Our Darkest Days

by Bluecatcinema

The Pride Of Hubris

The trio arrived in the Griffon nation of Aerovis, a region heavy with hills, mountains, and tall trees.

"Whoa." Sunset gaped. "Good thing I'm not afraid of heights..."

"Before we begin, I must point out that Griffons are, by and large, a prideful species." Echo declared. "They don't take kindly to slights, even accidental ones. So please watch what you say around them."

"Will do." Sunset nodded.

Sterling didn't answer. He was still thinking about his conversation with Shining Armor.

"Sterling?" Echo asked. "Are you listening?"

"Huh?" Sterling blinked. "Yeah, sure. No bad-mouthing the birds, sure."

"Are you alright, Sterling?" Sunset asked. "You seem a little... lost right now."

"Oh, I'm fine." Sterling sighed. "It's just... we are doing the right thing here, aren't we?"

"Of course we are." Sunset declared.

"No offense Sunset, but I'd like to hear that from Echo." Sterling turned to the Thestral. "We're doing the right thing, right?"

"Indeed we are." Echo needed. "The only way to keep Equestria safe is for us to get to those pages first."

"Yeah, I know..." Sterling sighed, not fully convinced.

"Do not lose faith in the mission, Sterling." Echo urged. "Not now. Not when so much is riding on it."

"Speaking of the mission, who's got the next page?" Sunset asked.

"Stolz Hubris." Echo declared. "An Earth Pony, son of the ambassadors Hans and Olga Hubris. From what I've heard, we can find him in a gym, not too far from here. Word is, he likes to work out."

"Then let's go." Sunset nodded.

"Yeah, sure..." Sterling sighed.

The trio made their way into the town of Skyridge, a joint pony/Griffon settlement. As they made their way to the gym, Sunset saw an elderly female Griffon drop her bag, and rushed to pick it up.

"Excuse me, ma'am." She held up the bag. "You dropped this."

"What? You think I can't pick this up myself?!" The Griffon snarled, snatching the bag out of Sunset's hooves. "When I want your help, I'll ask for it, so just mind your own business!"

The Griffon departed.

"Boy, you weren't kidding about Griffons being prideful." Sunset told Echo. "I was just trying to help, and she bit my head off."

As they continued, they saw more Griffons showing excessive amounts of pride and arrogance. One refused to step aside for the other when they crossed in mid-air.

"I was there first!" He yelled.

"You don't own the skies!" The other snapped.

"Sez who?" The skyhog spat.

"Methinks this is more than simple pride at work..." Echo frowned. "Alas, it appears Mr. Hubris is using his page for ill as well..."

"And we're just going to walk right up to him and ask for the page?" Sterling asked. "Like that's worked so well for us up 'til now..."

"Sterling has a point, Echo." Sunset agreed. "Maybe we could try some other strategy. How about we take him by surprise?"

"It's better if we at least try to reason with him." Echo insisted.

"Even if he doesn't want to be reasoned with?" Sterling frowned.

"Just this once, can't we try it a different way?" Sunset asked.

Echo felt himself growing indignant. Who were they to question him? He was clearly the brains of the outfit.

"Why are you questioning me now?" He growled. "Don't you trust my judgment?"

Sterling wasn't so sure at the moment. Shining's word about Echo's motives raced through his mind.

"Nopony's questioning you, Echo." Sunset said, starting to get irritated. "We're just offering alternate solutions."

"Well, kindly don't." Echo declared. "Now, we must hurry."

They finally reached the gym. In the front hall, there were a picture of the Hubris family, who had apparently donated money to the gym a few years back. In between Hans and Olga was a short, royal purple-coated, brown-maned Earth Pony with small-scale muscles, and a distinctively profound chin, and a Cutie Mark of two crossed barbells.

"That's Hubris?" Sterling snorted. "What a shrimp..."

"Indeed. For a pony who works out, he seems a little on the small side." Echo agreed.

"Shh." Sunset suddenly hissed. "Listen."

As they pricked up their ears, the trio heard the sound of music drifting in from down a hallway. They followed it to the main workout room. Inside, a motivational speaker CD was playing, as a large, overly-muscled version purple stallion was working out, lifting dumbbells. The page was sticking out of one of his sweatbands.

"That's what I'm talking about..." The stallion did a rep. "Faust, you are incredible, Stolz..."

"Um, excuse me, sir?" Echo asked. "We're looking for a Mr. Hubris."

The stallion ignored them, as he continued to rep.

"Hey, pal, do you know where that shrimp Hubris is?" Sterling asked.

The big purple pony instantly stopped what he was doing, as he then turned around, his face fraught with fury. Despite the extra muscles, there was no mistaking his profound chin of that of Stolz Hubris.

"What did you say?!" He roared.

"It's him." Sunset gaped.

"Did I say 'shrimp'?" Sterling gulped. "Because I meant... I got nothin'."

Hubris dropped one dumbbell and threw the other at the ground in front of them, which created a small crater. He then stomped towards them.

"I am no shrimp!" He roared. "I am Stolz Hubris, son of Hans and Olga Hubris!" He grabbed Sterling, much to his shock. "I am about to take home the Mr. Gigantic Muscle trophy! Nopony and nothing is getting in my way! Do you understand me?!" He threw Sterling across the room.

"Whoa, listen, Mr Hubris." Echo stepped forward. "We have no intentions of stopping you from... whatever it is you're doing. We just want the page that was given to you. The one from Sombra's book?"

Hubris ignored his question, as he glanced at the mirror next to him, flexing and posing.

"Faust, you're good looking." He said to his reflection. "You know that? You winner, you."

The trio looked at the mirror with him.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Echo smiled.

"If you're thinking we should play to his vanity, I'm way ahead of you." Sunset grinned.

"Let's do it." Sterling nodded.

The trio approached Hubris.

"You know, you really are gigantic, sir." Sunset smiled, doing a small flex.

"Yes, you must be the envy of every stallion here." Echo added.

"Yeah, you certainly are no shrimp!" Sterling blurted out. As he realized what he just said, Hubris angrily stared at him. "Ah! Not a shrimp! You're big and strong!"

"No!" Hubris yelled. "You aren't going to mock me anymore! I am Stolz Hubris, son of Hans and Olga Hubris!"

Hubris picked up a barbell, slinging it on his shoulder, as he took a fighting stance.

"You just couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you?" Echo glared at Sterling.

Hubris charged at them, swinging his barbell. The trio dodged.

"Let's see how the musclehead handles some magic!" Sunset said confidently.

Sunset tried blasting him with her magic, but it barely scratched the brawny hulk.

"Step aside, Sunny." Sterling readied his crossbow. "I got this."

Sterling fired some bolts at Hubris, but he deflected them with the barbell.

"Well, that didn't work." Echo snorted.

"You got a better idea?" Sterling growled.

"Naturally." Echo smirked. "Our musclebound friend may be big, but he's slow." He spread his wings. "I just need to outmaneuver him."

Echo flew up towards Hubris. The brute swung at him, but Echo dodged, and struck back, striking his side.

"Think you're pretty clever, huh?" Hubris sneered. "I don't think so!"

As Echo dived, Hubris swung the barbell hard enough to create a powerful breeze, sending Echo flying into the wall.

"Yeah, great idea." Sterling snorted.

Hubris charged again. Sterling sidestepped him, then rammed into his side, knocking him off-balance.

"My turn!" Sunset fired a concentrated beam of magic, pushing Hubris back.

"I'm not letting you get all the glory!" Echo growled. He flew into Hubris, knocking him off his hooves. "Not so tough now, eh?"

Their success only lasted a moment, for Hubris got back up.

"Okay." He snarled, his eyes growing wispy. "No more Mr nice guy."

Hubris's body started to glow, and his muscles expanded further.

"Oh, boy." Sterling gulped.

"Round two!" Hubris yelled.

With a swing of his barbell, Hubris sent Sterling flying into Sunset, the two crashing into the wall. One brutal backhoof later, and Echo joined them.

"You wimps want more?" Hubris taunted.

"Trust me, we're just getting started." Echo said defiantly.

"Maybe I should come up with the next plan." Sunset suggested.

"Oh, please." Echo said, with irregular contempt. "We all know I'm the brains of this outfit. Stop trying to cut in on my moments!"

"Excuse me?" Sunset gaped. "I'm not too shabby in the brains department myself, you know."

"Of course you're not." Echo admitted. "Just not to the extent of myself."

"Well, pardon me." Sunset said sarcastically. "It must be so difficult, lowering yourself to the level of lesser minds like mine."

"You said it, not me." Echo smirked.

"I was being sarcastic." Sunset glared. "I'm easily as smart as you, you pompous jerk, if not more so."

"Oh, please." Echo snorted. "You may be smarter than the average pony, but your intellect is no match for mine."

"I doubt that." Sunset growled. "Need I remind you I was once Princess Celestia's personal student? She chose me above all others! I was even on the fast-track to becoming a Princess myself!"

"Oh, really?" Echo glared. "From what I heard, you ended up getting dropped as her student and banished from the castle over some mirror! You, the only mare to ever fail as Celestia's student!"

Sunset took a step back, actually genuinely hurt by such a comment.

"No... no, you're wrong!" Sunset barked back, her eyes growing misty.

"Oh, here comes the waterworks." Echo sighed in frustration.

"That was completely below the belt, Echo..." Sterling frowned.

"Oh, sure, you would take the whimpering mare's side." Echo spat. "Honestly, why did I ever take her up as my assistant? She's nothing but a washed-up has been, an outdated model, a complete failure!"

"Shut up!" Sunset yelled, sucking in the tears. "So I made some mistakes! At least I wasn't being held against my will because everypony is afraid of me!"

"For your edification, Shimmer, I could have left whenever I felt like it!" Echo snarled. "But there was work to be done! But you wouldn't know! You spent most of your life in Faust knows where, living a cushy life, while our country suffered by the hooves of megalomaniacs!"

"Uh, guys..." Sterling frowned.

"Work?" Sunset sneered. "All you ever do is hang upside down and write stuff down! And for what?! Nopony is ever going to allow dark magic to be used! I spent years regretting ever coming near the stuff because it cost me my one chance at happiness!"

"Dark magic is what's going to move the pony race forward! I had spent my entire life studying it! I have more knowledge of the dark arts in one hoof than you have in your whole body!" Echo countered. "The only thing you're good for is carrying my bags!"

"Why, you..." Sunset quivered with rage.

"Come on, guys!" Sterling groaned. "Fighting over who's smarter? In case you hadn't noticed, there's an angry stallion with a three-hundred pound barbell staring at us!"

"Stay out of this, Sterling! You can't possibly understand what we are talking about! That requires a brain!" Echo spat.

"Hey, leave him out of this!" Sunset barked. "He has enough brains to see what a total bunghole you are!"

"How can he?! All he ever thinks about is how to get on top of you!" Echo sneered.

"Well at least he is honest with his attraction towards me!" Sunset fumed. "He doesn't bottle it up, because he's afraid to get close!"

"Oh, please! Like I'd want to get close to a stuck-up Unicorn like you!" Echo snarled.

"HEY!!" Hubris yelled, having been dumbfounded by their descent into bickering. "Don't ignore me!"

"Oh, butt out, freakshow!" Sunset spat.

"Can't you see we are busy here?!" Echo glared.

"No!" Hubris shrieked. "All my life, I've been made fun of, belittled! All the local Griffons mocked me for not being able to fly! My parents always looked down their nose at my interests! They refuse to have a son who is into colts! They refuse to have a lanky shrimp of a son! That's why I got into bodybuilding, so I could stand out as the awesome stallion I am! But I wasn't getting results fast enough!"

"So you used the page." Echo noted. "Some sort of spell to grant you the body mass of a giant!"

"Ya got that right!" Hubris grinned. "It made me the strongest, toughest pony around. Nopony's ever gonna put me down ever again! Not my parent! Not those griffons! Nopony, not when I can flatten 'em!"

"Don't be so sure of that, you spineless fool." Sunset growled.

"Yes! It will give me great joy in returning you to your poor humdrum life!" Echo snarled.

"That's it!" Hubris swung his barbell, which the trio dodged.

"Stay out of my way!" Echo told Sunset. "I'll handle this!"

"In your dreams, professor." Sunset sneered. "I'll deal with this freak."

"How about focusing on not getting killed!" Sterling panicked.

Echo and Sunset attacked Hubris separately, but he was easily too strong for them, swatting them away like flies. As they tried to regroup, Echo and Sunset bumped into each other.

"I told you to stay out of my way!" Echo yelled at Sunset.

"And I told you I'll deal with this freak!" Sunset shot back.

"Don't flatter yourself." Echo growled. "If you couldn't succeed as Celestia's student, what makes you think you can succeed here?"

"Don't go there, you bat-winged freak!" Sunset roared.

"Freak, am I?" Echo snarled. "At least I'm not a total disgrace to Celestia herself!"

"Enough!" Sterling roared, prompting Echo and Sunset to glare at him. "Don't you see what's going on here?! It's what happened with Rancour! The spell he's using is bringing out your inner pride! Making you blind to your own fault and reason! Come on, you're both better than this!"

"What do you know, you..." Echo started, before starting to consider Sterling's words. He was still a pony of logic and reason, and he knew Sterling had a point. He fought back the urge to deride his companions. "You... you're right. This isn't the way I act, not ever...."

"You believe this rock-brained idiot?" Sunset sneered.

"Please, Sunset." Echo implored her. "You have to fight it. This isn't you."

"Echo's right." Sterling nodded. "You're not a prideful, self-aggrandising pony. You're kind, and considerate. Remember..."

"I... I... "Echo shook her head, trying to fight off her negative thoughts. "I know. I'm not a prideful pony. I may have been once, but I changed. And I'm never going back to the way I was again."

"Thank you." Sterling sighed in relief."I would hate to have to slap you, Sunset."

"We've got to get that page away from Hubris." Echo declared. "Doing so should negate its effects. But we can only do it together. Are you with me, Sunset?"

"Yes." Sunset nodded. "I'm with you."

"Me, too." Sterling smirked. "Let's do this!"

"Together, then." Echo nodded.

"Come on!" Hubris waved his barbell.

"Now!" Sunset fired some magic at Hubris.

As Hubris batted the blasts away, Sterling moved to the side, and fired some bolts. As Hubris deflected the bolts, Echo flew in from behind, taking the page.

"Got it!" Echo smiled. "Our troubles are over!"

"No!" Hubris roared. "Give that back!"

"Or not." Echo gulped.

"Let's get out of here!" Sterling barked.

"Right behind you!" Sunset nodded.

The trio raced out of the gym, as they were fortunate enough to see a taxi carriage up front. They quickly slipped into it.

"Good afternoon, travelers, where will it be?" The Earth Pony stallion pulling the carriage asked.

"Anywhere but here! Go, go, go!" Sterling barked.

"Okay, okay!" The stallion frowned as he began pulling the carriage away from the gym.

As soon as they were a good few feet away, the trio let out sighs of relief.

"Hoi, glad that's over with." Sterling smiled tiredly.

"Yes, this page nearly turned out the same way as it did with the Wrath spell, uh, Sunset?" Echo turned to Sunset.

However, Sunset remained silent, her expression rather cold.

"Sunset?" Echo frowned, "Sunset, what's wrong?"

"Back there... you called me a complete failure..." Sunset glared. "A disgrace to Celestia."

"I did, didn't I?" Echo realized, "Ms. Shimmer, that spell, it messed with both our heads. I would never had called you that."

"But you were thinking it. Why else would you say it?" Sunset frowned. "...Believe it or not, that day Celestia stripped me of my title was the worst day of my life, and you had the gall to mock me with it."

"I... I'm sorry." Echo apologised, immensely guilty.

"I know." Sunset admitted. "But it'll take more than a simple apology to fix this."

An awkward silence hung over the carriage.

"Uh, Echo, you said taking the page was supposed to stop Hubris, right?" Sterling frowned, as he glanced out the back window.

"Yes, that was the theory, why?" Echo asked.

A loud guttural roar echoed, much to the Echo and Sunset's horror, as the two glanced out the window with Sterling to see none other than an extremely peeved Stolz Hubris running after them, barbell in tow.

"Give me back my page!" Hubris roared.

"I think you might want to rethink your theory, Echo!" Sterling frowned.

"Um, sir..." Sunset ran to the front, addressing the puller, "You might want to run a little bit faster."

"Okay, but wh-" The stallion glanced back, only to be horrified by Hubris charging at them. "What the buck is that?!"

"Long story! Just run!" Sunset cried.

The taxi puller did not hesitate as he began running faster, pulling away from the angry purple stallion.

"Don't run away from me! I'm going to buck you!" Hubris screamed.

"This isn't good!" Echo gasped.

"No kidding." Sunset agreed. "All this is bound to draw attention to us..."

Suddenly, a carriage crashed down in front of them.

"Lauren Faust!" The taxi puller gasped as he narrowly dodged it.

"Where did that come from?!" Sterling gaped.

The familiar sound of microcrystals gathering ensued, as the trio glanced out behind them, as following them not far behind Hubris was none other than the masked pony, riding on a wave of crystals.

"Aw, great!" Sterling growled. "Just what we need!"

"What is going on?" The taxi puller demanded.

"Nothing much." Echo said airily. "We're just being chased by two psychotic ponies with dark magic powers."

"What?!" The taxi puller yelped.

"Just keep going!" Sunset urged. "For all our sakes!"

"I knew I should've stayed in bed today." The taxi puller groaned, as he sped up.

The chase continued, the masked pony and Hubris pursuing them through the streets of Skyridge. The masked pony lifted himself onto the rooftops, and fired streams of crystals at the trio, which Sunset and Sterling dispersed with magic blasts and crossbow bolts, while Hubris simply smashed through all obstacles, sending innocent Griffons flying away in terror.

"Hard left!" Echo told the taxi puller.

The taxi puller complied, and they swerved violently. The masked pony matched their movements, while Hubris, reacting too slowly, skidded past the turn.

"Hey, get back here!" He followed after them.

Suddenly, the taxi pulled to a stop.

"Why are we stopped?" Sunset asked.

"The light's red." The taxi puller pointed out.

"There are no red lights in a carriage chase!" Sterling yelled.

The light turned green, and the taxi puller started moving again. With one hoof, he turned on his blinker lantern.

"Did you just turn your blinker on?" Sterling asked incredulously.

"I have to indicate my turn." The taxi puller remarked.

"That's. It." Sterling declared. He yanked the taxi puller out of his harness (who made a shrill shriek) and took his place, pulling the carriage as fast as he could.

As the masked pony raised a wave of crystals, Sterling turned into an alley, scraping the side of the carriage as he ran through. As another wave rose up, Sterling swerved, and the carriage slid up the wave, and flew up to a nearby bridge. After that came a train crossing. A train was already nearing the gates lowering. Sterling picked up speed.

"What are you doing, what are you doing-ah!" The taxi puller yelped, as Sterling leapt through the crossing, the carriage narrowly avoiding the train.

"Did we lose him?" Sunset asked, looking for the masked pony.

"I don't think so." Echo gulped, spotted their nemesis on the top of the train.

The masked pony sent his crystals flowing all around them, creating a tunnel, the end of which was rapidly closing.

"Hold on!" Sterling yelled, rushing towards the shrinking gap.

"We're not gonna make it!" The taxi puller yelled.

"We're gonna make it!" Sterling countered.

"We're not gonna make it!" The taxi puller shrieked.

"We're gonna make it!" Sterling insisted.

As they neared the edge, Sterling leaned back into the carriage. Just as the gap closed, they smashed through it, flying straight into the town square. It featured a small marketplace, and several statues of historically influential ponies and GriffonsThe ponies and Griffons scattered as the carriage dived to the ground.

*CRASH*

The carriage splintered into pieces, sending the trio and the puller sprawling across the ground.

"Ugh... that really hurts..." Sterling groaned.

"At least we made it though." Sunset winced, rubbing her side.

Suddenly, the masked pony jumped from the nearby rooftop, using the crystals to land himself safely in front of them.

"That's it!" The taxi puller ran away. "I'm outta here!"

Echo immediately hopped to his hooves, gripping the page tightly.

"You're not getting this page, masked one!" Echo declared, though grimacing from the pain. "You hear me?!"

"You'll have to go through us first!" Sunset added.

"Yeah, what they said!" Sterling agreed.

The masked pony paused, and seemed to give off a frustrated sigh, as then, he lashed out with a crystal-formed whip. Exhausted as they were, the trio were unable to put up much of a fight. The whip struck Sterling first, sending him into a nearby cabbage cart.

"Not my cabbages!" The vendor despaired.

"Ah, quit whining." Sterling groaned. "Nopony likes cabbages that much anyway..."

Then the masked pony swung his whip against Sunset, smacking her against the wall.

"Gah..." Sunset groaned, slumping to the ground.

With one last swish, the masked pony struck Echo dead on.

"GAK!" Echo gasped, dropping the page as he skid along the ground. The masked pony reached to pick it up.

"Oh no, ya don't!" Sterling charged at him, but was knocked back down by the whip once more. "Oof!"

It was then that Hubris caught up with them. He eyed the page in the masked pony's hoof.

"Hey, that's mine!" He yelled. "Give it to me! I deserve it! Me, and only me!"

Hubris swung his barbell at the masked pony, who created a crystal shield to block it. The masked pony then lashed his whip at Hubris, causing him to stumble.

"Oh, that's it!" Hubris roared. "I'm gonna squish you like a bug!"

Hubris swung his barbell again, but the masked pony caught it with a whip, then, using a crystal spike, sliced it in half.

"My favorite barbell!" Hubris gasped. "Now you're gonna get it!"

Hubris swung a hoof at the masked pony, who blocked it with a giant dark crystal hoof. He created another, slamming them together.

"An old-fashioned fistfight, huh?" Hubris sneered. "Alright, put up your dukes!"

The two lashed out at each other. The masked pony's crystal were more than a match for Hubris's hooves, raining down blow after blow, while blocking his foe's strikes.

"This can't be happening..." Hubris said woozily. "I'm the strongest there is..."

The masked pony struck Hubris again and again, pounding him to pulp. He hit him in the head, the legs, and the sides, backing up against the statues in the centre of the square. As Hubris teetered, barely able to stand, the masked pony delivered a powerful right cross, shattering the last of his resolve.

Hubris struggled to a nearby statue, trying to keep conscious, but the blows proved too much for even the big stallion. He glanced up at the statue he was faced with, only to frown at the sight of his father, which the statue happened to represent. He whimpered, as he gripped the side of the statue.

"You are worthy... you are unique... you deserve happiness..." He despaired, as he looked up one last time. "Didn't I?" His eyes rolled back, as he fell back, bringing the statue down on himself.

The masked pony gave a nod, satisfied with his work. As he turned to leave, Echo struggled to his hooves.

"No you don't..." He growled. "Not this time..."

The masked pony gestured, and a wave of dark crystals knocked Echo aside. He then departed on a wave of crystals.

The trio got up, the knowledge that they had lost another page burning in their minds.

"I don't believe this..." Sterling groaned.

"Another page lost..." Sunset sighed.

"Buck up, my friends." Echo declared, trying to stay chipper, "We'll get the next one... right, Sunset?"

"Don't talk to me, Echo." Sunset said coldly.

"Sunset, I'm sorry I said those things." Echo sighed in exasperation, "But you can't just shut me out. We need you!"

"Just don't, Echo..." Sunset brushed him off. "Let's get out of here before the cops come..."

"But..." Echo murmured.

"She's right. Stolz was the ambassador's son." Sterling pointed out. "There's going to be Tartarus to pay if we are anywhere near the body."

Echo frowned as he glanced at Sunset, who wouldn't even look at him, and let out a sigh of defeat as the trio fled the scene.

Later that night, as they rode a boat to their next location, the trio split into two separate cabins, with Sunset by herself, and Sterling and Echo in another. Sunset was trying her best to shake off today's events.

"I can't believe I said all those things..." She bemoaned, as memories of her past failures flooded back into her mind.. "I thought I'd grown past all that. But I haven't. It's all still in there, under the surface." She sighed again. "I shouldn't have been so hard on Echo. He really had me pegged..."

In the boys' room, Echo was just beside himself with grief.

"I cannot believe I did that to her." Echo bemoaned, slouching on his bed. "She hates me now..."

"Hey, don't be like that, Echo." Sterling frowned, trying to console him. "Sunset will come around. She knows that you didn't mean what you said."

"Really? Cause right now, she won't even talk to me." Echo groaned, hitting his head back against the wall. "Has been, failure, disgrace... how could I have say these things to her? She's anything but. She's a wonderful mare. Open-minded, kind-hearted, intelligent, caring, loyal, beautiful..."

"'Beautiful', huh?" Sterling smirked.

"What I'm saying is that I shouldn't have said all those awful things." Echo continued, brushing off Sterling's reaction. "That blasted spell overwhelmed me... You seemed to have a better grasp of things, though. Why were you able to shake it off so easily?"

"Just lucky, I guess." Sterling shrugged.

"Perhaps." Echo said skeptically.

"Look, just take my advice and sit on it a few days." Sterling advised, "I'm sure things will be back to normal in no-"

Suddenly, Sterling felt a vibration within his armor.

"What was that?" Echo's ears perked up.

"I don't know." Sterling shrugged in confusion, before the vibration continued.

"Is that coming from you?" Echo turned to Sterling.

"I don't know…" Sterling frowned, as he got up. "Excuse me."

Sterling left the cabin quickly, much to Echo's confusion. The Royal Guardspony made his way to a secluded part of the boat, as he then began frisking his armor for the source of the vibration. Soon, he found it, as he pulled out... a pocket mirror.

"What the..." Sterling raised a brow. "What is this all ab-"

The mirror suddenly began glowing, as the glass faded to show Shining.

"Ah!" Sterling jumped. "Prince Armor?!"

"Oh, good." Shining smirked. "You found the pocket mirror I slipped in your armor."

"What is this thing?" Sterling inspected the mirror. "I never seen anything like this."

"Oh, something that the scientists back here whipped up." Shining shrugged. "Something to keep us in touch for the remainder of this quest."

"I see..." Sterling gave a frown. "And I guess letters don't do it anymore for you?"

"I feel safe knowing that I can contact you at a moment's notice." Shining rebutted.

"I'm not sure I feel the same way, sir." Sterling admitted.

"Nonetheless, it's the most efficient method we have of communicating. Look, do you have anything to report?" Shining asked. "Where are you now?"

"Well, we're just leaving Aerovis, your highness." Sterling announced. "I'm sorry to say, we lost this page..."

"Oh, Sterling." Shining frowned. "After our talk in Bitaly, I expected better. You made it seem like the three of you had things under control."

"It was a pretty rough spell." Sterling admitted. "The guy who had the page gave us the business, and by the time everything was said and done, we were all pretty banged up, and the masked pony kicked the crud out of Hubris."

"Hubris? As in the ambassadors?" Shining asked, his eyes widening.

"No, just their son." Sterling shook his head. "He was the one with the page. It went and messed his mind up, turning him into this raging piece of veins and muscles. But he stood no chance against the masked freakshow... he's dead."

"Dead?" Shining frowned. "No, no, no... what are the ambassadors going to say about this... what will the Prime Minister think?"

"Look, we gave it all we had, and it wasn't enough." Sterling sighed.

"And now, that spell is in the hooves of the enemy." Shining said disapprovingly. "This is not acceptable, Sterling. I know you're trying your best, but it just isn't enough. You need to try harder, for all our sakes."

"Don't worry, your majesty." Sterling assured him. "I'm sure we'll get the next page. Don't forget we still have four to his three."

"I know." Shining declared. "But none of us can breathe easily until all the pages are accounted for. Don't forget; The fate of Equestria lies in your hooves."

"Trust me, I know." Sterling groaned.

"Okay, contact me when you had secured the next page." Shining nodded.

Shining vanished from the mirror, leading Sterling by his lonesome. He sighed heavily, it was truly a mess. After what had happened today, it seemed that Sunset and Echo were going to need time to overcome the insults that were exchanged today.

"And it was all going so well." Sterling groaned. "Stupid Pride spell..."

Comments

[HolyCross9]

Sunset truly should not have been so hard on Echo after he apologized for the things the Pride spell forced him to state.

[Koala2001]

Why are we stopped?" Sunset asked.
"The light's red." The taxi puller pointed out.
"There are no red lights in a carriage chase!" Sterling yelled.

And

Did you just turn your blinker on?" Sterling asked incredulously.
"I have to indicate my turn." The taxi puller remarked.
"That's. It." Sterling declared. He yanked the taxi puller out of his harness (who made a shrill shriek) and took his place, pulling the carriage as fast as he could.

and finally

"We're not gonna make it!" The taxi puller yelled.
"We're gonna make it!" Sterling countered.
"We're not gonna make it!" The taxi puller shrieked.
"We're gonna make it!" Sterling insisted.

this is the car chase of big hero 6, not that I mind, I love that movie!