//------------------------------// // Truth // Story: Breath of Dragons 2 // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// As soon as the sun rose, the group gathered with the resistance fighters, waiting on Soarin's instructions. The pegasus stallion didn't keep them waiting long. "The church to the south is unnamed, but for some reason is highly important to the followers of OZ. Pilgrims generally journey there before heading to Ozrai. There also seems to be some sort of connection between that location and Ozrai which we want to explore. Once we find the priest there - a Father Soma - we'll interrogate him, and use what we learn to infiltrate Ozrai and tear the grand church down to the ground!" The listeners cheered. "Move out!" The two groups made their way to the church separately so as to better catch the priest off guard. However, upon getting there, they found the church completely empty. "What gives?" Rainbow demanded. "Where is everyone?" "Beats me," Applejack shrugged. "Doubt we're going to find out standing around." "Then let's look around," Twilight suggested. "Hunt for clues." They continued to search around the small church, but to no avail. Eventually, Rainbow slammed the back wall of the church in frustration. "What are we wasting our time..." Her voice trailed off. Pulling out her quarterstaff, she slammed the wall a few more times, her ears perked forward. "...hey, AJ! Get over here and give this wall a good hard kick!" Applejack walked over. "Sure. Why not?" Rearing back, she brought her hoof hard against the wall, punching right through it, revealing a secret passage. "Well I'll be a pickled platypus, how'd you know that was there?" Rainbow's ears twitched. "I could hear the hollow echo. Now come on, let's see what's down here." "You go on ahead," Soarin' said, struggling not to look nervous. "We'll stand guard up here in case anyone comes back up." Rainbow rolled her eyes, and the group made their way down the stairs into the secret passage. "Come on. Let's...let's go." "Nervous, Rainbow?" AJ asked. "It's a p-pegasus thing," Fluttershy stammered. "We normally live high up in the air, where everything is open and wide. As a result...we all develop claustrophobia to varying degrees." She shivered. "The faster a pegasus is in the air, generally the stronger the fear is." "You didn't need to share that much!" Rainbow snapped, her strain showing. "It's quite alright, Rainbow," Spike spoke soothingly. "I'm not to comfortable being underground either. First time I was ever in a cave, I nearly got disemboweled by a demon." "I remember that!" Pip added. "Still have nightmares of the blood and the darkness." "Not helping!" Rainbow snapped again, shuddering as her hoof came down on a pony skull, shattering it. "Can we get some light, please?" Twilight, Luna, Rarity, and Sweetie Belle's horns all illuminated, filling the room with a mix of lavender, dark blue, pale blue, and pale green light. At the edge of the light, a figure could be seen fleeing. "That must be the priest!" Spike shouted. "After him!" As the group started to run forward, a Templar stepped out. "You...shall not...pa-" Pinkie whipped his helmet off and brought a large frying pan down on his head. "Hey! Otherworld references are my schtick!" The Templar went down like a sack of potatoes, and the group charged right over him. When they got down to the next level, they saw several rooms barred with strong magic. Spike glowered at the barriers. "Twilight, Luna, you're our arcane experts. Any idea how to get past these?" Twilight walked forward to examine the barriers, taking careful notes. "Could take a while to circumvent the barrier, or find some way to redirect the magic-" "Or we could fiddle with these switches over here and see if they open the doors," Pipsqueak suggested. Twilight blinked. "Well, if you want to be pedestrian about it," she grumbled. Luna examined the switches and threw one. A wall eyed pegasus promptly staggered out of the first room as the field dropped, crashing headlong into Spike, leaving his face buried in her ample cleavage. "My bad!" the grey Pegasus said, managing to sit up, promptly bringing her hoof down on Spike's - thankfully armored - crotch. Spike stared in fear at the thick codpiece the LifeAR had shaped just before the hoof had come down. "No problem," he said, slowly and carefully, once he was sure he wasn't injured, Pip's wince to the contrary. "Who might you be?" The blonde mare staggered backward and saluted. "Ditzy Doo, Holy Shaman, Paladin of the Dragon God...but everyone calls me Derpy." She grinned widely. "I discovered that this was a place of great evil, so I came here to do some smiting...but I knocked myself out and got locked up." She frowned. "I just don't know what went wrong!" Scootaloo chuckled. "The shamans are all gathering at Dutchcolt," she pointed out. "Maybe they can lend a hand." Derpy smiled widely. "Yeah! If we all join together, we can really make a difference." She turned and promptly charged through a nearby wall and outside. In the process, the other barriers were dispelled, and several ponies staggered out, looking haggard and wan. They quickly raced out. "Looks like more prisoners," Spike commented. "Let's find that priest." They continued deeper into the area below the church. They eventually reached a large, open area that seemed ceremonial...and quite creepy. Standing in the center was a dark grey earth pony, wearing a white robe. "Welcome, pilgrims," he said softly. "What brings you to this house of god?" "Cut the crap," Rainbow snapped. "We know OZ is a demon trying to kill the world." "A demon?" the priest asked, stepping back. "I don't know what you are talking about. St. OZ is god, older than we can imagine and born to reign over this world. Surrender unto OZ and live eternally in bliss." "Bliss?" Luna scoffed. "The ponies of Ozrai are trapped in a false joy shrouding eternal sorrow! We shall not let you and yours spread that to the entire world, Father Soma!" "...you've been to Ozrai, have you?" he asked, intrigued. "It seems security there is not as good as she thought, if you escaped the Wall. I worked hard on that field." Luna's eyes widened. "You worked...no, it can't be!" He smiled widely. "What's the matter, Luna? Didn't recognize me?" His eyes began to glow green, emanating a purple miasma, and a crimson horn slowly grew from his forehead. The white robe turned to black crystal, and a blade of purple fire grew from his hand. "Sombra!" Luna hissed, backing up. "But how? I saw you fall and die!" He chuckled wickedly. "Death is not always what it looks like for a General of the Dark Dragon Clan!" His armor shifted slightly, exposing his neck. A black pendant of a horse head with horn and wings, surmounted by a red crystal, caught the eye. "The alicorn amulet gave this body more than enough magic to accept my horn, and trigger my resurrection! And now, I live again!" Raising the blade of flame over his head, his words were accompanied by a flash of black lightning and the rising of several dark crystal formations. "Now, become slaves to our will, and food for our Go-" His words were cut off as Scootaloo bum rushed him, slamming into his chest and grabbing the Amulet. As her dragon blood stirred, the chain broke. "Yoink!" she said, kicking off his chest and leaping back towards the rest of the group. As Sombra stumbled backwards, Spike's sword arced through the air, sheering Sombra's horn from his head. "and that takes care of you," he said, as the now mindless body and bodiless horn tumbled backwards off the platform and into a bottomless abyss. "Well..." Twilight began. "That was...anticlimactic." "What do you mean, darling?" Rarity asked. "Well, with how Luna was reacting, I got the feeling this was going to be a really hard fight, and that we might be fighting for our lives...but then, after all that build up, he goes down without even attacking us directly once." Twilight blinked. "Pinkie, where did you get the lampshade, and why are you putting it on my head?" Pinkie merely giggled in reply. "Treasure!" Pipsqueak said eagerly, pulling a key-like object out of a crystal formation. Luna came over to examine it. "This is a Path Stone. It is keyed to the Wall around Ozrai. It allows those who possess it to pass back and forth through the barrier at will." Spike nodded. "Then let's get to Ozrai!" Got the OzraiRoad! The group made their way into Ozrai. At Soarin's suggestion, they were disguised as pilgrims, with Soarin' dressed as Father Soma. It was their intention to reconnoiter with Maud, but she was nowhere to be found. Worried but determined, they made their way towards the Grand Church. Each member of the resistance was quizzed on part of the teachings of Ozrai, which they had memorized for just this possibility. When Spike and his friends reached the front of the line, the Templar seemed confused. "More pilgrims? But I'm all out of teachings to quiz you-" He let out a gurgling sigh before dissolving into black smoke. Pipsqueak calmly wiped his blade clean. "Why didn't we just do that from the start?" he asked. Spike thought about it. "Good point." The group headed inside. As they entered, Soarin' gestured to the back row of pews. "Mother Cadenza is about to give her sermon. Let's hear what we're up against." At the mention of the name 'Cadenza', Luna looked stricken. Her expression then changed to barely controlled fury as she took a seat alongside the others. As the high priestess of the faith stepped out, Rarity blushed. "Well, this certainly explains how this religion gained followers so quickly...but since when is that considered priestly?" The scantily clad pink alicorn walked up to the altar, smiling down at her worshippers. "Welcome, my children. Glory to St. OZ." She wasn't putting much effort into her words, seeming rather bored and uninterested. "Glory to God," the worshippers intoned. "My children, long have I worked to give you a safe haven here in Ozrai, where the wicked unbelievers might not bring you harm. However, the devil that fights our god is insidious and cruel...and has placed his agent in our very ranks!" There was a concerted gasp, followed by cries of "Kill the unbeliever!" "Stone them!" "Burn them!" and other calls for blood. The alicorn held up her hands. "Children, please! We should not have such hate in our hearts. The unbeliever has been captured, and we shall purge the devil from her soul so she can accept God into her heart." She held up her hands. A glowing cross lowered towards the ground, with Maud strapped to it. Soarin' gasped, and Pinkie whimpered, as most of the others stared in shock...save Rainbow, who ran from the church. "Now then," the alicorn began, "won't you tell us your name?" Maud remained silent. "You won't speak? Then I shall speak for you. Your name is Maud Pie, and you pretended to be a believer in order to bring our Church down from within." Maud looked up, raising an eyebrow. The alicorn chuckled. "With the power God has granted me, your mind and heart are an open book. You are allied with a group of resistance fighters based up my butt and around the-" Cadenza stops. "What? That doesn't make sense? And you-" A look of disgust crosses her face. "Eww! Why would you even think that-I think I'm going to puke!" Maud had a slight smirk on her face. "You should be more careful what you read," she said smugly. Pinkie couldn't help but giggle. Cadenza glowered at Maud. "Filling your mind with such vile thoughts will not save your secrets from me...although that last one was pretty kinky." She then smirked. "You're wiser than most who try to combat this power. Others tried to hide their thoughts by suppressing them, making them all the easier to-" Cadenza's face paled. "EWW! Why do you even know what a rhinoceros's...thing...even looks like?" "Use your imagination," Maud replied blandly. At this point, Pinkie had both hands stuffed in her mouth to prevent herself from busting a gut laughing. "Even so," Cadenza continued, regaining her composure, "Soarin' won't come to save you. You're just a subordinate to him, no matter how much he may seem to trust you...no matter how much you love him." Maud just stared back at Cadenza blankly. Cadenza smirked. "Broken already, are you? It seems I've hit the heart of-" "Are you done?" Maud interrupted. "What?" "Are you done? Because if you are, could you let me down? I need to go to the bathroom, and if I don't get to a toilet I'm going to do it on you." Cadenza backed away quickly as a good portion of the congregation gave angry grumbles...and others started snickering. Luna's eyes widened considerably. "Her hold - and that of the Wall - is weakening!" she said in shock. "If we are able to hand her a true defeat here - or something equally inspiring - we may break her hold completely!" Cadenza glowered at Maud. "You dare speak so to me in my own-" She was cut off by a flying fist to her face. "Leave! Maud! Alone!" Soarin' practically roared as he hovered between Cadenza and Maud. Cadenza rubbed her face. "So you came to save her after all? The leader of the resistance, based in the mountains to the west. You've given so much away just by showing up...and all for her? Our god is merciful, so you can die together!" Soarin' charged forward, ready to smash into her again...only to be blasted back against the cross by a powerful force spell. He groaned as he lay there, surprised as he heard a snap and felt Maud's arms wrap around him. "Maud?" "That took all the strength I had left," she whispered. "I guess she's right...we die together." Cadenza grinned as she reared back, preparing a massive spell to obliterate them both. When Rainbow had fled the church, she had immediately taken flight, shooting up into the air as fast as she could go, until she was miles above the church. Inside her mind, two thoughts were at war. I can do this. I did it once before. I can't! Last time I did it, Fluttershy... She's fine now, and Maud's in danger! But what if someone gets hurt? What if- "No more second guessing!" she shouted before going into a dive straight down. "Pip was right!" She saw the mach cone forming. "No more sacrifices!" She saw it narrow as the ground rapidly approached. "It's time...to live up to my name!" As Cadenza launched her spell, there was a massive explosion just outside the windows, shattering them as a wave of Rainbow colored light slammed outward, blasting through the church to cover all of the island of Ozrai. Luna gasped in shock. "A Sonic...Rainboom?" A streak of Rainbow light shot in through the window, shattering the cross and tugging Maud and Soarin' away just before the spell hit. As the entire congregation watched in awe, there was a massive glass-like crashing as the Sonic Rainboom shattered the Sombra Wall. The power of the magic filled the entire island with true joy and wonder. Cadenza hissed in the aftermath, her clothing somewhat torn, as she fled towards the upper levels of the church. As Rainbow arced over the island, Maud and Soarin' in her arms, the rest of the group pursued. Back at the resistance's base, Rainbow came in for a landing, her rainbow contrail dissipating. "There you two go," she said, setting them down. Seeing them immediately cling to each other, Rainbow chuckled. "You know Soarin', if she means that much to you, you really shouldn't have been proposing to me." "He did, did he?" Maud asked, her eyebrow raised. Soarin' flinched back. "I'll have to punish min for that." Soarin's ears perked up as his eyes shone eagerly. Rainbow backed up. "Ooookay, more than I needed to know." She then flew back towards Ozrai. Rainbow's S.Boom technique has become S.R.Boom! As the group pursued Cadenza, she turned back to snarl at them. "You...you've ruined everything! I was so close!" Seeing someone coming down the stairs, she smirked. "But you will pay for it! Garble! Show them your true power!" "Yes, Mother," Garble said calmly as he stepped in front of her. Cadenza then fled up the stairs. Garble stepped towards the group. "Spike, I thought we understood each other somewhat...similar in so many ways...but this day was destined to come. Let me show you what I'm made of." Garble's body glowed, and he grew. Now on all fours and nearly filling the room, he took on the form of a massive, winged beast. "He's a dragon?" Sweetie Belle gasped in shock. "We already beat that joke to death!" Pinkie called out, readying for battle. "Spike!" Garble roared, snaking his tail forward, knocking several of the mares off their hooves. "Show me your greatest power!" Growling, Spike grew slightly as his scales turned blue. He unleashed a torrent of lightning at Garble. The blast barely did any damage. "Is that all? This is all my power!" With that roar, Garble released a wave of pure power from his mouth, knocking everyone back. As everyone groaned, getting to their feet, Spike's body pulsed. Something awoke inside him. With a loud roar, he expanded until he towered over Garble, almost shouldering the room and roof aside. His purple scales shone brightly, his green spines razor sharp. Opening his mouth wide, he released a torrent of green flame-that-was-not-flame. There was a soundless explosion. When the smoke cleared, Spike had returned to normal size, as had Garble...who was now laying on his back in a crater. "Garble!" Spike called out, running to his side. Garble smiled. "To awaken a dragon's power...they must be confronted by a power greater than that which they currently possess...I used all my power...to awaken yours..." The group gasped. "You helped us?" Twilight asked. "But why?" "I am...of the Dragon Clan. I knew...that OZ was a blight...on the world...but I could not fight against Cadenza. She took me in...raised me...she has been my mother for so long...I could not bring myself to harm her...or stand against her..." Garble coughed. "Spike...we were in the same boat at the start...our family's vanished, and taken in by the church...how is it that...you found the path of light...when I could only walk darkness?" Spike glanced over to Pipsqueak. "I had a friend by my side." Garble coughed again. "So...that's how it was...do you think...if I had a friend...I would have turned out like you? Could I have...been the hero?" Spike nodded. "Yeah..." Garble coughed up a bit of blood. "Funny...I never thought about friendship...but what I wouldn't give now...to have one..." Spike gripped Garble's hand in his. "You do now." Garble smiled as his eyes started to dim. "Thank you...Spike. Don't grieve for me...I made my choices...but I will live on...my strength...is yours..." His eyes went dark, and his body slowly dissolved, leaving behind a small, blood red gemstone. "A bloodstone!" Twilight said in shock. "I've read about those! They're left behind when a dragon dies, and contain the essence of their power and experience." Luna picked it up and held it out to Spike. "He said his strength was yours. You should keep it." Nodding, Spike pocketed the bloodstone. "Let's go." He turned to head up the stairs after Cadenza. Got G.Stone! Spike learned G.Dragon! On the next floor up, they saw Cliff locked up in a cell. Pinkie rushed over to open it. "Dad!" She hugged him tight. He smiled. "There you are." He hugged her back. "The wall behind me is somewhat weak. One shot from your cannon aught to break it, and then you can go higher." Nodding, Pinkie pulled out her cannon and fired it at the wall, making it crumble. "Dad, you get back to the farm! Mom's waiting for you!" The group charged upstairs. Coming to another partially crumbled wall like the one in the back of the cell on the next floor, Pinkie immediately blasted it with her cannon. However, as the group started to charge through, the walls began to slam shut around them. Turning her cannon sideways, Pinkie used it and herself to brace the walls open. "All of you go!" she shouted. "I'll join you in a bit!" Trusting her, the group headed up the next stairwell. Pinkie smiled, ready to leap over...when her cannon cracked and she started to get compressed. "Oh...oh dear. And here I thought we'd make it. We'd pull it off...without losing anyone. We saved Sweetie...we saved Mom...we saved all the worshippers who weren't consumed...I thought that...we'd all make it..." "You will, Sweetheart," Cliff said, coming up behind her. "Dad?" Pinkie asked. Then her eyes widened. "Dad, no! Don't you dare! Mom's waiting for you back on the farm! You have to go back! Don't do this!" Cliff smiled, bracing his hands on the wall and pushing, holding it somewhat open. "What kind of parent...would ever want to outlive his children?" Pinkie's eyes filled with tears. "...Dad..." Bracing himself, he lifted one leg, ready to push her out. "My only regret...is that I never got to see your grandchildren. You and that dragon boy...make a cute couple." "I'm kinda going to have to share him with the others," Pinkie pointed out, managing to smile through her tears. "At some point you're going to have to explain that to me," Spike said from behind her, slipping into the gap between the walls and bracing himself. "Spike?" Pinkie asked in shock. "What are you doing here?" "You were taking too long," he replied, pushing against the walls, digging his claws in. "Spike," Cliff spoke up, "we can't hold this much longer..." "Then it's a good thing I came back," Spike replied, his eyes glowing. "Garble gave me this power...to save the world. I'm going to start...with my friends!" With a roar, he expanded into immensity once more, shoving the enclosing wall clear out of the building, sending it tumbling towards the ground. Spike then shrank back to normal. Pinkie blinked. "Wow..." Cliff nodded. "Looks like you don't need me here any longer. I'm going to head back to the farm." He grinned. "As you said, Cream's waiting for me." Smiling, Pinkie and Spike ran back upstairs to catch up with the others. As the group reached the roof, they saw Cadenza. "You!" Luna shouted, charging after her. "How dare you wear her face, and disgrace her so? How dare you besmirch the name of Cadenza!" The pink alicorn turned. "My, my...I didn't know anyone in this age would remember the name and face of the Goddess of Desire." This brought a shocked gasp from most of the group. "She was my sister!" Luna roared, shocking the group anew. Her coat turned black as the sun was blocked by a sudden eclipse. "Unlike my elder sister and I, she chose not to descend from heavens, and the loneliness drove her mad. I had to play a part in killing my own flesh and blood for the sake of this world...and now you use her visage, perverted to lust, for your own ends! You shall feel my wrath!" Scared beyond belief, 'Cadenza' spread her wings, getting ready to fly. "And where do you think you're going?" Rainbow called from above, having arrived, and blocking 'Cadenza's escape. With no other option, the pink alicorn dove into the empty space going straight down the center of the Church. "You will not escape!" Luna shouted, diving after her. The rest of the group followed. Halfway down, the pink alicorn vanished in a teleport. As they all landed on the bottom floor, Luna's eyes bulged in fury. "Still checking for real curse words? Sorry, not going to happen. Maybe next time I'll include some Vogon poetry." Spike rested a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?" Luna took a deep breath, and let it out. "Let's level this church. That will make me feel better." The group moved forward, exploring the basement level. Eventually, they came to a large room where the only hallway was lined with eyes that watched them. A voice called out to them. "Who's there? Don't approach, you will die!" Pipsqueak pointed at the eyes. "They shoot lasers," he whispered. Luna, Twilight, Rarity, and Sweetie Belle quickly combined their magic to form a barrier around the group. "The energy of the church is focused in this chamber," Twilight said calmly. "If we find any machinery here, we should blow it up." As they walked down the hall, the lasers bouncing off the barrier, the voice spoke again. "I feel the power of your barrier spell. Quite impressive. You aren't followers of OZ, are you?" "No, we're not!" Pinkie called out. "We're followers of the Dragon God!" The voice gasped. "Just like her...please, kill me!" As they came into sight of the voice, the room lit up. A unicorn stallion hung from a large machine, his face obscured by a long, white beard. "If you kill me," he continued, "the machine will shut down, and stop sending energy to the demon." Suddenly, three eyes floated up, energizing for battle. "Hurry! Kill me, before the machine kills you!" Spike's eyes narrowed. "Pip, you, Sweetie, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom take the eye on the bottom. Fluttershy, Rainbow, Luna, you three take the eye on the upper left. The rest of us will take the eye on the upper right. Go!" The groups divided, focusing their attacks on their targets. The eye bots were at a significant disadvantage as they were forced to focus on different targets, as they were obviously designed to work together. The eye Spike's group was focused on was the first to fall. "Twilight, Rarity, aid Luna's group!" Spike snapped out. "Use single target spells only, so you don't hit the friendly! Applejack, you're with me!" Their group divided to render aid to the other two groups, and the remaining two eyes quickly fell. The machine shut down, releasing the old man. He staggered. "I...I did not believe the machine could be shut down without killing me. You are mighty and clever warriors indeed." The building began to shake. "The energy is going into overload. Hold onto me, I will get us to safety." He focused his magic. As everyone clung to him or to each other, he cast his spell. They found themselves in the empty house in Dutchcolt, next to the old well. "Is this your town?" he asked curiously. "I cannot see...but your thoughts were of this place." "Yeah," Spike said softly. "We built this place." "You mean I did, Spike," Pinkie countered with a giggle. "Spike?" the old stallion demanded. "Did you say Spike was here?" Spike looked up at the old stallion. "Yeah...I'm Spike." The stallion's blind eyes stared. "Spike," he began, "don't you recognize me?" As Spike stared in silence, the bearded stallion continued. "Spike, Citrine's gone missing again. You're the only one who can find her when she wanders off. Can you help me look for her?" Spike and Scootaloo gasped in shock. "It can't be..." Spike whispered. "Spike...it's me...Starswirl." Spike ran forward, throwing his arms around the frail old stallion. "Dad!" he cried, tears falling from his eyes. "Dad!" Scootaloo wailed, also clinging to him. "Citrine?" Starswirl asked, shocked. "You're here too?" He held them both close. "We're all together again..." He ran a hand over both their faces. "My how you've both grown..." There were tears all around at the beautiful reunion. The following day, Eichichi ran up out of the well and right to Spike. "I figured it out! I figured it out! The machine in the well, it turns life energy into magic power to make the town fly!" Starswirl sat up. "That sounds like...the machine from under the church. Take me to it." "Dad?" Spike asked. "What do you think you're doing?" "What I can to help you. My life force is severely drained, and my eyesight is gone completely. No white magic left in this world will be strong enough to restore me." He smiled at his concerned children. "Let me do my part." Sighing, Spike nodded as Scootaloo cried. Eichichi led Starswirl to the machine and hooked him in. As the machine hummed to life, Starswirl screamed briefly in pain, and the entire town rumbled. The town - and a good portion of the land under it - took to the air. Starswirl breathed a sigh. "It's not as bad as the machine under the Church. I can handle this." Luna - who had been alerted to the incident by the shaking of the town - examined the machine and Starswirl. "Hmm...life force becomes motive force, hmm?" A grin crossed her features. "I believe there are two problems here I can solve. Eichichi, take us to Canterlot, and land us somewhere near the city in the lake - gently - where the town can support itself once Starswirl is disconnected from the machine." Spike turned to her as Eichichi did as instructed. "What are you planning?" Luna smiled. "It's about time my sister took part in this." Scootaloo tilted her head. "But I thought...you said Cadenza-" "My elder sister," Luna corrected. "The one who specializes in white magic." A royal guard of Canterlot ran into the throne room. "Queen Celestia!" he proclaimed. "A flying fortress has just touched down in the lake next to the city! It had the clearance spells to pass through the barrier!" Celestia chuckled as she stood up. "She always did like to make a big entrance," she commented drily. "Come along, Shining Armor. It's time to meet your aunt." She led her son out to the dock, where Luna - and the rest of the group - stood waiting. "Hello, Lulu." "Greetings, Tia," Luna responded. Before she could speak more, she was engulfed in a bear hug. "How's my wittle Woona doing?" Celestia asked in baby talk. "Is she hungry? Is she tired? Is she having fun?" Luna groaned. "I am fine, sister. And I am well on my way to aiding the chosen one of the Dragon God in destroying a major threat to the world. And we've come for your aid." Celestia squealed happily, pulling out a huge mace that was bigger than her entire body. "I get to go on a quest smashing monsters?" "Not exactly," Luna replied. "We have need of your healing magic and immortal life force." Celestia frowned. "Like I told the last dragon warrior, immortal does not mean meat shield." "Not for that," Luna corrected. "Come on." As Luna dragged Celestia into Dutchcolt, Pinkie leaned over to Twilight. "So...feeling awkward yet?" Twilight blinked. "Why would I feel awkward?" "Because yer making a play for the same guy as your Aunt?" Applejack suggested. Twilight blushed. "Well, I wasn't before." Luna led Celestia down to the well, where Starswirl had been disconnected from the machine. "Constantly disconnecting and reconnecting him isn't good for him," Eichichi pointed out. "He won't be reconnected again," Luna replied. "Celestia, can you restore him?" Celestia kneeled down and examined Starswirl. "Hmm...depletion sickness, blindness, musculature atrophy..." Her hands and horn glowed as she examined him. "Any white mage nowadays would write him off as a lost cause." "I know this..." Starswirl said softly. "Can you restore him?" Luna asked. Celestia chuckled. "I already have." Starswirl blinked. "I...I can see again!" He moved his arms. "My strength has returned!" "Now," Celestia asked, "what do you need my immortal life force for?" Luna pointed at the machine. "This machine uses life force to make the town fly. Starswirl has a limited supply. You don't." Celestia blinks. "You mean I get to carry you into battle as your flying fortress?" She squealed happily, leaping into the machine. "Turn it on! Turn it on!" Rolling her eyes, Eichichi activated the machine. Celestia let out a throaty moan as the machine kicked in. Eichichi looked somewhat traumatized. "So..." Luna began, "can you control it?" "I think so," Celestia began, her eyes closed. "Hey, this thing's got lasers!" "No!" Luna snapped. "No lasers!" "Aw, you're no fun anymore!" Starswirl, meanwhile, had gone back up to town to see his kids. Starswirl stared at Spike and Scootaloo. "Wow, you two have grown." He looked over all the mares surrounding Spike. "I never expected you to become a player, Spike." Spike tilted his head. "...huh?" Starswirl went flat eyed. "You're kidding, right?" "He's not kidding," Rainbow groaned. "We've been dealing with this ever since we met him." "At first I thought he was just a true gentledrake," Rarity brought up. "But recently I think he's just oblivious." "Or completely ignorant of how guys and gals interact," Applejack piped up. "Ignorant," Pipsqueak confirmed. "He just doesn't get it." Chuckling, Starswirl put his arm around Spike. "Son, I think it's time you and I had a talk." Starswirl joined the party! Spike lost naivety! Spike got the talk!