Element Gang: Element Squad, Book 1: Tale of Two Rivals

by Power of Six

Chapter 3: To Fillydelphia, City of the West

Author's Note:

Hey, everypony! I hope you guys are ready for some more action for, thanks to the help my team here at Six Elements, the next chapter of this story is finally done! Now that Gold Star and Silver Blade have their cutie marks, it is time for them to head out for the Necro-Knights Enterance Exam in Fillydelphia! The great location given to us by our own AnnEldest, give him a hand, folks!:👏 How will this journey turn out? Read and find out.

Chapter 3: To Fillydelphia, City of the West!

As we’re all told from the legend of the first, the Mystic King is the strongest Clover mage in all of Equestria and, as time flowed onward into the present, the role of the Mystic King was passed down through the ages and, always, they, the Royal Guard, and the Necro-Knights under his command have fought to keep Equestria safe. The Necro-Knights: a faction of the Royal Guard made of nine squads of knight Clover mages whose powers are specialized for combat, operating under the direct control of the Mystic King. These heroic stallions and mares risk their lives to protect Equestria. For their bravery and dedication, the Necro-Knights and the Mystic King are revered throughout Equestria.

---

At the Demon Skull Forest, which was what Shield wanted us to call that place, Celestia had just begun setting the sun and me and the guys were watching Gold Star swing his sword around. It had been a few weeks since the Royal Guard Entrance Exam and Gold Star was training with his sword by striking at a boulder. After mastering to summon his blade, he was making sure he could be able to use it completely which was why he was practicing his strikes on a boulder. To prepare himself for what was next for him: the Necro-Knights Entrance Exam. Sure, he got into Royal Guard, but he still needs to get into the Necro-Knights. Being in a Necro-Knights squad will mean he’ll be one step closer to becoming the Mystic King. To try out for the Necro-Knights, you must be a Clover mage and a member of the Royal Guard. I know that’s a bit strict, but, since the Necro-Knights are a faction of the Royal Guard, they follow regulation in terms that you must first join the Royal Guard before becoming a Necro-Knight. So even if you’re a Clover mage, you can't participate in the exam until you’ve joined the Royal Guard.

“995…” Gold said as he kept striking the boulder with his sword. “996…997…998…999… Nyah!”

“Nice job, Gold.” I said to him as he finished his last swing. “You’re really getting good with that sword.”

“Yeah, ever since you figured out how to bring it out, you’ve been swinging like a pro.” Shield said to Gold.

“Thanks, guys.” Gold said to us. “Though I wouldn’t be able to know how to swing it if Dusk didn’t teach me how. Thanks, dude.”

“No problem.” I said to him. “It’s not every day you get to show a five-leaf how to fight.”

“Still can’t believe that you ended up with a five-leaf Clover cutie mark.” Leon said. “I hear that thing’s supposed to have the strongest magic around and you don’t have any. How’s that even possible?”

“Well, we don’t really know much about the five-leaf as much as the others, Leon.” I said to him. “It’s been over a century since the last pony with it appeared, so we don’t have much to go on. Especially with that sword. So, whatever reason the five-leaf’s power decided to show up again or why somepony with no magic at all can be able to have such power, we’ll have to wait and see till we figure it out.”

“Well, I still got a lot of training to do. With that…” Gold said before he then took out that canteen and began chugging that juice like a maniac again. “Time for some magic-boosting moguro-leaf juice!”

“Slow down on the juice, Gold!” I said to him as I knew about what he was drinking. “That’s stuff’s bitter!”

“So gross!” Gold said as he stopped drinking that juice with a look of disgust before he got rid of his disgust and went back to drinking more of it. “Time for another round!”

“Gold Star, stop!” I said to him, worried what might happen. “You’re gonna choke!”

“Still gross!” Gold said as he stopped.

Before he could try again, we heard some chirping and we all turned to see a small black bird with a red face, a black beak, and a white belly. With the way it looked, I recognized what kind of bird it was.

“What the heck is that?” Shield asked as we all looked at the bird.

“It’s an Anti-Bird!” I told the guys. “But there aren’t any Anti-Birds around Canterlot or even nearby.”

“Then what’s this little guy doing out here all by himself?” Dog asked.

“I don’t know, but that’s not the only thing that’s strange about this.” I said as I began to point out what was different about this bird. “I’ve studied Anti-Birds and this one looks different from the others. Firstly, they look like regular birds with the exception of having two feathers on the sides of its head resembling horns. Those feathers are supposed to be facing downward. But this one’s feather are facing the opposite direction. Secondly, I’ve never heard of an Anti-Bird with tail feathers like those.” When I explained the second difference, I pointed at those two arrow-shaped tail feathers the bird had. “Thirdly, Anti-Birds don’t have feathered collars like that. And finally, it’s the way that bird’s looking at us.” What I meant by that was that slant glare it was giving us. Never thought it was possible for a bird to look bored. “It’s so cold.”

“Yeah. Ugh!” Leon said as he shivered. “That’s really creepy there.”

“Hey, you want a swing, birdie?” Gold said, offering some juice to the bird.

After that, I decided to try and befriend this strange Anti-Bird so I could document this discovery. Plus, Leon said I did need a pet. A creature as unique as this would be perfect for me.

“Slowly, slowly. Don’t scare it away, Dusk.” I said to myself as I walked calmly over to the bird before speaking to it. “Come here, little guy. I’m not gonna hurt you.”

But, before I could even touch that bird, it turned around and flew away.

“Hey! Wait!” I yelled at the bird as it flew out of sight. “Come back!”

I was definitely depressed because of this. I just encountered a possibly new sub-species of Anti-Bird and lost the chance to even study it.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll find it again.” Gold said to me, which made me feel better.

We then watched as he then began to glamor his cutie mark.

“Yeah. I finally got me a cutie mark.” Gold said as he looked and rubbed his flank where his cutie mark was. “And it’s a Clover.”

“But you still need magic to be a Clover mage.” Leon said, still skeptical about Gold’s cutie mark. “We don’t even know what that sword can do. Do you really think you can handle things out there?”

“Yeah, so what if I got no magic?” Gold said. “I’m gonna kick butt anyway!”

“That’s the spirit, Gold!” I said to him, encouragingly. “And we’ll be right there with you!”

“Oh, right.” Gold said. “I forgot you guys were coming along. I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Are you sure you want to come with me and Silver?” Gold said. “I mean, you guys are the Element Squad. Don’t you still need to protect Canterlot?”

“We’re sure.” I said. “Besides, the Dark Gang hadn’t attack the city in over a year. A definite sign they stopped attacking.”

“Yeah. Now the only thing left to trouble the place are low-life thieves.” Shield said, supporting me.

“Yeah, the Royal Guard can handle them.” Leon said. “Which means we’re free to go wherever we want.”

“Plus, there is no way we’re gonna let ya face this by yourself.” Dog said. “You’re our friend. And friends are always there for each other.”

After he took a little time to take it all in and saw all the smiles we had, Gold gave a smile as he was glad to have us along.

“Thanks, guys.” Gold said as we did a group hug.

After we broke the hug, Gold decided to go back to training and we returned to watching him.

“Okay, here we go.” Gold said as he grabbed his sword and went back to striking the boulder. “Back to work! 1,001!” With that strike, he actually left a mark on the boulder. “I bet Silver Blade’s doing some special training too. He won’t get the best of me!”

With that, he then began striking the boulder, cutting marks into its body.

---

Determined to succeed despite his lack of magic, Gold Star was training hard for the Necro-Knights Entrance Exam, which would be held in Fillydelphia in six months’ time. And, indeed, so was Silver Blade.

---

Silver Blade

With that one simple slash, I had cut the stump into small logs. My task in collecting firewood for the church made it perfect for me to train and strengthen my magic.

“That’s enough for today.” I said until I had that second thought about Gold Star. “Maybe…a little more. He’ll be training too.”

With that, I then decided to continue training with a boulder.

“1,001!” I yelled as I began to use my swords to strike at the stone and use my magic to constantly attack it with a whirlwind. “Now break!”

With that, I finally shattered it into nothing but rubble.

---

Both young stallions have their sights set on becoming the Mystic King.

---

Dusk Noir

With me and the guys, we watched as Gold Star kept on striking the boulder after going pass 1,500, the boulder now covered in cut marks.

“One thousand, five hundred, and…three!” Gold yelled as he struck at the boulder again.

---

Princess Celestia

While my son was out training, I decided to speak with the Head Priest of the church and tell him of what I had done with Gold Star and Silver Blade during their Cute-ceañera. For what I what I said had shocked him.

“Now, Silver Blade, I can understand.” The Head Priest said to me, still in disbelief of what I had done. “But encouraging Gold Star to take the exam? Really, your majesty? Are you certain?”

“Well, why not?” I said to him. “He insists on taking it, so what else should I do?”

I looked him and Sister Water Lily and could clearly see that they were concern about my choice. Sister Water Lily showed signs of worry, but the Head Priest tried to conceal his even when his sweat made it clear.

“The exam had brought some other promising youth.” I said as I remembered for what Shining Armor had told me.

It was after Starscream, the disband captain of the Royal Guard who had attacked and attempted to kidnapped Silver Blade, was defeated by my son. The two young Clover mages were utterly shocked by what they had experienced. I would understand. Being attacked and easily defeated by a pony who was once a captain of the Royal Guard would have caused such great trauma. With this, they chose to give up on becoming members of the Royal Guard and apologized to Shining Armor for how they acted. Though, like Shining Armor, I was disappointed that such promising mages had given up on their goals, I was glad they were able to learn their lesson on their behavior.

“But, unfortunately, it appears they’ve had a change of heart.” I said after reminiscing on the memory.

“Okay, Silver, I understand,” The Head Priest said, “but does Gold Star really have a chance?”

“As I said before, he insists on taking it.” I said to him. “So, again, what else should I do?”

“Silver Blade, I can understand,” The Head Priest said, “but I don’t see the point in Gold Star going too.”

“You keep repeating your disbelief on the matter, my answer will remain the same.” I said. “Gold Star insists on taking it. What else should I do?”

“But I really can’t understand why you would allow your own son to do this.” The Head Priest said to me. “Aren’t you the least bit worried of what might happen to him?”

I sighed and said “Of course, I’m worried about him. I have raised him since he was a foal and always took care of him. I will miss him for when he leaves for the exam. But I know I can’t stop him or choose for what he wants now. It is not my place for me to tell a young stallion such as him how to live his life. All I can do now is support and wish for the best for him.” After a moment in saying that, I then allowed a sly smile to appear as I looked towards the Head Priest. “Though I am curious as to why you are doubting that it was the right choice. Could the problem be that you might actually miss Gold Star?”

The Head Priest gave a look of shock after I said that while Sister Water Lily just looked at him sweetly.

“Oh, that’s so sweet, Father!” She said to the Head Priest.

“That is totally off the mark!” The Head Priest said to her, trying to avoid his true reason for him. “It’s just, if Gold’s going to fail anyway, wouldn’t it be better for him not to take it on the first place? And the little ones. With Silver gone, I would need Gold to help me with the foals that come to the church. They do love playing with him and they’ll miss him terribly, I’m sure. This isn’t about me. I’m just thinking about the foals, that’s all!”

With this, both Sister Water Lily and I gave him innocent smiles and giggles as we could see he wasn’t telling the truth.

“Don’t give me that look.” The Head Priest said to Sister Water Lily, his tone being grim before speaking towards me. “And, excuse my rudeness, by this goes for you too.”

“I know I’m going to miss Gold Star and Silver Blade when they leave for the city.” Sister Water Lily said. “You’re not alone.”

The Head Priest cleared his throat before speaking again.

“W-well, I’ve raised Silver Blade since he was a foal and spent all these years living alongside him.” he said. “It’s only natural that I’d miss him a bit.”

“I understand.” Sister Water Lily said. “All three of us have always looked out for them and kept them safe, but now, like Princess Celestia said, we must give them a chance to make their own way.”

“Yes, exactly.” I said to him. “And look at it like this. If Gold Star may well succeed, but in all likelihood, Silver Blade will not and he’ll turn right around and come back.”

“Yeah—wait.” He said when he realized what I just said. “What do you mean by that? If anypony should succeed, it’s Silver. Gold Star is more like to fail and come back.”

“That may be true, but I have high hopes that my son will be accepted by the Necro-Knights as one of their own.” I said to him. “And I thought you would be thrilled to have Silver stay at the church.”

“Of course, I would.” He said. “But Silver haves the four-lead Clover, which means he haves more of a chance in making into the Necro-Knights.”

“Silver Blade may have the four-leaf Clover, but my hopes still reside with Gold Star.” I said. “Especially now that he has come to have a Clover cutie mark of his own.”

“That’s another thing.” He said. “Do you think he could truly be a Clover mage? It seems so unlikely. Why would he get a Clover cutie mark if he can’t use magic?”

“For that, I truly haven’t a clear idea of why.” I said, making both the Priest and Sister Water Lily gasp in shock. “The five-leaf Clover had always been a mysterious, questions that still remain unanswered. However…”

“Go on.” He said to me.

“Nothing.” I said, avoiding his request.

The reason for that was that the thought I had on Gold Star’s cutie mark was still uncertain. I had to make sure before making an assumption. Still I was amazed from when he received it. I only wish that Luna could be here to see what this young stallion has accomplished. I still remember of how happy he was at his and Silver Blades Cute-ceañera.

When the party was about to be underway, Gold Star came to me with the suit I had gotten for him for his Cute-ceañera. I must be honest that, through the years, I had gotten him a new suit that would fit him and was glad I could see him finally wear one of them.

“Well, what do you think?” He said as I turned to see him in the tux I had gotten for him.

It was styled with a blue coat and a black undershirt, a red tie to complete it. Though he still wore his headband, he was still a handsome young stallion. I tried my hardest not to cry.

“You look so handsome, Gold Star.” I said to him.

“Thanks, Mom.” Gold Star said to me with a smile before turning to his cutie mark. “Isn’t it great? My very own Clover cutie mark! I don’t sure how it happened, but I got it!”

A five-leaf Clover. I thought to myself with a smile. Who would have thought?

---

Dusk Noir

With us, the sun was getting closer to setting and all five of us were running to the church. Shield challenged Gold Star to a race there as part of Gold’s training and to see if Gold could keep up with him. The two were neck-in-neck. I was glad that Gold could improve his speed, I just wish he didn’t do it with the cockiest and fastest Earth pony in all of Canterlot.

“Ha! Eat my dust, Gold!” Shield said as he and Gold kept on running. “I’m the fastest pony to ever come out of Diggington! Nopony can beat me!”

“No way!” Gold yelled. “This isn’t over until we reach the church!”

“Shield, Gold! Slow down!” I yelled out as me, Dog, and Leon tried to keep up with those two.

“Yeah, we’re draggin’ tail here!” Dog said.

“Out of the way!” Shield said as he went past somepony walking there.

“Comin’ through!” Gold said, passing the same pony.

When me and the others got there, we saw it was Silver Blade. He had his wings up and we saw why when we saw the large pile of logs above him. He was using his magic to carry the firewood for the church. For a second, I thought the three of us were gonna pass him, but he suddenly started running while keeping his magic up and managed to run past both Gold and Shield. Even though he didn’t have that much muscle, he was pretty fast. While Shield slowed down a bit from shock that somepony managed to pass him, Gold sped up to catch up to Silver.

“Oh, geez!” I said, both shocked and getting tired as I watched those two tried to out run each other. “Silver, not you too!”

It wasn’t long until Shield got his spirit back and tried to catch up to those two. Gold yelled as they were neck-in-neck, making a large trail of dust behind them. It was so thick that even Shield was having a tough time running. When we got there, Moon Dancer was there and watched as Gold and Silver stopped in front of her to catch their breath, followed by Shield stopping in front of them to do the same, and then me, Dog, and Leon behind him as we then collapsed from exhaustion.

“You’re back.” Moon Dancer said as she spoke to us. “How was training?”

“It…was fine.” I said, still lying on the ground. “Until…we…ran…all the way…here.”

“Well, who got here first?” Gold asked her.

“Mmm…” Moon Dancer said. “Well, it’s too close to call. Sorry.”

“All right then.” Gold said as he spoke to Sliver, facing the door. “Then let’s make the winner the first into the church.”

With that, he ran to the door, but a gust of wind came in and tossed Gold into the air when he was halfway there. Gold screamed as it happened.

“Looks like that would be me.” Silver said as he walked into the church and Gold fell to the ground.

“I didn’t expect Silver to be so childish.” Moon Dancer said, surprised by this as much as the rest of us.

“Maybe he snapped with all that training he and Gold are doing.” Leon said as the three of us began to get back up.

“Yeah, it’s getting pretty intense.” I said. “But it has done some good.”

“Yep.” Dog said. “And it looks like the church will have firewood for moons.”

After that, we all decided to head home and call it a night.

---

Princess Celestia

After setting the sun and raising the moon, I then went for my share of sleep. While walking through the halls, I came across Gold Star’s door and decided to check on him. Peering inside, I managed to hear talk in his sleep, saying he was gonna be the Mystic King. Seeing him sleep so sweetly makes me so glad that I decided to be his mother.

“Sweet dreams, my little Gold Star.” I said as I then went off to my own chamber.

---

Gold Star

It had been about 5 months since I’ve been training and I’ve gotten stronger. By tomorrow, I’ll be heading off to Fillydelphia for the exam. After Mom rose the sun that morning, me and the guys went back to the Demon Skull Forest so I could train some more. Though they weren’t gonna watch this time. They were now out somewhere in the forest training. There were only a few times when they watched, but most of the time they just trained to make sure they were still able to fight. After finishing my first set of attacks, I heard somepony land behind me and thought it was Silver checking up on me.

“Hey, Silver.” I said, not even turning back. “Curious about my training, huh?”

“I would say I’m more curious at how you’re progressing with training.” The pony behind me said and I realized that wasn't Silver Blade.

“Mom?” I said as I turned around as saw her, surprised to see her back here. “Something up?

“No.” She said as she walked up to me. “I just came here to see how you were doing.”

“I’m doing fine, Mom.” I said to her.

“It really is amazing.” She said. “You can’t even use magic and you’re taking the Necro-Knights Exam. Ponies without magic wouldn’t even think of trying as they fear they’ll fail.”

“Well, I’m not gonna fail.” I said. “I mean, look. I got a Clover cutie mark and everything. I’ll get into a Necro-Knights Squad, I know I will. And then, someday, I’ll become the Mystic King!”

“I know you will.” Mom smiled at me as she continued to speak. “Even though you were orphaned with no idea of where you came from, you have a great dream.”

“That’s because there’s no giving up. It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, royalty or a commoner, or even an orphan, everypony can dream as much as they want to.” I then went and grabbed my sword. “I’m following my dreams ʹcause I know that no matter who you are, you can become great, just like anypony else. You can do anything you want, make your dreams come true, and make the ponies you care about happy.” I then lift it up and got ready the slash the rock. “That’s exactly what I’m going to prove.” My mother watched me as I then jumped up into the air. “I’ll join the Necro-Knights…and be the Mystic King! Watch!”

With that one slash, I turned that rock into nothing but rubble. After that, I stood proudly as the sun shined on me.

When I looked back, Mom just smiled at me and said “I’m happy to see that you haven’t given up on your dreams and to see you have grown to be such an amazing and kind young stallion. I can’t help you anymore from this point. Your choices will be your own, but know that I will support no matter what.”

She then asked me to stand before her and I did as she said and put away my sword.

“Here.” She said as she then held out her wing. “I’ve had this made just for you. To remind you of me.”

When I looked at what was in it, I was shocked to see it was a necklace with a gold pendent in the shape of Equestria flag emblem. The sun and moon were encrusted with jewels, the sun with a ruby and the moon with a sapphire. I was actually amazing. She actually had this made for me. I then watched as she used her magic to put the necklace on me. Didn’t look bad.

“Whoa!” I said, amazed by this. “Thanks, Mom.”

“Gold Star, these past years since I took you in, I have watched over you and took care of you.” She said as she continued to smile at me. “I made sure you could have everything you could ever want and made sure you were safe. I gave you the love that all children need in order to grow. I do not know what it would’ve been if I chose differently, but I do know that I do not regret for raising you.” As she continued to speak, I watched as tears formed in her eyes, ones that I knew meant she was happy. “I’m so happy to have you and call you my child. And I’m proud to be your mother.”

With all this, I actually began to cry to hear all of this. Even though she wasn’t my real mom, I was glad to have her take care of me. Even though she adopted me, she showed me the kindness and love that only a mom could give. So I didn’t really care if I wasn’t really her son, because, to me, she was my real mom. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I love you, Mom!” I said as I then grabbed her in a hug.

“I love you too, my son.” She said as she returned the hug.

---

Dusk Noir

Later that night, after finishing our training, me, the guys, and Gold, who was now wearing a new necklace given to him by Princess Celestia, headed off to the church for a dinner celebration. We were all invite, even Moon Dancer came to celebrate. But this dinner ended up becoming a feast. All over the table, there were was a morgues board of pop-potato cuisines. Yeah, the only thing they had left for making the food was pop-potatoes. Even if it was only pop-potatoes, we were all amazed by the spread.

“Wow! This spread is amazing, Father!” I said to the priest.

The priest laughed in pride and said “Well, now. You four along with Gold Star and Silver Blade are heading off to Fillydelphia tomorrow, after all. I thought we’d send you off with style.”

“You done it with style, all right.” Dog said, amazed by the spread.

“It’s quite a feast.” Sister Water Lily said to us. “Father went all the way to the Hooffields and got all the pop-potatoes they could give.”

“Oh, thank you, Father.” Gold said to the priest.

“You’re quite welcome, Prince Gold Star.” The priest said to him. “Though, honestly…I mainly did it for Silver Blade.”

“Seriously? Him?” Shield asked as him along with me, Dog, Leon, and Gold felt a little insulted by this.

“It’s true.” The priest said to me, Dog, Shield, and Leon. “I know you four are going to support them, but Silver just might make it into the Necro-Knights.” When he spoke to Gold, he looked away from him. “But you, Gold Star…”

“Father!” Gold said in anger.

“I agreed with Gold Star, Father.” Somepony said as we all looked to the door and saw Princess Celestia. “Saying something like that is unfair judgement. Like I said to you before, I have faith that my son will make it into the Necro-Knights.”

“Princess Celestia!” the priest said in shock as Sister Water Lily bowed. “What are you doing here?”

“Gold Star told me you were holding a banquet for him and Silver Blade, so I decided to join as this will be last day before my son leaves for the exam.” Princess Celestia said. “And if it is to honor my son, then I cannot refuse to not attend.”

“Oh, Mom.” Gold said, touched by this.

“Though, Gold Star,” Princess Celestia said as she got her son’s attention, “listen, it’s a difficult exam. There’s no shame in failing.”

“It’s not like anypony’s expecting him to pass.” Leon said under his breath, which earned him a good smack in the head from me. “Ow!”

“So, if there’s a chance you’ll fail, you will have a place in the castle.” The Princess said. “No matter what, it along with the city will be your home.”

“Yeah, and don’t you forget it.” Shield said.

“We’ll be with ya every step of the way, Gold Star.” Dog said.

“Like a true friend should.” I said.

“Hey, Father.” Leon said to the priest. “You’re gonna say all that stuff to Silver Blade too, right? About how he can always come back to the church?”

“Yes, well, uh…” The priest said, no doubt believing he doesn’t need to. “He’ll be fine.”

“Hey, that’s not fair!” Leon said.

With this, I decided to take that matter into my own claws. I decided to use my voice manipulation to pretend to be the priest and set things right. Silver Blade would need a place to go back to if he failed. I didn’t care if he had a four-leaf Clover or not, Gold Star had a better chance with that five-leaf Clover of his.

“Actually I’ve changed my mind.” I said with the priest’s voice. “Silver Blade, it’s a tough exam. It’s not like anypony expects to you to pass, there’s no shame in failing. You’ll always have a place here at the church, all right? No matter what, this is your home. Even if it is a crumbling dump, it’s still your home.”

“Don’t worry.” Silver Blade said, not even knowing that it was me who said that. “I won’t forget.”

“Huh?” the priest said, confused on what happened. “Wait…”

“Yeah, and nopony needs to worry about Gold.” I said with my normal voice, interrupting him. “He’ll be fine. He’s a five-leaf after all.”

“That’s right!” Gold Star said, speaking to us all. “Just wait! I’ll be the Wizard King! Then I’ll come back for Moon Dancer!” When he said that part, Moon Dancer gasped and we all knew what he was gonna say next. And, when I do, I’ll ask her to marry me—Mm!”

I was shocked as Moon Dancer used her magic to stuff Gold’s face with food. Still no idea why she did that. It’s not like he didn’t proclaim that around the church before.

“Let’s all eat now, shall we?” Moon Dancer said, trying avoid the situation.

“Yes, let’s.” Sister Water Lily said. “We have boiled pop-potatoes, battered pop-potatoes, roasted pop-potatoes or fried. Sautéed pop-potatoes and steamed too. Boiled pop-potatoes à la Prench, pop-potato juice, and extra pop-potato flan.”

“Thank you!” Dog and Leon said as they started eating.

“Mm! A little burnt, but still good.” Dog said as he ate the pop-potato he had.

“Not bad.” Leon said as he ate his.

After managing to get that food down his gullet, Gold came over, reached out to grab a pop-potato, and said “I call dibs on this one!”

“Hey, no food-hogging!” Shield said as he tried to keep that platter of pop-potatoes away from him so the rest of us could have some.

“Delicious!” Gold said after took a bite of his pop-potato.

---

The next morning, me and the guys started our way to the church to meet up with Gold and Silver after getting everything packed for our journey after saying goodbye to our folks and them seeing us off.

“Have a safe trip, Dusk!” my mother, Chord, said to me as she and the guys’ parents waved goodbye to us.

“Don’t worry, we will!” I said as me and the guys waved goodbye.

---

Gold Star

That morning, I got everything packed into my saddle bags and got to the door. Before I headed out, me and Mom decided to say goodbye to each other.

“Now, don’t forget to write, okay?” Mom said to me.

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” I said to her.

“Be safe and have fun.” Mom said. “And don’t forget to come back for a visit once in a while.”

“Come on, Mom.”

“I’m serious.” She said as she smiled at me. “Just promise me that, no matter what, you will never give up on your dreams.”

“I promise.” I said before we hugged each other. “Goodbye, Mom.”

“Goodbye, my little Gold Star.” She said.

After we broke the hug, I then headed out to join the guys at the church so we could finally start our journey to Fillydelphia.

---

When I got to the church, the guys were there waiting for me. After making sure we were all ready to go, we then said our goodbyes to Father, Sister Water Lily, and Moon Dancer.

“Take care, boys.” Father said.

“Silver, you’ll write us, won’t you?” Sister Water Lily said.

“Of course.” Silver said.

“None of us will forget to write.” Dusk said as he then turned to the road that led out of Canterlot. “Now, let’s get going, guys.”

“Yeah! Let’s get this show on the road!” Shield said as him, Dusk, Dog, and Leon started walking off down the road.

“He’s right.” Silver said as he went off walking on the same road. “Let’s get going, Gold.”

“Hey, hold up, Silver.” I said as I caught up to him. “Do you always have to be such a jerk, lady-killer? Sure, we’re rivals. That doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. Silver.”

“See you all later, guys!” Dusk said as he looked back and waved to everypony.

“See ya later!” I said doing the same. “Wish us luck, everypony!”

“Have a safe trip!” Father, Sister Water Lily, and Moon Dancer said at the same time. “Good luck!”

---

Moon Dancer

As I watched them leave, I couldn't help but think about them. Silver Blade and Gold Star. It was so strange to watch them leave like this. It was the same for Sister Water Lily. She can’t believe how much they’ve grown. I had to admit I had the same feeling as her. Gold Star’s always had that boundless energy from the day we met. I still remember it like yesterday. It was back when I was a filly.

---

I was walking home from school when I came across the church. I wasn’t the one who would usually get curious about stuff like this, but when I saw Gold Star helping Dusk and Silver Blade with the chores, I just couldn’t help but ask why the son of Princess Celestia was there helping around a crummy church.

“Excuse me.” I said to Gold Star, getting all three colts attention. “What are you doing?”

“Hanging laundry, what else?” Dusk said. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m just wondering…” I said, but I soon got curious again as I thought Dusk looked familiar. “Wait, have we met?”

“Yeah.” Dusk said. “I’m from Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.”

“Oh!” I said as I realized who he was. “You’re that colt who’s always sitting alone in the library.”

“Yeah, that’s me.” Dusk said before introducing himself and the others. “I’m Dusk Noir. And these are my friends, Silver Blade and Gold Star.”

“H-hello.” Silver Blade said, nervously. Back then, he was so confident, especially when talking.

“Aah…” Gold Star said to me, looking at me with eyes widen with amazement and a big smile. “Hi, I’m Gold Star. What’s your name?”

“I’m…Moon Dancer.” I said, confused by his behavior. “Excuse me, but did that colt just say you were friends?”

“Oh, Dusk?” Gold Star said, not looking away. “Yeah, we’re best buds. Now…Moon…Dancer?”

“Uh, yes?” I asked, getting a bit uncomfortable now.

I was then shocked when I grabbed my hoof and said “Please, please! Will you marry me?”

I was so frightened by this that I accidentally released a magic burst and somehow transported him into the air and sent him crashing to the ground. I didn’t even know transport spells back then.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to!” I said as I apologized to Gold Star, Dusk and Silver Blade helping him up to his hooves. “Sorry!”

“Moon Dancer…” Gold Star said with that a dazed smile on his face, Dusk and Silver Blade looking at him with exasperated smiles.

“Oh, boy.” Dusk said to Silver Blade. “He’s lost it now.”

Silver Blade nodded in agreement.

---

Silver Blade may not like to admit it, but Gold Star changed him. Made him stronger, more determined. I saw it that day it all changed.

---

It was that day in December that Dusk and his mom told me Gold Star had got hurt and was being treated at the church. I went off to join them at the church to make sure Gold Star was okay. The snow continued to fall as we got there and saw Sister Water Lily using her magic to heal Gold Star.

“Gold Star!” I yelled as I then ran over to him, seeing he was covered in bruises. “What’s wrong with him?”

“His injuries are very bad.” Sister Water Lily said.

“It’s my fault he’s hurt.” Silver Blade said, his eyes closed with some kind of guilty. “He was trying to defend me and Dusk.”

“Defend you from what?” Sister Water Lily said. “Silver, what happened?”

“A thief tried to take my necklace.” Dusk said as he explained what happened. “Both Silver and Gold tried to get it back for me. Gold ended up taking the most of it. He was just trying to help us.”

When I heard that, I was absolutely amazed by this. That Gold Star was willing to help Dusk and Silver Blade like that, despite knowing of what he was getting himself into and that he was the prince of Canterlot. A royal actually risked his life to help two commoners. I then heard Gold Star grunting and looked to see he was in pain. With that, I grabbed his claw in my hoof, not wanting him to die.

“Gold Star, stay with us!” I said to him, pleading for him to be alright and letting tears flow from my eyes. “Please, just tell me you’re alright. Say anything. Please.”

“Moon…Dancer…” Gold Star said as I looked at him with hope as he looked at me.

“I’m here, Gold Star.” I said as I tightened my grip on his claw.

“Will you…marry me?” Gold Star said, making me smile and making Dusk sigh in relief.

“He’ll be alright.” Silver Blade said as I looked and saw he was smiling, being relieved Gold Star was going to make it.

---

Now with this, seeing them go off to join the Necro-Knights, it makes me proud that I met them all on that very day. Good luck, boys. We’re all proud of you.

---

Summer. After months of training, Gold Star and Silver Blade, accompanied by the Element Squad, have finally set out for Fillydelphia to take the Necro-Knights Entrance Exam. Fillydelphia is within the region of Western Equestria, a far distance from Canterlot and their journey will be a long one.

---

Gold Star

“Fillydelphia, eh?” I said to myself before talking to the guys as we walked down the mountain. “What do you think it’s gonna be like?”

“Well, from what I’ve read about it, Fillydelphia is something like Manehattan.” Dusk said as he began explain what it was like. “It’s the biggest city in all of Western Equestria. By how much it’s grown is the reason why ponies call it ‘The City of the West’.”

“City of the West.” I said to myself again before speaking to guys. “Wonder if we’ll meet the Mystic King.”

“First, we have to pass the Necro-Knights Entrance Exam.” Silver said to me. “And then, who knows?”

“Oh, man, I can’t wait!” I said, totally excited to get there.

“You can’t?” Silver asked. “Are you nervous thought?”

“Huh?” I said as I wasn’t sure what he was talking about. “About what?”

Silver chuckled and said “How very Gold Star.”

Dusk chuckled too and said “You got that right.”

We heard Leon groan and looked to see he was lagging in the back with a grim face.

“What’s wrong with you, Leon?” I asked him. “Aren’t you excited we’re going to Fillydelphia?”

“I’d be more excited if we didn’t have to walk all the way there.” Leon said. “Why aren’t we using the train? It’s much faster and has much less walking.”

“Because this is the perfect time to do some training.” Dusk said to him. “We have to be ready for anything, especially when it comes to the Necro-Knights. They don’t really take much to those who aren’t in the Royal Guard. Besides, it’s not that far.”

“It’s on the other side of Equestria!” Leon said, complaining.

“Not much of a distance for an elemental.” Dusk said.

“Yeah, maybe for you.” Leon said to himself.

With how this was turning out, I decided to kick things back up.

“Let’s get a move on, guys!” I said as I started running. “Got a long way to go!”

“Hey!” Silver yelled as he and the guys continued to walk.

“I gotta be the Mystic King, like yesterday!” I said as I kept on running.

“It doesn’t matter when you get there.” Silver said to me. “It won’t make you the Mystic King any sooner.”

“He’s right, Gold.” Dusk said to me. “You still got a long way to go before becoming the Mystic King.”

“And when I am the Mystic King, I’ll go back to Canterlot and ask her to marry me.” I said as I could imagined it now.

---

I would come back to Canterlot, wearing regalia and flying on my majestic broom. There, Moon Dancer will be waiting for me.

“Gold Star, is that you?” Moon Dancer would say to me, amazed by what I have become. “How grand you’ve become!”

“Moon Dancer, my darling.” I would say to her. “I’ve come for you just as I promised I would. I am the Mystic King now. Hop on, my dear.”

“Yes!” She would no doubt say and ride my broom with me.

“Hold on tight for the ride of your life.” I would say as we start our new life together.

---

“It’ll be great!” I said as I held a stick I found like a broom stick.

“Can even you fly a broom,” Silver said to me, “without any magic?”

That stunned me a bit and I dropped the stick as I didn’t thought about that, but I recovered as I remembered I had my cutie mark.

“Yeah, sure, I’ll make it work.” I said to him.

“Will you now?” he asked.

“Totally!” I said. “I’m sure my trust cutie mark will help me.”

“Gold, you have a cutie mark that nopony’s been able to figure out.” Dusk said to me. “We’re not even sure what kind of power you have.”

“Come on, Dusk. Don’t be such a downer.” I said to him. “As long as you don’t give up, you can do anything.” With that, I then ran off to get ahead. “Come on, guys! Let’s move!” I stopped and looked at the guys. “Do you want to be left behind? We’ll keep training till we reach Fillydelphia!”

“Sure, we will.” Silver said as I heard him running behind me.

“Here we go again.” Dusk said as I heard him and the others running to.

“Bet ya can’t catch me! Ha, ha!” I said to Silver as we ran.

After running for a while, we actually got worn out and had to stop for a sec. But I wasn’t gonna stop till we got to Fillydelphia.

“No.” I said as I got back up and started running. “Not done yet!”

With that, we were all then running as fast as we could.

---

We made another stop again, this time it was at a rock ridge.

“Gold Star,” Dusk said as him, Shield, Dog, and Leon laid on the ground panting, “you need to pace yourself.”

“Stop this.” Silver said as he sat on a rock. “So much…farther to go.”

“Not yet.” I said as I tried to keep on going. “Still going.”

When I tried to keep going, Silver grabbed me by the tail and tossed me into a wall. He sighed after doing that.

“Thank you.” Leon said as he continued to lay on the ground.

---

Dusk Noir

After catching our breath, we decided to walk on forward. As the days turned to weeks, we went through all sorts of challenges and had to use our skills to get through them. And I don’t mean like that time Gold got to close to the campfire and got the back of his head singed. Nature itself tested our limits and our ability to adapt. When it started to rain, I used my color magic to create a shield for me, Shield, Dog, and Leon, Silver Blade used his magic to shield himself, and Gold Star used his sword as cover. When we need food, Dog helped us forage some. Leon helped us with reasoning with the animals we came across like taming a manticore we came across. He wasn’t actually scared of it because, during his time in the circus, he was in charge of handling the animals, one of them being a manticore. And Shield’s fight prowess helped us with the animals we couldn’t reason with. Though what made the journey rough was Gold and Silver. Like before, Silver had been getting on Gold’s nerves.

Like the time we hit that fork…

“Ugh!” Dog said as we all tried to look through the fog that surrounded us. “This fog is so thick I can barely see past my own muzzle.”

“Yeah, which way do we go?’ Leon asked.

“This way.” Gold said, pointing to the path on the right.

After Gold said that, Silver used his magic and removed some of the fog, revealing a tree with two signs on it. The one on top and pointing to the path on the right said “Rockville” and the one on the bottom and pointing to the left said “Fillydelphia.”

“Actually, this way.” Silver said, pointing down the path before going left.

“Hey, wait up!” Gold said as he and the rest of us tried to catch up with him.

Or during that rockslide…

We were just walking through a valley when we heard something coming down and looked to see it was a bunch of boulders coming right down from the cliff.

“Rock slide!” I yelled as me, Shield, Dog, and Gold went off to stop it, Gold using his sword and me and the others using our abilities to smash the boulders to rubble.

Though me and Shield used our elemental power, Dog on the other hoof used his legs to do it. Yeah, Dog told us that before he came to Canterlot, he helped buck apples when he lived on his friend’s farm. The four of us managed to get one boulder each before Silver used his swords and magic to take care of the rest. We were all pretty annoyed by that, especially Gold.

“Stay out of my way!” Gold said to Silver, angrily.

“Calm down. I was just helping you.” Silver said to him.

“We didn’t really need your help.” I said to him. “We need that kind of training anyway.”

Or when we went harvesting for berries.

“Got some berries!” Gold said as he held a bag full of berries that was the size of his head.

“I got some too!” I said as I carried a bag just as big as his.

Though, if it was a contest to see who got the most berries, Silver beat us both by using his magic to get twice as much berries as me and Gold.

“Showoff!” I said to Silver, which was true as he didn’t need to use his magic to harvest berries.

Though that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen the other way around. Like that time we finally got to Western Equestria and had to walk through the desert while the sun was still out. At one point, we stopped as Gold took a drink from his canteen. When I got a good look at the canteen, I realized what it was filled with. When Gold offered it to Silver and Silver decided to drink some of it, I tried to warn him, but it was too late as, after he drank some of it, he instantly spit it out.

“No!” Gold yelled in dismay. “My precious moguro-leaf juice!”

“Yeah, I probably should’ve warned ya that Gold drinks that stuff.” I said to Silver Blade as he looked at me.

All in all, there wasn’t one point in that journey when those two didn't tried to outmatch each other, with magic or otherwise.

---

Though it was rough, when we reached got to the mountain peaks, we were met with a truly astounding sight.

“Come on, guys.” I said as we were closing in on the peak with me at the lead of our group. “We’re almost to the top.”

“I hope we can stop soon.” Leon said, tired from all the walking we’ve done. “My hooves are killing me!”

When I got to the mountain top, I was absolutely amazed by what I saw as the sun was rising.

“Dusk, is something wrong?” Silver asked me as he and the others joined me up there.

“Why’d you stop?” Gold asked.

“Because of that.” I said as I pointed with a single claw.

With that, the guys looked where I was looking and they all got the same feeling I got from gazing up the beautiful sight. With this, I decided to quote after a certain adventurer from, let’s say, out of town.

“Gentlecolts, I like to present…Fillydelphia!” I said as we all gazed upon the glorious City of the West, the sun glistening off it like a great jewel.

“Oh, wow! It’s huge.” Gold said as it truly was big, big as Manehattan. “We’re finally here! That’s where the Mystic King is!”

For what he said was true. Even though the Mystic King serves Princess Celestia, he resides here in Fillydelphia to watch over the city. It’s was by royal decree that the Ruler of Equestria and the Mystic King be placed in the same place as, due to their statures, they are great targets to those who would want to take the throne for themselves. I hear that, in case the Mystic King is needed, they are given Clover mages skilled in Spatial Magic to go to Canterlot in an instant. And it’s very big to have Spatial Magic as it is very rare, almost as rare as the four-leaf Clover and even the five-leaf for that matter. Besides all that, after such a long journey, we have finally made it to the city so Gold and Silver can take the exam. It wasn’t very far either, we could get there by the time the sun was at its peak.

“Here we go! Time to do this thing! Hope you’re ready! ʹCause I’m comin’!” Gold yelled as he then ran off towards the city. “I will be…the Mystic King! Yeah!”

Looking around, I saw everypony had smiles, even Silver.

“Got to love that enthusiasm of his.” I said before speaking to Gold as he kept running. “Wait for us, Gold!”

With that, me, Shield, Dog, and Leon then jumped and went skiing down the mountain. It was faster and…way more fun than walking. When we went past Gold, he soon joined us. We even saw Silver join us as the six of went skiing down the mountain, from where we would then begin our run towards the city before us.

---

After a long journey, Gold Star, Silver Blade, and their friends have finally arrived at Fillydelphia, City of the West. Awaiting for them is the Necro-Knights Enterance Exam. If Gold Star and Silver Blade are to join a Necro-Knights squad, they must face off against one mighty foe after another.

---

Well, they finally did it. Our heroes have finally made it to Fillydelphia. But get there was only the easy part of this journey. For Gold Star and Silver Blade, they now must face their greatest test before becoming Necro-Knights: the Necro-Knights Entrance Exam. Unlike the Royal Guard Exam, the two will have to face off with Clover mages like themselves who have all come a long way to become members of the Necro-Knights. In this very exam, Gold Star and Silver Blade will have to face with powerful Clover mages from all across Equestria in order to pass. How will Gold Star fare without any magic? Find out next time!

By the way, I bet you already noticed the details I put out for Shield, Dog, and Leon. If you haven't already guessed it, these three share some traits with the three members of the Mane 6: Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy. Like Fluttershy from the first first episode in season 1, Leon had proven to use his kindness to tame even the most savage of beasts. Shield had shown to have a big of an ego as Rainbow Dash. And Dog with his own survival instinct much like Applejack. Speaking of, I hope you also got a good guess of who exactly Dog's "friend from the farm" is.

Well, see you guys in the next chapter!