//------------------------------// // 3: A Family Reunion // Story: The Brilliance of a Restful Mind // by StacheHand //------------------------------// Toasty Blanket and Cozy Glow found a private place to speak; it was a visitor's bedroom with a luxurious, comfy looking bed and a golden table. The setting sun gleamed through the windows. The two ponies faced each other. Cozy nervously looked up at her guardian, who was bearing a downhearted glare. "H-how much of the story were you told, exactly?" Cozy asked. "The princess told me everything." Toasty answered calmly, but gravely. "I didn't want to believe it. But there was the proof, painted on stained glass." "S-stained glass. That's a pretty b-bad sign." Cozy muttered. "I put my heart into raising you. I taught and trusted you to share with others what you received from me. Remember?" said Toasty, looking on the verge of sobbing. "Y-yeah, I know." said Cozy. "Warmth and love." "I thought if I sent you here to Ponyville, to attend that school, that you'd meet creatures who'd accept it and you could find happiness with everyone there." Toasty continued, gritting her teeth. "The students knew the values of friendship, and they saw you as a friend. An idol. An inspiration. They loved you." "Well, being rather cute and lovable sure helped with that." said Cozy, putting on a very brief smile. "They didn't do anything to hurt you." Toasty stated with a rise in tone. "All they wanted was to give from the heart, and those atrocities were how you repaid them? Did all that kindness mean nothing? What possessed you to do it, Cozy!?" The volume of her voice was now high, and the anger in it was perfectly clear. "I just couldn't help it. The promise of friendship just came with this tempting potential for power." Cozy explained. Her face took on a devious appearance. "It felt... fun to have all these creatures, surrounding me and making me feel like an empress." "And you never considered for a second how wrong that was!?" Toasty yelled, wiping the evil grin off Cozy's face. "You didn't get it, did you!? You had everything! All of those nice kids, and all the adults, they were happy to be part of your world, to have you look out for them! I thought you would've treasured that, but instead... you just tossed it out like garbage!" "At least I only got thrown in Tartarus for that." said Cozy. "As horrible as that was, it was way better than... that never-ending... suffocating..." The pegasus filly shivered as images of stone surrounding her and everything going to pitch-black flashed in her mind. "And then you use your second chance at freedom to just be evil some more, almost destroying and enslaving the entire world?" Toasty added. "You didn't care who you were going to damage, what you were going to bring to ruin? Did you not even care If I was caught in the crossfire? Did... did you forget about me, Cozy?" She sobbed after finishing her sentence. "I was under the impression that you forgot about me." Cozy replied honestly. "Truth be told, if you were there, you are the last pony I would've allowed to get hurt." "Even so, I would not have defended your horrible crimes!" Toasty said. "So you'd let me stay locked up in Tartarus, then?" Cozy cried, giving a hard glare at her guardian. "By Celestia, NO!" Toasty shouted, closing in on the child with widened, teary eyes. "I would never allow you to starve or suffer, you know that!" "I-I know. S-sorry." Cozy apologetically moaned. "But the rest of the world, they see you as a monster! You made them hate you! You affected them so negatively they considered you as big of a threat as two of the most notorious terrorists that ever lived!" Toasty ranted. "And for what? A life of "power" where you would eventually end up all alone, and a tyrannical rule that wasn't going to last?" "To be fair, I did have the power of the Bewitching Bell." Cozy noted. "Tirek, Chrysalis and I agreed that once we won, we'd rule our own individual kingdoms by ourselves." "For how long!?" Toasty exclaimed, throwing her fore hooves into the air. "Those creeps weren't known for honesty! They could've gotten bored of their "kingdoms" and attempted to usurp you! No amount of planning or ancient, apocalyptic power could possibly save you from an attack by them, and in that "kingdom" you intended to rule, nopony would've genuinely pledged their loyalty! You would've been at risk of facing betrayal and meeting a gruesome fate every day for the rest of your life! You could've been taken in your sleep!" "Huh. When you put it that way..." Cozy mumbled. "I feel like the worst mother of all time right now." Toasty sighed. "I raised and watched over a child in need, and I sent her away so she could find love and generosity in another place, but all she found was temptation, and I wasn't there to keep her from falling victim to it. I should've gone with her, because a good parent would keep their little ones company. To help them think clearly. I neglected that duty, so I suppose i'm a villain for that, too." She buried her face deeply into her fore hooves. "Oh, mama, please don't beat yourself up." said Cozy, tearing up a little. "Why did you think it was "cool" to be evil?" Toasty asked, a lump in her throat. "How could you find so little value in friendship and compassion? Was it really that hard to find and hang on to somebody who'd stick by you and treat you warmly, as I have?" "I don't know. I guess I was always expected to do it, all the darn time, and it got intimidating." Cozy rationalized. "That's no excuse to stomp all over their goodwill!" Toasty scolded. "You were on your way to a wonderful life most creatures would dream of having, and you backed out in favour of megalomaniacal malice like a coward!" She stomped the ground in a rage, then took a deep breath. "I know it may have been alot easier to manipulate and terrorize, but after all my teachings you should've known better and had some respect for your own well-being!" "My well-being?" Cozy uttered, holding her chest. "You must understand the consequences of what you've done! Not only is evil easy, wrong and absolutely stupid, but worst of all... it's self-destructive!" Toasty explained. "No matter what steps you took, the path you walked was going to tear you apart! I mean, look where it lead when you crossed the line! Was that truly the life you wanted to live?" Cozy Glow lifted a hoof and opened her mouth, ready to speak, but her mind drew a blank, and a chill was felt in her back. She sorrowfully whispered "No." "I know there's a better pony inside you." said Toasty. "Discord and the others may have deemed you a lost cause, but me? I didn't take a filly off the streets and give her a home just so she could destroy herself." "So, what are you going to do with me?" Cozy asked, putting her fore hooves up to her gritted teeth. "I'm taking you on a tour." Toasty confirmed. "A tour!?" Cozy yelped. "To see all those creatures I attacked and struck fear into? Is that the plan?" "Yes, and i'll have us synchronized, so I can always watch." Toasty added. Her horn glowed with a magical aura, only this time it wasn't the pleasant colour from before. It was a dark, unsettling mixture of black, purple and yellow, and at that same time, her eyes radiated energy of the same colours. Cozy Glow looked at her guardian, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. Suddenly, she felt a shock to her brain and froze, becoming still as a statue, for a moment. Afterwards, she looked around confused. "What was that freaky magic!?" Cozy anxiously questioned. Toasty Blanket's magic stopped, and her face returned to it's natural state. "It's just a small spell that'll allow us to communicate and notify each other through our actions and mental processes; for simplicity's sake, let's call them thought waves." Toasty elaborated as if nothing weird had happened. "It's something I picked up while I was trapped in the Cacosaurs' realm." "Cacosaurs? I'm a kid and even I realize they exist only in scary fairy tales." Cozy skeptically commented. "You think i'd lie, when I was gone for the longest time and came here from a hard, difficult journey for you?" said Toasty. "Believe me, cacosaurs are very real, and the spell I used is only one of many... demonic arts I learned to get through being trapped with them for moons on end. I never meant to end up with them, but they took me by surprise and pulled me into their nightmare world, so I had to adapt." "Golly, I never took you for one who'd want to learn dark magic like that." Cozy stated. "If I wasn't dragged into that realm, if I had been allowed to see my little girl in Ponyville at the time I wanted, if I had a choice in that matter, I wouldn't have had to." Toasty affirmed. "And most of all, we'd be together already a long time ago." "OK, I guess that makes sense." Cozy accepted. "But if cacosaurs are real, i'd need to see them." Toasty paused for three seconds in acknowledgement of Cozy's words, sighing. "Regardless... i'm sorry that I made you feel abandoned, Cozy." she expressed with guilt, wiping her eyes. "It was never my intention. Please forgive me." "Don't be sad, mama. I can." Cozy assured the mare, placing a hoof on one of hers. "I'm sorry that I grew doubtful of you ever showing up." "Frankly, i'm lucky to be here right now." Toasty remarked. "As long as that spell's active, we won't be far apart." "But... if the spell's demonic, should I be concerned about it's effects?" Cozy inquired out of unease. "I've only set up synchronization between the two of us, and i've trained my mind to receive more thought waves than send, so no harm will come to you, sweetie. I'll make sure you're in good hooves, and i'll stay close until we can fully change your fate. I promise." Toasty vowed. "Do you trust me?" Cozy Glow eyed her mother's face, which once again had a serene, motherly expression of affection. Her frown turned into a slight smile, and she responded with "Uh-huh." The two ponies, unicorn guardian and pegasus child, looked at each other. Toasty smiled and nodded in good faith, while Cozy was obviously worried, but did have a somewhat good feeling about how things would shape up, now that she was accompanied by an adult she knew well and believed in. The mare invited her adoptive daughter to ride on her back, which she accepted excitedly. Outside of the bedroom windows, Scrape and Duster were flying and taking peaks little enough that they wouldn't be noticed. They followed the whole conversation between Toasty and Cozy with great interest. They couldn't hear it, so they only had the movements to go off of. "So the unicorn lady knows a form of dark magic." Scrape said to Duster. "My girl, we've got our first clue." "Probaby not intending to teach it to the little she-demon, what with her being a pegasus." Duster hypothesized. "But I guarantee it's a dangerous doozy that mare is preparing, like a ticking time bomb getting set to go off in the right place." "Maybe, but there's no telling what it is exactly." Scrape pointed out. "We've got to do some research." "Where, Scrape?" said Duster. "Obviously, you can't just get info on forbidden, creepy spells from a commonly published book." "Well, we've got to find out somehow!" Scrape retorted. "It's vitally important to prepare for whatever evil sorcery she knows!" "Yeah, so we probably won't have the time to study, anyway. We need to keep track of those two, so we need a bird's-eye view unlike any other." Duster declared. "Duster bird." Rolly mentioned from below. "Not me." Duster corrected. "I'm thinking more along the lines of Discord." "Ah, the classic team up through common goals and common enemies. Good idea, if we can find him... and if he'll tolerate us." said Scrape. "Better make sure his mood is improved." Duster noted, putting a claw on the bottom of her beak. "Rolly help Discord watch cute pegasus and strange mom!" Rolly yelled. "Rolly so quick he catch both in act! Scrape and Duster watch!" Scrape and Duster flew back down to the ground where Rolly was, and the three of them looked at each other in contemplation. Back in the throne room, Princess Twilight and Spike had returned from the castle garden. Twilight sat back on her throne with a look that was easily recognizable by her dragon advisor. "What's on the mind now, Twilight?" Spike asked. "I've been wondering if releasing Cozy Glow is something I should've allowed." Twilight replied, holding her chin up with a hoof. "It was the right thing to do, to make Toasty happy, but maybe it wasn't the smart thing." "And you've had this thought since... when?" said Spike with a raised eyebrow. "Only a few moments ago." Twilight confirmed. "If I denied Toasty the chance to reunite with her only family, i'd look like a heartless princess. But while I wish not to interfere with their business, there's no telling what could happen now that they're back together. Even if Cozy feels true guilt for being evil and upsetting her guardian, she's still bound to get hurt out there in a world that knows her as a vile villain, or worse. Toasty's bound to take all that heat, too, thanks to association." "My first concern was Cozy's history of manipulation and tyranny." Spike commented. "That too! It's all-too-likely Cozy is not only not actually remorseful, but she's also in reality bitter with Toasty and faking her happiness from seeing her, and she's going to toy with her emotions to get what she wants, and have her revenge against everycreature who stood in the way of her past plans!" Twilight continued, beside herself with worry. "Oh dear, that poor mare! I don't think she could take the heartbreak that'd come from that!" "Hey, no use dwelling on possibilities!" Spike snapped. "Catastrophic possibilities, my friend!" Twilight shouted. "Another scheme from Cozy Glow could only mean a new crisis to threaten all of the harmony in Equestria, as well as the lands beyond. And that in turn will get in the way of Luster Dawn's studies in Ponyville." "Never mind the power of shooting evil-stopping rainbow beams you and the many friends we've made all possess when we unite." Spike mentioned with a cocky smile, putting one of his claws on Twilight's back. "For the sake of respecting our friends' busy lives, I hope it doesn't come to that." said Twilight with intense eyes. "But I fear we'll need a miracle." "Did somepony address the Lord of Fortune?" said Discord, his voice echoing across the throne room. He descended from the ceiling upside down. "Twilighting as usual, eh?" "If she ever truly stopped, nopony would recognize her anymore." Spike joked. "Yeah, you're right, I do need to learn to cool down and take it slowly about these pressing matters." Twilight sarcastically responded. "Hey, no one likes sarcasm, Twilight." Spike teased, wagging his right index claw. The alicorn princess returned this with a grumbling sound. "So, I released the evil pegasus for you, and i'm still expecting something out of all this." said Discord. "It can be anything, except for confiscation of my magic, white milk, a position of school-related authority or anything that has to do with making Fluttershy sad." He raised every finger on his lion's paw, one by one, as he spoke. "Whatever you want, can't you get it yourself?" Twilight snarked. "Hey, I know!" Spike chimed in with a sharp look at Twilight. "How about, uh, an Ogres and Oubliettes-dedicated game room, a penthouse suite and jazz club in the sky, a pet giant squid that spits lightning and an active volcano ride?" Discord transformed his hands into big, floating thumbs-up symbols. "At least one of us can sweeten the deal." "I doubt you're here just for that anyway." Twilight commented with a raised eyebrow. "You're right, i'm not." Discord admitted, changing his hands back to their natural shape. He snapped his eagle claws and a vision with Toasty Blanket and Cozy Glow in it popped up to his left. "It is indeed all-too-likely that Cozy Glow is angry with her guardian, and she will stop at nothing to pay us back for stopping her plans long ago and trapping her in a prison of stone." The vision moved, displaying the events of this hypothetical outcome. "At long last, all these moons unable to move, or breathe, or even age, and my waiting's about to pay off!" declared the vision's Cozy Glow. "Equestria's rightful empress has returned, and she's going to make her impudent subjects pay!" "Cozy, what are you doing!?" yelled the vision's Toasty Blanket. "Bow to your queen, peasant, and take your punishment!" the vision Cozy snapped. "I am your mother! I came all this for way for you!" the vision Toasty cried. "I have no mother!" the vision Cozy retorted with a giant frown. "I walk this world alone, but thank you for setting me free and getting me a new toy to play with." "You used me?" the vison Toasty gasped. "I'm a villain. It's in my genes." said the vision Cozy with the cockiest smile. "Now bear witness to the unbridled power... of my vengeful wrath!" She held up some kind of mysterious artifact that made her glow ominously with black, purple and yellow magic. The sky around her and the vision Toasty turned red, the earth erupted in flames, malevolent spirits appeared out of nowhere and ponies were being mutated into horrific abominations. Equestria had transformed into a nightmarish wasteland. Cozy burst into insane laughter. "NO!" the vision Toasty screamed. At that moment, the vision ended and vanished. "But that's only a single possibility." said Discord. "If you can agree upon that, then you must also consider my favourite..." snapping his lion fingers, he casted another vision featuring the unicorn guardian and her pegasus child. "The chance that this is all a great, big, convoluted scheme that Toasty character is cooking up, and it will culminate in her and Cozy teaming up, becoming an even worse threat to all we hold dear." "Oh Toasty, it warms my heart that we've come together again." said the vision Toasty in a sweet-sounding, but eerie voice. "I've had so much fun playing that sugary princess and her silly subjects! It went so perfectly!" Now she sounded totally devious, a wicked smile stretching across her face. "And we did it as a team! A family! Two heads with all the power!" the vision Cozy added. "You know, I almost feel sorry for all these creatures, just for how easy they are to manipulate. To control for our convenience." the vision Toasty laughed with a smile brimming with malice and confidence. "If they spent time being smart and villainous instead of dumb and heroic, they'd be so much better off." said the vision Cozy. "Nopony will see us coming, but when they do, they will bow to us, the rightful empresses of Equestria!" the vision Toasty proclaimed, raising her right hoof. "All living things across the land, this is payment for subjecting my little girl to a horrible life in a statue! You brought this upon yourselves!" the vision Toasty held up that same mysterious artifact from Discord's other vision, and the same events took place. One difference was that the vision Toasty transformed into a tall demon unicorn with wings made of crimson energy. "This is the best way to be bad ever!" yelled the vision Cozy. Then she let out a great laugh. Suddenly, the vision changed to a scene in the throne room. "Hey princess, I think you're done keeping that seat warm!" the now demonic vision Toasty shouted. She released a wave of that ghastly magic towards the vision's Twilight, which caused the big alicorn's body to leak a gargantuan stream of magenta energy and quickly decay. All of it went into the vision Toasty's body. The scene then changed again. "You must be the student! Your master has fallen, and now you will study under us!" the vision Cozy cackled at the vision's Luster Dawn, who was cowering in the corner of a darkened room. The vision Cozy touched the cerise unicorn, hitting her with a spell that morphed her into an unsightly mockery of her regular appearance. "Alright, that's quite enough!" the real Twilight snapped, glaring at Discord. The vision ended and disappeared just like the one before it. "We can't afford to forget about the stakes, you know." said Discord indignantly. "What's that creepy artifact supposed to be? Anything you happen to know well about?" Spike asked with an accusing look. "Oh, just a dime a dozen item of ultimate power that I made up." Discord answered casually. "It can surely happen. Equestrian history's jam-packed with those." "I doubt anything could have as much cataclysmic potential as Grogar's bell." said Twilight somewhat optimistically. "That can be guaranteed, at least." "And one more thing: I think something's up with how that mare hugs." Discord proclaimed. "No child gets pacified that fast from a tight embrace, especially not one who's been trapped for moons in a claustrophobic prison." "Shush!" Twilight yelped in a new burst of anxiety. "Are you suggesting Toasty was casting some dark mind control magic at that moment?" Spike inquired. "Precisely. It must've been her hugging that persuaded our dear princess here to help her." Discord deduced. "OK, that can't be the case. I think you're just assuming now." Twilight rebuked. "Or trying to scare me." "It's a mystery." said Discord slyly with ghost-like movements and whistling. "Now, since you've ordered Gallus and the royal guards to stand down, I have to go out and watch the two disasters waiting to happen, lest I, and everypony else, fall victim to devastating deception again." "If you see or hear anything, and I mean anything suspicious, report in." Twilight commanded with a sharp stare. "Only you can spy on them and stay hidden." "I'll be back before tea time with Fluttershy, princess commander Twilight ma'am!" Discord called out with a soldier's baritone, magically placing a hard hat on his horned head and hitting it with a lion's paw salute. Then, in a quick flash of light, the draconequus Lord of Chaos vanished from sight. "Me and my friends have consistently maintained the peace in Equestria, and all the lands beyond, for ages now." said Twilight. "I hope I don't live to completely regret bringing those two together again. I pray that Toasty Blanket can set Cozy Glow straight, and won't be a new enemy on her level." "Shall we go back to reading that book?" Spike requested, placing his left claw on the royal alicorn's back. She turned her head to him and nodded in approval. In Canterlot City, Toasty was walking around with Cozy riding on her back. The sight of the pegasus filly turned every creature's head towards the two. The reception from the massive crowd was a mixture of fear, loathing, confusion and rage; understandably so. Toasty pressed onward while Cozy anxiously covered up in her guardian's long mane. "Run! It's Cozy Glow!" screamed a random mare. She ran off, and other screaming ponies followed. "I thought she was petrified." said a random bewildered dragon said. "Where is the princess!? Where are the guards!? They can't be allowing this!" a random griffin cried out in outrage. "Hey, miss, I don't know if you've noticed, but there's a beast on your back!" hollered a colt. "Don't make me come over there." Cozy whimpered. "Mama, how are we going to find a place to sleep?" "I'll... figure that out." Toasty said with uncertainty. Then she bumped into the old fortune teller from earlier. "Oh! Sorry! So sorry about that! You OK, miss?" "Don't worry, my dear crystal. Mommy's here for you." the fortune teller said to her crystal ball, levitated in front of her by her magic. She turned her head and saw Toasty. "Oh, hello." "Uh, excuse me, but if you're not too busy..." Toasty started. "I'd like to know if you can predict an ideal place for us to rest." Cozy peaked out from her guardian's mane and looked at the fortune teller. "A place to rest, you ask." the fortune teller echoed. "What do you mean "us", though?" Then she caught sight of the small pegasus filly, staring meekly. In one second the old mare howled frightfully, backed away and dropped her crystal ball. She quickly covered it with her hooves, scowled and grumbled "The decision of where the next rest shall be had is up to you." Toasty walked through more of the disdainful and terrified crowd until she and her little one reached the Canterlot train station. It was just about ready to leave for Ponyville. "Any passengers left to board?" called the stallion conductor. "Sir, I need to get on." said Toasty, approaching the outfitted stallion. "Well ma'am, you've come at a good time. We have room for two more." the conductor confirmed. "Please offer up your-" He then noticed Cozy Glow. His eyes instantly widened. "What is she doing here!?" "Sir, I know what she's done. I'm trying to find her a place to stay, so please let me and her on." Toasty explained and pleaded. "It's against the law to allow admission of train entry to notorious would-be conquerors and terrorizers!" said the conductor. "Is she your daughter?" "Yes." Toasty confessed. Cozy gritted her teeth. "She's harmless, I swear. As long as my eye's on her, she won't hurt anypony. Now please, let us on so I can take her somewhere safe." "Saying "please" won't cut it. I must follow the job policy." the conductor firmly protested. "Now, if we can come to a single passenger agreement, then you can-" "I'm not getting on without her!" Toasty said urgently. "She can't fly all the way to Ponyville, and I have a job to do as a mother, so let the both of us on. Please!" "If that's what you wish, ma'am, i'm sorry. It can't be helped." the conductor uttered softly. Toasty looked down on the ground, downtrodden, her eyes obscured by the shadows cast by her mane. Then she rose up on her hind hooves. Cozy flew off her back and watched her guardian stand tall over the conductor. Toasty opened her fore hooves wide and dropped down on the conductor, giving him a great big, tight hug. "Hey, ma'am! What are you doing!?" the conductor growled. "Get your hooves off at once! You are invading... invading... in..." he suddenly felt a warm sensation that soothed his nerves. His irritation turned to tranquility. "Is it getting hot in here? It feels... nice." "I beg of you." Toasty whispered into the stallion's ear. "It's a long way." "I've always wanted a warm hug on duty, but nopony cared to do so until now." the conductor murmured. "I feel... loved. Appreciated. Glad." He smiled and let out a peaceful sigh. "Sir, my mama has the warmest hugs in all the land." said Cozy truthfully. "I can tell." the conductor said back. "A dedicated stallion like you has more than earned it, I believe." said Toasty softly, loosening her grip and rubbing a fore hoof on the dressed up stallion's chest. She looked at him with dazzling eyes. "Alright, ma'am. Maybe I can work something out for the both of you after all." the conductor agreed. He then raised a hoof warningly. "But keep it between us. Now, how about that ticket, dear lady?" "Thank you." Toasty said in humble gratitude. She lit up her horn and magically pulled a train ticket out of her mane. "Where do you get the bits for that?" Cozy curiously asked. In response, the unicorn guardian put her muzzle up to the filly's ear. "It's another dark spell I picked up." Toasty whispered. "It allows me to hold anything I need in a pocket dimension right up here." she pointed to the top of her bouffant mane. Cozy hung her mouth open and stared in fascination. The moon was now rising. A fair distance away from the train station, Discord popped into a remote part of Canterlot City. "Discord's log number 11-13." Discord narrated. "Toasty Blanket has taken Cozy Glow on the train to Ponyville - can't wait for the welcome parade that little vermin gets - and i've sensed some frightening magic coming from the pair. A poor train conductor has also fallen victim to the witch's charming squeeze. This is only the beginning of what is sure to be much terrible news to report to her majesty Twilight Sparkle for the sake of-" "Hey, Discord!" shouted Scrape. "Just the chaotic trickster we wanted to see." "What hub? A fan club?" said Discord jokingly, turning in the direction of the dragon and her friends. "Well actually, I really am a fan." Duster blurted out. Scrape hit her on the back of the head. "You can ask for an autograph later, kid. I'm on an important mission." Discord stated. "Hey, I think Spike told me of three kids that look just like these. You, for example, daughter of... Garble, was it?" "Correct. That's me." Scrape said. "I'm Scrape, and these are Duster and Rolly." "The resemblance is not lost on me." Discord acknowledged while stroking his beard. "Why have you been looking for me, though?" "My friend, we're all aiming for the same thing." said Scrape. "We know as well as you do that Cozy Glow and her mama are surely up to no good." "Let me guess, you'd like us to team up on this, based on common enemies and common goals?" Discord presumed. "What do you have to offer?" "Strength." Scrape replied. "Intelligence." Duster responded. "Speed!" Rolly yelled. "Meh, i've got it all covered." said Discord, wrapping his long body around the kids. "Even direct action?" Duster asked. "Uh... no." Discord replied as he uncovered the kids and stood up straight again. "I have to stay hidden and report suspicious activity to the princess." "Well then, you've got yourself some partners." Scrape declared. "Strength, Intelligence and Speed, multiplied by two, one half out of sight, and the other in sight." said Discord. He rubbed his eagle's claw and lion's paw together. "This ought to make the exposé a little more interesting." Scrape, Duster and Rolly joined their forelimbs together and let out a triumphant cry of "For all Equestria, and all the lands beyond!"