//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12: Save the Princess! Part 1 
// Story: Friendship 101 
// by BrawnyBold 
//------------------------------//

	The stretch carriage finally made it back to Ponyville, where it was dead silent during the night. 
"Finally! We made it back!" Rainbow Dash declared as she stretched her wings from the long ride. 
The students were still quiet after what happened at the Gala.
"Look y'all," Applejack placed her hooves on Guide's shoulders. "Twilight probably got too frustrated from the changeling incident. She must have did this to protect you all from harm's way."
Some of the students shrugged but weren't very happy.
"Who wants a cheer up hug?" Pinkie offered, but was given some glares for not helping.
"It will be alright everypony." Rarity assured to the students. "Maybe once everything starts to calm down, Twilight will consider bringing all of you back to class."
The ponies felt a little better from those words. Everypony made their way back home for a good night's rest.
The next day, Twilight was able to return to Ponyville after making sure the changelings were all captured. Everything was fine except for the fact she declared her classes to be over. Twilight felt some regret for doing such a thing, but it was for the best for her students no to be involved.
Spike noticed Twilight packing up all the stuff in the classroom. "Are you sure you should do this, Twilight?" Spike asked.
"I have to, Spike." Twilight levitated some books to a cardboard box. "Making my students go through similar dangers I face is not what a teacher should do."
"I don't know how your students are taking it." Spike worried.
Feather Dust knocked on Guide's door. "Honey?" Feather called her daughter. "Breakfast is ready."
"I'll be there in a bit." Guide sounded depressed.
Feather simply walked down stairs to make some last minute preparations. 
Guide hunched over her desk with all of the windows closed. She never felt more down in her entire life. Guide's dream of being just like Princess Twilight crumbled because of the Gala's incident. Guide's room was now filled with reminders of the one pony Guide had let down.
Comfort exited his house after helping his parents with their bed and breakfast business. He noticed that a familiar large, gray stallion was sitting in the porch area.
"Lone?" Comfort asked directly. "What are you doing here?"
"I got nothing better to do since there's no more school." Lone replied as he leaned back.
Comfort felt surprised that Lone would visit him of all ponies since both of the colts don't really hang out that often.
"Also," Lone added. "my house collapsed and I needed a place to stay."
'That's the Lone I know,' Comfort thought as he sat next to Lone.
Fireworks wasn't in a good mood either while she practiced some more cheering. Her techniques were not accurate considering that she wasn't in the mood. Fireworks really missed the time she spent with her classmates and Princess Twilight.
Back at the castle, Twilight continued to pack up her classroom stuff before she put up the desks.
Spike made his way to help out Twilight, until he noticed a shadow looming over him.
The screams of Spike made Twilight drop everything as she ran out the room to look for her dragon.
"Spike?!" Twilight yelled out. She saw that Spike was levitating in the air from an orange aura. In front of him was a black-maned purple mare who Twilight could obviously recognized.
"Mastermind." Twilight growled.
"Why hello, Princess." Mastermind politely greeted with an evil grin.
"You have some nerve for returning after what you did to my students." Twilight said.
"Oh, that's in the past," Mastermind then placed a blue-jeweled amulet on her neck. "I have a new plan for those students of yours."
Twilight flew at Mastermind with both of their horns light up for attacks.
From the distance of Twilight's castle, the rest of the Mane Six were walking towards the front doors.
"Maybe we can convince Twilight to bring her students back." Applejack suggested.
"Which will probably be difficult." Rainbow Dash said.
A large explosion shattered the main doors of the castle and some smoke dispersed to the outside. The mares rushed inside to find out what happened. The smoke started to clear up to show Twilight standing in front of her friends. 
"Twilight?!" The mares said at once. They noticed something happened to their alicorn friend. Twilight eyes were glowing with blue lights and stood completely still as if she was waiting for something. 
"I'm afraid she is busy at the moment," Mastermind walked next to the princess. "She needs to get rid all of you first!" Mastermind light up her horn to force Twilight to shoot a beam at the mares. 
Guide continued her moping with her face hitting the desk. Her depressing moment was interrupted when she heard a loud bang coming from outside her window. She looked out and noticed that a large cloud of smoke was rising from a far location. 
Comfort, Lone, and Fireworks also noticed the smoke and realized where it was coming from. All four of the students rushed to the streets towards Twilight's castle. They all arrived to see that the castle has been damaged like a tornado was struct here. The students ran inside to find out what caused all of this damage. The hall's path was blocked by Twilight's friends laying on the ground. Most of the mares suffered from a fight judging by the large bruises on them. 
Comfort and Fireworks immediately ran to the ponies to make sure there weren't any serious injuries.
"Ms. Applejack!" Comfort called out as he shook her. 
"Oh," Applejack moaned in pain. Her eyes shot open when she saw the young ponies. "Quick! Get out of here!"
The students were confused from Applejack's warning. 
"Where is Princess Twilight?" Guide asked. 
"She was the one who attacked us!" Rainbow Dash called out.
Another explosion occurred from outside the castle. The students ran outside to try to stop Mastermind. Twilight was flying in the air shooting magic beams on the town buildings. While the princess was attacking, the students heard a familiar laugh.
"Come out, come out, where ever you are." Mastermind cried. 
All of a sudden, Guide's eyes were filled with fury for that psycho pony controlling one of the alicorn princesses in Equestria. She starting running, with the others following, towards Mastermind's laugh. 
"Well, if it isn't Princess Twilight's 'worst' students." Mastermind teased. "Too bad she kicked all of you out."
"Free Princess Twilight at once!" Guide yelled out. 
"Not gonna happen," Mastermind glowed her horn to command Twilight. "if I can't be her student, then I'll have to get rid of her students for humiliating me!" 
Twilight shot a long magic beam across the students, but they dodged it to avoid being burned to a crisp. Guide countered it with a yellow beam shooting at Twilight. The princess felt the burn, but she kept firing at if the pain was nothing. 
After several minutes, the fight ended up becoming a game of cat and mouse with Twilight searching for her former students. The ponies were able to find a temporary hiding spot under a hay cart.
"We're so doomed." Comfort panicked. 
"No, we're not!" Guide declared.
"That nut job has an alicorn," Lone complained.
"Well we have friendship, which made Twilight an alicorn." Guide countered. "If we're able to fight against timberwolves, Mastermind ,and a large changeling, then we can handle fighting a princess." Guide examined the outside to check for her teacher.  
"Alright, there may be a chance we could win this...if we all work together for this plan." Guide explained. The rest of the ponies nodded in agreement to follow their brainy leader. "Here is what we'll do," Guide started drawing on the dirt.
The brain washed Twilight continued to fly across Ponyville to look for her targets. A flying apple splattered on Twilight's face, which made her more irritated. She turned to see that Lone was standing next to a cart full of apples.
Hey princess!" Lone called out. "Do I get praise for giving a teacher an apple?" He threw another apple and it landed right through Twilight's horn. Lone then started running away from Twilight to avoid getting shot by her lasers. The alleyways of Ponyville were the best places for Lone to hide with Twilight's difficulties of flying through the tight narrow spaces. The chase came to a stop when Lone stopped in front of a dead end, allowing Twilight to come closer to him.
"Oh no! What ever shall I do?!" Lone pretended to be scared. 
Fireworks heard the signal and flew right down with a drop kick to Twilight skull. The collision caused Twilight to crash to the ground from the large impact. Fireworks and Lone walked closer to Twilight to find out if she was alright. 
"Sorry princess," Fireworks pleaded to avoid trouble. 
"I think you did fine." Lone smiled. 
Twilight's eyes opened and she flew back up to fire more magic beams. Fireworks and Lone ran as fast as they could from Twilight's attacks. 
In another part of Ponyville, Comfort and Guide were sneaking around Ponyville to look for a certain evil mare. 
"Let us hope our friends can handle Twilight while we find Mastermind." Guide said.
"I see her!" Comfort whisper as he saw Mastermind reentering the castle. Mastermind stopped in front of Twilight's injured friends who remained on the floor. 
"What do you want?" Rainbow Dash growled. 
"I just want to show you what it feels like when all of you are under my control." Mastermind's horn glowed the same blue aura. She suddenly conjured a force field to block off Guide's yellow beam. 
"Don't you dare lay a hoof on them!" Guide yelled out. She continued to shoot beams at Mastermind's force field, giving Comfort the chance to seek quietly towards Twilight's friends.
"Hang on everpony!" Comfort assured as he pulled the mares to safety. Mastermind noticed Comfort's actions and smirked. 
"I have to say," she admitted. "it was very clever for you ponies to strike me while the princess is away." Mastermind then glowed her  horn to expand her force field. It then exploded a flash of white light, causing both Comfort and Guide to land on the ground due to the impact. Mastermind levitated an unconscious Comfort next to Guide so that both students were together. "Time to bring back the teacher!" Mastermind then used her horn to teleport Twilight into the castle. Twilight threw Fireworks and Lone next to the rest of the students. Guide was terrified for what was about to happen. 
"Have a good look at your teacher, young ponies." Mastermind said. "Because it will be the very last time!" Mastermind and Twilight light up their horns at the same time.
"Now...CLASS DISMISSED!" Both mares crossed beams, making one giant blast that could destroy the young students.