Stopping the Future That the past Creates

by Yoshi1990

Chapter 7: The Crystal Mountains

The train came to a stop at a large town named Ice Lake Village. The seven ponies put on their winter clothes and got off the train. Several ponies around the train bowed when they saw Twilight walk off the train. Twilight did her best to not complain or show that it bothered her. She looked over towards Lightwing. “You're now in charge of the journey. So where do we go to from here?”

Lightwing pointed to a map store. “We go there and buy a map that tells us how to get to the Glacier Canyon. I bet you could get a discount since you're a princess.”

Twilight smiled. “That will probably happen. If I don't get it for free. So many ponies offer to give me stuff for free because I’m a princess, but I refuse to get stuff for free. Here is the plan. I will go and ask to buy a map. If they insist on giving it to me for free--and I am sure they will--Lightwing will walk into the store and ask for the same thing and I’ll pay her after she buys it. Rarity will stay by the door and open it when we want Lightwing to come in.”

Twilight and her friends walked over to the store and entered it as Lightwing stayed outside.

The pegasus mare at the counter saw the princess and bowed. “How may I help you, princess?”

Twilight walked to the counter and pointed to the maps behind the mare. “I am looking for a map to Glacier Canyon. Do you have any?”

“Of course we have some.” The shop owner turned and grabbed a map from behind her and gave it to Twilight. “One map for one princess and her friends free of charge.”

Twilight put her head down and sighed. “I did not want to hear that. I want to pay you.”

The shop owner shook her head. “No way. I won’t accept money from a princess. I don’t see princesses out here too much, and I want them to have a nice time. Not to think I’m some money-hungry pony.”

Rarity opened the door and Lightwing walked in. She stopped at the counter.

Twilight looked over at Lightwing. “You can ask for what you want. I will be here for a while, and I do not want you to have to wait.”

Lightwing turned towards Twilight and bowed. “Thank you, Princess.” She then turned to face the counter. “I would like a map to Glacier Canyon.”

The pegasus grabbed a new map from behind her and gave it to Lightwing. “That will be twelve bits.”

Lightwing reached into her saddlebag and put the money on the counter. “Seems a little expensive for a map.”

The shop owner smiled. “Glacier Canyon is a large tourist attraction, and lots of ponies go there. So I charge more for the maps. It’s simple business. “

Lightwing smiled back. “Thanks for the map. We got your map now, Princess.”

The shop owner facehooved. “Did I really just get tricked by a princess?”

Twilight smiled and put twenty more bits on the counter. “More money for you since I had some fun here.” Twilight and the others left the shop. Twilight paid Lightwing for the map.

Lightwing opened the map. “Looks like we need to go south from here. It’s only a two hour walk from here if we follow the path.”

Rainbow Dash hovered over to Lightwing. It‘ll be a two hour fly for me. Unless I chose to walk at some point.”

Pinkie Pie walked up to Lightwing. “Can we stop for snow cones?”

Rarity looked confused. “Why would you want snow cones in this weather? Why not get some refreshing hot chocolate instead?”

Pinkie Pie put a hoof over Rarity. “How could I not want snow cones with all this snow around? I’ll take a hot chocolate too.” Pinkie Pie’s eyes widened. “Or hot chocolate rain. That would be awesome. I wish Discord was here.”

Twilight smiled. “I could make a little hot chocolate rain for you. I have taken a few magic lessons from Discord on my spare time. I can see why he likes it.”

Pinkie Pie jumped for joy and streamers flew out of her mane. “That would be sweet! I would love some hot chocolate rain!”

Twilight giggled. “I’ll do that when we are out of the town.”

The seven ponies began their journey towards the south town border. The ponies enjoyed the snowy town as they walked through it. Ponies were never in the way of Twilight and her friends when they walked to places. That was one of the perks of being a princess that Twilight did not mind. It only took about ten minutes to reach the town border. The ponies stopped and looked at the view of the mountains. Lightwing was mesmerized by the amazing sight of the snow as it glowed in the sunlight.

Twilight waved a hoof in front of Lightwings face. “Stay on track, future girl.”

Lightwing smiled. “This light world is still surprising me.”

The ponies could see a cement path that led out of the town and into the distance. So they began to follow it.

Pinkie Pie began bouncing again. “It’s time for the rain!”

Twilight began focusing and a small pink cloud appeared next to Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie pie stood right under the cloud with her mouth open as hot chocolate began falling. “Oh, chocolaty goodness. It tastes so yummy.”

The pink cloud began to move as Twilight began walking away. Pinkie Pie joyfully followed the small cloud.

Rarity opened her saddlebag and grabbed a small cup. “Pinkie Pie, can I have some of your delightful hot chocolate?”

Pinkie Pie replied, “Yes, you can have some of it.”

Rarity levitated her cup over to the pink cloud to fill it up with hot chocolate. The cup came back to her when it was full and Rarity began to drink it. “Not bad for a cloud of chaos.”

Twilight looked over to her other friends as they were walking. “Does anypony else want some hot chocolate?”

The rest of the ponies all said no in unison.

Lightwing was remembering a time when she had visited the Crystal Mountains in the future. The snow was not as shiny but it would still glow in the moonlight. Lightwing noticed that there was no snow falling from the sky. “I wonder why it is not snowing at this time.”

Twilight turned her head to face Lightwing. “That is a good question. I guess we just assumed it would snow here all day. It will stop raining soon.”

Applejack looked around in confusion. “It ain't raining. So how will it stop?”

Twilight pointed a hoof towards Pinkie Pie. Applejack nodded her head as she realised what Twilight ment by rain. Twilight focused her magic and the pink cloud over Pinkie Pie vanished.

Pinkie Pie’s ears flopped down and her mane deflated. “My hot chocolate...”

Twilight gave Pinkie Pie a hug. “I'm sorry but I still don’t trust those clouds to much. Sometimes they seem to have a mind of their own. So I don't keep them around for too long.”

Pinkie returned Twilight’s hug and her mane inflated back to its normal shape. “Just promise me that you will make me some chocolate rain again some time.”

Twilight went back towards Lightwing. ”Hey Lightwing, do you know where in the Glacier Canyon this ice dragon is?”

Lightwing slowly smiled awkwardly. “No...but I do have a plan on how to find it. So don’t worry. We won't be out here searching for days.”

Twilight tilted her head to the left. “And what is this plan?”

Lightwing smiled normally. “It’s a simple tracking spell.”

Twilight did not look convinced. “Just a simple tracking spell? And how do you plan on initiating such a spell without an item from the dragon?”

Rarity giggled before answering Twilight’s question. “Lightwing does have an item from the dragon. Just look at the pendant around her neck. That’s the pendant and not the necklace.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “I guess you're right. Sorry I doubted your plan.”

“It’s fine,” replied Lightwing.

The walk was uneventful for half an hour.

As Rainbow Dash was flying, she pointed a hoof forward. “I see something shiny in the distance. It looks like a unicorn wearing something gold around his neck.”

Rarity’s eyes lit up at the thought of something valuable.

A few seconds later the unicorn was within eyesight of the ponies on the ground. Lightwing could see the blue unicorn and his yellow mane. “He is not wearing any winter clothes. Just a necklace.” Lightwing began walking faster until she had got to the unicorn. “Hi. Do you need some winter clothes? We have extra.”

The unicorn stallion smiled. “Thanks, but no. I live in these mountains. So I'm use to the cold.”

The other ponies were now caught up. Twilight greeted the new unicorn. “Hi. Where are you going?”

“I’m going to the Glacier Canyon but I’m taking a different path. So Princess, who are these other ponies?”

“These are my friends. Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Lightwing. It was nice to meet you. I hope you have a nice journey.”

Rarity began to examine the large gold-colored diamond around the stallions neck. “This is gorgeous. It looks like a diamond but made from a unique type of gold that I have not seen. What does the strange eye symbol mean?”

“This is the Millennium Diamond. It’s an ancient artifact that has magical powers. I found it in a cave when I was young. I don’t know what the eye symbol on it stands for.”

Rarity frowned. “I guess that means you won’t give it to me.”

“That is correct,” he replied. The blue unicorn began walking away. “Good luck on your journey, ponies.”

Lightwing began leading the ponies on the path again.

Pinkie Pie had an annoyed look on her face. “I did not like that unicorn.”

Everypony looked at Pinkie Pie in shock. “What did you just say? asked Twilight.

“I said I did not like him.”

All the ponies stared at Pinkie Pie for a few more seconds until Rarity spoke up. “Pinkie, are you feeling OK?. You love to make friends with everypony. What changed to make it different for that unicorn?”

Pinkie pie still looked annoyed. “I was just getting bad vibes from him.”

Twilight’s face lit up. “Next time I talk to Celestia. I will make sure to mark this day in the history books. The day Pinkamena Diane Pie did not want to make a new friend. It will be a national holiday.” Everypony laughed. “How about you begin that tracking spell. The sooner it is activated, the sooner I will be less worried.”

Lightwing realised she needed some information. “Twilight, I forgot to ask you something. When you were asleep I saw the Crystal Empire and there were strange black structures connected by roads. What are they and what is there purpose?”

“They are entrances to the tunnels that the changelings live in. Changelings feed off of love. The Crystal Heart collects the happiness and love from the crystal ponies and spreads that all over Equestria. So the changelings live in and under the Empire because they can feed off of some of that energy.”

Lightwing nodded. “I never saw any of those things in my time. The Crystal Heart is a mysterious thing. Somehow it made the dragon more powerful than the Crystal Princess before he even absorbed it. It made him more powerful than the Elements of Harmony after he absorbed it. We have to stop this dragon before it can absorb the energy from the Crystal Heart or all hope is lost. What are changelings?”

“Changelings are a parasitic species of ponies that change their shape into a pony that you love. Then they feed off your love for that pony until you have no more love left and you're just a grumpy pony.” Twilight smiled. “The Crystal Heart fixes this problem. Recently a new way to fix that problem was discovered. If a normal pony actually loves the changeling directly as if it were a family member or a pet, the changeling gets a free source of love without having to steal it from a host. So the host pony stays normal and the changeling gets food.

Lightwing nodded her head. “Will you cast the tracking spell? It would be faster and easier if you cast it.”

Twilight closed her eyes. “Here we go.” Magic energy began to surround Lightwing. The Dragon Pendant glowed for a few seconds. The magic dissipated and the pendant stopped glowing. “Done. It should work.”

A cold wind began to blow from the west as a small blizzard approached. The ponies walked closer to each other to share body heat as they continued their journey across the barren snow field. It took them fifty minutes to make it through the blizzard.

Lightwing could see the canyon in the distance. “The blizzard is fading. I can now see our goal. Looks like it’s only a four minute walk before we get there. The canyon is bigger than I thought.”

The ponies began their walk through the canyon. The towering walls of the canyon looked amazing as small crystals shimmered in the light. Rarity was in awe of the crystals.

Lightwing pointed towards smaller path. “We need to go this way. That is what your tracking spell is telling me. Just so everypony is not surprised. The dragon we are going to fight is about fifteen times taller than us and about five times as long as us.”

Fluttershy froze in place at the sound of that. “I don't think I can do this.”

Rainbow Dash landed by Fluttershy. “Don’t worry. You’ll be safe. This is not the first time you have faced a dragon.”

Fluttershy began to walk forward again. “I know but this is the first time I faced an evil dragon.”

Rainbow Dash continued encouraging her friend.

Twenty minutes after the ponies entered the Glacier Canyon, they entered a huge opening in the canyon, Twilight saw a griffon and some ponies on a cliff. “Look up there.” She pointed a hoof towards a far cliff with lots of ponies and a griffon on it.

“I wonder what all those ponies are doing,” asked Rarity. “Maybe it’s a tour.”

Lightwing shook her head as she realised something. “That’s a bad place for a tour. We’re pretty much at the spot where we’re going to release the dragon. It’s over there.” Lightwing pointed at a wall on the far left.

Twilight opened her wings and flew to the cliff that had the group of ponies. “Why are you all here?”

A blue unicorn with a familiar gold-colored diamond stepped out from the crowd. “Nice to see you again, princess. We were told that you would be here and that you we're going to fight a dragon. So we are all here to watch.”

Twilight began to focus her mind on the diamond. “Is that really why you are all here?” she asked.

The group of ponies and single griffon nodded in agreement.

Twilight could feel a powerful magic within the diamond. It gave her a strange feeling. “Will anything I say get you ponies to leave?”

The blue unicorn smiled. “No, my princess.”

Twilight flew back to her friends and landed next to Lightwing.

“Why are they here?” asked Rainbow Dash curiously.

Twilight sighed. “The group is kind of a tour group. They came to watch us fight the dragon. How they know of it and its location is beyond me. I think I know why Pinkie doesn’t like that unicorn from earlier; His Millennium Diamond gives off a powerful magic energy but it has a strange feeling to it. It feels like changeling magic, but at the same time it feels very different. It’s just weird... It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt.”

Lightwing walked over to the far wall she had pointed to earlier. “I bet I know how they know about the dragon. I bet the creator of the dragon is up there and told others about the show that would take place here. I’ve time traveled, so what’s to say that the creator can't time travel too? Maybe that gold diamond belongs to the creator.”

Twilight had wore a calculating expression. “If that is true, why is the creator just standing around doing nothing? Why not come down here and try to take you out or stop you from coming here in the first place? There were plenty of times that you were vulnerable to attack.”

Lightwing’s ears drooped and she lowered her head. “Maybe we lose this fight and the creator knows it. That gives him a reason to do nothing but watch.”

“No!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash as she raised a hoof. “We’ll win! Nothing will stop us! I don’t lose. Our world needs us and we won't let them down!”

Lightwings ears perked back up. “Right...Right! Thanks, I feel a little better now. I just lost my head there.”

The ponies reached the wall that Lightwing had been walking to. Lightwing opened her saddlebag and grabbed a potion, drinking the whole thing before replacing the empty bottle. She closed her eyes and began to focus on the magic of her pendant, and it started to glow. Moments later the ground began to shake. The ponies backed away as the wall began to collapse. Chunks of ice fell in front of the ponies and shattered across the ground. The earth continued to shake violently as the wall continued to implode on itself until there was nothing but a gaping hole in the cliffside. A roar emanated from deep within, echoing a thousand times in the entrance, and through the ponies in its path.

“Did y'all hear that?” asked Applejack, gulping.

A large turquoise dragon come flying out of the hole and landed behind the ponies in the huge clearing of the icy canyon, eying them malevolently as he shook out his massive wings, shimmering in the bright light of day..

Lightwing flew toward the dragon. “We meet again for the first time. Your light-blue scales are beautiful in the sunlight. I...I was not expecting that.”

The dragon stared blankly at Lightwing. “Thanks for the compliment. I like my scales when they shine in the light. How are we meeting again if this is the first time?”

Pinkie Pie ran up to the dragon and began talking fast. “This pegasus is from the future and in that future she has met you, but now she has traveled back in time and is meeting you again, so this is technically the first time you’re meeting! So saying we meet again for the first time makes perfect sense.” Pinkie Pie took a breath.

Twilight laughed. “I actually understood that one.”

The dragon began to back away. Rainbow Dash blocked his path. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Over to the audience,” the dragon repled. “I want to make sure they can see you ponies well. Seeing me is no problem but you ponies are small.”

Twilight teleported all her grounded friends to the side of the canyon below where the observing ponies were. A few moments later the dragon and Rainbow Dash were there too.

The ice dragon looked at Lightwing. “Lightwing, I must thank you for freeing me.”

“How do you know my name? Nopony has told you my name.”

“I was told that a black and green pegasus named Lightwing would be the pony to free me.”

Lightwing smiled. “I’m flattered that you know of me but now we must stop you. Remember the plan, girls.”

Rainbow Dash and Lightwing started flying around the dragon. The dragon began to glow as he shot ice towards the annoying ponies that flew around him.

“Try and hit me, you slow dragon!” taunted Rainbow Dash. She was successful in getting his attention away from Lightwing. Bolts of magic began slicing through the air towards the dragon as Twilight opened her wings and joined Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie got out her party cannon and shot frozen water balloons at their enemy.

Lightwing took the opportunity to begin her plan. Her eyes began to glow with magic. Green light began to radiate from her as she floated behind the dragon. She focused on feeling the life energy of her enemy. It only took a few seconds because she was familiar to the energy that the pendant gave off. A green light shot from the pendant and hit the dragon but seemed to have no effect.

Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack stood on the ground watching their friends fly around at amazing speeds. The ponies on the cliff began to cheer.

The green light from the pendant began turning into blue light and started coming back towards the pendant. Twilight saw this and paid close attention. The blue light around the pendant and green light around Lightwing made a beautiful turquoise light as they touched. Both lights stopped and disappeared. Lightwing started pointing a hoof at Twilight and her friends. Twilight and Rainbow Dash got the signal and started a nose dive straight back to where their friends were.

The ground shook and the wind picked up as the ice dragon began to hover in place. Ice continued zooming by the flying ponies as they zigzagged in between them. Twilight’s eyes began to glow with magic. A rainbow energy surrounded her and her friends. It protected them from the attacks. The dragon roared in anger and the air crackled as the dragon shot a beam of turquoise magic from his claw towards Twilight.

Twilight’s hooves dug into the icy ground as the magic hit her shield. She was using her full power to stop the attack. Lightwing saw that Twilight could spare no extra energy. She began a nose dive straight towards the beam of magic. She took off the pendant and held it in her hoof. Making sure not to fly into the beam of magic she quickly pulled up and dropped the pendant into the powerful magic. It shattered on impact.

The attack from the dragon stopped immediately. As the dragon began to fall, Twilight kept her shield up. The dragon hit the ground and shards of ice flew in all directions as a huge crater formed in the icy ground where the dragon had crashed.

Lightwing smiled and landed in front of the dragon. “It’s over. You lost.”

The dragon glared at the pegasus pony. “Thats what you think.” The dragon closed it’s eyes and stopped breathing. The body disintegrated into a turquoise light.

Twilight and her friends ran up to Lightwing. Twilight gave Lightwing a hoof bump. “Nice job!” commented Twilight.

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “That was kind of anticlimactic, but it was fun at least. It seemed too easy for a battle with a creature that was going to rule the world. There wasn’t even any monologuing from the dragon.”

Lightwing turned towards Rainbow Dash. “The battle is not over yet.”

Rainbow Dash sat down with a confused look. “But we saw the dragon die.”

Lightwing spread her wings, and her eyes turned white with magic. She laughed evilly and her voice deepened. “I would not say the dragon is dead. In fact I would say he is quite alive and even stronger.”

“How are you alive?!” asked Rainbow Dash.

“It does not matter how. Would you like me to monologue now?”

Twilight flared out her wings and her crown glowed with magic. “No! We have no time to listen to some random story.” Twilight prepared to attack but hesitated. I can’t attack Lightwing, She thought to herself.

The now-possessed Lightwing began to hover above the ground. “What's wrong Princess? Are you scared to attack an innocent pegasus?” Her eyes turned back to normal and she fell to the ground. “Help me.“ A familiar voice said as her eyes began flashing between normal and white.

“How?” replied Twilight.

Lightwings eyes turned white. “Lightwing is not h h...help...Wow she is one stubborn pegasus.”

Twilight started to glow with magic. “I am going to stop you.” Rainbow energy swirled around Twilight and shot at the evil pegasus. Lightwing stuck a hoof up and blocked the attack. Twilight stared in amazement. “How did you block the Elements of Harmony? Thats impossible!”

Lightwing smiled evilly. “This pegasus has a very unique magic. The results of my magic with hers are very intriguing. I bet you did not know that your new pegasus friend could absorb unicorn magic and use it for herself.”

Twilight stood there in shock. “So you amplified her power and used it to absorb my attack. How interesting.”

Lightwing glared at Twilight with a face of evil. “It gets even better. I can even absorb your magic without you directing it at me and cut off your ability to replenish your magic.”

Twilight had a look of confusion. “What does that last part mean?”

“I expected more from you,” replied evil Lightwing as she rolled her eyes. “I guess your magic schools don’t cover this subject. I’ll keep it simple. This planet's core is rich with a powerful energy. We call it magic. This energy is so powerful that it radiates across the whole planet and even into space. The sun and moon also radiate powerful energies that can be controlled but are harder to connect with. If one is able to master all three of these magics, they can have amazing powers. Discord is one of the few to do this. Thats why Celestia and Luna can’t defeat him without the Elements of Harmony.”

Rainbow Dash smacked her face with a hoof. “I’m so bored. We did not come here for a school class. We came to save the world, and talking is not helping.”

Twilight glared at Rainbow Dash. “I find this interesting. So be quiet! Please continue with the lesson.”

“As you wish, Princess,” replied evil Lightwing. “By mastering the power of the planet, moon and sun, you can find and connect with an even greater power that is radiated from the center of the galaxy. It is known as the dark vortex. Only two things can stand up to the power of the dark vortex and those are itself and a mysterious rock called the Stone of Orichalcos. The Stone of Orichalcos vanished over six hundred thousand years ago with the great city of the sea ponies, and no other creature has mastered the power of the dark vortex. So when my master chooses to take over your world, you will have no way to stop him.”

Rainbow Dash was flying in circles trying to entertain herself. I thought we didn’t have time for a story?

“Unicorn and alicorn horns automatically channel the energy of the planet into their hosts to keep them alive. They can also channel the energy out of you but you know that. Pegasus wings work the same way but on a much smaller scale. This is how pegasi can walk on clouds. Earth ponies can tap into this energy too but on an even smaller scale. Unicorns and alicorns need this energy to be alive and will die if the energy is not in them. On a side note, this is also how Lightwing is able to use magic while being a pegasus. Her specially made potions make her brain give off specific signals that a unicorn horn gives off. This is also how magic artifacts work. They give the holder a deeper connection to this powerful energy, allowing the holder to control more of this magic energy.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “So by absorbing the magic from within me and stopping my horn from replenishing the energy...you would kill me. If a pegasus can do that, then I guess a unicorn or alicorn could do that too. That is probably why this subject is not in our schools.”

“Here is a demonstration.” Lightwings eyes glowed and purple aura began to leave Twilight. It floated from her horn into Lightwings fore hooves. Twilight began to feel weak and could barely hold her weight. So she collapsed, but her friends caught her.

“Leave her alone!” said Rainbow Dash as she zoomed at Lightwing trying to hit her. Dash just ended up hitting a purple shield.

Evil Lightwing stopped taking Twilight’s magic. “I was planning to stop anyway. I would not want to kill her. That would be no fun. I want her to see me take an even better magic.” Turquoise light radiated out from Lightwing. “These toys are too much for you!” The Elements of Harmony disconnected from the ponies and began to float towards the evil pegasus. Rainbow magic swirled around her and engulfed her. The rainbow magic began going into her eyes until there was no more. The Elements of Harmony were now gray. The lifeless artifacts fell to the ground with a thud. “I now control the most powerful magic in Equestria!”

Twilight’s friends all looked horrified but Twilight smiled even though she was about to faint. “You forgot one thing Mr. Dragon...and that is that I am ultimately in control of that magic you just absorbed.” Twilight’s eyes glowed white and Lightwing fell to the ground. The air sparked with magic as rainbow energy began to leave Lightwing and go back into the lifeless artifacts on the ground.

Lightwing heard a voice in her head. This isn’t the end. She dismissed it. A Turquoise aura left Lightwing. The Elements of Harmony each shot out a beam of energy at the turquoise-colored smoke and It disintegrated.

Lightwing laid on the ground, lifeless. "I’m dying…" she said.

Twilight could feel herself about to lose consciousness. With a smile she said, “Ha! Take that you evil dragon spirit. You should have killed me when you had the chance.” She fainted after her victory speech. Twilight’s friends stood around her to take care of her.

Rainbow Dash rushed over to Lightwing, who was shivering on the icy ground. “Are you OK, future pegasus!?”

Lightwings eyes were closed, but she answered dully, emotionless. “No I am not okay. I am going to die.”

“What? Why?” asked a frantic Dash.

Lightwing groaned in pain. “When the dragon possesed me, it mixed our life energies. So now that he is dead, I will soon follow in that path. Magic always comes at a price: this is mine.”

Rainbow Dash started pacing back and forth. “There has to be a way to save you! I just know it. I won't give up.”

Rarity walked over to Dash. “I overheard your problem, and I think I might have a solution. Do you remember what Lightwing said about the Dragon Pendant when we were on the train?”

“What does that have to do with this?” asked Dash.

“She said it gave the dragon immortality because it was connected to his life energy. That is why we had to destroy it. So if we connect her life energy to an object, she should be immortal too.”

Rainbow Dash smiled. “That just might work.” The smile turned into a frown. “No offense, but you can’t cast a spell like that and Twilight’s out cold. So what now?”

Lightwing grumbled and Rainbow Dash turned to face her. A potion bottle rolled toward Rainbow Dash. Lightwing smiled. “All of you drink some of this potion. You will be able to use magic and you can all cast the spell together. The more ponies that cast the spell, the easier it is.”

“Everypony come here now!” exclaimed Rarity. Everypony came right over to her. Rarity drank a little of the potion and coughed. “This tastes dreadful. Everypony drink some of this. It will give us some magic and we can save Lightwing’s life.”

They all drank some and all agreed it tasted bad. Rarity spoke up. “You have to focus on Lightwing’s life energy and tell it to move to her necklace. That will save her. Close your eyes and focus.”

Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie surrounded Lightwing. All the non-unicorns closed their eyes and focused on Lightwing. A few moments later a green aura began to come out of Lightwing. The necklace she was wearing began to glow as the green aura slowly went into the necklace.

Rarity smiled. “Good work, everypony.”

The group let out a sigh of relief as Applejack laughed. “That’s still just as hard as last time.”

Rainbow Dash looked over at Applejack. “You have used magic before? When?”

Lightwing answered before Applejack. “At a breakfast we had.” She slowly got up onto her hooves and wobbled a little bit. “I don't feel one hundred percent but I do feel a little better. I hope Twilight will be okay.” With help from Rainbow Dash, Lightwing walked over to Twilight.

The ponies on the cliff, now bored of the events, began to leave.

Lightwing grumbled again. “We need to get to the top of the canyon and build a an igloo. Twilight and I are not going to be able to make the long walk back till tomorrow.”

Rainbow Dash patted Lightwing with a wing. “I’ll get you and everypony up there.”

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy brought the ponies to the top one at a time. Lightwing went to sleep in the snow next to the unconscious Twilight. The snow was not very comfortable, but Lightwing was too exhausted to care. The other ponies built an igloo and brought the two sleeping ponies into it for the rest of the day. Twilight and Lightwing both recovered as the day went on. They did not leave until the next morning.