"Long ago," Princess Celestia said, "Before magic was created, there was a time of great darkness. Everyone relied on brute savagery. Our parents, the previous rulers of Equestria, consulted two strange brothers: Scorpio and Arcanus. Scorpio was happy to give his services, but Arcanus refused to get involved without a price. My parents promised them a place on the council. Satisfied, Scorpio and Arcanus collected many rare herbs and brewed up a concoction. The result let out a vapor that created magic and gave our parents their alicorn powers. And to ensure the peace, Scorpio materialized the elements for harmony and created the Harmony Gems. They were praised and the two brothers were given their places on the council. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to satisfy Arcanus. He attempted to take the magic from everything in Equestria. To stop him, our parents and Scorpio banished him far away from Equestria and chained him with the Harmony Gems. But before we sealed the portal, we heard Arcanus vow to return and plague Equestria with 1,000 years of darkness."
"I take it back," Filli-Second said. "THAT is the worst bedtime story ever!"
"Now, it all fits," Princess Celestia said. "Arcanus is the one who sent the Changelings to invade Equestria. It was all so that they could free him."
"And since Scynder failed, he's sending in his next team to free him," Princess Luna said.
"Of course," Princess Cadence said. "This is all orchestrated by an evil demon that's capable of making us weak and making himself stronger. And once he's done with us... he'll destroy us all!"
"My wild imagination, huh," Filli-Second scoffed at Zapp.
"There's still one thing I don't understand," Mistress Marevelous said. "How could the Sinister Sorceress know Arcanus was behind this?"
"Arcanus and Scorpio created magic," Princess Luna said. "With the Sorceress' augmented magic she gave herself to be more powerful, it must give her some kind of psychic connection to Arcanus' arrival."
"Did I miss something," Anar D said.
"Yes," Princess Cadence said. "Your old enemies, the sirens, they work for Arcanus and escaped."
"They're giving out superpowers to many ponies," Hum Drum said, "Including me and our pets."
"And they're enlisting the help of an evil unicorn who has the secret of killing an alicorn," the Masked Matterhorn said.
"I leave you all alone for a few months, and look what happens," Anar D said. "Everything's gone to pot."
"Anar D," Princess Celestia said. "You were tasked on discovering the secret of the Changeling invasion. Now, since you were the one who defeated the Siren Sisters before, you are to stop them from releasing Arcanus."
"Oh, sure," Anar D said. "No prob. It'll be a piece of cake."
"It's probably best if he has some supervision," the Shadow Blot said. "Timberwolf, go with him."
"Me," Timberwolf asked. "Uh, Ricky, are you suffering from oil loss? I'm accident-prone and Anar D is the almighty accident."
"Never been called that before," Anar D said.
"Why can't you just send Dusk or Rodan or anyone else," Timberwolf asked.
"Because I don't want to do it," Rodan said.
"Come on, Timby," Anar D said. "Are you afraid of divas?"
"I'm not afraid of divas," Timberwolf said. "I'm afraid of blowing up again."
"You're a superhero," Zapp said. "Isn't it your job to risk blowing up?"
Timberwolf sighed. "All right. Let's go."
"Hold on," Anar D said popping a book out of nowhere. "I almost forgot to give the Power Ponies this." He balanced the book on the Masked Matterhorn's horn. "This book chroniclized my whole trek over the past three months. Since I don't need it anymore, I hope you might find some good reading material from it. Let's go."
Suddenly, Anar D and Timberwolf disappeared.
"I'm starting to thik that the reformed Anar D is even more obnoxious than the old Anar D," Mistress Marevelous said.
"Your highness, what about us," the Masked Matterhorn said.
"You and the Mighty Machines are tasked with finding the New Heroes and send them here to Canterlot," Princess Celestia said. "We don't know why Arcanus wants them around, but we've got to protect them."
"We'll be happy to round up these New Heroes," the Masked Matterhorn said.
"Yeah," Zapp said. "Just wait until Arcanus eats dirt when his plan fails."
"For an... old friend, anything," the Shadow Blot said with hesitation in his voice.
Later that afternoon, Shining Armor brought the Power Ponies and the Mighty Machines to the hanger. There, the sunroof opened wide and everyone stared in amazement at the large, purple blimp with their logo on it.
"What is that," Mistress Marevelous asked.
"I call it the Harmony Wind," Shining Armor said. "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had me and some other guards to commission this transport after the Changeling invasion. The only problem is, each passanger is only allowed to have one carry-on."
The Power Ponies turned to Filli-Second and saw that she had three suitcases and a surfboard on her shoulders.
"These airlines are out of control," Filli-Second said.
"And you're okay with letting us on," the Shadow Blot asked, "Even though we're... different."
"Here in Equestria, we don't care what you look like," Saddle Rager said. "It just takes some getting used to. I remember when I transformed for the first time."
Devastator sighed.
"And just in case we run into Darkmatter or the Siren Sisters," Shining Armor continued, "The princesses have already put the Harmony Gems on board." He turned to his sister. "Uh, Twilight, with Darkmatter out there with an obsession for your demise, it's only fair if I accompany you."
"Oh," the Masked Matterhorn said. She looked down. "All right. You all go on ahead. I'll catch up." She approached a window and looked at the city of Canterlot outside. She didn't see her fellow princesses approach her.
"Is something troubling you," Princess Celestia asked.
"Oh, it's just..." the Masked Matterhorn sighed. "...Well, I don't really feel like I make really much of a difference."
"How can you say that," Princess Cadence asked. "You're one of the greatest heroes in history. You're also a princess."
"Yeah, well, it's not hard for everyone to realize my secret identity now that I'm an alicorn," the Masked Matterhorn said. "Actually, I wasn't the one who saved Maretropolis from the Changelings; Anar D was. It wasn't me who brought the Power Ponies back together; it was Hum Drum. And now, there's a mad unicorn after me and everyone's trying to protect me. It kinda maked me question if I'm really worthy of my titles."
"My student, do you really believe that we're protecting you because we think you're not worthy of anything," Princess Celestia asked. "We're protecting you because we care."
"I know it doesn't seem like it, but you've played a big part when it always mattered," Princess Luna said. "You raised Hum Drum to care enough to get the team back together. You put the flame of friendship inside of Anar D."
"I didn't do that," the Masked Matterhorn said. "Saddle Rager gave him Pandora's Box."
"But who gave it to Saddle Rager," Princess Cadence said. "Your judgement in your friends makes you worthy of the crown. In a way, you made Anar D good."
"Really," the Masked Matterhorn asked.
"Indeed," Princess Celestia said. "My father always told me, 'as love has a place in every heart, you'll play your part'. And the only way you do that is if you keep your friends with you, no matter what.
"A great event that bonds two friends
Can be a large leap forward
Of being able to master
The battle against discord
And the friends that you have gathered
Would they all let you down
When it came to your struggles
That run you to the ground
So life has a way to test your bond
As you can plainly see
You will have your peace of mind
And then, you will find...
And then, you will find your destiny"
"La, lalala, lalala," ponies in the background sang,
"Lalalala, la, lalala
La, lalala, lalala
Lalalala, la, lalala
La, lalala, lalala
Lalalala, la, lalala
La, lalala, lalala
Lalalala, la, lalala"
"A loyal friend can get you out," Princess Luna sang,
"And honesty is true
When generosity is fortunate
Then, there's hope for you
If laughter has vanished from the world
Will it be broken in your mind
Or will you be able to repair it
Just by being kind
And that's why your friends belong together
That is how it should be
If you're imprisoned by your inner darkness
The greatest magic...
The greatest magic will set you free
And lead you to your destiny"
"And that's why your friends will not give up," Princess Cadence sang,
"And you can't give up also
For if you can't get up
They can help you go
Isolating yourself from everyone else
Isn't worth to try
If the elements of harmony thrive in you
Then you can really fly
YOU CAN REALLY FLYYYYYYYYYYYYYY"
"La, lalala, lalala," ponies in the background sang,
"Lalalala, la, lalala
La, lalala, lalala
Lalalala, la, lalala
La, lalala, lalala
Lalalala, la, lalala
La, lalala, lalala
Lalalala, la, lalala
LA, LALALA, LALALA
LALALALALA, LA, LALALA
LA, LALALA, LALALA
LALALALALA..."
"YES," the Masked Matterhorn sang joyously,
"THANKS FOR HELPING ME SEE MY WORTH
NOW, I KNOW THE BEST IN ME
AS LONG AS MY FEATS ARE WITH MY FRIENDS
IT'S MY DESTINYYYYYYYY"
"IT'S YOUR..." Princess Celestia sang.
"IT'S YOUR..." Princess Luna sang.
"IT'S YOUR..." Princess Cadence sang.
"DEEEESTIIIIIIIINYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY," they all sang.
The Masked Matterhorn entered the blimp and the ship prepared to take off. She looked out the window and saw the other princesses waving at her. The Masked Matterhorn was approached by the Shadow Blot.
"Don't worry, kid. If there's one thing about Celestia that I know, it's that she's always right."
"You support her a lot, don't you," the Masked Matterhorn asked.
Ricky looked out the window and stared directly at Princess Celestia. He had a small grin.
"I guess I do, don't I," he whispered to himself.
The blimp hovered out of the hanger and flew out of sight. Their search for the New Heroes have begun.