//------------------------------//
// Episode 3 
// Story: My Little Pony: Nakama is Magic - The Friendship Chronicles 
// by Hotspot the 626th 
//------------------------------//


Beyond Expectation!
The Journey Through the Land Full of Magic, 
Fiore







Once again, we find the Thousand Sunny sailing out in the open ocean; however, this time she was going to a destination. Requested by the master of a guild called Fairy Tail, the Straw Hat Pirates were navigating towards the Earthland Archipelago to the peninsula where the kingdom of Fiore resided. They had picked up a large number of ponies (and three cats) belonging to this guild, and all of them were anxious to return home. They had been gone seven years in magical stasis, not knowing how but the act protected them from utter destruction at the claws of an evil dragon. And with the added promise of payment, regrettably, the group of pirates agreed to give them passage.


This is what the Straw Hats were doing currently. But since it would be some time before they would reach land, they would need to pass the time. While most of the Fairy Tail group relaxed, some had taken an interest in their new friends; in fact, three held a particular interest in one of the crew.


“Dra-bleh!”


The three in question were Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy. Right now, the three of them were lying on the grass deck looking sick. Then, when they caught sight of Spike the baby dragon, they became surprisingly active. While those three struggled to reach the dragon, the few Straw Hats around asked a few of Fairy Tail’s members questions regarding them.


Like the obvious one; “What’s up with them?” asked by Luffy looking very confused.


Lucy answered, “They get motion sick. I think because they all share the same kind of magic, Dragon Slayer magic.”


Spike squeaked out in horror, “D-D-Dragon slayer?!” He then ran behind Luffy, who was instantly frowning strongly.


Quickly, Lucy attempted to correct the misunderstanding. “Oh, no-no-no-no! It’s just the type of magic they have! They don’t go around actually slaying dragons!”


Both pony and dragon blinked with surprise. “Oh,” they both said casually.


Now, Twilight was curious. “Hold on,” she spoke, “are you saying they all have similar magic?”


After Lucy’s nod, Twilight further questioned, “But two of them are an Earth pony and Pegasus, they usually only have the kind of magic for growing plants and weather manipulation respectively.”


Lucy looked at the purple unicorn confused. “I mean, I can use magic too,” she stated demurely.


Twilight blinked. “What?”


Then, there came a shout from Wendy. “Troia!” There was a blue glow for a moment that nearly blinded everyone. The light died down as fast as it came, but immediately after, the three Dragon Slayers were up and rushing to the dragon.


Natsu was the first and dive caught the little dragon, much to his surprise. The crimson pony then began asking with great hope, “Have you seen a big red dragon named Igneel?!”


Wendy too asked, “Did you happen to see a white, feathery dragon by the name of Grandeeney?”


And Gajeel… “Oi! Where’s that bastard Metalicana?!”


Unfortunately, Spike could not answer their questions. He had only ever seen three dragons, met two of them, and just knew one of those two. Beforehand, he had only one other dragon. This fact surprised the Dragon Slayers, who had believed that dragons had gone extinct. Twilight quickly explained that they were not; and, that many dragons lived in Equestria though living a solitary lifestyle.


All three Dragon Slayers were disappointed at first, but they soon realized that if there was a country that still had dragons, then there was a chance for their foster parents to be there. That fact had surprised the pirates standing around; that a dragon was capable of taking care of a pony was unheard of. But the thought was pretty cool for Luffy and a few of the other stallions, something that most of their group shot down due to them – the strongest of the crew – were almost monsters themselves.


Once the talk of dragons was finished, Twilight brought up a point she was about to ask. “Can everyone in your group use magic?”


“Yeah,” Natsu said annoyed, “we are a mage guild.”


Erza Scarlet began to explain; the Earthland Archipelago is a land rich with magic. Nobody knew entirely for sure why or how but every kind of pony could use magic. To the point that even unicorns did not have to rely solely on their horns as conduits to use it. It varies from pony to pony, but many could share a type of magic. Each of the group quickly showed off their own as an example; Gray’s Ice-Make magic, Lucy’s Celestial Key magic by summoning Virgo (unicorn), Ezra’s Requip magic materializing a new set of armor and also a sword, and the three dragon slayers’ own: fire, iron, and sky. The crew was in awe at each one, and Twilight was wholly gushing with each new magic. 


“This is amazing!” Twilight exclaimed in complete fascination. “To think magic could become so diverse in a single area is completely unheard of in Equestria.”


Curious, Wendy asked, “Can you use magic, Ms. Twilight.”


“Well,” Twilight said a little bashful.


That is when Spike interjected, loudly and proudly. “You kidding me? Twilight isn’t just your run-of-the-mill unicorn. She’s the chosen student to the one and only Princess Celestia of Equestria, the bearer of the element of magic in the elements of Harmony, and noted ‘Sorceress Supreme’ by the Empire as well.”


“Spike,” Twilight said with strain, not wanting to seem like a show-off.


“Wow,” said many in the Fairy Tail group.


Gray also added, “That sounds pretty impressive.”


“Hey!” Luffy shouted with some annoyance. “You forgot to add her most important title.”


Everyone, the Straw Hat crew too, looked at Luffy confused. Twilight then vocalized the question on everyone’s mind, “And what’s that, Luffy?”


Immediately, Luffy began to grin with pride. “You’re my First-Mate!”


The Straw Hat crew looked at Luffy with surprise, and Twilight with shock. None of them had expected it from their captain. But before anyone could further question, the intercom Transponder Snail awoke from above.


“Hey guys,” the snail spoke speaking with Zoro’s voice, “I see land up ahead.”


Instantly, the questions on the crew’s minds would have to wait. Everyone, the Fairy Tail group as well, hurried over to the stern of the Sunny. Just as Zoro had said, they all could see land slowly growing in size with their approach. Fairy Tail began to cheer out, seeing that they were almost home had made many of them excited. The Straw Hats too were looking eager as well to see this new land full of magic. 


At least, most of them were: Twilight Sparkle continued to stand where the group had been previously, still in disbelief over what her brother had said. Her feelings for the position were mixed. She felt honored to be trusted so much by her brother, but at the same time, she did not feel like she was neither up for the task nor capable of it. Her missing horn felt like a proof of that as she rubbed the area near it. Unfortunately, she did not know how to tell her brother that she felt unable to do the part. And with how he stated the claim, she also believed that he would not budge on the idea anytime soon. For now, she decided, she would wait until they got the new friends ashore, and then firmly decline Luffy’s position.


And while Twilight came to this decision, the unicorn did not notice Robin looking at her with some concern. The older mare had an idea what Twilight was thinking, and she had other thoughts about that.







After an hour or so, the Thousand Sunny and her crew and passengers finally reached the shoreline. Lucky for them, they had sailed close to a port town which the Fairy Tail group recognized as Hargeon Town. The Thousand Sunny was smoothly docked into port, but everyone soon began to notice something was off. Not only at the docks but with the town as well. It was all deathly silent. The first thought was that everyone was hiding or ran away having seen pirates (the Straw Hats). 


“Perhaps it would be better if we get moving quickly,” suggested Makarov to his group.


Before the old guild master could move forward, he suddenly found his path blocked by none other than Nami. With a greedy smirk, she asked him, “You wouldn’t be trying to skip out on our payment now, are ya?”


Makarov began to sweat profusely and shook his head. “O-Of course not, I’ll send it all to you once we reach the guild,” he stated.


“Hey, Gramps!” Natsu shouted energetically. “Why not let them come along then? It’ll probably be faster, and they could do some exploring. It’ll make things fun.”


“Natsu!” Makarov hissed venomously.


Luffy immediately interjected. “Yeah! That works for me,” he proclaimed happily.


Nami nodded with agreement. “And I can make sure you pay us the right amount,” she said smugly with a twisted smile.


Unable to handle the abuse, Makarov was nearly in tears at all this unfair treatment. Those of the guild around pitied their master but felt no real worry otherwise. Then, the old pony had a wicked idea.


"Fine then!" Makarov shouted suddenly and also righteously before pointing to Natsu. "Natsu! You stay here to make sure we honor our agreement! You can head back to the guild afterward."


Natsu was shocked by the sudden demand. A few in the guild, Gray and Gajeel, snickered to their guildmate's dismay much to his chagrin. Fortunately, Happy and Lucy volunteered to tag along with the fiery Earth pony; mostly to keep him out of trouble. This immediately made Natsu's mood change to cheerful.


Now, it was time for the Straw Hats to divide up.


“So, the way I see,” Robin explained, “one large group should stay here while the other goes with our new friends to collect our reward.”


The group agreed; thus, Robin continued with her idea. “I think Twilight should lead the group in exploring.”


Both Luffy and Twilight hollered, “What?!” The former in disappointment and the latter with shock.


“I think this would be an excellent learning experience for our new First-Mate.”


“We have a First-Mate now, huh,” Zoro said with intrigue.


“Wait, wait!” Twilight said quickly. As she began scratching her head, near her broken horn, she explained nervously, “I don’t know if I’m qualified for the position, I’ve only recently joined.”


Robin noticed her friend’s new habit. It worried her, but recent developments had given her an idea. “Our captain thinks your qualified, that’s good enough for any of us,” she stated optimistically. 


While none of the Straw Hats had picked on these small quirks, they still showed their support. For the original Straw Hats and even Franky, they wholeheartedly agreed. In their experience, when Luffy wanted you for a position, he would not quit until you agreed. Never honestly forcing himself on them but having a charisma that eventually broke down their walls. They trusted his judgment, and they also believed in Twilight Sparkle as well.


And so did Twilight’s friends.


“Hey! We’re with you, Twi,” Applejack stated proudly, giving the unicorn supportive nudge.


“You have led us before, Darling, and I’m sure you can now as well,” Rarity said giving her support.


“We trust you, 100 percent!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed confidently.


“One-hundred and 10 percent!” Pinkie Pie added vigorously.


“You can do it, Twilight,” Fluttershy said softly but firmly as well.


Spike too gave his support. “You got this,” he stated assuredly.


Finally, Luffy placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder and grinned confidently. He stated without falter, “I trust you.”


Twilight stopped scratching her head. Despite her own misgivings, Twilight could not deny the overwhelming support her friends were giving her. She quickly relented, “Okay. I’ll give it a shot, at least.”


“Yahoo!” Luffy exclaimed out, a feeling shared for everyone.


Now, it was time to divide the groups. Volunteering immediately was Spike – ever the faithful assistant – and Nami, for the money. Zoro decided to come along next with Rainbow Dash joining to make sure that he did not wander off much to the stallion’s chagrin. Finally, to oversee his patients, Chopper also decided to join the group. Quickly, many of the group offered that Fluttershy and Funkfreed should also join Twilight’s group. The latter so he could carry the group home. The reason given for the former to participate was to help Chopper, but the secret motive of many – with Rarity at the head – was to get their two friends to become closer. Of course, Fluttershy willingly agreed, and Funkfreed was happy enough to come along.


With the groups now settled, it was time for everyone to depart. In the time for everyone to gather their stuff and make decisions, Franky had already procured some scrap wood and constructed a covered wagon with it. He even had time to give it a cool elephant theme and name it the “Pachyderm Carriage Prototype Number 1.” It was large enough to fit the whole Fairy Tail group and then some, and included a minifridge with cola. While most of the group was appreciative, the two remaining Dragon Slayers were already beginning to feel sick. At the suggestion of Fluttershy, Gajeel rode on Funkfreed in the hopes that riding something alive would help. Wendy decided she would fly alongside to avoid her motion sickness.


Once everything was settled, and Funkfreed harnessed up, the group began their trip inland. The rest if the Straw Hats saw the group off with encouragements of returning soon. After a little while, the group was gone from their sights.


“So,” spoke Sanji to the others suddenly. “Does anyone here wonder why we haven’t been met with by any police or even people yet?”


Now that it had been brought up, all of the crew and their friends had found this odd. The original Team Natsu had been here before and found the lack of activity unnerving. While it was not strange for a town to let pirates dock as long as they conformed to specific rules but rarely did an entire port town go silent at their presence. They all were starting to think that something was happening.


“Well, we promised not to leave port, so why not go explore the town,” Pinkie Pie suggested eagerly.


Everyone agreed. A new group then formed with only Franky and Applejack remaining behind to keep an eye on the Thousand Sunny. Everyone else trotted into town and stayed close together. Luffy, Pinkie Pie, Natsu, and Happy zoomed around the street as they peered into dark windows quickly before moving off again. The others trailed behind them and scanned everything as they walked. 


“There are definitely ponies around,” Rarity commented observantly.


“Yeah,” said Usopp. “But they all seem scared.”


The sharp eyes of a fashionista and a sniper could easily notice the small and subtle details throughout their walk. They could see the town-ponies peeping from windows and from behind objects. None dared move more than an inch to see what was going on. Not even with Luffy and Pinkie Pie’s friendly and curious appearance did one dare to move forward, only retreat back.


“Are we that intimidating?” asked Rarity worriedly.


Robin had her own thoughts. “Perhaps it's not of us they are afraid of.”


This made Lucy worry. "Then, what are they hiding from?"


This brought a considerable amount of concern to the group, and fear for Usopp. Pirates were considered threatening around the world, but what is something that could be more so than an unknown band of cutthroats. 


Speaking of, not far from where our group walked, that something had noticed the group’s presence. From on the upper levels of the city, a large group was stepping forward. The air around them grew repulsive and filthy which brought with it a grim that thickened it like a miasma. Moving forward, metal scrapped across the cobblestone path followed by a weighty step. Each one was breathing heavily through their snouts like boars as they walked. They all carried large weapons either a sword, a club, or even a mace in their grubby hands. Their armor, simple and plain, covered nearly all their brown fur on their bodies except for a few individuals leading them. 


One was a massive beast that towered over them all following from the rear. The one leading the group adorn armor like royalty with a sword at its side. The companion next to it on its right had a thinner build compared to his kin and wore clothing only. On the left, another one walked in orange robes with a completely shaven head. Following behind the trio was a pair both cloaked and hooded though one carried a bow and quiver on its back. Finally, between the five, there walked one last prominent member wearing the skull of a deer buck and holding a staff with a glowing stone.


Altogether, they formed a dangerous horde; a horde of orcs.


The lead began to sniff the air, and he then began to grin. “Ah, fresh meat has arrived, boys” he spoke eagerly.







Meanwhile, far from the immediate danger, the Fairy Tail group had already left the city. By Makarov’s account, it was only a half a days travel from Hargeon to Magnolia, the town their guild resided in. By elephant carriage, they could make it in just a few hours. A good thing as the mage group felt they needed to return home as soon as possible. It concerned them little though to force their carriers to rush. They just relaxed and enjoy their ride back home.


The Straw Hats certainly did.


Outside, Rainbow Dash and Spike were hanging with the Dragon Slayers. While Spike and Gajeel rode atop Funkfreed, Rainbow Dash fluttered around with Wendy. The discussion of dragons had returned for the three ponies raised by them, and Spike was willing to share his own unique upbringing as well.


“So basically, Twi and Luffy have been like family to me,” said Spike as he finished his explanation.


Gajeel looked less impressed. “Tch. Pretty sappy for a dragon,” he commented gruffly.


Being curious, Wendy flew over to Spike to ask him a question. “Did you ever learn any kind of pony or Equestrian magic?”


“Kinda,” replied Spike unsurely.


Rainbow Dash then let out a chuckle. “The little firebreather can send and receive letters from the Princess herself. It once saved me and my friends from being total lame-os.”


Wendy smiled with joy. "That's wonderful," she stated.


"Whatever," Gajeel said unimpressed.


Meanwhile, behind the carriage, Zoro had taken up the rear for some exercise. While an initial concern over him getting lost had crossed his crewmates’ minds, they were fortunate in that he was going to be accompanied by Erza Scarlet. The Straw Hats rested easy knowing that someone as dependable as Erza. At the moment, both she and Zoro were walking together and sharing a discussion about their weapons.


“Wait? You carry around an actual cursed sword?”


Zoro shrugged. “I don’t really believe in all that nonsense, but its been a good sword through and through if not a little wild.”


Erza looked impressed. “Fascinating,” she commented.


The mare then asked, “Do you always carry three swords around?”


“That’s my style, Santoryu.”


“Fascinating,” Erza repeated with intrigue. “Once we get to the guild, you’ll have to give me a proper introduction.”


“A spar?”


“Is there any other way?”


While the two unicorns discussed further, the rest of the group remained within the carriage. Fluttershy was especially enjoying the trip. She was surrounded by the remaining Exceeds and giving them rubs and scratches, essentially treating them like actual cats. And yet, none of the three seem to mind this fact. They looked to be utterly enjoying it.


“So niiiiiice,” Carla said contently.


“You said it,” Panther Lily said complacently.


Around the carriage, Chopper was making one last round of inspections for the group. He had little to worry about, but his duty as a doctor compelled him to at least give one final check. And of course, not a single pony had anything worrying.


“Thank you for all you’ve done, Doctor Chopper,” said Mirajane cheerfully.


Instantly, the reindeer became embarrassed. “Don’t compliment me, you jerk, it’s just my duty as a doctor~,” said Chopper joyfully as he wiggled and moved bashfully.


“Weirdo,” comment Gray.


While Chopper finished his check-up, Twilight was conversing with the others. She wanted to learn more about how they were able to use magic the way they did. Makarov was more than happy to explain, feeling especially nostalgic over the idea of teaching magic.


“For us who live on Earthland Archipelago, magic is life. We believe magic is very much the spirit of an individual made physical through our connection to the spiritual flow of nature. And it strengthens depending on our emotions and feelings.”


Twilight nodded. “Yes, Starswirl the Bearded had a very similar idea that later was proven to show that magic is not the soul or spirit of the pony simply, but the energy it produces in an environment rich in similar energies created by all living things on the planet. Thus, magic can work independently of the user based on how several factors including the emotions of the user work simultaneously or circumstantially. For instance, a spell like the…”


Immediately, Makarov interrupted, having been overwhelmed by the unicorn’s own knowledge. “You seem pretty learned in magic already, Ms. Sparkle,” he stated.


“Oh, I am,” Twilight said cheerily, stopping her lecture short.


“So why ask me to teach you something you already know?” asked Makarov.


Twilight began feeling awkward as she mustered up the words. “It sort of complicated,” she said, subconsciously scratching her head near her broken horn.


Makarov quickly picked up on the gesture. “I see,” the old unicorn said in understanding.


Then, the carriage suddenly stopped. Everyone inside was jerked abruptly, even waking up the Exceed around Fluttershy. They all began to look around confused.


“Why did we stop?” asked Lisanna.


Concerned, Nami fluttered over to the front of the carriage. She poked her through the covers to speak to the others outside, but she was immediately blinded when she did. “What the hell?!” she shouted as she covered her eyes.


Likewise, the Dragon Slayers, Rainbow Dash, Spike, and Funkfreed too were blinded by a piercing orange light. The light itself was directed at them from an angle. It stretched from far ahead from a town the group was approaching. The source came from a black tower that stood high above all other buildings in the city. Its appearance was also a stark contrast to the peaceful look of the village, appearing sharp and jagged and evil.


And at the very top of it, a giant snake-eye made of fire was staring directly at the group.


TO BE
CONTINUED…