//------------------------------// // Hole in the Sky, Frightening Figure and the Otherwordly Hero // Story: My Little Pony: Subarashii Harmony! // by TomaTanuki //------------------------------// My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic -X-Kamen Rider OOO - Subarashii Harmony! by: Toma Tanuki Chapter 1: Hole in the Sky, Frightening Figure and the Otherwordly Hero It was a typical quiet night in Ponyville. However, while most of the residents were tucked away in their beds a certain purple unicorn was wide awake. Twilight Sparkle was perched on the library's balcony, peering up at the starry sky with her telescope. She had done this many times before but she never tired of it. Glacing down at her brand new copy of 'The Astonomical Astronomers Almanac to all things Astronomy', Twilight readjusted her scope and smiled. "Hello there Taurus, how are you tonight?" she chuckled quietly, not wanting to wake Spike, and sighed. Twilight marveled at how gorgeous the sky was. Luna's moon was nearly full tonight, covering the small town with it's soft white glow, and her stars were out in force. "No wonder Princess Luna was so upset that ponies were scared of it, she obviously pours her heart into every night." Twilight's face fell for only a second as a wonderful idea came to her. "Maybe I should send her a letter telling her how much I enjoy looking at the stars!" Looking back into her room Twilight used her magic to levitate a blank scroll, a quill and an ink pot out to the balcony. Carefully laying the items in front of her, Twilight began to brainstorm what to put in the letter. "I suppose I should start by complementing her on some of the constellations." Dipping her quill in the ink, Twilight looked up at the sky and dictated her letter. "Dear Princess Luna. I would like to pay you my most sincire compliments for your gorgeous night. The weather ponies kept the sky nice and clear so I was able to see all of my favorite celsetial bodies such as the Milky Way, Capricorn and that scary black distortion in the sky that-" Twilight cut herself off and gasped at what she was seeing. Just below the moon a swirling black void had appeared. From Twilight's prespective it was about the size of her ink pot but it was growing bigger and bigger with each passing second. When it reached the size of a pumpkin it began to twist and shake as it it was unstable as dozens of small blinking lights appeared in it's center. Even from so far away she could see the many different colors; red, yellow, green, blue and silver, begin swirling around each other. Suddenly one of them shot through the sky like a shooting star. Another followed soon after, and another. Twilight quickly lost count as they scattered all across the sky. The void itself began to shrink when two more objects, much larger and brighter than the others, appeared in it's center. Just as the swirling vortex collapsed into itself the two lights flashed and went flying in opposite directions. One of them went soaring into the Everfree Forest while the other- "AHH!" Twilight screamed and dashed back inside as the object came flying right at her. She slammed the balcony doors shut just as it crashed onto the balcony. Panting heavily and trying desperately not to panic, Twilight watched as the eerie red glow surrounding the object faded away. She very carefully opened the doors again and- "Twilight! What the heck was-" Spike was cut off when Twilight screamed again and dove under the table. "Was it something I said?" Twilight sighed and crawled back out again. "Don't sneak up on me like that Spike. I was almost crushed by a meteor so I'm a little on edge." The baby dragon gasped and ran over to her. "A meteor! Are you okay! Where did-..." He cut himself off as he looked outside. "Umm, Twilight? A meteor is like a...well, a rock right?" "That's right Spike." The unicorn replied matter-of-factly when something clicked in her head. "Oh my goodness a real meteor! I've never seen one up close before! Ooh I need to get all my instruments so I can examine-" Spike's claw grabbed her muzzle before she could finish her tangent. "Twilight...that's not a rock." Blinking in confusion she turned to look for herself. Indeed, rather than a space rock there was a strange creature lying unconscious on her balcony. Twilight had never seen anything like it before. It reminded her a little of the Diamond Dogs except it had alot less fur. In fact, aside from the little black patch on it's head it had no fur at all, leaving the pinkish skin on it's arms and legs exposed. The rest of it's body was covered by it's clothes; a multi-colored shirt, tie-dye style if she recalled Rarity's fashion trivia correctly, very light brown pants and a pair of weird shoes on it's feet. Finally around it's waist was some kind of metalic belt with a large blue and black buckle. Tilting her head to the side as she examined the creature, Twilight pulled the balcony doors open to get a better- "Oh my gosh Twilight are you okay!" "AHHHHH!" Twilight and Spike screamed and grabbed hold of each other as the hyperactive pink pony looked them both up and down then sighed when she saw that neither of them were hurt. "Thank goodness! I was just lying in bed dreaming about swimming in a pool filled with banana pudding when all of a sudden my tail started twitcha-twitching like crazy! I knew something was going to fall so I jumped up and looked outside and saw that big scary hole-thingy in the sky. Then all these little glowy specks went Zoom-Zoom-Zoom-Zoom all over the place! It was kinda pretty actually but then these two big HUGE things came out and one of them was all like-WHOOOOSH -coming right for you so I-Mmfrff..." Twilight calmly covered Pinkie Pie's mouth and sighed, smiling at the earth pony. "Thank you for your concern Pinkie but we're just fine. Whatever it is landed on my balcony." "OH! Let me see!" Pinkie bounced over to the balcony door and took a good look at the strange being. "Oh wow! That's amazing! I can't believe it!" "Pinkie..." Twilight looked back and forth between Pinkie and the creature. "Do...do you know what that thing is?" "Nope, not a clue." "Ugh." Twilight groaned and rubbed her forehead with her hoof. Before she could say anything else she noticed the scratches and cuts all over the creatures arms and face, as well as the rips and burn marks on it's clothes. With a sigh she turned back to Pinkie and Spike. "Well, whatever it is, it's hurt. Help me get it inside. I'll send a letter to the Princess and hopefully we can figure this out in the morning." "Okie-dokie-lokie!" Pinkie Pie saluted and pushed the balcony doors open. Twilight used her magic to lift the creature up and laid it across their backs. "Oof, he's heavier than he looks." "What makes you think it's a he?" Twilight asked, her voice strained by the weight as they carried it upstairs to her room. "My right ear fluttered a little, that means he's a boy." Pinkie replied simply, making Twilight roll her eyes. "If my left ear fluttered it would have meant-" "I get the idea Pinkie." Twilight said patiently, knowing better than to argue with Pinkie Sense. Feeling him start to slip, she bucked her hips gently to reposition him. As she did so, however, his arm bounced and a small object fell from his hand. It bounced down the stairs and came to a stop at Spike's feet. Spike picked it up and took a closer look at it. It was some kind of red coin that had been snapped in half. It was made of a crystal-like material with a bird design etched into it and a gold rim. "Weird." He gave it a quick sniff and stuck his tongue out. "Gross! Well, it's definitely not a ruby." "Spike what are you doing down there? Hurry and give us a hand!" "Oh, sorry! I'm coming Twilight!" Spike set the coin on one of the book shelves and hurried up the stairs to help. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Everfree Forest was widely considered to be the most dangerous place in Equestria. Ignoring the fact that the plants grew and the weather worked completely independent of anypony's assistance, it was also home to some of the most vicious and frightening creatures in the world. From the territorial manticores to savage hydras, any pony would agree that it was wise to avoid the forest. However, on this night there was a unusual stillness throughout the forest. Something new had appeared there and everything else seemed wary of it. The stranger made it's way through the foliage, taking in all the sights, sounds and smells of his new surroundings. Birds took flight, inscets scattered into the underbrush and even a pack of timber wolves ran and hid when they caught the creature's scent. It appeared very unassuming, if anything it looked frail. It was scrawny, had no claws or fangs. Its black hair and clothing were a little unkempt but nothing a few pats from it's hand could not fix. Yet, despite this, something about it seemed to scream 'danger' to all the animals in the forest. Finally the stanger arrived at the edge of the forest. From here it had a clear view of Sweet Apple Acres and beyond that, in the distance, he could see the faint outline of Ponyville. "I see...so that is what happened." It spoke in a slow deliperate tone as it reached up to remove the pair of spectacles it wore. "Another world. So different from my own. No matter...it's end will still be a beautiful thing to behold." It's eyes flashed purple as it said this but then something strange happened. It's body seemed to distort as flashes of violet light surged through him. It doubled over in pain as several silver coins fell from it's body to the ground. As the pain passed the creature panted for air, it's mouth twisted into an irritated sneer. "OOO..." It spat as it gripped it's chest, a single purple light flashing inside."Only one Medal left. I will have to find some way to-" It was cut off when it noticed something on the ground in front of it. Brushed a few dead leaves aside it picked up a single yellow coin, the image of a lion carved into it. The creatures lips curled into a barely visible smile as it closed it's hand around the coin, absobing it into it's flesh. "So these were brought here as well. Excellent." Feeling a little of it's strength return it rose to it's feet and looked out towards Ponyville. "I need only a few more to recover my power. Then I will bring about the ending I desire." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Applejack sighed as she watched Twilight circle the room for the 15th time. "Twi, would ya please settle down fer a spell? Yer makin' me dizzy." "Sorry." The unicorn stopped in her tracks and moaned softly as she flopped down onto the floor. "I just wish Princess Celestia would-...I-I mean I know she's a very busy pony but all this waiting is driving me crazy." "And there's the fact that you didn't get any sleep last night." Rainbow Dash flinched as four pairs of eyes shot angry looks at her. "What? I'm just saying." Twilight let out a tired sigh and sat up. It was still early, Celestia had only risen the sun a few hours ago, but Pinkie was so eager to show everyone the...whatever-it-was she bolted out the door right at daybreak. Then again she should probably count herself lucky she stopped at their friends instead of bringing everyone in Ponyville. "Umm, Twilight?" Everyone looked up as Fluttershy gingerly flew back downstairs. "I put some bandages on him. Thankfully there were no serious injuries so he should be just fine. He just needs rest now." "That's wonderful news darling." Rarity began as she walked over to the yellow pegasus. "But are you absolutely sure you can't answer the big question? We're all simply dying to find out what he is." Fluttershy shrank back a little at the question. "I'm sorry Rarity but I've never ever seen an animal like him before." "Don't you worry none Fluttershy." Applejack smiled as she gave her a few gentle pats on the back. "Ah'm sure the Princess'll know. Ah mean she's been around long enough to see just about everything there is to-" *Knock-Knock* "That must be her!" Twilight cried out as she rushed to the door and opened it. The purple unicorn smiled ear to ear when she saw none other than the ruler of Equestria on the other side flanked by two of her royal guards. "Princess, thank you so much for coming." She stepped to the side to let Celestia inside, bowing respectfully. "Good morning, Twilight Sparkle." The regal alicorn smiled at her faithful student as she and her friends they raised their heads. "I'm very sorry to have kept you waiting. As soon as I received your letter I tried to postpone all of my other meetings but it seems you aren't the only one who witnessed last night's phenomenon. Between the journalists looking for an explaination and the royal astronomers trying to explain it I was lucky to get away at all." "Oh, it's quite alright your highness. I understand completely. Please, come inside." Twilight replied as Celestia entered, her guards remaining outside to watch the door. "I just hope this isn't too much trouble. I probably could have just sent you a report and..." She trailed off as Celestia held up her hoof. "Nonsense. As your teacher it's my duty to lend you a hoof whenever you should need me. Besides, a strange creature nopony's ever seen before falling from a hole in the sky; who wouldn't be curious?" The princess chuckled softly. "Now, shall we go have a look and see if we can solve this mystery?" Twilight returned her smile, feeling much more at ease. "Of course your highness. Right this way." The princess followed Twilight up the stairs to her bedroom nook, the other Elements not far behind. Once there they gathered around the bed and watched as Celestia examined the creature. She leaned in and narrowed her eyes for a moment before turning back to Twilight. "I must say, this is quite a find. I've never seen or even heard of a creature like this." Applejack sighed. "Well that sure ain't comfortin'. Fer all we know this thing could be some kinda monster that came 'ere to eat our brains!" "What?" Fluttershy gasped and moved closer to the bed. "But he looks so gentle. No claws, no sharp teeth..." She gently stroked the creature's hair. "and his mane is really soft." Rainbow Dash snorted at this. "Maybe that's how he gets you. He makes you think he's all innocent and then WHAM!" She stomped her hoof on the floor, startling everypony. "Next thing you know he's 20 feet tall and breathing fire!" "He can do that!" Pinkie gasped, grinning. "Cause I've always, always wanted to make a great, big, ginourmous birthday cake but I could never figure out a good way to light the candles!" Everypony started at Pinkie Pie for a few seconds but Celestia gently cleared her throat to get their attention. "Did he have anything besides his clothes on him?" "Well there's this thing." Twilight lit up her horn and levitated an object from the nightstand over to the Princess. "This was actually a belt when we first found him, but when we took that piece off the rest sort it...retracted into it. There was also an extra pair of underwear in his pocket but they seemed pretty ordinary." Rarity grimaced. "Ugh, aside from being completely horrid you mean! One thing's for sure, he has no fashion sense whatsoever. I mean just look at those clothes, they are so three seasons ago." Celestia took the buckle with her own magic and looked it over. It was roughly rectangular in shape and primarily black with a few light blue designs etched into it. She also noticed that it had three slot like openings along it's length. "Hmm, it looks like something fits inside of this." Celestia lowered it so the others could have a look. "But what could possibly-" "OH!" Spike suddenly exclaimed before rushing downstairs again. Before anyone could ask he came running back up with the broken coin in his hand. "He dropped this when Twilight and Pinkie carried him upstairs. Do you think they might go together? If it wasn't broken I mean." Celestia took the coin from Spike and held it up next to the belt smiling down at the baby dragon. "Why, yes, I believe they do. Well done Spike." Spike blushed at the praise as the princess took a closer look at the coin, her eyes suddenly going wide. "This...this is..." "Is something wrong Princess?" Twilight looked up at her mentor with concern. The princess shook her head and turned the coin over with her magic. "I'm not sure Twilight. For some reason this seems very familiar to me. I just can't put my hoof on it." "Umm, everypony?" Fluttershy squeaked nervously, her voice barely audible. "Is it something dangerous?" Rainbow asked as she hovered in place, glaring at the coin. Applejack rolled her eyes at her. "She jus' said she wasn't sure Rainbow. Try to keep yer ears open." "Everypony?" She tried a little louder, waving her hoof in the air. "I was listening!" Rainbow shouted as she turned her gaze to the farmpony. "It's called a follow-up question!" Rarity groaned and stepped between them. "Honsetly can't you two at least show a little civility? Do remember who we are in the presence of." Both Applejack and Rainbow glared at the fashionista. "Who asked you, you-" "Girls!" Everyone froze and looked at Fluttershy, who blushed and shrank down a little bit. "Oh, sorry. I just thought you'd all like to know that...he's awake." Shifting their gaze a little they all saw that, indeed, the creature was now sitting up in Twilight's bed, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at them. After quite a few seconds of silence, Twilight gathered her courage and took a step closer, clearing her throat. "Umm, hello there. My name is Twilight Sparkle, what's yours?" Twilight gave him a big nervous smile as beads of sweat dripped down her head. The creature looked even more shocked than before but slowly his mouth curled into a very faint smile followed by... "AHHHHHHHHH!" Everypony jumped back when as he screamed in absolute terror and stumbled out of the bed. "Wait! Please don't be scared! We-" "H-Horses! T-T-T-Talking horses!" Twilight's words fell on deaf ears as he continued to panic, shakily pointing his finger at the group and trying to untagle himself from her sheets. He managed to get up to his hind legs but he didn't notice he was perilously close to the staircase. "Stop! Be careful or you'll-" Twilight tried to warn him but it was too late. He took another step away from them and began to fall down the stairs. However, he suddenly froze in mid air, his body covered with a faint golden light. Twilight sighed and looked up at her mentor. "Nice catch Princess." Celestia smiled and gently lifted him back up. After she released him from her magic he fell to his knees and panted for air, trying his best to calm down. He felt something touch his arm and looked to see Fluttershy nuzzling him gently. "It's okay, we're not going to hurt you." She spoke very softly, even by Fluttershy standards, as if she was trying to coax a scared animal out of hiding. "There's nothing to be afraid of, I promise." He looked into her eyes for a moment and seemed to calm down, smiling back at the pegasus. "O-Okay." Everypony let out a sigh of relief as he looked back to the rest of the group. "Sorry. I'm not exactly sure what's going on but I suppose that was rude of me." "That's alright." Twilight replied stepping closer to him. "We're not sure what's going on either. If things were the other way around I'm sure we'd react the same way. Shall we try this again Mr..." "Oh, Eiji." He replied, chuckling as he held out his hand. "My name's Eiji Hino, a human if you're wondering. Please to meet you." Twilight chuckled back and held out her hoof to shake. "Pleasure to meet you to. These are my freinds. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rartiy, Rainbow Dash and Spike." She pointed out each of her friends as she introduced them and Eiji gave each of them a friendly nod and wave. For a split-second he seemed to give Spike a strange look but then again he did stand out from the others. "And this is Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria." Eiji gasped and pointed at the alicorn. "P-Princess!" Twilight nodded and then jumped a little as he leapt to his feet and bowed deeply at his waist. "My deepest apologies! It is an honor to meet you your highness!" While the others were dumbfounded by this Celestia couldn't help but chuckle and roll her eyes at his deference. "The honor is all mine Mr. Hino. Please, raise your head, there is no need for formality." Eiji straigtened himself out and smiled, brushing some of his hair out of his eyes. "Thank you. So, 'E-Equestria?' Is that where I am now?" Twilight nodded, gently nudging him back towards her bed. "Yes. Last night some sort of weird hole appeared in the sky. You came flying out of it and crashed into my balcony." "Crashed?" Eiji sat down on her bed and suddenly seemed very solemn. "Was anyone hurt?" "Well, aside from you, no. Nopony else was around." "I see." He nodded and perked back up. "That's good then." "Huh?" Twilight raised her eyebrow at him. "Whaddaya mean 'that's good?'" Applejack asked. "Ya do realize that fallin' outta the sky ain't normal." Eiji chuckled and nodded at her. "Maybe, but the fewer injuries the better right? I'd feel terrible if someone else was hurt because of me." Everypony looked at each other in surprise but Celestia just smiled at him. "That is very noble of you. Oh, I believe these are yours." She levitated the buckle and coin over to him, his face lighting up at the sight of them. "Ooh! Thank you so much!" Eiji cried joyfully as he took them, his face suddenly falling as he held up the coin. "...Ankh." Celestia raised her eyebrow a little at the whispered word and decided it was time to get some answers. "Mr. Hino, do you think you can explain to us why you fell from the sky? Judging by your reaction it doesn't seem it was by choice." Eiji nodded and sighed. "Well, it's kind of a long story. Where should I begin?" "Duh!" Pinkie exclaimed as she bounced in front of him. "You should start at the beginning silly. Otherwise you'd have to start at the end and work backwards and your story wouldn't make any sense. Of course you could always start in the middle but that would still-mmmrfff..." Rainbow Dash covered Pinkie's mouth, though she continued to talk anyway, and groaned. "Just give us the short and simple version." "Alright then." Eiji took a deep breath and thought for a moment before starting. "In my world there was a group of monsters called the Greeed. They were basically phsycical embodiments of desire and they drew their power from their Core Medals." "Ya mean that coin-thingy?" Applejack pointed at the coin in his hand and he nodded. "Exactly. This one belongs...belonged to Ankh." Everyone noticed the sad tone in his voice but didn't interupt. "While I wouldn't exactly call him a 'good' guy, he was my friend." He held up the buckle. "He gave me this so I could use the Core Medals as well. By putting three of them in this belt I could transform into a warrior called OOO and fight against the Greeed." Pinkie Pie squealed and slipped out of Rainbow's grip. "That is sooooo cool! So you were like a real super hero weren't you!" Eiji blushed and smiled at her. "W-Well I don't know about that. I just wanted to protect people." "Hang on a pony-picking minute." Rainbow shoved Pinkie out of the way and eyed Eiji suspisiously. "This 'Ankh' guy was one of these Greeed things too right? Why would he help you fight against his own kind?" "Well..." Eiji paused and tried to come up with a good answer. "It's kind of complicated. But Ankh once said that: 'as bad as humans can be, the Greeed are still worse.' I-I think he really hated being a Greeed." Twilight saw the sadness in his eyes and tried to probe a little deeper. "What happened to him? They way you talk about him it sounds like he's..." Eiji nodded as she trailed off, composing himself. "Aside from the Greeed there was also a man named Dr. Maki. He was human like me but he was obsessed with the 'end of things.' Using the Core Medals, he transformed into a Greeed himself and tried to bring the entire world to an end." Everypony gasped upon hearing this but he continued. "I fought against him in a long battle. Ankh gave me the last of his Cores to use when Maki had either stolen or destroyed all the others. I finally managed to win but when I delivered the final blow, it tore open a strange hole in the sky." He looked back up at them and smiled. "I think you can guess the rest." "Wow...that's incredible." Twilight was at a loss for words, as was everypony else. Even Celestia appeared overwhelmed by Eiji's story. "So, that coin. That's all that's left of your friend isn't it?" Eiji nodded, wiping a few tears from his eyes as Fluttershy snuggled up next to him for comfort. "So, umm, Eiji?" Rarity began as everything finally sank in. "How exactly are you supposed to get home?" Eiji stared off into space for a bit as the thought about it before smiling at her. "Dunno." He chuckled at his answer, confusing everypony. "But, Maki was defeated and all of my friends back home are safe, that's what's important. They're probably worried about me but, even if I never see them again, I'm just happy that I could protect them." "Eiji..." Twilight could feel tears welling up in her eyes, along with the others. Even Spike and Rainbow Dash seemed to be having trouble keeping their emotions under control. Celestia stepped forward and leaned down to nuzzle Eiji's cheek, smiling at the human. "Mr. Hino, no, Eiji. Your words were incredibly touching. Your selflessness is truly inspiring." Eiji blushed as the princess rose back to her full height. "I promise you that I shall do everything in my power to find a way to return you home. Until that day, I am certain you will be more than welcome here in Ponyville." Eiji appeared completely awestruck by this. His face slowly broke out into a huge smile as he jumped to his feet and gave the princess another deep bow. "Thank you so much your highness! I-I don't know what to say..." "Just the 'thank you' will do nicely Eiji." Celestia chuckled softly. "Now, until proper arrangments are made I'd like you to remain here in the library. That is, if my faithful student doesn't mind the imposition." Twilight positively beamed and shook her head. "Of course I don't mind, it's no imposition at all your highness. I'll make sure he feels right at home." "It's settled then." Celestia declared cheerfully. "Now, I need to return to Canterlot for a little while and look into a few things. When I return I'll have a word with the Mayor about finding a proper place for Eiji to stay. Until then, please go about your business as usual everypony, I'm sure Eiji could use some more rest." She gave Eiji a little wink and gracefully flew down the stairs. "It was a pleasure to meet you Eiji, and it was lovely to see all of you as well. Farewell my little ponies." The six mares, plus Spike and Eiji, followed her downstairs and bowed as she departed with her guards, her chariot flying off towards Canterlot. "Welp, I should git goin' too. I've gotta git some apples to the market before the crowd shows up." Applejack tipped her hat to Eiji and smiled. "Was a real pleasure Eiji, see ya 'round." Rarity nodded followed Applejack outside. "I should be on my way as well, I need to come up something for you to wear Eiji darling. That outfit of yours simply won't do." Eiji looked down at his clothes and shrugged, smiling nevertheless. "Thank you, that's very nice of you but you really don't have to go through so much trouble." "No trouble at all darling." Rarity chuckled and waved him off. "This'll be my biggest challenge yet. I can't wait to get started!" Rainbow rolled her eyes and stretched her wings. "I should get going too, I'm late for my mid-morning nap. See ya Eiji! Later gals!" With that she took off through Twilight's window. Fluttershy hovered next to Eiji and patted his shoulder. "You make sure to get plenty of rest, okay?" "I will, thank you again." Eiji gently touched her hoof in gratitude as she flew out the door. "I better go too!" Pinkie chirped, bouncing all around the room. "I need to get started on Eiji's 'Welcome to Ponyville, Congratulations on Saving your World, I Hope you Make Lots of New Friends' party! But first I'm gonna need an extra large banner to fit all that on it. I should probably stock up on ice-pops too. See you later." With that she darted out the door, even faster that Rainbow Dash flew, leaving Eiji dumbfounded. Twilight chuckled, knowing that face all too well and gave him a comforting pat on the back. "Don't worry, you'll get used to her eventually. So...do you like books?" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On the other side of Ponyville, tucked away in Sweet Apple Acres to be exact, Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell were in their club house waiting for Applebloom to join them so they could start their Cutie Mark Crusaders planning session. Scootaloo paced back and forth, occasionally glancing up at the clock. "Ugh, where is she? What's taking her so long?" "Maybe she went to Sugar Cube Corner to get a snack!" Sweetie Bell offered, her voice cracking ever so slightly. "At least I hope she did. Mr. and Mrs. Cake just put out some fresh double chocolate cookies. I wanted to get some but Rarity said it was too early for sweets." The young unicorn pouted and sighed. "They smelled really really good too." "Hey gals!" Applebloom cried as she rushed up the steps and into the clubhouse. "Finally!" Scootaloo sighed as the third of their group ran up to them. "What took you so long?" Applebloom blushed a little and smiled. "Sorry. Applejack ran off to Twilight's so Ah had to help Big Macintosh move some apples out of the barn to bring to market. But that's where Ah found this!" The young farmpony smiled as she pulled her new treasure out of her saddlebag, a bright red coin with a gold edge. "Isn't it neat?" "Whoa!" Scootloo exclaimed as she and Sweetie Bell looked at it. "That's really cool Applebloom! What is it?" "I dunno. But it's got some kinda flower thingy on it." She pointed out the design etched into the surface. Scootaloo looked a little closer. "A flower? That looks more like fire to me." "I think it looks like a peacock!" Sweetie Bell cried, getting blank stares from the other two fillies. "You know, those birds with the big pretty tail feathers. You can kinda see it's head in the middle." Applebloom and Scootaloo both looked a little closer at it. "Hey, yeah I can kinda see it too!" Scootaloo chuckled. "Good eye Sweetie Bell." Applebloom nodded. "Really good. Ah never woulda guessed that's what it was. So what are we gonna do toda-Whoops!" As she tried to put the coin away it sliped out of her hoof and rolled towards the door, only to be stopped by a black shoe. Applebloom yelped at the strange creature standing in the clubhouse's doorway and backed towards her friends. "W-What the hay is that!" Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo turned and gasped at the thing, huddling around each other in fright as it bent down to pick up the coin. "I'll take this." It said in a creepy voice, clenching the coin in it's fist before looking up at the girls again. "Indeed, this is a very strange world. However..." He took a step closer, pulling a single silver coin from his pocket as the Crusaders backed away. "It seems some things are similar enough to my own." His eyes and the coin suddenly flashed yellow as he held it out towards them. "Let's see what happens if I do this." As he approached them Sweetie Bell let out a frightened cry. With a flick of his wrist he tossed the coin at her just as a stange slot appeared on her forehead. To Be Continued...