//------------------------------// // Chapter Twenty-nine // Story: The Elements of Harmony and the Savior of Worlds // by RK_Striker_JK_5 //------------------------------// At the Rainbow Bridge Megan and Spike shielded their eyes as a sphere of light formed, quickly dissolving. It left behind Twilight Sparkle, Mike, Danny, Molly, and a young woman in a business suit. Said woman slowly stood up and rubbed her forehead. “Okay, not as bad as I thought, but still disconcerting.” She looked to Megan and extended her hand. “Ah, Missus Richards. My name's Minerva Yamamoto. I'm from the State Department.”          Megan blinked and slowly extended her hand to Minerva. “Hello...” She glanced over at Mike, who was kneeling by Twilight with Spike. “Mike?!”          Mike glanced up and scratched the back of his head. “It's all right, Megan. We're not in trouble or anything. They want to work with us and no one's broken any laws.” He looked over Twilight as she stood there, wobbling slightly. “Spike, is this normal for her?”          Spike hopped around Twilight, waving his arms in the air. “Twilight, Twilight?” He clasped his talons together and rocked back and forth. “I think I'd better write Princess Celestia and ask her to skip that meeting she's got with Fancy Pants. I'm worried!”          Everyone gathered around Twilight, who continued to wobble on her hooves. Her eyes closed and she kicked at the ground. “I... can't do this anymore,” she finally said, her shoulder slumping. “I'm sorry, everyone. I don't know what it is, but teleporting across the Rainbow Bridge just drains me so badly. Even with one or two passengers I feel like I'm on rubber legs and my head spins.” She hung her head and sniffled. “I'm so sorry, everyone.”          Spike wrapped his arms around her neck in a hug. “Aww, don't beat yourself up about this, Twilight. You did your best here, like you always do!”          Twilight leaned forward, partly into the hug and partly due to sheer exhaustion. “Thank you, Spike. But I still feel pretty bad about not being able to do this.” She looked up to the hole. “I still don't know why this tires me out so much. It's so frustrating!”          Danny rolled over to Twilight's side and gently ruffled her mane. “Hey, like Spike said, no worries, Twilight. We'll just use Celestia, Luna or Cadance as our taxi service.”          Twilight whinnied and cantered back, breaking Spike's hug. “W-what?! The princesses? Danny, you can't be serious!” she half-shouted, staring at him with wide eyes. “They're the princesses!”          Danny shrugged and leaned back in his wheelchair. “Well... yeah? I changed Celestia and Luna's diapers for three years. They owe me for that.”          Megan looked to Minerva. “Mike? Miss Yamamoto?” She waited for the younger woman to look up before motioning to the side. The three stepped aside. “Okay, what's up?” Megan asked. She raised her arms to her chest to cross them, but stopped and dropped them her sides.          Minerva chuckled. She laced her fingers together in front of her stomach and rocked slightly on her heels. “Well, President Abernathy wishes me to extend to you his apologies for not getting back to you before now. The information Mister Chase gave us was quite a lot to digest. He also wishes me to invite Princesses Celestia and Luna to Earth for talks and hopefully the opening of diplomatic channels and even trade.” She looked around. “I'm guessing that might have to wait a bit?”          Megan nodded. “Ah, sorry about that. Luna's taking a nap and Celestia had a number of meetings to attend to before dinner tonight. They'll be along later, but beyond Spike and traveling there ourselves we don't have any real way to contact them, at least at the moment.”          Mike sighed. “Sorry, Megan. I would've called, but getting a signal through is iffy at best most of the time.” He looked around. “Danielle and Michelle off in Ponyville?”          Megan waved him off. “They're off at Sweet Apple Acres with the rest of the Crusaders. And don't worry about not calling, Mike. So Miss Yamamoto–“          “Please, 'Minerva' is fine.”          A genuine smile lit up Megan's face. “Then just 'Megan' for me. Anyway, until Celestia and Luna arrive we can take you on a tour of Ponyville or get you something to eat.”          Minerva pulled a piece of paper from her jacket pocket and handed it to Megan. “I'm also here to give you an offer to buy your property. We'd like to use the land to build an official embassy for Equestria, as well as a space bridge station for ease of transport across the Rainbow Bridge.” She turned and glanced at Twilight, who was still sitting on the ground. “I think it would be better for all involved.”          Mike sidled over to Megan as she opened the piece of paper. Their eyes nearly popped out of their heads and their jaws went slack. They looked to each other, then to Minerva. Megan slowly folded the paper back up and, with exaggerated care, handed it back. “That is a... generous offer,” she said, clearing her throat at the end. She and Mike stepped back, turned to each other, clasped their hands together and suddenly began jumping around in a circle, letting out whoops of delight.          Molly, Danny, Spike and even Twilight stared at the pair as they continued dancing about and whooping. Molly walked up to Minerva's side. “Okay, how much did you offer them? Or was there some sort of drug on the paper that reacts through touch and smell or something?”          Minerva's mouth formed a straight line. “State secret,” she said, the corners of her mouth tugging up.          Thud...          Everyone looked to the Everfree Forest as the ground shook. Megan and Mike stopped hopping around and separated as Megan pulled her rifle off from where it hung from her back. “Okay, what the hell-” thud “was that?” she asked, sliding the safety into the 'off' position.          Minerva slid a thin laser pistol out of a shoulder holster and thumbed it on as the ground continued to shake. “I do believe that Everfree Forest of yours has some large predators? Manticores, timberwolves, an outcast dragon and even a bear the size of a house, for starters?”          Danny leaned down and scooped Twilight up into his arms. He placed her on his lap and spun around. “Okay, I think we should make for Ponyville and leave whatever's coming alone.”          The outer edge of the Everfree suddenly exploded. Trees were ripped from their foundation, tumbling like tenpins and sending everyone rushing about to avoid being squashed. Branches snapped from trunks and leaves flew about as a translucent-blue bear emerged, yellow eyes wide with rage. Its left rear leg limped ever so slightly, a pale-gray burn mark marring its otherwise shimmering fur.          One large tree toppled over and landed right between Mike and Megan, separating them. Both dove away from it, Megan rolling for a bit before coming up to one knee. She raised her head, seeing the Ursa Minor coming towards her. “Oh... shit!” she shouted as the beast stopped a few meters away, eyeing her. As she raised her rifle, she yelled out. “Twilight! Cover everyone's ears! It's gonna get really loud in a second.”          Spike climbed over a tree trunk, sliding down it and landing next to Danny and Twilight. “Twilight, you gotta do something!” he pleaded, grabbing one of the wheelchair's wheels. “Just like before, remember?”          Twilight let out a breath. She screwed her eyes shut and her horn began glowing, but it quickly faded and her head dropped down. “I... I can't do... anything,” she panted out. “At least not while its moving about and active.” She sucked in a deep breath before yelling, “Megan! Can you sing to it? That'll calm it down and then I can try to float it off!”          Megan looked the Ursa over before shaking her head. “It's got rocks inside its ears!” she yelled back. She raised her rifle, squared her shoulders and braced her feet.          Twilight's eyes bugged out. “Rocks? What the hay is–“          “Twilight, ears! NOW!”          Twilight's ears folded flat against her head. Her horn lit up once more, fainter this time. The same glow enveloped her ears, as well as Megan’s, Danny's, and Spike's. “All set!” she shouted.          Megan held her breath as she squeezed the trigger, firing at the Ursa. The giant bear flinched slightly, pawing at its face and the comparatively-small wound on its muzzle. Bluish fluid leaked from it, dripping onto the ground. It let out another roar and took another step forward, shaking the ground.          Megan worked her rifle's lever, ejecting the spent cartridge. She rolled her shoulder, wincing slightly. “Forgot how much kick she's got,” she mumbled to herself. She shuffled back, keeping her eye on the bear. She raised the rifle once more, firing as rapidly as she could work the lever and peppering its face and legs. Motion out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She looked up and to her left.          Mike stood on top of the fallen tree trunk, pistol out and trained on the bear's flank. Even standing on the tree the Ursa was still a few feet taller. “Get away from her!” he shouted, squeezing the trigger and emptying the pistol's clip into the Ursa's flank.          The Ursa roared and keened, lashing out at the trunk with a paw. Mike let out a yelp as he flew back, disappearing behind the trunk once more.          Megan's breath caught in her chest. “MIKE!” she screamed. The bear lashed out, barely tapping her with its other paw and sending her flying back. Megan landed hard on the ground, her rifle flying back several more feet. She groaned, pain shooting through her back. “Damn...” She blinked a few times, finally able to focus after a moment. She gasped as the Ursa loomed over her, muzzle the size of her torso mere inches from her.          The bear reached down with a paw and scooped up the still-dazed Megan. Clutching her gently in the paw, he turned and ambled back into the Everfree.          Mike stumbled out from around the log, limping slightly. He had a shallow cut across his forehead and clutched at his back, but he had his pistol out. Molly and Minerva soon joined him, with Danny, Spike and Twilight emerging a few seconds later. Mike ejected the spent magazine while Minerva raised her own laser pistol, but before any action could be taken a pair of black-clad pegasi emerged from the shadows, eyes glowing a pale yellow. They scooped Megan up from the Ursa's paw and flew off, disappearing into the depths of the Everfree.          Mike's jaw worked for a minute and he waved at the forest. His breath came out in ragged gasps. “I just... just...” He wiped his eyes. “That... those things just kidnapped Megan.” He looked down at Twilight, sitting in Danny's lap. “Twilight, what was that thing? Why did those pegasi help it?” He stumbled back, gasping for air. “Oh, god. Danielle and Michelle. They don't know what's happened.”          Molly grabbed Mike's trembling hands. “Mike, slow down. Calm down.” She breathed in through her nose and waggled her hand in an upwards motion. “Breathe in, breathe out. It's all right. We'll get Megan back. Trust me, this is nothing compared to Grogar.”          Mike sucked in a few gulps of air. His hands steadied and he straightened up. “Okay, sorry about that. I just... that kind of hit everything home for me.”          Danny rolled up to Mike's side and patted him on the back. “Not a problem, man. Not a problem at all.”          Twilight looked up. “Mike, to answer your question, that was an Ursa Minor. They're usually found north of the Dragon Lands, but this one and its mother live here in the Everfree. This isn't typical behavior for it. It usually just sleeps in its cave unless disturbed.”          Minerva spoke up. “What about those two pegasi that grabbed Megan? Do they control the Ursa? What use would they have for her? Why did it lumber out and grab her?”          Twilight shook her head. “I don't know, Minerva! There's relatively little information concerning Ursa Minors, except that Nightmare Moon used them in the Nightmare War and the best ways for a dragon to kill it! And the only other time I encountered this one, Snips and Snails had lured it out for a traveling magician named Trixie Lulamoon to fight. All I could do was lull it to sleep and float it back to its cave.”          Spike hopped up and down. “Nightmare Moon used them?”          Twilight nodded. “Right, Spike. But I don't see how–oh!” Her ears shot up. She looked around to Danny. “Danny, got anything to write with?”          Danny reached behind and pulled out a notebook and ball-point pen. He reached around Twilight and handed them to Spike, who took them and wrote rapidly on a sheet of paper. He tore out the sheet, held it up and breathed a gout of green flame onto it. The flame burned the scroll to ash and a wind kicked up, sending the ash high into the air.          Minerva watched it fly off. “So... that sends it to Celestia?”          Twilight nodded as she watched it fly off. She slowly hopped off of Danny's lap, landing on the ground. She stumbled slightly upon contact, but quickly regained her footing as Spike placed a steadying claw on her shoulder. “Thanks,” she said to one of her oldest friends. She looked to Minerva. “I'm afraid all we can do now is wait for the princesses to respond. And Herd knows how–“          Celestia and Luna suddenly appeared, their eyes ablaze. Celestia's hooves burnt the grass beneath them, while Luna's shadow seemed to drink in the surrounding light.          “... long that will be.” Twilight blinked and her ears folded right against her head. “Oh, dear.”          The alicorns' eyes dimmed back to normal. Celestia turned to the Everfree, snorting. She pawed the ground, digging up a rather deep trench. “So the Ursa Minor emerged, kidnapped Megan, brought her inside and a pair of pegasi carried her away.” Her horn lit up. “Am I correct in this?”          Minerva spoke up. “That about sums it up, your majesty.” She held up her badge as Celestia and Luna turned to her. “Minerva Yamamoto, State Department. And I think we've got far bigger fish to fry than formal introductions at the moment.”          Luna nodded. “A very wise decision, Miss Yamamoto.” She turned, but stopped as she saw Mike. She trotted over to him, horn glowing. “You're injured!” she said, touching her horn to his forehead.          Mike straightened up as the cut on his forehead healed and the pains and aches faded to nothingness. “Thanks, but Megan?” He stepped away from her and looked to the forest. “I mean every second we wait she's farther away!”          He started forward, but a blue glow enveloped him and he floated back to Luna. “I know, and I wish to level the entire accursed Everfree until we find her,” she said, glaring at the path of destruction that led into the depths, “but there are things amiss. I controlled the bears when I was Nightmare Moon, and I can tell you this is not typical behavior for one. Unless it is directed or disturbed, they will not leave their territory.”          Danny rolled over to Celestia. “Didn't Spykoran say something about them getting riled up north of the Dragon Lands?” He waited a moment for a response. “Celestia?” He snapped his fingers. “Hey!”          Celestia blinked and shook her head, her mane flowing about. “Sorry, sorry. I just...” She screwed her eyes shut.          Danny reached up and patted her on her loin, right in front of her wings. “I know,” he said, voice suddenly hoarse.          Mike clapped his hands together. “Okay, so star bears are suddenly on the rampage and kidnapped Megan. The question is why did it do this? What... controlled it to get her? Because I'm pretty damned sure she didn't mention running into that thing the two times she's gone into the Everfree!” He marched over, punched the log and let out a yelp of equal parts frustration and pain.          A voice suddenly echoed throughout their minds and the air, catching their attention. “Who indeed, Michael Richards? Who indeed controlled the Ursa Minor. Why only the Lord of Darkness himself!”          Luna gasped and reared back, kicking the air. “No, it cannot be!” Her eyes darted around. “That was the voice... the voice that tempted me to Nightmare Moon!”          Celestia turned and cantered to her sister's side. “Luna, you're sure?”          Luna looked to Celestia, nodding. “Even after a thousand years, I remember it.”          A high wind suddenly kicked up, tossing debris about. The humans and dragon held their arms up over their heads, while Celestia's and Luna's horns lit up. Protective domes enveloped everyone there. “Thanks,” Molly said. She looked up as clouds suddenly formed over the Everfree, stretching to the horizon. She lowered her arms and placed her hands on her hips. “Okay, I don't know who the hell you are, but you're gonna have to do a lot better than that to intimidate us!”          “Very well, Molly Williams. I shall take you up on your challenge.”          Danny slapped his forehead. “Way to go, sis.”          An image of Tirac shimmered into existence at the hole in the Everfree the Ursa made, nearly ten feet tall. He spread his arms out. “Ah, how nice it is to see all of you here.”          Luna's breath hitched in her throat. “You... you're Tirac! You're the one who killed Queen Majesty and destroyed the old Kingdom of Ponyland!” She dug her hooves into the ground and lowered her head. “Megan and the others of Dream Valley killed you before you could enact your plan of eternal night...” Her eyes suddenly widened. “No!”          Tirac laughed. “Ah, now you see! Not surprising, considering how easy it was to lead you down the path to be my servant.”          Luna nickered. Her horn glowed and she fired off a bolt of magic at the image. “I know your true face now, demon!” she spat. “I shall not fall for your honey-coated lies any longer!”          Celestia held a hoof up. “Easy, Luna. This is what he wants us to do.” She trotted up to the image of Tirac. “We will not play to your tune, demon. Return Megan to us now. The old Rainbow of Light killed you, and now we have the Elements of Harmony!”          Tirac belted out a laugh. “Oh, do you think I'm stupid, Celestia? Do you really think I didn't have some sort of plan or safeguards against you, Luna or the other ponies?” His lips curled up in a sneer and he jabbed a finger at Luna. “While Luna and I were... indisposed in the moon, I took the opportunity to tap into her link to the Heart of Ponyland.” He sketched a bow to the alicorn of the night. “Thank you ever so much, Luna. Because of that, I have more than enough power to hold you off!”         The center of the Everfree suddenly erupted, trees toppling to the ground. Mike let out a gasp. “What the hell was that?!”          “That would be the force field I just erected over Dream Castle,” Tirac responded. “My Shadowbolts have just delivered Megan's semi-conscious form to me. I will need my privacy for the ritual.”          Mike's eyes widened. “'Ritual'?”          The image spread his arms out. “What I physically am barely counts as smooze! I need flesh in order to regain my full, true powers. Megan Williams cost me my old body, and now she shall pay back that debt. And when I am whole once more, I shall stretch my hand out and bring true eternal night to this world. I shall bring down your pathetic Equestria, the Dragon Clans, the Griffin Empire... all shall fall before me!” Mike clenched his hands hard enough for small rivulets of blood to seep through the cracks. “You son of a bitch!”          Celestia's mane, meanwhile, suddenly ignited. She snorted, steam flowing from her nostrils. Her eyes turned a blazing white as she stretched out her wings. “NEVER!” she shouted, spittle flying from her muzzle.          Luna stared at her sister. “Celestia...”          Tirac chuckled. “Oh, dear Celestia. You forget. If I control the Ursa Minor,” the Everfree suddenly exploded, the beyond immense Ursa Major emerging and stretching out to the sky, “what about the Ursa Major?”          Mike, Molly, Danny, Minerva, Twilight and Spike's jaws all fell as the titanic star bear roared, shaking the ground. Minerva held up her laser pistol and looked it over. “I think we're gonna need some help against that... thing.”          Celestia reared back, kicking the air and sending out minor shockwaves with each thrust of her foreleg. Her hind legs tensed and she was suddenly airborne, flying right up to the Ursa Major. She became an indistinct dot against the bear's bulk. The sun suddenly burst through the clouds, dispelling them as if they were wisps of fluff. The sky brightened to an almost-blinding white as even the Ursa Major shielded its eyes against the glare.          A solid beam of light shot from the sun, enveloping Celestia and igniting her mane and tail. Her horn was a pillar of fire as she reared back. She tossed her head forward, firing a beam from the tip of her horn at the Ursa. It struck its ethereal flesh, strobing over the violet mass. The Ursa stumbled back, crushing entire copses of trees as it endured the assault. It roared and thrashed under the assault, smoke beginning to rise. The blue mark on its forehead glowed and a bluish energy beam shot from it, hitting Celestia's own beam and forcing it back.          The two streams of energy wrestled with each other for a few minutes, moving back and forth as if solid objects. Celestia's wings ignited and she nickered, kicking at the air. The energy around her horn pulsed. The beam intensified, forcing back the Ursa's own energy. It quickly overwhelmed the Ursa, enveloping its head and vaporizing it. The headless body tottered for a moment on its hind legs, swaying back and forth before fading away, the energy contained within freed and dissipating into the air.          Celestia fell. Luna and Twilight both gasped and caught her with their telekinesis, slowing her descent. The alicorn landed, her legs buckling under her weight. Luna and Twilight both steadied Celestia, the former walking over to her side. She waited for Celestia to be able to support her own weight before speaking. “I fear that is exactly what Tirac wanted you to do.” Luna then leaned in and nuzzled Celestia. “I thought I was supposed to be the impulsive one,” she chided.          Celestia sighed and folded her wings back against her body. “It's still one less minion Tirac has.” She looked to his image, still standing there. “If that was your trump card, your hand's weaker than you think!” she panted out.          Tirac merely raised his right hand and clenched it into a fist. Six balls of light appeared above the Everfree, falling and crashing into the forest and shaking the ground. More trees shook and toppled over as six more Ursa Majors emerged, roaring. Dark clouds rose up from the very shadows themselves, stretching out into Shadowbolt pegasi. All around the edge of the Everfree, earth pony and unicorn Shadowbolts stared out with yellow, unblinking eyes.          Tirac smiled. “Celestia, Luna, I shall see you soon. Prepare for annihilation.” And with that, the image faded away.          Celestia and Luna exchanged a glance before turning to the others. “We must act quickly,” Celestia said. “Luna, please go to Canterlot, get the Elements and inform Chancellor Fancy Pants, General Spanish Steel and Captain Shining Armor we have a quite literal Code: Tirac on our hooves here. Tell them to take any measures necessary to ensure the containment of Tirac's forces and the safety of the populace.”          “And you?” Luna asked.          Several scrolls, inkwells and quills flashed into existence around Celestia. The scrolls unfurled, the quills dipped into the inkwells and Celestia began writing on them. “I received a message from Spykoran this morning that he and Jormun the Red were back at the Valley of the Chieftains. I'm formally requesting his aid. I'm also writing Queen Rosedust as well as the Princess Ponies. I'll coordinate things here and regain my strength before we rescue Megan.” Celestia finished writing and the scrolls rerolled themselves, vanishing once more.          Luna let a small smile form on her mouth. “So the Final Prophecy was true,” she remarked. A mist formed up around her body, enveloping it. A wind kicked up, sending the mist flying off in Canterlot's direction, taking Luna with it.          Celestia looked to the others. “Twilight, Spike?”          Twilight hopped off Danny's lap, groaning slightly. She worked her neck a bit. “I'm better!” she said. “What is it, Princess?”          Celestia's horn glowed and a pair of rolled-up scrolls appeared before Twilight and Spike, each one bearing the royal seal. “These give you executive authority. Gather the other Elements. Get the citizens somewhere safe. Do whatever you have to in order to secure Ponyville, then get back here as quickly as possible.”          Spike straightened up. He grabbed one scroll and then tossed her a salute. “You can count on us, Princess!” he said, his expression one of determination.          Twilight nodded. “Spike speaks for both of us,” she said, floating her own scroll over. She looked to Spike. “Huddle close, Spike. We're going for a ride!”          Mike spoke up. “Twilight, Danielle and Michelle?”          Twilight looked to him. “I'll make sure they're safe, Mike. Or at least that somebody checks on them.” Her horn flared to life. “Spike, ready?”          Spike knelt down close to his oldest friend. “Thanks for warning me this time, Twilight,” he said before both vanished in a flash of violet light.          Danny rolled up to Celestia and looked up at her. “We need to go back home.”          Molly's right eyebrow arched. “Excuse me?!” She marched to his side, leaned over and jabbed a finger right at him. “Megan just got kidnapped and we're going back home?!”          Danny's mouth twitched. He reached up and batted Molly's hand away. “You and I are unarmed, and I know Mike's out of ammunition.”          Mike nodded. “I didn't bring any spare magazines with me.”          Danny glanced to him and returned the nod before focusing on Molly once more. “So right now we're kind of useless, but there's weapons and ammo back at the house. Just give us a few minutes to get them, all right?”          Celestia bowed her head. “Thank you.” Three silver discs appeared in front of Molly, Mike and Danny. Celestia sighed as she looked them over. “I crafted these as a short-term solution to Twilight's exhaustion from teleporting across the Rainbow Bridge. Squeeze them and they will teleport you to the house. Squeeze again and you'll come back. Get what you need, then return.”          Minerva spoke up. “Excuse me, your highness? I need to go back for a few minutes, too.” She held out her smartphone. “I seriously doubt there's any real way to get military aid here in time to stop Tirac or his armies, but I do need to call Washington and inform them of the situation. I will return, though.”          A fourth disc appeared in front of her. “Go with my thanks,” Celestia said.          Mike looked to the Everfree. “When I get back, I'm tearing that damned forest apart until I find her!”          Celestia opened her mouth, hesitating for a moment before speaking. “Mike, I don't think it'd be a good idea –“         “Oh, no!” Mike blurted out, holding his hands up. “There's no chance I'm being left behind when you and Luna are storming the castle. I have to do something to help!” He dropped his arms to the side and hung his head. “I just... I can't do nothing for her. I love her and...” His voice trailed off and he wiped his eyes. “Sorry, just sorry.”          Celestia walked up to Mike and leaned her head down, touching her horn to his shoulder. “You didn't let me finish,” she said, her horn glowing. “I was going to say that wouldn't be a good idea as you are now.”          A white blob emerged from Celestia's horn onto Mike's body, flowing around him. It faded, leaving a chainmail shirt covered with gleaming-silver plate armor. Greaves covered his legs while gauntlets protected his hands, wrists and forearms. A broadsword hung from his back and a helmet covered his head. On his breastplate was an ornate rainbow, with the sun and moon hanging over it.          Mike reached up and lifted the visor covering his face. He looked the armor over before sketching a bow to Celestia. “Thanks.”          Molly and Danny exchanged a glance. “Looks pretty good on you,” Molly observed.          Celestia looked to her right and Megan's rifle floated over to him. “Hurry back,” she said.          Mike grabbed the rifle. “We will,” he said. He held up his teleporter disc and squeezed it, vanishing in a silver flash.          “We'll be right back, “Danny said, squeezing his disc and following.          Molly suddenly rushed over to Celestia and hugged her neck. “Be careful!' she said. She stepped back and squeezed her disc, vanishing.          Celestia looked to Minerva, still there. “I do apologize for the... unexpected events.”          Minerva held up her right hand, waving her off. “Accepted, your highness, but not needed. Considering the assignment, I was prepared for a bit of insanity.” She wiggled her head back and forth. “Maybe not to this extent... but a little.” She held up her disc, squeezing it and vanishing.          Celestia looked around, soaking in the relative silence. She looked up to the Equestrian side of the Rainbow Bridge, letting the magic of the Heart of Ponyland flow back into her. Movement below caught her eye. She looked down and saw a Shadowbolt walking out of the Everfree, snarling and baring fangs at her. The alicorn's eyes narrowed and her horn fired a bolt at it, incinerating it to ash. She closed her eyes and sighed. Stay safe, Megan. You saved your little ponies so many times. Now it's time to return the favor!