//------------------------------// // The Lightwyrm's Provocation // Story: Equestria Lost: Dragons beyond time // by Tythen //------------------------------// When Ms M was meeting the parents to talk about Adagio... "Hey Scoots, why don't you hurry on home first? I've got something on my mind." "That's rather rare of you. You'd normally go home straight away." Scootaloo questioned, "Do you have something?" "I need some fresh air... and some time to myself. " "Time to yourself? For what? Anything on your mind bro, I can lend an ear like always!!!" Flash stopped and stared at the Cerise-haired girl. "I appreciate you always being there for me, Scoots. But this one I think should go alone, or at least between me and the Goddess." "Is this about you being angry?" Scootaloo prompted, raising an unconvinced eyebrow, "It's been an entire month since you last did this. And we ALL know it was for a really good reason!" "Well since then, things haven't been the same." Flash explained, "You know about the trials with the Greatwyrms. And I fear that getting through this will possibly mean this 'angry' phase coming back in the future." "Well snap." Scootaloo expressed, "In that case, don't take too long okay? And where will you be going?" "Mayleaf Park," Flash answered, "Okay then. See you tomorrow!" Scootaloo called. Flash waved goodbye as he split off and went towards the direction of the park. Flash arrived at the park just as the sun began to set. As it did, it turned itself and the skies surrounding it, into a bright flaring orange. Many people - couples and families, young and old, knew it was time for them to leave. For Flash, however, it was the perfect time to be alone. Finding a spot between the pond and the picnic area, he looked to the skies and closed his eyes in prayer for a minute or two. "Thank you." He ended and sat down on the grass, "Ahh, such a beautiful sunset... don't you think Philia?" "Huh? Well... yeah. It looks just as beautiful a thousand years ago when I was still alive." Philia spoke, "Forgive me for being nosy, but may I know what you prayed to your goddess for?" "Praying for regrets and forgiveness, thanks, and support for what's to come." Flash summarised, "Regrets? What about?" "You overheard my conversation with Scoots, right? About me being angry?" "Yeah." "When I get angry, I become an almost different person. One who's willing to get bloody. I get angry for good reason, but it doesn't pardon me from the actions I do. The times I did so, I've gotten into trouble that risked my future. I got expelled from Primary School, or rather a school I attended when I was a kid in your context. And it could have been even worse from what Dad said since his job involves studying a lot of laws." "I see... and I assume your thanks is about having a second chance to go back to school again?" "Yeah! Among a lot of other things. A family that forgives me and having friends that can accept me. Especially Scoots. She was my first best friend." "If anything happened to her, I'd imagine you would get angry!" "Oh, I did." Flash nodded, "But never mind that. The next thing I prayed for was guidance and courage for the upcoming trials with the Greatwyrms, school, my anger, and just anything in general, whether I expect it or not." "I see." "Even though you asked, it's honestly a little weird sharing my prayers with you. I only did this sort of thing with my parents and Scoots, but only because they shared their prayers with me - that and we have the same faith." "Oh, I don't think it's weird. At least you're open enough to share it with me! Or is it because I'm already dead? Regardless, you ain't the only person I've met who prays a lot. Plenty of religious people live in New Alberia and fight alongside the prince. I'm friends with one of 'em too!" "Really? That's reassuring. Speaking of trials and your current state... I'd like to take one now with you." "Me? What do you need ol' me for?" "Philia. If I were a spirit like you and learned that I died a long time ago, I would freak out." Flash explained, "And I'd probably feel really sad if I see that the world around me is unrecognisable." Philia went silent. "Are you okay with what's happened to you?" A long silence passed, and the lovestruck spirit began to sniff and sob. "Did you really have to bring that up?" Philia asked, her voice taking on a load of weight. "Better out than in. Mum taught me that herself. And remember, this is only just between you and me." "It should be obvious to you!" Philia shrieked, "I don't remember how I died, or how everyone else died. But most importantly, the prince and I never had our happy ending together! I am not okay at all; this is the complete opposite of my destiny! And... and!" She began to sob. "In the end, my destiny was to die lonely. Never to be married to anyone, let alone the prince." Even if she were a spirit, Flash could feel clouds as heavy as a boulder pushing down on his shoulders, while at the same time unleashing a torrential rain that added discomfort and attempted to push the doors to his mind shut. Within that essence, was a soul who lost all meaning and purpose, an unfulfilled life. "I'm sorry." Flash spoke after a minute of crying, "It was insensitive of me to ask of your feelings. I won't ask anything more personal of you." Philia continued weeping. "But next time you do want to talk about it, or anything, please share it with me." Flash continued, "I promise you, even if you're bound to this essence, I won't leave you alone." Again, there was no response from Philia. "Well, I guess it's time for us to go home." Flash stood up and turned to the park exit. "You're going the wrong way..." Philia coughed, "I live in the Halidom, or at least haunt the place..." "But you're living with me and my parents, and you're definitely not haunting us." Philia stopped crying. Though she continued sniffing and breathing heavily. "Why did you... bring this pain about?" Philia demanded, pausing halfway to sniff. "Because I want to listen to your true feelings." Flash boldly answered, "Ever since you've been teasing and supporting me for the past few days. Honestly, I did fear it may bring pain, but if there was ever the slightest chance that it would make you feel better by sharing it with others, just as I share my own embarrassments with my parents and friends... I had to go for it." "You really suck at understanding girls." Philia grumbled, "But you're very lucky that you feel like the prince to me." "I'm not forgiven, am I?" Flash sighed, "Nope. And talking more won't help you either. Just take me 'home'." She ordered, "Got it." "That being said, I'll hold you to it if I feel like speaking my mind. Otherwise, I'll never forgive you." Philia added. "As I said, it's a promise!" Flash nodded, giving a thumbs up and a goofy grin. "You're right. You're definitely not the prince." Philia scoffed in response, "But that doesn't mean I take back what I said either." But as Flash continued walking, he became immobilised out of nowhere. Simultaneously, Philia's senses and movements were rendered immobile too. "Huh!?" Flash gasped, "I-I'm stuck!" Philia panicked, A giant invisible hand grabbed Flash from behind and yanked him backwards. Another giant invisible hand grabbed Philia from the front and yanked her forwards. "Oy!" Flash grunted and tried to break free but to no avail. "Hey! Let go of me!" Philia growled. A small blue light flashed into both their planes of existence and the hands dragged the two towards them. The moment the two touched the light, it spontaneously grew into the size of a giant, swallowing them whole. They screamed as they felt their insides break away like dust. Once the light was gone, Flash found himself alive and in one piece, standing in the same spot where he froze. "What just happened?" "I don't know... all of a sudden I could feel someone pulling me into some light." "Same here. You okay?" "Yeah. My eyes are good, and I can move my body!" "That's good, I'd be worried if something happened and- wait... did you just say that you can move your body?" "Yeah. The first time we met, I said I could feel my entire body, but it was just suspended in the air and uh... huh? Ahhh!?" "What's wrong?" "Where are you!?" "I haven't even moved an inch! What do you me--wait... my head... my arms... I'm not moving!!!!" "No way, no way! I need a mirror!!!" "Go to the pond!!!" Flash spun around, rushed to the pond, and had both their fears confirmed. The reflection staring back at Flash was not him at all, at least entirely. His vivid cornflower blue irises turned turquoise, and his sapphire blue hair into dirty gold. More importantly, his orange, or to be more accurate, his pale, light greyish amber skin had turned into fair ivory - the very same colours Philia sported as depicted in her biography. "Flaaaaash..." Philia started, feeling grounded, vibrant, and uncomfortable. "Philiaaaaa..." Flash responded, feeling floaty, empty, and equally uncomfortable as she did. "What the hell just happened!?" The two screamed. Today was Thursday, the day after Sweetie's fourth episode of Little Steps of Life. At lunchtime, Rarity and her friends were at the canteen for a super-duper priority one important meeting, as Pinkie would put it. "Alright everyone," Rarity began, "Adagio will be returning to CHS at the start of next Monday, and make no mistake that she's going to be the person to avoid for all the other classmates! I hope all of you would treat her fairly and kindly. As I said, she has changed a lot." "Y'all don't have to convince us, 'Dagio's already done that, and we forgive her." Applejack chuckled, "That bein' said, it will take some time for the other students to do that." "Yep. And there are no magical mishaps that have been happening around school." Rainbow added, "Hard chance for an opportunity to do something good! N-Not that only chaotic and life-threatening events can redeem her." "Why don't we think about normal common things? For one, the freshman's fair is a few weeks from now. She can definitely help out with our stalls!" Twilight suggested, "Yes. Principal Celestia and Ms M told us that it would be perfect for her to prove that she isn't who she was for all of Canterlot." Rarity explained, "Still, whose idea was it to spread the Dazzling's antics all around Canterlot and made them enemies?" "Hey, I only did it to protect the school and everyone else." Rainbow frowned, "And besides, I never knew that she couldn't hypnotise the whole school anymore until recently." "So you never considered forgiving someone?" Flash cheekily challenged, "Spare me your snark!" Rainbow interrupted, "Besides, you booed them off too! What's not to say that you also took part in warning everyone about the Dazzlings?" "I did that the first thing to my mum and dad, and I got a big scolding in return." Flash took a deep breath "I uh... completely forgot about the time when I did something very bad but was forgiven and given a second chance. I completely regretted ever thinking of spreading messages afterwards. Supporting her now is how I want to make up." "Sheesh! You have like, tiger parents!" Pinkie joked, "It's complicated," Flash summarised. "Well, we're definitely going to include her with us, no questions asked." Sunset agreed, as did the rest of the girls. "I-I'm concerned with just one thing though..." Fluttershy raised a hand, "Don't you have a challenge with a dragon that begins today? I think his name was Jupiter. Sweetie and the crusaders were talking about it." "Ah, about that..." Flash started, "We've decided to tackle this on Saturday when we're all done with schoolwork. Also, we plan on training and figuring out how to prepare for any surprises in his mysterious second half of the task." "Oh really?" Pinkie raised an eyebrow, "Then how would you prepare for something like that?" "Ask a teacher? Specifically, Ms M?" Twilight suggested. "That's... actually what we were going for." Flash started, "Eeyup." Big Mac nodded in agreement. "Well, that was anti-climatic." Pinkie and Rainbow pouted. "We're meeting her in her classroom in the second half of lunchtime. That being said, I want to invite all of you would like to plan and share valuable ideas with us if you're not busy with anything else, of course." Rarity offered, "Sweetie and the crusaders will be coming too!" "Well, I haven't got anything for the rest of lunchtime." Sunset accepted, "And while we're at it, there would be a lot more to write about Grastaea for the princesses and everyone else back home!" "I'm free too!" Twilight exclaimed, "As am I," Fluttershy graciously nodded, "Oh yeah!!!" Pinkie jumped and cheered, "Count me in," Applejack finger saluted, "Looks like we're all in!" Rainbow gave a thumbs up, "Let's check out our draconian teacher!" "I was not expecting ALL of your friends to come to this meeting today." Ms M started, "But I welcome you all the same. That being said, I'm still on the fence with you Pinkie." Pinkie giggled in response. "Anyway, will you be taking Jupiter's trial today?" Ms M continued, "We've decided..." Sweetie started, "To do it on Saturday afternoon. I know it means almost three full days of fiends, but we'll be very careful in making our advance." "Are you sure this is wise?" Ms M asked, "For today, tomorrow, and Saturday morning, we plan to use that time to learn everything about the challenge, and how we can best organise ourselves for the long trek to the Summit," Flash answered, "Flash, since when did you become an egghead like Twi?" Rainbow raised a hand, "I have very painful memories of this mountain range." Flash explained, intentionally cracking his voice on the 'very'. "And I don't want it to happen again." "Ohh..." The girls remembered. "Then that is a wise choice!" Ms M smiled, "Very well. Let me explain the challenge for our new strategists. Jupiter has tasked the five to climb the summit, then for only McIntosh and Flash to do an unknown task. Though he said that he will officially start today, there is no deadline for the team to complete it." "But the catch?" Rainbow asked, "As you know, fiends still pour into Grastaea, and there's no particular pattern to them appearing. These otherworldly things are a natural enemy to dragons and nature, so it's part of our duty to stop them. Jupiter oversees the Dornith Mountains so if he'll zap any that he sees. But starting today, he's going to leave them to continuously spawn in the mountains for us to fight our way through. Also, there is only one route up to the summit on foot, so it would be hard to go around any fiend clusters." Ms M answered, "Yikes! Now that doesn't sound like fun... does it?" Pinkie asked, "So that explains the almost three days worth." Twilight calculated. "And by no particular pattern, you mean there's no fixed number to how many appear every day?" "Eeyup!" Ms M mimicked, "And which region of the mountains they appear too." "I think it's a bit too risky to leave 3 days just for training and preparing," Sunset advised, "Agreed," Twilight supported, "Yeah! Ah reckon y'all tackle the darn thing right now!" Applebloom added, "Woah there, that's a bit hasty." Applejack shared, "But they've got a point. 3 days is too much." "Then how many days would you think is enough?" Rarity asked, "I think we should hear everything that Jupiter has in store first." Twilight suggested, "Then we can figure out the right day to do all we need." "In that case, let's go over more additional rules." Ms M continued, "Jupiter will not allow Mercury or I to assist you in the trek up to the summit, only to spectate." "What!? No dragons!?" Sweetie jumped, "That's not fair! We rightfully earned your aid!" "Not the greatwyrms since we're more of an 'obligated' type. Remember, we promised the prince not to bring harm to the future generations of mankind, as well as protect them. Other dragons do not promise the same thing, since most of them aren't fond of humans before the prince." Ms M corrected, "On that note, Jupiter will allow other dragons who've made a pact with you on their own accord." "Sweet! Except we've never seen let alone befriend any other dragon but you and the water one. Oh yeah, they're supposed to be 'hidden'." Rainbow spoke cynically, "How the hell can we find one when they actively try to blend in?" "Actually..." Flash stood up in realisation, "We do have one." "Wait, really!?" Rainbow jumped, "Hinata!" Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Big Mac, and Scootaloo gasped in unison. "Bingo!" Ms M clicked her tongue and gave a cool pointing gesture, "Funny enough, she flew over to Jupiter yesterday and demanded to assist you his challenge!" "Wow!" Sunset looked impressed, "Now that's a dragon who fits his bill!" "Okay, Hinata will be joining us. Next, dealing with the fiends." Flash continued, "If I recall correctly, every single one of them is light-attuned. That means any shadow-attuned adventurers will be effective against them whereas light-attuned ones won't. On the other hand, the light fiends can also deal more damage to shadow adventurers, so we'll feel as much pain as they do." "So that means the five of you need to consider using different essences if you want to plough through without any difficulty." Fluttershy deduced, "How many of these shadow adventurers do you have?" "Last I recall, three." Flash pulled out his list of adventurers, "Vida, Patia, and Rodrigo." "AKA, the knife nut, vice-charger, and fiend wrapper. That's a pretty trio." Sweetie joked, "Jokes aside, I'm sure we can use a day to try them out and get used to them before we march." Rarity offered, "But first, we need to pick our models for this. Adagio would have no problems breaking into Vida since both she and Francesca are dagger users. As for Patia..." Everyone turned to Flash. "On second thoughts, never mind." Rarity concluded, "I..." Flash gave a big grin and put his hands together, "... actually wouldn't mind giving her a try IF push comes to sho-" "NO." All the girls commanded, terrifying Flash with their glares and their unison. "... Okay." Flash squeaked, then resumed his normal voice, "Then how about you, Sweetie? You were interested in learning the lance ever since you got Pia's essence." "True." Sweetie nodded, "But I wanna give Pia a shot. Is that okay?" The group looked at each other, then back to Sweetie. "I guess that will be fine." Rarity shrugged, "I can try using a lance instead." "Wait." Ms M interrupted, "You must have at least a healer on the team. That way, any errors or mistakes that lead to harm can be healed. It will be problematic if you get injured early on, and you don't have anything to heal it with!" "Don't we have Ms Cleo for that?" Rarity tilted her head, "She's also not allowed." Ms M coughed, "What!?" The students yelled, "It's a test for the five of you. Not Cleo." "... Fair enough." The students sighed and shrugged. "Well let's see..." Flash went back to his list, "We only have two healers - Estelle and Vixel. Both are light-attuned. Given the pickle we're in, we can only rely on one." "I've filled out two of those mana circles in Estelle, and have learned both her skills. I can't seem to get to her 3rd circle." Rarity recalled, "Same here with Vixel." Big Mac raised his hand, "Healing Faith heals one person greatly, while Guardian's Grace heals everyone over time." Sweetie recollected, "But I don't know about Vixel's moves." "Actually," Big Mac remembered, "If Ah can recall... Spirited Song is similar to Guardian's Grace, but there is one special effect Ah noticed when we we're trainin' our healin' fer Mercury's challenge." "Really? I didn't feel different at that time. What was it?" Rarity asked, "Ah felt a little stronger after usin' the healin' fer a few seconds. And it showed when Ah could sweep the fiends n' only three to four hits rather n' five to six." "A strength boost? Neat!" Scootaloo gave a thumbs up, "That would definitely help taking out fiends with ease!" "But Ah don't know if it was jus' me, or if it affects everyone. Need to give it another try." Big Mac warned, "Also, I don't know what Agitato Assault does." "That's something we can test out alongside using the new heroes," Sunset suggested, "Actually, I do have an idea." Pinkie shot up, "What if a good way to train all that is just go to the mountains and shave off the fiends that appear daily? That way, you won't have to worry about facing so many days worth all at once! Though it wouldn't be fun in my opinion." Everyone looked at Pinkie with their jaws dropped. "How... How did I not think about that!?" Rarity exclaimed, "That is a big brain idea!!!" Sweetie laughed, "Looks like you've been beat, Flash." "Wait." Twilight stopped, "How far is the mountain?" "From the Halidom to Kleifheim, about 15-20 minutes. Scaling up the mountain from there? I'd estimate... 30-45 minutes without taking any breaks." Ms M estimated. "Hmm..." The students went back into thinking mode. Going there and back would take at least two hours! "I... guess we can make a compromise of our previous plan." Flash suggested, "We should find a place where we can make a base camp. Kleifheim would be the perfect place." "That's not a bad idea. That abandoned city would be perfect." Rarity agreed, "Um, y'all do know we have school. Right?" Applejack and Applebloom spoke in unison. "We have the misty portal!" Big Mac countered, "It takes us wherever we desire. So we can warp to Kleifheim and start our trek there! Of course, we do have to make the return trip on foot. But once you reach the portal, you can desire just to go back home." "Ohh!" Everyone remembered. "Well, in any case, we'll test our plans after school. Then see what we can learn from it." Ms M summarised and pulled out a map of the Dornith Mountains, "The ideal places where we can do some fiendsweeping are the areas surrounding Kleifheim as well as the abandoned city itself." She highlighted the long trail between Kleifheim and the forest border on the south-east with a pencil. "Zamshire Pass." She named, "This is the 15-20 minute trail to get the Kleifheim. Then..." She circled an area a little north of the city. "The Dornith Crossing. It takes about 10 minutes to reach it from Kleifheim, and then another 10 to the Sandscale Cliffs. But we'll stick to clearing fiends situated in the Crossing." "Fine by me!" Everyone exclaimed, "Wonderful! Now to our supportive friends, would you like to join the party?" Ms M offered, "Hmm..." The girls pondered loudly. "Hrah!" A swordsman clad in black and red armour swung his sword horizontally, cleaving a row of yellow slimes. Then he took two steps to the left towards a yellow shroom and effortlessly sliced off his cap. "Well?" Sweetie asked, walking towards her, "How does it feel, Big Mac? Or should I say, Rodrigo?" "Not bad." The fighter gave his sword a shake, then looked at the disintegrating fiends. "Ah can get used to a sword!" "Do you know any of his skills yet?" "Eeyup. Would ya like to know the tale behind it?" "Nah it's fine. Adagio's giving Vida a spin in the upper areas of the Zamshire Pass. You wanna watch?" "Sure." "Alley-oop!" A short teenage girl with pale orange skin and short vivid orange hair twirled through the sky with her dagger her in hand, cutting and gutting through any fiend who dared jump in the hopes of tearing her apart. With a perfect landing, and a current group of fiends crumbling away, the girl stood up proud. "Yep. Easy as!" Vida chuckled. "The muscle memory I learned from Francesca works well in this body!" "That's wonderful to hear! Now... what do you really think about Vida?" Applejack beamed. "We have some very similar fashion tastes like fingerless gloves, long tights, and tall boots! Though hers is a bit taller than my normal one. I could go without the hair and neck ribbon though," Vida inspected her clothes. "That being said, everything else is sorta creepy for my taste. I mean, I thought it was weird that her dress-like coat was heavier than a rain jacket, and it turns out she's got a large supply of knives hidden in it! I mean, the small dagger strapped onto her leg isn't even enough for her! She really is a knife nut!" Then she calmed her voice, "But overall, I like her better than Francesca because, reasons." "Reasons?" Applejack, Rainbow and Pinkie, looked at each other. "I think I know what it is." Sweetie chimed in with a big smirk, "But mum's the word!!!" "Grr..." Vida gritted her teeth. "Ah think you moved well yerself, 'Dagio." Rodrigo complimented, "Tsk, way to state the obvious." Vida rolled her eyes, "I guess you want me to ask you how Rodrigo went?" "Nope, but Ah'm happy to anyway!" He chuckled, "Ah like him. Ah like swingin' the sword, I've got a picture on how one of his skills work, but Ah still prefer Vixel more. Maybe that's why Ah'm not tryin' to replicate or put on a different voice." "Ahh." Vida nodded, "Well, pity that we've decided to bring Estelle instead for healing duties. The conductor's more of a buffer anyway!" "No worries." Rodrigo shrugged, "Aww..." Rainbow pouted, "Something on your mind?" Vida noticed, "I've been thinking back to the time when I said that essences were sort of like wearing someone else's skin... I want to eat those words after seeing how it actually works." Rainbow smiled, "Okay." Vida shrugged, "But once I read through Vida's bio myself, Oh My Goddess! She's so quick, agile, a treasure hunter and unbeatable lockpicker! Able to outsmart the traps surrounding any treasure, and capable of unlocking any safe or door with her tools! If she can easily bypass a magically locked door with just a lockpick, she definitely deserves being labelled, 'awesome'! I don't know whoever gave her the title 'Knife Fanatic'. Makes her sound like a psychopath if you ask me! Say, is she in our history books? Did she find the legendary knife?" "Sadly, no." Sweetie shook her head, "That being said, we never really checked if her name appeared in the history books." "Uncool!" Rainbow yelled, "Is it me, or does anyone find it weird seeing Rainbow glorify a thief?" Vida asked, "Wouldn't be the first time. Rainbow also likes Daring Do, a fictional character who raids temples and steals their artefacts." Pinkie seriously responded. "Hey!" Rainbow snapped, "They're Treasure Hunters!" "Yeah yeah!" Pinkie and Applejack teased, "After seeing it," Rainbow continued, "I honestly want to try it out. The 'essence' thing. Kinda jealous that I'm not doing the test." "I'll remember that," Vida rolled her eyes, "But as of now, I'm using it." "Speaking about essences," Rodrigo remembered, "Where're the others?" "Up at Kleifheim." Applejack stated, "Rarity, Flash, Hinata, Ms Cleo and Ms M are prolly making sure the rest of the girls are takin' their own sweet time explorin' without any fiends ruining their fun." On the roof of one of Kleifheim's two-story buildings, Sunset stared at the tallest mountain of the range with a pair of binoculars. The summit had a ring of stormy purple clouds around it and was intricately connected to a shorter mountain via a long ascending natural rock bridge. "What a spectacle!" Sunset exclaimed, "So this is where the long part of our walk will be. Seems fair enough. What do you girls think?" No one responded; save for the sound of chatting, flickering flames, and a flavoursome aroma from below. Sunset sighed. "This trip was to ensure that the path to the challenge will go smoothly... and they're interested in an afternoon snack!" On the ground floor of the house, Fluttershy, Twilight, and Rarity (dressed and essenced as Estelle) sat around a small rusty but durable dining table, watching Cleo whip up a familiar hearty stew in a portable cooking pot over the wood-fueled hearth. Furthermore, the Sylvan was dressed in a vibrant orange dress that wasn't frilled or spread outwards compared to her normal skirt. She also wore a dark-green and tartan underdress below the orange, and a small short-sleeved fair coloured jacket, which shoes geared for hiking, and a black floppy hat decorated with a yellow rose and purple berries. More importantly, the outfit also involved changing her thick drill-like twintails into one long bushy ponytail, that reached down to her ankles, and revealing her furry purple and black-tipped bunny-like ears, sticking out the top of her head. "My goodness, Ms Cleo! You never told me that you have an outfit suited for outdoor travelling and camping! And I must say, it also looks perfect for the catwalk! Form and Function brought equally to their fullest!!!" Estelle complimented, "You are too kind, Rarity." Cleo smiled as she continued stirring, "To be honest, camping outdoors and hiking up mountains was something I neither desired nor was I built to do. But once I learned that there were so many new foods that can only be found in the wilderness, I acquired the will, the equipment, and these clothes to ease the stress! Though ironically, this is still indoor cooking." "Your ears!" Fluttershy squeaked, "It's so fascinating to see ears like those in real life... to see a sylvan!" "Not all sylvan ears look the same, but I do see why most humans in your time would compare them to rabbits." Cleo took out three bowls from her rucksack. "I'll assume that Sweetie didn't show you her first video of her project, so I'll tell you from experience. A majority of sylvans live in forests and woods, hence the moniker 'Child of the Woods'. That being said, I was in servitude to Alberius, the Founder and his descendant, Prince Euden. As such, I had lived mostly in a castle." "I'm sure you didn't spend all of your childhood living in the castle and serving." Twilight asked, "Do you remember the times when you were young?" "Sadly..." Cleo sighed as she poured filled the bowls with the stew without even a single drop spilled, "I'm afraid it has been nothing but fog in my mind, just like my memories with Alberius. The only memories are as clear as day are Euden's and New Alberia." "Can I touch them?" Fluttershy asked, holding out a hand, "If... it's alright with you... but... I must... feel..." "I'm sorry Fluttershy, but you are not allowed to touch them." Cleo declined as she placed a bowl of stew and a spoon in front of each girl, "But if anything, it would be my pleasure to share sylvan culture and tales." "Aww..." Fluttershy pouted, "But I understand. And I would love to know absolutely everything about sylvans!" "May I join in?" Twilight added, "I would never pass up learning about something undiscovered by the experts!" "Very well then, but do remember to eat as you listen..." Cleo chuckled, "Then perhaps I should start with Luca and Sarisse..." "Hmm..." Estelle pondered as she sipped some of her stew and partly listened to the sylvan's stories. "Was it really a good idea for Applebloom and Scootaloo to explore the crossing with Flash, Ms M, and Hinata?" "Yee-haw!" Applebloom yelled at the gorge below. "Yee-haw... Yee-haw..." The gorge echoed back. "Roar!!!" Hinata copied, with a roar down the gorge. "Roar! ... Roar! ... Roar!" The gorge echoed back, a little stronger than Scootaloo's. "Wow, you've got a mighty voice, Hinata!" Applebloom complimented, "Then again, Ah wouldn't expect anythin' less than a dragon!" "Oh, you flatter me!" Hinata giggled as she flapped her wings, "Not all dragons roar, but it does feel good on the chest!" "Say, do you think you take me underneath those clouds?" "Ooh, I'm not sure." Hinata shuddered, "While I can carry you down, carrying you up will take lots of energy. I'd have to put you down and rest often, and that would take a long time!" "And I'd advise doing so in the first place," Mym chimed in as she approached them with Scootaloo, "Safety is always a priority, dragon-assisted or not. Besides, why not ask Flash for a personal experience?" "Yeesh..." Scootaloo shivered. "I can't imagine getting all those cuts and wounds as you fall..." "Fine..." Applebloom rolled her eyes, "Speaking about him, where is he?" "He said he was going to do a little more training on his own. He wanted to learn and try something new." "Like what?" "A new weapon!" Flash called from behind, "I thought of learning more in the ways of combat. And started with the bow!" He held out a light brown wooden bow with white and gold-trimmed shoulders near the arrow mount, serving as a grip. "This is a Composite Bow I found around in the Halidom armoury. Doesn't look like the composite bows of today, but it feels eerily similar, given the diverse materials used." "Ooh!" Applebloom and Scootaloo expressed their interest. "Of course." Mym remembered, "You're also a weapon nut, given that you wanted to try some smithing." "Man, I hope we can find the blacksmithing dragons." Flash sighed. "Anyway, I've cleared everything in the Crossing, and I'm satisfied with the training." "That's wonderful." Mym gave a thumbs up, "Now, why don't we all head back to Kleifheim? I heard Cleo's making some of her hearty stew, and that dish is so wonderful for human and dragon alike!" "Yay!" Scootaloo cheered, "Finally! Ah'm hungry." Applebloom exclaimed, As the group turned their sights back to the abandoned city, Flash put a finger to his lips and made a subtle shush expression. A shush was returned, alongside a giggle that no one but Flash could hear. After one-and-a-half hours, the expedition team had learned as much about navigating the mountains, examining its enemies' strengths and weaknesses, and enjoyed a heartwarming meal. Now, it was time for the students to collect their schoolbags left at the Halidom and convene at the misty portal in the glade. "That was fun!" Pinkie cheered, "We should climb up for real this time! Or can we explore the volcano next?" "Are you kidding!?" Twilight jumped, "It's an active volcano! We'll perish just by going in there!" "Oh not to worry," Mym chuckled, "The heat won't kill you. Jumping into the lava? That's a different story." "Thank you for assisting us, everyone!" Rarity thanked, "Without all of you helping, we wouldn't have gotten so many ideas that could help us scale the mountain!" "Yep." Flash continued, "And all that leaves is for us to prep our shadow essences to the best they can!" "Thanks, I guess..." Adagio huffed, "At least I can use someone other than Francesca." "No worries! See you next week at school?" Rainbow laughed, "Ughhhhhh..." Adagio uncomfortably groaned. "Oh! I almost forgot! What do we all think would be a good time for our challengers to set off?" Mym asked, "I don't think three full days are needed anymore." Sweetie answered, "Including today, I think we can head off tomorrow right after school! Meditation isn't that hard!" Everyone else nodded and expressed their agreement. "Can Ah borrow the sword, Flash?" Big Mac asked, "Jus' fer Roddy." "No problemo!" Flash gave a thumbs up. "Umm... may I ask something?" Fluttershy raised her hand, "Sure!" Mym acknowledged. "How are you guys going to get to the summit?" Fluttershy asked, "We'll bypass the Zamshire Pass by using the misty portal to go to Kleifheim. Then we march all the way to the top." Flash briefed. "I see. Now please don't get mad at me, but I do have another suggestion..." Fluttershy looked at the foggy pathway, "Can you use the portal to... take you all the way to Jupiter's summit?" Everyone fell silent and exchanged glances. "Ms M?" Flash spoke up, "Did Jupiter say anything about the means to get to the summit?" "If I can greatly recall..." Mym pondered for a few heavy seconds. "Strangely enough... no. He only said that Mercury, Cleo and I can't help, so we can't fly you to the top, and Hinata isn't strong enough to carry all of you." "Sorry!" Hinata bowed in apology, "But he never mentioned NOT using anything else, like the support of your friends, or the misty step." Mym continued. "So, despite all we planned for, it is a viable method. Meaning we can take as long as we to train, fight, or just muck around. When we feel ready, we can just whisk ourselves to the top." "Change of plan?" Rarity announced, "Yeah." Unenthusiastic answers came from everyone. In the summit of the Dornith Mountains, the Lightwyrm Jupiter paced around his lair, his nails creating a little spark whenever he slid them across the floor. "Where are those 'willing' Equestrians!?" He boomed, "For two days, they only ventured up to the Dornith Crossing and clearing the fiends there without even bothering to climb the Sandscald Cliffs every afternoon! I do know that those past two days those young humans have to go to school, but surely they know that my challenge is of greater priority! It leads to saving the world, and it's a lot more exciting!" He turns his back towards the entrance to his lair. "Furthermore, not all of the humans were present in Kleifheim those two days, one of them being my first person of interest. Where is the other one? That spiky-haired boy, Flash Sentry!? It is well in the afternoon now. And no doubt are the Sandscald Cliffs and the bridge between here and there swarmed with fiends! Did they give up? If they gave up and have forgotten the challenge altogether, they are in SO much trouble! They are going to get the sternest of lectures from me, oh yes they will!!! The Flamewyrm should have chosen better champions but nooo! She had to choose a bunch of teens because they're her precious students! She's taken the prince's promise too far and became a teacher, the most underpaid and stressful occupation! What an absolutely simple min-" "I'm a what now?" A sharp voice came from the entrance. "Flamewyrm!!!" Jupiter jumped and hovered in the air. He turned back to the entrance, where not just Mym, but Cleo, Hinata, Adagio, and the 12 CHS students stood clean and calm. "We have arrived, Jupiter." Rarity, as Estelle, greeted, "And uh... sorry if we interrupted your monologue?" "Again. What did you say I was?" Mym repeated, "Ever since the prince's passing, you became less of a rascal and is now a respected member of the community. You even became Midgardsomr's therapist when you have absolutely no experience of one whatsoever! Who's the more simple-minded here?" "Never mind that!" Jupiter landed, "How in Grastaea did you get here all uninjured or exhausted? You didn't hitch a ride on Brunhilda, did you? That is prohibited!" "Here's a hint." Flash scratched his head, "How does an Equestrian get into the world of Grastaea in the first place?" Jupiter paused for a moment, then screeched. "Of course!!! That misty portal!!! I should've known!" "If it makes you feel any better, we're still going to clear out fiends for our trip back down." Pia added, "Bah. In that case, I might as well commend you for taking advantage of my forgetfulness. As long as you reach the destination, that's all that matters." Jupiter cawed. A drop of sweat slithered down Mym's cheeks upon hearing his words. "Now back to the matter at hand." Jupiter coughed, "Welcome to my humble abode!!! Pay no attention to the ominous, crackling, purple storm clouds above us! Like how Brunhilda can control the volcano, I control these thunderclouds. They won't zap you unless I feel like it." "Assuring..." Adagio, as Vida, groaned. "To the Equestrians taking my challenge and to the Equestrians supporting them, it is a pleasure to meet you. Behold!" He spread his wings out. "I am Jupiter, the one and only Lightwyrm!" "Hello." Big Mac, as Rodrigo, greeted without his usual accent. "Introductions are over, now let's get to the test! As I have said, I applaud you for conquering the summit and completing the first leg of my task. Even though you cheesed your way up here by teleporting! Now, may my chosen step forward?" Flash and Rodrigo did so, with careful and slow steps. "Cautious today, aren't we?" Jupiter noticed, "I applaud your approach, but your second task will require none of that!" Jupiter raised his head to the sky and gave a piercing shriek and flapped his wings. Streams of yellow-coloured electricity surged from every quill on his body and shot upwards into the purple clouds. The clouds lit up, thrusting bolts of lighting at each other combined with the deafening cracks of thunder. Everyone covered their ears. "Is anyone reminded of that time where we saved everyone from a sinking cruise ship from the magic of the storm king?" Rainbow yelled, "I do!" Sunset yelled back, "But none of the winds, and all of the thunder and lightning here!" "Ba-bam!!!" Jupiter cawed, and 20 orbs of yellow electricity descended from the clouds, arranged themselves into a circle, and slowly spun around him. "The two of you are to break the orbs!" "... Wait... that's it?" Flash asked, "Of course not!" Jupiter laughed and scattered them all over the lair. Some hovered close to the ground, some up in the air. Some orbs remained still, and some moved in different directions and speeds. "Reminds me of that one minigame where you need to break the targets in order to continue. I hated that particular game." Flash noted. "What's the catch?" Jupiter tilted his head, "I will be evaluating both of your performances as you break them and I will decide whether the two of you pass or not. If you pass, congratulations! If you fail, no need to fear! Those who failed can do the test over and over again till you pass!" "That sounds pretty safe and generous!" Estelle noted, "Doesn't involve getting wet or burned, unlike the previous ones!" "You're not going to get over it. Are you?" Mym sighed, "This is your criteria: your character." Jupiter continued. Flash and Rodrigo looked at each other. "Come again?" Rodrigo asked, "Surely you know what I mean by that!" Jupiter repeated, "Breaking targets may be similar to your physical education exam or perhaps some martial arts test, but I'm not bound by convention. Hence, I choose to test you by character, and not by your physical prowess. Of course, your character and compatibility with each other can influence those!" "I see..." Rodrigo pondered, "Then it just means we have to work together!" "Couldn't have said it better myself, Rodrigo!" Flash chuckled and equipped his lance. "Say..." Fluttershy noticed, "Flash still brought along the bow and arrows. If I remember, he only started training with it at the lake for the past two days... do you think he's able to use it?" "Beats me," Applejack shrugged, "Ah went to tag along with Big Mac so Ah'm not sure what Flash was up to. That bein' said, Ah think it's a wasted opportunity that he didn't come to you or me for a few pointers in archery." "Before I forget, Scoots?" Flash called, "Here you go Big Ma- I mean Rodrigo!" Scootaloo held out the prince's sword with both hands, "Don't go wild with it!" "I won't," Rodrigo assured, taking the sword and drawing it from its sheath. "I am ready, Jupiter." "As am I." Flash spun his halberd. "I like that confidence!" Jupiter complimented, "Challengers, step to the middle of the lair. Spectators, step back a little. I'll make sure the orbs don't fly anywhere close to you." "Got it," Estelle nodded and gestured to everyone. Flash and Rodrigo took a few more steps forward and stood ready for battle. "Ready... Go!" Jupiter announced. Flash turned around and dashed towards the spectators, his halberd parallel to the floor. He lunged it forward at a stationary lightning orb five feet away from him. The small little orb popped with a 'bzzt!' sound once the tip of the halberd pierced through its body. Then Flash turned his head back and swung the halberd horizontally, with the axe part slicing another orb behind him. Rodrigo spotted two slow-moving orbs about to align. Gripping his sword, he slashed downward with precise timing, taking them down with one go. Then he noticed one above him diving down and quickly followed up with an upward slash, cleaving the fifth orb in two. "A quarter of orbs down in less than 5 seconds!" Twilight measured, "A fast start!" "Of course they'd go fer the slow or stationary movin' targets!" Applejack predicted, "Easy pickin'!" "I think it's rather common for any living predator to go after the easy target." Vida frowned. The boys each managed to find another stationary target ripe for the picking and quickly advanced to them. But when they struck... "Huh!?" Flash looked astonished as the orb zipped a foot away from the lance's range. "Woah!" Rodrigo panicked as his orb sidestepped his swing and circled to his back. "Not fast enough," Jupiter called from the sidelines, "Try again!" Rodrigo chased after the evasive orb but it floated back or to the side every time the knight took a step towards it. Flash had the same problem, with his target refusing to stay in-line of the halberd's stab or swing. "Oops! Ya missed!" Jupiter laughed, "It's always the fast-moving targets..." Flash sighed, backing up to Rodrigo's position. "There should be a pattern. Jupiter just can't throw them willy-nilly..." Rodrigo noted, "Or can I?" Jupiter chuckled, "Don't let him get to you. You can do it!!!" Pia cheered. But they didn't. Every orb that was within the boys' range slipped away or spun around them in circles. With every miss and fumble, Jupiter had the audacity to mock and laugh at them for a full minute. "Swing and a miss!" Jupiter chanted at another of Rodrigo's failed slashes. "Learn to aim, boy!" Jupiter taunted when Flash was unable to spear an orb for the umpteenth time. "Takin yer own sweet time, eh partner?" Jupiter snickered at Rodrigo again, imitating the accent of the apples. "Stop spinning your meat skewer around! Thrust it out faster!" Jupiter howled at Flash, laughing with glee. "This dragon is beginnin' to tick me off..." Rodrigo growled, "Like Swe- I mean Pia said, don't let him get to you!" Flash encouraged, "If we can't chase them..." He took a deep breath, slid the halberd's spearhead across the rock floor, and charged it with light mana. "... We can shoot em'!" But as Flash did so, Rodrigo noticed that the five buzzing orbs suddenly froze, halting all movement. Flash raised his lance and aimed at one of them. "Lance Cannon!" He yelled and fired. The blue cannonball of energy shattered the orb upon impact and exploded when it hit the wall. "Woah!" All the girls went, then cheered. "Awesome!!!" Rainbow laughed, "I wanna try that!!!" "Until this day, I had never considered Flash using something similar to magic." Sunset observed with great interest, "I... wow." "A very interesting skill!" Jupiter called out, "Lance Cannon, was it? Impressive for someone who was never born in Grastaea!" "Finally! At least we got one." Flash sighed with relief, "But I'm going to need a lot more poking and swinging if I want to build the mana for another shot!" "Flash wait!" Rodrigo stopped, lightly grabbing Flash's shoulder, "I noticed something. When you used your skill, the orbs stopped immediately." "Ohh!!!" Flash gasped with delight, "Then that makes things a whole lot easier!" "Hold your horses. I know you're always the plan maker, but is it okay if I take the reins here?" Rodrigo proposed, "Really? In that case sure! I'm listening." Flash eagerly nodded. "Alright, here's the plan..." Rodrigo started, then started whispering. "... You got it! I'll move by your command!" Flash agreed and backed away from the dark-armoured knight. "What were they talking about?" Hinata asked. "I couldn't hear them." Scootaloo shook her head. "Get ready, Flash!" Rodrigo commanded. With his free hand, Rodrigo gripped the blade of the prince's sword and gritted his teeth. "Kaaaa..." He growled. The blade-gripping hand began crackling with shadowy energy, which then seeped into the blade, slowly dyeing the steel grey into sharply tinted purple and black. The four flying orbs paused once again as if the knight's unleashed energy had paralysed their spherical bodies. Then, a streak of light shot towards each of the immobile orbs, sweeping them up and lining them in single file right in front of Rodrigo. "Now!" The light exhaled, revealing itself to be Flash. "Bonecrusher!" Rodrigo roared, lifting the purple blade to the right of his head, and slashing it diagonally down. The slashing motion fired a spherical bolt of shadow from the charged blade, piercing through the lined-up orbs, and crushing them into dust when they pierced through. Though it was eerily similar to the Lance Cannon, the sound created from the collision of this particular bolt and orb, was so loud and devastating that everyone who witnessed would know the skill's namesake is undoubtedly guaranteed to whoever gets in its way. "Yes!!!" The audience cheered, "Impressive!!!" Jupiter boomed, "Alright!" Rodrigo and Flash exclaimed, their hands locked in an arm-wrestling handshake. "We're halfway there now..." Rodrigo counted, "Now all that's left is..." The boys looked up, where the remaining ten orbs mockingly danced out of their reach. "Any ideas, Flash?" Rodrigo asked, "One of us can launch the other and start swinging!" Flash quickly answered, "We'll use our mana to boost our strength!" "I don't know about that, chief." Rodrigo observed again, "Even if we can throw each other that high, these things just move too fast for us." "Well, the only thing that guarantees a hit is our skills, and we both just used ours!" Flash looked worried, "We have to do something!" "Flash..." A voice called out to him, "It's time..." "Hey, Rodrigo?" Flash placed a hand on his shoulder, "Are you sure you don't want to try the launch thing?" "As I said, I don't think it will work." Rodrigo sighed, "I mean, you can try firing at them with the bow you brought but... I don't know if you'll hit them." "You're right. I can't..." Flash sighed in defeat but raised his voice for all to hear "... but she can!" "Who???" Everyone, including Jupiter, spoke with astonishment. "Sorry, buddy. I know we're supposed to do this with teamwork, but no hard feelings if I try to fire at them myself." Flash continued as he strapped the halberd on his back and pulled out the composite bow. "No offence taken." Rodrigo assured, "I'll let you handle things. I can take your lance." "Thanks." Flash chuckled and passed the halberd to Rodrigo. Then he stepped forward, pulling an arrow from the quiver he brought along, and nocked it onto the bowstring. "Very intriguing!" Jupiter called, "Let's see if your aim is better than your lance!" "It's not." Flash admitted as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a blue marble. "Flash!!!" Cleo gasped, "Isn't that the essence of our own adventurers!?" "I'll explain later," Flash responded, "Right now, I'm turning this situation around!" He raised the essence into the sky, took a deep breath, and spoke in a triumphant voice. "Philia!!! I need your help!!!" The blue marble within his hand shattered and unleashed a fount of green wind. The wind engulfed Flash's hand, then spread across his entire arm, underneath his clothing, to every inch of his hair and body. Everyone watched in awe as the spiky-haired teen stood completely in peace until the winds wrapped around his body exploded, revealing his body and hair changed into the colours of the girl he called for, just like what happened on Tuesday, and the following days he had trained in secrecy. "What in tarnation!?" Rodrigo and the Apples exclaimed, "That's impossible!!!" Sunset and Twilight pointed, "Ohh!" Fluttershy jumped, "Yikes!" Went Rainbow, Estelle and Pia, "Freaky! I like it!" Pinkie gave a thumbs up. Vida cringed in response. "Flash?" Scootaloo called out. "No." Cleo shook her head, "It looks like Flash, but his colours are... I've never seen this happen with an essence! Ever!!!" "It's..." Ms M and Hinata started. "Yep!" The palette-swapped Flash turned around and gave a cute wink, "It's one of your long-old allies. Philia!" "Woah!" Went Rainbow, "Even your voice has changed!!!" "As Flash said, he'll explain later!" Philia assured as she curled her forefinger on the string above the arrow, her middle and index below it, then drew the arrow back, aiming it at the orbs above. "This is mere target practice for every archer in the team!" And to prove it, Philia fired the arrow, which turned green in a split second as it left the bow. The green arrow flew swiftly into the air, and landed a direct hit on one of the fast-moving orbs, shattering as the arrow flew through it. "Nice!" Applebloom quickly turned from surprise to joy and applauded wildly. Philia could feel a little warm inside from the compliment, but she needed to focus. She pulled out two arrows, nocked them both, drew them back with a method that accommodates both arrows, and fired them in the air again. Two more 'bzzt's were heard. "This sugarcube's a better shot than both of us!" Applejack exclaimed to Fluttershy. Philia pulled three more arrows at once, and repeated herself, with successful hits. Everyone dropped their jaws to see the sheer finger dexterity and marksmanship of the girl that possessed Flash's body. To top it off, Philia pulled out two more arrows but instead of nocking them on the string at the same time, she nocked, drew, and fired in quick succession. Two more orbs shattered at once, leaving three behind. "Nice!!!" "Three more left..." Philia gave a determined smile, "... And I know just how to easily pop them!" "You sure about this?" Flash's voice echoed in her mind. "Oh, I am!" Philia nodded and held her bow out. With a violent hiss, the bow glowed and released a mist of green that sprayed across the lair, and stopped the orbs dead in their tracks. She grabbed the bowstring and pulled it back while closing her eyes. The bow channelled with the girl's mana of the wind, attracted an intense concentration of wind, stretched it out, and formed three arrows out of it; all nocked and ready to fire. "Scattershot!" She chanted and fired them. Though they flew haphazardly, all three arrows perfectly hit their targets, creating one unified cracking sound. "Phew!" Philia wiped a sweat off her brow, "We did it! We completed the challenge!" "Not me Philia. You did." Flash responded, "Thank you so much for your help." "I... I'm... I'm absolutely at a loss for words for what happened!" Estelle remarked, "But... there's no more orbs... it's safe to say that... challenge complete?" "Everyone?" Jupiter called, "The two boys, with their surprise guest, have cleared the lair of orbs. The test is complete!" "Alright!" "Yes!" "Well done!" All the girls ran towards the two, cheering and congratulating them. "Ah knew you could do it, big brother." Applejack patted Rodrigo's back, "Both of y'all are a well-oiled machine!" "Thanks, sis..." Rodrigo blushed underneath his helmet, "Honestly, I think it was a shared contribution to all three of you, but congrats are due regardless. High five?" Vida asked. Rodrigo smiled warmly as the two slapped their hands together. "Flash... no. Philia." Cleo spoke, "Is that really you?" "Yes, Cleo, Mym and you too Hinata! Nice human form by the way!" Philia greeted as her borrowed body began to glow green. "Oh dear!" She noticed, "Looks like my time is running out after that skill! Not to worry, I can always communicate through Flash." The glow grew in intensity, obscuring every facial feature of Flash, until it dissipated in a split second, leaving Flash behind, returned to his normal colours. "Ahh... sorry about that." Flash chuckled, "For keeping this a secret I mean. A month ago, on the day when we recorded Sweetie's third episode, I somehow woke Philia up just by touching her essence. Her voice could be heard by no one but me." "Uh-huh..." Estelle nodded, "Continue." "As what Flash said, I couldn't move my body except for my head, and I could only see outside of the blue essence. It's like I'm a spirit bound to the thing!" Philia continued. "I see!" Ms M nodded, as she looked above Flash. "So what Philia said is that she's like a spirit bound to the essence and she literally can't her move her body except for her head." Flash repeated as he revealed the blue essence that appeared back in his hand after he transformed back. "Yeah, we get that." Pia rolled her eyes, "You don't have to repeat what she says." Flash and Philia paused. "Wait... you can hear her?" Flash gasped, "You can hear me?" Philia gasped at the same time, "Not only that," Hinata noted, "We can also see her!" "What? Where!?" "Above you." Sunset stated, and everyone else pointed at the ethereal green spirit, fully clothed in her original outfit, floating above Flash. Flash followed their finger and jumped when he saw Philia's floating spirit. "Oh My Goddess!" He exclaimed, "They're right! I can see you too!" "Huh!?" Philia looked down at the girls and Flash, "You're right! I'm not where the essence is and..." She examined her hands, arms, body and legs, and gave them a small shake. "I can actually feel and move my body again! And since now I'm like this... I can actually fly? Yay!!!" Philia jumped for joy and flew to the air, only to slam her face on a blue forcefield. Everyone winced at the sound of the collision and gave concerned looks at the dizzy spirit floating down. "I guess I can't..." Philia groaned, "... fly so far." "I think I can assume that there's a restrictive distance you have to be from your essence," Cleo noted. "We'll remember that." Flash chuckled, "Sorry about the surprise Jupiter. So, we've popped the orbs. What do you think of our character?" "Thanks for bringing the attention back to me!" Jupiter chirped, "Yes. Now, even if I did say I won't evaluate how fast they did it, did someone take their time?" "Two and a half, approximately." Twilight estimated. "Good time! A very good time! No doubt that it was the results of how you worked together!" Jupiter complimented, "Think we've aced it?" Rodrigo asked, "Or was pulling Philia out not allowed?" Flash gulped. "What? No! Your surprising spirit companion is more than allowed! As I said, I'm not bound to convention. As long as you completed the test, that's all that matters!" Jupiter reviewed. "That's rather concerning." Estelle frowned, "If you were a principal or a teacher, and your creed is similar to that. I can't imagine how many students would step on one another or cheat just to get full marks!" "If that happened, it would be very entertaining, to be honest." Jupiter chuckled, "Anyway! Now, I'm going to disclose more about how I evaluated your character. You see, everything that happened within those 2 and a half minutes tells me a lot about you. How you analyse, discuss, and react to certain things." "Ah, no wonder why you taunted us," Rodrigo recalled, "Yes. You see, your character is important to how you go through life. How you act towards others, what you believe is right or wrong, and so on so forth. Your very being influences others, whether small or many." Jupiter explained, "However, no matter where you are, you will always face situations that will take you out of your comfort zone. Sometimes, it may even change your core beliefs. Such are the effects of debates or elections." "Get on with it." Pia snapped, a little irritated. "But what people may tend to think is that it's not the influencer who gives the final say. It's you who decides to change according to the situation. Of course, the usual influencer or activist would try to say otherwise. But the decision ultimately falls onto you." Jupiter responded, "What I aim to see in the test is how you push the boundaries of your own choices and beliefs, as real-life dilemmas would. This is what determines whether you passed or failed my challenge. Am I clear so far?" "By that, it means facing our weaknesses?" Rodrigo clarified. "More than that. It means facing the things that you naturally want to avoid or want to forget entirely." Jupiter answered, "That is the influence of your character. Now, get ready for your results..." Everyone held their breaths. Pinkie did a little drum roll with a snare drum she brought out of nowhere. "Rodrigo? Or Big McIntosh? Pass! macte virtute!" Jupiter declared with joy. Everyone burst into cheers. "Yes!" Estelle and Pia cheered, "Alright!" Rainbow and Sunset high fived. "Yay..." Vida unenthusiastically clapped. "Way to go, Mac." Flash smiled, shaking Rodrigo's hand. "Couldn't 'ave done it without you." Rodrigo smiled back, changing to his 'original' voice. "Yes. Now for our final candidate. Flash Sentry?" Jupiter continued. Pinkie made a drum roll again. "Fail! You suck!" Jupiter declared with glee. Everyone burst into cheers once again but went dead silent a second later. As Jupiter's declaration repeated over and over in their heads, their happy faces went confused and pale. Everyone slowly turned towards Jupiter and Flash. Flash, the only one who didn't join in the cheering, looked at the Lightwyrm full of disbelief and insecurity. "I-I'm sorry." Flash chuckled while taking deep breaths, "C-Can you repeat that for me?" "You suck!" Jupiter laughed, "Not that part, the one before it!" Flash laughed back with uncertainty. "Did you really just say I--" "I did! And I mean it!" Jupiter interrupted, "You failed, Flash! F-A-I-L. Fail!" "WHAT!?" Everyone roared. "Yeesh! Tone the volume down, will you?" Jupiter moaned, "I... why?" Flash turned cold, dropping the bow. TO BE CONTINUED Next Chapter: Conquering wrath