//------------------------------// // A Long Quest // Story: Jade's Adventure // by Ni-kun //------------------------------// My fourth story! Jade Hardstone was an earth pony. But, unlike her name, she was NOT jade in colour, and did NOT have a stone or gem for a cutie mark. Instead, she was whitish-grey in colour, with a mane and tail that was two shades of light blue. She always tied her messy, tousled hair, back into a ponytail, and her tail was cropped short. Her cutie mark was a blue flame, indicating that she could be as dangerous or as helpful as one, if she so chose to be. Jade Hardstone looked out the window of her room in Canterlot Castle, and winced. Both armies were preparing for war: the army of the royals, that is, the four princesses (five if you count Flurry Heart) and the two immortal princes; and the army belonging to their enemy, Queen Chrysalis. She had managed to hypnotise a large number of weak-minded creatures all over the planet; which included ponies, griffins, yaks, dragons and hippogriffs. Jade heard a knock on her room door. "Jade, are you there?" came the voice of Princess Celestia. "Yes, you can come in, Princess. I was just getting ready." replied Jade, marching over to fetch her techno-robotic voice commanded suit of armour. Celestia entered the room. "Jade, I'm really worried. Even with all this technology, I'm not so sure of our victory. Chrysalis hypnotised those creatures, Jade. They could do anything. And the worst part is, we can't harm them, even if they attack us. We'd be injuring thousands of innocent creatures. And Chrysalis would be protected by her...army. " Celestia said, terror in her voice. Outside, a war cry was heard from Luna, and the war began, ponies and creatures yelling and fighting. Celestia flinched. Jade struggled for words, not knowing what to say, as she sat on her bed beside Celestia, Jade now wearing a techno-robotic , voice controlled, camouflage suit of armour. "At this rate, the only thing that can help us is the Hidden Jewel of Good Luck." said Celestia. "B-but...Princess...isn't that extremely hard and dangerous to find? Only one creature has seen it, and that was the ancient Pendant Potion, the great deer-pony sorcerer; and nopony has been able to find it ever since." stammered Jade. "Yes, but Chrysalis seems to be hard to defeat." said Celestia, hearing a loud, angry grunt from Starlight Glimmer. "Uh...well..." began Jade. Celestia held up a hoof. "Forget this. We'll only require it if things get bad. Really bad. Now, let's go and help fight a battle! " **** Celestia and Jade trooped out on to the battlefield, both wincing as they saw the battle in progress. Immediately, a yak lunged at Jade. Celestia blasted it away with magic, taking care not to hurt it too much. "Thanks." Jade said, giving Celestia a greatful smile. "Anytime, Jade." Celestia replied, quickly flying up ahead to search for Chrysalis; knowing that Jade would follow, using her techno-suit. Jade followed suit, using a propeller, just by shouting: "Activate propeller!" (lol how ironic) But she was again assaulted, this time by a unicorn and a hippogriff. The hippogriff tried to snap at Jade, but she used a heavy, suit-covered hoof to push it away. But, the unicorn managed to singe a bit of Jade's tail, making it shorter than it really was. Jade activated a spout of water, covering the unicorn from from horn to hoof, and dousing off her tail. Then, she blasted the unicorn away and managed to follow Celestia, for real this time. **** Meanwhile, Twilight was fighting with a griffin and a hippogriff. The griffin managed to scratch her eye, and the hippogriff managed to scratch her neck; but a quick Healing Spell from Cadence helped things a lot. Twilight gave Cadence a grateful smile, managing to send the two creatures packing with a powerful blast of magic. Overhead, Luna was fighting with a dragon, managing to get ice into its mouth, and cold water in its nose. It yelped and flew away. Luna gave a small smile, and flew away. Overall, the battle seemed to be going well, but that was only for the royals and the Mane 6. Everywhere, wounded soldiers lay about, the occasional unicorn nurse putting a force field, grabbing the pony, and running to the tent-sanitory. But Chrysalis hadn't prepared a tent-sanitory, or any sanitory at all; just because she didn't care about her non-changeling army. **** A scream was heard, and Celestia was blasted backwards, scratches, cuts and bruises adorning her body. Apparently, she had found Chrysalis. "Celestia!" screamed Luna, Shining, Cadence, Twilight and Flurry in unison. But, before they could get to her, Jade had already rushed over. "Princess? Are you all right? Please, please, tell me you're okay." "J-Jade...you m-m-must...f-find the...gem...stone..." "Princess?" "G-go, Jade. GO!" managed Celestia, weakly; as a unicorn nurse helped Celestia back to the Castle to nurse her there. Jade swallowed, tears in her eyes, as she quickly turned and galloped to the Castle, taking a shortcut. Once there, she made sure her armour was fine, and galloped out of the castle and away, this time with a map of all the places that she would be crossing. **** Jade trotted along as quickly as she could, following a path that led away from the battle. She had already commanded her suit to make her camouflage. For real, this time. Many years ago, any information about the whereabouts of the Gemstone had been lost. Great. Now she was walking cluelessly along. She had only taken the maps in case she might pass through any one of these places. Though, it was quite unlikely that she would pass through Griffinstone, or the Dragon Lands, or Seaquestria, or Las Pegasus, Maretropolis, Cloudsdale, or Manehatten. Yet, she had taken all the maps that she could lay her hooves on. She was now staring at one as she trotted. She planned to catch a train to Ponyville. From there, she could trot to the Everfree Forest. Soon, she reached the Canterlot train station, just in time. There was not a single smile to be seen as ponies boarded the train. Some were even soldiers, leaving with bandages wrapping several parts of their bodies; some had injuries on their foreheads, some on their hooves, backs, stomachs and wings. No doubt injuries from day before yesterday's battle, when Jade was almost ready to fight. So, she didn't look out of place, wearing her suit. Once she reached Ponyville, she quickly galloped off to the Everfree Forest. Of course, there was no map for this one place. Nopony was ever really brave enough to enter. Well, except for alicorns and the mane 6. She entered, swallowing back any fears she had about this place. She walked on, sensitive to every single sound, every movement. Soon, she began to feel thirsty. Her water bottle was empty. She cursed herself and continued walking. She walked on, until she heard the gurgling sound of running water. She quickly ran over to it, and drank as much as possible. Then, she filled her bottle to the brim. Then, she began to feel tired. She had done a lot today, after all. She leant back against a tree, giving a little sigh of relief and contentment. She was just about to sleep, when she saw a huge flash of light directly in front of her, and she could make out a faint pony outline. Well, whoever it was, she hoped it wasn't one of Chrysalis's soldiers that had followed her or something. Once the light cleared, she squinted her eyes, now on full alert, standing up straight. "F-Flurry? Flurry Heart? Is that you? Is it really you?" exclaimed Jade, in sheer delight, heaving a sigh of relief. "Jade! Thank Celestia you're all right!" cried Flurry, rushing over for a hug. "I didn't want to fight in the battle anymore. I know they needed me, but...I just wanted to be with you. To keep you company. You're in dangerous territory, you know that? I'm pretty sure you don't even know just where you're going, right? Also, when was the last time I had an exciting, risky, crazy adventure that would be worth it and world-saving in the end?" "Yeah. Well, you're right. It is dangerous, and I don't know just where I'm headed, or what the Gemstone even looks like. But it's good to have company in such dark times." said Jade, smiling at Flurry. "Yeah. So, you wanna stay here and rest for a while, or continue on our way?" asked Flurry. "I definitely wanna rest. I have been on a long journey to get here." "Right." said Flurry, giving a Jade a reassuring smile, as they both drifted off to sleep. **** When Jade and Flurry woke up, they found themselves in the coils of a snake. Looking up, they realised it was no ordinary snake. It was a lamia, a pony-snake hybrid. From waist up, it was a stallion. But from waist down, it was a snake. "Hey! Let us go, you slippery snake! Or else, i'll blast you with my magic, I will! And I'm an alicorn, too!" shouted Flurry, in protest. The lamia raised an eyebrow, and said, "Oh, really? And just what will I get from doing so? I would be losing a very good meal." "Well, can't you just eat plants, fruits, nuts and berries instead?" said Jade, glaring at his slit-shaped pupils. He flicked out his forked tongue, booping her on the nose. "That's exactly what I've been doing, and I'm fed up of it! I'm an omnivore, and I'll eat what I want! Just like you ponies do." "Don't you dare talk to my friend like that, you hose pipe!" said Flurry, sparks emitting from her horn. "Oh my...how rude. We haven't even gotten to know each other yet. My name is Hypno Vine, but you can just call me Hypno. Or Vine. It doesn't matter, really." said the stallion, gazing at them with a smirk. "W-well, my name is Jade Hardstone, and this is my friend Princess Flurry Heart." said Jade. "Nice to meet you, Jade." said the stallion, coolly. "Can I tell you something? You two are trespassing. On my territory. So it's only fair that I coil you and eat you up." said Hypno. "But...we didn't know! We were tired and thirsty!" protested Jade. Hypno silently raised a hoof, pointing at a cave quite close to them. It had a very obvious sign that said: Territory of Hypno Vine. Trespassers will be prosecuted. "...Oh." said Jade, disappointment in her voice. "How could we have missed something like that?" Immediately, there was a bright flash of light. Flurry had finally blasted his coils with magic. But, to her surprise and anger, nothing had happened. "Guess I forgot to mention, my body is quite hard." Flurry gritted her teeth, shooting daggers at him, trying to squirm her way out. Hypno flicked his tongue out. That's not going to work. Then, he had an idea. "You two seem quite restless. Would you like me to help you...relax?" asked Hypno, with a warm smile. "Relax? I'll never relax around the likes of you." spat Flurry. "Oh, really? Stare into my eyes, and we'll see." said Hypno. It was quite fortunate for him that Flurry had never heard of hypnosis. "N-n-no! Flurry, wait!" shouted Jade, accidently looking up at Hypno. But it was too late. Hypno's eyes pulsed with multi-colour rings. Both eyes had different colours. One eye showed yellow, orange, red and green. Not necessarily in that order. The other eye showed blue, purple, pink and brown. Again, not in that order. Everytime Jade and Flurry thought they had found the pattern, it seemed to change. "Wha-huh..? What izzat...pretty...colours...making...dizzy...wanna sleep..." managed Flurry, her words coming out in a slur. "Just relaaax...ssstare into my eyesss...ssstare deeply...ssstare until you think of me asss your massster...let the pulsssing coloursss draw you in...hypnotissse you...now, feel my cool coilsss on your ssskin...relieving you of all your pain...all your worriesss...now, when I count to three, you two will be my hypnotisssed ssslaves... " said Hypno, softly, drawing them closer and closer into a trance, until their mental barriers were broken, and their eyes copied Hypno's. "One...two...two and a half...two and three quartersss...THREE!" he said, Jade and Flurry now completely hypnotised. "How may we help you, master?" asked Jade and Flurry in unison. "Do you two wish to be eaten?" asked Hypno, knowing what the answer would be. "No, master." "Then find a way to get me unlimited food for as long as I live, which should be around...oh, I don’t know...maybe...153 more years, I guess." said Hypno. "Master, I know of a spell to help you with that." said Flurry. "And I could use my suit to help." said Jade. "Really? Then do so now, and I will let you two go free." Flurry did the spell, a wave of pink light swirling up her horn and flashing onto the ground. Instantly, a camouflage-coloured bowl appeared. "Master, anytime you require food, just tap this bowl once. Anytime you require drink, just tap it twice." said Flurry. Jade then used her suit to create a tiny box out of thin air. ((Don’t ask me how!)) The box, too, was camouflage-coloured, and it had a red button on one side, and a green button on the opposite side. "Master, just press this green button, and the box will transform into a fridge. Press this red button, and it will transform into a microwave oven. When the box is a fridge or a microwave, it will have a blue button, that will transform it back into a portable little box." said Jade. "Wonderful work, you two! I suppose I should let you go now, as I promised earlier, for I have no reason to keep you two, when I can get any food I want, whenever I want." said Hypno, beaming. Jade and Flurry's eyes lit up, when they heard the compliment. Hypno then let his coils relax, completely moving them away from the girls. "Now, when I clop my hooves together, you two will come out of my trance, but won't try to literally kill me." he said, chuckling. Hypno clopped his hooves, and the mares jumped out of their trance. "Wha-what happened?" asked Flurry, holding her head. Jade shook her head, stood up and said: "I think...he just hypnotised us!" shouted Jade, glaring at Hypno, who was tucking the box and bowl away in his mane, using his holed horn. "So...that was hypnosis?" asked Flurry, standing up as well. "Yup." "Why, you...!" shouted Flurry, lunging at him, but he dodged. "Look here, snobby princess pony, I didn't eat you, or do...bad stuff with your bodies. You know, like tie ribbons in your manes, or give you a horrible makeover, or cut your mane, or clip your fur...etc. I only asked you to supply me with endless food. I'm not even gonna eat other creatures now. Only what I want, with the help of my bowl and box. So, we're both happy, and now you're free to go." protested Hypno. "Fine. We'll leave you. We're wasting time here anyway, thanks to you." said Flurry, marching to the lake and filling her's and Jade's water bottles. "Come on, Jade." she said, not looking back, as she trotted off in the direction that they were previously headed in. "Hey, don't I get a goodbye kiss?" asked Hypno, grinning. Flurry just glared at him, huffed, and marched away, Jade trotting at her heels, giving him an apologetic glance. After they were out of earshot, Hypno pulled a walkie-talkie out of his mane and said: Mission: failure. I repeat: Mission: Failure. Agent 02, it's your turn." He grinned evilly, exposing a long set of red fangs, and slithered back to his home. **** "So..." began Jade. "I don't wanna talk about it." muttered Flurry, as they walked. "Ohhhkayyy..." said Jade. "Hey, do you hear that?" "Ugh, I hope it's not another monster." grumbled Flurry. "Hey." came a voice from above, in the treetops. "Oh, pony-feathers." said Flurry. "What now? And so soon, really?" Looking up, Flurry and Jade saw a drider, a spider-pony. She was a grey mare, with fangs, and three sets of red eyes. She had white freckles on her cheeks and forehead. A pair of sharp pincers was positioned directly behind her mouth, near her cheeks. Her tousled black and light brown hair was tied back in a ponytail, using a red band. From neck to waist, she had black stripes, making it look like she was wearing a prison jumpsuit. From waist down, she had the usual double spider body. Eight spindly spider legs stuck out from the first part of her spider body, and she didn't have a tail. "Look here, young drider mare, we don't have time to do anything. We are on a very important mission, and have no more time to lose." Under her breath, she added: "Damn Hypno." "Well, my name is Killer Speed, but you can just call me killer, and yes, maybe so, but I could be of assistance to you. Just watch this." she said, shooting out webs from her abdomen, working fast, and soon, in just a minute, a huge web was complete. "See? I wasn't named Killer Speed for nothing." Jade, who had been silent the whole time, piped up: "Um, well, I don't mean to be rude, but...uh...well...we have no actual use for webs on our quest." Celestia, that excuse sounded horrible. Killer raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's too bad. You've just made a ten-year old sad. Now prepare to face the consequences." said Killer, pushing them onto the sticky web, taking them by surprise. "Hey! What gives? I thought you were just an adorable little ten-year old drider!" said Flurry, indignantly, as her horn and wings were wrapped in three layers of web. "Meh, never judge a book by its cover. I'm 16 years old. Now deal with it, punks. And don't you dare call me cute." Jade decided not to let Flurry have all the fun. "Aww, what a cute widdle dwidah!" she cooed. "Oh, that's it, you have crossed the line, you are going down." huffed Killer, gagging Jade and Flurry. "My name isn't Killer Speed for nothing. I have a job to do, and that is to keep you from reaching your goal, and that's what I'll do." she said, wrapping the webs around their necks, manes, bodies, hooves, tails, and finally, their butts. (Lol) "There, that should keep you safe. Well, not safe from the predators exactly, but maybe it'll teach you never to call me cute. Goodbye, suckas!" she smirked triumphantly, before scuttling away. "Mmmm mmm mm mmmmm mm mm?" (Translation: What are we going to do?) asked Flurry. "M mmmm mmmmmmmmmm mmm." (Translation: I can't understand you.) said Jade. Flurry sighed and leant back in a more comfortable position, pondering their next move, and just how she could communicate with Jade. Stupid spider-butt! Why, oh why did she have to gag them? On that note, why did she have to capture them? As Flurry lay back, she suddenly had an idea. What if I use telepathy? she thought to herself. Oh, wait, I can't use magic in these damn webs. Oh, pony-feathers! While she was thinking, Jade was humming a song. Listening carefully, Flurry recognised it to be Perfect, by Ed Neighan. (Sorry, Ed Sheeran!) Wait a minute... thought Flurry. Water dissolves spider webs! How could she have forgotten? But wait...she wrapped up my horn too...how in Celestia's name am I going to spray water over myself and Jade? she thought, unhappily. Suddenly, she had a new thought. Is it even possible to create magical, power-draining webs? I don't think so. I don't feel tired at all. Maybe I can douse us with water! And, much to Jade's shock, a fountain of water erupted from Flurry's horn; and soon, Flurry was free, and standing there, dripping wet. She doused Jade as well. "W-what just happened? I thought you couldn't use magic! What happened to the webs?" asked a bewildered Jade. "Turns out, webs can't be magical. Now, hurry up and come on, we're wasting time." said Flurry. "Coming!" said Jade, drying off with a fan, as she trotted after Flurry, deeper into the jungle. Unknown to them, in the nearby bushes, five pairs of angry red eyes were watching them. Killer reached into her mane, took out another walkie-talkie, and said: "Mission failed. I repeat: mission failed. Boss, it's up to you." **** At least this time, Flurry and Jade were able to cover quite some distance before they were assaulted again. By now, it was already 8:30 pm. Flurry shook a few leaves out of her mane, and swished some pebbles out of her tail, and continued walking. Suddenly, a small crack rent the air. Jade gave a small scream. Flurry turned, and glowered at Jade. "You stepped on a twig. Are you trying to get us captured again?" she said, gruffly. "Sorry!" said Jade, blushing. "Just don't let it happen again." They continued walking in silence, but Jade's nerves were now on edge, and she would jump at every small sound. Eventually, they reached a small clump of huge trees. Hanging from the branches were several thick, long, thorny vines. "Huh..I wonder if we could convert these into a long rope?" muttered Flurry. Instantly, right at that moment, the vines shot out, covering them from head to hoof, the thorns piercing their skin, causing them to lose a lot of blood. Jade screamed and passed out from lack of blood. Flurry struggled in her prison, beads of sweat trickling down her cheeks, blood flowing down to the ground. Just when she thought she could struggle no more, the vines stopped moving, though the thorns still poked her skin. Flurry's eyes widened as she saw a vine-pony walk out of the bushes, slit-shaped purple irises gleaming, a huge, evil, fanged smirk on her face. She looked somewhat like Twilight, but there were quite some differences. Pinkish-purple magic flowed from her green eyes. She had a crown like Twilight's, but this one was black with jade coloured diamonds, as was her necklace and shoes. Her black mane had jade and purple highlights, as did her tail. She was an alicorn as well, with a lavender coat. And finally, her front bangs were cut like Twilight's too. "Look at what we have here. Princess Flurry Heart and her apprentice, Jade Hardstone. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name used to be Princess Plunderseed, but now, it's ...PRINCESS TWIVINE SPARKLE!" Flurry just glared at her, or tried to, anyway. "Ah, yes. I almost forgot. Your little wool-headed friend, Jade, she's gone. Nope, not fainted, she's gone. Forever." Flurry's face contorted into one of anger and fury, but then, as she was exhausted already, her face showed one of sadness. A tear even trickled down her cheek. She looked up at Twivine, who smiled and said: "Welcome to your doom, princess. Or rather, goodbye." The plunderseed vines tightened, then everything began to turn dark for Flurry. The last thing she heard was Twivine screeching: "Wait-what?! N-no! Wait! Noooooooo!" Then everything turned black for Flurry. **** Flurry woke up with a start and a gasp, eyes widened, beads of sweat trickling down her cheeks. "Flurry! You're finally awake! Thank Celestia!" shouted Jade, with a relieved face. She immediately held Flurry in a tight bear hug. "Wait, what? Where are the vines? Where's Twivine? And most importantly, how in Celestia's big, fat, sunbutt are you even alive?" asked Flurry, quite surprised and confused. "Mind your language, Flurry." Jade said with a giggle. "That was all just a dream. But...who's Twivine? And what do you mean, ‘alive’?" asked Jade. "After I fainted, did you see the one who gave us the nightmare?" Flurry then told Jade everything that had happened after Jade had fainted in the nightmare. "Huh...wow...well...I don't know what to say." stammered Jade. "But, I can help. Here, take your bottle of water." Jade handed Flurry's bottle to her. Flurry took a swig and looked at Jade gratefully. "Thanks. I needed that." "You're welcome." Jade returned the warm smile with one of her own. “You know, earlier, as we were farther from the edge of the Forest, I couldn’t teleport us. But now, I think I can.“ said Flurry. “Really? Do it now!” prompted Jade. “Obviously.” Flurry rolled her eyes. There was a flash of light, and they found themselves in front of the Tree of Harmony, all 6 elements glistening in the moonlight. “Kindness, loyalty, laughter, honesty, generosity and magic.” counted Flurry. “Wait, why are we here?” asked Jade, confused. “Are you sleepy?” asked Flurry. “Yes, but what does that have to do with-” “Look, the Tree will keep us safe from any harm. So, since we both are sleepy, let’s go to sleep. Okay?” explained Flurry. “Yeah. I’m so sleepy, my eyes are already half-closed.” muttered Jade. “That’s what I wanna hear.” mumbled Flurry, a smile on her face as her eyelids drooped as well. Soon, both of them were fast asleep under sleeping bags that Flurry had summoned with magic. **** The next morning, they both woke up, stretching and yawning, though Flurry had to wake up Jade, who was already half-awake anyway. Jade looked at her watch. “7:42.” said Jade. “Right.” said Flurry. “Let’s take a look at those maps you brought along, shall we? At the castle, I couldn’t help but notice that ALL the maps were missing.” “Sure thing.” Jade giggled, handing Flurry the huge wad of maps. Flurry took the one that showed the route to the Tree of Harmony. Flurry squinted at it, holding it close to the Tree, reading the map in its bright glow. “Flurry, what are you looking at? We’re already at the Tree of Harmony.” “Yes, but...something looks out of place. I think...I can see a faint shape on the top left-hoof corner!” “What? Where? Let me see!” said Jade, pushing Flurry out of the way. “Woah, be careful with that! This looks important. It was never there before!” shouted Flurry. “Wow...it’s true...there’s a shape forming on the map in the glow of the Tree...I don’t understand it, though.” Flurry levitated the map back to herself. She carefully scrutinized the picture, then widened her eyes. “Jade, we’ve found it!” “Found what, Flurry?” “It’s the...the...the Hidden Jewel of Good Luck!” “Really?” “Yes, really.” Flurry turned the map over. “There’s a map here!” “Cool! All our troubles and problems and worries are over! We can waste less time!” screamed Jade, in her ecstasy. “Let’s not waste any time at all. We leave right away! Thank you, O great Tree of Eternal Harmony.” Suddenly, the Tree started glowing brighter. Flurry and Jade covered their eyes. Then, the bright glow dimmed, and two huge white tentacles shaped like tree roots snaked out, and wrapped themselves around Flurry and Jade. “W-what’s happening, Flurry?” asked Jade, shivering in fright. You think I know? thought Flurry. “I don’t know, but...since it’s the Tree of Harmony, it can’t be trying to kill us!” said Flurry Then suddenly, Flurry and Jade’s eyes snapped open wide, glowing white, and a huge glow surrounded them. Yep, there was a lot of glowing involved. Soon enough, the glow subsided, and Flurry and Jade stood there, staring at each other. “Flurry...” “Jade...” “You’re rainbowfied!” the two of them shouted in unison. “Woah...I feel more powerful, Jade. Like...I can do anything. I think...I can do a searching spell to find the Hidden Jewel Of Good Luck!” said Flurry, beaming. “Really?! That’s great! We should probably follow the map as well, though. But I feel powerful too!” said Jade. “Of course. Let’s go!” said Flurry, trotting away. “Next stop- The Hidden Jewel of Good Luck!” shouted Jade in ecstasy, following Flurry. They followed the map carefully, with no more obstacles or distractions, until they reached a sign that said: Stop! You have reached the path that follows up to the lair of the Emerald Dragon. Are you sure you want to go on? “What nonsense is this?! Of course we do! She guards the Jewel.” said Flurry, frowning at the sign as she trotted on. “Flurry...are you sure? She sounds kinda bad.” said Jade, a look of worry on her face. “Jade, you think we have a choice? Besides, she can’t be all that bad. She’s guarding the Jewel. Come on!” Flurry ignored Jade’s grumble, and continued on the path. Presently, they reached another sign: Are you sure? This is your last warning! Flurry ignored it and kept on trotting. Then, they reached the last sign: Stop! You have reached the lair of the Emerald Dragon, Aquamarine. Hope you had a nice life! As Flurry was reading the last sign with a deadpan look on her face, Jade said: “Flurry? I think you should look up. Now.” Flurry looked up, and gasped. An enormous dragon, the size of her Crystal Castle, growled back at her. How did she miss that? As they watched, Aquamarine reared up, proving to be as tall as TWO castles, and exhaled a stream of fire the size of a storm. Jade reflectively pulled out her shield, while Flurry put up a force field. Even then, a bit of Jade’s mane was singed. “Oh, horsefeathers. Not again.” she grumbled. “Aguamenti.” she said to her suit. Immediately, a tiny hose shot out of her suit, and doused her mane, putting out the tiny fire. “What are you doing in my lair? Did you not see the signs?” she huffed. “I haven’t trusted ponies, or any creature, ever since...” she gulped, her scowl returning. “Well, that’s not important.” Flurry piped up. “Excuse me, Miss Aquamarine? My name is Princess Flurry Heart, and this is my friend, Jade Hardstone. There’s actually a huge war where we’re from. A creature called a Changeling, hypnotised a large number of griffons, hippogriffs, ponies, yaks and dragons to do her bidding and fight in her army! And whenever some creature gets hurt, she just leaves them there to die! We need the Jewel of Good Luck. Please?” Aquamarine mused about this for a moment. “Prove it.” she growled. Flurry and Jade exchanged worried looks, but then Jade got an idea. She whispered something in Flurry’s ear. Flurry beamed, and pulled out the map of the Tree of Harmony. She gave it to the emerald-scaled dragon. Aquamarine stared at it for a moment. Then she nodded and said: “So, the Tree of Harmony rainbowfied you. Very well. I trust the Tree’s abilities. I, Aquamarine, the Emerald Dragon, hand the Jewel of Good Luck, to you, Princess Flurry Heart and Soldier Jade Hardstone, to help you in the war, and to be safe, forever!” She stepped over, and shot a blast of rainbow-coloured flame in the air. And Lo and behold! A heart-shaped jewel was formed, and it slowly floated over to Flurry. “It has not been used in a long time, and you must revive it. I trust you shall know what to do. It comes naturally.” she gave Flurry a warm smile. Flurry looked confused, but then slowly performed a series of magic, which ended in the jewel turning rainbow-coloured, shining in the early morning rays (which was done by Luna, since Celestia was still injured) . “Congratulations. You’ve earned the Invincible Jewel of Good Luck. Use it well.” Aquamarine smiled. “And you’ve earned yourself two new pony friends. Would you like to come back home with us?” asked Jade, walking over to the dragon. “I-I’d love to.” Aquamarine brandished the Jewel in the air, a swirl of rainbow magic wooshed around them, and before they knew it, they were at the battle field, Aquamarine still levitating the Jewel. Surprisingly enough, the war had not stopped. Creatures did turn and stare at Aquamarine, but they continued the war, fighting on like nothing had happened. Aquamarine frowned upon noticing the hypnotised dragons. She reared up on her hind legs, and blasted more flames, throwing the Jewel up in the air, where it hovered. Quickly, with its power, the hypnotised creatures were turned back to normal, with no memory of anything, and were sent back to their respective homes. Chrysalis was sent to the Badlands, with a fractured hoof, a broken horn, and more than a few cuts, bruises and scratches. Celestia flew out of a window, and hugged both Jade and Flurry. To Aquamarine, she said: “Thank you. We will surely build you a castle here. A special one, just for you, made out of crystal.” And so, they had a wonderful day. Celestia held a banquet in honour of all three heroes. Aquamarine shrunk herself down to the size of a normal dragon, and Spike fell in love. And what about the Jewel? It was safely kept in Aquamarine’s Crystal Castle, where she continued to guard it carefully, with her life, alongside her new-found friends.