//------------------------------// // The Hunt Begins // Story: Wrath of Grogar // by Israel Yabuki //------------------------------// After escaping the military compound and later to have blacked out after, Chrysalis felt trapped and isolated in a dark void for hours. Or perhaps a day, maybe a week? She doesn’t know, cause she was unconscious for a while. In this void, she felt cold, helpless, and alone. Possibly with no way of escape. But soon she is awoken by a bright, warm light that shone down upon her, which had her curious and desperate enough to slowly crawl her way towards it. And as she gets closer, she hears a voice within this light calling to her, which convinces her to move towards it even more. And as soon as she enters the light, she then ends up awaking into the real world. Her eyes slowly opened as her vision was a bit blurry, but she could see a blurry image of a person next to her and she also felt her whole body was laid upon a soft mattress. Then at that moment, she could hear the person’s voice speak to her. "Oh good, you're awake! Thank goodness, I guess we won't need an I.V to keep you alive. Just lay there a little longer, I'll get you some water and something to eat," the person said, before heading out of the room. What was strange about the person’s voice was that it sounded familiar. Like she hadn’t heard that voice since… the day she was turned to stone. Soon it wasn’t long until her vision became clear and she was now able to see where she was at. She was in what appears to be a master bedroom with a window that shined the sunlight into the room. "No, don't tell me… this world has her in it, too, does it?" Chrysalis asked herself quietly. "Why… Why must everything always go south for me? Ugh! I can't stay here, I need to--" but then she paused and she noticed the crystal she had was gone. She got up from her bed or at least tried to get out of her bed, but her body was still sore from the impact and wound up to fall back down, groaning in pain a little. "Darn, it seems I have yet to recover from that full-frontal attack. I'll never get out of here." As she lay helpless and motionless on the bed for about a minute or two, she then heard footsteps coming from the hallway. The footsteps soon drew closer and later the person a while ago entered the room with a glass of water in her hand and a plate with a lid on it in the other. And when Chrysalis got a good look at her, she felt utterly shocked. The person standing in the doorway was the human counterpart of Princess Celestia; The very princess who along with Princess Luna and Discord sealed her away in stone. "Sorry for the wait, I hope you're doing okay so far. I want to apologize for accidentally running over you on the highway. I wasn't paying attention and I hope I didn't hurt you too much," Celestia said with a nervous smile. Chrysalis didn’t reply or say a word at all, but instead, she glared at the woman in front of her, and then she looked away, facing towards the window, not wanting to look at Celestia. "Okay, you're mad at me, I get it. Hey, tell you what, I'll let you stay here for longer and nurse you back to health. I'm still a little upset that I hit someone. Also, I dunno if you know this, but that crystal I found with you… yeah, someone went and took it. He was in a bit of a hurry, but I still remember what he looked like: Grey skin, pitched back hair, and red eyes. And he is wearing this long black robe. The guy rings any bells?" Tia asked. 'What? So the mission wasn't a total failure after all. That's all good, but,' she thought to herself. "He's an… associate of mine. Can you tell me what he said when he stopped by?" "He asked me if I picked up a purple crystal. I asked him how he knew and he told me one of his associates has it and described your appearance in every detail. I thought nothing of it and gave him the crystal and then he left," Tia replied. Chrysalis was relieved. It seems the plan hasn't fallen to pieces after all. "Good. That crystal you gave him… will benefit us all. Our… leader, so to speak, sent him and me to retrieve it to help change the world," Chrysalis half told the truth. "Oh okay. That's good to hear. I'm glad things worked out. Anyways, here's your food and water, and make sure not to eat too fast, okay?" Tia said. "R-Right," Chrysalis said. The former changeling queen then reaches over for the dish and removes the lid off of it and on the dish is a stack of pancakes decorated with an adorable face out of whip cream and fruits. She would despise it’s cuteness if it wasn’t so tasty. She then takes a fork and knife in her hand and then and cuts a tiny piece of it and then hesitantly places it in her mouth. And soon her taste buds were overcome by the delicious flavor. "It's… really good." "It's my specialty Tia Cakes. I used to make them all the time for my sons. But then… my ex-husband and… nevermind, it's nothing. Go ahead and enjoy them. If you need some more I've made extra," Tia said before leaving Chrysalis alone with her meal. The changeling queen did not say a word nor moved right until the woman left the room. Once she did, Chrysalis then immediately began gobbling up her plate, as the wonderful taste of the fluffy goodness filled her mouth, and then she quickly drank down her glass of water before continuing to devour her pancakes. "So good. They taste like… like… love!" Chrysalis said before gobbling up some more until her plate was empty. She sighs in relief and pats her stomach. "That was… so… delicious. I haven’t eaten good food in days. For that matter, all I've ever eaten was love. I'm surprised I never even tried such delicacies.” After eating a delicious meal, Chrysalis then laid back on the bed, feeling stuffed from the deliciously warm and fluffy goodness.  "Just gotta let these worthless wounds heal and I'll be back on my feet in no time. But, then again, I probably won't be getting all that power I was promised," Chrysalis talked to herself. "It's like I was doomed to fail for eternity. Why must life be so cruel to me?" she groaned. While she was sulking, Sombra was out in the city, alone, searching for more of the demon crystals and so far, he's found a total of two crystals. Sometime after he found the first crystal, he found the 2nd one on the deserted island of the castle ruins while Chrysalis was knocked out and taken in by Principal Celestia. He kept his hood on to keep his face hidden as a precaution. The city has been on high alert and more troops were dispatched ever since the attack on that military base.  "Now let's see, if I were a demon crystal, where would I be hiding?" Sombra asked himself. Searching each corner of town, trying to search for the 3rd demon crystal; he even tried some jewelry stores at first, but all he found were useless diamonds that cost nearly millions of dollars. Next, he tried public banks, but all he found was gold ingots and vaults of cash, valuable to the people, but useless to Sombra. “ARGH! How hard is it to find a damn demon crystal in this city!?” He shouted in rage. While nearly losing control of his temper as he uses his magic to toss a nearby car into the air and across 10 city blocks. After his outburst, he then sees a military helicopter flying by, and quickly he hid in an alleyway to avoid detection. "Note to self, keep my outbursts to a minimum. Perhaps one of them is hidden in one of those… museums," he whispered to himself. "Sombra! Have you located the 3rd demon crystal?" Light Ray said through telepathy. Sombra stayed hidden for a bit longer. "Not yet, but I might have a good hunch about where it might be. As soon as the coast is clear, it's as good as yours," Sombra replied through telepathy. "Very well. But make it quick! And do not fail me like Chrysalis has," Light Ray ordered. "As you wish," Sombra replied, making a disgusted, annoyed face before ending his telepathic conversation, growling. "If I wasn't indebted to that fool, I'd… I'D…" Sombra calmed down and sighed. "Whatever, back to business." While Sombra continues his search, a great distance away, the girls are out and about on a demon crystal hunt with the help of their boyfriends. Pinkie Pie was teamed up with Copper Plume, Fluttershy with Israel Yabuki, AJ with Frostbite, Rainbow Dash with Blazing Waters, Rarity with Lightning Burn, and Twilight with Heat Blitz. Sunset, however, had to stay at home to keep an eye on Eternal. Flash was at home, still recuperating after being attacked by that demon. He was lucky to be alive, but man, he can still feel the impact of the blow. "Hey, Twilight, where are we even supposed to look? We don't know where one of these demon crystals will turn up at," Halo Knight said. Halo is one of Flash's friends who tagged along on the trip to try and help the girls out on their quest. Twilight had asked him to come along because of the girls' suspicions of Eternal Flames being the real suspect behind those vicious attacks. "I have a hunch that the demon crystals might reside in places where there's lots of negative energy, kinda similar to how regular demons are attracted to negative emotions and gain power from them," Twilight explained. "And if my hunch is correct, the crystals might be in some of the worst parts of Canterlot City." "Like the Canterlot National Cemetery? I hear that place is crawling with evil spirits, especially in that giant mausoleum," Israel implied. "That's probably just a rumor. There's no factual evidence that ghosts are real," Copper said. "Aww, don't say that, Plumey. Sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see," Pinkie pointed out. "It's a possibility, so maybe we should start our search there," Twilight said. "Hang on, if the demon crystal's there, then there's bound to be other people there, like the military, for instance. You saw in the article what happened to that military base, right?" Rainbow pointed out. "You're right on that part, which is why we have these," Heat reached behind him, taking out his backpack and showing the masks he asked (human) Inferno Blaze to send. "As long as we have these masks on and don't say anything wrong, the mission won't be jeopardized." "Lucky you, having connections with a wealthy family," Blazing Waters smirked. "They're like family to me, so the whole wealth thing doesn't matter to me," Heat said. “I just hope we don’t run into that Titan Demon brute along the way,” Rarity stated while clinging onto Lighting for comfort. "Fear not, my fair lady. If the beast should arise, I will vanquish it!" Lightning proposed, holding her close, using his medieval knight accent. "Just be careful there, Sir Gallath, that Titan Demon took out an entire military base. Just make sure you don't leave your "fair lady" hanging and we'll have your back," Frostbite said. "Yeah, I know, just trying to help her out," Lightning said. "If I may, wouldn't it be easier if you guys were able to sense where the crystal is?" Fluttershy asked, curiously. "We could, but we don't have any of our demonic powers anymore. The only one who can sense negative energies is Eternal Flames, and you girls left him back at Sunset’s apartment.” Israel replied. "Hey, we gotta be on the safe side, he's dangerous!" Rainbow argued. "You're just saying that because you wouldn't stop slapping him and he had to pin you down to shut you up," Israel argued back. "Hey! Watch it! Don't talk to her like that!" Blazing defended. "Guys stop! Arguing about what's done is done isn't going to help us! Now drop the subject and let's keep moving, we're wasting time here," Halo butted in. Israel and Blazing glared at each other, then turned away as the group kept walking. The group soon came to the entrance of the cemetery and their surprise, there was no military base set up. Which also meant no disguises… for the time being. Of course, Rarity was glad that she won’t need the mask because she wishes to keep her fabulous looks.  "Ok, looks like there’s no one here. Everyone, let's split up but stick with your partners. We can cover more ground that way,” Twilight said. Everyone else agreed and broke off into pairs of two, except for Twilight and Heat, since Halo was tagging along with them.  "Twilight, can I ask you something?" Halo asked. "What is it, Halo? Something bothering you?" Twilight asked as they went inside the cemetery. "I just need your honest opinion. Do you believe Eternal Flames is behind all these attacks? You can be honest with me," Halo said. "Well… not really," Twilight said. "I have my suspicions, but they're just that until I see some cold hard evidence. What about you?" "I don't think he's the culprit at all. I think he's unintentionally being framed. I visited Flash before I tagged along and he told me even he doesn't believe Eternal would do such a thing. He told Flash to stay out of harm’s way when Eternal went to investigate. If that's not a true friend, then I don't know what is," Halo said. “So that would mean Eternal would have no intention to harm Flash. Then it could mean that he wasn’t the Titan Demon.” Twilight responded. “But that still doesn’t explain how we found Eternal yesterday. Ugh, this day just keeps getting weirder and weirder.” "Maybe he found the Titan Demon and was knocked out by him. There's that possibility, Eternal might not be the only demon roaming around the city," Halo said. “Well, yes. But if so, Eternal’s powers can match up with the likes of Grogar; and Daris told us that Grogar had to use his full power to seal the Titan Demon away; not kill it. So that means Eternal would not be able to defeat it. And if it’s true, then how can we stop something that not even the Demon Lord of Tartarus can defeat.” Twilight asked, looking like there was no hope. “Hey, don’t lose hope. I’m sure we can still try to stop it and save our city. Didn't you and the girls have your fair share of demons before the whole Grogar Incident?" Heat asked. "There was, but Twilight wasn't around back then, her pony version was. And this was during the Fall Formal when Sunset tried to take over the school. She turned into a raging she-demon but was defeated by the girls. And they helped her get back on her feet, too," Halo explained. "Seriously?" Heat asked. "Yes, but don't bring this up with Sunset. She's gone through enough as it is. But even so, despite her becoming a she-demon once, her powers came from magic, not negative energy," Twilight added. As Twilight and Halo were talking, Pinkie pops out behind them. Spooking them for a bit. “And remember, Daris stated that no living thing can stop the Titan Demon. Then perhaps maybe something that is already dead can,” She said before she left the two and regrouped with Copper Plume. Leaving Twilight, Heat, and Halo confused about what she said. “Something already dead? Yeah right, where are we gonna find something like?” Heat said. "Maybe… Death? You know, that tall, slender skeleton that stands by Harmony?" Twilight implied, confused a little. "He may be immortal, but I'm not sure if he can handle a Titan Demon," Heat said, unsure. Suddenly, Pinkie pops out of nowhere again. "You can't ask him to stop the Titan Demon, this story would be too small!" Pinkie exclaimed before regrouping with her boyfriend, Copper Plume. "How does she even do that? Does she get like… some kind of teleportation mirror or something, I'm getting confused just thinking about it!" Heat exclaimed. “Don’t question Pinkie, trust me. I tried.” Twilight replied. But unbeknownst to her, as she was walking along the graveyard, she didn't notice the dug-up hole next to a gravestone in the ground and soon she fell right into it and landed on something hard at the bottom. Immediately, Heat and Halo became worried and looked into the 6-ft hole to see if she’s okay. “Oh my god, Twilight are you alright!?” Heat shouted with concern and fear. “I’m fine, I just fell down a hole,” Twilight replied as she was getting up. As she did, she is then faced to face with an old and dried-up skeleton. She got so freaked out she let out a blood-curdling shriek of terror. Twilight got up quickly and tried to get out on her own, but the hole was a little too deep. Luckily, Heat was there to give her a hand and pulled her out of there. He pulled back a little too hard and wound up landing on his back. Twilight landed on top of him, clinging to him and shaking. "Twilight, it's alright, calm down! You're out of the give now!" Heat reassured, hugging her. Halo looks over the grave and sees the deceased person inside it then he looks back at the scared nerdy girl. “Don’t worry Twilight, I think you scared him to death than he scared you,” he jokes, trying his best to lighten her mood. “Not funny, Halo!” Heat responded with a slight anger tone. “Sorry, bad joke,” Halo replied while he turned back to the grave. As he looks down at the grave, he then notices a strange purple glow inside the coffin. "Hey! Heat, look down that grave, something is glowing!" "You better not be joking this time," Heat said, setting Twilight aside and calming her down with a kiss on the lips. Then he walks over next to Halo and looks down at the grave and later he would see the same purple glow that Halo did. “See, I’m not joking. There’s something in there.” Halo stated.  "Alright. I'll check what it is, you stay up here and pull me up," Heat said before jumping into the grave hole. He dug through the dirt and broken boards of the coffin. Then, he finds a glowing purple crystal, floating above the ground. He reaches to pick it up but is struck with a bolt of negative energy. "Ow! That smarts!" Soon he tosses it out of the grave and into Halo’s hand, who also felt shocked from the negative energy and tossed it to the ground. “Ow, mother…” He screamed as he shook his hand in pain. "Is this even supposed to happen?" Heat asked, before reaching out again. Heat got the same result and yanking his hand away. "OW! That's it! You stubborn little bastard!" he said, pissed off, then reaching out to touch it, but this time, it didn't hurt. "What the? Oh sure, NOW you're not shocking me!" "Heat, that's it! It probably didn't shock you because you're giving off negative emotions! Just keep thinking negatively and I'll pull you up!" Halo exclaimed. "If you say so!" Heat shouted. But as he did, the crystal also seemed to be making him angrier. His grip got tighter and his teeth gritted against each other. Halo reached down to grab Heat. The angry young genius gripped his hand tightly. "Mmmph!!! Hey, easy on the grip!" Halo said as he pulled Heat out of the grave. But still, he didn't let go. "Uh… Heat? Are you okay? You're out of the grave, you can let go now. It… kinda hurts right now… OW!" he exclaimed. Heat's grip got tighter. When Halo looked him in the eye, the power from the crystal was seeping into him and his eyes looked like they were changing into demonic eyes. Heat let out an even more ferocious growl and he prepares to attack Halo. But suddenly, he felt a strange presence behind him, like a supernatural presence. Then he feels something or someone grabs his shoulder. And with some sort of unnatural strength, he was yanked off his feet and was shoved to the ground, harshly. Enough for him to drop the crystal in his hand. After seeing what had happened and unsure what it was, Halo and Twilight rushed over to Heat and kneel beside him to see if he’s alright. “Heat! Heat! Are you alright?!” Twilight spoke to him with worry. Heat then began to stir and picked himself up, opening his eyes, which were back to normal. "Where… wh-what? Where am I? What happened?" Heat asked, looking around. His eyes see the crystal he found and then he turns to look at Twilight. "I guess I brought it back up. But… why are you looking at me funny?" “Dude! When you were holding that crystal, you were acting differently. Your eyes went demonic and you growled like an animal. And right before you could nearly attack me, something pulled you off your feet and threw you to the ground like a ragdoll.” Halo explained. "I… almost attacked you?" Heat asked, confused, yet shocked. He looked at the crystal again, then at his hand, which was still shaking. "Hmm… Guys, I don't think we should be touching that crystal with our bare hands. Considering its origins, this thing can corrupt the human mind. Luckily, I've brought some gloves." Heat then grabs his backpack and pulls out some thick gloves and then reaches out to grab the crystal. This time, lucky for him, the crystal didn't hurt him or corrupt him. "Let's get back with the others and show them what we found," Twilight said. "Agreed,” Halo replied. “But are we not clear on what just happened?” "Clear. This thing must be a genuine demon crystal. If this thing can corrupt me, there's a chance it might do the same for anyone else who touches it with their bare hands." “Yeah, yeah, I know that, but I meant what just tossed you to the ground. There was no one behind you.” Halo stated. "Wait… something tossed me, yet no one was there?" Heat asked, looking at the grave. "It might be a coincidence, but maybe the ghost of whoever rests in that grave was the one who pushed me. That's always a possibility." "Uh… I guess that makes sense. Shall we then?" Twilight asked. Soon the three left the gravesite to meet up with the others, unaware of the shadow silhouette figure that was following behind them, watching them as they left. Within a few minutes, everyone was gathered at the entrance of the cemetery and soon, Twilight, Heat, and Halo showed the others the crystal they'd found. No doubt most of the group was in awe from looking at such an item. Though, some of them had their doubts as to whether it was genuine or not. "Are you sure this is the right crystal we're looking for?" Copper asked. "Purple, glowing, floating above a solid surface, no doubt about it," Pinkie confirmed. “Also, this thing is giving off a lot of demonic energy. It nearly corrupted Heat’s mind, so it's for sure the crystal we’re looking for.” Halo stated. "Corrupt? You mean this thing messed with his head? How?" Rainbow asked. "Heat, are you sure you're gonna be okay?" "I'll be fine. As long as no one touches this thing directly, that is, make skin contact with it, we should all be fine," Heat reassured. "I snapped out of it, somehow when something pushed me, but I don't know what it was, or who it was for that matter." “Yeah, something, out of nowhere, pulled him off me and then roughly forced him to the ground hard enough for him to drop the crystal,” Halo added. “But there was no one behind him.” “You mean like a ghost?!” Pinkie asked "It could be. We've seen demons before, ghosts are a definite possibility. If it was a ghost, I think this particular one was a good one," Twilight said. "Sweet! Okay so, now that we have one of the crystals, where do we go looking next?" Blazing Waters asked. "I'm thinking before we go any further, we should let Twilight analyze their crystal and make some kind of' demon crystal radar to help us with our search a Lil' more," AJ suggested. "Hey, good idea! That'll give us a better shot of detecting the other crystals!" Frostbite agreed. "Applejack, you're a heck of a smart woman." "Aww, shucks," AJ said, sheepishly. "Yeah, that just might work. But I'm not sure I can do it alone," Twilight said. "I'll help you out. I've been learning how to make new techs all the time. If we put our minds together, we can make a demon crystal radar in half the time," Heat said. "Then it's settled. You guys head back home and keep that crystal safe and work on your radar. We'll head back home, too, before our parents flip out," Lightning Burn said. “And maybe during that time, we can try to see if we can locate the other 5 demon crystals.” Copper suggested. "Alright, just be careful out there. The military's still scouting the city for that titan demon, so if you see it, keep your heads low and avoid fighting it at all costs," Twilight said. "Will do. Good luck, to all of you," Blazing said. With everyone's best wishes, the group went their separate ways. Some heading home, others continuing their long search for the demon crystals that remain. "Hey, Twilight. Wasn't there another gem we were supposed to find?" Heat asked. "A Moon Gem. I asked Sunset to ask my pony self, but she told me the princess doesn't know where it might be. She says they're extremely rare in Equestria," Twilight said. "How rare, exactly?” Rainbow asked. “Around ‘nobody has ever heard of them’ kind of rare,” Twilight replied. "Darn! Looks like we've got our work cut out for this," Rainbow said. "Hmm… well, maybe we can ask Sunset to head back to Equestria and kind out where it might be, or maybe even Eternal? He can ask Princess Celestia about it," Heat said.  Rainbow quickly objected. "Whoa! Hold on there! There is NO WAY, we're letting that lunatic anywhere in Equestria! You want that psycho to cause havoc on his hometown?" "Dash, will you knock it off? There's still no real proof he's the titan demon!" Twilight said, growing annoyed with Rainbow's paranoia. "Alright, fine! You want that dude running around free, fine, but don't say I didn't warn you!" Rainbow said, finally shutting up. “I swear Rainbow if Eternal ever heard you yapping about your paranoia, he wouldn't be too happy about it," Heat said, facepalming himself. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? But I'm just trying to look out for my friends, I can't stand seeing them get hurt so bad," Rainbow said. "And it's fine to worry about us, but how many times have we gotten out of situations like this? Several times and we got out of them okay.” Twilight said. “Oh yeah, the last situation we got out of, a friend of ours gave his life to protect us,” Rainbow stated, which ultimately reminded everyone of Inferno. “Well… that’s true. But now we have a way to bring him back. And if we stick together and stay strong, we’ll get out of this situation… all together.” Heat said. "I… guess you have a point there," Rainbow said, rubbing her arm, feeling a little guilty. "Hey, don't beat yourself up about it. When all is said and done, everything will be the way as it should be," Twilight said. She goes over and hugs her friend. Rainbow hugs back, feeling a little better now with her friend's reassurance. The group didn't say another word after that and kept walking home. Meanwhile, for Sunset and Eternal, they decided to pay a visit with Flash to check up on his condition if he's improving on his recovery. Sunset knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. The door handle turns and the door opens, revealing Eternal's good friend, who had a bandage on his forehead.  "Eternal? Sunset? What brings you guys here?" Flash asked. "We came to check up on you after you left the hospital. Everything okay?" Eternal asked. "Does it still hurt?" "I'm fine, but my forehead does sting a little bit. Nothing too serious, though. Hey, did you hear what happened on the news?" he asked. "Yeah, but that's not why we came here. I also came to apologize. I shouldn't have put you in such a dangerous situation like that. Because of my paranoia, I almost got you killed. I'm sorry, Flash, I am," Sunset said, wracked with guilt. "Can you ever forgive me." "Sure, I forgive you, do you want to come inside? My mom's not home yet. And a good thing too, because she's raving mad about what happened to me that night," Flash offered. "Yeesh, nothing's scarier than a mama bear's wrath," Eternal commented. "True. so you wanna come in?" Flash asked. "Sure, thanks," Sunset agreed. So did Eternal. The couple stepped inside and Flash closed the door before walking over to the couch with them, sitting down.  "You know, Flash. I wanna apologize as well," Eternal said, looking down. "For what? You were just looking out for me and told me to stay out of danger," Flash shrugged. "I was supposed to keep you safe and I failed to do that because I was weak. I'm supposed to be there for my friends, but I failed to keep one person safe. If that monster HAD killed you, I'd never forgiven myself," Eternal said, clenching his fists. "Hey, buddy, it's not your fault. None of us were prepared for what happened that night. Not even you, so don't beat around the bush so much. Eternal, do you know what my dad used to tell me?" Flash asked. Eternal looked at Flash, curious. "He told me "no matter how many times life gets you down, you ALWAYS have to get back up." And that's what you should do, too. Don't let one failure get in the way of your progress." Flash's motivational speech gave Eternal a little bit of his confidence back and chuckled. "You know… my master Starswirl told me something similar to that. He said he failed a lot of things in his life, but learned from those experiences. And the most valuable lesson he taught me was the difference between a student… and a master. The difference is… the master has failed more times than the student has tried." Eternal said. "That's true. I can't count the many times I failed in some things. But that just pushed me to do better in life," Flash said. "And you did. You fought in a supernatural war with Sunset and her friends, side-by-side with Halo Knight and neither of you had any magical abilities. And you helped free me from the anger inside me," Eternal said. While the two kept conversing, Sunset was wandering nearby, sightseeing Flash’s house. She saw a couple of family photos of Flash and his parents. As she was looking around, she soon turned around and was greeted by a shadow-like silhouette of a person on the wall. She turns around to see if there’s anyone behind her, but shockingly, there was no one there. When she then turns back to the silhouette and her surprise, it’s hollow eyes blinked and it’s head tilted to the side. With fear in her mind, Sunset let out a scream which then scared the shadow being away and alerted Eternal and Flash in the house. The two boys came running towards Sunset and stopped in front of her. "Sunset, what happened?" Flash asked. "Why'd you scream like that?" Eternal asked. "I… I saw a shadow! I-I-It was on the wall! And it… it moved! A-A-And it blinked at me!" Sunset said in shock. "Okay, calm down, Sunset. I'll go check. Flash, can you watch Sunset for me while I check out what this… shadow was?" Eternal asked. "Yeah, sure. I got this," Flash nodded, keeping Sunset company. The frightened girl watched as her boyfriend walked inside the room to investigate. He looked around the place, searching for what had just spooked Sunset. He looked over every wall of the room and shined the flashlight around but he couldn’t find anything. After a minute of searching, Eternal decided to leave the room. But as he was about to turn around, the light of the flashlight moved across the room until a shadow silhouette appeared in the light, which had caught Eternal by surprise that he lost his footing and fell to the floor. After he fell, Sunset and Flash rushed into the room after hearing the commotion and they too saw the shadow figure on the wall, where it remained even after Eternal saw it. "What the hell? Where'd this thing come from?" he asked, shocked. "Flash, is your house supposed to be haunted?" "No, as far as I'm concerned, this house has no paranormal activity," Flash said. "Then how the hell did this shadow get in here?" Eternal asked, baffled. “I think the better question is; What does it want?” Sunset stated. As the three teens in the room continue to stare at the shadow entity, it continues to stare at them as well; tilting its head as if it was curious or confusing. Then later, it raised its hand to its… well somewhere on its face, then soon a smile formed on its face as its hand moved down from it. "I… I don't think it's a hostile shadow entity. I'm not picking up any hostility, just… warmth. I think it knows us and… we might know it, too," Eternal said, getting up and slowly walking towards it with caution. He slowly reached a hand out to show he means no harm. As for the shadow, it also raised its hand in reply then it waved it at the three in a kind manner. Then soon the silhouette shape of the shadow began to change, soon it resembled a person that the three found familiar, then the shadow had what appears to be a stetson hat on its head and its left eye had a scar over it. "No way!" Flash said in shock. "It can't be!" Sunset added in surprise. "Is it… is it you… Inferno?" Eternal asked. The shadow nodded in reply, which fully supported Eternal’s claim; the shadow entity was Inferno’s spirit communicating to them. Eternal couldn't believe his eyes. At that moment, all the joy and sadness came rushing into him all at once as he dropped to his hands and knees, quietly sobbing. "I've missed you… old friend. I've missed you so!" he said, all choked up. His long, red hair obscuring his face Sunset and Flash were also overcome with joy and sorrow, knowing full well that the entity in front of them was their deceased friend. Sunset began to shed tears of her own as a warm smile spread across her face. "How? How is it possible?" Sunset asked, curious, but relieved to see her old friend's face again even in death. "Inferno, how did you get here?" Flash asked, smiling while trying to hold back the tears. "We've missed you, buddy." "Is it possible you're worried about us?" Sunset asked. "Can you tell us?" With everyone flooding him with so many questions, Inferno's spirit remained silent through it all. So, Inferno could only do the next best thing. He put his hand on Eternal's back and soon, he stood up and turned to face Flash and Sunset, his eyes glowing a bright white color. “Ahem… well, this might be awkward. But I’m sure Eternal doesn’t mind.” Eternal said, with his voice mixed with the voice of another person; possibly Inferno’s voice. “Anyway, yes, Sunset. I was worried about all of you. And I would rather stay here and help all of you out than to abandon you guys. So I stuck around and watched over you all and followed you wherever you go.” He stated. "Inferno? Are you… using my boyfriend to talk to us?" Sunset asked; curious and surprised. “Eeyup. And he could listen on to our conversation so he’s still here.” Eternal/Inferno replied. “And you said you were watching over us and following us wherever we go? Does that mean…” Flash was about to ask but Inferno beat him to the answer. “I’m not a fucking perv, Flash!” Eternal/Inferno replied with irritation. "I have at least some principles that I follow. Besides, that'd be nasty." "So, putting that aside, is there a reason why you're not able to speak without using others?" Sunset asked. “I thought of the same thing after I last saw you guys; but later on, I began to come up with a theory: Spirits or souls of the deceased cannot communicate with the living unless manipulating a living soul to do so.” Eternal/Inferno replied. "Makes sense. Then if you're here, I'm sure you're aware of what the others and I have been doing so far," Sunset said, assuming he's caught up. “That you all are searching for the 5 Demon Crystals and the Moon Gem while you’re dealing with a powerful demon on steroids.” He replied. “And that you and Eternal are in a relationship and he baked you delicious pancakes this morning. I must say you two are hitting it off” Sunset giggles, blushing. "Can you blame me? Eternal may not look it, but he's a pretty amazing cook. And I see your sense of humor is still the same." she said. "It sounds like you two are getting along better than I thought. I'm happy for you, Sunset," Flash said, though he was a bit jealous, he was glad Sunset was happy. "So, regarding these Demon Crystals, how many have the girls found so far?" “One.” He replied. “And while I was with them, Heat touched the crystal with his bare hand and it instantly corrupted him and forced him to almost attack Halo. I had to intervene and pulled Heat off of him and forcefully shoved him towards the ground.” He explained. Eternal quickly regained control for a brief moment out of shock. "Those crystals corrupted Heat just from direct contact?!" he asked. Inferno's spirit quickly took control to try and calm him down a little. "Easy there! I managed to snap him out of it! The demon crystals are pure negative energy. The only way to get past the negative energy is to wear protective gloves, encase it, or the following, which is your specialty: If you have demonic blood flowing into you. Those who have demonic blood flowing within them can touch the crystal directly without being affected. The crystals are very dangerous for normal people. But if you have demon blood, the crystal will just increase your strength," Inferno/Eternal explained. "That's a relief," Sunset sighed, putting a hand over her heart. "However," Inferno/Eternal said with a calm, serious tone. "There are exceptions. If one is tainted by dark magic, the demon crystal will also increase that person, too. And I should warn you all that your friends aren't the only ones looking for these crystals. You know about the Titan Demon killing almost all those soldiers, right?" "Yeah, why?" Flash asked. "That was no accident. That particular base had found a demon crystal. And during the scurry, the crystal was stolen. Someone planned that attack and used it to take the demon crystal, no doubt they plan to use it for their diabolical gain. So be careful," Inferno/Eternal explained. “And the worst part… whoever planned the attack, has two of the crystals.” Sunset was shocked but also feeling more determined than ever. "Then it looks like we're gonna have to take these guys down before anything else. Who knows what they might do to the city." "But how are we gonna stop them if we don't know where they are," Flash pointed out. Sunset knew he had a point since they didn't know where to start looking. Just then, another question hit her. "Inferno! You're an expert on moon items, do you know where we can find a Moon Gem?" Sunset asked. "No, sorry. But, I think Princess Celestia might know. She's around longer than any of us have, so she must have some idea of where to find it," Inferno/Eternal said. “But I’m not gonna ask her, no way no how.” “You died and still you hold a grudge against Celestia?” Sunset asked again. "She branded me as a criminal for something I didn't do, separated me from my mom for 10 years, and locked me up for 4 years! What do you think?!” He replied with a much aggressive tone and the lights in the room flickered on and off, meaning that Inferno’s supernatural influence in the room has spiked. "Okay, take it easy, Inferno or you're gonna blow out all the lights in the house!" Flash panicked, trying to calm his dead friend down. "And just think! If you tag along, you might be able to meet Starlight! She misses you since the day you died. Same with Fleur," Sunset added “Starlight?.... Wait! How is she?! Is she okay?! Is she seeing anyone else!?!” Inferno replied, with his anger subsided. "She's okay. But she hasn't been the same since your funeral. Twilight told me she stays locked up in her room most of the time. Also, even though you died, she stood by her word that she would never find another guy who's more suitable for her than you. She's that devoted and loves you that much, Inferno," Sunset reassures him. “Really? Did she say that? Huh, she is truly remarkable.” Inferno/Eternal said while smiling warmly. "She's lost without you," Sunset said. “And your mother too.” After a few seconds, Inferno did a lot of thinking and later he finally made his decision. “Fine, I’ll tag along but I’m doing it so I can see Starlight and my mom again. And nothing else!” he stated. "We can understand that. Family is important," Flash said. "But, if at all possible, I want to tag along with you guys." Sunset and Eternal/Inferno stared at him in shock. "Are you crazy? This mission is too dangerous! You just barely got out of the hospital! You should be resting more than anything," Sunset said, completely against his idea. "Sunset, you girls have been busting your backs keeping the world safe and I want to help out just like last time. This city is important to me as it is to you. You can disagree all you want, but I want to try and help you guys again!" Flash insisted. "I say we bring him. It’s better to have someone that we can trust the most. Plus I might need him for emotional support, cause being a spirit does affect my emotions; especially, my anger.” Inferno stated. “Also, your friends would be against Eternal leaving this world.” "Why would they be against that?" Eternal asked, gaining control for a brief moment. “I would tell you, but it’ll only upset you,” Inferno replied, taking back control of Eternal’s body. "You're better off not knowing just yet. Anyway, I must leave you three. There's also our other friends that I need to check upon. But if you wish to speak to me again, just say the word.” After saying his last words, Inferno’s spirit then disappears from the room and soon Eternal is now allowed control of his body. Sunset and the young man knew Inferno was no longer there with them, cause they could not feel his presence anymore. “He’s gone. I can’t feel his presence anymore.” Eternal said. “Jeez, that’s a bummer. I was hoping he stuck around for a drink.” Flash suggested, then he received stares from Sunset and Eternal; which convinced him to rethink his sentence. “Oh right… he’s a ghost; duly noted.” "Still I'm curious about why the others are against me. But either way, we need to find some leads on the Moon Gem. It's bound to give us some advantage," Eternal said. "Which means we're gonna have to head back to Equestria. Flash, are you able to walk on all fours?" "Yeah, I've had a little practice after the Spring Break cruise some time ago, so I should be good to go back," Flash confirmed. "Alright. Then you can come along with us. But… you're gonna need to arm yourself. You won't be able to use a gun since you're not a unicorn in Equestria. So how good are you with a real-life sword?" Eternal asked. "I… used that moon gem-powered flashlight during the war, does that count?" Flash asked. "Uh… it half-counts. But you're gonna have to be put through some training. The Royal Guard in Equestria who are pegasi use their swords and spears with their mouths, especially if they're running and fighting at the same time," Eternal said. "Looks like I’m gonna have a difficult time, but I’ll give it a try,” Flash said. "Just promise me one thing: If we run into danger… you make sure to come out of it alive," Eternal said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I could say the same to you, too. I'm not about to lose you so quickly, babe," Sunset said to Eternal, clinging to his other arm. He knows that she’s understandably worried and concerned about him. "You have my word. I won't die just yet, not when I haven't brought back our fallen friend," Eternal said, hugging Sunset in his arms. Now that their minds are set, the three of them headed off to the school. Little do they know, their quest to find the Moon Gem will be much more perilous than they realize. Within almost half an hour, the trio arrived at the portal outside their school, only to find one of their friends was there as well. "Halo? Fancy seeing you here," Flash said. "I could say the same to you, what are you three doing here?" Halo asked. “We’re passing through the portal to get to Equestria. We believe that the Moon Gem might be there instead of our world.” Sunset replied. "If it's alright with you, I wanna come too. I don't want to just sit around and wait for something bad to happen while you're out risking your lives," Halo said. "Halo, this might not be such a good idea. I get that you want to help and you contributed a great deal during the war, but this might be a whole lot bigger than any of us. Are you sure you're ready for this?" Eternal asked. "Of course I'm sure!" Halo persisted. "What do you say, you two? You know how stubborn he can be whenever he sets his mind on something important," Flash said. Eternal and Sunset looked at each other, uneasy of the idea of even letting Halo join them, but what choice do they have. "If it'll strengthen our forces, I guess I won't mind," Eternal said. "Alright, you can come, too. Just be careful and stay with us," Sunset said. Halo nodded and soon the four of them leaped through the portal.  Meanwhile, in Ponyville, Twilight was buried under a mountain of books in the library while Heat was trying to get her out of it. Heat Blitz eventually found Twilight's head poking out of the pile, her eyes all dizzy and groaning. "I swear, Twi, how many times are you going to keep doing this to yourself? You've practically searched the entire library," he said. Twilight's pouty face began to show. She teleports out of the pile and up into the air, yelling out in frustration. "WHY?! WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME, LIBRARY?! I'VE BEEN SO GOOD TO YOU ALL THESE YEARS!!!!!!!" Heat chuckles at her mental breakdown then fly up and hug his marefriend. "There, there, Twily, you just need to relax. Head for your bedroom and I'll make us some tea." Twilight was panting heavily for a bit but calmed down little by little the more Heat hugged her and stroked her mane. Being held in his hooves gave her a sense of relief. Finally, she calmed down completely. "Alright. I need to rest anyway before my head starts spinning," the princess said, before flying out of the library. "I swear, she's just so… adorkable," Heat commented to himself. "I heard that!" Twilight called out from the hallway. Heat laughed it off. With Twilight heading off to catch some Z's, Heat took it upon himself to gather all the books she read and began putting them back into their proper bookshelves. He had gotten used to where they all belonged after Twilight showed him the last few thousand times. The last time he shelved them at random, she went on a rant over how it'd confuse any good book lover. He began to wonder if she loved books more than she loved him. The thought just sounded so funny to him. As he was cleaning up, he hears the sound of a crash in another part of the library. "What the?" he asked before flying off. When he arrives, he notices four ponies who have just come out of the portal. He gasps upon seeing his brother, along with Sunset and two other stallions. One stallion was a pegasus with a blue mane, matching eyes, and a yellow fur. The other was a unicorn with glasses, green fur, cyan blue eyes, and a brown mane. "Eternal, I didn't expect to see you coming back so soon," Heat said. "And hi, Sunset. Is everyone doing alright?" “Uh, good. Of course, we do have a slight demon problem back on Earth.” Sunset replied as she was getting onto her legs; well, her hind legs since she had forgotten again that she’s now a pony again. Soon she starts to notice that and lands back down on all four hooves, slightly chuckling in embarrassment. Eternal, on the other hand, hasn't lost touch with his pony roots and was able to still walk fine on all fours, but stretched out his body, loosening up a few tense joints. Flash and Halo have been to Equestria once before during the Spring Break cruise disaster, so they're somewhat familiar with how to walk on all fours. "A demon pandemic? So, what brings you guys here? Did you need something?" Heat asked. "We need to speak to our mother. She might have a clue on where to find a moon gem. If we don't act quickly, who knows what kind of harm might come our friends' way," Eternal said. “Well… Slight problem. Mom is away on a diplomatic talk at Mt. Eris or Seaquestria as everypony calls it. She won’t be back in two days from now.” Heat stated. Soon the 4 other ponies in the room all groan in frustration that they missed their chance to talk with the only pony who might have the answers they’re looking for. “However, Aunt Luna is available. She’s in town hanging out with the locals. Ponyville even started calling the “Princess of Fun.”.” Heat proposed. "Our aunt is socializing with her subjects? That's wonderful news! Do you know where she's at right now?" Eternal asked. "She's out in Ponyville Town Square having some tea and cookies with the Cakes and Pinkie. Though, expect a big crowd when you go there," Heat said. "I will and thanks. Come on, everypony, no time to lose," Eternal said before walking out.  "Hey, hold on! At least let us get used to our forms!" Halo called out. “Yeah, the last thing I want to do today is constantly falling on my face every time I walk,” Flash stated as he takes a step with his hoof before, as he said, he fell face-first into the ground. "Fair point," Eternal said. He turns back around and helps the others back up on their hooves. "Alright, just follow the steps carefully and you'll be walking on all fours without falling." After about 30 minutes of practicing, Flash and Halo finally got the hang of their new pony forms and were walking normally like everypony. Well, slightly but at least they’re not falling on their faces anymore. Now that their training was over, Eternal escorted everyone out of Twilight's castle and made their way into Ponyville. Halo and Flash still couldn't believe that this was the world that Eternal once lived in. Not necessarily the town, but this whole world was his home.  As they passed through town, Eternal was already getting stares from the locals. Eternal paid no mind despite his heritage. Even as they bowed, he paid them no mind. "Must be nice to have a prince for a boyfriend, huh?" Flash asked. "Sure, but it doesn't matter if he's a prince or not," Sunset said. "I just love him for who he is." "I can hear you, ya know. And I like what I'm hearing. You know, it's nice to know that there are some ponies or some people out there who appreciate that I'm still me at the end of the day," Eternal said, calmly smiling at the others. "What are friends for? By the way, is that your aunt over there?" Halo asked, pointing up ahead. Eternal looks over and sees Princess Luna, out by the Town Square, sitting and having a nice hot cup of tea with the Cakes. And of course, the crowd is blocking their way. "Eeyup, that's her," Eternal said. Soon the group of five walks through the crowd to get to Princess Luna and once they got through the ponies gathering in the area, they are then surprised by what they were seeing. Luna was having tea with the cakes, while at the same time, she was also having a hoof wrestling contest with Bulk Biceps, who was struggling to pin Luna’s hoof while the Princess of the Night was sipping from her teacup, not noticing the muscular buff pegasus struggle to win. Then as she places her teacup down, she turns to face Bulk and a small smile of confidence formed on her face. “Well it’s been fun, but this is where it ends,” Luna said as she instantly pins Bulk’s hoof to the table with her Alicorn strength that the tabletop was broken in two with ease. Bulk Biceps lets out a squeal in pain as he looks to his hoof and see it red and throbbing in pain. At this moment, the group was left in shock and their mouths dropped. “That’s your aunt?” Halo asked in disbelief and shock. "Eeyup. She's one tough cookie," Eternal said, not surprised. "She was one of my teachers who helped me with basic education." “What… Basic training?” Flash asked. "No, I mean like basic education: mathematics, history, different languages, science. The kinda things you have to learn to be able to make it into the outside world," Eternal explained. “Oh, good. For a second, I thought she might have taught you self-defense.” Flash replied. "No, I was taught self-defense by my other teachers: Rockhoof, Flash Magnus, and Starswirl," Eternal said. "But Starswirl… he's more like my master. Although, there were times when my aunt filled in on teaching me self-defense whenever Master Starswirl wasn't available." "Who's Starswirl?" Flash asked. Soon after, Sunset and Heat gasped in shock from his question, as if he stated that he committed auto theft. "Is he like a famous wizard or something?" Halo asked. "Yes, along with Rockhoof and Flash Magnus. They're 3 of the 6 Pillars of Equestria who saved our world over a thousand years ago. The other three are Mistmane, Somnambula, and Meadowbrook, the healing mage," Eternal explained. "But wait… if they saved Equestria over a thousand years ago, how are they still alive?" Flash asked, confused. “To put it simply; they’re were trapped in limbo in-between time along with a powerful entity known as the Pony of Shadows; who was once a former member of their group who they wrongfully misjudged and kicked out. Then thousand years later, Twilight pulled them out, while accidentally pulling the Pony of Shadows along with them. Then later, Twilight and her friends and the Pillars vanquished and defeated the Pony of Shadows by banishing him back to limbo again, but not before saving Stygian from its grasp.” Heat explained. "Wow, Twilight's still got the moves. I'm starting to think nothing can stop her. She always has been an amazing girl," Flash said. "Sounds like you're crazy about her," Heat said. "At one point, he used to have a crush on Twilight, but later he learned that she was dating you and he decided to give up on her," Sunset explained. "Oh. Sorry, Flash. But chin up, you're gonna find the girl you're looking for," Heat said. "Yeah, you're right. But before we think about that, what do you say we get some answers from Princess Luna now," Flash recommended. "Right, we're going way off-topic right now." Eternal replies before approaching his aunt. "I hope I'm not interrupting, am I?" He spoke. As she was in the middle of sipping her tea, the lunar princess places down her teacup and turns from the Cakes to face Eternal and the others with an emotionless stare. Then in a matter of seconds, her facial expression brightens, and a big smile forms on her face when she sees her two most favorite nephews in front of her. Before Eternal and Heat saw it coming, Luna teleports behind them and then wraps them in a tight hug with her hooves and wings. “HUZZAH! My two most lovable nephews! Its been a long while since you come to visit your Auntie Luna.” She said with a cheerful tone of voice. "It's nice to see you again too, auntie," Heat replies, hugging his loving aunt, nuzzling her. Eternal hugged her and patted her on the back. "Yes, I'm pleased to see you again, too, dear aunt Luna," Eternal said. “You had no idea how eager I was to spend more time with you, even more after the war in the human world. And Eternal, glad to see that you are free of your corrupted demon powers. What a relief.” Luna replied, patting him on the head. “And Heat, have you and Princess Twilight Sparkle been on your 30th date yet? Mhmm.” "W-Well, I… not really. We've sort of been doing some research and Twilight wound up pulling another all-nighter. So now, she's resting in her bed for a while," Heat explained. “Oh. Well, I hope she has a peaceful rest. And by the way...” Luna said before she lets out her Canterlot Royal Voice, straight into Heat’s face. “WHY HATH YOU NOT YET COURT PRINCESS TWILIGHT SPARKLE IN MARRIAGE?!” She spoke loudly. "Auntie, I'm still only 17 years old, it's too soon for me to get married!" Heat said defensively. “Oops, sorry young nephew. I guess I’m just too bored of waiting for you and Twilight to take a big step in your relationship. Even your mother agrees with me, even though she stated that it’ll take time.” Luna replied. "So, aunt Luna, I know you're having fun with the locals, but I have a favor to ask of you. Think you can help us?" Eternal asked. “I’m always willing to help my nephews out. So what do you acquire of me?” She asked. Eternal leans in and whispers into her ear. "We're looking for some leads on where to find… a Moon Gem." After asking his question, Eternal and others then notice the shocked expression on Luna’s face and her eyes widen with surprise. “A Moon Gem? I haven’t heard of those since… Well, since the day I was banished to the moon.” She said before looking towards the crowd and then back to her nephews and their friends. “I request that we speak of this inside.” She whispered to them before turning to the Cakes. “Would you two mind if my nephew’s friends and I discussed your bakery?” She asked them. "Not at all, go right ahead, your highness," Mrs. Cake said. "By all means," Mr. Cake added. “Thank you both kindly,” Luna replied. And soon, the alicorn princess and the others went inside Sugarcube Corner Bakery, along with the Cakes following behind them, and closed the door before locking it. "So, you've never heard of it at all?" Eternal asked. “No, I have heard of it, Eternal. Or preferably, I have seen one.” Luna replied. This then gave a bit of interest to the group and a slight bit of hope. “You’ve seen one?!” Sunset asked with little excitement in her voice. “Yes, I have, Sunset Shimmer. Back in the days when I was a young filly. Celestia and I were out playing together in a valley that would one day become Ponyville, and during our fun, the ground I was standing on collapsed and I fell into a cave below, injuring my wing. I was unable to escape. Celestia, frightened as she was, ran off to find Starswirl to help me. I was alone in the darkness for several minutes before my eyes spotted a light in the walls of the cave, which caused me to walk towards it in curiosity. And as I drew closer, that is when I found it; the Moon Gem. You should have seen it, it was a large white jewel, which glowed with the same light as the moon. I was amazed by this rare gem that I plucked it from the walls and held it in my hooves. I was staring at it for quite some time that I didn’t notice that Tia had returned and she brought our teacher, Starswirl with her. And soon I was saved from the dark caves and I took the Moon Gem with me and kept it hidden from my sister and Starswirl.” Luna explained. “And to this day, I still kept the Moon Gem with me.” "You have it? W-Where is it?" Sunset asked. After Sunset had asked, Luna then started to look anxious and a bit worried. “Hehe… well, I hid it away… In the Crystal Caves beneath Canterlot…. And I may have placed a lot of spells traps and magic seals to ensure its safety. All of which that may have the possibilities to cause… hehe… death.” She replied. Everyone in the bakery was left with disbelief. “Are… you… KIDDING ME!” Flash shouted. “You hid it away and placed dangerous booby traps to keep it hidden?! Why can’t we just take a break.” “There’s more; in the caves, there are 3 seals that keep the Moon Gem locked away. Unlocking the first two shouldn’t be difficult; however, unlocking the third one, you’ll have to complete a trial to prove that you earn your right to claim the Moon Gem. Fail the trial, and you’ll suffer an eternity of everlasting pain; or worse, death.” Luna explained. "What do we have to do for the trial?" Eternal asked. “That… I forgot.” Luna stated, causing the others to groan in frustration. “Man, you must be old.” Flash blindly stated, which earns him scared looks on Eternal and Heat’s faces as they stare at him and silently, telling him not to say that. "I DO BEG YOUR PARDON, LITTLE STALLION?!?!?!" Luna shouted in her Royal Canterlot voice, knocking him back against the wall from the force of her voice. “Big mistake,” Heat said, wincing from how Flash was slammed into the wall from his aunt’s Canterlot Royal voice. "Flash Sentry, life lesson #1, never tell a mare she's old," Eternal said, putting his hoof on his head out of frustration. "THOU HAST A LOT OF NERVE TO OPENLY CALL ME OLD!!! DOST THOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM?!?!?!" Luna kept shouting angrily in her Canterlot voice. Flash was now left scared for his life and quickly bowed his head to the lunar princess. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Flash continuously apologized. “I take it back! I take it all back!” "GOOD! NOW, WATCH THY TONGUE THE NEXT TIME THOU CHOOSES TO DISRESPECT THE PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT!!!" Luna shouted before calming down and taking a few sips of her tea. "Now then, if you're going to get the Moon Gem, you'll need to talk to… an old friend of mine and my sister." "A friend? Why's that?" Halo asked. "He has the key that can open the door to the Crystal Caves of Canterlot. He's a very wise stallion and very kind," Luna said "Okay, do you happen to know where he lives?" Sunset asked. "Well, yes, but it's kind of far away from here. But, I can arrange a chariot to take you to where he lives," Luna said. "If I may ask, Princess Luna, how come the keeper lives far away? Shouldn't he be near the Crystal Caves or something?" Halo asked. "Sorry, but I can't allow that to happen. If he were close to the entrance, it'd be no problem for vandals or bandits to try and steal the gem. Then again, I'm more worried that they might meet a terrible fate, even if they are some of the lowest, common criminals," Luna explained. “That’s how dangerous finding the gem is?” Sunset asked. "You're more well-organized than I anticipated," Halo said. "If this keeper has the key, then we have to talk to him," Eternal said. "Not so fast, Eternal. The keeper won't just hand over the key to anypony. You have to prove to him that your intentions of the Moon Gem are pure. Just tell the truth to him and he'll see if you're lying or not," Luna said. "I understand," Eternal said. "Good. Now then," Luna lifted her two front hooves in the air and clapped them together. Sure enough, four Royal Guards arrived outside the shop. "Now then, are you ready to go?" "Yes, but… I feel like Heat should stay here," Eternal said. "What? How come?" Heat asked. "Listen, Heat. You're a kind, young stallion and you've got an intelligent mind, but we're dealing with a dangerous pandemic right now, and grabbing the Moon Gem is part of it. I can't risk having my little brother dying before me at such a young age. You've got Twilight to think about and a new kingdom to help rule alongside her. Besides, there's a chance she might end up burying herself in books again, trying to search for what we're looking for," Eternal explained. Heat blinks when he realizes his big brother is right. "When you put it that way, I can't argue with you at all. But please promise me you won't die in the process either." "As long as I've got these guys beside me, nothing's gonna kill me," Eternal said proudly. "Don't go jinxing it on yourself. You're not immortal, you know," Halo pointed out. "I know," Eternal said. "Now then, if everyone is ready… GUARDS!!!" Luna shouted in her Canterlot voice. Right away, the guards arrived, saluting with their wings. "You called, princess?" the guards asked. "I did. I have an urgent request for you: Take my nephew, Eternal, and his friends, Flash Sentry, Halo Knight, and his sweetheart, Sunset, to the keeper's hut," Luna ordered. “As you wish princess.” One of the guards replied and then gestures the group to follow them to Luna’s chariot outside. Once they stepped out of the shop, Eternal and the others hopped onto the chariot as the guards who were with them, strapped them securely into their seats. Soon after that, the four of them set off on their journey while the ponies of Ponyville waved goodbye to them. The pegasus guards that were pulling the chariot opened up their wings and took off into the air, carrying the chariot along with them. As they were ascending, Flash and Halo were screaming in fright from how far up they were going while Eternal and Sunset was not even freaked out at all. “Why can’t you guys just stay on the ground?!” Flash asked while feeling like he’s having a panic attack. “Now, where’s the fun in that?” Sunset asked back with a smug on her face. "This is the fastest way to travel without running into things," Eternal said. “But how are those guys able to pull a chariot with 4 ponies on board, into the air?” Halo asked. “Pegasi are strong fliers; they lift anything into the air. Well, except large chariot of 100 ponies; that’s why we have airships.” Eternal replied. "I'm surprised you don't get scared of how HIGH UP we are!" Flash said, panicking still. "Why would I be afraid of a little breeze like this?" Eternal asks as the wind blows against him. "True, we're high above ground level, but it's up to me to either give in to fear or face it head-on. So I chose the latter cause it’s easier." “No, it isn’t?” All the ponies in the chariot, except Eternal, said in reply. "Well, it's not easy at first, but over time, I got used to it and not it's my bread and butter. Comes with a territory, I guess," Eternal said. "I'm starting to wonder if your boyfriend's even afraid of anything," Flash whispered to Sunset. "He is, he just doesn't like to show it. He feels if he shows fear, it'll make those around him feel scared as well. All he's trying to do is give others hope and the courage to stand together, just like how Twilight unites others through friendship," Sunset whispers back. Flash was surprised to think his best friend would do all for such a noble cause. Now he has whole new respect for him. Perhaps one day, his courage might go a long, long way, from generation to generation.  Who knows for sure.