to their level. “Um, excuse me. Please don’t swing from there. It’s not safe, and the chandelier is very special. So I’ll appreciate it if…” Fluttershy gasped when one of the small fiends stuck out its tongue and blew a raspberry at her, its spittle flying everywhere. The other three burst out in laughter at this and joined in the crude humor, all of them blowing raspberries at Fluttershy and Posey. Offended, Fluttershy put on her scolding mother face. “Alright, that’s enough. All of you are going to come down immediately.”
The four gremlins instead laughed harder and then exposed their sharp fangs. Seeing this, Fluttershy gasped and backed away. The gremlins then leaped from the chandelier and at the Pegasus with their miniature claws extended.
In the upper levels of the castle, Thunderbolt had discovered the broken window. The thousands of shards of the green stained glass was lying on the red carpet, indicating that this was how they had entered the castle. He thought to himself how much it would cost to replace a window for a castle grown out of magical crystal.
Hearing a shriek, Thunderbolt looked from the window and back down the hall. Wasting no time, he darted towards the source of the scream. Arriving first at the throne room, Thunderbolt rushed in to see the four imps pulling on Posey and Fluttershy’s manes and tails. The mares were crying out in pain and terror as the little devils assaulted them.
“Hey! Get off of them!” Seeing them in distress, Thunderbolt acted on impulse and bolted forward, bucking one of the gremlins attacking Posey in the face. He spun around and knocked the other one way. The gremlins hissed in rage at the gray stallion. Ignoring the mares, the four of them focused their attack on Thunderbolt instead. With surprising agility, they jumped on him and began clawing and biting at his coat. Despite their small stature, the gremlins were surprisingly strong, and with four of them, they quickly overwhelmed Thunderbolt.
By then, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Sour Apple arrived at the scene. While Applejack and Sour Apple ran to check on the cowering Posey and Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash went to help her son. Evening the odds, the Wonderbolts were able to push back the gremlins. Seeing that more ponies had arrived, the gremlins howled in laughter and flew out the room to search for a new target.
However, one was caught by the tail by Thunderbolt’s teeth. The creature screeched in pain from having teeth clamped down on its tail, but it was silenced when Thunderbolt whipped his head and slammed the imp into the wall. Upon impact, the creature exploded in a cloud of purple smoke. Thunderbolt then walked over to a trembling Posey and offered a hoof to help her off the floor.
“Oh! You’re hurt!” Posey cried as she stood back up.
Taking a moment to check on her son, Rainbow Dash looked in his direction and saw the claw marks and a bleeding bite wound. “Thunderbolt!”
“I’ll be alright,” he reassured them. “Are you okay?”
“But you’re bleeding!” Posey shouted, ignoring his inquiry. She went to place a hoof on the bite mark, but he pulled away.
“We have to get those things,” he said.
Just then, Twilight Sparkle ran into the room. “Everypony alright?”
“Those things attack Fluttershy and Posey,” Applejack explained to her.
“Everypony be on guard,” Twilight told them all as they followed her out of the throne room. As they left in search of the gremlins, Posey stuck close to her rescuer. He placed a wing across her back protectively. Even though he was the injured one, he wasn’t going to let anything happen to his marefriend. Beneath the Castle of the Royal Sisters, a red light flashed through the Tree of Harmony.
As the seven of them continued their search, they heard a commotion coming the kitchens. They sneaked up to the door, trying not to make a sound. On the other side of the door, they could hear the pings of pots and pans clanging. Twilight went to the door, grasping the handle with her magic as Rainbow Dash and Applejack prepared themselves to rush in. Opening the door, the charged inside but stopped at the sight of Surprise and Pinkie Pie cooking.
“Pinkie. Surprise. What are you doing?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“I was showing Surprise how to make the Pie Family’s Fizzy Rocks!” Pinkie cheerily explained as she revealed a plate of the sugary rocks.
“We’re suppose to be searching the castle!” the Alicorn shouted in exasperation.
“Didn’t you see the monsters?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Which is why we’re gonna need a lot of soda!” Surprise replied, placing a dozen bottles of carbonated beverages on a cart along with the candy.
“How are sweets going to stop those things?”
“Trust me. I know what I’m doing,” Pinkie reassured.
“Let’s keep moving,” Twilight ordered, deciding not to question the two and followed after them as they wheeled the cart out into the hall. It didn’t take long to find the gremlins. All they had to do was follow the sounds of cackling and glass breaking.
Walking into the dining room, they found one gremlin throwing plates while another used the broken leg of a chair to smash them as they sailed through the air. Seeing the ruined tableware, Twilight moaned, “Not the Starswirl the Bearded commemorative plates!”
Stepping pass Twilight as she bemoaned the plates she never actually used to eat off of, Surprise wheeled the candy up to the table and called out, “Hey! Monkey-bats! Look what I’ve got!”
The gremlins stopped what they were doing and watched as Surprise licked up some Fizzy Rocks and stuck out her tongue, showing them the candy as it popped and fizzed. Intrigued, the little devils rushed over to the plate and started to shovel the candy into their mouths by the clawful. They then would take turns sticking out their tongues at each other, showing off their candy as it fizzed and laughed at the sensation.
“You think that’s fun? Try this!” Pinkie Pie challenged as she grabbed a bottle and chugged down its entire contents in one go, finishing with a satisfied, “Ah!” After a moment, she took in a deep breath and let out a loud belch that reverberated off the walls of the dining room. The gremlins laughed even louder and grabbed for the other bottles of soda, popping off the tops as they began to down bottle after bottle.
“Fizzy Rocks and soda?” Twilight questioned as the gremlins continued to indulge themselves. “Pinkie, that’s just an old pony’s tale. It’s imposs-”
“I suggest we take cover,” Rainbow Dash interrupted. Twilight looked as saw that the gremlins’ cheeks were bulging as they held their stomachs. With hardly a moment to spare, everyone dived beneath the table as a loud explosion rocked the castle. Cautiously, they peeked from under their shelter to see purple smoke filling the room.
“Good heavens! What was that?” They heard a voice asked to turned to see that Rarity along with everyone else had come to investigate the noise.
“We got them!” Surprise announced as they climbed out from underneath the table.
Looking the ruins of the dining room as the purple smoke cleared, Twilight exclaimed, “Sweet Celestia’s technicolored mane! What was in those Fizzy Rocks?!”
“The less you know, Twilight, the better,” Pinkie answered with a strangely ominous tone.
“At least that’s the last of them,” Thunderbolt said before wincing. He looked down at a bleeding bite wound on his leg.
“Here, let me take care of those for you,” Posey offered. Turning to Twilight, she asked, “Do you have a first aid kit?”
“Yes, in the bathroom.”
Taking Thunderbolt by the hoof, Posey led him to the bathroom as Twilight and the others started to tidy up as much as they could. Using washcloths and bandages, Posey did her best to patch up her coltfriend.
“Thanks,” Thunderbolt said as he inspected himself in the mirror.
“It’s the least I could do. After all, you were hurt because of me,” she told him. She then blushed. “I thought it was very brave the way you saved me.”
Thunderbolt’s hoof then gently tilted her chin so she was looking right at him. Looking each other in eye, Posey’s blush deepened and her heart started racing. She closed her eyes and puckered her lips as Thunderbolt leaned in and kissed her. This tender act sent a pink flash of light through the Tree of Harmony as the Element of Kindness was restored.
Meanwhile, the others had finished cleaning the dining room the best they could. Yawning, Rainbow Dash stated, “Wow, I hardly realized we’ve been up and ‘em none stop for days now. I could really use a nap.”
“And a bath. I haven’t been able to properly groom myself since the Dragon King took me hostage!” Rarity added, looking at the state her mane was in.
“By all means. The guest rooms are at your disposal,” Twilight invited.
“Oh, thank goodness! Now, if you don’t mind,” Rarity said, asking for some privacy as she started to draw a bath.
As everypony else went off to find a room to rest in, Twilight returned to Evening Star’s room where Spike was still standing guard.
“I heard some sort of explosion. Is everything alright?” he asked with concern.
“It’s alright. We took care of the little pests,” she explained.
“What were they anyway?”
“From the way they vanished in a puff of smoke, I can assume they were conjurations made by Hargon sent to get back at us. After all, Midnight and the others did stop a summoning ritual.”
“Is that it? I don’t know. Seems kind of… petty. If he’s trying gather ponies so he can summon demons, sending only four minions just to annoy us seems beneath him.”
Four minions? Something about what Spike said made her think, That’s right. There were four of them. She then did a mental checklist. There was the one that Thunderbolt took care of and the two in the dining room. But where was the fourth?
“Hang on a second, Spike. Wait here with Evening Star a little longer.”
“Is everything alright?” Spike asked as Twilight hurried off.
“No, there’s still one of those things left!” she called back to him as she broke into a sprint. She raced down the hallways of the castle to check on her youngest child, Midnight.
As Midnight opened the door to her bedroom, she was greeted by the welcoming sight of her bed. Though as she laid down, her head was filled with thoughts of her father. Here she was taking a nap while Flash Sentry was in the clutches of a psychotic cult. This disconcerting thought caused Midnight to toss and turn on her bed.
As she shifted, she caught sight of the golden idol they had stolen from the Hargon’s followers. It was sitting on her desk when she was certain it was left in the study. She got up and made her way across the room towards the ghoulish object, but then the fourth gremlin jumped up from behind the desk, startling Midnight. The gremlin grabbed the idol and lifted over his head, the golden skull’s eyes glowing.
At that moment, the door opened and Twilight rushed into the room just as a bright flash of light emanated from the idol accompanied by a rush of wind. A swirling vortex opened up, taking up half of Midnight’s room. The bright light and strong wind temporarily disoriented Twilight and Midnight. Hopping off the desk, the gremlin ran to the portal with the idol in tow.
“The idol!” Midnight yelled over the rushing wind as she spotted the imp scurry across the floor.
“Midnight, wait!” Twilight called out to her daughter as she chased after the gremlin. Midnight was too late and the gremlin jumped through the portal. But then a massive orange hand shot out of the portal and grabbed Midnight. She only time to let out a surprised yelp before being dragged through as well. Before Twilight could do anything to help her daughter, the portal closed, leaving Twilight alone in the now silent room. She could only stare in breathless horror as yet another member of her family was taken from her.
*****
In the Dragon King’s chamber within Charlock Castle, Dragon Lord Ember watched as her king meditated. He hadn’t spoken a word since Spike and his family had left. She then heard someone approaching from behind, and she turned to see the tunnels illuminated with multiple colors. Moments later, she saw the source of the light were the glowing bodies of dragons, particularly Scorn, Cobalt, Mire, and the other wild dragons who had fled when Spike had defeated Ryuo. The larger dragons entered the chamber looking fearful, dreading their king’s reaction.
“So, you cowards have returned,” Dragon King Ryuo addressed them. Having answered the summons, the glow surrounding their bodies ceased.
“Master, please understand, we thought you were dead!” Scorn grovelled on behalf of the others, bowing before the Dragon King.
“Be silent. I will deal with all of you soon enough.” Ember noticed that Ryuo’s tone was surprisingly calm. Any other time, he would be roaring in rage. He then looked over to the blue Dragon Lord of Equestria. “Dragon Lord Ember, come to me.”
Obeying, she flew over to where he was lying on his treasure hoard. As she stood before him, his massive head loomed over her. “Yes, Your Majesty?”
“During my reflections, I recalled that Spike and his allies claimed they had a map.” Hearing this, Ember cringed, knowing where this was leading. “That was a lie. The only way they could have discovered the passage through the catacombs is if they had help, and only a Dragon Lord could have showed them the way.”
Ember said nothing at first, averting her gaze as those red eyes continued to bare down upon her. She tried to think of an excuse, but she knew that he would see through any deception. She then looked back up to those unrelenting eyes and confessed, “I showed them.”
She was expecting him to fly into a rage once she had told him this, but instead he retained that eerie calm. “When I told you to direct him to me, I did not mean for you to aid in his assassination attempt.”
“I-I never meant for…” Ember stammered at the accusation.
“It matters not what you intended. The fact remains that you and those under your care played a part in my downfall.” Hearing this, Mina and the rest of the Fillydelphian dragons became nervous. In fact, all the dragons present were being questioned for the actions. Ryuo stood and addressed his subjects, first looking to Scorn’s group, “Whether by desertion…” and then to Ember and Mina’s, “...or by treason, all of you have betrayed me; a grievous crime. The penalty for such a crime would be death.”
“Master! Please, forgive us!” Scorn begged, as did all the other dragons. Some of the more sensitive dragons from Fillydelphia began to weep, fearing for their lives.
“I have already made my decision,” Ryuo proclaimed, all becoming silent to hear their sentence. “If you wish to be spared your punishment, follow me now.” He spread his wings and started to march towards the exit of the cave.
Hearing this, the other dragons rejoiced. They weren’t going to have to suffer the wrath of the Dragon King after all. Jumping at this opportunity, every dragon spread their wings and followed his lead.
However, Ember was wary and took flight. Flying level alongside Ryuo’s head, she asked, “Where are you going?”
“To war,” he simply answered.
“But you promised Spike you’d never return to Equestria again to do harm!” she protested. “What about the Royal Dragon Code!?”
He turned his head to look at her but never slowed his pace. “Do not lecture me about honor. After your transgressions, none of you have the right anymore. I know what I promised, but there was another promise I made long ago, and it takes precedence over everything else. I will have my revenge. Either join me or stay out of my way.”
Ember stopped mid flight, watching as Ryuo left Charlock with his subjects eagerly following behind him. Mina flew up next to her, equally conflicted as she was and looking to her for guidance. They were certain that Ryuo was about to go back on his word and invade Equestria, but he would turn his anger upon them if they tried to stop him. The only thing they could do was to follow after him and hope that they could somehow prevent a potential catastrophe.
The army of dragons, following their king, flew out of the volcano and headed northwest in the direction of Equestria.