//------------------------------// // Web of Memories // Story: Flash Sentry, Defender of the Peace S7 // by Banshee531 //------------------------------// It began in a dense set of woods, one that most call the Everfree Forest. The place was a land of endless roots, darkness and giant dark green plants. And within this set of lumber pillars, a certain dark colored alicorn was walking through the place. Her name is Princess Luna, the pony now trotting over the dirt with her shining hooves...and her face contorted in anger. "Blasted sister!" she screeched into the forest, "I can't believe her!" Her horn began to light up as she walked over a large root, "How dare she tell me that I need to go be more social and find friends!" The alicorn let out a snarl as she hopped over a few more roots, her horn dying down as she continued through the place, "Stupid sister, stupid sun, stupid...raugh!" As she let out another scream of frustration, the alicorn came to a stop and sat down on a nearby flat rock. Letting out a deep breath, she grumbled under her breath, "I can't believe her...after all we've done together, she decides that I don't get out enough! Bah! All I wanted is to go ten rounds with the guards! It was just to train them in extreme combat!" The alicorn leaned back and crossed her hooves, tapping one of them as she gritted her teeth, "One day I'll show her. I'll show her and her sun that I'm-" THWACK! This sound echoed across the forest and into her ears, Luna's next rant cutting short. Her head turned to the noise, blinking as she asked herself, "What was that?" She turned to the noise as another sound rang out, making her walk up to the noise's direction. It was a few minutes of trotting, slowing making her way past the dense forest of roots and logs. And when she walked past a giant set of roots and bushes, she glanced into an outcropping...to find a small blue dog creature punching a tree. "A jakhowl?" Luna whispered to herself, "Why would a jakhowl be out here? I thought they lived beyond the other side of the Everfree...and they've stayed away from ponykind for some time now..." "Hi-ya!" The jakhowl roared as he punched and kicked a tree, his paws showing small blue flames around them as he continued to hit the piece of lumber. "His form is...okay." Luna commented as she saw him try to hit the tree like it was a speed bag. "Though a bit lacking. He needs training and..." her train of thought came to a stop as her sister's words suddenly rang in her head. "Luna, you need to get out more. Get out of the castle and make some friends." "Blasted sister..." She growled as she watched the jakhowl do another barrage of punches, only to come to a stop and slump over on the tree. He fell to his knees, gasping for air. "Hmm..." "Darn it..." she heard the jakhowl say, "Its...not enough. Gotta...get stronger." She blinked at his words, only to shrug, "Well, she did say to get out and meet someone. She didn't say it had to a be pony." The princess walked over the bush at this, making a small rustling noise. "Who's there?!" the jakhowl yelped as he spun around at the sound, only to see Luna. "What the-who are you?!" "Hello there." She replied as she walked up to him, the jakhowl backpedaling and holding up his fists in response. "Don't worry, I won't harm you." "Who are you?!" He yelled, "Why are you here?! Were you spying on me?! Are you working for Strong Strike?!" "Who?" Luna responded while raising an eyebrow. "Strong Strike! Did he set you for this you pon...er..." the jakhowl had just now saw what the pony was, making him stutter out, "Alicorn?!" "Yes, I am one of those." Luna replied while leaning down, trying to hide a small smile, "My name is Princess Luna. Who are you?" "I uh...um..." the jakhowl muttered, his eyes darting back and forth before replying, "My name is...Sharp Paw." "Greetings Sharp Paw." Luna replied before raising an eyebrow, "I must say, its unusual to see a jakhowl out here. Why are you in the Everfree Forest?" "I um...er..." Sharp stuttered out, his legs shaking as he began to backpedal away, "I was uh...training." "Training? All the way out here?" Luna leaned in even more, "This is the Everfree. It is not a place for such things." "Well that's...um..." He did a small gulp as Luna's face got super close to his, "Could you uh...stop getting so...close?" Luna blinked for a second, only to slowly move her head back. As she did this, she saw the jakhowl was fully trembling in fear, as if he was facing a monster. The sight made her think back to something else her sister had said. "You need to show off your smile more Luna. You can't frown all the time. Its scares other ponies!" "Blasted sister..." Luna whispered, "I am not that scary." "Huh?" Sharp responded as he barely heard what she said. "Nothing." Luna sighed before adjusting her hooves, "Anyways...my apologies. I didn't mean to scare you. I was just...curious as to why a jakhowl would be out here." "Oh...that's okay." Sharp replied, his eyes now fully staring at the alicorn. At first, he had seen her as a glaring giant over him, only to see a sad frown on her face now. The sight made him slightly relax, his mind going over what he should say. And as he tried to think up anything, his brain decided to make him blurt out, "I'm training to be chief of the jakhowls!" As soon as he said that, he put his paws over his mouth. However, it was too late as Luna raised an eyebrow again. "Chief of the jakhowls?" She leaned down again, "No offense, but aren't you too young?" "I...I..." Sharp's eyes darted away as he rubbed one of his arms, "Um...I have to become chief. Its...my birthright." "Ah." Luna responded with a small shine in her eyes, "Does that mean your father is chief?'" "Uh...not exactly." As Sharp said those words, Luna saw his lip curl. He wasn't going to go any further, the sight making her frown. 'Well...sister told me to go find friends. This little one is obviously hurting...' she thought as she stared at him, something now pulling at her heart, 'I must help him.' She then walked over to a nearby fallen log, hopping onto it as she said, "Come over here and tell me." He glanced over at her, now seeing her unfurl a wing, "Don't worry, I won't harm you. Allow me to help you." Sharp blinked at her before slowly walking up, twiddling his paws as he replied, "Um...you won't make fun of me or anything, will you?" "Not at all. Tell me, why do you need to be chief? You say it is your birthright, but you also say your father is not chief. If that is the case, do that mean he chose you to be chief?" "Uh...kinda. Its a little more complicated than that." "How so?" "I've...been exiled from the clan." Sharp replied, those last words coming out of his mouth making him shiver. "Exile?!" Luna yelped with wide eyes, "But...you're just a child! Why would you be in exile?!" "I...am in exile because I lost to chief Strong Strike in a duel." Sharp sighed as he slumped over on the log. "I...can't go back to the jakhowls for another three months." "That long? Why?" "Because...I tried to become chief and failed. And you can only challenge every three months." Sharp glanced away at this, "Strong Strike doesn't like weakness...and since he beat me, I'm weak." Luna let out a snort at this, her eyes glaring over the jakhowl's body. "But you are just a child. It is no shame to be less experienced due to your age." "I know...I just..." The jakhowl bit his lip at this, "I know I'm a kid, but...I couldn't just let him be chief. Not after what he did." "What did he do? Why would it make you challenge the chief?" Sharp looked up at her for a second, only to look away again, "Its nothing a pony should worry about." "Now now," Luna grumbled as she swung her wing over him, pulling him closer as she added, "I told you I would help you, but I must know what is going on." "I...I..." Sharp stuttered out as he stared up at her, his eyes slightly tearing up before saying, "Well...you see...my father was chief of the jakhowls until recently." "Oh? You're the chief's son?" "Yeah." Sharp nodded. "But a few weeks ago, we were attacked by the Tricksters. They..." Tears began to drip down his face, "They killed my mom and dad. Dad, he...he died trying to push the Tricksters back." "Oh..." Luna's ears dropped down, now showing a big frown on her face as she saw the despair paint itself on Sharp's face, "I am sorry for your loss." "Yeah...me too." Sharp sighed, "And cuz of that, my grandpa had to take over as chief again, even though he had retired years ago." The jakhowl then put a paw over his face, "That's when Strong Strike came in." Luna watched as Sharp's tears stopped flowing, only for a look of anger to appear on his face, "He's fought dad time and time again, trying to be chief. He says he wants to be chief because he can make the jakhowls stronger, but everyjakhowl knows its just for his ego. He's just a big jerk, and when dad died...he immediately tried to become chief again. He said dad was weak at his funeral and only he could lead the jakhowls...and then he dueled my grandpa for right of chief." "Disgusting. He even insulted your father at his deathbed?" Sharp just gave a small nod, "I see...and I suspect your grandfather lost?" "Of course he did." Sharp scoffed, "Gramps...he can barely fight anymore. He's more of an advisor than anything these days." "And did you challenge Strong to become a chief over him?" Sharp glanced back over at her, a mix of anger and sadness in his eyes. However, there was a glint of resolve in there as well as he said, "Of course I did! He had no right to just come in and take the chiefdom away! And now that he has it, he's treating the other jakhowls like slaves! He's having them build some...great thing to honor himself. And since he's chief, he can order them around and..." His eyes softened as he started at Luna, "He said jakhowls can't interact with any other kind, including ponies. That we're supposed to not trust them anymore." "I see..." Luna sighed, leaning back as she put her hoof on her chin, "If that's the case..." Her mind went back to her sister's words, only to grit her teeth as she let out a huff. "Fine. If my sister wants me to go make friends, I don't have to make friends with ponies." "Huh?" Sharp asked as she blurted out those words. Luna then leapt off the log before turning to the jakhowl, a determined glare in her eyes. "Very well. After hearing that, I can't just leave you to train alone in the forest." "What are you-" "Do you wish to challenge Strong Strike again and reclaim chiefdom?" Luna asked, making Sharp blink. "Um...yeah! Of course!" Sharp responded with clenching his paws, "I wanna make him pay for what he's doing to the jakhowls." "Good. As for myself, I wish to repair the relations between ponies and jakhowls." Luna replied, making Sharp go wide-eyed. "Huh?! Didn't you just hear me?! Strong-" "Will soon be replaced." She interrupted while holding out her hoof, "Let's make a deal, young jakhowl. I'll train you to beat Strong Strike, and in return as their new chief, you'll help me repair the relations with ponies and jakhowls." "But..." Sharp slowly responded as he stared up at her, "But I can't...I'm not even an adult yet!" "So?" "No youngling has ever become chief! I can't just beat an adult jakhowl. Heck, I can't even make a proper Bone Breaker!" "Not with that attitude." Luna replied before tapping his chest with her hoof, "I'll train you to beat him and anypony else that gets in your way. Deal?" He glanced down at the hoof, blinking before taking it in his paw, "Deal." And so, Luna began her training of Sharp Paw. It began with Sharp Paw showing her what he could do...which was not much. He revealed he was able to summon an Aura Blast, but that was all. He could not use Steel Paw. Bone Breaker was impossible for the youngling, just able to make it halfway before his aura broke apart. In response to this, Luna summoned a long blade and began to swing it at the jakhowl, forcing him to try and make the Bone Breaker...only to end up chasing him through the forest. "Come back here!" Luna exclaimed as she cut a tree in half with a single swing. "No! You're crazy!" Sharp cried as he hopped over a log. "I'm not crazy! I'm just going to train you with this!" Luna yelled as she chopped the log. "Just stay still and try to block my attacks!" "I'm not gonna do that! You'll kill me!" THWACK! THOOM! Her blade was levitated and swung the sword into a tree in front of Sharp, knocking it down in front of the jakhowl. "Aaah!" He yelped, spinning around to see Luna already summon the blade back in front of her. "Stay still and block my attack!" "NO!" One Week Later... "Put your back into it!" Luna exclaimed as she sat on top of a log...that was on top of Sharp Paw as he tried to lift the log up. "I'm...trying..." He groaned, his back on the ground as he tried to push the log upward. "Well obviously you're not!" Luna yelled, "You need to be stronger!" "I...know!" Sharp moaned as he pushed upward with his paws, the log starting to shake. "Just a little more..." Luna said as she felt the log began to go up. She then leaned down with her horn shining, "You need to do better, or I'll add more weight." "I can't do any more weight! I can barely move this!" "And I say you can move more!" Luna added with crossed hooves, "Come on Sharp, I know you're better than this." "But-" "No buts! Now keep trying or I'm adding more weight!" Two Weeks Later... "Again!" Luna yelled as Sharp Paw charged at her, leaping up a second before thrusting a kick. The alicorn quickly raised a hoof to block it, only to twist the hoof and snap it to the side, pushing Sharp's leg away. "Whoa!" Sharp yelped as he stumbled back, falling to the ground as he tried to keep his footing. "Stop doing that!" Luna roared as Sharp got back on his feet. "You keep charging with the same attacks! You need to improvise!" "But this is how jakhowls fight!" Sharp barked back, "We do paw to paw combat and then use aura-" "Forget your traditions!" Luna interrupted as her horn shined, a sword appearing in a flash of light. "Figure out how to best me a different way!" She roared before swinging the blade down, Sharp Paw barely summoning a Bone Breaker in response. The sword clanged against the aura bone, only for the bone to already start cracking. She then began to push down on the jakhowl, squeezing him back as she walked up and thrust her face up into his. "Now figure out how to counter me with any means necessary." "But-" "Do it!" "Grrr...fine!" Sharp yelled as he gave his Bone Breaker a push, Luna's blade now slightly shoved back before he put all his strength into his legs. With a quick downward shove, he pushed his legs into a jump while dismissing Bone Breaker, Luna's blade now thrusting forward just as he leapt up. He hopped straight over the sword before thrusting a kick into Luna's face, only for the alicorn to block it with a hoof. But as she did this, he put both paws together and summoned an Aura Blast. "Take this!" He thrust the orb at her face, only for her horn to shine and disappear right before the sphere hit. "Huh?!" "Hi-ya!" Luna exclaimed as she reappeared and smacked Sharp in the back with her left wing. "Blaugh!" Sharp yelped as he was slammed into the dirt, his mouth tasting it before getting back up and yelling, "Hey! That's not fair! Jakhowls can't teleport!" "So?" Luna replied as she magically pointed the blade at him, "Who said this training is just to fight jakhowls? I am training you to fight anything." The sword swung in a circle before pointing at him again, "Now, let's try again, and actually think on your feet for once." Sharp let out a huff, only to get in a fighting stance, "Okay." One Month Later... "Faster!" Luna yelled as she flew across a mud-covered field, "Catch up to me already!" "I'm trying!" Sharp barked back as he tried to trudge through the mud, his legs trying to do everything they could to run. But as he did this, his legs continued to get bogged down. "How is this helping?!" The alicorn glanced back and then flew down to his eye level, "Sharp...you're already fast, so you need to improve your legs through something different." "By trying to run through mud?!" "Yes." Luna said as her face got close to his, "If you fight Strong right now and he harms your legs, you need to be able to resist it and keep moving. Every part of your body counts in a fight." He stared into her eyes, blinking before he did a small nod. "Okay." Luna showed a small smile at this, "Good. Now, let's continue." Her horn shined as two objects appeared beside her in mid-air. "We'll start by adding some leg weights." "NO!" Two Months Later... "Now...defend yourself!" Luna yelled as she swung her blade down, only for a loud clang to ring out. Below her sword was now a fully formed Bone Breaker, the jakhowl gripping it with both paws. "Good. Now, parry!" Luna exclaimed as she thrust the blade, Sharp shifting the bone to swat the sword away. This was followed by two more thrusts, Sharp blocking both. "Good! Now do it faster!" Luna swiped the sword again, Sharp ducking under the first strike before thrusting his Bone Breaker at her. This was followed by her deflecting it back, then spinning the blade in her magic before thrusting it again. The tip struck the aura bone, pushing the jakhowl back. "Urgh..." Sharp hissed as he felt his feet grind into the ground. "You're leaving yourself open." Luna responded, "You need to be faster or-" "Hi-ya!" Sharp roared as he charged at her suddenly, Luna responding with a quick thrust. But as her sword went for him, Sharp suddenly leapt over her blade, spinning in the air before swinging his weapon down. CLANG! The alicorn's blade reappeared above the princess, blocking the attack as Sharp leapt away. She turned to face him as he landed, seeing a blue flame consume every part of the aura bone. Luna glanced down at her blade, now seeing a crack in it. "Good...very good." Sharp Paw stood there with Bone Breaker in paw, panting as he took an offensive stance. However, Luna just shined a big grin as she said, "Alright...you're finally learning." A second blade appeared beside her, this one also consumed in magic. "Now, let's continue." A few days later... Within the Everfree Forest, Sharp Paw was kneeling before the Princess of the Night. She had a new blade levitating in her magic, now lowering it to the jakhowl's shoulders. "You have done well Sharp. You have shown with determination and hard work, you can become a true warrior. I am proud of you, and I declare you are worthy of being a proto-knight under me." "Thank you." Sharp replied as he felt the blade touch his shoulder. "Yes. And now, there is only test left for you to take." She tapped his shoulder, "You will defeat Strong Strike." He glanced up at her, both eyes staring within each other as he asked, "And...if I fail?" "You won't fail." Luna replied as she lifted the blade and leaned up to his face. "Cuz I'll punish you if you don't win." Sharp did a long gulp, "Okay." Luna shined a big grin at this, patting him on the back next, "Oh, stop it! You know I wouldn't do anything bad...probably." "I know." Sharp chuckled as he got up, only to suddenly hug the alicorn. "Thank you." Luna flinched at the embrace, only to slowly put her hooves around him. "Of course." She then pulled away and gave him a determined glare, "Now, let's go meet this Strong Strike and beat his flank already." "He doesn't have a flank." "You know what I mean!" Luna barked as she smacked him with her wing, the jakhowl laughing before the two began to walk through the forest. There was a long silence as they went through the foliage, slowly making their way to the other side of the woods. And as they did this, Luna's eyes slowly began to go wide as they across something new. At the edge of the Everfree was a fence, one that followed past it a series of tents and teepees. She saw a group of young jakhowls playing at the edge of the fence, an adult chasing after them, telling them to not go far. And as they got close, Sharp directed her to the side, soon going to a small entrance into the fence. There she saw what looked like only a little over two hundred jakhowls, all living in a makeshift camp. "This...is all of Equestria's jakhowls?" she whispered to Sharp. "Yeah." He nodded. "The Tricksters did a number on us, but we fought them back." "I see...I knew your kind had not interacted with us in some time, but...to see it like this." Luna said as they walked into the camp. She saw the many jakhowls now all building a large structure in the back of the camp, their bodies covered in dirt and exhaustion. There was a look of hopeless in their eyes, all robotically building something that Luna could only guess Strong had forced them to do. And as they went in, several jakhowls turned to them, most adults as they stared at the duo. They all exchanged glances, murmuring with one another before one adult walked up to them. "Sharp!" "Hey Stream." Sharp replied with a wave, "How's it going?" "How's it going?! Sharp, what are you doing here?!" Stream exclaimed, "Strong Strike exiled you, remember?!" He then pointed to Luna, "And why are you with a pony?! They're not allowed either!" "I know." Sharp responded, "And that's why I'm here." Stream stared at Sharp for a second, seeing a calm look in his eyes before whispering, "Sharp...you're not thinking of..." "Yeah, I am." "But...but...he'll kill you!" Stream yelled before getting down to Sharp's level, "Sharp, you can't-" "I have to do this." Sharp interrupted, glaring at the jakhowl. He then gestured to the jakhowls behind Stream, all of them whispering and crowding around each other. "Strong is making you live in fear. I have to beat him and fix that." Stream went wide-eyed at this, hearing the strong low tone Sharp had just said that in. He blinked at the jakhowl, unable to respond until Luna spoke up, "Believe in him." He glanced up at Luna, just now seeing she was an alicorn, "You're-" "Do not worry about who I am. Sharp Paw is here to right what has been wronged, just as I am." Luna interrupted, "Please allow him to do so." Stream's eyes shifted between the two, only for Sharp to ask, "Could you ask Strong to come here?" "Uh...well...that's..." "And tell him if he doesn't, then he's a coward." Luna added, her last words combining with a hiss. Stream felt his whole body shake at this, shivers chipping at his spine. Sharp then walked up and grabbed Stream's paw, "Please." Stream stared into Sharp's eyes again, seeing the calm resolve within. With that, the panic settling over him began to disappear, "Um...okay. I will." With that, he quickly ran away, zipping up a small hill to a big tent in the distance. As he did this, the others jakhowls all stared at him before looking back at the duo, seeing Sharp stand there with both paws in fists. They began to murmur again, all shaking before the sound of a loud roar filled the air. Everyone turned to the big tent, only to see Stream fly out of the door. "Stream!" Sharp gasped before running up and catching the jakhowl, flinching under the weight of the adult. He quickly put him down and asked, "You okay?" "No..." Stream moaned, "Strong-" "SHARP PAW!" bellowed a growling voice, Sharp looking up to see the tent's cloth to flutter open. As it flapped back, a tall adult jakhowl walked out. It had a long cut down the top right of its left eye and long glare coming out of his eyes. He let out a hiss, "What are you doing here?!" "Strong..." Sharp replied, standing up and staring at the adult. To everyone there, Strong towered over Sharp, being double his height, but the stare that Sharp gave made it look as if they were equal height. "I'm here to reclaim my birthright." "Birthright?!" Strong spat before letting out a cackle, "You?!" Strong pointed to behind Sharp, "You're banished, remember?! You no longer belong to the clan, you and the rest of your family. Get out of my sight." "I'm not going anywhere." Sharp responded, "I hereby challenge you to a duel for the chiefdom." "I refuse." Strong immediately said, "An exile has no right." He then glanced up, now seeing Luna in the distance, the sight making him scowl, "And you brought a pony here." He looked back down at Sharp, "You're a disgrace to jakhowls." He raised a paw and activated Steel Paw, "And since you think you can just casually break our laws-" "You mean your laws." Sharp interrupted, "Ponies were accepted before you came along." "And that is why I am chief now. I won't allow inferior species here." Strong pointed the Steel Paw at Sharp, "You broke the law by coming back here and bringing a pony with you." Strong shined a giant grin at this, "I hereby sentence you to death." Gasps rang out around them, Luna slightly flinching at the statement. Only Sharp didn't react, just glaring at the adule as Stream yelled, "Strong, you can't! He's just a kid-" "He's a traitor." Strong interrupted, "And I have every right. I am chief of the jakhowls!" "And you're a coward." Sharp added, Strong's eyes twitching as he saw the young jakhowl cross his arms. There was no fear in the jakhowl's eyes, making Strong hiss. "You..." "I'll say it again. I hereby challenge you to a duel for the chiefdom." Sharp said in a low tone before smirking, "Or are you scared of losing to me?" "You little..." Strong growled as he leaned down to Sharp's eye level, "I will not-" "Just fight me already." Sharp cut in, "Or are you such a coward that you'll just banish a kid rather than fight for what's not rightfully yours?" Strong's face contorted in anger, growling as he yelled, "Grrr...fine!" Strong then shined a big grin at this, "I'll tear you apart! The chiefdom is mine!" Sharp leaned back up into Strong's face, "Bring. It. On." The jakhowls around them had watched the exchange in pure shock. Gasps, murmurs and whispers kept going over the crowd as they gathered around a small stage a little aways in the camp. There, a long wooden platform was on some logs, Sharp and Strong soon walking onto of the stage. Luna was watching from a distance, no jakhowls even close around her as she stared at Sharp. She saw the determination in his eyes, glaring at Strong with a look of anger and confidence. "Sharp was right about him...he has no right to be a leader." Luna whispered to herself. "Be careful my friend. You can do it." Sharp and Strong stared at each other as they stood on each end of the platform, Stream walking up between them. He raised his paw and spoke up, "All jakhowls are here?" The crowd let out a wave of 'ayes', Stream nodding at this, "Very well. As such, I will now be the judge of this duel. The chief of the jakhowls, Strong Strike, will be duelling to keep his chiefdom from-" He waved his paw to Sharp, "Sharp Paw." "You will not have it." Strong growled as blue flames covered his paws. "I AM CHIEF!" Sharp cricked his neck, slowly putting himself in a fighting stance. "I will beat you." Stream raised his paw upward, "Are both jakhowls ready?!" "Yes!" They both replied. "Then...BEGIN!" Stream exclaimed as he swung his paw down. "DIE!" Strong roared as he instantly formed an Aura Blast and fired it. Sharp quickly leapt to the side, dodging the sphere as he put both paws together. "Aura Blast!" Sharp yelled as he formed the orb and threw it. "Pathetic." Strong spat as he just swung his arm, swatting the sphere away. But as he did this, Sharp jumped in front of his face, thrusting a foot. But as it got close, Strong's arm swung back up, grabbing Sharp's leg right before it hit. "You can't beat me." He swung Sharp's body upward, about to fling him down just as Sharp formed a Bone Breaker in his paws. "Hi-ya!" Sharp roared as he swung the bone down, smacking Strong in the back of his head. "Ack!" Strong yelped as he let go of Sharp, the jakhowl quickly spinning in midair and landing on both feet. He then swung the aura bone at the adult, only for it to hit something else. Within that split second, Strong had spun around and summoned his own Bone Breaker, blocking Sharp's. "I told you, you can't beat-" "Shut up!" Sharp yelled as he spun around, swinging the aura bone straight for Strong's legs. However, the adult hopped over the attack as he dispelled his Bone Breaker and fired another Aura Blast. Sharp saw this and tried to leap away, only for the sphere's explosion as it hit the ground to push him back. "Augh!" "Stupid brat." Strong commented as Sharp skidded across the floor. He summoned a Bone Breaker again, spinning it on one paw, "You may be able to use Bone Breaker now, but its pointless. You'll never beat me. You're just a punk kid." "I will beat you!" Sharp exclaimed as he hopped back up and swung his aura weapon at Strong, the adult easily blocking it again. Sharp then tried another swing, but Strong thrust his paw forward, grabbing Sharp's Bone Breaker. "Wha-" "Weak." Strong growled as he thrust a leg next, kicking Sharp in the stomach. The blow knocked him off his feet, Sharp falling onto his back. And as he tried to move, he felt Strong slam his foot into his chest. "Rgh! Get off me!" Sharp yelled as he tried to move, only for Strong to swing his Bone Breaker into Sharp's face. "GAH!" "Stupid brat! Know your place!" Strong roared as he pulled back his weapon, only to hit Sharp in the face again. He then did this a third time, then a fourth- "Stop Strong! You'll kill him!" Stream screamed from the side, only for Strong to turn and glare at him. "Be silent! This is true way of the jakhowl! I won't let you be swayed by some brat!" Strong hissed before turning back to Sharp, "See this brat?! This is why you fail! Brats like you can't beat adults!" Strong raised his Bone Breaker again, "We're better, stronger-" "You're...weak..." Sharp moaned out, his whole body fidgeting as he kept trying to move. "Why you little!" Strong roared as he swung his Bone Breaker down- THUNK! "Huh?!" Strong yelped as he stared down at the young jakhowl, only to see he had caught the aura bone in a Steel Paw. "How did you-" "You lose." Sharp growled as he yanked his Steel Paw, pulling the Bone Breaker with it. The motion caused Strong to stumble as he was still holding the aura bone, his foot coming off Sharp's chest. And as this happened, Sharp swung his leg upward, slamming his foot into Strong's face. "Blaugh!" Strong cried as he was hit, stumbling back at this. He then formed an Aura Blast in one paw, his aura pouring into the sphere until it doubled in size. "Die brat!" He threw the ball with all his might, but Sharp hopped to his feet with a determined glare on his face. "No thanks." Sharp replied as he formed a Bone Breaker and swung it like a baseball bat...right into Strong's Aura Blast. The sphere made contact and grinded on the bone for a second, only to go flying back into Strong. "Wait, no-" was all Strong could say before his own Aura Blast crashed into his face, consuming him in an explosion. "AUGH!" And as Strong began to stumble back again, Sharp desummoned his Bone Breaker and put his paws together, summoning his own Aura Blast. The jakhowl then leapt into the smoke from the explosion, coming out the other side just as Strong began to recover. "Take this!" Sharp roared as he slammed his Aura Blast into Strong's stomach, the sphere instantly exploding before sending Strong flying, blood shooting out of his mouth from the blow. He went sailing off the platform, crashing into the mud and dirt. The crowd all gasped at this, wide-eyed as they saw Sharp land and stand tall. There was a thin layer of intense aura pouring off him, the sight making the jakhowls all murmur in disbelief. And as this happened, Sharp walked off the stage and up to the downed adult jakhowl. Strong's eyes squinted open, hissing in pain until he felt something touch his neck. He looked up and saw Sharp pointing a Bone Breaker at his neck, "I win Strong. I am the new chief." "No...that's...impossible.." Strong groaned out, "You...can't...I'm...chief." "You lost. You will never be chief again." Sharp then desummoned the Bone Breaker, "And as my first act as the new chief of the jakhowls, you are hereby exiled Strong Strike. I won't let you abuse the jakhowls anymore!" "You...can't...do...that..." Strong moaned out. "You're just...a brat." "I'm the brat that beat you. I am the new chief!" Sharp responded before turning to the rest of the clan. He took a deep breath before yelling, "Listen all jakhowls! From this forward, I am your chief! I have proven myself worthy through combat, and I will take this title and use it for good. If I ever do evil like Strong Strike has done, I will ask you to strike me down. Until then, I will be chief, and I promise to lead you all into a new age of prosperity!" The jakhowls all around began to murmur, whispering amongst themselves before Stream spoke up, "Hail Chief Sharp Paw!" "Hail Chief Sharp Paw!" Another exclaimed. "HAIL CHIEF SHARP PAW!" More jakhowls began to yell. "HAIL CHIEF SHARP PAW!" "HAIL CHIEF SHARP PAW!" The sight made Sharp shine the biggest grin, pure happiness on his face. And as the crowd began to roar, he looked off into the distance and saw Luna smiling, nodding back at him. He nodded as well, only to look down at his people, two jakhowls now leading his grandfather through the crowd. Sharp quickly raced down to hug the old timer, his grandfather soon telling him how proud he was of Sharp. And as this happened, Luna watched the scene with a giant smile, only to feel something. She felt a tug in her heart, a tinge of life surrounding her. She then noticed Sharp feel it too, the young jakhowl flinching after hugging his grandfather before glancing back at Luna. And in that moment, they knew they had a true bond. "And that my dear jakhowls, is how I met Sharp Paw. It was at that moment he became chief that I realized we were destined partners." "Wow..." Ace and Mira replied with wide eyes, Springer imitating them with even bigger eyes. "Huh...my dad was really something." Springer commented before tilting his head, "That all really happened? He was the first chief to be a kid?" "Oh yes. Youngest jakhowl to ever be chief. And I was so proud of him." Luna giggled before glancing away, a far away look in her eyes, "Oh...those were the days. Especially after he became chief and declared that jakhowls would immediately start mingling with ponies again. That was...quite the mess that happened afterward." "Really?" Springer responded, "But don't most ponies get along with jakhowls?" "Err...not in those days." Luna grimaced, "Let's just say...that's a story for another day." "Great story," Ace added, "But what exactly does it have to do with where we are right now?" The group were in a sandy desert several days travel from Appaloosa. They had arrived at the cow-pony settlement and almost immediately, they began heading in the direction of Ponyville. They had been travelling for two days, and the jakhowls still didn't know what Luna had called them there. "It has everything to do with why we're here," Luna replied as she pointed off in the distance, "There it is." The three turned where she was pointing...only to see nothing but trees. "I don't get it," Mira responded, "What's over there?" Luna chuckled as they continued walking in that direction, "I know it's hard to understand, but a thousand years ago, this place looked very different. The soil wasn't as...sandy as it is now. In fact, if you travelled back to the time I knew Sharp Paw, you would find yourself surrounded by trees from where you're standing." The jakhowl's eyes went wide at this, seeing that this place was completely devoid of trees. "In just a thousand years?" "That's right. And that forest was the very same one that was once connected to the Everfree, where my sister and I lived at the time." Springer slowly began to put the pieces together, his eyes going even wider as he stuttered out, "Do...do you mean that this area is..." "The place where Sharp Paw and the rest of the jakhowls once called home. Yes, yes I am." Ace and Mira both gasped at this. "Not long after we defeated Strong and the jakhowls began to integrate with ponies, this area was turned into their home. And it was here that we built the castle that Sharp trained jakhowls in hopes that they could help protect Equestria from the Tricksters and other dangers." "Castle?" Springer replied before thinking back to what Shade had shown him, only to see nothing like a castle around them. In fact, there were no structures anywhere. "What castle? It can't have completely collapsed in the last thousand years. Your castle was older and it's still standing." Luna smiled at this and came to a stop as they got close to the trees. "Watch and learn." With that, she fired a blast of magic at the ground. The sandy surface began to light up and spread towards the forest, eventually filling almost a full mile of land. When the light finished spreading, it began to fly off the ground until it reached the sky, only for something to appear where the light had been. It wasn't completely there at first, looking more like a mirage at first, only to slowly become solid. The first thing one could see was a large wall, which was wrapped around some kind of camp-like town. And in the middle of that town as a large castle, standing proud and strong despite the years it had been left abandoned. "Wha..." was all Springer could say as he stared at the construct. "What...just happened?" "That was not here a minute ago!" Ace yelped as Luna laughed, the alicorn heading through the front gate. "Was it invisible?" Mira asked, Luna shaking her head. "Not exactly." They entered the gate, Springer now seeing the place looked just like the visions he had seen of it in the past. "When the jakhowls were...lost, and before Faust wiped my mind, I...well, I did destroy part of the castle in my sorrow...but after that, I found Springer's egg and used a powerful spell to put the castle and everything within it out of phase with the rest of the world. I'll admit, I'm surprised it was still in this state, even after I spent a thousand years in the moon and had my magic removed from me." "So the castle's been hiding here this entire time?" Springer asked as they stepped up to the front and he placed a paw on the doorway. "The home of the jakhowls...if only the Tricksters hadn't done what they did." He sighed and stared at the ground, Ace and Mira frowning at the sight. Luna then walked up and placed a wing on his shoulder, "We can't focus on what might have been if things were done differently in the past. What matters is our present and future. Things might have been good for you if you were born a thousand years ago, but you would have never gotten to meet Flash and all your other friends. Plus, Ace and Mira might still be trapped in Faust's magic right now if you weren't there to find them." Springer let out a low breath, "I know." He glanced back up at the door, "Let's do this thing." He pushed the door open and it grinded against the floor. They slowly walked in, seeing nothing but dust and darkness until Luna lit her horn and fired a blast of magic, which struck a nearby torch and lit it up. The magic then bounced off the torch and hit another one, then another and another until it disappeared around a corner to continue lighting the castle. "This place is kinda creepy," Ace whispered as he tried to walk in, "Gyah!" The others turned see he had walked into a large spider web, the jakhowl struggling the claw the silk off of his face. "Gross." "Well, this place has been abandoned for years," Mira pointed out, "Of course it'll have a few webs." "Still gross," Ace threw the web onto the floor. "When I realized we were gonna be finding the old castle of the jakhowls, I was expecting something a little cooler. Doesn't this place have any secrets rooms or hidden passageways, like in the Castle of the Two Sisters?" "Afraid not," Luna chuckled, "However, the library was pretty well stocked with books. Maybe you can find something interesting in there. I think Sharp was working on a book to better train jakhowls on how to use their powers. Maybe it'll help you two learn to control your attacks." Ace and Mira's eyes went wide at this and nodded, Luna spreading her wings and guiding them through the castle. The others followed after her and they headed through the castle, seeing the place was still in disarray, only for Springer come to a stop. He turned to one of the doors in the hallway, the jakhowl feeling something coming from it. It was faint, but he was picking up a residual aura coming from behind the door. The others didn't notice he had stopped and all disappeared around the corner as Springer carefully pushed the door open and found himself staring into a large room. It appeared to be a kind of bedroom, though it was covered in a thin layer of dust. It had a large bed and window, and a framed picture could be seen on the opposite wall. Springer felt himself drawn toward the picture, only to see it was covered in so much dust that he couldn't see the image behind it. He reached out and unleashed a weak pulse of aura, causing a wind strong enough to blow the dust away. Doing so caused the two jakhowls depicted in the painting to be revealed, Springer's parents. Springer stared at the image of Sharp and Calm Paw, Sharp holding Calm in his arms as they smiled at whoever had done the portrait. Springer stared at them, feeling a tear appear in his eyes. He glanced back at the room...and saw what it was. Their bedroom. He slowly sat down on the bed, staring at the place as a new thought entered his head. This was where he had been born. Completely unaware of Springer's discovery, Luna had now directed Ace and Mira to the library. She pushed the door open and fired magic at some torches, which were actually crystals that lit up when the magic touched them. But as they looked in, they saw nothing but dust. So much that Twilight would likely have a panic attack if she saw the library like this. It was covered in multiple cobwebs, which made Ace shiver at the sight while some of the books looked like just touching them would cause them to turn to dust. "This place is a dump," Ace commented before Mira flicked his ear. "Ow!" "Show some respect. This place was once really important to our people. It's not their fault it fell into disrepair!" "Now now Mira, he is right." Luna chimed in as she walked up to a bookshelf, "This place will need a spot of cleaning before we can think of touching anything in it." Ace and Mira sighed at this, only for Luna to add, "Luckily, there are ways to speed the process up." Her horn lit up, the pair raising an eyebrow. "But we were told that using magic to clean wasn't always a good idea," Mira pointed out. "True, but this kind of situation will call for it. Attempting to clean this room up by hoof would take a long time, and its possible you could accidently damage the books as you do so. This should fix that." She unleashed the magic and it flew across the room, hitting every shelf and book within. When it did, the dust began to fade away and the books slowly seemed to revert backwards in time to looking brand new. When the light faded away, the cobwebs were also gone, and the room looked like somepony had cleaned it that very same day. "Whoa..." Ace whispered as he moved over to one of the bookshelves and grabbed a book. And as they moved through the library, a bunch of eyes stared at them, only to disappear through a crack in the room's wall. But as they did this, Ace pulled a book from the shelf without causing any damage to it. "Awesome." He opened it, only to see it was...in a completely incomprehensible language. "What the heck?" Luna moved over and raised an eyebrow, "Ah," she sighed. "Of course. I should have remembered that." The ponies turned to her, "It's written in old ponish. I doubt you'll be able to read it at all." The two huffed and he put the book back on the shelf, the three looking at the other books and soon saw that they were all in a language that Ace and Mira couldn't read. "Don't you know how to read and write it?" Mira asked as she pulled out another book, "You lived in the time these books were written." "True," Luna nodded. "Though I'd like to see you spend a thousand years locked away without any reading material and try to remember how to spell your name. When I returned, I had to spend months learning the new way that ponies write everything. It felt like I was back in Starswirl's old lessons again." She huffed as the two laughed. "Though if I remember correctly, Twilight has well versed in old ponish. I'm sure she would be willing to translate anything you bring her. She would probably do so without being asked." They laughed again and Mira turned to ask Springer what book they should take with them, only to see he was missing. "Where'd he go?" "He did come into the library with us, right?" Ace asked as the females shrugged. "It's possible he got distracted by something and then got lost," Luna suggested, "Though this castle isn't exactly large enough to get lost in." "Can't he just follow our aura if he got lost?" Mira added, only to feel her foot land in something slimy and sticky. "Huh?" She looked down and found a strange blob of white liquid struck in the ground, "Ew!" She tried to pull her foot off it, but it wouldn't let go. "Get it off!" Luna galloped over and fired a blast of magic, melting the webbing. "Strange. That should have vanished when I cleaned the room." She stepped back, only to suddenly find herself landing in something sticky as well. "Huh?" She looked down and saw she was stuck in webbing as well. "Again?" She was about to fire a blast from her horn, only for something to shoot down from the ceiling and strike her head. "Gyah!" She cried at the impact, Ace and Mira gasping when they saw her horn had been completely covered by white slime. "What's going on?" Ace asked before they looked up and saw what had attacked Luna. A bunch of spiders, the size of the two young jakhowls that were pitch black with red eyes and a large red star on their butts. "What are those things?!" "Star Spiders," Luna whispered as she tried to heat her horn up and melt the webbing. "But I've never seen ones that big. And the red star they have should be blue." "I thought you said this castle was out of phase with the rest of the world?" Ace asked, only to leap back when a spider fired at him. "So what are these things doing here?!" "I'm not sure. If a couple were in the castle when I transported it-" Her wings and horn were then struck by webbing, "Then...they would have been trapped inside. I guess a thousand years trapped in a castle causes a bit of variation." "We have to get out of here!" Mira cried as she leapt to the side to avoid another blast of webbing. "But how are we supposed to get Luna free?!" Ace rolled to the side and as he did, he formed an Aura Blast. He fired it at a star spider, which leapt away, causing it to explode against the wall with a loud boom. Springer had opened a drawer in his parent's room, only for the explosion to jolt him awake. "What's going on?" He asked, sending out his aura to try and connect with the others. "Springer?!" Luna's voice asked, "Where are you?!" "I found my parents room," he replied, "What's happening?" "Star spiders!" Ace and Mira cried together, "A bunch of them started attacking!" "And they aren't fair fighters!" Mira yelled before crying out. "My foot!" Springer zipped out of the room, following their aura signatures, only to be suddenly struck by another aura. This made him slide to a stop, glaring at the darkness of the hallway that stood between him and his friends. "Show yourself! I know you're there." After a few seconds, eight large bright red eyes appeared in the darkness and their owner stepped closer. Doing so revealed itself to by a giant star spider, the size of a full grown pony. "I'm guessing you're the leader of these star spiders?!" The beast's only response was to growl, "Let me guess, we're trespassing on your place, huh?" He slowly took a step forward, "Listen, let me get my friends and we'll leave this place-" He didn't get to finish as the spider fired out a stream of webbing, "Whoa!" He leapt back as the web hit the ground, "Not gonna let us leave, huh?" Springer then felt a great amount of predatory hunger coming from the creature. "I get it. I doubt you've ever seen prey as big as me before. I must look like a four-course meal to you." The spider hissed and started firing several more web shots, Springer forming a Bone Breaker and spinning it around to deflect the attack. "Alright!" He charged, "Then you leave me no choice!" He leapt to slam his staff into the spider, only to suddenly vanish in a blurry wave of motion. The next thing the spider knew, something landed on its back and leapt off. "Seeya!" Springer disappeared down the hallway and the spider began to give chase. Back in the library... Ace was still dancing around the place, avoiding all the webbing he could as Mira continued to pull her trapped foot, but it refused to come off the concrete. The same could be seen with Luna, who was constantly struck by new webbing whenever she got close to destroying the stuff on her horn. "We have to do something!" Mira cried, turning to Ace. "Hurry!" "And do what?" He asked before jumping straight into the air, throwing an Aura Blast at a spider that easily dodged it. "There's too many for me to beat on my own!" As he said that, another spider fired a web shot at him. This one hit the midair jakhowl, "Gyah!" He was knocked to the ground, the web sticking his paw into the floor. "No!" "We're in trouble," Mira gulped as the spiders began to descend, drool pouring off their fangs, "Springer, help!" "I would if I could!" Springer called back, "But the boss spider's kinda giving me a hard time!" "But we're all stuck!" Ace cried, "And they're gonna eat us!" A spider hung from a string right above him, its fangs now snapping at him. "What do we do?!" "You have to blast us out of here," Luna replied. "But I can't use Aura Blast with one paw!" Ace yelled before turning to Mira. The golden jakhowl nodded and brought her paws together, but before she could form the orb, another spider shot a web blast into the back. "Gyah!" She yelped, falling over as the spiders webbed her left paw to it. "No!" "That's it!" Ace whined as the spider got closer, "we're dead!" "Don't give up!" Luna barked back, "There's always a way out as long as you don't give up! Sharp never gave up, no matter how hard things got! He was able to become such a young chief because he didn't let himself fail when he came up to a difficult opponent." "But I'm not like Sharp Paw!" Ace countered, "I'm not even like Springer! They were born for this kind of thing! But being the hero and saving the day...that's not me!" "Who says so?!" Luna yelled, "You decide what you want to be. If you want to be the weak little jakhowl that became spider food, fine. But if you want to get out of here, then you have to find the strength to do what you thought was impossible!" Ace looked up at the spider as it got closer, its mouth now opening as drool began to drip out. "Ahhhh!" He screamed, trying to pull his paw out. And as the spider got within arm's reach, snapping its fangs together, Ace's paw started glowing beneath the webbing. "RAAAAAAAH!" Suddenly, the webbing around Ace's paw exploded as he thrust it upward. And as he did this, it was revealed to have a trio of energy blades coming out the back of his hand. "Steel Paw!" Luna gasped as Ace swung his bladed paw into the spider above him. It hissed as its back was sliced at and it quickly retreated, Ace then staring at his paw, "Whoa..." "How'd you do that?" Mira asked. "I just...really wanted to cut those spiders to pieces and it happened." Mira glared at him, only for a spider hiss to ring out in her ears. She glanced up and saw the beast, only to close her eyes and tried to imagine the same claws Ace now wielded while imagining slashing at the spider close to her. And as she did this, the back of one of her paws glowed before the claws extended out of it. "Yes!" She cheered before swinging it at the spider, the insect pulling back and retreating up to the roof. And as it did this, Mira slashed at the webs around the foot, cutting right through them. "Freedom!" She cheered before she and Ace ran as fast as they could to Luna. Avoiding the spiders as they fired webbing at them, they slashed at her hooves, slicing the webbing and freeing the alicorn. "Let's get out of here!" She exclaimed as she grabbed both with her wings and put them on her back. Ace and Mira then slashed at Luna's horn, cutting the webbing as Luna galloped to the door. The princess flared her horn and opened the doors before racing out of the room and slamming them shut. "Thank you, you two." She said before closing her eyes, "Springer, we're free!" "Really?" He asked, "How?" "We'll explain later," she replied, "Where are you?" "On your left!" They heard out loud, making them turn to see Springer running with a massive spider chasing after him. The three screamed at the sight, all running away as the spider then came to a stop in front of the library doors. It used its webbing to grab the doors and pull them off their hinges, freeing the rest of its kind. The four ran as fast as they could through the corridors, the sound of hundreds of legs scurrying after them filling their ears. "I totally get what Soul was saying about how scary spiders can be now!" Mira cried as Springer turned to Luna. "Can't you teleport us out?" "You can't teleport inside of the castle," Luna responded, "It was a defense mechanism Sharp asked for when the place was built, to avoid assassins and others who would wish his jakhowls harm from getting in to easily." "Great..." Springer sighed as they turned a corner, "Any idea how the heck we get out of here?" "I'm sorry. If we could find a window or something then I could fly us out right now-" "I know where to go!" Springer interrupted, "Follow me!" He ran ahead and the others gave chase as the star spiders started getting closer. As they did this, they started firing webs, only for Ace and Mira to still have their new attacks active. Despite only being able to use it on one paw, the slashed away the webbing just as Springer yelled, "Here!" Springer opened a door, only to then leap over Luna, getting between them and the spiders. "Aura Guard!" he yelled, putting up a shield that filled the entire hallway. "Go!" They ran inside and Luna gasped when she saw the portrait, making her remember this was Sharp and Calm's room. "Amazing..." she whispered. "Its still here." Springer continued to hold the barrier as the giant spider got in close, only to just bang on the forcefield. Luna turned to the window and saw it overlooked the courtyard. "Alright," she blasted the windows out and turned to the younglings, "Let's go!" "Go!" Springer yelled, "I'll catch up!" Luna spread her wings and took flight, gliding down to the courtyard before turning back to the castle. "SPRINGER!" They all cried. Springer backpedaled to the door before cutting the barrier and leaping into the room. He ran over to the window and saw it the room was a good fifty feet off the ground. The walls were too smooth to climb down and jumping would at least result in one or two broken bones. He then heard a hiss and looked back to see the spider trying to get into the room, through it was too big to do so. "Maybe you should have kept off the snacks," Springer laughed. The spider hissed at this and adjusted its hindquarters to fire a web string at him, Springer ducking under it. "Is that really the best you've got?" He jumped up so he stood in the window. "Come on, give me your best shot!" The beast seemed to understand this taunt and fired another web blast, only for the jakhowl to leap up and the web shot under him through the window. It continued flying until it struck something, Springer quickly using his Steel Paw to cut it. "Thanks!" He chuckled before sticking the end to the bottom of the window and grabbing a curtain off the side. He then leapt out the window and used the curtain to slide down the web, his friends gasping when they saw this. "WOOOOHOOOO!" Once he was close enough to the ground, he let go of the curtain and rolled along the floor until he came to a stop. "Springer!" His friends cheered as he stood back up. "Let's get out of here before they decide to come out after us!" They nodded and Luna spread his wings as her horn glowed. In a flash of light, the four vanished and disappeared a good ten miles away from the castle. They could still see it in the distance, but there was no way the spiders would find them, Springer sighing as he sat down on a large rock, "That was close." "Yeah..." Ace nodded before showing him his new paws. "But on the plus side, Mira and I got a new move." "Nice." Springer chuckled, "Well done." Luna sighed as she looked back at the castle. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. I wanted to show you your old home, but I ended up almost getting you all eaten." Springer shrugged at this, "Eh, don't worry about it. How were you to know that would happen?" He turned back to the castle, "And I did get to see some of the castle. That's more than enough." "Well, at least I was able to get you a souvenir." Springer raised an eyebrow at this, only for Luna to pull something out that made his eyes go wide. "No way!" It was the portrait, or at least a smaller version of it. Now it was barely the size of a dinner plate. "I was able to shrink it down before we got out of there," Luna replied, "I thought you might want it, so I took the liberty of taking it with us." She gave the picture to Springer, the jakhowl now staring at his parents' happy faces. He almost felt a tear come to his eye again, but he managed to hold it back as he smiled at Luna. "Thank you." "Of course. Though I will want to make a separate picture for myself." "I understand." "So, what's gonna happen to it now?" Mira asked. "It may have once belonged to the jakhowls," Springer responded, "But those spiders have lived in it way longer than we have. It's theirs now." "Maybe..." Luna nodded. "But I highly doubt they'll stay within it forever. They may chose to venture out of it now that they're back in the world. When that happens, we can return and have another look around." The jakhowls nodded back. Their adventure hadn't been what they had expected, but it was still worth it nevertheless. They had all taken something away from their trip, and when they returned to Ponyville, they would have one heck of a story to tell.