//------------------------------//
// March 3rd (New Arrivals) 
// Story: Equestria Legends Online 
// by Shadowflame 
//------------------------------//

	Hey, Shadow here. Just so you know, it's been less than a month since my team and I arrived in Canterlot, but something really extraordinary has happened in that time.

You see, several weeks ago, back before my team traveled from Ponyville to Canterlot, the players in Manehatten were on a lead of where the next element was hidden. Well, a week later, everyone heard that they had finally found the boss room, and with their combined efforts, they managed to defeat the boss. Apparently, the guy who killed the boss and claimed the element, was a unicorn named Violet Runner. Everyone's referring to him as the element of Spirit, since that's the element that he received.

Sure, another element bearer besides myself is good, but then his team did something extraordinary. To keep the new element safe, Jupiter contacted Violet Runner and ordered his team to bring the element to Canterlot so it could be locked in the vault of the elements. Violet and his team, Team Calvary, started to make the journey, but they took a side trip into Fillydelphia.

The reason for their side trip was because as they were traveling, the players at Fillydelphia stumbled across the next boss room. But out of all the things that Team Calvary could have done, they joined the boss battle. And what's more is that another member of Team Calvary defeated the boss and collected the next element. It was another unicorn named Soul Cards, and he'd gotten the element of Loyalty. And at the moment, both Violet Runner and Soul Cards, along with the rest of their team, were on their way to Canterlot.

I glanced out of the window of our Team Equitum base in Canterlot, slightly anxious. It wasn't just me either. Everyone down in the streets were buzzing with anticipation of Team Calvary's arrival. With the days that had passed, everyone knew that they would be arriving today.

Although, there were quite a few players who went outside of the city to meet Team Calvary early, but their reasons were all slightly different. A few players went out to meet Team Calvary, just to see a team as strong as them. But everyone else was working under Jupiter's orders to make sure that Team Calvary arrived safely.

Truth be told, when word of Team Calvary reached Canterlot, I've never seen Jupter so angry. Usually the head admin is collective and logical, but when Team Calvary received two elements, Jupiter was furious. I grinned at the memory of him cursing his heart out at every other minute, grumbling about Team Calvary's stupidity.

But, Jupiter was right. Everyone in the game heard about Team Calvary's efforts, including the Haters' Guild. With two element bearers in Team Calvary, they would be a prime target for the haters. At any point on the path to Canterlot, the haters could ambush them and kill their team, just like they had tried to do so for my team. Jupiter was only angry at them because they just made themselves a bigger target for the haters. And if they were killed, then the elements would be lost to the haters, and we would have to fight them just to get the elements back.

I glanced back at my other team members, who were gathering all of their stuff together for today's training. Even if there were two element bearers  coming to Canterlot, we weren't going to take a day off just to meet them. In our base, there was me and Sky, along with Crossheart and Cloud Burst, the newest members of our team. Lexus, however, was already ready, since he liked training by himself early in the morning. He didn't like waiting for us, so at the moment, he was flying around the city wall, looking for Team Calvary as they came in.

I turned to my team, "So, are you guys ready for today's training?"

They all nodded. But then, Lexus suddenly came flying in through an open window, panting hard from the flight.

I raised an eyebrow at him, "Lexus, what is it?"

He smiled as he caught his breath, "Hey, I saw them. Team Calvary's here."

We all glanced at each other, and instantly we all ran out onto the street to see Team Calvary.


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By the time that our team reached the street leading to the castle, the roads were packed with other players who came to see Team Calvary. My team stepped out onto the street to see four ponies parading down the middle of the road. I recognized them from their pictures in the Equestria Daily as Team Calvary.

Team Calvary only had four members, but I could only see the first two members of their team from where I stood. They were both unicorns, both walking side by side with each other. The one on the right was a tan colored stallion with a short brown mane and tail. On top of  his head, he wore a pair of mechanic's goggles, along with a light blue vest. On his back, he carried a giant, two-handed, steel hammer. His cutie mark was a pair of metal gears. Above his head, his Player ID read: Violet Runner.





The unicorn on the right was a gray stallion with a black mane, streaked with red. He carried two swords strapped to his back, just like Sky. His cutie mark resembled a playing card, an ace of hearts to be exact. Above his head, his Player ID read: Soul_Cards.





I glanced at Sky, "Looks like those two are the new element bearers."

Sky shrugged as he looked back to the approaching team. I did likewise and watched as Team Calvary drew nearer. But as they got closer, the players around us began to cheer for Team Calvary, shouting congratulations and stomping their hooves with excitement. Team Calvary, as they received the applause, simply waved to the crowd as they passed by, smiling as they were treated like celebrities.

But as I watched them, I felt sort of a pang of envy. When we arrived in Canterlot, nobody really celebrated it like they did for Team Calvary. Thinking this, a small frown subconsciously crept to my face.

Unfortunately, Sky noticed my unhappy expression, "Hey, what's up?"

I was momentarily startled, but I quickly collected myself, "Oh, it's just that... When we first arrived in Canterlot, barely anyone congratulated us or gave us praise like they are now for Violet Runner and Soul Cards. I'm just wondering why..." I trailed off in thought.

Sky raised his eyebrow, "Well, they are element bearers. They retrieved their elements, which is difficult enough. Not everyone could do that."

I suddenly found myself ticked off by Sky, "But what about me? I'm an element bearer, and I was the first one to ever do it!"

Lexus, who had been listening in on our conversation, chimed in, "Well, they were the first team to retrieve *two* elements, so they kind of have you beat there, Shadow."

I growled in frustration, "That's not the point. I'm just saying-"

Cloud suddenly interjected, "Geez, you're getting worked up just because you want the praise that Team Calvary is getting?... Wait, you're not seriously jealous of Violet Runner's team, are you?"

I faltered slightly, "What? No! I'm just saying that it'd be nice to receive some credit for bringing an element here to Canterlot."

Cloud folded his arms, raising his eyebrows as he replied sarcastically, "Uh-huh, right."

I rolled my eyes at him. Just at that moment, Violet Runner noticed our team on the side of the road. He recognized us and instantly galloped to us. Once he reached us, he looked at us all with a wide grin, "Hey, you're Team Equitum, right?"

I nodded nonchalantly, "Yeah, that's us."

"Then you must be Shadowflame, the bearer of the Element of Courage." I nodded, and Violet grinned, "Great, I finally get to meet you. Let me introduce my team. I'm Violet Runner, the leader of Team Calvary, and the bearer of the Element of Spirit."

He pointed a hoof out towards his teammates, "This here is Soul Cards, the bearer of the Element of Loyalty. Although, don't play poker with him, or else he'll clean you out faster than you could swing a sword." I nodded to Soul Cards a casual greeting, which he returned in the same fashion.

Violet continued, "These are the other two of my team. This is Neon Fire, our more magically advanced fighter."

I looked at Neon fire to find a light gray unicorn mare. True to her name, her mane, tail and eyes were all the same neon green color. On her back, she had strapped a long spear and a metal shield. Her cutie mark was a neon green fireball. Above her head, her Player ID read: Neon Fire.





Neon gave me a friendly wave, which I returned. Violet continued, "And finally, the youngest member of our team, Dylan.

I turned to Dylan to see a short, maroon earth pony colt. His mane and tail were a dark, olive green color. On his back, he held a long, wooden Bo staff. His cutie mark was the silhouette of a guy in midair, doing a back flip. Above his head, his Player ID read: Dyl0nkour.





Suddenly, I heard Sky inhale sharply behind me. He quickly tapped on my shoulder, "Could that really be... Dylan?"

I was confused at first, but then my eyes widened in realization, "Oh my gosh, he couldn't be, right? Isn't that impossible?" A million thoughts were going off in my head. Was this really *the* Dylan that both Sky and I knew? How did he even get here?

But then, Sky took a step towards Dylan, a questioning look on his face, "Dylan... Is that you?"

Dylan, along with everbody else, was confused by Sky's actions. Dylan cocked his head as he observed Sky curiously. But then, his eyes went wide and he let out a gasp as he recognized the unicorn's voice,

"Sk-Sky?"

For a moment, both Sky and Dylan stared at each other for a long while. But then, they suddenly embraced with their arms around each other in a tight hug. I spotted a tear at the corner of Dylan's eye, but Sky didn't cry (It takes a freaking lot to get Sky to cry). Sky hugged Dylan tightly, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe you're actually here. How is this even possible?"

Everyone else in both my team and in Team Calvary just looked on in confusion. I however, felt a grin creep to my face. Behind me, Lexus asked, "Um, what's going on? Do they know each other?"

I chuckled, "I can't believe it, but now they're together again. And here in the game, of all places."

Cross raised an eyebrow at me, "What do you mean?"

I grinned at my team, "Dylan is Sky's brother."


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Soon, Team Calvary continued on their way towards the castle, but my team was travelling with them. The whole while as we all walked to the castle, Sky and Dylan were keeping close to each other, extremely happy to see each other again. I figured they were so happy because they both though that they'd never see each other until after we beat Discord. They never counted on seeing each other in this game before we fought Discord.

Sky grinned to his younger brother, "So, how did you end up getting trapped in this game, too? I was using the only Nervegear helmet we had in the house."

Dlyan smiled sheepishly, "Um,... yeah, well I was a bit too impatient, because you were taking so long with your turn. I decided to go to my friend's house and play on his Nervegear console. Unfortunately, that's when I also got trapped in the game."

Sky grinned, "Well that was stupid of you to do."

I rolled my eyes. They had only been reunited with each other for a few minutes and Sky was already teasing Dylan. Even in virtual reality, some things never changed.

Dylan glanced over his shoulder at me, "Hey, it's great to see you, too, Shadow."

I chuckled, "Yeah, it's good to see you again, Dylan. Although, I didn't think that you'd play this game and get trapped here as well. I figured that you'd be too busy playing Minecraft." If there was one thing true about Dylan, it'd be that he played Minecraft a bit too much.

Sky laughed at my reply, while Dylan just rolled his eyes.

But then, we all soon reached the castle. But standing in the middle of the doorway was a very unhappy Jupiter. We all stopped in front of him, with Violet Runner and Soul Cards standing front and center.

But then, Jupiter began to walk towards Violet Runner, exceeding anger evident on his face, "Are you out of your blasted mind, Violet Runner?! I gave you specific orders to deliver your element directly to Canterlot, and to not take any side trips. You disobeyed a direct order."

Violet Runner tried to defend himself, "Well, you see-" But Jupiter wasn't done with him, yet.

"You must have been crazy to take the Element of Spirit with you into the boss battle in Fillydelphia. If you had died while fighting the boss there, then we could have lost your element." He turned his head to Soul Cards, "But then you had to make things worse by having another member in your team receive the Element of Loyalty. You could have become a prime target for the Haters' Guild on the way here! Could you imagine how catastrophic it would've been if we lost *two* of the elements to the haters?"

From the side, a small smile started to form on my face. I don't know why, but it felt good to see Jupiter chew out Violet Runner.

Violet Runner started to object, but then sighed, "Yes, Jupiter. I guess we weren't thinking ahead when we helped with the boss battle in Fillydelphia."

Jupiter narrowed his eyes, "Well, I hope you now realize that you put yourself and your team into even greater danger." The head admin turned back to the open doors of the castle, "We'll settle this matter later, but for now, Violet Runner, I need you and Soul Cards to bring your elements and follow me. The rest of your team will have to wait out here until we return."

Violet Runner and Soul Cards obeyed and followed Jupiter into the castle, slamming the doors behind them. That left Neon Fire and Dylan outside with my team.

Neon Fire looked at all of us oddly, "So, I suppose we'll have to wait for Violet and Soul to return?"

I shook my head, "Sorry, guys, but our team still needs to do some training. We aren't taking a day off just because you guys arrived. You should just stay here until the rest of your team comes back." I turned back to where we came, "Come on guys, let's go. See ya, Dylan." With that, my team and I began to run to the city gate.

Before we all left, Dylan stopped Sky in mid gallop, "Hey, Sky."

Sky looked back to his little brother, "What?"

Dylan extended a hoof, "Brohoof?"

Sky rolled his eyes, and then connected his hoof to Dlyan's. He turned back towards the road and began to gallop after us, "Later, Dylan!"


_____________________________________________________________________________________


My team all stood in the field just outside of Canterlot, all of our weapons drawn for battle. We were in a circle formation, all of our backs to each other while our opponents closed in. Although it might seem ironic, but our opponents were a group of zombie ponies. From where I stood, I could count about seven of them. So, it was time to lead my team.

I lifted my sword towards the zombies closest to me, "Sky, Cross. Follow me with the first attack. Lexus, Cloud, I need you guys as air support to keep the others off of our backs."

With the plan set, we all took off into the fight. With an upward motion, I sliced a leg off of the zombie closest to me. I didn't feel any need to use my ability, "Blaze", since zombies were relatively weak monsters. But then, Sky whipped around me and finished of the zombie with several well placed blows to the neck, ending the monster with a stab through the head.

Meanwhile, I had joined up with Cross as we fought two of the zombies. First, Cross bashed his hammer into the head of one, while I stabbed through the belly of the other. As quickly as we struck, we traded off opponents. I slashed downwards into my opponent twice, making an "X" through the zombie's torso, and then finished by stabbing the zombie upwards beneath its jaw.

As the zombie burst into a cloud of blue code, out of the corner of my eye, I saw cross deal a crushing blow to his zombie's throat, bringing the monster's health bar to zero.

Behind us, I heard Lexus and Cloud swoop down from the sky, continually striking another zombie with each descent. But then, Lexus stabbed a zombie deep into its back from above, creating a large hole in the monster's spine. The pegasus quickly wrenched out his spear as Cloud then placed a bomb into the opening that Lexus had created in the monster's back. Then, they quickly took to the sky as the bomb exploded, destroying the zombie it was planted in and sending a shock wave into the remaining zombies.

With the remaining zombies faltering, it gave me, Sky, and Cross the chance to finish them off. We all charged in at once, dealing each of them a finishing blow in our own unique styles. Once the last zombie had disappeared into bits of code, I put away my weapons with satisfaction.

I glanced at my team as we all took a small breather, a small, encouraging grin on my face, "Wow, seven monsters in less than a minute. We've really gotten faster."

A voice interjected, "Not bad, Team Equitum. Not bad at all."

I looked towards the source of the voice to see that it was Jupiter, coming down from the gates towards our team. I raised an eyebrow, "Oh, Jupiter. What are you doing here?"

Jupiter smirked, "Well, I have an assignment for your team. You see, it concerns the location of the next element."

Our whole team jumped with a start. Sky looked questioningly at Jupiter, "Wait, did you actually find the boss room?"

Jupiter paused for a moment, "Well, no. We haven't actually found the boss room, but we have a fairly good lead as to where it is located. The Canterlot Labyrinth on the castle grounds, as you know is only made of shrubbery. But as of late, enormous black thorns have begun to grow all around the maze. We suspect that it may have something to do with the next boss of the game."

Jupiter looked at all of us individually, "I came down here because I want you all to investigate the cause of the thorns. And from what I saw just barely, I believe you're more than capable of finding the source of this problem."

I nodded, "Right, we'll get right to it." I waved to my team and we all started towards the Canterlot gate. But then, Jupiter suddenly stopped us.

He cleared his throat, "But before you go, I would like for Team Calvary to join you in this investigation."

I raised an eyebrow at Jupiter, "Violet Runner's team? Why do you want them to come along? They just arrived today, and they haven't gotten to rest from their trip here. Fillydelphia is farther from here than Ponyville, yet you made my team take a rest from fighting for a few days. Why not do the same for Team Calvary?"

Jupiter's eyes narrowed, "For one thing, Violet Runner owes me for not obeying my orders. I think this task will be suitable enough. If his team can investigate the labyrinth while under your orders, then I will forgive Violet Runner for his careless decision. As of now, Shadow, I'm putting you in charge of leading both yours and Violet's teams through the labyrinth." He turned back towards Canterlot, "So, I want you all to meet me at the entrance of the labyrinth for further details. You'll need to pick up Team Calvary from their base on the way there." With that, he began to make his way to the Canterlot gate.

I sighed, "Yes, Jupiter." I looked to my team, "Come on, let's go." And we all set off towards the gate to the city.


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Team Calvary's base in Canterlot wasn't all too hard to find, since it was actually fairly close to our own base. As I searched for their base, I sent my team ahead to meet with Jupiter by the maze while I fetched Team Calvary.

After walking on the street for a while, I finally reached the door to their base. With a hoof, I knocked loudly on the wooden door. I waited for a moment, but then the door opened to reveal Dylan.

Dylan's eyes widened, "Oh, hey Shadow. What are you doing here?"

I took a step through the door, "I need to speak to your team. Where's Violet Runner?"

Dylan stepped back and let me in, closing the door behind me, "He and Neon are down in the forge."

I raised an eyebrow, "You guys have a forge?"

Dylan nodded me as he began to lead me through the base, "Yeah, it's in the basement. It came with base when Jupiter gave it to us."

I held back a glower as I thought to myself, Really? Jupiter gave them a forge? I sighed, Even when they're in trouble, they're more rewarded than my team has ever been. Forges were really expensive, and to have one inside a house just made it more valuable.

Ahead of me, Dylan continued talking, "Although, out of all of us, Violet is the only one who really appreciates the forge. He's really a genius when it comes to engineering. But occasionally he needs Neon to get the fire hot enough for him work with iron and stuff like that."

But then, something occurred to me, "Wait, if the forge is downstairs, then what happens to the smoke from the fire? I'd imagine that it'd get caught downstairs often."

Dylan smiled, "Well, Violet took a look at the forge and said that there was an enchantment in the chimney. It would instantly filter out the smoke and bring in pure oxygen. So, that's not really a problem.

Soon we reached a spiral staircase, leading downstairs. and Dylan pointed a hoof down it, "Okay, Violet and Neon should be down there."

I nodded, "Thanks Dylan."

Dylan smiled and trotted away, while I began to descend down the staircase. The staircase was dimly lit, but I managed to find my footing as I traveled down its spiraling steps. Soon, the lighting in the stairs became bright with the orange glow of fire. I reached the end of the staircase to find myself in the forge.

In the middle of the forge, I spotted Violet Runner, standing next to a large, lit furnace. A pair of goggles were covering his eyes as he held a long piece of red-hot metal in the furnace with his magic. Standing to the side of the furnace was Neon Fire. Her horn was glowing as she focused on the fire, which I now noticed, had a neon green tint about it.

Violet glanced at Neon, "Okay, I need the fire to be a bit hotter, Neon. Increase your magic and keep the temperature steady."

Neon nodded, "Right." Her horn began to glow a bit brighter as she put more concentration into the fire.

I would have waited for them to be done with... well, with whatever they were doing. But Jupiter was already waiting for us, so it was time to make myself known. I began to walk towards them, "Hey, Violet, Neon."

Violet jumped slightly, surprised by my intrusion. He quickly glanced back at me, "Oh, hey Shadow. What are you doing here?" He turned his head to Neon, "Okay, I think that'll be good for now. You can stop."

Relieved, Neon let go of her magical hold on the fire, letting the flames die down to regular orange flames.

I looked to Violet and Neon, "I have a message from Jupiter for your team, Violet."

Before I could continue, Violet set his glowing red piece of metal down on an anvil. He brought out his hammer, and began to hammer away at the piece of metal. He nodded to me, "Sorry, but I need to get this piece of iron molded before it grows cold. You'll just have to bear with me. Go ahead and tell me the message. Don't worry, I'll be able to hear you over the hammering. But if I can't, Neon will be able to tell me what I missed."

I raised an eyebrow, a bit hesitant at first, but I just shrugged and relayed the message, "Jupiter has a job for your team. He has gotten some reports that black thorns are growing all throughout the Castle Labyrinth. Jupiter suspects that it may have to do with the next element. So, he wants your team and mine to go investigate the labyrinth, and possibly find the boss room, as well."

Violet nodded, "Right. When will we do it?"

"Right now. At the moment, the rest of my team are with Jupiter, and they're waiting for us at the entrance to the labyrinth."

Violet nodded as he paused his hammering, inspecting his piece of iron, "Okay, we'll be there in just a second." He glanced over to Neon, "Go tell Soul and Dylan to get ready. We need to leave as soon as possible."

Neon nodded and raced up the staircase and out of the forge. Violet then turned to me, "Alright, you better not keep your team waiting. So, you should get going, too. Thanks for stopping by."

I nodded as I turned back to the staircase, and I climbed upstairs and out of Team Calvary's base. Out on the street, I turned towards the castle and began to gallop to the castle labyrinth.


_____________________________________________________________________________________


Soon, both my team and Team Calvary were gathered in front of the entrance to the labyrinth. Jupiter stood in front of us all, standing between us and the entrance.

Now, let me tell you that the entrance to the labyrinth was huge. The walls made of shrubbery stood about fifteen feet tall, and it stayed at that height for all of the maze. But, just like Jupiter had said, I noticed several black, thorny vines weaving through the walls of the maze. And they weren't just growing out of the walls, but there were the occasional thorns growing out of the ground like tree roots. With all of the thorns, it gave the maze a sort of evil presence.

Jupiter looked to all of us who were gathered, "All right, before all of you go into that Labyrinth, I will debrief you on several details of the maze."

We all listened closely as Jupiter continued, "Now, the first thing that you need to know is that Discord put some restrictions for some players in the maze. One of which is that pegasus players cannot fly."

Lexus raised an eyebrow, "Really? Why can't we fly?"

Jupiter replied, "Discord hacked the area around the maze so that no pegasus could move their wings at all. They'd stay clamped to your sides, and you wouldn't be able to extend them, let alone fly."

Cloud interjected, "But what about me? I'm not a pegasus, so shouldn't I still be able to fly?"

Jupiter paused for a second, "Well, you used to be a pegasus, weren't you? And I don't think that Discord would have overlooked your case, Cloud. After all, he *is* the reason why you're a dragon now."

Cloud drooped his shoulders slightly, "Oh, I guess you're right."

Jupiter cleared his throat, "Anyways, like any place in the game, there are monsters in the labyrinth. However, a few other players, who were weaker than all of you, went into the maze and fought several monsters. They returned out of the maze just fine, so I wouldn't worry too much about the monsters that you meet in there."

Jupiter gave us all a fixed glower, "But that doesn't give you a reason to lower your guard. If Discord's behind these thorns growing around the maze, then he'll for sure have some surprises hidden around the maze that you would rather not find. Who knows what traps that Draconequus could come up with."

Jupiter cleared his throat, "However, though this is a maze, at all costs, do not get separated. If you get lost on your own, then it'll just be easier for Discord's monsters to pick you off, one by one."

"However, if you do find the cause of the thorns' growth, then I want you to find a way to reverse it. But if the cause is coming from a boss room, then do not attempt to beat the boss on your own. If you find a boss room, then make your way back here and contact me. You'll need to remember where the room is, so you can lead a larger group of players to fight the boss. Is that clear?"

We all nodded. Jupiter continued, "Good. Inside the maze, Shadowflame will make the decisions. He will be responsible for everyone else. But remember this: Your survival in there will depend on how well you work together as a team." He stepped out of the way to the entrance of the labyrinth, "Well, good luck." With that, he turned back towards the castle and walked away.

I looked to my team, "Okay, let's go." And so, we entered the maze, with Team Calvary following behind us.


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We had only been travelling through the maze for about ten an hour, yet we weren't getting anywhere. So far, we had taken about fifty wrong turns that ended up in dead ends. After a few minutes of this, I was starting to get a bit frustrated, as well as the other players in our group.

Luckily, we hadn't run into any monsters, yet. But, that fact left us in inactivity while I tried to get us through the maze, and a lot of us were starting to get bored. So, to fight boredom, a few members of our group were finding different ways to entertain themselves. Soul Cards, like his name implied, was showing off a few card tricks to Cross and Cloud. Cloud, since he couldn't spread his wings inside the maze, rode on Cross's back as we walked. Sky and Dylan were talking to each other, catching up on what the other had done ever since they were trapped in the game. But Violet Runner, Neon Fire, and myself kept a watch out for any monsters that would drop in on us unexpectedly.

Lexus, who had been messing with his immobile wings, walked up beside me, "Man, this stinks. I don't know if I'll be able to take this for very long. I think my wings are starting to get a cramp after staying still for this long."

I raised an eyebrow at him, "Well, I can't do anything about it. And I don't think your wings are getting a cramp. That's just your imagination."

Lexus sighed in frustration, "Well, I'm just saying, the sooner we find the source of these thorns, the better."

I nodded and looked back to the maze in front of us. But then, I saw something that surprised me. Our path in the Labyrinth stopped just ahead and split in five different directions.

We all stopped in the middle of the six-way fork in the road, all of us unsure about which direction to go. I tried looking down each of the paths, but none of them gave any clue as to where it would lead. I grumbled to myself, Sure, send us into the maze. Great idea, Jupiter.

As I was contemplating our next path to take, I heard Violet Runner speak. He pointed a hoof down one path, "Okay, my team should go down this path. Team Equitum, you guys go down that path." He said, pointing to another path.

I glowered at Violet, "Whoa, hey. You can't just order my team around like that. And besides, Jupiter put me in charge of this investigation, so I choose where we go next."

Violet was a bit surprised at my outburst, but he then narrowed his eyes at me in frustration, "Well, you've led us down into *fifty* different dead-ends. Yes, you've done a wonderful job at navigating." He said sarcastically. Violet glared at me, "But I think it's my turn to lead the group."

Sky stepped up next to me, glancing between me and Violet, "Hey, dudes. Stop it. Remember what Jupiter said about working together? That our survival depended on it?"

I ignored Sky and turned to Violet, "Hey, you're the one who made the decisions that put your own team into more danger. Just by getting an extra element in your team, you made yourselves a bigger target for the Haters' Guild. And I won't let you make any choices that will put my team in danger."

Violet replied just as quickly, "I already have Jupiter on my case for that, and I don't need you to be giving me grief for that as well. Besides, we never ran into the haters while travelling, so I don't see what the big deal is. We weren't in danger, so I don't see why I shouldn't lead."

I retorted angrily, "Well, for one thing, if we split up like you want to, then we would not only be disobeying Jupiter's orders, but we could be easily taken out by one of Discord's monsters. We have no idea what he has in store for us in here."

Violet rolled his eyes, "Look around! We haven't come across a single monster ever since we came into this maze. You're even scared that we'll run into one monster, just because we split up? Some Element of Courage you are."

I glared at him with hatred, "Well, what kind of an element is spirit anyways? At least mine makes more sense than yours. Maybe that's the reason why you went and got a second one. Just because your element sucked!"

Violet snapped back at me, "Is that what this is all about? Are you just angry that my team has two elements while yours only has one?"

I faltered for a moment, a bit shocked that Violet would even say that, "What? No!"

Violet didn't stop there, "It's true, isn't it? You're just jealous that we have two while you only have one. Maybe you're jealous that my team better than yours, or maybe... you're jealous that I'm a better leader than you!"

I suddenly lost my temper at that, and I drew my sword, "You little-"

"Both of you, quit it!" Lexus cut us off as he stepped in between us, "You're both acting like complete imbeciles! Who cares about who has how many elements! I'm not even a brony, yet I know that there's more to the elements than just being the bearer."

For a split moment, everyone was silent. But Lexus wasn't finished yet, "We all know that the elements will only work when they are used in harmony with each other. But when it comes time to fight Discord, we won't be able to use the elements because you two are fighting. They wouldn't work because neither of you are friends with each other. Some elements of harmony you guys are."

Lexus continued, "Can't either of you two see? Discord's manipulating you guys and you don't even notice it. He wants you to be chaotic with each other instead of working together in harmony. It's just like what Jupiter said; Our survival depends on how well we can work together as a team."

I was gaping at Lexus in shock. I was both surprised that Lexus even knew that stuff, and that what he was saying was actually true. We were being chaotic.

Lexus sighed, "We need to pull ourselves together and work together or else we'll never find what's causing these thorns to..." He trailed off as his eyes looked at the ground. Instantly, his eyes widened in surprise and horror.

I followed his gaze to see a few small thorns rapidly growing out of the ground beneath us. I gasped in horror as they continued to grow at a quick rate, "What the heck?" I glanced around us to see that huge thorns had grown up all around us, blocking off all of the paths.

Violet called out to everyone, "The thorns must have grown while we were distracted. We need to-"

CREAK

The ground under all of us suddenly groaned. My eyes widened as I saw that it actually was sinking below us.

I quickly called out to my team, "Get clear!" 

But it was too late, because suddenly, the ground burst and collapsed under our hooves, dropping us down below where it used to be.

We all screamed as we fell through the air, heading towards nothing but a black pit below us lined with thorns. I glanced at all of our group as they struggled to do something to remedy the situation. Cloud and Lexus were desperately trying to spread their wings and fly. Sky and Soul pulled out their swords and tried to dig into the thorns to slow their descent, but to no avail, as their weapons couldn't penetrate the thick outer skin of the plant.

Everyone else and myself couldn't do anything else, except for fail out limbs helplessly as we fell through the darkness. For a moment, it seemed as if everything had stopped, like we were all going to die. But then, we landed on the cold hard ground below. My neck whiplashed with the impact of my body hitting stone, sending the back of my head slamming against the ground. Instantly, everything went black, including the one spot of light where we had fallen from.