Zodiac and Nathan had managed to finally make it back to Equestria after nearly three hours of trying to get his portal watch to work, as the portal hole closed back into the Crystal Heart, Nathan turned to Zodiac who was still traumatized over what he and Nathan just went through, this was a bad day for not only him but Zodiac as well. Nathan would now never see or even the feel the happiness of his old orphanage again because not only was it destroyed by the tornado, but the use of him seeing children getting adopted by families and living happy lives would be gone as it would take months to repair the damage done to the city.
"Nathan, will you take me home please, I'm still too scared over what happened to go home alone." Zodiac said.
"NATHAN, ZODI!!!!!!" screamed a female voice from the door that led into the palace, Nathan and Zodiac turned to see Princess Cadance with a look that had a mixture of relief and worried at the same time, she and Shining Armor following behind ran up to the two boys and hugged both of them, even though clearly Zodi was not one of Nate's family.
"Thank goodness you all are okay, we were so worried!!!" exclaimed Cadance, that's when she quickly took notice of Nathan's face covered in scratches and bruises, and Zodiac who had transformed back into his Pegasus body have a scraped back from all the damaged wood and tiles from the orphanage when the tornado hit.
"What happened to you two, you look like you've been attacked by a vicious animal." Shining Armor said.
"We weren't, we went through a terrible storm and it spawned a massive tornado that destroyed the whole city!" screamed Nathan as he cried again and hugged his mother tightly.
"WHAT?!" yelled Shining Armor in horror.
"Why weren't we notified?!" asked Cadance.
"That just it mom," Nathan explained, "Ms. Fanning and Ms. Brown tried to get a signal all the way over here to remind y'all of what was about to happen."
"But they couldn't because the drafts from the storm before it approached blew out the signal." finished Zodiac.
"Hmm, I see." Cadance said, "Listen Zodi, because of what you all just went through, I'm going to request your mother that you stay with us for the night because I understand that you are still horrified over what happened."
"Yes Princess Cadance, I am, that's why I asked Nathan a minute ago if he could take me home."
Nathan shook his head, "Sorry Zodi, but ah'm with mah' mother on this one, it's just too risky to have you go home at a time like this."
"WHAT?!" Zodiac whined.
"Sorry kid, but we think it's best if you stay with us and ease the traumatizing." Shining Armor, "Now come on in with us."
"I'll send a letter to Aunt Celestia." Cadance said as Shining Armor put the two boys on his back, meanwhile from atop the hills that viewed the Crystal Empire, Chancellor Neighsay glared down at Zodiac as he rode on Shining Armor's back with Nathan and smiled evilly.
"Finally part three of my trap is complete, tonight kid I will have you in my grasp!" he said going back through his portal again. Meanwhile, inside the Crystal Empire Palace, Shining Armor had placed Zodiac on a couch while putting Nathan on a chair then he went upstairs to see Cadance who was in the middle of writing a letter to Celestia and Luna that Zodiac was going to stay with them for the night to what had just happened to him and Nathan, as she rolled up the letter and magically sent it away, Shining Armor approached her.
"Cadance, I'd never thought such a disaster could affect them." he said.
"It is strange because Nathan talked with me about him going through a storm like that once, but I'd never thought one could decapitate a whole city just like that." Cadance said.
"Mommy, Daddy." said a voice at the door, they turned to see Skyla who looked saddened.
"What's the matter pumpkin?" asked Shining Armor as he levitated her and held her.
"Napphan sad." she said, she was downstairs playing with two dolls when she saw the boys in the living room, saddened and heart broken, so she went upstairs to find Cadance and Shining Armor.
"Yes sweetie, I know your brother is sad, he went through a horrible thing at his world." Cadance said as she rubbed Skyla's mane.
"What bad?" Skyla asked.
"Look sweetie, why don't you just go back downstairs and give the boys some comfort because they could use it right now."
"Okay Daddy." said Skyla, but she had a plan of her own, she went over to the bedroom that she shared with Flurry Heart and flew up to her then pulled her out of her crib where they both giggled, Skyla may have been a tot, but she had a good grip when she held Flurry.
"We go make Napphan happy." Skyla said, Flurry held on to her big sister as they walked downstairs and approached the disheartened boys, Zodiac and Nathan saw them and smiled.
"Hey tiger." Nathan said as he picked up Skyla while Zodiac picked up Flurry Heart.
"You sad." Skyla said.
"Yes, sweetie, we are sad." said Nathan.
"Can me help?" Skyla asked.
"Ah'm afraid not tiger." said a disheartened Nathan, meanwhile as Zodiac was hugging Flurry Heart, they heard a knock on the front door.
"I'll get it." shouted Shining Armor from upstairs, he then walked downstairs and opened the front door to reveal a worried Celestia and Luna was with her as well.
"Where is he?!" exclaimed Celestia, Zodiac could hear her and put Flurry Heart down on the couch.
"MOMMY!!!!" screamed Zodiac as he ran up to her and hugged her.
"Thank goodness you're okay." she said.
"The moment we got the letter, we came as quickly as we could." said Luna.
"Are you okay Zodi, cause your back look's torn up." Celestia asked as she picked him up as Zodiac screeched in pain.
"Mom today was the worst day of my life, me and Nathan went through a tornado." he said causing his mother and aunt to gasp in horror.
"Princess Celestia?" Nathan said as he approached them.
"Yes Nathan?" Celestia asked.
"I feel like this is all mah' fault, Zodi really wanted to see how humans thrive and live and ah' wanted to show him that, but ah' never got notified that there was going to be a really bad storm rolling through, nor would there be a twister involved with it, ah' feel like ah' put him in danger."
Nathan hung his head in sorrow, but Luna approached him and put a hoof on his shoulder.
"It's not your fault Nathan." Luna said, "It's nopony's fault."
"Listen Zodi, due to what has happened to you today, I agree with Cadance's decision to have you stay here for the night because from what I see, you are too traumatized to go anywhere right now."
"Yes mommy." said Zodiac.
"Now listen sweetheart, you listen to Cadance and Shining Armor and do what they say, I'll return to pick you up first thing in the morning okay?"
"Yes mommy." Zodiac answered, Celestia then gave him a good bye kiss then put him down, then Zodiac went up to his aunt and hugged her as well.
"Bye Aunt Luna." he said as Luna returned his hug.
Later that night after they had eaten dinner together, it was time for bed as Cadance and Shining Armor manged to get Skyla and Flurry Heart down while Zodiac shared Nathan's room, which Nathan got a little uncomfortable with, but managed to accept it since he and Zodiac were best friends. Nathan had just finished his evening bath and his teeth were brushed, all that was left to do was head to his room and pull out his pajamas, as he entered his room, Zodiac was inside with a set of pj's on that Cadance had given to him.
"Hey, Zodi?" Nathan asked.
"Yeah Nate?" Zodiac asked back.
"Ah've got a suspicion that that storm we went through today was not created by pressure, reason being is because ah always check the forecast on mah' iPod for the Dallas area before ah' go there, and they said it was supposed to be sunny.
"But I thought you said the weather handled itself there." Zodiac said as he climbed into the guest bed.
Nathan climbed into his bed as well, "Yeah but ah'd never seen one twister decimate an entire city that quickly, usually only half of Dallas would be destroyed, but not the whole city, ah' think somepony is tryin' to set somethin' up."
Zodiac trembled, "You-you think so?"
"Yes, and ah' think this somepony is after another somepony, but ah' don't know who." said Nathan.
"What if this somepony is.......me?!"
Nathan shot up out of his bed and gasped, "Why in tarnation would you say that?!"
"Well from hero books that mommy used to read to me, the one that the bad guy is after is always the one who's young and helpless to fight."
Nathan walked up to Zodiac's bed and put his hand on his back even though it still hurt, "Zodi, ah' promise you, nopony is coming after you because as long as you're in God's hands, nopony will stand against you."
Zodiac smiled and hugged Nathan.
"Well g'night, Zodi, hope yer' back gets to feelin' better in the mornin'." Nathan said as he turned out the lights and climbed back into his bed.
"Yeah, good night Nate." Zodiac said getting comfortable and falling asleep.
12:00 midnight, just outside of the palace entrance......
A gust of wind rolled by the entrance into the palace and soon a quiet sounding portal opened up and out came Chancellor Neighsay looking to fulfill his evil scheme of Twilight giving up her school to the EEA, he had just managed to successfully trigger another seal, not like the one that Twilight destroyed when she declared the School of Friendship open again because this new seal he triggered on the entrance doors, he had made magic proof so that nopony, not even Twilight could take it down, now all he had to do was take Zodiac as a hostage and force her to give it up to the EEA.
Neighsay walked up to the door and quietly unlocked the door with his magic, then he entered into the hallways in search of his young and helpless victim as Zodiac quoted to Nathan earlier. He searched door after door, but had no bit of luck at least since this palace was huge.
"Where are you, you weak creature?!" he snarled, that's when his evil luck came about as he crossed an open door to reveal two little boys asleep. One was the human child that he had successfully made miserable and the other was none other than Zodiac, his target, with an evil grin, Neighsay undid the covers and lifted him up into his hooves and exited the room but not before knocking over a pedestal with a vase on top of it. Neighsay looked shocked as it woke Zodiac.
When Zodiac was fully awake, he looked up to see an angered unicorn with a black mane and beard and wearing a red robe with a ribbon that had some kind of a logo of a foundation on it and this unicorn stared at him angrily, Zodiac screamed in horror and tried to escape, but this unicorn had him firmly in his grasp.
"HEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" screamed Zodiac, but Neighsay silenced his mouth with his hoof.
"Silence you fool!" he said as he started to flee, but suddenly.......
"HEY YOU, PUT MAH' FRIEND DOWN YOU UGLY CREEP!!!!!!!!" Neighsay turned to see an angered Nathan, along with Cadance and Shining Armor and Cadance along with some guards he had alerted.
"Release him now!!!!!!!" Ordered Cadance.
"By order of Princess Celestia!" Shining Armor said, but Neighsay had some words of his own.
"If you follow me, this colt gets fed to the kraken!" he said as he started to flee.
"NOOOOOO, HELP ME NATHAN!!!!!!!!" Zodiac screamed, Nathan tried to give chase and free Zodi, but was knocked to the floor by Neighsay who laughed evilly.
"You think a kid like you would be brave enough to stop me, you're so pitiful, farewell!!!!!!!!!" Neighsay said re-activating his portal.
"NOOOOOOO, ZODI!!!!!!!!!" Nathan screamed, just as Cadance, Shining Armor, and the guards approached, they were too late, Neighsay was in his portal.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Zodiac screamed as the portal closed up.
"Who was that?" a guard asked.
"I'm not sure, but whoever he was, he's not getting away with this, guards get Princess Celestia here immediately!" Shining Armor ordered.
As Nathan watched his parents and the guards flee to summon Celestia over, he turned back to the area where the portal was.
"Just remember Zodi, God is watching over you." he said softly.