//------------------------------// // III: Beginnings, Part II // Story: Thirteen Moons // by Silent_Witness //------------------------------// Chapter III: Beginnings, Part II   “…So Rainbow, how do we get to the Griffon Islands from here?” Sunset Shimmer asked. She and Rainbow walked east along the street, in the opposite direction of Canterlot High’s front entrance. “You got me,” Rainbow replied. “But the Griffon Islands are in the south Auroran Ocean. So if I had to guess, I’d say our best shot is to hop on a boat in Manehattan and sail south.” “A boat? Why not take a plane?” “Haven’t you been listening to the news? They say that planes that fly too high get hit with some kind of radio interference. And they said it’s happening all over the world.” Rainbow looked to Sunset. “Hey, you think magic has something to do with it?” “Could be…” Sunset had a sudden thought. “…but wait. If this interference is blocking radio waves, then how are cellphone signals still going through?” Rainbow merely shrugged her shoulders. Then she said, “By the way…” before she pulled the bladed wheel from her back and held it out. “Do you have any idea what this is?” She turned the object over in her hand several times. “I can’t even figure out how to hold this stupid thing.” Sunset leaned in to have a better look. “You know, it looks like one of those… ninja things.” Rainbow looked to Sunset, raising an eyebrow. “Ninja things?” “You know… they’re star-shaped, you’re supposed to throw them…” “You mean a ‘shuriken?’” She held the object out. “Well, it does kinda look like one…” She pulled her arm back. “Couldn’t hurt to try.” Rainbow threw the shuriken with all of her strength. It flew through the air a short distance, made a hard bank… and began to fly directly toward Rainbow Dash. “Whoa look out!” Rainbow and Sunset ducked- the shuriken sailed over their heads, and lodged itself deep into a nearby streetlamp. Rainbow slowly stood up, and approached the streetlamp. “Gee thanks, Pinkie. Give me the one weapon that can kill me as well as the bad guys.” She took hold of the shuriken, and wrenched it free after several pulls. “What, did the weapon store run out of swords?” Rainbow then looked at her and Sunset’s surroundings. “And where the heck are we anyway?” The two were surrounded by tall buildings, none of which Rainbow could identify. Sunset looked around as well, and after a moment replied, “Downtown.” “Really? I’ve been to Downtown lots of times, but I don’t remember anywhere like this.” “We’re close to the Canterlot Gardens, by the Senate House.” “Oh. I’ve never been to that part of Downtown.” It was at that moment that a shrill scream pierced the air. Both Rainbow and Sunset looked down the street, the direction that the scream had come from. “You hear that?” Rainbow asked. “I did,” Sunset replied. “Let’s go check it out.” “Wait, what?” Rainbow said, stunned. “But what if it’s another one of those monsters? You really think we can take ‘em on our own?” Sunset looked to Rainbow. “Backing down from a fight, Rainbow Dash? That’s not like you.” Rainbow hesitated for several moments, before she replied, “…You’re right. Normally, I’d never back down from a fight. But busting up punks is one thing- this is on a whole other level.” Sunset sighed. “Look, we’re probably gonna be running into a lot of monsters between here and Manehattan. We need to get used to fighting them now, or we’ll end up regretting it later.” She turned, and looked back at Rainbow over her shoulder. “But look on the bright side- you can get some practice using that thing.” With that, Sunset took off, running down the road in the direction of the scream. Rainbow watched Sunset for a moment, before she shook her head and chased after her friend, saying to herself, “…man, I’ve gotta be outta my mind.” The air soon filled with the sound of people panicking and running. As Sunset and Rainbow ran down the street, numerous other people ran past them, heading the opposite direction. Oozing down the street behind them a short distance away was a short blue blob, not much taller than a child. “Is that it? Is that what everyone’s running from?” Rainbow asked. “He doesn’t look so tough.” Sunset drew her sword. “You should be more careful. In my world there’re lots of things that look harmless, but are actually very dangerous.” “Oh please! He’s just some weird blob thing. What can he do?” The blob shuddered, and a bright light began to shine from within its body. It then opened its mouth, and fired a bullet of water from its gullet- the bullet struck Rainbow in the shoulder, making her stumble back. Rainbow clutched her shoulder. “Ow! That actually really hurt!” “Told you. Now let me show you how it’s done.” She charged, pulling back her sword, and swung it at the blob with all her might. The blade sank into the blob’s… flesh… But the blob flexed, and forced out Sunset’s sword, leaving behind no trace of her attack- not even a scratch. Then it reached back, it short, stubby arms extending several feet, and slapped Sunset, knocking her off her feet. Slowly, she rose to her feet, and said, “Well, this might be tougher than I thought.” “Now what do we do?” Rainbow asked. “Hitting him doesn’t work…” Then suddenly, she exclaimed, “Wait, no! I remember! You have to hit it with a lightning spell!” Sunset looked over. “What? Rainbow, that’s-” “Just do it!” “Alright, alright!” Sunset thrust out her free hand; a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and struck the blob. It shuddered and wobbled, before it fell back and collapsed into a formless puddle of goo. Sunset and Rainbow waited for a moment, but the goo puddle remained motionless. Slowly, Sunset approached the puddle. “…Did we get it?” She prodded the puddle with her sword, but received no response. “Well, he isn’t moving, so… yeah, I guess so,” Rainbow replied. Sunset sheathed her sword. “How did you know that would work?” “What?” “That using a lightning spell would kill that monster?” Rainbow scratched her head nervously and looked away. “Oh, it was… from these games Pinkie showed me once. That monster looked like one of the ones in the games, so I thought the same strategy might work on it.” “…What else can you tell me about those games?” Sunset asked as she resumed walking down the road. Rainbow caught up to Sunset. “Well, what do you wanna know about ‘em?” “Anything you think might help.” “Okay…” Rainbow rested a hand on her chin as she thought for several moments. “Certain monsters in the games have elemental affinities. If they’re hit by an elemental attack that’s the same as their affinity, it heals them, but if they’re hit by an opposing element type, it does extra damage.” “How many elements are there?” “It depends on the game. But the most common elements are fire and ice, lightning and water, earth and wind, and light and darkness. And each of those pairs is usually opposed to each other…” Around that same time, Fluttershy, Spike, Applejack, and Rarity were leaving the Canterlot city limits. The suburban sprawl of the city’s outskirts had given way to gently rolling hills and fields, occasionally broken up by a cluster of trees or the odd house. The group itself walked along a narrow road leading to the southeast, discussing Twilight as they went. “…Twilight certainly seemed to have a great deal of trouble with her cellphone,” Rarity said. “It was almost as if she had no idea how it worked.” “Ah saw,” Applejack replied. “And did ya see? It was one of ‘em old brick phones. Ah didn’t even know they still made those!” She looked to Spike, who was at the front of the group. “Hey Spike, do they not have cellphones where you’re from?” Spike looked back. “We have them. Twilight’s just never been interested in owning one. In fact, she only got hers just before we came here.” “Where are you from?” Fluttershy asked. “Far away,” he answered. “Well yeah, we gathered that.” Applejack said. “But where, specifically?” Spike was silent for a moment, as though carefully considering his response. “…Albion. To the east, across the Auroran Ocean.” “You’re from Albion?” Fluttershy said. “You don’t sound like it…” “Not everyone from Albion has the Trottingham or Canterbury accents, you know…” Rarity no longer listened to the others’ conversation as she watched Spike in silence. There was something about him she found… well, ‘unnatural’ was a bit too strong, but she would have been lying if she said that she didn’t find something peculiar about him. But she couldn’t say what precisely. Perhaps- “You can tell, can’t you?” Spike said to her suddenly. Rarity jolted in surprise- Spike was staring directly at her. She took a moment to collect herself, and asked in turn, “Tell what?” “That I’m not human.” Rarity blinked in confusion. “You’re... not... human?” Spike nodded. “That’s right. I’m not. Not entirely, anyway.” He lifted up his helmet slightly, exposing his eyes for the first time. Rarity gasped. Fluttershy covered her mouth and stepped back. Applejack let out a stunned “Whoa…” Spike’s eyes were a vibrant, near-luminescent, distinctly inhuman green, evenly divided by a long, slit-like pupil. Spike hid his eyes once again and continued, “I’m a dragonling.” Fluttershy stuttered, “A… dragonling?” Spike continued down the road- the others followed. “It used to refer to the direct offspring of a human and a dragon. Nowadays, a dragonling is anyone who has a dragon somewhere in their lineage. Or at least, anyone who shows obvious signs of it.” “A... dragon?” Applejack stammered. “But... dragons are huge! How... how would...” “Twilight thinks that dragons were very skilled magic-users when they were still alive. So casting a spell to change into a human form would’ve been easy for them.” “So… is it just the eyes, then?” Rarity asked. “No, there are other characteristics- increased muscle mass, higher bone density, sharper facial features... if the dragon blood is especially strong, some people even grow horns or scales. But the eyes are usually the most visible trait.” Applejack called back, “Hey Fluttershy, ya listenin’ ta this? This guy’s half dragon!” She received no answer. So she looked back. “Shy?” Fluttershy had stopped, and was kneeling down in front of a large bush next to the path a few yards back.  “I’ll go get her,” Rarity said, and began to walk towards her friend. As she approached, Rarity could hear Fluttershy speaking, presumably to whatever was in the bush: “Why don’t you come out? I have food. If you’re hurt, I can help you feel better.” But the creature in the bush, assuming there was one, did not emerge. Once she was close enough, Rarity leaned over Fluttershy’s shoulder and looked into the bush as well. “What’re you looking at?” she asked. “I think there’s an animal in this bush, but he won’t come out,” Fluttershy replied. She leaned closer to the bush. “Come on now. I won’t hurt you. I promise.” The bush rustled. “That’s it. Just a little more.” The bush rustled a little more vigorously, and an angry hiss sounded from within. Then, a huge thing as black as night leapt out towards Fluttershy. She screamed. Rarity was the first to react- she pushed Fluttershy away, pulled back her fist, and sucker-punched the object away. She had no idea what the blur was, but she doubted anything that moved that quickly at someone had good intentions. Applejack and Spike rushed over. “What just happened?” she asked. “I think I just punched a giant spider in the face,” Rarity said incredulously. She looked to where the thing had landed- she could see that it was indeed a spider, roughly the size of a small dog, righting itself. It may not have been giant, but Rarity thought it was certainly larger than a spider had any right to be. But unfortunately it wasn’t alone: a rabid dog leapt from the underbrush on the other side of the path, and a large black condor swooped down from overhead. The three creatures wasted no time in surrounding the party. Applejack drew her guns. “Fluttershy, stay behind us!” “So they’ve made it this far already…” Spike said as he pulled the spear from his back. “You’re not going to hurt them, are you?” Fluttershy asked. “We may not have a choice in the matter,” Rarity replied. The spider hissed and leapt at Fluttershy again, but Rarity again intercepted it with a devastating punch. A foul-smelling yellowish bile burst forth from the spider and splattered against Rarity’s fist as her blow crushed its body with ease. It flew through the air and hit the ground, but it did not rise again. Disgusted, she shook the bile off her hand, muttering, “Eugh…” The rabid dog leapt at Spike- he held out his spear, catching its shaft between the dog’s jaws. The dog pushed against the spear, snarling furiously, but Spike was stronger, and with a mighty push he forced the dog back; then he swung with all his might, and cut down the dog with ease. But Applejack was less successful in shooting down the feral bird- she fired shot after shot from the semiauto, but somehow the bird evaded every last one. Then, it dived at her, leaving a deep gash in her arm as it passed- she cried out in pain, and glared at the bird. “Yer tryin’ mah patience, ya varmint!” she shouted. She brought up her trusty revolver and took careful aim, oblivious to the bright red light that shone from within its barrel. Then, she pulled the trigger. A bullet wreathed in flames emerged from her revolver, striking the condor dead center. The bird screeched in pain, before falling to the ground, dead. Applejack looked at the dead, slightly smoldering condor lying on the ground in front of her. She looked at her revolver, and then back to the bird, unsure if what she saw had actually happened. Eventually, Rarity asked. “Did anyone else see that?” “What, ya mean the flamin’ bullet that just came outta mah gun?” Applejack asked. “Yeah…” Rarity- and the others- fell silent for a moment, until she noticed the blood dripping down Applejack’s arm. She rushed over. “Applejack dear, you’re hurt!” “Wha?” Applejack then looked down at her arm. “Oh this? It’s just a scrape. Nothin’ ta worry about.” “There’s no such thing as a minor injury where monsters are concerned,” Spike said. He looked back. “Fluttershy. Do you think you can tend to her wound?” “Oh…” Fluttershy replied nervously. “I don’t know if I can. I’ve helped hurt animals before, but people are-” Spike rested a hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Fluttershy,” he said, as he began to walk her towards Applejack. “You might not know that much about magic, but I do. I can walk you through what you need to do.” They stopped just in front of Applejack. “First, place your hand above the wound. But don’t touch it.” Fluttershy did as Spike instructed, placing her hand a few inches above Applejack’s cut. “Magic is based primarily on visualization,” Spike continued. “You need to form a clear image in your mind of what you want to happen in order to make it so. Close your eyes.” Fluttershy did so. “Now imagine that there is a light in the palm of your hand. Imagine that this light is mending Applejack’s wound- that it its repairing her arteries, knitting new skin and muscle tissue, replacing the blood that she has lost…” Applejack and Rarity watched in amazement as a white light began to shine from Fluttershy’s hand. But more amazing was what happened to Applejack’s wound: slowly, it began to close itself, as though an invisible knife were cutting into her skin, but in reverse. After a moment, the wound closed, leaving behind nothing, no trace that it had ever existed at all. “Fluttershy…” Rarity began. “That was… incredible! Stupendous! I’ve never seen anything like it!” Fluttershy’s face reddened and she looked away, a small smile on her lips. But suddenly, she faltered, bringing a hand up to her head. Applejack- who was the closest- moved to catch her, and asked, “Are you alright, sugarcube?” After Applejack helped her to her feet, Fluttershy replied, “Yes. My head just started hurting, that’s all.” “Migraine,” Spike said. “Twilight told me once that using magic puts stress on the brain. Using too much over a short time causes pain, impaired mental function, sensory loss… it can even rupture the blood vessels in your brain.” Suddenly, Applejack seized Spike by his collar and pulled him close, glaring. “And ya didn’t think ta tell us all that ‘til just now? Fluttershy could’ve been dead because’a you!” Spike gripped Applejack’s wrist with surprising firmness. “I’m going to have to ask you to calm down. Fighting one another will not solve anything.” There was tense silence as Applejack glared up at Spike. But then a hand rested on top of her wrist. “Everyone, please calm down,” Fluttershy said. “I’m okay now. See?” After a moment, Applejack let go of Spike’s collar- Spike released her wrist in return. Spike said to Applejack,” The more life-threatening symptoms only develop if someone keeps using magic after the initial pain. And all the symptoms fade if the person doesn’t use magic for about a minute or so. …Well, except for the ruptured blood vessels.” Spike then turned to Fluttershy. “It looks like Pinkie Pie was right about you, Fluttershy,” he said. “You’re a natural with White magic. It’s strange, though- it took Twilight weeks until she was able to cast a basic level spell, but you seem to have no trouble with it.” He then rested a hand on his chin and mumbled, “Then again, magic concentrations are higher now than they were back then. That might have something to do with it…” He shook his head. “But anyway, I’d suggest you stick with the basics for now. Trying to cast stronger spells too early can be dangerous.” “Alright, Ah think that’s enough lollygaggin’,” Applejack said. “Everyone’s safe, and all the monsters are dead. We should head out if we wanna reach Ponyville before nightfall.” “Agreed,” Rarity replied. And so, the four continued on their way. But as they walked, Applejack looked to Spike and asked, “Hey Spike, that flamin’ bullet Ah shot earlier… that was magic, wasn’t it?” “I think so,” Spike replied. “Why?” “Well, Ah remember back in the diner, when Twilight was checkin’ our magic or whatever, Ah didn’t get a light like Fluttershy and Sunset did. Shouldn’t that mean that Ah can’t do any magic?” Spike was silent for a moment before responding. “I’m not sure. But I’ll ask Twilight about it later. She might have an answer. She’s the magic expert, after all. Not me.” “But for someone who claims not to be an expert in magic, you seem to know an awful lot about it,” Rarity said. “Why is that?” “Well, I’ve been helping Twilight study magic ever since she first got her powers. I guess it was inevitable that something would stick.” “And when did she first get her magic?” Fluttershy asked. “It was…” Spike scratched his head. “…it would be a little over a year now. Twilight was tracking some storms that were moving over the country when she rested her hand on a map and it burst into flames…” Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie and Twilight were travelling through a wooded area to the north of Canterlot. Though the sun was still high overhead, its light could not penetrate the thick blanket of leaves and branches above, leaving the forest floor dark and gloomy. The two walked along a narrow road that wound its way through the tightly packed trees- all the while, Pinkie constantly looked around, as if searching for something. Finally, Twilight asked in frustration, “What are you looking for?” Pinkie looked back. “You said there’d be monsters. So where are they?” “The flow of magic is not as pervasive around Canterlot as it is in other parts of the world. Thus, it has not affected the local wildlife as extensively. But in time, the concentration of magic will rise to a sufficient level as to permit the creation of monsters.” “How can you tell how much magic there is here anyway? Can you smell it?” Pinkie sniffed the air for a few times, before leaning in close to sniff Twilight. Twilight pushed her away. “Stop that.” It was at that moment that Twilight and Pinkie heard the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching them. Reaching for their weapons, they turned, just in time to see a boy slow and drop to his knees behind them. He wore a black leather jacket with a single red and white stripe over the chest, and a pair of plain blue jeans. And what’s more, the boy was one Pinkie knew… “Flash?” Pinkie asked. “What’re you doing here? And how did you catch up with us so fast?” “Just a moment!” Flash Sentry gasped. After several moments of deep breathing, he rose to his feet. “I live in Canterlot, you know. So when I heard about what happened at Joe’s, I went out to… find… you…” Flash fell silent when his eyes fell on Twilight. He blinked several times, as if unwilling to believe what he was seeing. “I… I can’t believe it... It’s true! You are back!” Without another word, he ran up and embraced Twilight… …only for her to immediately push him away. “Release me.” He looked at her, stunned. “…Twilight? I… I thought you’d be happier to see me.” Twilight took off her hat. “I do apologize, but I am not the person that you believe me to be. We have never met before this day.” Flash placed a hand on his chest. “Twilight, it’s me. Flash. Flash Sentry? From the Fall Formal? I know it’s been over a year, but-” Suddenly, Pinkie grabbed Flash in a headlock and began to pull him away, saying “Oh, hey! Flash! Would you come with me for just a moment?” Pinkie dragged Flash a few feet away, before he managed to pull himself loose and asked, “Pinkie, what’s going on? Why doesn’t Twilight recognize me?” “Flash...” Pinkie told Flash about what had happened at Joe’s diner that morning- how the monster had attacked, how Spike had killed it… and how Twilight herself had come. And she told Flash of her theory- that the Twilight with them at that moment was not the Twilight they had first met so long ago, but was the Twilight native to their world. Flash looked over to Twilight. “So, that isn’t Twilight?” “It is.” Pinkie replied. “She’s just not the Twilight you met two years ago.” “Wait, so… she is Twilight, but she isn’t Twilight?” Flash rubbed his temples. “Man, this is making my head hurt.” Twilight interjected, saying, “I am the Twilight Sparkle of this world. It is my understanding that the Twilight Sparkle previously encountered by your group was a denizen from another world. Does that clarify things?” Flash scratched his head and admitted, “Not really…” Twilight turned, and began to walk away. “Unfortunately, I do not have time to simplify things further. Pinkie Pie and I have things we must see to.” Flash- and Pinkie- caught up to Twilight. “Wait, what kind of things? Where’re you going?” “Up north,” Pinkie replied. “To the ruins of the Crystal Empire.” “That sound kinda dangerous,” Flash said. “Do you need any help?” “Your assistance is not required,” Twilight replied flatly. She didn’t turn around to look at him. “You should return to your home.” “Hey, I know it might not look like it, but I can handle myself in a fight.” Twilight stopped, and looked back to him. “Can you?” A skittering sound floated from within the forest, and a strange scaled beast with glowing eyes emerged from the trees, hissing at the trio. Flash immediately pushed past Twilight, placing himself between her, Pinkie, and the beast. “You girls stay back,” he said. “I’ll handle this.” “Flash, are you crazy!?” Pinkie said. “You can’t take on these monsters by yourself!” Flash reached into his jacket pocket, and pulled out a short black handle. “I told you, I can handle myself in a fight.” He pushed a switch on the handle’s side, and a gleaming blade shot out. Upon seeing the blade, the scaly beast clicked its teeth in anger and charged at him. Flash charged as well, swinging his switchblade at the beast wildly. But the scaly beast nimbly evaded every one of Flash’s swings. Suddenly, the beast snapped its jaws at Flash’s chest- the feint caused Flash to stumble back, and lose his grip on his blade. Seeing that its foe was now unarmed, the scaly beast leapt forward and bit down on Flash’s arm. He cried out in pain, before he reached back and punched the beast’s head, but its skull was as hard as a brick wall, and it refused to release him. Pinkie and Twilight watched as Flash tried- unsuccessfully- to fight off the beast. Pinkie looked over to Twilight anxiously and said, “Twilight we have to help him.” Twilight stood still, her hand raised, index and middle finger extended. “And we shall.” “There’s a monster trying to rip Flash’s arm off and all you’re doing is standing there!” Pinkie shouted. “You’ve got a dagger- use it!” Twilight remained motionless. “I will not allow any serious harm to come to him. You must trust me.” “Well if you won’t help him, I will! Flash!” She set her pack on the ground and opened it. “Take this!” She reached inside her pack and pulled out a sword that in no way, shape or form should have fit inside it- setting aside the fact that the blade was nearly as wide as the pack itself, the entire sword from tip to pommel was slightly longer than Pinkie was tall. Pinkie threw the massive sword to Flash- it landed, blade-down, just a few feet away. Flash immediately rushed over and took hold of the sword. He strained, but could only lift it a few inches above the ground. But the monster wasn’t going to wait- it was already charging at him once again, his jaws wide. Flash gripped the sword tightly, and with all the strength he could muster, swung the massive sword at the scaly beast. The blade cleaved the monster in two with ease. The two halves fell to the ground; incredibly, they attempted to drag themselves toward Flash for a few moments, until the lights in the top half’s eyes faded, and both halves of the beast fell still. Flash remained with his sword at the ready for several moments longer, waiting for any more signs of life. When he was convinced the beast was truly dead, he gasped, “There… I got it.” He then turned to face Twilight. “You could’ve helped me out, you know.” Twilight crossed her arms. “Had Pinkie Pie not intervened, I would have. I was simply waiting for a proper opening so as not to harm you with my spells. I assure you, it is not my wish to see you injured.” Flash looked down at the hole torn in his jacket sleeve, at the fresh puncture wounds in his left arm, before holding up his arm for Twilight to see. “You have a funny way of showing it.” “And for that, I apologize.” Twilight approached Flash, pulling a long strip of white cloth from her bag. “But do you understand now?” she asked. “The world is not the kind place you believe it to be. Not anymore. Remove your jacket please.” Flash did as he was asked, before Twilight took hold of his arm and begun to wrap the cloth over his wound. “It is a hostile, dangerous place now, teeming with monsters who wish nothing more than to see your blood.” Twilight finished tying her makeshift bandage. “It is no longer a world for the timid, doubtful the irresolute- such things are weaknesses the beasts prey on.” Twilight then looked Flash in the eye. “If you truly wish to aid us, then I will not stop you. But be warned: once you set foot down this road, you will not be able to turn back. You must see this journey through, no matter what fate may await us at its end. If you have any reservations- any whatsoever- then you should turn away, and return home.” Flash looked over to the dead beast, lying in a rapidly expanding pool of black blood. He then looked down to his bandaged arm- a few red spots were seeping through the pure white cloth. He stared down at his wound in silence- his grip his sword began to loosen, and it seemed as though he was about to drop the weapon and turn back… but then, he tightened his grip on the hilt. “No,” he said firmly. “I made my choice when I left Canterlot to come after you.” He looked to Twilight. “I’m going with you.” “As you wish.” Twilight then pulled a map of Equestria from her bag and set it on the ground between her and Flash. “If we are going to reach the Crystal Empire with any haste, we will need to make as few stops as possible. Originally, Pinkie Pie and I were going to travel directly to Vanhoover before continuing on to the Crystal Empire, but now that…” Twilight stared at Flash for several moments, before asking, “I do apologize, but what was your name again?” “What? Oh, uh… Flash Sentry.” “Right. Now that Flash Sentry has joined us, we will need to take a brief detour to Cloudsdale for additional supplies. But afterward, our route is unchanged.” “Sounds like a plan, Twilight!” Pinkie said cheerfully. “Cloudsdale?” Flash asked as he picked up his switchblade. “Isn’t that the place with the Equestrian Air Service base?” “Indeed it is,” Twilight replied, folding up the map before she tucked it away. “Since we are all in agreement, let us be off for Cloudsdale.” She began to walk away, with Pinkie following. Flash followed, dragging his new sword behind him, its weight slowing him down considerably. Huffing, he called, “Pinkie, I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but do you have a belt, or a harness, or something so I can carry this thing easier?” Pinkie looked back. “Sorry Flash, but that was one of my spares. I didn’t get anything for it.” “Can you give me a different weapon, then?” “Sorry, but I need all the ones I still have.” “You have more?” Flash asked. “Can I see?” Pinkie took off her backpack. “Sure. But just look- don’t take anything.” Then she tossed her bag to Flash. Flashed opened Pinkie’s bag and looked inside. “What the- you got loads of stuff in here! Look at this!” He began pulling items out of Pinkie’s bag- in order, he pulled out a spear with a long curved blade, a pair of long knives, a curved sword, and a micro-SMG. “You got spear, knives, a katana, a gun, and a…” He held up an L-shaped bit of metal. “…Well I don’t know what this thing is. But why couldn’t you have given me one of these?” Pinkie walked up and grabbed the metal thing from Flash’s hand. “First of all, I said ‘Don’t take anything.’ Second, this is a boomerang. Third, that isn’t a spear- it’s a naginata. Fourth, those aren’t knives- they’re daggers. And fifth, I need all these weapons for a very sophisticated fighting style I developed.” Flash stood up straight. “Oh, I have to see this.” At that very moment, the three heard something crashing through the trees, as though it had been waiting for that exact moment. A moment later, a nearby tree toppled over, revealing a lion with wings and a scorpion’s tail. It roared furiously at the trio. “What the hell is that?” Flash shouted. He tried to ready his sword, but could only lift it a few inches off the ground. Twilight replied, “A manticore,” as she drew her dagger. “Strange- the low magic concentration here should not allow for the creation of a monster such as this.” But Pinkie suddenly held out her arm. “Let me handle this.” Twilight sheathed her dagger. “As you wish.” “Alright then…” Pinkie then reached back, and pulled two weapons seemingly from nowhere- her katana in her left hand, and her spear in her right. “Come on!” The manticore charged. Pinkie swung her spear furiously, cutting into the beast’s side, before pulling out her gun and hitting it with a spray of bullets. The manticore roared in pain, but before it could strike, Pinkie charged first, slashing it across the face with her dual daggers. The beast stumbled back, before thrusting its stinger at Pinkie- she jumped back and threw her boomerang, which cut a gash into the manticore’s tail, before sucker-punching the beast in the face. On its return, the boomerang slashed one of the manticore’s legs before Pinkie caught it again. Gun, knives, spear, fists, spear again… Pinkie was switching between her weapons so quickly that Flash could barely keep track of them. Soon, Pinkie’s relentless assault ceased, but the manticore was still standing. “You’re tougher than I thought,” she said. “Guess I have no choice, then. It’s time… to break my limits!” A red surge of light emerged from the ground surrounding Pinkie's feet. Then, Pinkie pulled out her katana and began to spin, very, very fast. The pink whirlwind approached the manticore, sending out sprays of blood as its blades sliced into the beast’s flesh. It roared furiously and tried to strike, but each time Pinkie pushed it back. The manticore slowed as its wounds mounted, and it lost more and more of its blood. Eventually, the beast dropped to its knees, let out a weak roar, and collapsed. Pinkie stopped spinning, and fell to one knee, wiping her brow. “Hoo! I didn’t think that would wear me out so much!” For a moment, all was silent. But then, the manticore was on its feet, and it leapt at Pinkie with a furious roar. Twilight brought up a hand, and focused. In an instant, a thick column of stone shot out of the ground and struck the manticore directly in the face. The beast immediately dropped to the ground, before stumbling back onto its feet in a daze. “The beast is stunned,” Twilight said, looking to Flash. “You will never have a more perfect moment to strike.” “Got it!” Flash charged, and hefted the blade over his head… But the manticore snapped out of its daze and leapt back, evading Flash’s attack. Flash couldn’t stop his swing, and his sword buried itself deep into the ground. He pulled, but the sword wouldn’t come loose. Defenseless, Flash could only watch as the manticore leapt toward him… But a spurt of blood exploded from its forehead. The beast dropped out of the air, and slid across the ground to Flash’s feet. It did not rise again. “All right!” Pinkie exclaimed, spinning her gun around in her hand before resting it on her shoulder. She then asked, “You okay, Flash?” Flash pulled again, and the sword finally came loose. “Yeah. I’m good.” “The sword is a weapon of precision and elegance,” Twilight said as she approached. “Clearly, whomever designed the sword you wield believed in neither, Flash Sentry.” “It isn’t too bad.” Flash planted his sword in the ground in front of Twilight. “You wanna take a few swings with it? It’s actually kinda fun. Definitely a good workout.” “I believe I shall pass on that offer,” Twilight replied. Flash pulled his sword from the ground, and with some difficulty, rested the flat across his shoulder. “Suit yourself.” With that, he began to walk down the road, away from Canterlot and the others. Twilight looked on after him for several moments. “I fear for him,” she said in a low voice. “The boy is soft. He will slow us down.” “Just give him time. He’ll toughen up.” Pinkie then looked to Twilight. “And what kind of spell was that? Stonera? That’s pretty high end for this early in the game.” “I have studied magic for many months now, long before Spike I came to this land,” Twilight said flatly as she began to follow Flash. “My skill should not surprise you.” The sun descended toward the western horizon. Canterlot now lay far behind Sunset Shimmer and Rainbow Dash, who were setting up their camp alongside a highway to the east of the city. With night rapidly approaching, the two had agreed to set up camp, and resume their travels in the morning. And as the two set up camp Rainbow Dash was still going on about the games Pinkie had shown her: “…Sleep is pretty basic- you fall asleep. Physical attacks wake you up, but magic attacks won’t. Last up is Zombie- it causes healing items and spells to hurt you instead of heal you. Most of the time, you need a special item called Holy Water to cure it. And that should cover all the common status ailments. Anything else you wanna know?” Rainbow received no answer. “Sunset?” Rainbow looked over to Sunset- she was standing a few feet away from their camp, looking out toward the eastern horizon. “What’re you looking at?” Then she saw it. “Oh yeah! Full moon tonight." She approached Sunset, and looked out at the rising moon as well. “Just thirteen more to go, right?” “Yeah, that’s right…” Sunset replied in a low voice. “Hey, relax! The full moon comes around every… twenty nine days, right? You’ve still got…” Rainbow began counting on her fingers for a few moments, before pulling out her phone and doing the math on it. “…three hundred seventy-seven days to go! That’s over a year!” “Yeah, well, those three hundred seventy-seven days will be gone before we know it.” “Man why d’you have to be all depressing like that?” Sunset was silent, as she tried to think of something positive that had come out of their situation. “…Well, it is nice to have magic again,” she said. “And being able to see the world isn't so bad. It definitely beats being stuck in Canterlot High all day.” “Now that’s more like it!” Rainbow said cheerfully.   Thirteen moons remain until the portal opens.