MoonRacer: The land of misfits.

by NicLove

Chapter 10: the Monster Within

The next few weeks went by rather fast as the three pupils started to grow more attached to MoonRacer. Spike was enjoying helping his friends even more, along with having three marefriends caring for him. Rarity would often sweet talk him and give him emotional advice, while Dash and Applejack helped encourage him to be courageous and to work hard.

Twilight was more invested in the genetic rewriting research, but was also starting to get used to being dated as well. Sleipnir and Shark would do their best to treat her well, but would sometimes stumble over each other. It was rather fun for her. She started trying to take flying lessons from Dash, but it became rather difficult because of how unique her wings were. It started to become evident that Dash’s sink or swim technique didn’t work with Twilight’s wings, but she was lucky that Kirouac was able to take some time every other day to help her understand how her wings worked.

Light however, was another story. His dates with Flutter and Pinkie became more frequent, especially since Light made a less noisy cannon for Pinkie and was her confetti supplier, while he also started to join Fluttershy on her nature walks. He also made it a point to start working with Marerian and learn more about toy making. He even started to drop his magic lessons so he could focus on his passions.

But then there were the flying lessons. Dash had a harder time trying to get Light up high, seeing as he’d refuse to jump off of a diving board or a high place. Thus, even with Farmer’s help, Light was still struggling to learn how to fly, as he was weighed down by his fear of heights.

This day was no different.

“For the last time! I am not jumping off of that platform!!!” Light said stubbornly as Dash had a twenty foot platform set up for Light to try leaping off of.

“Oh Come on Light!” Dash said exasperatedly, wishing that Light would have dated some flying students instead of two non-flying friends. “Don’t make me use Pinkie’s old cannon.” She threatened him.

“Pinkie got rid of it, and it is behind a lock and key.” Light said firmly as he refused to be moved.

Dash was preparing to just grab Light and throw him down to force him to fly. “Light, there is no harm in flying.”

“It’s the falling that I don’t want to try!” Light snapped back. “And don’t you dare try dragging me up there again!”

“One of these days, you will have to fly.” Dash told him, trying to hold her yelling back.

“I have managed to live very well without that, thank you very much.” Light pointed out.

“Is something wrong here?” Dash and Light turned to see Kirouac and Twilight flying towards them. “Who’s giving who a hard time now?” Kirouac asked, being used to those two butting heads over flying for a while now.

“He refuses to reach his full potential!” Dash said, while flaring her wings up. “It’s starting to get ridiculous! Just look at who is already flying near the clouds!” She said before pointing up to both CloudBusters, doing some simple acrobatics in the air and then to Cotton, who was zipping toward a nearby cloud to rest.

“Good for them. I like the ground.” Light said firmly. “You got me to hover a couple feet off the ground, and that’s more than what I need!”

“You’re being outdone by a mare that has underdeveloped wings, and a colt that was born without any wings.” Dash pointed out, hoping that this would convince Light to try harder.

“You forget that I wasn’t born with wings, and I have enough problems with magic. Why don’t we wait until I develop my magic skills further before you toss me off a building?” Light asked coldly.

“Light, she only wants to help you.” Twilight said, not wanting friction to build between him and Dash.

“Don’t force me to do something irrational to get you to fly!” Dash said, digging her claws in the ground.

“Dash, you don’t want to wrestle with an alicorn.” Light said as he gritted his teeth.

“Oh…I wasn’t planning to.” Dash said before extending her wings out and blasting off into the sky, leaving Light with Twilight and Kirouac.

Twilight looked worried as she turned to Kirouac. “I am now afraid, and I don’t know for who.”

“Do not worry, young Twilight.” Kirouac said, trying to reassure her, before placing a claw on her shoulder. “Dash may be brash and impulsive, but she should at the least know what fights she can and can’t win.”

Twilight nodded as she turned to Light. “Why do you have to be so stubborn about your fear of heights?”

“Why does she have to be so insistent about me flying?” Light asked before looking up into the sky and gulping.

“She wants to help you become the best you can, and she doesn’t like to leave her friends hanging.” Kirouac explained.

“Is that how you became the king?” Light asked Kirouac.

“No, but I don’t see why you don’t want to improve on your gifted abilities.” Kirouac said.

“Because I am happy, satisfied, and content with where I'm at and who I am.” Light told him. “Especially now that I’m here with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.” He added with a blush.

“But you don’t want to embrace your higher calling.” Kirouac added.

“Look…I’m not you!” Light admitted. “I’d rather make toys with Marerian, pet cute animals with Fluttershy and throw a party with Pinkie, even a loud one.”

Kirouac looked concerned as he petted Light’s shoulder. “I understand, and I don’t want to force you to be something you don’t want to be. My main concern is if you end up in a situation where you will need this knowledge and will not have access to it. Sometimes you don’t pick when destiny finds you.”

“I Know!” Light said while craning his back to look at his wings in sorrow and shame. “I know…”

“Hey.” Kirouac said softly as he patted Light’s back. “I know you are afraid of heights, but you don’t have to start fast or up really high. I’m sure if you talk to Dash about it, she’ll be able to slow down a little for you. All I ask for you is to try. Can you do that for me?”

Light gave a disheartened sigh as he nodded to the king. “I…I can try to…DASH!?!”

Kirouac and Twilight turned around to see Dash putting one of the cats Fluttershy cared for on the top of a very tall tree. “Here’s some motivation for you! You like Fluttershy right? Then help her cat!” Dash said firmly as she flew away from the tree.

“RAINBOW DASH!!” Light yelled out to her, while flapping his wings out, hovering a bit higher than Kirouac's head. He was about to fly off after Dash, but he turned back to the tree and saw how scared the poor little kitten was. “Don’t worry little one, I’ll help you down.” He said softly as he quickly changed course.

Light softly flew to the branch that the kitten was dropped on, and extended his arm to try to grab the kitten. It quickly recognised Light as Fluttershy’s lover, so she crouched before leaping into the air and landing on Light’s head.

Light giggled a little as he slowly made his way to the ground, hearing the kitten purring on his head. “Yeah, it’s okay. Nopony is going to hurt you.” Light whispered gently as he used his magic to bring the kitten into his hooves.

The little kitten extended her tongue out and gave Light a lick. “Meew!”

Light smiled as he summoned a little pillow for the kitty. “Now wait right here. Uncle Light has to go find aunt Dash and make her apologize to you.”

“Meww…” She pouted before Light flew off after Dash.

“Well…I guess the key to teaching Light how to overcome his fears is to make him not focus on it.” Kirouac said with a small grin.

“Yess…but let’s not forget that Light’s magic power potential increased when he got his wings.” Twilight pointed out. “I just hope that Light can forgive Dash before she does something else to motivate him.”

Kirouac chuckled at the thought. “You’re friends with her. I’m sure that Light will forgive…”

“LIGHT!!! LET ME GO!!! DON’T DUMP ME IN THE POND!!! I’M SORRY!!!” Dash yelled out from the distance before the two dragon ponies heard a splash.

“Ha ha ha...” Light was laughing so much at his pay back at Dash, that he forgot to continue to flap his wings and fell into the water as well. He was relieved at how much more buoyant he became after he got his wings.

Dash looked at Light with a smug grin as she crossed her arms. “Well, at least my idea worked! And you even caught me off guard and carried me!”

“What are you talking about...” Light was about to ask her before realizing what he had just done to help save the poor little kitten and then to get back at Dash.

“I figured that your love to help Fluttershy would motivate you.” Dash said with a smile.

Light swam up to Dash, arms outstretched like he was about to give her a hug.

“See? I knew you would thank…”

But instead, Light dunked Dash’s head into the water.

Dash’s head and the rest of her resurfaced with no difficulties. “Okay…I guess I deserved that.” Dash said as she spat out a little water.

“Ha ha...” Light swam off, away from Dash without stopping his laughter.

“Hey! Come back here! You may be doing swimming classes, but that doesn’t mean I can’t catch you!” Dash yelled as she swam after him.

“Never!” Light yelled out before diving under the water to get away from Dash.

Dash was frustrated that Light could use his wings to propel himself under the water. She frankly never liked going underwater herself, and her claws made it harder for her to be as fast as Light. “Fine, you win this round!”

FlashTruth walked up to where his friends were and looked from the side, sighing at the sight of this “pegasus” easily floating on the water surface instead of sinking to the bottom.

Twilight put one claw on his shoulder before talking to him. “Are you jealous?”

FlashTruth was about to shake his head, but he instead nodded.

Twilight gave him a little hug as she tried to comfort him. “It’s okay. I’m sure I can invent something to help you eventually.”

FlashTruth sighed. “I…I shouldn’t be jealous.” He insisted to himself. “I should be happy with what I have and what I can do, instead of pulling myself down, and letting myself be drowned in my jealousy and envy.”

“Well, it’s not uncommon to have feelings like that.” Twilight admitted, knowing how it felt to envy ponies who had physical advantages over her.

FlashTruth turned to look at Twilight. “I’m still a good pony, aren't I?” He asked her, feeling guilty about asking such a question.

“Yes, but you are a pony nonetheless. You can’t be perfect, no matter how hard you try.” Twilight explained before seeing Light jump out of the pond. “Not even if you are an alicorn.”

“Yes...but...” FlashTruth looked up to the sky, where Cotton was resting on a cloud with Speed. “It does have its advantages.” He said with another sigh.

Twilight gulped before suddenly remembering something she learned in a recent magic class. “Hey, you could try to learn some magic.”

FlashTruth turned to Twilight. “Thanks, but…it’s not what I’m looking for right now.” He told her not knowing what she had planned, nor if she knew what he was envious of.

“Well, I recently learned that you could get a magical focus, which is basically a magically enhanced artifact that allows you to do magic. You’d be able to learn how to do spells, maybe even ones that can one day help you swim and fly.” Twilight suggested.

FlashTruth raised an eyebrow at this. “Thanks…I’ll…try it!”

“So, what else are you wanting?” Twilight asked curiously.

FlashTruth siighed. “To feel clouds under my hooves, and not have to live with the fear of drowning!” He told her before turning his head to look at her. “Speaking of which, can you walk on clouds?” He asked her. “I know Kirouac can, but he’s also ¼ pegasus.” He admitted.

“Griffons and Dragons can, and I know a little enchantment.” Twilight explained. “I can show you that spell. It’s rather easy.”

FlashTruth raised an eyebrow to that. “Really!?” he asked her.

“Yeah. Originally I found a spell that gave artificial wings, but fire doesn’t mix well with it. With the enchantment, I can keep an earth pony on the clouds for a while. Getting onto the cloud is the tricky part, and the spell has a time limit. It needs to be recast every once in a while.” Twilight explained.

“Ah, ok I suppose that…wait…what?” FlashTruth asked her with excitement.

“You get about an hour with it, and if you don’t recast it then you had better be on the ground.” Twilight explained, not knowing what he was excited about.

“Nonono!” FlashTruth stopped her. “What did you say before that?!?” He asked her, getting a bit too close to her face.

“Um, that the tricky part is getting on the cloud? If you have a winged pony…”

“No, the other spell!” FlashTruth clarified.

“Oh… it gives a unique set of wings that are not like any species I have seen, but can be compared to a butterfly… if the wings of a butterfly were very sparkly. The good news is that they are easy to use, but they won’t get you anywhere close to Wonderbolt speeds.” Twilight explained.

“Ah...I see…” FlashTruth said, a bit disappointed. “What about the other advantages of being a pegasus, like…floating on the water?” He asked her. “And does Dash’s griffin side float too? What about you, as a half dragon?”

“Griffins can float, but they don’t like water too much. I can float, but I have to put more effort into swimming. As for the spell, I don’t know if it will give any extra traits. The wings are large and designed for maximum lift.” Twilight said, as she started thinking about it. “Now I have to do more tests on Spike to test some of those theories.”

“You tested that on SPIKE!?” FlashTruth said before turning to where he was headed, working out with Dash and Applejack. FlashTruth giggled at the idea of that purple colt having giant butterfly wings.

“Light and I have wings, and who else in Canterlot would let me experiment on them?” Twilight asked nonchalantly.

“What about your mom, or Light’s dad?” Flash asked. “You could have done his whole family and they could have had a picnic on a cloud!”

“That spell actually requires a lot of magic, and is a lot more taxing than the more simple spell. Also, Light’s family lives in Ponyville, and we were in school. You have to work with what you’ve got.” Twilight explained.

“Butterfly wings…” Flash was basically shivering at the excitement. “Do you think…you could cast it on…me!?” He asked her.

“Well…sure…but shouldn't I wait for a more opportune time, and possibly a place where I can do some more testing on the spell?” Twilight asked him. “I don’t know how long it lasts.”

“Where do you want to go?” Flash asked her, being a bit impatient with the opportunity to have wings. “Please...!” He begged, trying his hoof at making puppy dog eyes.

“Okay…I guess I can do it now.” Twilight said as she prepared to do the spell. “I can just take some notes.”

Flash jumped in place out of joy. “Yaaa!” He said with a huge smile.

“Okay, now stand very still, and expect a slight tingling in your spine.” Twilight said as her horn started to glow brightly.

“Yay!” Flash squealed while trying to stay in place.

Flash could see that Twilight was under a lot of strain as her magic started to envelop his back, causing a sharp sting as he felt the spell doing its work on him.

Flash couldn’t help but think of every single thing he would like to try and do; walk on clouds, do loop-de-loops, float on water and many more.

After a minute, the glowing finally stopped as Flash felt a strange sensation coursing through his spine.

“Aaa.” Flash said, while his back twitched. “I…feel…”

“Okay…you should experience a strange tingling feeling on your back, but this is normal. You should feel some objects sticking out of your back…these are your wings. Try to start moving them.” Twilight said as she was trying to catch her breath.

Flash slowly flexed his back, feeling something more, and both seeing and feeling the gust of wind he was making, it startled him a bit. “What the...” Flash was about to say more before turning his head to look at his back.

He was shocked to see a large set of butterfly wings on his back that seemed thin, and transparent, allowing the light to shine through their colorful design.

“I... can't believe it.” Tears were in Flash’s eyes before he started to run, trying to get some speed to lift off of the ground.

Twilight reached into her bag and got out a pen and paper. “Time to take notes. Magic wing test on an earth pony, test subject two. Flight…” She said as she watched Flash.

Flash started to flap his wings, managing to technically glide above the ground for a good distance, before his hoofs hit the ground once more. “Is it normal to feel a little bit lighter?” He asked Twilight.

“Hm…feeling somewhat lighter, is most likely due to developing lighter bones.” Twilight said, as she wrote down the notes. As she finished writing them down, she turned to Flash. “So, are you still having problems taking off? You may need to take larger flaps.”

“Um…ya!” Flash said, trying to jump up while adding some bigger and faster flaps.

Twilight looked confused at how much harder it was for Flash. “Second subject is having a harder time gaining lift. Extra exertion is showing promise, but it’s baffling. It may be connected to some condition that relates to his inability to swim. More testing required.”

Flash looked worried. “Ya…” He said before managing to jump onto a bench, then a statue before finally managing to get some real air time.

“Subject is finding a pattern for flying. I'm going to investigate the strange reaction to the transformation.” Twilight said as she was still going through her notes. “Flash, how much do you weigh?”

“Umm...” Flash blushed before admitting his weight.

Twilight’s eyes widened as the number was nowhere near what she thought. “WOW! That’s three times the weight of a normal pony of your size! Surely there has to be more to this.”

“I...um...am bigged boned!?!” Flash admitted with a blush, it was technically the truth.

“Hm…that shouldn’t be right…the magic affecting your bones would have made you as light as a normal pony.” Twilight said as she was doing a lot of math. “It would also explain why you have problems swimming. Your weight for your size would make floating impossible.”

“Ya…well…what can I say!” Flash told her before thinking to himself. “No really, what CAN I say?”

“Hm…I want to do some more tests on you…” Twilight said as she started writing down some theories. “There are a few physical and magical conditions that could explain this…although a few of them can be very serious…and could cause immense health problems…” Twilight said as her concern grew.

Flash winced even more. “Oh…ok, we can do that when I get down.” He told her, trying to jump from tree top to a taller tree top each time, hoping he could at least get to a cloud before he got dragged back down by Twilight's desire to test him.

Twilight looked worried as she started summoning some books to her. “Okay…five physical possibilities, seven magical possibilities, four rare medical conditions that can prove hazardous, and three magical curses that are even worse. Oh dear…where is my science partner when I need her?”

“Who would that be?” Light asked Twilight, while water was dripping from his mane to his tail and even from his wings.

“Oh, Cotton. We just do research together since she knows her way around genetics.” Twilight explained quickly.

“Do you want to get her?” Light asked before looking up, trying to find which cloud she was resting on.

“Um… I just need to go through my notes first.” Twilight said as she kept reading. “I don’t want to go into this too quickly.”

“What do you have for the moment?” Light asked her, while he shook the water off of his tail.

“That Flash is unnaturally heavy for his size and it’s making it harder for him to fly.” Twilight explained as she kept taking notes.

“Oh…um…I don’t know why or how that is the case.” Light said nervously.

“Well, it could be serious, so I want to do some tests on him to try and figure it out.” Twilight explained.

“He…he seems to still be in good shape.” Light insisted, before turning to look at Flash who was resting on a cloud.

“That may be due to the structure of his body, but still, it’s unnatural for his body to be like this, and I need to figure this out.” Twilight explained.

“I…don’t think this is unnatural!” Light insisted once more.

“Light, name me any pony you know who is three times the natural weight.” Twilight said bluntly as she got out a few swabs for some DNA tests.

“Umm...Kirouac!?” Light said.

Kirouac smiled as he walked over to Twilight. “Twilight, Flash has been to many doctor appointments in his life, he even wants to be one when he grows up. There is nothing hazardous about him that you have to worry about. It’s just something that you shouldn’t worry about.” He tried to assure her.

“Do you want me to get him?” Light asked Twilight.

“Well…” Twilight looked up again and saw how much he was enjoying being on a cloud, rolling on it’s soft surface for the first time in his life. “I… think we should give him some time.”

Light looked up as well, seeing how he was enjoying and taking advantage of his new wings more than he personally ever did or would even want to.

Flash played around on the cloud for a while before deciding to join the others on the ground. He slowly got better using his wings as he hovered down.

“This is Awesome!” Flash said before he landed in front of the group. “I’ve got to show the little ones, they’ll ask me to give them a ride.” He said with his voice full of excitement.

“Well, at least the adrenaline effect seems to be the same.” Twilight said as she wrote a few more notes.

“Ya.” Flash said, accidentally flapping his oversized butterfly wings. “Opps...” He said with a blush.

“So…I am very cautious about doing a buoyancy test on you.” Twilight admitted.

Flash gulped in excitement. “How deep is the water?”

“Depends where you are.” Light said as he looked at the pond. “The closer you get to the center, the deeper it is.”

“Ok…let’s…let’s start with just the edge.” Flash suggested.

“Yeah, and try not to get those wings wet.” Light suggested. “Thin wings like that would need to dry off if you want to fly again.”

“And your wings?” Flash asked all three of them.

“Mine don’t get weighed down too much. I’m just going off of what Fluttershy taught me about butterflies and breezies.”

Flash nodded in understanding. “What about your dragon wings?” He asked Twilight.

“They are leathery. They don’t really collect water.” Twilight explained, as she looked at her wings.

“And feather wings are a bit oily so, water just rolls off of them.” Kirouac explained.

“It's not only the wings that the water rolls off of.” Light said.

“Um…what does that mean?” Twilight asked with some concern.

“It’s been rolling off of my back too. What did you think I was talking about?” Light asked curiously.

“MHm...” Twilight said, finally realizing that the water wasn’t sticking to his body. “And that was only after you got your wings?” She asked before taking note.

“Yeah.” Light said with a nod.

“Ah…I would think you having a pegasus mother may have given that before.” Twilight admitted.

“I didn’t have any pegasus traits until the transformation.” Light pointed out.

“That’s a bit ironic.” Flash admitted.

“And none of my siblings have any mixed traits.” Light added.

“Mhm...” Both Flash and Twilight said before looking at their half-breed friends.

“Some ponies get lucky.” Kirouac said with a shrug. “By the way, did Spike and Rarity leave for Canterlot yet?”

“I think Spike is still helping Rarity pack.” Twilight said before looking at the time. “I guess I can see why Celestia would ask for him to come visit. He is her son, and it’s been a while since she has had some one on one time with us.”

“Yeah…I just don’t know what she’ll say when she hears about how I have been doing.” Light said with a small blush.

“Which part?” Twilight asked. “The part about you finding love, still being slow in magic & flying, or not wanting to come back?”

“The last part.” Light admitted.

Twilight nodded in understanding, before turning to look around at all the half-breeds and other misfits that lived together in peace and harmony. “It's a lot more of…an accepting place.”

“And here, I am a toymaker. Ponies aren’t even seeing me as some powerful alicorn as much anymore. I have love and acceptance here. Why would I want to go back?” Light asked bluntly.

“Umm…family!?” Twilight suggested. “To see your mom and siblings!?”

“Well…that would be a reason to visit.” Light said with a shrug.

“Ya...” Twilight said, as Kirouac gave her some gems to snack on. “No pony or otherwise sees or thinks of me as a monster.”

“So why would we want to live in Canterlot?” Light asked. “This is the best place in the world!”

A part of Twilight wanted to argue that this was the easy way out. But she couldn’t bring herself to say that. “I also can't find something that we can't do here.” She said, trying hard to find a limit to what they could do, but they seemed to have it all. They even had the rare things that you couldn’t find in Canterlot, though they were more common in their other Nations.

“Well. I have a research project to work on.” Light said as he started walking towards the library. “I have to get it done before my date tonight.”

Twilight blushed before waving Light away. “Good luck with that.” She told him as he walked away.

“Hey Twi!” Twilight looked up to see Cotton flying down to her.

“Oh, hello Cotton.” Twilight said while waving her towards them.

Cotton gave a small smile as she was showing her wings. “What do you think of the results of my self experimentation?”

Twilight leaned closer as she realized what Cotton did. “Oh my! You.. you…”

Cotton nodded as she pointed out her full-sized wings, but she also saw that her horn was now even smaller. “I got a prototype working. I can now shift dominance in my genes. The drawback is that I only have it working to where I can switch back and forth, but I think it’s a stepping stone towards gaining the fullest effects of my body.”

“Ya…but, your horn!? Is it ok?” Twilight asked her with a bit of worry.

“Yes. Watch this.” She pulled out another potion and drank it, making her wings smaller again as her horn growed it a full sized one. “Now I can fully use magic.”

“Yes, maybe so…but.” Twilight craned her head to look at Cotton’s back. “Your wings are almost gone.” She said in both fear and a bit of excitement.

“Yeah, it’s a safeguard I made to keep me from completely losing that part of my genetics. You see, Light’s DNA made me think more about dominant genes, and with some research on my aunt Bent-G’s gender shifting potions, I was able to make a variant that shifts the dominance of my genes.” Cotton explained.

“I, see.” Twilight said before looking down at her claws. “So…with me it would be from unicorn to dragon?”

Cotton cringed as she looked at her friend. “Well… it’s a little more complicated than you think.”

“How so?” Twilight asked with worry. “Wouldn’t it be easier to tell which parts are the unicorn-mammals, and which are the dragon-reptiles?”

“I know, but it’s harder to shift the dominance of the genes. You see, I have researched pony genes most of my life, and trying to shift between dragon and pony is harder than it sounds. Doing my own potions meant that I had to make it specific to me. It’s going to take me a lot longer to figure out how to do the same for you.” Cotton explained nervously.

“Oh, I…” Twilight was about to cry, but she then felt Kirouac’s claw placed on her shoulder.

“Hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to worry about being normal here. You still have a bright mind and a caring heart. That’s what’s important.” Kirouac tried to comfort her.

“I…I know, but…” Twilight looked away to the side. “I still would want, at least for a day, just to be able to walk in Canterlot and not…get looked at.”

“Well, some mares like it when they can get stallions to turn heads.” Cotton said as an attempt at a joke.

“Ha...” Twilight tried to hold back her laughter. “Good one, but you know what I mean.”

“Oh…yeah…” Cotton said, looking upset that she couldn’t comfort her.

“Even though I can breathe fire, and every other dragon's abilities, I want to be able to feel normal for one day.” Twilight told them.

“Well, all I can say is to wait and see what happens. After all, you have some things here that you can enjoy for now.” Kirouac told her with a comforting voice.

Twilight nodded. “I…I know.” She admitted before turning back to them.

“Umm…HELP!” Flash cried out, being at the point where he could barely stick his head out of the water.

“SWEET CELESTIA!!!” Twilight gasped as she dove in to help him.

“I…don’t know what happend.” Flash cried out, trying to stand on his tipi-hoof. “The wings started to dissolve, and my body started to sink.”

Twilight quickly started to drag him to shore. “Note to self, the wings dissolve after extended exposure to water. Now, are you alright?”

“Umm…ya.” Flash said, being sad that he had lost the wings.

“Well, I think we may have to look into alternative ways to keep you from sinking.” Twilight explained.

“Like what?” Flash asked, still frowning.

“Floatation gear. If my method of magic doesn’t work, then Light can try to make something clever.” Twilight explained.

“Ya...” Flash said. “But how much would we need.”

“Hey Twilight!” The group turned to see Shark and Sleipnir running towards them.

“Oh hey guys.” Twilight told them. “Can you please help me Shark!?”

Shark nodded as he dove in and started helping Twilight pull Flash onto the shore. “Now what did we say about swimming?”

“Always have a spotter!?” Flash asked.

“And you aren’t allowed to go deeper than you can stand.” Shark added as they reached the shore. “Don’t you remember the last time you ended up falling into deep water?”

Flash winced. “Please don’t remind me.” He begged him.

“We won't.” Sleipnir said as he was checking Flash and adjusting his hat just slightly so it was straight. “Are you okay?”

Flash nodded unconvincingly.

“So what happened?” Sleipnir asked, looking concerned for his friend.

“I almost touched the sky, before it was taken from me.” Flash said being both poetic and overly dramatic.

“What?” Shark asked as he turned to Twilight.

“I did a magical wing spell, and it apparently doesn’t work in water.” Twilight explained. “It also doesn’t work with high heats. Then again...” Twilight got out a small watch from her bag as she looked at the time. “I think he may have just ran out of time.”

“Yes, I could fly over the rooftops, feel the clouds under my hoofs.” Flash said while looking at his hoofs. “I felt the true meaning of freedom before it was taken from me.”

“Well, we can do the spell again tomorrow.” Twilight offered.

“Yes, and the day after that.” Flash said

“Well, I guess it would let me do more research on it.” Twilight said with a nod before turning to the others. “So what did you two want?”

“Oh, we were thinking that we could have a spa date today, if you are interested.” Sleipnir asked.

“Oh, I would lov…” Twilight was about to say before turning to look at Cotton, Kirouac and Flash.

“It’s okay. I have to spend some time with Helsa anyway.” Kirouac admitted.

“And I am needing to do a bit more research on myself… along with some doctors who definitely want to look at me.” Cotton added.

“Ok.” Twilight said before looking at Flash, who was looking at and rubbing his back, where the wing used to be. “Do, do you want…?”

“Yeah…can I come with you guys? I need to unwind after that.” Flash said as he turned to Sleipnir and Shark.

“Sure. We are even planning on inviting Earth.” Twilight added.

“Oh…ok.” Flash said, knowing that she needed some support. “Let’s go.”

“Alright. Have fun kids!” Kirouac said with a wave as the group walked off.

---

Grand-Earth was alone in the garden, looking for some weeds as she watered the plants, sighing to herself.

“Hi Earth!” Twilight said, as she walked over to her friend, knowing that her dates with Earth were one of the few things that cheered her up.

“Oh! Hey Twilight.” Earth said with hope and joy, a smile finally appearing on her face.

“How are you doing today?” Twilight asked as she sat next to her.

“Better.” Earth said with a blush.

“That’s good. So, would you like to go out today? Sleipnir has got us a spa day ready.” Twilight offered as she petted Earth’s mane.

“Oh...” Earth covered her face. “I… don’t waste it on me. I’m sure that you can find some other...”

“It will be just Me, Sleipnir, Shark, Flash, and hopefully you.” Twilight said with a smile. “Come on. It’ll be fun.”

“I…suppose so…” Earth said before getting up.

“Oh! Thank you!” Twilight said as she gave her a big hug.

Earth smiled back, before hugging back Twilight sacaly yet soft body.

“Let’s go. The boys are waiting, and I’m sure that Flash needs a “pick me up” as well.” Twilight said as she started carrying her to the spa.

“Oh…what happend?” Earth asked Twilight, while walking every close to her, their body almost touching.

“I did a spell that allowed him to fly, and he loved it.” Twilight explained with a blush. “The problem was that the spell ended.”

“Oh…I can understand wanting something that you can’t have, and being disappointed when it’s taken from you.” Earth said before catching her reflection of her face before sighing.

“I know that feeling too.” Twilight said, as she gave a sigh as well.

“But we both can’t change how we were both born.” Earth said with a bit of sadness.

“Yeah…but Cotton is working on it, and is having a breakthrough.” Twilight said as she rolled her eyes.

Earth turned her head to Twilight. “W...what do you mean?”

“She made a potion that allows her to shift from being mainly a unicorn to being mainly a pegasus.” Twilight explained. “She said the thing is still experimental.”

“Oh...” Earth said disappointedly.

“But there is promise.” Twilight said as she wrapped a wing over Earth. “Let’s just focus on having fun.”

Earth nodded. “Ya, but…I doubt that Cotton can fix this!” She said while circling her hoof around her face.

“Well, I think you look cute.” Twilight said firmly.

Earth blushed. “Aw…you’re just saying that.”

“Do Pinkie and Flutter think that Light is clever?” Twilight asked with a grin.

“I…I don’t know.” Earth admitted.

“They do, and Light has a hard time believing it. And I think you are cute.” Twilight stated again.

Earth placed a hoof over her face, trying to hide her blush.

As they walked up to the spa, they saw that the boys were waiting for them at the door. “Hey girls! I am proud to say that we went ahead and checked to make sure that the spa is open and we can still have the private spa session.” Sleipnir said proudly.

“That’s great!” Twilight said. “We will do the… what all can we do?””

“Well, we will get a spa area of our own where we will be treated and pampered. My dad was able to pull some strings for us.” Sleipnir explained as he led them inside.

“Oh…private spa work.” Twilight said excitedly

“Yep. Hot tubs and all.” Shark said, looking excited.

“Oh…should I get my…bathing suit?” Earth asked with both a blush and a bit of worry.

“No. They have special robes for us to use.” Sleipnir explained.

“I...” Earth was about to interject, but she looked at Twilight.

“Well, I guess there is a reason for it.” Twilight said with a shrug.

“Ok...” Earth said with a blush.

As they walked inside, a spa attendant walked up to them. “Hello. Are you the Sleipnir party?”

Sleipnir nodded. “Yes, I think we have a reservation.” He asked with a wink.

“Well, your room was blown up in a freak accident.” The attendant said bluntly.

“What...?” Sleipnir asked in a monotone voice.

“It was a joke. Your father said it would be funny.” The attendant said as she motioned the group to follow her. “I’ll take you to your room.”

Sleipnir turned to look at Shark. “That is the last time that I will tell my problems to my dad.” He admitted.

“Hey, the guy saw an opportunity to make a joke, and at least this plan is working for once.” Shark said with a shrug.

“Please don’t jinx it.” Sleipnir beged, before following the worker.

The worker led them into a medium sized room that was equipped with a hot tub, a mud bath, a couple of showers, a few massage chairs, along with some other equipment. There were also a couple of changing rooms set up for them to change in.

“We have several robes in the stalls, so pick whichever ones you want.” The worker said with a smile.

Earth nodded nervously before following her group in.

“They are fireproof?“ Twilight asked.

“But of course. We can also arrange a private lava bath for you Ms Twilight.” The worker offered.

“I…umm...” Twilight turned to her group. “Maybe some other day.” She told her. “Can I even?” She asked mostly to herself

“Well, we can do a safety test with just hot water. Kirouac can do the lava bath, but he has to wear wing protection.” The worker explained.

“Aa…ya.” Twilight said before going to the remaining changing room.

“So we take it all off?” Earth asked, taking off her clothes that were stained green where she had been resting on the ground.

“And please put on the robes. If you wish, you can put on the swimsuits provided.” The worker said, as she started to get some stuff ready for them.

Earth looked over to the swimsuits, glad that they were magically made to fit everyone. “Thanks.” She said before slipping them on, waiting a second for them to morph to her size.

“And none of you have to worry about the robes. The fabric is thin enough for us to still be able to do our work.” The worker added as the boys were the first out of the room.

Earth walked out of her changing room, and saw the rest of the group dressed in their robes, being unable to tell if they had swimsuits on or not.

“So, what should we do first?” Sleipnir asked the group.

“What do you have planned?” Twilight asked the worker.

“We are willing to do anything you wish…within reason.” The worker said. “May I recommend starting with a shower before going to the hot tub to loosen up?” The worker offered.

“Ya, maybe we should have done this before we put the robes on.” Earth said before laughing softly.

“Well the shower is out here.” Shark said as he stepped under the little waterfall, keeping his robe on.

“Is it such a good idea to have them on while showering?” Earth asked.

“Don’t worry. The robe lets water through.” The worker explained.

“Oh, like my Landscaping cloth!” Earth said.

“Exactly.” Shark said as he stepped out. “Your turn.”

Earth went to the shower and was about to take her robe off, but was too self-conscious about her body to show them in her swimwear, so she went under the water with both on.

Twilight blushed as she had a cheeky idea. “Hey, mind if I join you so we can speed this up?”

“I…umm…oh..” Earth didn’t know what to say.

“Thank you.” Twilight said with a smile as she got close to her to be under the shower with her.

“IIII…” Twilight’s body was so close to Earth’s, they could almost feel what the other was thinking.

Twilight blushed, still afraid about her first kiss. “So…what do you think about…us?”

“Us us, or the group?” Earth asked, able to feel Twilight’s breath.

“B…both…” Twilight said as she felt her heart racing.

“Well…you are all nice, especially you.” Earth admitted.

“Yeah…you know…I have enjoyed getting to know you.” Twilight said with a blush.

“And…I you…” Earth said while looking into Twilight’s eyes.

“I mean…you’re cute…and kind…and I…feel like I…just want you to be happy…”

“And…you are, just your presence makes it so.” Earth admitted, her eyes still looking into hers.

All three boys were staring at her as they realized who was about to get Twilight’s first kiss.

“I…we should be clean by now, we should get out…” Earth said softly to Twilight, knowing that the boys were watching them.

“Oh…okay.” Twilight said, as they slowly left the shower.

A part of Shark was disappointed, yet a little bit relieved at the same time.

“So…should we do a massage or a mud bath first?” Sleipnir asked them. “Or even a hot tub with a face mask!?”

“Well, the worker suggested the tub to help us loosen up.” Twilight reminded them.

“Ok.” Shark said, making his way to the hot tub.

Earth follow after him. She dipped the tip of her hoof into the water, which was nice and warm. “Mhm...” She said before taking her robe off and slipping in, her back turned to the rest of the group.

The group followed her, keeping their robes on as they went into the tub. “Nice swimsuit.” Twilight said with a blush.

“I…ummm…” Earth crossed her arms over her body. “Why do you still have the robes on?” She asked them.

“Well…I may not have a swimsuit under my robe.” Flash admitted with a blush, earning some blushes from the others.

Earth placed her hoofs over her face. “And the rest of you?” She asked, a bit scared of the answer.

“N...nope…”

“Na ah.”

“Sorry.”
Earth sighed. “So I’m once again the odd one out!?”

“Oh, I can go grab a swimsuit.” Twilight offered nervously.

Earth shook her head before looking down at the water to see if they could see her body under the water.

They could all still see her, but admittedly still found her cute.

Earth grabbed her robe and redraped it over her body.

Twilight took a deep breath as she started to take off her robe. “Here, does this make you feel better? Most ponies don’t wear clothes anyways with the exception of here and Canterlot. Well, Celestia tends to wear just a necklace and a crown.”

Earth gulped and tried to avoid looking at Twilight's gorgeous and slim dragon body, and looked at the others who were also discarding their robes.

“We just want you to feel comfortable.” Twilight said as she scooted closer to Earth.

Earth was breathing deeply. “I…umm…should I do the same?”

“Only if you want to.” Shark assured her, trying to be like a gentleman.

“I…” Earth slowly started to take her robe off, being completely nervous, but somehow managing to appear sexy to the others.

“See…I told you that you were cute.” Twilight said as she gently rubbed Earth’s shoulders, finding Earth’s demeanor cute.

Earth was at this moment glad that she wasn’t a pegasus, because if she was, her wings would have popped up & out. “I…” She was starting to undo her bathing suit, while keeping her body under the water.

Sleipnir wanted to help comfort her, so he stuck his head under the water as he moved over to her.

Earth crossed her body. “W…what are you doing, Sleipnir?” She asked.

“Sleipnir poked his head out of the water before booping her. “Just trying to cheer you up.”

“Yeah.” Shark said as he sat on the other side of her and started petting her. “We want you to feel good too.”

Earth gulped as she felt the hooves and claws of a bunch of undressed ponies. “I… thanks…” She said, still with one piece on.

“No problem.” The two boys said as they kissed her cheeks.

Earth was frozen into place feeling their warm lips on her cheeks.

Twilight blushed as well. “Yeah, getting a kiss on the cheek is strange for the first time.” Twilight said, as she remembered her kiss on the cheek from their last date.

“I…feel both tense and loose at the same time.” Earth admitted.

“Yeah, imagine giving one of those kisses for the first time.” Shark said with a small blush.

“I…” Earth pushed them aside so that she could take her last piece off.

The group all blushed as they watched her last piece of clothing being discarded.

“I…feel a bit more free.” Earth let them know before she gave them each a peck on the cheek.

“And you are very pretty.” Sleipnir added as he gave her a peck back.

“Earth looked to the side. “Please be honest.” She begged them.

“And we are.” Twilight assured her as she gently rubbed her cheek. “You don’t need to be skinny to be pretty in my book.”

Earth tilted her head to Twilight. “I was talking about my down syndrome face, not my extra weight.”

“And your face is cute too.” Twilight said as she kissed her forehead.

“But…how do I know you’re not just saying that to be nice?” Earth asked them.

Twilight felt her heart wrenching at that. She spent most of the time with Earth trying to convince her that she is not some worthless pony, and she was seeing more and more in her. She knew that she had to make a choice to show her love to the pony. “E…Earth…”

“Yes..?” Earth asked while looking into Twilight’s eyes.

“I…I…” Twilight closed her eyes as she grabbed Earth and locked lips with her.

Earth eyes widened before closing them and started hugging and rubbing her hoofs on Twilight’s back.

The boys watched in shock and awe as they watched those two kissing each other deeply.

Earth dared to try to stick her tongue into Twilight’s mouth, earning a big moan from Twilight as she followed suit. Twilight knew that this was starting to be beyond science and logic, but she didn’t care.

“Alright! I have the stuff for the face masks, so I…” The worker froze in place as she saw the two mares kissing. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I can step out if you wish.” She asked as she blushed at the sign of public affection.

Earth backed-away and covered her body with her hoofs. “Aaaa…”

“Oh, It’s okay ma’am. I am used to this. Some couples do worse things.” The worker explained as she got out the face mack cream. “So, would you all like to get started?”

“Umm…yes.” Earth said, trying to relax and go back to her seat, but keeping her arms crossed over her body.

Twilight gave a deep blush as she used her tail to help Earth with her self consciousness.

Flash just relaxed and let the worker do her job.

As the worker was applying the face masks to the group, Sleipnir and Shark looked at each other. “Well, I guess Earth got her first kiss.” Shark said with a shrug.

“Eh, I’m happy for them.” Sleipnir said with a shrug.

“Did you guys get kissed on the lips before?” Flash asked them.

“Nope.” Both boys admitted, looking embarrassed.

“Well you two are there.” Flash said while trying to hold back his laughter.

Both guys stared at Flash blankly. “Very funny.” Sleipnir muttered as he started to get his own face mask.

---

Spike and Rarity, disguised in her unicorn form, were both sitting on the train to Canterlot.

“Okay, Celestia made it clear that the guards aren’t allowed to make any public remarks about you. If any of them start giving you a hard time, then let me deal with them.” Spike said as he looked nervous about this meeting. “Whatever you do, don’t leave my side.”

Rarity nodded nervously. “I know…” She said before turning her head to look out the window, away from Spike. “I.. I’m just nervous.” She told him. “And scared.” She whispered to herself.

“I know. I am scared too.” Spike admitted, knowing how poorly they treated halfbreeds. Applejack wouldn’t come because she hates the idea of leaving MoonRacer, and Dash decided to stay behind to keep her company. So it was just him and Rarity. “Just remember that you are with a Prince, and I will act like a prick to anypony who treats you wrong.”

“Oh, Spike…” Rarity said before rubbing his cheek with her hoof. “But there are some that think that they should protect the next ruler from the nasty shapeshifter.”

“Yeah, but I dare any of them to try staring down my mom.” Spike said with a grin. “Very few ponies have seen her angry, and none of them want to after the fact.”

Rarity nodded before wiping the tear that was on her cheek. “And she’s ok with…this.” She asked while pointing all over her body.

Spike remembered when he finally wrote about his marefriends. He was rather afraid, and glad that Twilight’s magic allowed her to send it directly to her. At first he was afraid that she’d be upset, but her response was shocking to him. “She was ecstatic, and glad that I found a mare who I love and loves me back. She encouraged me to bring you with me.”

“And she does know that I’m technically not 100% what they would call, a normal mare.” Rarity asked with worry.

“She knows about you being…” Spike looked around before speaking. He liked the fact that he was in a private cart, but he was still afraid of being eavesdropped on. “Part changeling.”

Rarity smiled a bit. “And that A.J. and Dash are also half-breed?” She asked before kissing his forehead.

“Yep. She took it very well, surprisingly.” Spike admitted.

Rarity giggled before booping his nose. “But…what does she plan to do, if you decide to stay with us, and…” She blushed before finishing. “Marry.” She covered her face.

“I…I don’t know. I think that may be something she wants to talk about.” Spike said with a shrug as he felt the train coming to a stop.

“I doubt we could manage to get A.J. to move to Canterlot.” Rarity said before getting up with Spike.

“Yeah… That’s going to be the hard thing to break to mom.” Spike said with a gulp.

“Which part?” Rarity asked. “That one of your loves doesn't want to come, that you are thinking about staying, or that Light will refuse to be your backup?”

“Is all of the above an option?” Spike asked nervously.

“Yeah…I can understand that.” Rarity admitted as they got ready to step out of the train. “Well, hopefully she will be understanding.”

“I hope so. She still has Cadence.” Spike pointed out.

“Yes…does she even want to?” Rarity asked with both worry and hope.

“Yes. She actually is getting good at it.” Spike said as they walked past a couple of guards.

Rarity released the breath that she was holding. “Ah, that’s good!” She said before noticing how the guards were looking at her.

“Just relax. The guards don’t bother new ponies without reason.” Spike whispered to her gently.

“‘Is it because of you or me?” Rarity asked Spike in a whisper.

“Most likely because they never saw a mare in love with me before.” Spike said before turning to the guards. “Relax boys. She’s with me.”

One of the guards raised an eyebrow to Spike before looking once more at Rarity. “Is there anything we should know about you?”

Rarity’s eyes widened as she felt a knot tie in her stomach. “Um… no?”

The guards gritted their teeth as she started to raise their spears. “Sir Spike, I think your marefriend has been replaced by a…”

The guards were cut off as their armors were being pulled towards Spike. His hooves were glowing slightly as he did a focused magnetism spell to make sure their focus was on him. “I can tell that you have a new spell for detecting changelings. You also didn’t get the memo of not messing with my marefriend. Let me tell you a few things.” Spike whispered harshly. “She is a halfling. She is with me, and if you two say a word about it to the press or anypony then I will let my mother know, and then you get to learn what happens when she isn’t pleasant. Understood?”

All of the guards lowered their spears, but the leader of their group keeped an eye on Spike’s eyes. “Follow along, Prince Spike, and…” He paused while looking at her. “Lady…?” He asked with a hint of disgust in his voice.

“Ms Rarity. Say it right!” Spike ordered sternly.

The guard looked insulted as he spoke coldly. “Ms Rarity. Would you two like an escort to the castle?”

“Not from you knuckleheads.” Spike turned to see Shining Armor and Book Knight walking towards them. “We will be escorting the couple to the Princess. Keep to your post and try to follow your orders for once.” Book said sternly as he glared at the guard.

“If it isn’t the edge lord.” The guard said with a groan as he rolled his eyes.

“I take that as a complement since it’s coming from one of my punching bags.” Book said as he sneered at the guard. “Why don’t you start taking your job seriously all of the time and not just when you want to be a douche?”

“She is a changl…”

Book firmly planted his front hoof on the guard’s mouth, cutting him off. “First of all, your orders were to not question Spike’s date no matter what the circumstances were and to expect her to be different. Second, you were also ordered not to make any potential discovery public.” Shining said before taking the amulet off of the guard and putting it on his own neck. “Third, your diagnosis is off. The skin color is white, not black. The mane and tail are also fully colored as well, meaning that this is a halfling. Now keep your muzzle shut like you were ordered.”

“Oh, you just think that because you’re our platoon leader that you can boss us around Armor?” The guard asked accusingly.

“That’s lieutenant Armor to you!” Book pointed out with a smug grin. “Which means you are now outranked Sargent!”

The guard stared at Shining in shock as he realized the new insignia on his shoulder. “W…you…I…”

“Apparently I was on the promotion board.” Shining said with a small smile.

The guard huffed as he was glaring at the pony. “So…this is what happens when you are dating a princess?”

“She has taste.” Book said with a shrug. “And he is top of his class.”

“What makes you say that?” The guard asked sternly.

“He’s smart, he’s tough, he knows how to lead, and he’s the only pony in our platoon and the other plattons that can beat me in a fight. Are there any other things that you lack the understanding of that I need to point out?” Book asked, surprising Rarity at how rude he could be.

“Well…who are you to say that?!?” The guard asked, looking flustered.

Book had a small grin on his face as he addressed the guard. “Your new platoon leader, and I won’t be as nice as Shining. I’m cracking down on you guys, and our unit isn’t going to be held back by your lollygagging anymore. It’s time we acted like guards!”

Shining sighed as he turned to the guards. “Now keep silent and stand your post until you are given further instructions! And do not speak a word about Rarity to anypony, or Celestia gets to deal with you personally!”

“Oh, I already warned them about that.” Spike said as he noticed a few people starting to get curious. “Let’s just get going now, before ponies start asking questions.”

“Sure thing.” Shining said as he and Book started to escort the couple to the castle. “Sorry about that. Celestia tried to keep the orders simple without blowing your cover.”

“Oh, I understand…” Rarity said, looking embarrassed by the whole situation. “A.J. was right. Some ponies like to be jerks to others who are different.”

“They do it out of arrogance, fear, and pride. Sometimes it’s how they were raised, and other times it’s to raise their own self-esteem.” Book said as he was keeping a weather eye on his surroundings. “I just learned better.”

Shining smiled as he looked at Book. “He’s a pain, but he’s actually a good teammate when you get to know him.”

“So Light says.” Rarity said, trying to walk both naturally and ladylike.

“Considering that Shining is Twilight’s brother, and that Book has kept his secret, I think he is decent.” Spike admitted with a low whisper.

Rarity looked at Shining’s body. “Ya, but I don’t think anyone could tell.”

“I know him better than most people.” Book said with a small grin.

“Mainly since he has no respect for others' privacy.” Shining added.

Rarity placed a hoof over her chest. “I hope it’s not what he does to a lady!” She asked with a huff.

“I don’t mess with lady stuff.” Book assured her. “There is a line between being thorough and being a creep.”

“And I know that your prince knows that.” Rarity said before playing with Spikes cheek.

“Yeah. I am too much of a gentlecolt to look into your private things.” Spike assured her.

‘For now.’ Rarity whispered into Spike’s ear before blushing.

“Kids, try and keep stuff like that down.” Book warned them, surprising them both with his keen hearing.

“He’s just jealous because he’s single.” Shining said with a grin.

“Should I try to ship him with one of my single friends?” Rarity asked.

“I work here. I don’t think a long distance relationship would work for me.” Book said as he rolled his eyes.

“She could move, I’m sure that Canterlot would like to see her…magic!” Rarity said while giggling, finally relaxing since she got here.

“Again, I don’t need a date.” Book said again.

“But just in case, mail us the contact info. Cadence would like to know about her.” Shining said, grinning at the thought of getting Book to go on his first date.

“I will darling.” Rarity said before stopping suddenly.

Spike instantly looked concerned as he went up to Rarity. “What is it? Are you okay?”

Rarity was looking up at the marvel that was Canterlot. “It’s…it’s so…beautiful.”

“Oh…” Spike looked around at the sights that he grew rather accustomed too. “It’s not bad.”

Rarity was flabbergasted. “I… um… how can you say that?”

“I lived here my whole life. You get used to it.” Spike said with a shrug.

“I… I suppose so, what did you think when you saw MoonRacer for the first time?” Rarity asked Spike, while walking next to him.

“I thought it was amazing to see all of the different cultures combined.” Spike admitted. “The place looked amazing.”

“Yes.” Rarity said while looking around. “It’s nice to see one percent of the inspiration for the buildings in MoonRacer.”

“Yeah…” Spike said as he glanced at an old alleyway.

“Is there something wrong, Spike?” Rarity asked while feeling the sorrow emanating from him.

“Yeah… just taking in the sights.” Spike said as he turned back to the castle. “Let’s just get going. You’ll love the castle.”

Rarity stopped him. “Spike, I can tell that this old alleyway is bothering you. Please tell me why?”

Spike sighed as he looked at the alley. “Remember when I explained that I was a dumpster baby?”

“Ya… oh…” Rarity said before frowning. “I.. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. It’s just another thing I won’t miss.” Spike said as he kept walking.

“Maybe we should… demolish it!?” Rarity asked Spike.

“Demolish a gap between buildings? It doesn’t work like that.” Spike said with a sigh.

“I, mean… spruce it up!?” Rarity said, trying to find a way to fix what she did.

Spike shook his head. “I don’t want to touch the place. I don’t know why, but I don’t feel right trying to change it.”

“You feel like it’s a part of you?” Rarity asked him.

Spike nodded slowly as they neared the castle. “And that scares me.”

“Well this is your home.” Rarity said while showing off the castle. “Well..now...ex-home?” She asked.

Spike let out a deep breath as he thought about the things he wanted to leave behind. “Not for long.”

“Haha..” Rarity chuckled nervously before looking around. “Is.. your mom waiting in the throne room?” She asked, while looking for it.

“Most likely. Just keep quiet until she addresses us. We don’t want to interrupt her if she is in a meeting.” Spike warned her.

Rarity lowered her ears at the seriousness of the warning. “Oh.. ok..”

“It’s her job. Trust me, she always has a motherly demeanor. She’ll like you.” Spike tried to assure her as they went inside.

“Yes, but I don’t know if the one she’s talking to will.” Rarity said.

“Remember, right now you are a unicorn. That’s all the staff needs to know.” Spike whispered to her.

“I know, but… your guards are…staring” Rarity said while looking around at the staff.

“First marefriend. Just smile and wave. Only the exterior city guards have the amulets.” Spike whispered as he put an arm over her.

“Ok…” Rarity said, trying to do the same wave that Spike was doing.

The couple slowly made their way to the throne room and saw Celestia talking to a couple of advisers. She smiled as she caught a glance of her son and his marefriend before finishing her statement. “... and then we can finish finalizing the trade paperwork and bring it up with the counsel. Is there anything else that needs attention before we dismiss?”

All of the advisers shook their heads. All but one. “I don't think that's such a good idea to make trade deals with those…NON-ponies.” A stallion with a long black mane, with white highlights and a little upside down triangle goatee.

“Chancellor Neighsay, you are suggesting terminating the long standing grain trade with the griffons, the gem trade with the dragons, the medicine trade with the buffalo, and the new technological trade with MoonRacer, all of which has the potential of increasing the national wealth, let alone the state of living, just because they’re not ponies?” Celestia asked, not looking amused by what he said.

“How do we know that they aren’t going to betray us or use what we give them to overthrow Equestria?”

“I’d love to see how they use fruit to kill us all.” One of the other advisers said with a chuckle.

Neighsay didn’t look amused. “They don’t have our interests at heart.”

“And yet our economy is booming. What have you done? Sent a filly to detention for calling your mane a toupee?” The second ambassador asked with a grin.

Neighsay flicked his mane with a defiant look. “She had to be taught respect, without respect there is chaos and Anarchy.”

Rarity leaned to Spike. ‘It’s a good thing we don’t have teachers like him at MoonRacer.’ She whispered to him.

“Chancellor Neightsay. He is the representative from the board of education. He’s a pain in our flanks.” Spike whispered back.

Rarity gulped before listening at the rest of the conversation.

Celestia cleared her throat as she got the advisers to quiet down. “Neighsay, is your job to give recommendations on trades?”

“My job is to make sure that we don’t get the same problem that we got when you let that dragon in the school.” Neighsay reminded her coldly.

“No, your job is the education of our ponies. You are not an ambassador or a tradesman. Now, if you have nothing to add in the field of your expertise then you have nothing to add, period.” Celestia said sternly.

“Yeah man. Until you learn about the other nations, you don’t have the right to say who we trade with.” Another ambassador said sternly.

Neighsay tensed his neck and hoofs, but kept his cool. “Ok.” He said before starting to pick up his stuff. “It appears that I have nothing to add.”

One of the advisors raised her hoof. “Your highness, every time we have a meeting like this, Neighsay butts heads with all of the ambassadors and most of the advisers. May I ask that from this point forward in order for us to keep to our professions and to make an attempt to speed things along, we have different meetings for school and international business?”

Celestia acted like she had to think about it. “You have a fair point, but I would like to know what the others say. All for it?” She asked the group, trying to give some democracy to her meetings.

A white unicorn with a blue mane raised his hoof. “I second the motion. I may not agree with what other nations do, but I know opportunity when I see it. To cut off that opportunity over the mere cause of race is a foolish decision at best, and a national catastrophe at worst. Schoolteachers have no place in national affairs outside of the classroom.” He said with a smug look on his face.

Neighsay looked at that unicorn with a glare as the rest of the group 3rd, 4th until most of them were for it.

Celestia sighed as she gave a nod. “Okay then. From now on I will arrange a separate meeting for Neighsay to deal with school matters. Any questions?”

There was a pegasus that wanted to ask a question, but wanted to wait until Neighsay was out of the room.

“Okay. I hereby dismiss this meeting. We shall meet next week at the same time, and I will talk to the school board tomorrow about setting up a meeting with them. Have a good day.” Celestia said as she handed her paperwork to one of her staff members to put on her desk.

The pegasus waited for Neighsay to leave the room with a bit of a huff before going to Celestia to ask her his question. “Why do you keep Neighsay on?”

“In these meetings or as the head of the school board?” Celestia asked with a small sigh.

“Umm.. both?” He asked the ruling princess.

“The group meetings were an attempt to try and go over general matters quickly and effectively, but Neighsay is more…disagreeable than past heads of the board. As for the school board, it’s not something I have power over. It is a position that is voted on by the other members on the board.” Celestia explained calmly as she gathered her papers.

“A part of me wishes you could overrule this election.” He admitted. “I mean, he is nothing but a troublemaker.”

“And what if I said that all sport events shall be held in Canterlot? Or if apples are outlawed? Or if I want the treasury to be my personal purse?” Celestia asked the adviser. “Everypony needs restraints, even me. They keep us in check and keep our people from being ruled by tyrants. I refuse to be unrestrained in my role.”

The pegasus nodded as he started to catch on. “Absolute power corrupts absolutely…!?”

Celestia nodded somberly. “Exactly. I may be a Princess, but I have always had restrictions. I hope you can understand my stance.”

The Pegasus nodded soberly. “I don’t like not being able to deal with Neighsay, but I understand your reasons.”

Celestia smiled as she nodded. “If it helps, think about what would happen if Neighsay was in charge.”

He winced when he tried to think of that. “N…no thanks.” He said as he now wanted to block those ideas out of his head.

Celestia patted his shoulder as she turned to Spike. “Thank you for expressing your concerns. I am glad that you brought this up with me.”

The pegasus nodded, before bowing and leaving the princess with her son.

Celestia smiled as she walked over to Spike and gave him a big hug. “I’ve missed you so much, Spike.”

Spike hugged back before wiping the tear that had fallen.

As Celestia let go of Spike, she turned to the halfling. “So, this is your marefriend? I have heard quite a bit about you Rarity.” Celestia said as she did a courtesy bow. “And may I compliment you on your attire?”

“Hahah..” Rarity laughter nervously before giving a bow back. “W… what have you heard of me?”

“That you are a halfling, but don’t worry.” Celestia said with a wink. “I won’t tell anypony.”

Rarity smiled nervously. “Ah…ok, good.” She said before looking at Spike.

Spike smiled as he looked at Celestia. “So, you are okay with Rarity?” He asked hopefully.

“Son, you found a mare that loves you for who you are and not what you are.” Celestia said. “I would be even ok if she was…” She tried to think of the most concerning combination in the world. “A… diamond dog yack.”

Spike giggled as he looked at his mom. “Be careful about making up species. Some of them are real.”

Celestia lowered her ears hoping she didn’t accidentally name one of the species that became a friend to her son. “Did…did I name one of your friend’s species?” She asked with worry.

“No, but I wanted to mess with you a little.” Spike said with a giggle. “I do wish that Dash and Applejack were here to meet you.”

“A, yes the griffin and buffalo!?” Celestia asked, trying not to sound prejudiced in any way. “They didn’t want to come!?”

“Applejack has fears about leaving MoonRacer. It’s personal.” Spike explained with a bit of concern.

“Yes…I heard, but Dash wants to…?” Celestia asked nervously.

“Stay with her so she doesn’t end up staying at MoonRacer alone.” Spike explained with a longing smile. “She is loyal to her friends.”

“That too, but didn’t you say something about... the Wonderbolts?” Celestia asked.

“Yeah, she wants to be one, and she has the speed for it.” Spike said with a nod. “She could clear a cloudy sky in ten seconds flat.”

Celestia nodded. “I see…” She said while thinking about it. “That could be a bit of a fun way to try to join our two nations…” She said with a bit of sorrow.

“A mare can dream, can’t she?” Spike said with a shrug as he saw the look on his mom’s face.

“Even a Princess.” Celestia told her son. “Don’t get me wrong, I would love that, I think that is a great idea, but I don’t know if the captain of the Wonderbolts would want that, or if the public would allow it.”

“Again, it’s a dream.” Spike said as he turned to Rarity. “But…I do need to talk about my marefriends.”

“Yes, and before you ask, yes. A Prince, especially the ruling one, can have more than one bride.” Celestia said with a blush.

“Oh, well…I don’t know how the public would accept me if I vow myself to them.” Spike said, trying to let her down as gently as possible.

“What do you mean?” Spike’s mom asked him nicely.

“Well, do you really think that I would be accepted if I marry three half breeds?” Spike said, looking very concerned at this point.

“I…I doubt it.” She admitted. “But…I hope to have this fixed before I give the throne to you.”

“But what if it doesn’t change?” Spike asked with concern. “What if I am forced to choose to pick between Canterlot and my loves?”

“I… I…” Celestia couldn’t bring herself to ask this of her son as she realized how serious this was for him.

Spike sighed as he walked towards his mom. “Mom, Twilight is fighting to look like a normal pony right now. Light doesn’t want to come back, and I’d rather be with the mares I love than to lose them to a crown. I…I can’t say how much it pains me to say this, but some of us may not come back to you. It’s not because of you, but because of the world we grew up in and the land we found. Please don’t be angry at us.”

Tears were now falling down Celestia's face. She understood what her son was saying and why he was doing this. “I…I'll miss you.” She admitted.

“I’ll still visit you, and I'll write to you as many times as I can. Maybe one day we can even flip the world upside down and end this foolish prejudice.” Spike said, trying to sound hopeful as he hugged his mother again. “But no matter what happens, I’ll always be your son.”

“I... I know.” She said before breaking down into tears, while also breaking down in her son’s arms.

“Mom, I love you. You know that, right?”

She nodded. “I.. I know.” She said, being lost for words right now.

Rarity felt bad about all of this, she joined into their hug, hoping that this could help a bit.

Celestia wiped her eyes as she turned to the couple. “Spike, you may not want to become a Prince, but I give you my blessing to marry the mares you love, no matter what their race is.”

Spike nodded before turning to Rarity.

Rarity blushed when Spike turned to her, hoping that he wasn’t planning to do what she thought he was going to do. She thought it would be too early to do that.

Spike walked over to Rarity and gave a deep blush. “Rarity…do you want to go to Doughnut Joes after we tour the castle?”

Rarity released a deep breath before giving Spike a little push. “Ah... you…”

“It’s the best shop in town!” Spike said defensively.

“Ok if you insist.” Rarity told Spike. “But I still ask that you treat me, the lady that I am, well, as the gentlecolt that you are.”

“She’s right.” Celestia said with a small giggle as she smiled at the happy couple. Admittedly, she understood what they were feeling, and wished that she could do the same thing for Kirouac. Well, since she couldn’t have that dream, she might as well help them enjoy it. “How about I lead you around myself? I have some free time today, and Cadence has been wanting to have a turn at day court. I can pass some duties down to her and spend the day with you two.”

“Are…are we going to get swarmed with you around.” Rarity asked with a worried look on her face.

“What do you think we are here for?” Book asked as he extended his hooves. “Decoration?”

“To push those guards that aren’t... seeing me as... the future bride of the ruling princess's son!?”

“Yeah, but we multitask. We can do crowd control too.” Shining assured her with a grin.

“Ok..that is if Spike trusts you both.” Rarity said before turning to Spike.

“They are the two most loyal guards in Equestria. They will protect you, my lovely changeling Princess.” Spike said with a giggle.

“Oh Spike, Shhh…not here.” Rarity insisted.

“Alright you lovebirds. Let’s get going before somepony gets too nosey.” Celestia said as she led the couple into the hallway.

As they walked away, they weren’t aware of the one pony who had heard everything, and was coming up with his own conclusions of what happened, and how to fix it.

---

Light spent his time studying in an older library outside of the school to have some time alone. It wasn’t nearly as advanced as the school library, or even the other library in town. Nopony could agree about how old the building was, but it had been restored several times over the last several hundred years.

There were some wooden bookshelves that seemed to be rather old, but no older than a hundred years, when the wood would have decayed to the point where it had to have parts replaced. The carpeting had old ruins and symbols on it that were clearly based on the carpets that were here before the restoration projects.

Light enjoyed that fact he was able to have some time alone to think. As much as he enjoyed the time with his friends, he wanted a little time to himself to rest his mind. He also enjoyed the old fashioned building and design. Twilight was always a general nerd, but Light enjoyed history.

The only second language he was good at was old ponish, which he didn’t find too different to regular ponish. It was similar to the modern language, and all he had to do was figure out the modern interpretation for older words. Thou meant you, gay meant happy, and so on and so forth.

Even though Light would have liked to have been working on some old ponish research, his homework was on the buffalo tribes. He had a couple of his own books in order to get his work done, although it was hard for him at first to understand the numerous tribes.

“Okay…the falcon tribe lived out east and were the last tribe in Griffonstone…the fox tribe were down in the white lake woods…there has to be something more I can dig my teeth into than name and location.” Light was muttering to himself as he was going through his schoolbook. He hated when he just had to know small facts about history when he wanted to know more.

As he started to look around the room to see if there were some books on the tribes in there, he saw an open door leading to a side room. Light saw a few desks and several filing cabinets in the room, finding it a stark contrast to the older design in the other rooms. He started to wonder if he shouldn’t even be in that room, but he saw a few files on one of the desks.

His eyes were instantly locked onto Applejack’s file as he slowly started walking into the room. “Well… maybe looking into Applejack’s tribe can help me see the whole tribe thing in a clearer light.” Light said as he opened the file up.

Light started looking through the file. He was surprised about how young she looked in the photo. It had to have been a few years ago when it was taken. Her dad was apparently from the moose tribe, once being more connected to the mountains before they were driven down south.

He was curious that it didn’t say anything about her culture, but it said that her parents were outcast by both her tribe and his family. As Light started getting more concerned about the lack of a connection to her culture, he turned the page to see the horrific record of her parent’s death.

His eyes widened in shock as he finally learned why Applejack was so afraid of the land outside of MoonRacer. She felt the hatred of those who weren’t like her. Light’s heart started racing as he started looking through other files in the room.

He read about the griffin refugees that were forced out of their home because of a famine that nearly starved out several, connecting Dash’s careless parents together. He learned about the changelings feeding on love of other ponies which lead to the creation of several halflings, including Rarity. Said creations often ended in the persecution of the pony parent, in spite of them not knowing.

As he read more and more, he learned more about the persecution of several ponies that were chased out and persecuted just because of how they were born. It was terrifying at first, but slowly became infuriating to him. These were his neighbors and friends that had suffered from the hooves of normal ponies… no… normal creatures.

These refugees were thrown out, chased out, and persecuted for no fault of their own. Even the pegacorns, as rare as they were, were seen as a threat to society in fear that they would claim to be alicorns, which made things worse since Dandelion did that. Light now knew that Equestria was not the shining example to the other nations as it proclaimed.

As Light started to wonder what horrors his nation was guilty of, his eye caught the glance of an ancient statue. It was a large mare with bat-like wings and a long horn on her head. It seemed to be the oldest thing here, but it also seemed off. The old tiles around it were damaged, as if the stature had been moved before.

“Who are you?” Light asked the statue while looking at it. The strange thing was that this statue for some reason reminded him a bit of Celestia. But it wasn’t for the horn and wings, there weren’t even feathers on the leathery wings. She also didn’t seem to be a pegacorn. He had seen all of the ones here, and he had compared their body to Celestia, Cadence’s and his, and this statue not only was closer to an alicorn’s but to Celestia as well.

Light looked at the base of the statue before determining to know why this statue was moved. He took a deep breath as he shoved the statue a few feet away, finding a stairway underneath that seemed to be older than most of the items in the building.

Light slowly placed a hoof on the old wooden board, now wishing that he had listened to Dash.

“Knowing how to fly in small spaces is important. This is when that next lesson would have helped me.” Light said as he suddenly had a clever idea. He made a small magical construct of a slide, allowing him to go down the stairs without breaking them.

As Light slid down the staircase, he extended his wings out, both to slow down his slide and to control his movement.

As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he had to keep his horn lit up so he could still see around him. This room seemed to be the most ancient part of this place, being a hollowed out cave with some old crystal furniture, clearly made by diamond dogs of some kind. There were old paintings that were still in decent shape due to being hidden from the sun, yet they were dusty from not being cleaned in who knows how long.

He could even see the thick layer of dirt on the floor from centuries of abandonment. There were two sets of prints that did seem to be recent. Both sets had claws on the front and hooves in the back. It made Light curious about why this place was still hidden to the world.

As Light made his way in he thought that he could hear someone or something in the cave as well.

“Um… hello?” Light called out, knowing that these prints weren’t fresh enough for somepony to be here right now. “Is somepony here?” He asked as he ventured further into the cave.

As Light walked in more, he entered an opening. It was a room that had ancient looking scrolls in it, along with engravings of a crescent moon on the walls. Light looked curious as he examined some of the scrolls gently, doing his best not to destroy them.

“Let me see…old ponish very old ponish. It may be a bit older than I’m used to, but it should be readable.” Light muttered to himself as he tried to read the scroll in front of him. “Let be henceforth and forever recorded…that this land shall be the…sanctuary of the…uh…a few words that I don’t know…um…the broken, unwanted, and downtrodden. Let the towers…no…boundaries of race fall…fade away… to bestow…hold on…to give us a chance for us to live in true harmony…” Light read as he was trying to translate the document.

As Light tried to read this, only understanding the general idea of MoonRacer becoming a sovereign state, free from the rule of all other nations, and that their door shall be open to all that needs it.

“Signed… Luna…” Light said as he read the bottom of the scroll, seeming rather curious about the lunar symbols on the walls. “Was that the mare in the statue?”

As he turned around, he saw something that seemed out of place. There was an area that the two pairs of hooves and claws met, like they had something set up for the scrolls…like a camera. Light knelt down as his glowing horn reflected off of something. Light gently used his magic to lift the item, revealing a photo on the ground.

Light quickly recognized the stallion in the photo as Kirouac, but the second one looked like a mare cosplaying at Daring Do.

“Strange…the coat and mane seems right…” Light muttered before noticing the claws that this pony had as front hooves. “But it couldn’t be Daring. That mare is a work of fiction, and this one seems to be a hybrid, not a pegasus. And her facial features are different from Dash’s.”

Light continued to look around the room trying to find more clues to what this place was. As he entered one room, he saw what seemed to be a blacksmith’s workplace, but with strange tools setup that were foreign to his understanding.

“What was made in here?” Light asked himself as he started looking through the molds that were on the side of the room.

They seemed to be crystal horseshoes, along with strange variants that seemed to be made for griffons, hippogriffs, and many other races. There were also black throwing stars in a small box. Light recognized them due to his older brother using them when he was getting ready to start training to be a guard.

Light took special interest in these artifacts as he gently touched the horseshoes. Right when Light touched them, he felt the part of his brain that connected to his horn. His magic flowed down his spine and down the arm that he was touching the horseshoe with, and then to the crystal item. He could swear that he could feel like he could cast magic through his hoof.

Light gasped as he pulled his hoof away from the artifact. “Woah…this is some potent stuff…they don’t make shoes like these anymore.” Light said as he pulled his hoof away from it.

As Light was walking back from the crystal items, he almost tripped over a wooden chest. “Dang it!!!” Light grunted as he tried to regain his balance. “What the hay is this?”

He slowly gathered himself as could see that there were a bunch of different locks on three of its sides.

Light sighed as he started examining the locks. “They can never leave the keys where ponies can find them, can they?”

Luckily for Light he always kept his sewing kit on him at all times, and various other tools to fix toys. He started to play around with the locks finding out that they were trick locks, and you only had to push a claw in the small secret holes on the bottom.

“Nice artifacts, but old fashioned locks. Then again, if you are a pony, it’s a nightmare to open.” Light said with a grin before pausing, realizing what he was doing. “This is what happens when you watch your brother trying to pick open a footlocker for fun.” Light said as he managed to open the locks. “You pick up bad habits.” He said while pretending to laugh evilly.

When he opened the chest he found some strange things, seeming to be replicas of the treasures in Daring Do stories. From amulets to small statues, they were surprisingly accurate.

“Wow…” Light said as he realized that the tracks led to what seemed to be a different exit. “I think I know what this is… A fan girl led Kirouac to this, and he let her keep the place for storage.” Light said obviously as he looked at the artifact. “I mean, these are an amazing replica of the lenses of history.” Light said as he put the pair of glasses on his head.

As Light looked through them, his vision was blurred by clock hands that were spinning around. As Light was thinking about a few minutes ago he started to see the time seeming to rewind, it was surreal to see himself over there back at the table that he once stood at.

Time went further back as he thought about the last time somepony was down here. As the time finally started moving forward again, he saw Kirouac and the cosplayer walking in with the box Light opened.

“Alright, the statue is back in place, and we’ll keep the other entrance a secret. I’ll keep this place a secret for you.” Kirouac said as he followed the mare. “To think that there was a place like this under our own library. I am going to make sure to advance the public one to keep this one from being used as much.”

“Thank you Kirouac.” The cosplayer said before kneeling to him.

“Come on cousin, you don’t need to do that for me. After all, you were the one who found this old place.” Kirouac said as he was looking around the place. “Of course, we need to keep this place a secret. I don’t care how you write it in your books, but keep the whole Luna thing out of it. I still need to confront Celestia about it.”

She got up. “How are you and her… doing?” She asked nosily.

“She seemed happy when I agreed to start working at our nations relations, but after this… I need to understand what happened to our founder a thousand years ago.” Kirouac explained. “What about you Yearling?”

Light gasped when he heard this name. “What? The author?”

“I’ve planned to go to Zebra-Ca, maybe find some lost stuff.” She admitted. “You don’t find ancient clues and stuff like that easily.”

“Understood. Well, if it ever gets to be too much for you, MoonRacer is always open to you.” Kirouac assured her.

She smiled before hugging Kirouac’s neck in a sister-like manner. “I may travel all over to ever Nations, but deep down, MoonRacer will always be my home.”

“Yeah…but I do have one question. Is she really a part of the missing heritage…” Before Kirouak could continue, the two halfbreeds walked off, leaving Light alone in the room.

“No.” Light yelled out before running after them, forgetting that things had been moved since the time he was watching, and what he had done in this room. He slipped on some of the locks that he left on the floor, falling down and landed on his chest.

“Oh… that smarts.” Light groaned as he rubbed his chest. As he was trying to get up, he started to lose his train of thought, wandering who was the founder, he finding the glasses heading back almost a thousand years.

“Your highness, what if they don’t listen to you? What if they continue with these threats?” Light turned to see a griffon walking alongside the mare from the statue.

The mare looked stern as she was putting on her crown and necklace. “Then I will make her see reason.”

“Who, wait....” Light got up and looked at the mare and who he thought to be her adviser or soldier of some kind.

“I know what Equestria has been like, but why not leave it for us? It holds no care for you anymore, so what is wrong with leaving it behind?” The guard asked with concern.

The bat winged mare paused before talking. “Should I just throw out everything that has a slight flaw with them, or should I at the least try to fix it to the very end?” She asked.

“Well… I…”

“This is where I was born.” She told the griffin. “I had to hide my true self, be just like my big sister, be what they would accept as what a princess should be.” She said while looking at herself in one of the mirrors on the wall. “I shouldn’t have to hide what or who I am, a nocturnal princess that has neurological problems. My sister never even considered me to be a real Princess… or even a sister…”

Light looked concerned as he watched the Princess tearing up, trying to keep her strong appearance.

“We…are outcasts, and I want us to be able to live in peace. My sister may not care for us, but I will. We will meet at our old castle to try and settle this once and for all.” She said sternly.

“Yes, my Queen.” The griffin said. He was about to bow, but the bat-winged alicorn stopped him.

“Here, in the acceptance of the moon light, we are all equal.” She told him before kissing his cheek, before starting to walk out. “And if I don’t come back, expect him to show up, and keep MoonRacer hidden. Our allies in the shadows will continue to smuggle other outcasts here.”

“Yes, but…If you aren’t here, who will rule us?” He asked, clearly worried about her safety.

The princess took a deep breath before pulling out a case. “He made me an offer. I would pick something I wanted, and he’d give me a fallback plan.” She explained as she opened the case to reveal a wooden sword. “He always did have a twisted sense of humor for a god.”

The griffin looked confused, how could a wooden… anything help them? He tried to pick the sword out, but…for some strange reason, he couldn’t. Not only that, but the sword seemed to hurt him. “I…no, I am brave, I…I can…” He said while tearing up.

The bat winged alicorn moved his claw away from the sword. “My love, don’t feel ashamed that you can’t wield it. Only the king or queen chosen for MoonRacer can use it, and love can’t allow another pony to use it, even if they are bound to the queen.” She explained as she drew out the sword. “It explains why you can’t be the ruler if you aren’t worthy, and it’ll also change for its user.” She said as the wooden sword shifted into a metal shield. “This is a weapon blessed by the gods. I was just stuck using my old toy sword as a base due to him.” She explained begrudgingly.

The griffin nodded before giving a peck on the alicorn’s lips. “I understand, but I will wait for you.” He told her. “We all will.”

The mare smiled before turning to the door. “Be sure to care for her if I don’t come back. I’m done with me and my people being abused. I’m ending this feud with my sister once and for all!”

The griffin nodded before saying. “May the light of the moon help you guide the ones that are blinded by the vicious rays of the Sun.”

“If their eyes become too blinded…” The lunar mare turned, allowing Light to see a faint glow in her eyes. “Then they will learn to respect the night and her children.”

Light’s heart started racing as he took the glasses off, casting them aside. He was panting, trying to process what he had just seen.

“She protected her people…she kept her friends safe…” Light heard a small voice in the back of his head.

As Light’s eyes widened at the sound of this strange voice, he heard a second entrance opening a ways away. He quickly started to run for the entrance, wanting to flee this place. He scrambled down the hall as he heard another set of hoofprints a ways away.

Light flew up the stairs, back to where he had been studying and quickly started to pack back all his stuff. He rushed out of the building before slowing down, trying to act natural.

As he was trying to recover from this ordeal, he started to think about all that he had learned. Daring Do being real was the easiest thing to process, save for the fact that she wasn’t 100% pegasus that was written. This founder of MoonRacer was at odds with Equestria, and she went to the gods to keep them safe. This…Luna pony tried to protect her children.

Light looked upwards as he tried to think about who this pony was, and why this was bugging him so much.

“Hey Light.” The voice of one of the pink mane mares that he was dating called out. “Managed to finish your studies?”

Light was still breathing heavily as he turned to her. “I… I… I need a minute. I…I think…I think Anchovies was right...”

She ran to Light, worries on her face. “What’s wrong Light?” she asked.

“I…I might have stumbled on the truth about MoonRacer…” Light said as he was thinking about his classmate’s account of an old legend. “I think I learned the truth about Nightmare Moon.”

She started to pet Light’s head and back. “W… what are you talking about?” She asked him.

Light glanced back to the library for a moment. “I… I’ll explain later. Let’s get the others and meet in our homeroom class.”

“Oh…ok.” She said before helping Light up and walk.

As Light was being helped down the path, he started to think about the crimes that happened so long ago, and how little things have changed since then. “She protected her people. What will happen when your people need protecting?”

---

Twilight and her friends were relaxing as they were leaving the spa, feeling rather refreshed and rejuvenated after those hours of pampering and caring.

“Well, I have to call this a rather wonderful date.” Twilight said with a happy sigh before turning to the others. “What do you think?”

Earth nodded as she walked side by side with Twilight. “It.. it was emotional.” She admitted with a blush.

“And kinda hot.” Shark said as he rubbed his wing a little.

Sleipnir slapped Shark upside the head while shaking his head.

“Ya…” Earth said. “Thanks…thank you for…the kiss.”

Twilight blushed at the thought of it. “Yeah…it was my first kiss…and it felt right to me.”

“Yes...” Earth said while looking at Twilight. “I got kissed by all of you, what about you Twilight?”

“Well, I’ve still only kissed you so far.” She admitted with a blush.

“And you want to wait before kissing the other guys?” Flash asked.

“Well…” Twilight looked at them with a little blush. “Maybe we can have dinner tonight?”

“Oh.. um… ok.” Shark said while trying to think if he had plans.

“At what time?” Sleipnir asked.

“Well…what time is it?” Twilight asked with a small smile.

Sleipnir looked at his watch. “4:15” He told them.

“Hm…why don’t we hang out till six and have it then?” Twilight asked as she brushed against him.

“I…would have…to get ready!” Earth said before feeling Shark’s wing on her back.

“Take your time. It doesn’t have to be a formal dinner.” Shark assured her.

“I…don’t know if you can not.” Earth said. “You all kissed me.”

“Well, we’ll see what happens.” Shark assured her before they heard Applejack running towards them. “Hey! Y'all need to follow me. Light’s needing to talk to all of us!”

“Oh…what’s wrong?” Twilight asked.

“He says that it needs to be in private, and his marefriends are still trying to calm him down. I can’t tell if he’s panicking or angry.” Applejack explained.

“He…it was always hard to tell what he’s feeling.” Twilight said.

“Should we go with you?” Sleipnir asked.

“Yeah, it sounds important.” Twilight said before turning to Earth. “Do you want to come with us?”

“I…if you want me to come.” Earth replied before following them.

The group all followed Applejack into their group study room, seeing Dash, Pinkie, and Fluttershy there, talking to Light. He looked stressed, and still hadn’t calmed down. Light’s marefriends were trying to calm him down while Dash was pressing him for information.

“Come on man! You have to give me more details! Did she really have a fear of spiders? Were there any traps that she had to disarm? Tell me more about Daring Do!!!”

“Dash, now isn’t the time.” Flutter told her while petting Light.

“What’s going on? What happened?” Twilight asked her oldest friend.

“I… I found a place… hidden under the old library… has to have been here since... the founding of… MoonRacer.” Light said between breaths.

Sleipnir nodded. “Ok.. and?” He asked, not seeing the problem. In fact, it would be a major find for the nation and possibly a moral boost for the nation as a whole.

“There were papers there, written in old ponish, signed by a thestrial alicorn named Luna… at least I think she was Luna. She looked like the ancient statue that was hiding the cave.” Light explained as he started pacing around the room.

“Luna!?” Flutter asked in shock. “You mean the mother of our country!?”

“Yeah! She was with this griffon…well…was being the operative word. I’m guessing that it had to have been hundreds of years before Kirouac and his cousin found the place.” Light said as he was starting to breath heavily again. “Did anypony know that Daring was part griffon? I could only tell by the claws.”

“I knew it!” Dash said excitedly, getting looks from her friends.

“Part griffon?” Twilight asked as her eyes widened.

“Yeah. she looked like Dash, but older, and having a tan and grey coat.” Light explained. “She kept some of her old artifacts down there. And the lenses of history WORK WELL!!!”

“Wait, it’s real!?!” Dash and Twilight asked Light before going in front of his face. “What did you see?” They asked him.

“Only a couple events that happened in the room I was in… oh… I did find a photo…” Light said as he handed Dash the old photo. “But that’s not important. I got off topic.”

Dash grabbed the photo before she started to swoon over it. “I knew it.” She said to herself in glee.

“Dang, there is a resemblance there.” Applejack admitted. “I mean, the color pallet means that she isn’t ya mom, but maybe there is some blood between you two?”

“Umm… ya, about that...” Light said with a blush.

“She’s my real mom!?” Dash asked.

“Umm… I don’t think so. She called Kirouac…. Cousin.” Light told them.

“That’s crazy!... but then again… we don’t know much about his cousins…” Twilight said as she started to think about it. “Mixing the races could mean that a dragon could be a second cousin to a griffon…”

“May we please get back to the fact that I looked into the past and saw Luna’s last moment in that room?” Light exclaimed.

“Oh ya…Sorry.” Twilight said with a blush.

“Luna had this case with a wooden sword in it. She said that if anything happened to her, that sword would pick the next RulerKing.” Light said as he went back to pacing. “She said that the gods blessed it, and that one of them had a major sense of humor.”

“A sword that picks the next king, well that’s no basis for a system of government.” Pinkie said.

“Pinkie, that’s literally the description of my dad’s sword.” Sleipinir said. “But his is Silver, with Gold.”

“It shifts to whatever the king wants or needs.” Light explained. “Luna said it used to be a toy sword before it was blessed by the gods.”

“Mhm.. still sounds like my dad’s sword. I’ve even seen him change it into a pen.” Sleipnir admitted. “Seems like they added some flurrish to represent what we are and what we stand for over time.”

“So, what happened?” Fluttershy asked as she tried to calm Light down.

“She…went to her and her sister’s old castle… wanting to talk about MoonRacer. She said that she wasn't respected by her. She said that her sister didn’t even treat her like they were related, and that she was tired of these injustices to her people. She also said something about having neurological problems…but I have no clue what that means.” Light went on.

“Wait..isn’t that what Flash said that he had in the brain?” Pinkie asked curiously.

“You mean my asperger!?” Flash asked. “Light has it too.”

“Oppsss.” Pinkie said before turning Light, hoping he wasn’t mad at her.

“So…there was something wrong with her head?” Twilight asked as he tried to think about the numerous possibilities of what that meant.

“I think she had Asperger.” Flash said, before pausing and then looking at Light.

“Well. I don’t know…she did this thing with her hoof that seemed to be like a pattern she keeps doing… and she talked a little funny, even looking at it from an old ponish standard.” Light said as he thought about it. “But she seemed smart and prepared…I don’t know...”

“Sounds like Asperger to me.” Flash said, recalling when he was younger and when he had to baby-sit the three younger ones.

“So…it must have been incredible to see her in her heyday.” Applejack said.

“But she went to stop the abuse to her nation, and she never came back. What if Anchovies was right? What if they banished her to the moon just because she was different?” Light asked angrily. “Is this what Equestria is defined by? Hypocrisy and racism?”

Both Flutter and Pinkie tried to calm down Light by petting him.

A.J. looked soberly to the side as she remembered the crimes that haunted her. “I…”

“Light…please take a deep breath.” Twilight begged him, not wanting to believe that Celestia was a bad pony.

“Twi, I read files that were archived there. I know about how Applejack lost her parents. I learned of the outcast and the orphans. Spike was left in a dumpster. You were treated like a monster. Do you think that Equestria will change?” Light asked her sternly. “They are the monsters! Them and the other nations that follow in her hatred. I didn’t become an alicorn for them to turn me into a tool of violence and hatred!”

“Light…you’re…you’re starting to scare me.” Flutter said while backing up from her colt-friend.

Light took a few deep breaths as he tried to calm down. “A.J., you are right. I’m not leaving MoonRacer…ever. When Spike gets back I’m writing Celestia to say so. That land is dead to me.” Light said coldly as he was clearly heated about the whole situation.

“You can’t be serious!?” Twilight asked him, wanting to say something. She wanted to tell him that Equestria was their birth home, and that he shouldn’t turn their back on it. “Light…”

“Forget it! I’m not going to have anything more to do with those freaks!” Light said firmly as he got ready to leave the room.

Right as Light reached for the door, it slammed open to reveal Bubbly Biceps there, looking terrified. “Where have you been?!? There is some master sorcerer attacking the town!”

“A what!?!” The entire group asked at once, shocked at the idea of the place being attacked.

“Yeah, as soon as Spike and Rarity came back, he showed up out of nowhere and accused us of brainwashing ponies. He nearly fried Rarity! He’s fending off the guards right now! Everypony is booking it!” Bubbly explained as she clearly looked intimidated at the prospect of fighting a ranged fighter, and a master one at that.

Twilight and Light looked at each other as they knew that their “brother” was in danger.

“W…what do we do now?!?” Fluttershy asked as she was trembling in fear.

“COME ON!!!” Light belted as he ran out of the room.

“Yeah! Let’s show this punk what we’re made of!!!” Dash said as the group followed him, except for Fluttershy.

“Um, maybe I should wait here…EEP!!!”

Fluttershy was suddenly scooped up by Applejack and set on her back. “Come on Sugar! We gotta make sure Rarity and Spike are okay.”

“B…but I don’t think I can contribute in any…”

“Besides Flash, you are the best nurse we have.”

“Oh…” Flutter said with a blush.

Author's Note:

Ground-Earth has Down Syndrome Group

The pegasus nodded as he started to catch on. “Absolute power corrupts absolutely…!?”

9:50-10:30

Comments

[NicLove]

P.S. Re-read the End of Chapter 9

just after Twilight talks to CottonRose

[Solar_Wolf]

Counselor Neighsay can eat roting eats with a 3x pure concentrated lemon juice extract as his drink only he works as a school board trying to doom trade negotiations pulse his name gives his attitude he will always say no to everything unless it's only with pure pony only I'll beat he would push for only pure unicorn 🦄 only then and well he is stuped

[NicLove]

11815791
Well let's not forget that his first seen was him saying
"a School for Pony to Protecked themselfs"