//------------------------------//
// Chapter 18 
// Story: Hot Heads, Cold Hearts and Nerves of Steel 
// by Trinary 
//------------------------------//

Nine multicolored equines charged through the dust and smoke into the dark palace of King Sombra. The six necklaces bearing the Elements of Harmony shone all the brighter in the dark.

Even Sombra’s magic-inhibiting black crystals were no match for them, even as they swallowed up all other light. Their only source of light was their necklaces and rows of lit torches adorning the wall which barely provided any illumination. Not that there was much they would want to see of Sombra’s wicked fortress. The decor was no more pleasant on the inside than it was on the outside. The ceiling was high and the corridor’s wide, making their echoing hoofsteps seem small and insignificant. The shadows promised of perfect places for their enemies to launch ambushes, albeit with no places for them to hide in. But that wasn’t their plan anyway. 
 
“We better hurry!” Shining Armor shouted. “Every monster and minion in the castle must’ve heard that commotion.”
 
“So which way is Sombra?” Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes. “He’s got an appointment for a flank kicking!”
 
Pinkie put on her best thinking face. The others, not used to seeing it, assumed she just had gas. “Hmm, well if princesses are kept in the towers and prisoners are kept in the dungeons, then I guess evil kings must be somewhere in the middle!”
 
Cadance nodded to her companions. “Makes sense to me.”
 
“You’re delusional. Probably still suffering from magical overuse.” Shining Armor patted her head comfortingly. “We won’t hold it against you.”
 
“Gee, thanks,” she snarked back.
 
Zecora rolled her eyes. “Let me guess: newly engaged, I presume? Shouldn’t we look for the missing foals before we find Sombra’s room?”
 
“If Sombra’s planning to drain them to empower himself and if the entire city is designed to augment his power, then it doesn’t matter where they are,” Twilight reasoned. “We’d have to find them, break them out, and get them outside the city before Sombra begins the spell.”
 
Shining Armor shook his head. “We don’t have time to do all that. He could be starting his spell anytime.”
 
“But Sweetie Belle!” Rarity protested. Applejack snorted, siding up next to her in clear agreement.
 
Rainbow Dash frowned at Shining. “I don’t like the idea of leaving anypony hanging—especially a bunch of scared kids in some evil creep’s dungeon.”
 
“We’re not leaving anypony behind. We’ll free them all.” Shining promised, looking to Rarity and Applejack. “But for right now, they’ll be safe enough there until we finish stopping Sombra. The longer we take in defeating Sombra, the more time he has to complete his spell.”
 
After considering this for a moment, Rainbow looked from her friends to Shining Armor and back again. She stomped her hoof against the crystal floor. “This sucks.”
 
Shining sighed. “Yeah.”
 
The rainbow-maned pony pounded her hooves together and narrowed her eyes. “Then we’ll just have to stomp Sombra fast.” 

“You can count me in, sugarcube.” Applejack tugged the brim of her hat down. “Let’s give this galoot a lickin’ and then give him the old heave-ho.”
 
Rainbow grinned at her. “Aww yeah.” She high-hoofed AJ. “Rarity?” She looked to the prim unicorn. “You in?” She was a little taken aback by the intensity of the fashionista’s eyes as Rarity put on her war face.
 
“I’ll destroy him before I let him harm one hair on Sweetie Belle’s precious head!” she roared, her voice echoing off the hallway walls and down the corridor.
 
“Aww, yeah!” Rainbow Dash pumped her hoof. “Let’s go get him!”
 
“So which way do we go?” Cadance asked, looking around.
 
Suddenly, a wall of crystals grew out of the ceiling, walls and floor, completely blocking the way they had just come from.
 
“Forward.” Rainbow deadpanned. With a mighty flap of her wings, she was up and away.
 
Twilight frantically called after her as she flew down the hallway. “Rainbow Dash, wait! We need to stay together!”
 
But Dash had already rounded the bend and was out of sight. “Dang-blasted, hot-headed, leaping-before-she-looks…” Applejack grumbled as she reared up. “Git along ponies! After her!”
 





 
Outside the castle, in what dwellings the enslaved crystal ponies had, two little ponies sat and watched a third as she slept. Dinky was dreaming. She knew she was dreaming because she was flying and she wasn’t riding Mommy or Rainbow Dash. It was nighttime and the stars were out and moon was really, really big.

A soft voice echoed around her. “Dinky...”

“Who izzit?” She looked around. “‘M not gonna fall, am I? Cuz I don’t have any wings...”
 
Somepony chuckled. “You're not going to fall little one, though I would catch you in a heartbeat if you did.” There was a flapping of large wings as Dinky stared, open-mouthed as Princess Luna, ruler of the night flew over to her as if they had just bumped into each other in the market. “Hello, Dinky Doo.”

“Oh, wow!” Dinky exclaimed. Then she thought of something. “You helped me wake up from that bad dream I was in!” She gasped. “The one the bad ponies put me in with my mommy, only she wasn’t my mommy and she wanted to take me somewhere but I knew I didn’t want to go and--”

Luna shushed her gently, holding up a hoof. “Yes, young filly. As Princess of the Night, I can enter into my subjects’ dreams. I tried to find the fillies and colts that were stolen, but because of King Sombra’s dark interference, I could only enter the dreams of the one filly I had a connection with.” Luna smiled at Dinky. “The one who gave me a muffin the night of my return.”

“That was me! I gave you a muffin!” Dinky beamed. “So--wait, why’re you in my dreams?”

“Because I have a message for you to give to Rainbow Dash and her friends.” Luna draped a wing around the little filly. “I could not tell her or her other companions, in case Sombra was watching their dreams.” She paused. “I need you to tell her that she needs to remember what she did when she faced m--Nightmare Moon. She must be able to face down her deepest fears and conquer them in order to stop Sombra. You must tell her!” 

“I will!” Dinky nodded. “I promise! I won’t let you down!”

Luna smiled, lowering her head to nuzzle her gently. “I know you won’t. Now, it’s time for you to wake up...”





“...wake up! Dinky, you awake?” Pip prodded her gently with his nose. Her only answer was an adinkable snore. “You gotta wake up!” He nudged her again. “This is no time to have a kip!”
 
“Quit using weird words,” Alula lectured him. “She’s sleeping, not having a kid.”
 
“That’s not what I said!” Pipsqueak frowned at her. “And I am not using weird words! You’re the one who uses weird words! Like recon-goiter.”
 
She huffed. “It’s a real word.”
 
“Is not!”
 
“Is too!”
 
Dinky grumbled in her sleep and wrapped herself tighter in Favorite, snuggling further into her makeshift pillow.
 
Pip shook his head. “We gotta wake her up!” He looked to Alula. “What if she’s under some kinda magic spell, like in the storybooks?”
 
Alula rolled her eyes. “Those’re storybooks, Dummy.”
 
“Yeah? Well she was put to sleep by magic from a princess! That’s kinda like the storybooks.” Pip argued. “Maybe she needs a kiss to wake up!”
 
“A kiss?!” Alula snorted. “Just get some water and pour it on her. S’what Daddy did when Cloud slept in, when she used to live at home.”
 
“...Your family is weird,” Pip said. Dinky stirred, mumbling sleepily into her pillow. “I’m giving her a wake up kiss!” He leaned over and pecked her on the cheek. “MWAH!”
 
Dinky went wide-eyed as her brain started to boot up “Waaaugh! I’m ‘wake I’mawake I’mawake!” she squealed, bolting upright.
 
“Yay! It worked!” Pip hopped and down on the bed triumphantly, beaming at Alula.
 
“Water woulda done the trick too,” she grumbled grumpily. “Or coffee.”
 
Pip shook his head. “We have tea in my house. My Dad says only colonials drink coffee.”
 
“No coffee...” Dinky whined sleepily. “Miss Pinkie gets rilly scary when she’s near it.” She rubbed her eyes then paused as things caught up with her. “RAINBOW DASH?! Where’s Rainbow Dash, she was just here!”
 
“You got magicked to sleep and now we’re in some crystal pony’s crystal-y house.” Pip explained, sitting down on the bed. “All the grown-ups went to fight the bad guy, King Sombrero.”
 
“But she was just here!” Dinky protested. “We just found her an’ now she went away again!” She hopped up, wrapping Favorite around her. “We gotta go find her!”
 
“She’s gone,” a dull voice broke in. Standing in the doorway was the perpetually dour crystal pony, Azure Prism. “She’s already broken into the King’s castle. There’s no way in. Or out.”
 
Dinky gasped. “Then we gotta go save her!” She hopped down off the bed with a thump, joined a second later by Pip and Alula. But when they headed for the door, they found Azure standing in the way.
 
“She told me to keep you here where it’s safe. Or at least as safe as anyplace is.” Azure’s shoulders slumped down. “It doesn’t really matter. Once the King is ready, we’ll all be his slaves ... forever.”
 
Alula frowned at her. “Nuh-uh! There’s Rainbow Dash and my sister and my mom and the whole Royal Guard and they’re gonna beat him up! Stop being a scaredy-pony! You’re worse than Pip!”
 
The piebald colt frowned at her. “Hey!”
 
“If they’re in trouble … then we rilly gotta go help them!” Dinky tugged on the crystal pony’s leg.
 
The bigger pony just shook her head. “The King controls who can enter and who can leave.”
 
“There’s gotta be some way in.” Pip insisted.

Alula nodded. “Mom says only really dumb dummies build a place that doesn’t have an exit strategy in case of ‘mergencies or something.”
 
“Oh yeah! Like a secret passage in the sewers?” Dinky suggested.
 
Pip and Alula made a face. “Ew,” they said in together in a rare moment of agreement. Pipsqueak looked up at the reticent looking Azure Prism. “Is there some other way in?”
 
She paused for a long moment. “There is no way you three can use.”
 
“Can you use it?” Dinky asked.
 
“I...”
 
Pip chimed in. “Well?”
 
“There … is an entrance,” Azure finally admitted. “It is for the slaves only, for bringing in the imprisoned foals. It is guarded. You won’t be able to get in.”
 
“We can pretend! We can pretend RILLY well an' you can lead us in!” Dinky exclaimed.
 
Azure tried to protest. “But...”
 
“Pleeeeeeze?” Dinky looked up at her with wide, shimmering doe-eyes.
 
“T-they ... they told me to keep you here ... it's not safe...” The crystal pony mumbled, her resolve weakening. Years of servitude under Sombra’s oppressive hooves have the crystal ponies with little will of their own. “The King has traps in the castle … and the snow leopards and bushwoolies, they'll be there too. We should just wait and—”
 
“NO!” Dinky stamped her hoof. “I've been away from Rainbow Dash an' everypony else already!” Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes as she sniffed, wrinkling her nose to prevent them from falling. “I—I gotta find Rainbow Dash! W-when Mommy and Sparky’s not around, she’s the pony who makes everything better! How can it be better if I’m not with her?”

Azure seemed to crumple in on herself while a frown slowly made it’s way onto her face. “I dunno ... maybe we should stay here, where the adults told us to be. Good soldiers gotta follow orders.”

“But we’re not soldiers ‘lula!” Dinky almost shouted. “We’re s’posed to be with our moms and sisters and stuff, but they’re not here! We gotta be with Rainbow Dash a-and the princess, otherwise how’ll things be okay?”

“Things’ll be okay ‘cause Rainbow Dash and the Princess know what they’re doin’,” Alula answered, doing her best to keep her cool. “They told us to stay here, so we oughta listen to ‘em. Not go runnin’ off.”

“But the other princess told me that I haveta help them!” Dinky insisted. “She was in my dream and told me that I had to be brave and stuff!”

Alula blinked in confusion. “What other princess? Just ‘cause you had a weird dream doesn’t mean we can disobey orders.”

Dinky groaned. “The new one! The one Rainbow Dash saved! Princess Luna!” 

Pipsqueak gasped. “Princess Luna was in your dream? Wow! … How’d she do that?”

“She’s the princess of the moon and night, duh! She can go into your dreams and stuff.” Dinky looked to Alula. “And she’ll punish you if you don’t do what she says!”

Alula snorted and rolled her eyes. “Well yeah, but she’s not here. You just had a weird dream about her is all.”

“Nu-uh! It was real and stuff! I’m going and that’s that!” She huffed, walking over to the door.

“You can’t!” Alula galloped over to block the doorway. “We gotta stay here, where Rainbow and the Princess told us to. We can’t just leave an’ go runnin’ after them ‘cause you had a weird dream!” The filly paused, and her eyes drifted down to the bandage on her flank. “Bad stuff’s happening, Dinky. We could get hurt.”

“It wasn’t a bad dream!” Dinky stomped up and down. “I promise! Princess Luna had something super secret to tell Rainbow Dash only she couldn’t and now I gotta tell her and if I don’t then even more bad things’ll happen and they can’t happen because she’s Rainbow Dash and she’s got to be okay!” She panted, her tiny chest heaving.

Pip hesitated, looking between his two friends. “I … I think we should go.” He said, standing next to Dinky. “If a princess said so, then it’s gotta be okay, right?” He nuzzled Dinky’s shoulder. “Dinky’s really smart and she’s the one that helped us get away and … and I believe her.”

Alula went quiet, trying to figure out what she should do next. On the one hoof, orders were orders, and for all she knew Dinky just had a nightmare. On the other hoof ... well, Dinky certainly seemed to believe something serious was going on. And maybe the Princesses could show up in a pony’s dreams. They were the Princesses, after all. “Are you sure it was rilly the Princess and not just a funny dream. Like, super-duper sure?”

“Totally super-duper awesome-mega sure!” Dinky swore. “She’s the one who woke me up when we were in the tunnels, when we were in that cart? If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have woken you two up and then we’d all be stuck in a dungeon or with those stinky bush monsters like the others!”  

Alula thought it over for a bit longer. She still wasn’t convinced that Dinky had really gotten a message from the Princess, but it was too important to take a chance on. “Okay, we gotta do a fourth axe thingy. That makes it okay to not do what Rainbow and Princess Cadance said, ‘kay?”

“Akay!” Dinky beamed, hugging Alula and Pip tightly around their necks. “Dun worry, it’s all gonna be okay!” A few minutes later, once the trio had combined their efforts and successfully badgered Azure into taking them to the castle, their enthusiasm waned.

“Um, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea…” Pip gulped. The three foals gulped nervously as the cringing Azure Prism walked them over to the looming black castle. Dark spires and bits of jagged crystal jutted out at random intervals, lending an acute sense of danger and fear to its already large and imposing structure. “Whoa … scary.”
 
Azure Prism was almost completely overtaken with pure terror. “Shh! Y-you’ve got to be quiet!” Her voice tried to come off as commanding but was instead pleading. “I-I’ll take you to the guards and tell them that you’re some prisoners who escaped. They’ll let us inside and we can find your friends … I hope.” She trembled.
 
The trio looked at each other nervously before looking back at the castle. They gulped but all nodded together. It wasn’t hard to act the part of terrified, abducted prisoners as Azure led them around to the back of the castle, where a pair of bushwoolies stood guard.
 
Looking around, the kids didn’t see any door or other way. How were they going to get inside then? Once the bushwoolies spotted them, they began to growl. “Halt! Who goes there?”
 
Azure Prism shook and cringed away. The foals hugged her legs. The poor crystal pony was even more terrified, having spent the entirety of her life being beaten down by Sombra’s tyranny. Azure’s mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. Alula had to nudge her sharply to get her to say anything. “I—I—bring prisoners!”
 
“Why weren’t they with the others?” Demanded the other one.
 
“They … e-escaped in the tunnels.” Azure squeaked out. “They were recaptured and I-I was told to bring them and put with the others.”
 
The first one grunted and wrapped a knuckle against the smooth wall behind him. At once, a giant crystal seemed to slide upwards, revealing a doorway and a staircase. “Take them and go.”
 
“A-at once.” Azure bowed her head. She quickly led Alula, Dinky and Pipsqueak inside. The guards growled at the foals, delighting in them flinching away. They guffawed as the entrance closed behind them, locking them inside.
 





 
It was to nopony’s (or zebra’s) surprise that despite only having been out of sight for a minute, when they found Rainbow Dash, she was in the middle of a fight. At an intersection where the corridor branched off into half a dozen hallways, she had encountered a patrol. She was in the middle of quite a dustup, brawling with two unlucky bushwoolies. “Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy cried out, alerting her to their presence.
 
“Fluttershy!” Rainbow snapped her head up. “Get back! I can—GAH!” She yelped as she was clouted in the ear by one of the bushwoolies who took advantage of her momentary lapse in concentration.
 
“Dagnabit, Rainbow!” Applejack grunted as she leapt into the fray and bucked said bushwoolie in the side. “Just what the hay were you thinking, rushing off ahead like that?”
 
Dash gave a quick snort as she tossed her head. “I had this—under control!” She flattened the other bushwoolie with a roundhouse blow to the face. “We needed to find Sombra, so I went and found us some tour guides!”
 
“Tour guide, singular.” Twilight corrected, looking at the one Rainbow Dash had just knocked out. “I don’t think he’s going to be answering any questions while unconscious.”
 
Pinkie Pie looked at the ground. “Or without his teeth! Hey! Maybe I could have Gummy teach him how to talk without teeth. You know, Gummy is a very clear speaker and has perfection diction!”
 
That won a questioning glance from Rarity. “I didn’t realize you knew the importance of diction.”
 
“Course I do!” Pinkie bounced up. “If you didn’t have diction, then you couldn’t have dictionary, and then where would Sweetie Belle be?”
 
“Quit yer jawing and help out!” Applejack snarled as the remaining bushwoolie had grabbed her by the tail and had hauled her up off the floor. He regarded her curiously, easily avoiding her flailing limbs thanks to his longer reach as he contemplated what having a pony for dinner would be like. Absently, he spun the orange cowpony around to better examine her thighs and rump, prodding them curiously.
 
“Great Appleloosa!” Applejack cried, her face burning red with a massive blush. “Get this per—verted monster offa me!”

Rainbow Dash circled around and divebombed down at him. “Allow me!” Pushing out her front hooves out in front of her, she called out to the hairy monster. “Hey, ugly!”
 
The hapless minion looked up just in time to see two blue hooves attached to a pegasus-sized ball of awesome come in at ramming speed. His ears folded against his head and his eyes went wide. He only had time for a tiny whimper before Rainbow was on him.

The blow knocked him clear across the corridor and into a wall where he slid down, visions of blue pegasi flying around his head.
 
Applejack let out a yelp of her own as she found herself suddenly dropped to the ground, her face having an intimate encounter with the floor. “Ow,” she mumbled casually.
 
“Oh my goodness. Are you okay, Applejack?” Fluttershy asked, nervously rubbing her hooves together.
 
“Just peachy, sugarcube.” Applejack deadpanned. “Bein’ felt up by a big ugly monster and dropped on my face is how Ah like to spend every day.”
 
Fluttershy coughed. “Oh. Well, that’s … nice?”
 
Grumbling furiously about the one-two blow to her dignity, Applejack got up and stormed over to the bushwoolie as it moaned, clutching its head.
 
“All right you ornery varmint. Ah’m only gonna ask this once: which way to ol’ King Sombra?” Her eyes glinted with fury. “An’ you better not try to lie t’me, cuz I’ll know if you do. And you do not want to tick me off anymore than you and yours already have, got it?”
 
Plainly terrified, the bushwoolie weakly raised a trembling arm and pointed down the center hallway. Applejack tipped her hat to him, her tone polite. “Much obliged.” A hoof to the jaw later and the bushwoolie was laid out, unconscious. “Right, we got our directions.”
 
Shining Armor nodded, stepping forward. “Then we should go—without rushing ahead, Rainbow.” He looked at her meaningfully before taking up position at the head of the group.
 
“Wait.” Zecora’s accented, soft-spoken voice wafted over the group. “Does this not seem to you like bait?” She went on, seeing that she had everypony’s attention. “Is our whole plan to rush in to confront the enemy amidst a huge din?”
 
“Of course not.” Shining Armor bristled. “Our tactics will be determined once we find out what Sombra’s strength is, if his army is with him and so on. But our strategic premise is sound: we have to stop him before he casts his spell.”
 
Zecora dipped her head. “Far be it for me to disagree, but I sense there is something else we need, if our quest is to succeed.”
 
 “Ooh, do you have a zebra sense? Does it tingle?” Pinkie hopped around her, eagerly firing off a question with every bounce. In an effort to save time and sanity, Zecora closed her eyes and plugged Pinkie’s mouth with her hoof.
 
“You’re just telling us this now?” Rainbow groaned at Zecora, clapping a hoof to her forehead. “I know you like being all mystical and cryptic, but come on!”
 
Twilight bit her lip. “What do you mean Zecora? We have the Elements of Harmony—they’re the most powerful magic known to ponykind.”
 
The zebra nodded. “Indeed they are and normally would be a match for Sombra any hour. But remember where we are: in his place of power. His dark crystals shaped and molded the city, amplifying his power—more’s the pity.”
 
Cadance nodded. “Crystals can amplify sound, like making music with crystal glasses. But magic crystals can also amplify energy, emotions and magic, or cancel them out completely.”
 
“So, what, we can’t beat him?” Rainbow demanded. “I bet a zap from the Elements would be enough for us to take him down. If it was good enough for Nightmare Moon, it’s good enough for this two-bit poser.”

Zecora willed her to understand as she explained. “Yes, I believe the Elements can sound his defeat’s knell. But remember, he has had a long time to weave his spells. He poured his black soul into the crystals he controls. Thus his essence is spread out to the entire city and its population—stallions, mares and foals. The Elements can blast him away, but a small part of him may stay.”

Cadance nodded. “I think I understand. Sombra used the magical properties of the crystals that the Empire is made of to amplify his power. He ended up putting so much of himself into the city that it’s practically bonded to him. That’s why the Empire vanished with him when Celestia and Luna banished him.”

“And the crystal ponies, too.” Twilight chimed in. “Though I don’t think they have many crystalline properties, apparently they can amplify magic just like the non-living crystals. This would explain the stories I’ve read that state that if the Crystal Empire is filled with hope and love, those things are reflected across all of Equestria.” She cast a look at her friends, trying to make sure they followed her. “The crystal ponies must be able to reflect their feelings and emotions, through the city’s crystals, to all of Equestria. But that works both ways. Anything that can channel your power out can also be used to let something in. Therefore, if Sombra’s presence has seeped into the city, it’s seeped into the crystal ponies too.”

Rainbow didn’t understand all of that, but she got the essential bits. “So you’re saying that Sombra isn’t just a pony we can blast with the Elements ... there’s parts of him in the city and in all the crystal ponies?”
 
“Exactly!” Twilight exclaimed. “Even if we defeat Sombra in pony, parts of his presence could linger on in the crystal ponies. And if his will were strong enough, he could take them over until there was an entire city-full of Sombras.” She panted, short on breath after her lecture.

Shining Armor frowned. “All it would take is one—one crystal pony who was out of range of the effects of the Elements of Harmony for Sombra to escape in a new body. Who knows if we’d find him again.”
 
“Hang on now.” Applejack interjected. “Ah may not be the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to magical theory and whatnot, but didn’t y’all say that the Crystal Empire makes magic stronger? Then why not have it make the Elements of Harmony, stronger?”

“I think that’s what Zecora meant when she said there was something we needed.” Cadance reasoned, turning to the zebra. “Is that it?”

Zecora smiled and nodded. “You have hit the matter at its root. There is an artifact, great in power and ancient to boot. The dark one feared it and locked it away, but with it, and the Elements, we can win the day. Sombra will be bested and the city and crystal ponies saved, then we can all rest.” Her face grew more somber as she went on, her gaze locking with Cadance’s. “But only one can hope to find it and restore the Crystal Empire. One of Sombra’s blood, great in power and strength, tempered by fire.”

“Absolutely not!” Shining Armor exploded. “I’ll go and find it. Cadance can—”

“Shining Armor, it’s okay.” Cadance exhaled gently. “I’ll do it. Zecora hasn’t given us any cause to doubt her before. If she says I’m the only one who can do it, then I believe her.” She looked at the rest of her friends before turning back to her fiance. “While I’m gone, we can look for the captured foals, too … I have to do this Shining.”

The lone stallion took a deep breath before letting it out. “Okay ... but I’m coming with you too.” He forestalled her by raising a hoof. “You might have to do this, but that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone.”

“Shiny...” Twilight and Cadance said together, looking at each other. Neither one of them spoke. They both didn’t want Shining to leave them, but couldn’t bring themselves to ask him to stay and abandon the other.

Shining’s face crumpled as he realized what was being posed before him: choosing between his little sister and his fiancee. Rainbow Dash extended a wing over Twilight’s back. “Hey, Shiny, it’s okay. The six of us can take care of ourselves pretty well on our own. Just ask Nightmare Moon.” She winked so both Shining Armor and Twilight could see it. “Cadance and Zecora are gonna need you more.”

Twilight opened her mouth, but Rainbow leaned in close and whispered in her ear. “Hey, it’s like everypony was telling me about Cadie and Shiny. Just because Shiny loves Cadance doesn’t mean we’re not important to him, remember?”

“Yeah…” Twilight closed her eyes and sighed. “I know.” She nodded. “Rainbow’s right, BBBFF. Zecora and Cadance need you more. And being where you’re needed most—”

“—Comes with the job description.” Shining Armor finished. “Okay, just—stay safe, Twily.”

Rainbow reached over to gently muss Twilight’s mane, ignoring her feeble protests. “Hey, she’s got me watching out for her.”

“Right.” Shining’s tone was neutral. “Twily?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll watch out for her too.” Twilight batted Rainbow’s hooves away. “You guys better get going. Stay safe Zecora, Cadance … Shining.”

“You too.” Cadance dipped her head. “I’ll make sure Shining Armor comes back safely.”

“I know you will.” Twilight smiled, a touch misty-eyed. “You two are good for each other.”

Zecora cleared her throat. “I am sorry, but we must make haste--us to find our treasure and you to stop the tyrant from laying Equestria to waste.”
 
“All right. Let’s go kick some evil rump!” Rainbow Dash flapped her wings. “Good luck getting the big city de-purifier thing while we knock Sombra off his throne!” She looked to her friends. “Right?”
 
“Right!” They chorused back at her. With a final exchange of ‘good-byes’ and ‘good lucks,’ the group split apart, with Zecora leading Cadance and Shining Armor down another corridor. The Elements of Harmony rushed down the main hallway and kept going until they reached a massive double-door.
 
Applejack pushed her hoof against the door, testing it. “Ah’m gonna take a wild guess and say this is Sombra’s throne room.”
 
“Oooh! You’re good!” Pinkie Pie complemented her. “Do you also know who stole the last cookie from the cookie jar?”

“Uh, you?” AJ hazarded warily.

Pinkie gasped. “Wow! You really good!” 

Fluttershy looked around. “Oh my, that’s a big door. I hope it isn’t locked.”
 
“Only one way to find out…” Rainbow stepped forward, a determined look on her face.
 
“Actually, there’s a lot of ways to find out.” Twilight pointed out. “Testing, experimentation, careful observation for any locking mechanisms…”
 
“Too late--my way’s faster.” Dash hurled herself against the door and pushed. To her surprise, the doors seemed to slide open without much effort. “Told you, Twilight!” She announced as she rushed inside, her friends flanking her. “All right Sombra you’re going…down?”

The inside of the room was pitch black, through which nopony’s eye could penetrate. However, as soon as they were clear of the doors, they snapped shut behind the Elements, locking them inside. Then a row of torches along the walls suddenly lit up, illuminating the room and the danger the ponies were in. Inside the room with them was a great horde of bushwoolies, over a hundred of them grinning and baring their teeth. A pack of snow leopards prowled around the edges as three windigos circled above them. There was no other way out.
 
“We’re trapped!” Rarity cried.
 
“Wrong—they’re the ones that are trapped.” Rainbow snorted, pawing at the floor with her hoof, preparing for a charge. “All this means is that they can’t escape.”
 
“There’s about a hundred of them and six of us.” Twilight pointed out warily.
 
“Yeah…” Rainbow’s grin was fierce. “They don’t stand a chance.”
 
Applejack nodded, fishing her lasso out of the inside of her hat. “I think we can take ‘em.”

“I think you’re right.” Twilight stepped forward, feeling the others’ bravery bolster her own. The others soon joined her, forming a solid wall of multi-colored ponyflesh.

“CHARGE!” Rainbow Dash shouted as her friend surged ahead, hurling themselves at the army of bushwoolies, snow leopards and windigos that were meeting their charge with one of their own. The two sides met in the middle and the battle was joined.