Dog Stay Afternoon
Equestria's weather was like clockwork, mainly because the ponies in the kingdom controlled it. No other place had weather predictions like Equestria, always knowing where and when the weather was going to happen.
But every now and again, accidents happen.
And one such mistake leads to today's daring adventure, a bunch of ponies hiking up a well known mountain before coming face to face with a giant snow cloud. This cloud had escaped from the Cloudsdale Weather Factory, having been made and stored for winter, but was now on the loose and was covering the mountain in a pile of snow compared to its usual thin layer.
"Gyah!" A unicorn yelped as she ran through the snow, a blizzard smacking her face. And as she did this, she didn't see the large pile of snow that formed up the mountain, now about to be too heavy to stay put. It fell down at this, rolling into a large ball. The mare was squinting into the freezing wind, only to see the ball now coming just seconds before it could hit her, the mare flinching before-
"Fire Force!" A burst of fire shot past her, striking the snowball and making it explode. She opened her eyes at this, only turn around and see a certain flying colt named Fire Heart. He was in his fire form, which was burning hot enough to keep the snow from touching him and extinguishing his fire.
He smiled down at her, "Are you okay?" She slowly nodded back, "Then come on. Let's get you out of here." He flew off, the mare following after him, both now heading down the mountain.
A minute or so later, they spotted another light, now finding it belonged to Flash Sentry. The Knight of Friendship was decked out in his Shining Guardian armor, using it to light the way for several ponies that were also escaping the blizzard. The two groups joined one another, the knight and his squire nodding to each other as they headed to a device that made everypony go wide-eyed.
It was a Rune Gate, which was activated and ready to transport everypony someplace safe. "Please step through the portal in an orderly fashion." The ponies exchanged glances and frowns at this, only for a freezing wind to hit them. Feeling this, they quickly ran into the portal, Flash and Heart chuckling at the sight.
And when they reached the other side, they found they were in the Castle of Friendship, in a room with Twilight Sparkle, Starlight, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie. "Please stay calm," the princess stated, "Follow my friends and they'll show you to the doctors that have come to check on everypony."
They soon followed Applejack and the others, going to the castle's main entryway, where Shining Soul was helping the doctors of Ponyville patch up anypony that was hurt in the blizzard. "Here you go," Scootaloo announced as she rolled into the hallway on the scooter. It was pulling a cart full of fresh towels, helping the ponies dry off and warm themselves.
As this happened, Twilight continued to watched the portal, Spike walking up, "How's it looking?"
"Fine," she replied, "So far, the ponies that have come through haven't been in any serious condition. And hopefully, Rainbow and the others will be finished soon."
Back on the mountain, Flash and Heart stayed by the Rune Gate. They were staring up at the sky, watching the Wonderbolts hard at work busting the snow clouds. Rainbow and Soarin shot past them, ploughing through them like two flying bolts.
As this happened, two more groups of ponies headed down, one group being led by Springer while the other was being led by Ace and Mira. "Found you!" Ace cheered as they got to Flash and Heart.
They then got some more ponies through the portal, the Wonderbolts now finishing up as Flash turned to Springer, "Is there anypony still on the mountain?" The jakhowl closed his eyes and clapped his paws together, sending out a wave of aura around the mountain. And a few moments later, the echo location-like search returned to him.
"I'm not sensing any other ponies," he responded, "I think we're good." They nodded and began to step through the portal.
And as they did this, Twilight, Soul and Scootaloo watched as the five walk through the portal and saw they were covered in snow. As Heart stepped out, a snowball flew through the portal, hitting him in the back of the head. "Hey!" He laughed, turning to see Ace walk through with another snowball in paw. Soul laughed as Heart dodged the next snowball, Twilight walking up to Flash next.
"Welcome back," she said, "You all did great work. A snowy rescue is never easy."
Flash turned to smile at the three youngsters, "You kids did great out there. I'm glad we decided to bring you with." The three nodded, the jakhowls waging their tails as Flash asked Twilight, "Are the hikers all okay?"
"They're fine," Twilight replied, "They're all gonna be taken to the hospital, and when they're given a full bill of health, we can send them back to their homes through the Rune Gate."
"Nice," Flash responded before letting out a shiver. "Geez that place was cold. I need something hot to warm me back up."
"Wanna go to Wasabi and Shichimi's? A hot bowl of ramen's sure to warm you back up." Flash nodded at the idea and the couple walked off, walking side by side as Springer followed after them to go take a warm bath. This left the five youngsters, Scootaloo asking about their adventure in the mountain.
"It was awesome!" Heart told her as the Rune Gate closed. "The snow was so thick you could barely see through it, but my fire powers cut through them like butter!"
"Those hikers must have been shocked when it showed up," Ace commented, "But it's a good thing a bunch of awesome heroes were there to save the day." The others nodded and cheered, Heart, Ace and Mira high-fiving one another. But as they did this, a strange sound filled the air.
"ARF!"
The five stopped as Heart asked, "Who said that?"
"ARF!"
They all spun around, only to go wide-eyed as Mira yelped, "A dog?" The group was now staring at a medium sized dog sitting in front of the Rune Gate. It was mostly brown, with white on its stomach, paws and tail tip while its snout was gray and a gray line ran from his forehead down its back and ending just before the tail. Wrapped around his neck was a white bandanna with red spots.
"Where'd that thing come from?" Ace asked as Soul walked up to the dog.
"He must have followed you through the Rune Gate," Scootaloo replied as Soul held out a hoof.
"Awww...are you lost little fella?" The dog gave her hoof a sniff, then licked it. "Awww..." she cooed before scratching it behind the ear, "Don't worry, we'll take care of you."
"We will?" Mira asked, the others now gathering around the dog. "Are you sure Twilight would let us keep him?"
"Of course she would," Soul told her before picking the dog up in her magic. "I mean...how can you say no to this face." She held the canine up to Mira, the dog and jakhowl staring at each other before the dog licked her.
Mira pulled back and shook the slobber off her face, only to pet the doggie, "Okay, I'm in. He can stay."
The others chuckled at this, Soul now putting the dog back down. But as she did this, the dog ran up to the Rune Gate and let out a bark. Scootaloo giggled at the sight, "Little fella must wanna go back to play in the snow."
A bulb went off in Heart's head, "Oh really? I've got a better idea."
Heart's idea turned out to be the training room, now simulating a snowy field that they could play in without needing to worry about frostbite. He had also summoned a rubber ball, which he sent flying with a flick of his tail. "Go get is Speedy!" The dog rushed after the ball, managing to run past it before catching it.
"Speedy?" Scootaloo asked as the dog came back, "No. We can't call him that."
"Why not?" Heart asked as he took the ball and threw it again, "He is speedy."
"Psst," Ace called out from the door, "Everypony..."
"I think we can come up with a better name," Soul told her brother.
"Everypony!" They turned to Ace as he let out a cough, "Spa-ha-ik."
The other four raised an eyebrow at this, "You feeling okay?" Mira asked while Ace let out another cough.
"Spa-ha-ik!"
"That cough does sound odd," Soul trotted up to him, "Let me have a look." But before she could get close, the door opened to reveal Spike Pyro Dragon. This made their eyes go wide and all jump in front of the dog, blocking it from view.
"Hey there!" He waved.
"Oh," Scootaloo let out a cough, "Spa-ha-ik. Got it..."
Spike glanced around the room before shivering, "Geez...haven't you had enough cold?"
"I thought it would be good training," Heart replied as he pulled the ball out of the dog's mouth and whispered for it to sit. The dog did so and Heart showed Spike the ball. "Help with my hoof-eye coordination in cold temperatures." He threw it and Spike breathed fire onto his claw, then threw it.
The flames shot out into a claw shape and grabbed the ball, pulling it to the little dragon. "This training room can make anything and you didn't think to make a ball that let out heat?" As he said that, the dog tried to move around the four and they shuffled around in response.
"Well..." Heart hummed, "That would...defeat the purpose of training in the snow. I'm trying to keep my reflexes sharp, even when I'm cold."
"Huh...okay." Spike shrugged before turning to leave before throwing the ball back at Heart.
The colt wasn't ready, fumbling the ball that fell into the snow as he reached down and grabbed it. Spike laughed at the sight, "Better keep practicing." With that, he walked away, Ace watching him leave before letting out a long sigh of relief.
Despite all telling themselves the others would allow the dog to stay, they were still worried what might happen if anypony else found out about their new pet. And in that moment, the dog ran out from behind them and out the door, going to a window and let out a bark.
"I think he wants to go outside." Soul commented.
A few minutes later...
That had led him to an area behind the castle, the dog now digging up the yard. Deciding it looked fun, Scootaloo grabbed a nearby shovel and started digging with him. "Wow," Scootaloo smirked when the dog finished his four hole, "You got the digging thing down. Good boy, Scoop."
"Wait..." Soul raised an eyebrow, "Scoop?"
"What's wrong with Scoop?" Scootaloo asked as she stopped digging her hole.
Mira tilted her head at this, "Well...I guess he is pretty good at earth excavation."
"No way!" Heart exclaimed, "Scoop isn't even a name!"
"Actually, I know one or two Scoops." said a voice, making them all jump and turn to see Fluttershy, a big smile on her face.
"Hey...Fluttershy...who's right here. Hi." Heart slowly said, Fluttershy walking past him as the others moved over to hide the dog behind them again.
"Oh my." She commented, "What are all these holes for?"
"Err..." Scootaloo gulped, her eyes darting around as she replied, "We...thought this area around the castle could use some more flora. Help the local wildlife."
"Oh? What a lovely idea! Have you decided what to plant yet?" The others shook their heads, "Well I'd be happy to help you pick them. I'm a little busy right now, but I could come later and help you decide."
They all silently nodded back, the mare then walking off a second later, the youngsters sighing in relief at this. That is, till Mira asked, "Has anypony considered the name close call?"
When he finished his digging, they took the dog to the park and started running around with it. The dog kept barking as he ran around, Soul, Heart, Mira and Ace racing after him. "Wow," Soul panted, "I never thought I'd see something without wings move so fast." As she said that, they spotted a bench right in front of them and the dog leapt over it. "Nice moves Bouncy."
Heart frowned. "Yeah...no. We're not calling him Bouncy."
"I'm with Heart," Mira added as she and Ace hopped over the bench. "We can come up with a way better name."
"Yeah," Ace nodded, "I think Schnoodles agrees."
Soul raised an eyebrow at this, "Schnoodles?"
"NO WAY!" Heart, Soul and Mira cried.
"Ahhh," Ace pouted as they finished their lap and spotted Scootaloo leaning against a tree. "I thought it was cute." They came to a stop at this, Soul giving the dog a pat on the head.
As she did this, Mira's eyes went wide. "I've got it! I know the perfect name." The others turned to her as she pointed at the canine, "Let's call him...Dog." The canine heard this and let out a moan, the others glaring at her, only to see Mira shrug, "Why anything else? He is a dog, so we'd never get it confused. It's perfect." As she said that, the dog started barking at her. "See? I think he's trying to talk to me."
"Yeah," Heart nodded, "To tell you that Dog is a terrible name."
"No its not!" Mira replied, only to hear the dog bark at her again. "Hey!" The two began barking at one another, the others rolled their eyes at this while Scootaloo spotted a pair of ponies walking up.
"Uh...we might have a problem," She turned to the group, "Flash and Twilight are coming!"
Hearing this made the, spin around, all jumping in front of the dog while Flash and Twilight trotted into view. "Hello everypony," Twilight told them, "Having some fun in the sun?" They all nodded at this. "That's good. I just got word that everypony we saved from the mountain has been given a full bill of health and can be returned home."
"That's great," Heart replied before to dog let out a bark. This made Flash and Twilight raise an eyebrow before glancing around.
"What was that?" Flash asked, "Sounded like a dog."
"Oh..." Mira pointed at her fellow jakhowl, "Ace has been making odd noises all day. Perhaps a visit to Dr. Fauna's is in order."
"Uh...woof," Ace faked, the pair then giving them a deadpan stare before shrugging and saying they would let Springer know. With that, the pair headed off to enjoy some more time together while the others sighed in relief. But as they did this, the dog let out a new sound. A low whining that made them turn to him and see him frowning.
"Huh..." Mira raised an eyebrow, "That's a new sound. Wonder what it means?"
"It means he's sad," Soul frowned as she leaned down and patted the doggie on the head.
"Why?" Heart asked, "We've been having so much fun." Soul just shrugged at this, the group soon trying to cheer him up. They showed him a ball and some treats, but he wouldn't react.
"Come on boy," Scootaloo showed him a stick before throwing it, "Go get it!" But the dog just laid there, not reacting. "Aw, what's wrong with you?"
"Maybe we should ask Fluttershy?" Soul chimed in, the others turning to her, "What? We need to help him somehow."
"But what if she tells the others?"
"Well-"
"Heart!" a voice suddenly called out in the colt's head, Ace and Mira also hearing it, "You there?!"
"Flash?" He asked, "Is that you?"
"Yes. We've got an emergency and I want you to help. Get to the castle Rune Gate as quickly as possible!"
"I'm on my way," Heart replied before the connection was cut. "Sorry, but I've gotta get back to the castle." This statement seemed to make the dog's ears perk up, the canine turning to him as he spread his wings. But before Heart could take off, the dog ran off.
"Wait!" Soul cried.
"Schnoodles!" Ace called out, "Come back!" They chased the dog through the park and into the town, their new four-legged friend being way too fast for all of them. The ponies of the town were soon treated to the sight of a dog trying to escape from the five youngsters, Rarity, Pinkie and Rainbow now also seeing it. Soul also tried to grab the dog in her magic, but was unable to get a lock on the fast moving puppy.
Eventually, the dog arrived at castle and ran into the open door. As he did, he shot past Starlight and Fluttershy, the mares hopping back before the kids suddenly came next, "What the-what's going on?!" Starlight called out, but none of them answered.
Instead, the dog ran into the Rune Gate room, where Flash, Twilight and Springer were waiting. "Good timing," Flash commented as he heard the sound of hoofsteps. Twilight had activated the Rune Gate before the three turned to the sound, only to be met by the sight of a cute little dog running through the room. "Huh?" They watched as the dog ran past them and leapt into the portal, vanishing as the youngsters arrived. "What was that?"
The group came to a stop at this, Flash turning to glare at Heart. The colt did a small gulp, "Well..."
"It appeared to be a dog," Twilight pointed out as the adults glared at them. "I assume there is an explanation?"
"Uh...maybe?" Heart squeaked out, making Flash sigh.
"Doesn't matter right now." Springer chimed in, "We got an emergency right now."
Twilight nodded in agreement, "We were helping some of the hiking ponies home, only to learn about an accident. A nearby building was being built when the structure began to break apart due to the weather. Most of the ponies escaped, but one of the workers got stuck. I tried lifting the wreckage up in my magic, but doing so caused the entire thing to shake and almost crushed the worker."
"Heart," Flash pointed at him, "I need your fire power to weld some of the rubble together so it doesn't shift when Twilight moves it."
Heart nodded while the others turned to one another. "Let's go find Bouncy," Soul added before they all leapt through the portal.
"Wait!" Springer yelped, but they were already gone. The jakhowl let out a groan before Flash, Twilight and Heart followed after them. When they stepped out the other side, they were met with the sight of the building site, a massive pile of metal tubes and girders with a pony trapped somewhere inside.
The youngsters started whistling for the dog while Heart and the adults moved over to the pile. When they reached the top, Flash looked into one of the large pipes. "You still okay in there!?"
"I'll be better when you get me out of here!" The pony cried, Heart now trying to weld the pieces together as Twilight began moving them around. But as he did, the pony under the wreckage yelled, "Yow! Why is it suddenly getting so hot in here?!"
Twilight's eyes went wide at this, "Heart, stop!" The colt did so, "You're gonna end up roasting him alive."
"So what do we do?" Heart asked as they turned back to the piping. It lead to an open space, which had several more pipe entrances. It was a complete maze of pipes and tubing, intersecting in random different ways to make a labyrinth. "Can't he just climb out on his own?"
"I'm trapped under a girder," the pony barked back. "It's too heavy for me to lift."
Flash crossed his hooves at this, "I thought about climbing in there, but I have no idea which direction he's in. I'd probably get lost trying to find him myself."
"And a few of the pipes are a lot smaller than this one," Twilight knocked on the metal tube. "If you tried to fit through one of them, you might get stuck."
"I probably won't," Heart replied, "I bet I could locate him and use my fire to melt through the girder."
"But you still can't find him," Springer responded, "It'd take somepony with super hearing to locate where his voice is coming from." As he said that, a bark filled the air, making them turn to see the dog running up to them.
"Boy!" Heart cheered as the dog began to run up the pile. A moment later, the others ran into the site after hearing the dog's barking.
"You found him!" Soul added as they reached the pile.
"More like he found us," Heart replied before hearing a coughing sound coming from Flash. "Right. Right. Finding and saving the pony." As he said that, the dog ran over to an area of the building site that had a massive coil of rope. He grabbed one end and pulled it with his mouth.
"Sorry buddy," Ace replied, "Not really the time to play tug of war."
But before he could grab the rope out of the dog's mouth, Soul stopped him. "I don't think he wants to play." They watched as the dog carried to rope up the pile, "I think he wants to help." The dog then reached the top and looked inside the tubing. When he did, the dog barked back at them.
"I get it," Heart smirked. "He can hear where the pony is, so he's gonna use the rope to help lead him out once he's free."
"He said that?" Mira asked, "My translation was...jellybean, flip-flop, candlewick."
"I'd...keep practicing," Scootaloo chuckled before the dog went inside the tube and turned left at the bottom, a trail of rope following it.
Flash smiled at this and called into the pipe, "Keep crying out. Make sure it can hear you!" The pony called calling out, allowing the dog to follow the sound as Flash turned to the others, "Bring the rest of the rope up here. We need to give him as much of it as we can." They nodded and both Twilight and Soul grabbed the rope, pulling it over and dropping it down while the others began making sure it wasn't tangled up or knotted.
And as the dog got further in, the rope continued to be pulled along with him. He turned left, then right before sliding down another pipe and up one more. When this happened, he came out into a large opening and spotted a blue pegasus whose legs were trapped under a girder. The dog ran up and dropped the rope, panting happily.
"Alright," he picked up the rope, "Now what?"
"Is there something above you that you can loop it around?" Twilight asked, the pony glancing around, seeing the end of another girder that was firmly trapped between two pipes. He threw it up and around the top, Twilight then instructing him to tie the rest around the girder holding him.
"Alright!" He yelled once it was tightly knotted, "It's ready!"
Outside, Flash and the others grabbed hold of the rope. "Everypony ready?" They nodded, "Then pull!" They group gave everything they had, pulling and slowly managing to tighten the slack. Inside the pile, the rope began to be pulled upward, the pulley system devised now causing the girder on the pony to be lifted up.
He sighed in relief as the weight left his legs, allowing the pony to drag himself out. "I'm free!" They then let go of the rope, making the girder fall. As it did this, the surrounding structure shook, the pony crying out, only for Twilight's horn to flash, grabbing all the pipes, tubes and girders in her magic.
The dog barked and ran up the pipe, the pony following him and the rope through the maze of metal until they finally reached the top of the last pipe. When they got there, Flash and Springer pulled him free. "Thank you," he told them. "I was so terrified."
They then heard a barking sound, all turning to see the youngsters gathering around the dog. "Good boy," Heart cheered.
"You're so smart!" Mira added.
"Pony's best friend!" Scootaloo laughed.
Ace chuckled, "I think we all agree that Schnoodles should be an honorary defender of the peace."
The others all stared at him while the dog let out a bark. "Now that I can translate," Mira chimed in before pointing at Ace. "Don't call me Schnoodles!" The dog barked again as the youngsters all laughed. But that laughter quickly vanished when Flash, Springer and Twilight stepped up to them and crossed their arms and fronts hooves.
Back at the castle...
After going through the Rune Gate, Flash, Twilight, Fluttershy and Springer all stood in a line, waiting for an explanation while the other young ponies gathered around the dog.
"We're really sorry we kept Bouncy a secret," Soul told them.
"Scoop just followed you home through the Rune Gate," Scootaloo continued, "He was lost, so we had to keep him."
"And Speedy really helped us out with that rescue," Heart pointed out.
"I'm sure Schnoodles would be a really great defender of the peace." Ace finished.
"Wait," Flash held up a hoof, "Is there one dog or four?" His confusion faded when Mira held up the dog, who let out a bark.
"Just the one." The dog leapt out of her paws and ran over to Fluttershy, who giggled before she started scratching him behind the ear and on the belly.
"Oh, you are adorable." she cooed, the group chuckling at the sight.
All but Twilight, who let out a sigh, "It's clear that you've all bonded with this little one." She commented as she turned to the youngsters, "But he can't stay here." Their faces all fell, all asking why. "I would have thought it was obvious." She replied as she used her magic to move the bandanna around his neck, "He clearly already had an owner. A dog can't dress themselves."
And as she lifted it up, it revealed a collar. This reveal made their hearts sink, some facehoofing as they knew should have done that earlier.
"I know you all care about him," Fluttershy stated as she finished rubbing the dog's stomach. "But I'm sure his real family are worried about him."
The youngsters sighed before Soul stepped up, the dog rolling back to his feet to let her read the collar. Once that was done, she turned to the princess. "Twilight, I know we're probably in trouble for keeping this from you, but do you think our punishment could wait until after we take this little one home?"
Twilight shared a glance with Flash, the stallion nodding back at her. "Alright," she sighed, "The five of you can take him home. But after that, you come right back."
The five nodded as Soul turned to them, "His collar has an address on it. It's for a town not too far from the mountain you went to earlier."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Heart cheered, "Let's get this little guy home!"
The dog barked back, wagging his tail as Flash turned to Twilight. "I'll go with them to make sure they don't get into anymore trouble." Twilight nodded before turning on the Rune Gate. They walked up to the portal, the dog letting out a happy bark before running into the light. The others were surprised at his willingness, but the six soon followed, only to find themselves in a forest.
"Twilight's aim might be a little off," Ace pointed out as they saw that they might have been outside the town, but with no markers except for a ton of trees around them.
Luckily, the dog let out a yip before going up to a tree and marking it, only to jump up and down before running off. "You think he knows which way the town is?" Scootaloo asked, Flash taking to the air and flying over the treeline.
He glanced off in the direction the dog had gone, only to see a bunch of buildings about a mile away. "He's on the money!" He told them as he flew down, grabbing the Rune Gate and rolling it up. The six then followed the canine through the woods, and after a few minutes, managed to arrive at the town.
It was around the same size as Ponyville, though it lacked a farm, Flash and the youngsters spotting the snow covered mountain off in the distance. And as they walked into the town, they spotted many ponies living their lives without a care in the world. The ponies seemed to notice them as they marched in, several eyes flashing to the dog with looks of recognition appearing on their faces. "Hey Flash!" a Pegasus called out, the Knight of Friendship turning to him.
"Looking good Flash," a mare added as she walked past them.
"Hiya Flash!" a filly waved before walking off with her mother.
Scootaloo turned to her brother, "I didn't know you had friends here."
"I...don't," the stallion replied, "I've never been to this town before. And I'm sure I've never met these ponies before."
This made them all glance at each other, all showing nothing but confusion on their faces before Soul chimed in, "Um...maybe we should help the doggie first."
"Right." Flash replied, "Which way to his home?" The others shrugged before the dog let out a bark and ran off. "Never mind."
"He must know this town better than most of the ponies that live here," Heart chuckled as they all chased him. They zigzagged through the streets, barely managing to keep up with the canine until they arrived at a street with a sign stating the same name Soul had read on his collar.
"This is it," the alicorn filly commented, "Number fifteen." They checked the house numbers and found the one they were looking for. "There it is."
"That's his house?" Ace asked, the dog running up to it. "Nice looking place." They walked up to the house and Heart knocked on the door, the group turning to the dog and giving him a long goodbye until the door opened.
"Hello?" An white earth pony mare with blonde hair asked as she looked outside, only to hear a bark that made her look down and see the dog. "Flash!"
"Flash?!" The youngsters yelped while the pony holder of that name went wide-eyed.
"Oh," the mare smiled up at them as she petted the canine. "My husband named him after his favourite Royal Knight."
"Good choice," the pegasus smirked with a chuckle.
"But what's he doing with you?" The mare asked, "My husband took him up to the mountains while he was doing some work."
"Work?"
"He's a geologist," the mare replied as dog Flash let out a sad whine. "But why aren't they together?" She glanced back down at the canine, "In fact, my husband should have been home by now."
This statement caused Flash's smile to vanish, the others turning to the defender, "Wait...we did rescue everypony from that blizzard...right?" Heart asked, only to hear the dog let out another bark, jumping out of his owner's hooves. The look he gave was all the answer they needed.
"That sounds like a no," Mira gulped.
Soul's eyes went wide. "So that's it! He came through the portal because he wanted us to help save his owner!"
"I guess that explains why he was so sad when we didn't do anything to help him," Ace added. "Sorry buddy."
"This is bad," Flash chimed in as he turned to the mountain. "He's been up there a really long time. Who knows what must have happened to him by now."
The mare went wide-eyed at this, only for Heart to speak up, "Don't worry," he pointed to himself. "We'll find your husband and bring him back here, I promise." He then turned to Flash, seeing a frown on his face before he declared, "Let's get going."
Flash nodded and turned to his name sharing friend, "Do you think you can help us find him?" The dog nodded and Flash turned to the mare, "Can we take him with us?"
"Of course," she nodded. "Flash here has a really good sense of smell, so he should be able to track Karst down. But please hurry." They nodded again before running off, only to come to a stop as they realized the quickest way to get to the mountain being going back into the Rune Gate.
Going through the portal with dog Flash, they found a very confused Twilight and Springer waiting for them as they spotted the dog. And after a quick explanation, Twilight reactivated the Rune Gate, resetting it to send them all to the mountain they had been too earlier that day, Springer coming along this time.
But the minute they reached the other side, the group was suddenly assaulted by the chilling cold. "Yaaah!" Scootaloo yelped while Heart flew into the air and ignited his body. "Get down here and keep me warm!"
Flash frowned as he watched the youngsters gather around his apprentice. "Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to bring you alll here."
"Yeah," Springer nodded, "Flash and I can-"
"No way!" Soul interrupted, "We promised Flash...dog Flash, that we'd help him find his owner! And that's what we're gonna do, no matter how cold it is out here!" The others nodded, Flash and Springer staring at the fire appearing in all their eyes.
The sight made them let out sighs as Flash shook his head, "Alright...but no wandering off or doing anything without our permission." They nodded and Flash turned to Springer, "Sense anything?" The jakhowl closed his eyes and unleashed a wave aura, it coming back a few seconds later, "Nothing." The others frowned at this, "He's either somewhere my aura can't reach, or..."
"He's alive!" Heart interrupted, "I know he is! We just need to start looking!"
"I like the determination," Flash chuckled before gesturing up ahead, "But this mountain's pretty big. It'll take forever to find him if we're just blindly searching." As he said that, the dog started sniffing the snowy ground, only to bark and run off.
"Hahaa!" Heart cheered as he flew after the dog. "We won't be searching blindly. She said that little guy had a great sense of smell." The others smiled and followed the pair, Flash grabbing Scootaloo and flying above the snow with Soul while the jakhowls shot across the snowy field with their light feet.
They headed up the mountain, using a trail that hadn't been buried by the blizzard. And when they reached a bunch of large rocks, Dog-Flash leapt up and tried to get over them, only to slip, but Soul grabbed him in her magic, helping him over the boulders.
"Good boy Flash," she giggled as he sniffed the ground again. "Show us where Karst is."
The dog kept following the scent, only to go to an area of the mountain that went straight up, meaning there wasn't any way up. "End of the road," Flash commented as he and Scootaloo landed. "No way up without wings."
"Did she say what kind of pony he was?" Scootaloo asked, getting a shake of the head from Flash. But before they could say anything else, Dog-Flash barked and they turned to see him circling around a large pile of snow.
Ace moved over to it and started digging, soon pulling out a green saddlebag that was soaked through. Dog-Flash let out a bark when he saw it, giving everypony an answer. "This must be Karst's bag."
"He probably dropped it in the blizzard," Flash replied, "That means he was here at one point and probably still close by." He turned to Springer, who reached over and placed his paw on the bag. He scanned it, picking up a slight trace of spiritual energy, the jakhowl opening his eyes as he memorized it.
"Got it." He clapped his paws together and unleashed a wave of aura, "Now that I know what I'm looking for, I might be able to get a better sense of where he is." But after a moment, the aura came back and he sighed. "Still nothing. If he is still on this mountain, he's someplace my aura can't reach him."
"So what do we do?" Soul asked, turning to Dog-Flash. "Can you pick up his trail again?" The dog sniffed around, only to let out a whimper, "Nothing? Oh no..."
But as the dog said this, Mira turned to her mentor, "Springer?" He glanced back at her, "What if the three of us combine our Aura? Maybe Ace and I can boost your power enough to find him."
"Well, I don't know if that'll work..." Springer responded, only to shrug, "Eh, let's try it." The three stood close by each other, placing their paws together and closing their eyes. They formed a circle of aura that flowed together, only for Ace and Mira to flinch. But as this happened, Springer's eyes shot open and pulled away while sucking all the supercharged aura with him. Ace and Mira moaned, Mira falling to one knee as Springer clapped his paws together and unleashed a burst of aura so strong that even the ponies felt it.
It shot out across the mountain, and a minute later, the wave returned and Springer let out a gasp. "I've got something!" He turned to the right and ran off, the others following after him. They kept running for several minutes, only for Dog-Flash's ears to perk up and shoot off ahead of Springer.
"Go find him boy!" Soul cheered as the canine reached a wall with a giant pile of snow laying in front of it, the mutt starting to dig into the tightly packed powder. "Is this it?"
They all reached the snowdrift and Springer placed a paw on it. "I can feel someone behind here. There's a cave of some kind sealed by the snow."
"Is anypony behind there?" Ace called out, the group holding up their ears for a response.
"Help!" A weak, small voice responding back. They turned to one another and nodded, Dog-Flash digging away until Soul pulled him away with her magic.
"Stay back!" Heart yelled, then held out his hooves to unleash a simple burst of fire that struck the snow pile. The liquid began to melt, only for the snow above the cave to come loose. But before it could fall, Ace and Mira started throwing Aura Blasts at the snow, blowing it away. And after a minute or so of melting the snow, the pile fell away from the cave's mouth, revealing a small hole in the mountain, with a brown earth pony with a black mane and tail, wearing an orange jacket and green woollen hat and boots sitting inside.
Dog-Flash let out a bark and ran over to the pony, jumping into his lap and licking at his face. "Flash!" the stallion laughed, "I'm glad to see you too!" He turn turned to the ponies and jakhowls that saved him, his eyes going wide when he saw his dog's namesake smiling back at him.
"Rescue team is here to help," Flash chuckled, "You okay?"
Karst shook his head, "I sprained my ankle, but I feel better now that you're here." He let out a long sigh, "I got all turned around in the blizzard. I lost my saddlebag, and then tripped over this rock." He pointed at a small rock near the entrance of the cave while Dog-Flash snuggled up next to him. "Flash was with me for a while, but then he ran off."
Scootaloo giggled at this, "He came to find us."
"Yeah!" Ace nodded, "To let us know we missed you when we came to rescue everypony else."
Karst smiled and patted his dog, "Good boy Flash." The canine let out a bark as his owner gave him a hug and a scratch, Flash and Springer then helping him out of the cave. Once a safe distance away from the avalanche zone, Soul got to work bandaging up his sprained ankle and applying some healing magic to him.
As she did this, Flash set up the Rune Gate and activated it. Once it was up and running, they helped Karst through, Twilight standing there waiting. The alicorn helped him to the doctor, getting him checked up before readjusting the gate so they could travel to Karst's home.
But of course, this meant that it was finally time to say goodbye to their new furry friend. "Bye much cuter than the other Flash," Heart told him as he scratched the dog behind the ears.
"Be a good boy for your owners," Scootaloo added while Ace patted him on the head.
"Be sure to come and visit."
Soul looked close to crying as she said, "We'll miss you."
"Woof," Mira replied before Dog-Flash gave them all a lick and headed through the portal with Karst, Flash and Springer. And thus, he was gone and the five were once again pet-less. They all let out a sigh as they left the Rune Gate room, all aimlessly wandering around the castle until they reached the thrones room. There they each took a seat, now remembering their fun day with the dog...only for Soul to break the silence.
"I can't believe we didn't realise Flash the dog followed you back here because he needed our help."
"He was one smart pup," Ace added as Soul let out a sigh.
She placed her hooves on her cheeks and leaned against the table. "I miss having a pet." The others nodded in agreement, only for a new voice to speak up.
"You won't have too." They spun around to see Twilight, Flash, Springer and Fluttershy standing at the doorway. Twilight had something behind her back, walking up and putting it on the table.
It was a fish tank with a goldfish inside it. The youngster's eyes went wide at the sight, now seeing the fish swim around. And as they watched it, Scootaloo asked, "Is that fish...for us?" They all turned to the adults, who all nodded back.
"So we get to keep it?" Heart added.
"Are you sure about this?" Mira continued.
"Yup," Twilight replied, "Even though you kept the dog a secret, it was clear you were willing to take responsibility and care for it."
"So we've decided to trust you with this little one," Fluttershy responded, "Take good care of him."
They all nodded before the four left, the excited youngsters looking back at their new pet. The group shared a glance, only for Soul to ask, "So what will we call her?"
"Looks like a Schnoodles to me." Ace chuckled, the others raising an eyebrow at this, Soul humming for a moment.
"Schnoodles?" She replied, only to shine a big smile, "Yeah!"
"I'll buy that," Heart nodded and Scootaloo laughed.
"Sure." She patted Ace on the shoulder, "Why not?"
Mira then knelt down and looked into the tank. "Blub blub." The others turned to her as she glanced back at them, "I'm just confirming with the fish that it likes its new name."
"And?" Ace asked, only to see the fish to let out a glub sound as some air escaped its mouth to form a bubble.
Mira smiled at this, "Most definitely." Everypony laughed and cheered at this, excited to have their very own pet. They were all sure that their lives were gonna be even more exciting with their new fishy pal in tow. Life was good.
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I guess this chapter confirms Banshee is a dog lover.
For real, I thought it was nice chapter and get to see kids playing around with the dog and be goofy off with coming up with the name before his real name's reveal.
I honestly didn't expect you to upload this chapter so early and it was very short compare to other chapters but I could see why this chapter is shorter.
Here's highlights
Ha ha ha ha ha! Dog doesn't like that name!
Yeah, no wonder why a dog was wearing bandanna.
I guess Soul and Mira wasn't mature after all since they didn't bother to check if he have a collar.
His real name was Flash?! Oh boy! I bet Flash never thought in a million years that someone would name their dog after him!
Good work.
Aww, this was adorable! I love dogs, so the kids looking after a puppy and playing with it was heartwarming. There were also plenty of funny moments, like them trying to hide the dog from everyone else, arguing over what to name it, and the reveal that it was actually named after Flash.
This was a very relaxing chapter, even when they had to save Dog Flash's owner at the end, and was a good way of showing the kids are responsible enough to have a pet of their own.
Wasn't expecting a chapter today, loved the sweet short chapter featuring the kids again Banshee!
Quite the cute & smart doggie they encountered here, not to mention a boost to Flash ego with his name! 
Also loving the use of the rune gate in these episodes, wonder if Spike would be able to visit Ember/Flicker on a more regular basis as time goes on? Here's hoping!
Digging though the show we shove these Highlights out in the open :
lol that was a quick decision!
Awww such a cutie!!!
Glad to see my fave purple dragon keeping up with his lessons!
*sigh* yeah, they totally bought that!
LOL Thank goodness it *was* just one!
Such a loyal doggie!
Pretty fun chapter Banshee, thanks for sharing!
Cute kid chapter, love that Soul and Mira are finally acting like real kids, especially with Soul having the idea to take care of Flash and the five's arguing over names for Flash while they were trying to hide him. Also love that one of Mira's translations was 'jellybean, flip-flop, candlewick.',
was a nice moment for the kids a number of funny moments
Banshee thank you so much for this chapter for posting it on my birthday man!!! Oct.11🎂🎂🎂
I wonder who else in this universe has pets named after them.