"Hey, Rainbow Dash..." Fluttershy asked. "Are you feeling all better?"
The five ponies along with AppleJack's siblings were in the waiting room, greeting Rainbow Dash as she was escorted to the room. She was now able to stand on her own and seemed to glow with health.
"Oh, yeah! Now I'm feeling right!" she said. She started to move around, moving with a swag while standing on her hind legs, then got back down on all fours. "Man, that felt terrible, poisoned, sick, and unable to move around and all, but it's all good now."
"All right!" said Pinkie Pie. "We can move on now!"
"I don't know what lies ahead of you six, but best of luck to all of you," cheered Wayne.
"Trailblazer..." wimpered Applebloom. "Please save AppleJack... Ah don't want her to be gone fer good..."
Trailblazer knelt down to her. "Hey, I miss her too..." He thought for a little bit. "You still remember the time that I saved you, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo from that forest fire, right?"
"Yeah."
"So just think of it like this... AppleJack was worried sick about you when that happened, but I pulled you three out just fine. Now you're worrying about her, but I'll come back. The next time you see me, AppleJack will be walking by my side."
"Oh, thanks, Trailblazer. Ah knew we can count on ya."
"Y'all stay out of trouble now, y'hear?" Big Macintost spoke up.
"We'll do our best," Fluttershy told him. She looked back at the group. "Our next stop is Tethleon, right?"
"Yes," answered Twilight Sparkle. "Let's go."
All six of them left the hospital grounds and headed onward, to the place Trailblazer called home.
"You can't be serious! Did you really fail this task I gave you four?!" Black Hole questioned SteelHide and the Shadowcolts in a fury. "Speak!"
"Yeah..." SteelHide was not enjoying reporting about their failure. "We tried using those poison darts again, but we were caught and beaten before we knew it... Security came, which made us WAY outnumbered..."
Black Hole growled. "So then what."
"I also found out that both of those ponies that I tried killing at that cliff river were still alive..."
"Let me guess... Since they were all in a hospital, they both got treated and got back to full health?"
"I'm going to say... Maybe?"
Black Hole let out a loud frustrated sigh. "And you did so well at the river too, never mind, on your own. How could this happen?"
"Look, I'm sorry, Lord Black Hole... I guess we were at the wrong place at the wrong time..."
"Maybe so... As for the Shadowcolts, I have nothing for you to do. Just go work on your training."
"Very well, Lord Black Hole..." Dark Sun and his brothers vanished in their shadows.
"As for you, SteelHide, I have a task for you to do in hopes of ruining Trailblazer and his friends."
"What's the mission?"
"I need you to unlock Sclar and unleash him against them."
"Whoa whoa whoa, SCLAR?!"
"Yes! I need you to go unlock him from his cell and let him loose in the area he's in. Control him so that he can get rid of them."
"O-okay, if you're certain that it'll be okay for us." SteelHide turned to walk away, but Black Hole stopped him before he left.
"Oh, and also..." Black Hole started. "Make sure that Sclar is nice and hungry before you let him loose against Trailblazer."
"Okay, I will..." SteelHide walked away to work on his mission.
"You know, White Comet, I'm beginning to think that my minions don't get what I do for them..." Black Hole pondered to White Comet, who was across the room.
"And what would that be?" he asked.
"First, the Shadowcolts fail to stop Trailblazer, then SteelHide ambushes them, yet doesn't kill any of them, and now, their latest ambush fails miserably. This is going south real fast."
"Is there something you want me to do differently?"
"No, you're doing fine, even though I don't ask much from you. Just continue to watch AppleJack when you're called to do it."
Right after he finished saying that, Sound Wave barged into the throne room.
"Hey, dude! No, I mean, Lord Black Hole!" he yelled excitedly. "Get this: we've found the second key to that treasure's door!"
"Ah, excellent! It's good to know that I have followers that I can still count on." he told him.
"Only one more key to go and we'll be BITCHIN'!"
"Yes, yes..." replied Black Hole with an evil voice. "Keep up the good work and find that last key!"
"We're on it, dude!" Sound Wave bolted out of the room to spread the word.
"I believe that it's my turn to watch AppleJack now," White Comet mentioned.
"Hm?" Black Hole looked at the wall clock. "Ah, yes. Go ahead."
White Comet flew out of the room and down towards AppleJack's balcony. Black Mace already got the hint that his shift was over, and he left.
"So, what happened?" she asked, bracing herself. "Do ya know what happened to them?"
"Good news!" he said. "It's true that Rainbow Dash got poisoned, but they all survived everything that's come at them. They're now at peak strength and are headed this way."
"What? Ya mean... They're all okay??"
"Oh yes, definitely."
"Woo-hoo!" AppleJack became rampant again. "They're tough, that's fer sure!"
"Uh-huh."
"They'd better keep it up!"
"Yeah, Black Hole is not too happy about it. ...But now he's even more determined to get rid of them because of their line of success."
"Why, what's he up to now?"
"He sent out SteelHide to unleash this thing called Sclar."
"Sclar? Who's HE?"
"I don't know, but SteelHide seemed really afraid just at the mere mentioning of it's name. Obviously, it can't be any good if they're afraid of it."
AppleJack grew worried. "Oh, boy... That there IS a scary thought...!"
"And here's something else that caught my attention, to make it even scarier..."
"Well, just tell me."
"Black Hole's last part of his order was, and I quote... 'Make sure that Sclar is nice and hungry before you let him loose against Trailblazer'."
AppleJack felt faint. "Oh no... Ah think Ah'm goin' to have a nightmare tonight because of that last part..."
"I'm sorry that I had to tell you that..."
AppleJack shuddered.
"Well, that's all I have to share with you."
"Yeah, okay... Ah hope my little sugarcube stays safe..."
"Over there! Can you see it?" Trailblazer ran ahead of them and hopped. "There it is! Tethleon!"
In the distance, all six of them saw some tall buildings made of concrete and glass. In the past, they've all been there before, but that was when they were all trying to stop Silver Soul. There, they only were around the castle grounds. Now, they were actually going to be in the city itself, experiencing what it really had to offer. Although they were on a crag landscape, they could see some greenery around the city. Either this was to make it stand out, or to make it more welcoming.
"C'mon, let's go!" Trailblazer shouted excitedly. He started to run along the path towards Tethleon.
"Hey, wait up!" Pinkie Pie requested. She, Twilight Sparkle, and Rarity found themselves chasing after him, but weren't keeping up. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy found themselves flying after him, easily keeping up with the help of their wings.
"Hey, what's the hurry?" Rainbow Dash asked him.
"I haven't been in my hometown in a long time. I'm just really excited to see it again," he told her.
"Slow down, Trailblazer!" Twilight yelled. "How are you so fast anyway?!"
As they all ran, they got closer and closer to Tethleon. Just getting closer got Trailblazer more motivated to keep running. A couple more minutes passed until he finally reached the gate to the city. He stopped in front of it and panted for a little bit, turning around to face the other three trying to catch up. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy landed next to him and looked at the three too. At last, they managed to catch up, slowly. Twilight Sparkle and Rarity were breathing heavily.
"Could you... At least... Let us catch our breath?" Twilight panted.
"Fine."
Both of them took a minute to catch it, with Trailblazer waiting for them a little impatiently.
"Better now?"
"Yes."
"Okay. In we go."
Trailblazer passed through the gate and into the place that he grew up in. Already, another pony greeted them as they took their first steps on Tethleon grounds.
"Hello, travelers," he said. Welcome to..."
He stopped for a minute and recognized Trailblazer.
"Hey, wait a minute...! Aren't you Trailblazer?"
"Yeah?" he said.
"Oh my God, you're back!" the greeter said. He turned to look around to alert his friends. "Guys! Those rumors were true! He's still alive!"
"Get out! Really?!"
"Yeah, really! He's right here at the gate enterance!"
Another pony walked up to them. "Well, I'll be! He IS alive and here!"
Many other ponies swarmed around them to see for themselves. Sure enough, they saw Trailblazer in the flesh. And all of them wanted to talk to him.
"Now, now, don't crowd the young man..." they heard somepony say. A pony with a tan coat and gray mane stepped forward. "Why, hello there, Trailblazer! Welcome back to Tethleon!"
"What's going on here?" asked Trailblazer. "All the ponies are treating me like a hero."
"Oh, but you are!" the gray-maned one replied. "By putting a stop to Silver Soul's plans, you saved not only us, but the rest of Equestria."
Trailblazer stopped and remembered. "Ooooooooops..." he chuckled, a little embarrassed. "But now that I think of it, who are you?"
"I'm Mayor Dunnam," he introduced himself. "Let me give you an update here... Ever since Silver Soul took over, we've been working on a democratic rule in our city rather than the monarchy King Gold and Silver Soul ruled with. I'm the first mayor in line for that."
"Ah, okay. That sounds promising."
"And these other few behind you are..."
Trailblazer looked behind him. "Oh, yes, of course. These five behind me are some friends I made in Ponyville."
All five of them stated their names in order.
"I'm Twilight Sparkle."
"Just call me Rainbow Dash."
"Fluttershy."
"And I'm Pinkie Pie!"
"You may call me Rarity."
"Pleasure to meet you all." said Dunnam. "Anyways, Trailblazer, I think you'll be pleased to know that I'm working on reestablishing the Rising Warriors guild."
"Oh, really?? Great!"
"Anyway, I think that's all I have to say for now. Feel free to do whatever around here."
Mayor Dunnam left the scene, along with several other ponies. Quite a few still stuck around him.
"Please give me space, guys," said Trailblazer. With that, they did.
"Are you like some celebrity here?" asked Fluttershy.
"You could say that."
"I don't know how you can take it and how Rarity wants to be one..."
"It's just not for everyone, dear," Rarity answered.
"I wonder..." Trailblazer began to walk away.
"Where are you going?"
"Home."
The five followed Trailblazer around the city for a few blocks until reaching a residential area. From there, they walked around a few blocks until reaching a long gray house.
"This was my home before I had to run away," he told the others.
"You haven't been in it in over a month. Why does it still look fine?" Rainbow Dash wondered.
Trailblazer didn't answer her. He rang the doorbell, stepped back, and waited. After several seconds, they heard some footsteps, and the door opened. Answering the door was a creme-colored earth pony mare with a smooth gold mane.
"Hello-" But she stopped as soon as she saw Trailblazer. "No... It can't be..."
"I'm back, StarBright," said Trailblazer.
"Trailblazer??" she answered, almost ready to cry.
"Yeah, that's me."
"Oh my God, TRAILBLAZER! Where have you been?!" StarBright immediately hugged him and started to cry. "I missed you so much, and we all thought you were, well, gone!" StarBright dragged him inside the house.
"Aw, I'm sorry for making you worry... You know I didn't mean to," said Trailblazer, holding onto her.
"Still, don't scare me like that again! You had me worried sick!"
A bright red small pony walked into the living room from inside. "Trailblazer?"
Trailblazer looked up and stopped comforting StarBright for a second. "Is that you, Blaine?"
"Trailblazer! You're back!" the excited school-age pony shouted happily. Trailblazer let go of StarBright and knelt down to catch Blaine as he ran to him. He jumped into his hooves and let Trailblazer pat him on the back.
"I'm glad to see you again."
"Me too!"
Twilight Sparkle walked to the doorway. StarBright noticed her.
"Hey, Trailblazer, what's going on?" she asked.
"Who is this pony?" StarBright asked as well.
"Oh, that's right..." thought Trailblazer. He stood back up and faced Twilight. "Twilight, this is my younger brother and sister: Blaine and StarBright. And Star, this is Twilight Sparkle. She's a friend of mine." Trailblazer looked at her. "Where are the others?"
"I'll go get them," said Twilight. She turned to look outside. "You can all come in, it's okay."
The other four walked through the doorway.
"This is Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity," Trailblazer said, pointing each one out as he called out their names.
"I never knew that you had these two as siblings," said Rarity.
"I haven't said much about them, actually," Teailblazer said to her.
"Well, still, it's nice to know you five," said StarBright. "Where do you all hail?"
Most of them answered with Ponyville while Twilight answered with Canterlot.
"Oh, those two places are a long ways from here. What made you all come here anyway?"
"Well, we're on a journey to the Crawnite Mountains," Trailblazer said.
"Well, you all don't need to be shy. You can all rest here for the night if you'd like," StarBright said. "Although I have to ask... Why are you going there anyway?"
"The thing is... I have a marefriend, but she's been kidnapped..."
"Kidnapped?!"
"Yes, by Black Hole."
"Why would he do such a thing?! That's cold!"
"StarBright, please promise me that you won't get too upset after I say this next part..."
StarBright closed her eyes, then reopened them. "Okay."
"Black Hole plans on using the power of the Tethleon treasure to rule the world, and from what he told me, he needs my marefriend to unleash it's power."
StarBright's pupils shrank. "This sounds very serious..."
"We got that a lot," said Rainbow Dash.
"Well... You shouldn't exhaust yourselves. Please, make yourselves at home here and relax. It'll do you a lot of good."
All of them unloaded their belongings and set up their sleeping bags in the basement. While they did that, Trailblazer walked into his bedroom. He hasn't seen it in a month, but it didn't look any different than when he had to escape when Silver Soul started to take control. There was still the same small bed with navy blue plaid sheets, white liner, and black headrest. The room's walls were a pale-cream color; nothing too fancy. He figured that his sister was cleaning it and keeping it looking nice in his absence. He thought nothing more of it and set his backpack on his bed. Right as he did that, he heard the footsteps of his friends coming up the stairs. He walked into the kitchen and met them all there along with StarBright.
"Would you all like something for supper?" she asked them.
"I packed some snacks for our trip, sis," Trailblazer answered her. "I can just share those."
"Come now, Trailblazer. You should have something more substantial." StarBright walked up to him. "Besides, I know you have a big appetite. I can make you something good to fill up that tummy of yours." StarBright began to pat his underbelly as she said that. Trailblazer reacted by grimacing and backing off quickly.
"Hey, don't do that." he said sternly. "You know I don't like that."
There was some frantic knocking on the front door. Trailblazer took this to get away from StarBright and opened the door. On the other side was a blue male pegasus, panicking.
"Trailblazer! Oh, thank God I found you!"
"Why, what's going on?"
"Well, you see, there's this big giant... I mean, we have a huge... Problem... I... Well, maybe you ought to hear it at the city hall. You'll get the message better there than I can tell you about it now. Hurry!!" The pegasus yelled. He quickly bolted back into the sky after telling him that.
"I don't like the sound of this but..." Trailblazer thought.
"But... what?" wondered Twilight Sparkle.
"I think you five need to come with me."
Trailblazer walked out the front door. The others decided to follow him outside, headed for city hall to hear the news.