> One Heart's Destiny
>  by Robobrony
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

					
One Heart’s Destiny


Chapter 1


It was a beautiful sunny day in Ponyville. The birds were singing, the animals were playing, and a lone cloaked pony sat under an apple tree hungrily staring at the apples above his head.  The pony’s cloak was white with black lining and a clasp made up of a round ruby with gold surrounding it.  From what could be seen of the pony, he had a white coat with black hooves and a black tail sticking out the back, his head and face was covered by his hood, but his muzzle was visible and had a kind of frown on it as he looked upon the apples in the tree in the middle of an apple orchard he wandered into.  His cloak was rather dirty, with a few holes and tears in it along the sides and the back.

As he thought of how to get the apples out of the tree, he licked his lips at the sight as he was very hungry.  He walked up to the tree and turned his backside to it.  He reared his back legs and bucked the tree as hard as he could, to his great fortune, three apples fell out.  A smile still remained missing on his muzzle as he walked up to his meal and began to eat.  After finishing off the three apples, he was still hungry as he hadn’t eaten in such a long time, so he figured he would try to knock some more apples out of the tree.

Before he got the chance, a southern accented voice called out to him.  “HEY, JUST WHAT IN TARNATION DO YA THINK YER DOIN, them apples is property of the apple family!”  The pony turned his head to the left to see a very unhappy mare with an orange coat, a blonde mane and tail tied up at the ends with red ribbons, three whit freckles on each cheek, and wearing a stetson hat.  The pony was terrified to be confronted by a pony who seems to have made a claim to the apple trees.  He quickly took off away from the mare to get away, but she wasn’t about to let him go for taking her apples without her permission.  She quickly gave chase after the cloaked pony.  “Yall best get back here right now and pay fer them apples you done ate!”

The cloaked pony ran as fast as he could and tried to call back to her to get her to leave him alone.  “I’m sorry, please don’t hurt me!”

As the mare gave chase, she heard his pleas and answered back.  “I aint gonna hurt ya, I just want ya ta pay fer what ya stole!”

The pony didn’t believe her.  “Yeah right, I’m not taking any chances! Please just leave me alone!” The pony wasn’t paying attention to where he was going as he yelled out to her.

The mare called back to him.  “HEY, look out fer that hill!”  Too late, the pony fell down the steep hill in front of him and took a nasty tumble down to the bottom where his head met a large rock.

The pony was met with a great amount of pain in his head as he began to slowly lose consciousness from the blow, the world slowly grew dark as he heard the mare that was chasing him call out someone’s name.  “Big Mac, I need yer help!”  Before he could hear anything else, he was out.

Some time later, the pony slowly began to regain consciousness.  To his relief, his cloak was still on with his hood over his head, his suroundings, however, have changed.  He found himself in a bed with a cast around his left foreleg and he felt a bandage around his head.  The room he was in had a small window to his right, a wooden door on the other side of the room in front of him as well as another wooden door to his left.  There was also a nightstand and a small lamp on it next to the bed he was in.

He was feeling very frightened at this point, he had no idea where he was and why he was there, not to mention the fact that his left foreleg seemed to be broken.  That was going to make getting out of there very difficult.  Before he could even try, the door to his left opened and in walked the mare that was chasing him earlier.  “Well glad ta see yer awake now, you and me need to have a talk.”

The pony quickly scrambled out of bed, ignoring the pain from his broken leg and quickly made his way to a corner of the room where it was shadowed .  He curled up into a ball on the floor.  “Please don’t hurt me, I swear I didn’t know those apples were yours. I was just so hungry and they looked so good.”  The pony was shivering with fear at this point.

The orange mare looked curiously at the pony huddled in a corner, clearly terrified.  She was upset at him for eating her apples without paying for them, but seeing how scared he was and the fact that he got hurt so bad, she figured he had been through enough.  She spoke in the kindest voice she could.  “Easy there sugar cube, I can see that you’ve been through enough, I ain’t gonna hurt ya, I promise.”

“Yeah right, that’s what they all say to lull me into a false sense of security, then the next thing you know, BAM, I’m lying face down in a gutter covered in bruises.  You already hurt me enough with my broken leg and banged up head, isn’t that enough punishment?”

The orange mare couldn’t believe what she heard.  “What in tarnation are you talkin about, I didn’t do all that to you, that happened when you took that tumble down the hill.  And who in their right mind would be that mean?”
“Try every pony I’ve ever met, I may have stolen things before, but it was only food so I wouldn’t starve to death, whenever I get caught, I get beaten up and left to die in some ally.”

The mare was still in shock as she couldn’t believe there were such places that would behave like that to a simple food thief, at least none in this country that she’s heard of.  “Well, I aint never heard of places that do that to a simple food thief, but ponies round here are much nicer.  How about we take care of introductions, my name is Applejack.”

The pony looked at the mare skeptically and decided to try and go along with what she said.  “My name is Heart Wing.”

“It’s a real fine pleasure ta meet ya heart wing, welcome to Sweet Apple Acres, just outside of Ponyville.”
Heart Wing looked at her curiously.  “Ponyville, as in, the town located in the country of Equestria?”

Applejack took on another curious look at Heart Wing’s question.  “Well, yeah, don’t tell me ya forgot the name of yer country?”

Heart Wing then looked to the side and down as he spoke softly to himself.  “So, I finally made it, I don’t believe it.”

Applejack’s confused look never left her face.  “You all right there sugar cube?”
Heat Wing then looked back up at her. “Yeah, I’m all right, uh thanks for not beating me so I guess I’ll just be going then if you don’t mind.”

“Oh no you don’t, in case you forgot, you got a broken leg and a banged up head, you aint goin anywhere until yer all healed up.  Sorry partner, but yer stayin in this here room until yer better.  Don’t worry, me and my family will make sure yer nice and comfortable until you get back on yer hooves.”

Heart Wing did not like the sound of this.  “Look I really appreciate your help, but I can’t stay here, I…..have something I need to do.”

Applejack didn’t believe him.  “Nice try darlin, but I can sniff out a lie when I hear one.”  Applejack started to move closer to Heart Wing.

Heart Wing started to get more nervous as she moved closer to him.  “STOP, please don’t come any closer!”
Applejack quickly halted her advance.  “What is it Heart Wing, I already told ya I aint gonna hurt ya, I promise.  No pony around here gets beaten fer stealin food.”

“It’s just that….well, I’m not exactly comfortable around others, I just don’t want to risk you seeing what I look like under this cloak.”

“Now look here sugar cube, I aint never meet a unicorn I didn’t like, I know yer a unicorn because I had ta remove yer hood to get them bandages on yer head.  I am curious though about yer cloak, when I tried ta take it off ya, I couldn’t undo the clasp.  If ya don’t mind me askin, why is that?”

“It’s enchanted, this cloak was enchanted so that only I can take it off if I want.  It was a gift from my……my……mother.”  Heart Wing looked down solemly at mentioning his mother.

Applejack gave a sad look as well upon seeing Heart Wing appear sad.  “Gosh, I’m sorry, but why would you want to hide what ya are, there are plenty of unicorns round here, I even happen to be friends with two.”

“I……I’d rather not say.”

“Come on now, why would you be ashamed of bein a unicorn?”

Heart Wing could tell she was going to be persistent, so he figured he might as well get this over with.  She’d probably find out eventually anyway.  “You really want to know, fine then.”  Heart Wing then lifted his good hoof to the clasp and undid it.  He stepped out of the shadows and removed his cloak.  He stood before Applejack and spread out a pair of wings as well, he was an alicorn, his mane was black like his tail and his eyes were gold colored.  Heart Wing seemed rather starved though, his ribs were almost visible and his coat was so shaggy and dirty. 

Applejack was in awe, standing before her was an alicorn, it wasn’t the first time she met one, but the only alicorns she knew were the three princesses of Equestria.  Celestia, Luna and Cadence.  “Well hog tie me and call me a cow, you’re an alicorn?”

Heart Wing looked sternly at her.   “Well, go ahead, make fun of me, I’ve heard them all.  Freak, mutant, abomination, call me whatever you want, I’m used to it by now.”  He said as he looked away and folded back his wings.
After a moment of having trouble trying to find what to say, Applejack decided to respond to what he said last.  “Now why in the hay would I make fun of you for bein an alicorn?”

Heart Wing looked back at Applejack with the same stern look.  “Why do you think, because I was an accident, alicorns aren’t real, yet I was born like this!  Just look at me, I’m a freak of nature.”

“Now just you wait one gosh darn minute, you ain’t no freak. Have you forgotten about Equestria’s princesses, they’re alicorns too remember?”

“That’s the thing, I’m not from Equestria, so forgive me if I don’t believe you about your princesses being alicorns.”

“Well, I’ll prove it to you, remember when I said that two of my friends are unicorns, well it just so happens that one of them is a personal student to one of them, and she and the princesses will certainly want to meet you. But fer now, you need to rest up and get yer strength back, yer lookin mighty thin there fer some pony yer size.  I’m sure all my friends will want to meet you.”

“You’re really set on this, aren’t you, why do you care so much? Why are you helping me?”

“Cause that’s what friends do, and from what I’ve heard about you from you, you could use some friends, now why don’t you get back in bed and rest up, I’ll bring you somethin ta eat in a bit.”  Applejack then turned to leave the room to leave her new guest to rest.

Heart wing couldn’t believe what was going on. Applejack was going out of her way to help him get better, and now calling him a friend. Why, why would she care so much.  As he thought about the good deed she was doing for him, a pulse of pain surged through his body from his heart. He grunted in pain.  “AGH, not again, why is this happening now after so long?  What is this pain in my heart?”  Heart Wing just shook it off and crawled back into bed to rest.   “Well, at least I kept my promise to my mother, but why did she want me to come here, it just doesn’t make sense.” 

> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 2


After Applejack left some food for Heart Wing, she went into town to try and find her friends.  By sheer luck, she found them all hanging out in front of a resturaunt and talking.  One was a cream yellow Pegasus with a soft pink mane and tail and had three pink butterflies for a cutie mark. This was Fluttershy and she was just as timid as Heart Wing.  There was another Pegasus with a sky blue coat and a rainbow colored mane and tail with a cloud and a rainbow colored lightning bolt coming out of it.  Rainbow dash was brash and cocky, always out to prove herself, but she was very loyal to her friends.

There was another earth pony there with a pink coat and a darker pink mane and tail that was all poofy, her cutie mark was of three balloons, one was yellow and two were blue. Her name was Pinkie Pie and she just loved to throw parties, she was very energetic and always loves meeting new ponies and making new friends. Next was a unicorn with a white coat and a violet mane and tail all done up in fancy curls, her cutie mark was of three light blue diamonds.  Rarity was a fashionista and was very good at making dresses.  She was a bit of a perfectionist but she was a generous pony.

Finally, another unicorn with a light purple coat and a dark blue mane and tail with a dark purple and pink streak through them, her cutie mark was a pink six pointed star with five small sparkles around it.  Twilight Sparkle was a very smart and well read unicorn.  She was a personal student to one of Equestria’s princesses, Celestia.  Twilight was a very talented unicorn when it came to magic.

Applejack made her way over to them to inform them of this morning’s recent events.  “Howdy gals, glad I found ya, there’s somethin I need ta tell ya’ll.”

The girls all saw Applejack and each gave a greeting, Fluttershy was first.  “Oh, hello Applejack.”

Rainbow Dash was next. “What’s up?”

Rarity was next.  “Hello darling, how good to see you today.”

Then Pinkie Pie.  “Hi ya Applejack, glad to see you could take a break from your work to come hang out with us.”

Finally, Twilight said her hello.  “Hey Applejack, what did you need to see us for?”

Applejack began to explain.  “Ya see, earlier this mornin, I caught this here pony in a cloak eatin some of my apples in my orchard, as soon as I called out to him he took off.  I chased after him only for him to take a nasty tumble down a hill.  The poor fella ended up with a nasty bump on his head and a broken foreleg.  He’s restin at my place right now, but he’s real timid and shy around others, probably more so than Fluttershy.  When I talked with him in my guest room, he thought I was gonna beat him for stealin ma apples.  He explained that it wouldn’t have been the first time that happened to him.”

Pinkie couldn’t contain her excitement any more at the mention of a potential new friend.  “A new pony, THIS IS FANTASTIC!  What’s his name, where did he come from, does he like cakes?”  Pinkie asked each question in quick succession, then she got an idea that she always gets whenever there’s a new pony in town.  “OH MY GOSH, THIS CALLS FOR A PARTY!!”

Applejack had to put a stop to this.  “Pinkie, that is not a good idea, weren’t you listening?  The poor feller is afraid, from what I gathered, he’d been through a lot that made him afraid ta be around others.”

Pinkie quickly deflated at that.  “Awwwe, no party?  Shoot.”

Rainbow Dash then spoke up.  “So what’s the big deal with this guy?”

Applejack began.  “Well, the thing is, he’s an alicorn.”

It was now Rarity’s turn to get excited.  “An alicorn?!  Oh my goodness, is he a prince, oh what am I saying of course he is, he must be.  What’s his name, where is he from, oh is he handsome?”

Twilight spoke up to try and calm her down.  “Easy Rarity, let Applejack explain. Go ahead Applejack, tell us what you can about him.”

“Well, his name is Heart Wing, I don’t think he’s a prince.  He said he’s not from Equestria, he didn’t even say where he was from.  The odd thing about this though is the fact that he thinks he shouldn’t even be an alicorn, fer some reason, he thinks they don’t exist and that he’s some kind of freak. He told me about how he was picked on because of it.  I can’t help but feel sorry for the poor fella.  He was in bad enough shape before all this too, he was practically skin and bones when I saw him without his cloak, he was so dirty and skinny, it almost looked like he was on his last legs.”

Rarity was once again ready to speak out.  “Good heavens, how awful.  That settles it then, I’ll go to my house, gather a few supplies and meet you at your place to give the poor dear a good cleaning up. I won’t take no for an answer, ta ta.”  Before the ponies could say anything more, Rarity was gone.

Twilight then spoke up.  “I should inform the princess about this as well, she’ll want to meet this new alicorn.”

Applejack interjected.  “Now hold on there sugar cube, I think we should hold off on informin the princess until Heart Wing is all better. But you can come over to meet him, I just think we need to do this carefully, ya’ll can come on over but you’ll need to be careful around him.”

“All right then, let’s go meet this new alicorn.”  The girls then all got up and left for Applejack’s place to meet the new alicorn.

Heart Wing was lying in bed with his cloak back on wondering what he was even supposed to do now that he made it to Equestria like his mother wanted him to.  Was he supposed to just start a new life here?  Was he supposed to meet with these princesses that Applejack mentioned?  He just didn’t know.  And why was Applejack being nice to him?  No pony had ever been nice to him other than his parents.

His thoughts were soon interrupted when he heard the door to his room begin to open.  In a panic, he quickly lept out of the bed, once again ignoring the pain from his leg, and got back in the same corner he was in when Applejack and him talked.  Applejack walked in to greet him.  “Howdy there Heart, I brought ma-“  She stopped herself when she saw Heart Wing was in the corner again.  “Heart wing, what are ya’ll doin in the corner, yall need to be in the bed restin so yer leg’ll get better.”

“I just don’t feel comfortable lying down when others are around, I just feel too vulnerable.”

Applejack just looked curiously at him, she decided to let it go.  “All right then.  I brought my friends over to meet ya, but I should warn ya, when I told one of them about the condition you were in when I found you, she was a little insistant on gatherin some things to clean ya up.  She ain’t about to take no fer an answer so you might as well just let her do her thing.”

“She is, but why, she doesn’t even know me, she hasn’t even seen me and right away she wants to clean me up? That doesn’t make any sense.”

Applejack smiled.  “That’s just how she is, anyway, why don’t you come on out and meet every pony. They’re all real nice, I should probably also warn ya about Pinkie Pie, she’s a little…..energetic and gets real excited at meetin new ponies, but after a good talkin to on the way over here, she promised to try and control herself.”

Heart wing was a little hesitant.  “I don’t know, I really don’t see the point in all this.  Why do they want to meet me, I’m just a freak.”  He looked down and away as he spoke.

Applejack looked to him with pity in her eyes.  “Now look here sugar cube, no pony here is going to see you as a freak, I promise. Now come on.”

Heart Wing was still hesitant, but he saw she wasn’t going to let this go.  So he got up and carefully made his way out the room following Applejack to the living room where the others were.  Upon entering the living room, he was greeted by eight ponies.  One of which was a large red stallion with a short orange mane and tail with half a green apple for a cutie mark. Another with a lime green coat, a grey mane and tail, both done up in a bun and an apple pie for a cutie mark.  This one was looking quit old.  Another was a little filly with a yellow coat, a red mane and tail, and a big pink bow in her mane.  The other five were Applejack’s friends.

Apple jack began introductions.  “Heart Wing, this here big fella is ma big brother, Big Macintosh.”  She pointed to the red stallion.  “This here is ma little sister Apple Bloom.”  She then pointed to the little filly.   “This is ma grandma, Granny Smith.”  She pointed to the elder mare.  “And these here are ma friends.  This is Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity.”

Before anything else could be said, Rarity began to speak.  “It’s a real pleasure to meet you darling, would you mind taking off your cloak so I can see what exactly I have to work with.”  Rarity had a pair of saddle bags on her filled with mane and coat care products.

Heart Wing grew quite nervous at her request.  “Uh, wh-what do you mean?”

“Well, from what Applejack told us, you are a bit of a mess under that cloak and could use a good clean up.  And I would be more than happy to get rid of that old cloak of yours and make you a fabulous new one.”

Heart Wing seemed to take offense to this.  “Oh no, you’re not getting your hooves on MY cloak, it may seem dirty and shredded to you but it’s all I have left.  My mother gave me this cloak before she…….before I had to say goodbye.”  Heart then took on a somber look.

Rarity then felt bad about what she said earlier.  “Oh, I’m terribly sorry dear, I had no idea your cloak meant so much to you, if you like, I could just clean it up and patch up the holes in it for you. I promise that I can make it as good as new.”

“You….you would do that for me?  But why, why would you go out of your way just for some pony you never even met?” 

“My dear, I am a lady, and I always take pleasure in helping others look their best.  Now would you be so kind as to take off your cloak so we can begin with assessing what needs to be done to clean you up?”

Once again, Heart Wing was hesitant, but he went ahead and undid the clasp that held his cloak on.  He carefully removed his cloak to reveal himself to the ponies, he then set his cloak to the side on the floor.

Apple Bloom couldn’t contain herself as she spoke up.  “Wow, you really are an alicorn.  That is so cool.”

Rainbow Dash had to agree.  “I’ll say, this could be a chance for some real competition.”  She quickly flew up and hovered in front of Heart wing practically touching muzzles to him.  “How fast can you fly, how good a flyer are you?”

Heart wing became terrified that this pony was right in his face.  He let out a terrified yelp.  “AAAAHHH!”  Then he just backed away as fast as he could until he was up against the wall and fell to the floor, covering his head with his hooves, shaking out of fear.  
Twilight began to scold Rainbow.  “Rainbow Dash, you scared him!  You need to take it easy around him remember.”

Rainbow Dash then came down to the floor with a sheepish grin.  “Oops, heh heh, uh, sorry Heart Wing, I didn’t mean to frighten you. I just got over excited at the potential for a new flying buddy.”

Applejack rolled her eyes at Rainbow Dash then made her way over to Heart to try and comfort him.  “Now now sugar cube, it’s all right, she didn’t mean ta frighten ya.”  Applejack then put a hoof on Heart’s shoulder as he cowered on the floor.

Heart looked up at Applejack as she wore a comforting smile.  Heart Wing never did smile as he got back up.  “Um, Rarity, could we just get this whole cleaning me up thing over with.”

Rarity looked to Heart wing with a smile.  “Very well then, follow me please, we’ll be using the bathroom in the room you were staying in.”  Rarity took the lead to the room and left the others to chat amongst themselves.

With Heart Wing out of the room, Fluttershy found the courage to speak up.  “Gosh Applejack, you weren’t kidding when you said he was shy, even I wasn’t that afraid when it came to meeting others, the way he seemed to cower when Rainbow Dash came up to him, he was so afraid.”

Pinkie then spoke up after much anticipation and holding herself back.  “I wonder what happened to him to make him so afraid.  Do you think he’d be willing to tell us where he came from?”

Twilight then spoke up.  “I hope so, there are so many questions I have about him.”

Applejack interjected.  “Now let’s not go nuts with questions, we don’t want to pressure him into tellin us something he ain’t comfortable tellin us.”

Apple Bloom then made an observation.  “Did any pony else notice that he didn’t have a cutie mark?”  Now that they thought about it, he did seem to lack one. It was rather odd for a pony his age to not have a cutie mark.

Big Mac then Spoke up.  “I’d better get back to my chores round the farm, good luck with this new fella girls.”  Big mac then made his way out to get back to work.

Back in the bathroom, Rarity had the water in the tub going and was ready to give Heart Wing a good cleaning.  Heart Wing however was still unsure about this.  “So why exactly are you doing this for me, it’s not like you have to ya know.”

Rarity gave him a credulous look.  “It’s not a matter of have to darling, it’s a matter of want to.  I simply cannot stand by and let a stallion of your good looks be ruined with such a bedraggled appearance.  By the time I’m done with you, I promise you’ll look and fell so much better, the only thing that will be left to do is get some meat on those bones of yours.”  The tub was now ready.  Rarity used her magic to carefully remove Heart’s bandages on his head and cast.  “Now into to the tub dear.”

Heart Wing climbed in and sat in the water.  To his amusement, the water felt very nice and warm, he didn’t show any sign of pleasure on his muzzle though.  Rarity began her work of shampooing and conditioning his coat main and tail.  She made sure to get every single speck of dirt out of his fur.  Once the bathing was done, Rarity then began brushing him all over until his coat, mane and tail were 
silky smooth.  

“There, all done, don’t you look so much better?  I’ll bet it feels good to finally have a decent bath and to have all that dirt out of your fur.”

Heart didn’t show any smile as he responded.  “It does actually, I can’t remember the last time I felt like this, thank you.”

“You’re welcome dear, now come along, let’s show the others how much better you look.”  Rarity then put Heart Wing’s bandages and cast back on him.

Heart Wing followed Rarity out of the bathroom, just as he exited it, another sharp pain racked his body from his heart, he grunted in pain.  “Gah, ah.”

Rarity heard heart and quickly turned around to check on him.  “Heart Wing, are you all right, what’s wrong?”

Heart wing practically grunted out his answer.  “It’s nothing, just an old pain that comes and goes.  I’ll be all right.”

Rarity wasn’t sure if she could believe him.  “Are you sure you’re all right?  We could take you to the hospital if you’re sick.”

“I’ll be fine, I’ve had this pain for a long time, it’s no big deal.”

“Well, all right then.”  The two then continued on their way out to the living room.  Rarity began.  “My friends, I give you the new and improved Heart Wing.”

Heart Wing came out and the ponies were all amazed at how much better he looked compared to how he did before.  His coat, mane and tail were practically shining.  Heart Wing just turned his head away from the attention he was getting.  He did notice, however, that Granny Smith had gone to sleep in a rocking chair and Big Macintosh was gone.

Fluttershy was the first to compliment him.  “Wow Heart Wing, you look so much better.  Not that there was anything wrong with you before, I mean that you look much cleaner now.”

Twilight decided that now would be a good time to see if Heart Wing was in a mood to talk.  “So Heart Wing, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind telling us about yourself, where are you from, what’s the name of your country?”

Heart Wing began to explain.  “You see, I’m not from a country.”

The ponies were all confused by this, Twilight voiced her concerns on the matter.  “What do you mean you’re not from a country?”

“I come from a village that is literally in the middle of nowhere, it’s not part of any country.  I know it sounds odd, the only explanation I can give is based off of stories I was told by my parents when I was a little foal, there used to be a country where I came from but it was struck by some great disaster and the country was disbanded, so only a small village remains.  I don’t believe it though.  The village I came from is called Stableton, don’t be concerned if you’ve never heard of it, no pony really even knows it exists, the villagers prefer to keep to themselves.”

Rainbow Dash then decided to take a turn to ask a question.  “So why did you come here, aren’t your parents missing you?”

“It was my mother who told me to come here before she……passed away.”

The group then took on quite a sorrow full look.  Fluttershy was the first to offer her apologies.  “Oh my, I’m so sorry to hear that, you must miss her so much.  But I’m sure you dad misses you too at least.”

“He passed away too, years before my mother did.”  Fluttershy then felt even more guilty for bringing it up.

The others, however, seemed a little concerned as how casual he seemed to be acting at mentioning his parents being dead.  Twilight spoke up about this.  “Aren’t you at least a little sad about it? You don’t seem to care as much as you should.”

Heart Wing figured he might as well tell them about his life growing up.  He thought they would ask him about it anyway, for some reason, he just didn’t care about them knowing.  “As I said, in Stableton, the ponies there mostly kept to themselves, it was miserable there.  No pony smiled, or laughed or did anything fun.  But my parents were the only ones who managed to smile.  My mother was a unicorn and my father was a Pegasus.  I figured it was because of that that I was born like…………this.  Because of me being born looking like an alicorn, I was always picked on as a foal.  Alicorns were just a myth there, no pony believes they exist.  So every day I was tormented and picked on by the other kids for what I was.”

“No matter how bad a day I had though, my parents would always be there for me, but even then I just couldn’t smile or laugh.  They never showed it but I could tell they felt bad for me.  They always greeted me with a smile when I came home from school.  My father would sometimes let me ride on his back and take me flying to try and make me smile, but no matter what, I just couldn’t feel any joy.”

“The weather over our village did whatever it wanted, no pony wanted to bother trying to control it.  One day, the village was hit with a terrible storm.  If something wasn’t done soon, a flood would occur and destroy the town.  My dad was the only Pegasus to try and weaken the storm so the town wouldn’t flood.  My mother and I watched him from the front of our house while he worked desperately to try and weaken the storm.  After a while he managed to succeed, but it was still pretty fierce. He was about to come down for a landing when a bolt of lightning struck him.”

“He fell to the ground right in front of us, my mother cried out to him, but it was no use, she ran over to him and cried over his dead body.  I walked over to join her and looked at my father as he lay there dead.  The scary thing is…….I didn’t feel as sad as I should have, I don’t know why, I just didn’t cry over him.  I was still just a little foal at the time too.  My mother noticed me not crying, she never said anything about it, she just hugged me as hard as she could as she cried.”

“Years later after I had grown up some more, my mother made me this cloak.  She didn’t want me to be ashamed of what I was, but she took my feelings into consideration.  So she made me this cloak to hide myself.  It wasn’t long after that that she got sick, I don’t know what it was she had, but it was a lethal disease.  On her death bed, she told me about a country where I could find happiness.  She did have a strange talent for getting visions of the future, that was how she knew that the storm that killed my father would flood the town if something wasn’t done.  She made me promise to go to a country called Equestria.  The next day, she was gone, and I was all alone now.  The only two ponies who ever cared about me were now gone, and for whatever reason……I just didn’t seem to care like I should have.  Don’t get me wrong, I am sad that my parents are dead, just not as sad as some ponies would be.  So here I am, after months and months of traveling and being hopelessly lost, I found my way here.”

Needless to say, the girls all had tears in their eyes for hearing how much hardship Heart Wing had been through.  Even Pinkies usually poofy mane and tail had deflated and was now straight.  Fluttershy couldn’t help herself as she spoke up.  “You poor thing, I can’t believe how much pain you must be in.”  She then simply walked over to him and gave him a big tight hug, hoping it would comfort him.

Heart Wing was confused by this, he couldn’t figure out why they were all crying.  “Um, Fluttershy, why are you hugging me?”

“Don’t you feel even a little sad about all this? It’s ok to cry, you don’t have to hide your feelings from us. Just let it all out.”

“But I really don’t feel like crying, I never have.”  The others, except Apple Bloom, joined in on a group hug around Heart Wing.  He just couldn’t understand these ponies, why did they care so much for a total stranger?  As he tried to think about this, another sharp pain from his heart erupted.  “AH, GAH!”

The girls quickly broke their embrace upon hearing his pained cry.  Pinkie was first to voice her concerns.  “Oh my gosh, are you all right, we didn’t hug too tight did we?”

Heart Wing just held his good hoof over where his heart was as he spoke.  “I’ll be fine, like I told Rarity, it’s just an old pain that comes and goes, it’s nothing to worry about.”

Twilight wasn’t convinced.  “I don’t believe you, we need to get you to a doctor to check you out.”

Heart Wing looked to Twilight to respond.  “When I first felt this pain as a foal while my parents were still alive, they took me to a doctor, they couldn’t find anything wrong with me.  I only felt it three times then, and I haven’t felt it at all until today. It’s nothing to worry about.”

The girls still weren’t convinced.  Fluttershy spoke up.  “Oh, please let us get a doctor to examine you, we don’t want you to be sick.”

Twilight then spoke up again.  “I’m going to the hospital to see if one of the doctors can make a house call since you’re in no condition to make it there, I’ll be back later, for now why don’t you just go back to bed and rest.”

Applejack agreed.  “Come on now sugar cube, let’s get you back in bed.”  Heart Wing just followed Applejack back to the room while the others said their goodbyes and left.  Twilight made her way to the hospital.  

As heart Wing lay in bed wondering why Twilight would go out of her way as well to get a doctor to come and look at him, he was once again assaulted with that familiar pain from his heart.  “GAH, geeze, what is this pain in my heart, why does it seem to be so frequent?”  Heart Wing was left at a loss for words, he still didn’t understand why these ponies cared so much for a total stranger. And why did they cry when he told them his story?  He just let those thoughts go as he lay down and went to sleep for a nap, hoping he could make sense of all this later.

> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 3

While the others went back to their own jobs and homes, Rarity had taken Heart Wing’s cloak and was now busy working on cleaning it up and patching the holes in it.  Twilight made her way to the hospital to see if the doctor could come over to Applejacks to see if they could find anything wrong with Heart Wing.  She had just entered the lobby when she began to speak to the receptionist.  “Excuse me, is the doctor available?  There is a pony who needs a checkup, he’s in no condition to come here and I was wondering if the doctor might be able to make a house call.”

The receptionist was a white coated earth pony with a pink mane and tail with a red cross for a cutie mark, her name was nurse Redheart.  “Oh, hello, one moment while I go get him.”  The nurse then left her station to get the doctor.  

A moment later she returned with the doctor behind her, he was a unicorn with a light brown coat, a dark brown mane and tail, and a heart monitor for a cutie mark. The doctor then addressed Twilight while nurse Redheart got back to her station.  “Hello there, I am doctor Stable, what can I do for you?”

Twilight began.  “Well doctor Stable, there’s a pony at a friend of mine’s house, for some reason he seems to keep getting these pains in his chest, I was hoping you could come by some time and see if you could find out what’s wrong. His name is Heart Wing and he is recently recovering from a tumble he took down a hill, he ended up with a bump on the head and a broken foreleg.”

Doctor Stable took on a contemplative look.  “Hmmm, well it does sound serious, I’m afraid I won’t be able to come by today, but I will have some free time tomorrow to look at him, where does your friend live?”

“Her name is Applejack, she lives at and runs Sweet Apple Acres.”

“Ah yes, Applejack, she and her family provide great apples for Ponyville.  I’ll be sure to stop by tomorrow at around one to pay a visit and see this friend of yours at her place.”

Twilight smiled at this news.  “Thank you doctor, I really appreciate it.  I should probably warn you about one thing though, he’s an alicorn, this is something that should probably be kept a secret for now, if word got out that there was another alicorn here, the town would go nuts.  They’d probably end up swarming the poor guy.”

“I understand, I’ll be sure to stay quiet about it.  This is quite unusual though.”

With that out of the way, Twilight left the hospital and made her way back to her house which just so happen to be Ponyville’s library.  

Pinkie Pie was back at Ponyville’s sweet shop, Sugarcube Corner, which was run by an earth pony couple, Mr. Carrot cake and Mrs. Cup Cake.  Pinkie was having trouble concentrating on watching the register as she just couldn’t believe that Heart Wing had never had a single happy moment in his life.  She kept thinking about how he said he had never smiled or laughed or even felt a little joy even once in his life.  “I know what I have to do!”  She stated to no one in particular.

Rarity had finally finished patching up and cleaning Heart Wing’s cloak, she felt quit proud of her work.  “There we go, good as new, I just know this will lift his spirits, I’ll drop it off tomorrow.  I must get back to work on a few other things.”

Back at Sweet Apple Acres, Heart Wing was still just lying in bed after just waking up from a nap he took.  Applejack then walked in with a plate of food on her back for Heart, Apple Bloom was right behind her.  Applejack spoke up.  “Here ya go Heart Wing, a nice hot dinner.  Gotta get yer strength back up after all.”  Applejack set it on the nightstand next to Heart Wing.

Heart Wing looked to the plate, he reached over and set it on his lap as he began to eat.  “Thanks Applejack.”  Was all he said.

Apple Bloom then had a thought she was curious about.  “So Heart Wing, how come you don’t have a cutie mark?”

Applejack looked to her little sister with a disapproving glare.  “Apple Bloom, that is not something you ask some pony out of the blue like that, it’s rude.”

Apple Bloom coward a little under her big sister’s disapproving eyes.  “Oops uh heheh, never mind, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“It’s fine, I don’t mind answering, you already know my life story.  I just never found my special talent……scratch that, I never really bothered to try to find it to earn my cutie mark.  I just couldn’t find the motivation to do it.  It’s kind of hard to when you’re constantly told by others that your just a freak, or an abomination that can’t do anything.  They were right though, my dad never had the chance to teach me to fly before he died.  And the oddest thing, even though I have this horn, I just can’t do any magic, just further proof that I’m just a freak.”

Applejack couldn’t take it anymore.  “NOW THAT’S ENOUGH, how many times do ya need ta hear it before it gets into yer head, you are not a freak!  I’ll admit it is odd that you can’t use magic, but that doesn’t make you a freak, you are a pony just like the rest of us, yer special, and I won’t quit until you realize that, and neither will my friends.”

Apple Bloom then got an idea.  “Heart Wing, how would you like to be a cutie mark crusader?”

Heart Wing couldn’t believe how upset his words of self-loathing seemed to make Applejack. But was also confused at what Apple Bloom just said.  “I’m sorry, cutie mark what now?”

Apple Bloom began to explain.  “Ya see, me and two of my friends formed a club calling ourselves, the cutie mark crusaders, we go on quests to try and find our special talent so we can earn our cutie marks, since you don’t have one, you’d be a perfect candidate fer our club.  So what do ya say, ya wanna be a cutie mark crusader.”  Apple Bloom’s eyes were so full of hope, they were ready to burst out of her head.

Applejack smiled at her little sister for making such a proposal and glad that she was trying to do what she could to make Heart happy.  Heart Wing just looked at her curiously, not sure how to respond to this request presented before him.  “Well, I don’t know, it’s nice of you to offer but-“

As if she knew it was coming, Apple Bloom made the saddest most pleading look she could muster.  Her eyes became as big as dinner plates, her eyes were practically watering, and her lips were in such a pout with the bottom lip quivering, she was even going so far as to sound like a little puppy whine.

Applejack couldn’t help but laugh at her little sister’s determination to have Heart Wing as a member of the cutie mark crusaders.  Heart Wing didn’t stand a chance before this sad pleading look.  He finally caved in.  “All right, I’ll join your little club, just please stop looking at me like that.”

Apple Bloom’s pleading look was quickly replaced with one of joy.  “ALL RIGHT, I can’t wait to tell Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.  I just know they’re gonna love ya!  Once yer all better, we’ll begin the initiation ritual.”

Applejack chuckled more as Apple Bloom skipped out of the room happily.  “Awe, don’t feel too bad partner, you didn’t stand a chance against her.”  Applejack then got curious about an earlier statement he made.  “So are ya serious about not bein able to use magic, that just seems a might strange ta me with you bein an alicorn and all.”

Heart Wing gave a sigh as he answered.  “Yes, I mean it.  My mother tried to teach me magic, but I couldn’t do anything, I couldn’t even cause my horn to light up even a little.  As I said, just another reason why I’m a-“  He cut himself off as he saw Applejack glaring at him.  He figured it was because she knew that he was about to put himself down again.  “Never mind, I think I’m ready for sleep, thanks again for the food.”

Applejack gave a smile as she responded.  “Glad you enjoyed it.  You have a good night now.”  Applejack took Heart Wing’s plate and left the room.  And so Heart Wing was left alone with his thoughts as he slowly began to drift to sleep. 

The next day came and it was now around ten in the morning, Twilight left the library to go inform Applejack that Doctor Stable was coming to give Heart Wing a checkup.  As she made her way, she passed by sugar cube corner and saw Pinkie Pie coming out.  The two stopped in their tracks to greet each other, Twilight was first to speak.  “Good morning Pinkie Pie, how are you this morning?”

Pinkie answered with a bright smile.  “I’m just great, I’m on my way over to Applejack’s to give Heart Wing some of my delicious cupcakes, I just know those will put a smile on his face.  He deserves one after what he’s been through.”  Pinkie had a pair of saddle bags draped over her back, most likely filled with the confectionary delights she mentioned.

Twilight smiled at Pinkie’s desire to bring happiness to Heart Wing.  “I think that’s a great idea, I’m on my way over there to let Applejack know that Doctor Stable is coming over today to give Heart Wing a checkup.  Why don’t we go together?”

Pinkie smiled even bigger.  “Okie dokie lokie, let’s go bring a smile to Heart Wing.”  The two friends continued on their way which then brought them past Rarity’s just in time to see her exiting her house as well with a saddle bag on her.

Rarity then greeted them.  “Why good morning Twilight, Pinkie Pie, how are you two doing this morning.”

Twilight answered first.  “I’m doing just fine thank you.”

Pinkie then answered.  “Super-duper, thanks for asking, you going somewhere Rarity?”

“Why yes, I was just on my way to return Heart Wing’s cloak, it took some doing but I fixed it up good as new, I just know he’ll love it.”

Twilight then spoke up again.  “Me and Pinkie are on our way over there too, we can walk together, I just hope Heart Wing is up for some visitors.”

Pinkie then spoke up.  “Of course he will be, how could he not be?”

Twilight and Rarity looked at each other skeptically at Pinkie’s statement.  The three then just continued on their way to Applejack’s.

Upon their arrival, they saw Applejack out front talking to Rainbow Dash, The three trotted up to say their hellos.  Pinkie was first.  “Hey Rainbow Dash, hey Applejack!”

Rainbow Dash said her greeting.  “Hey gals, what’s up?”

Applejack then said hello.  “Howdy ya’ll, I take it yer here fer the same reason Rainbow is, ta see Heart Wing right?”

Twilight answered first.  “Actually, I just came by to let you know that Doctor Stable will be coming by later today at one to give Heart Wing a checkup and see if he can find out what those chest pains he gets are.  I need to get back to the library and help Spike with some cleaning up, I kind of went on another all night study session and left some books all over the place.”  Twilight gave a little sheepish grin as she said that.

“Well that’s good ta hear, I’m a might worried about him, as I’m sure ya’ll are.”

Rarity began to give her reason for coming by.  “I just came by to give Heart his cloak back, I’m done fixing it up and I do believe he will love how much better it looks.”

Pinkie then gave her reason.  “I came by to give him some of my delicious scrumptious cupcakes, those are sure to put a smile on his face.”

Rainbow Dash then gave her reason.  “I came by cause I wanted to ask him about maybe being my flying buddy, ya know, some pony who can give me a challenge.  But then Applejack just told me that he never got the chance to learn to fly.  Apparently, his dad died before he had the chance to learn.  So instead, I’m going to let him know that I’ll be his flight instructor once he’s better.”

Twilight smiled at that.  “That sounds like a wonderful idea Dash.”

“Of course it is, who better to teach him then the greatest flyer in all of Equestria.”

Applejack then spoke up.  “Twi, there’s somethin else I think you should know.”

“What is it Applejack?”

“Last night, Heart Wing also mentioned how he…….well, he said that he can’t use magic fer some reason.”

Twilight couldn’t believe what she just heard.  “What, he can’t use magic, but why, how is that even possible?”

“I don’t know, all he said was that he just was never able to do any.  I just figured you should know.” 

“Well this certainly calls for some looking into, I’ll come by later at the same time as the doctor and see if I can find out something after he’s gone.  I’d better get going now, I’ll see you all later.”  Twilight then left for the library.

Applejack then looked over the three ponies left before her.  “All right then, you three come on in, since the room he’s in is kinda small, ya’ll just have ta take turns.”  Applejack then led the three into her house.  It was decided that Rarity would be first.

Rarity made her way down the hall to the room and opened the door, she found Heart Wing just staring out the window in the room. “Hello Heart, how are you this morning?”

Heart Turned around to see Rarity standing in the room.  He didn’t say anything, he wasn’t sure what to say with everything that had been happening for him.

“I fixed up your cloak like I promised, it looks just like new.”  Rarity then levitated the cloak out of her saddle bag.

Heart Wing’s eyes widened as he looked upon his cloak, it did indeed look like new, all signs of the holes it had were gone and it was a bright white, it was practically shining.  “Wow, it looks great Rarity, thank you, you did an amazing job.”

Rarity levitated it over to Heart Wing so he could take it.  “It was nothing dear, your quite welcome.  You haven’t had any of those pains today have you?”  She asked out of concern.

“Like I said, it’s nothing to worry about, but no I haven’t.”

“Well, that’s good to hear, I’m sorry to just drop and run but I simply must get back to my boutique, do take care dear, oh and I might as well let you know that Twilight has made an appointment for you to see Doctor Stable, he’ll be coming around one to give you a checkup.”

Heart Wing looked at her curiously.  “He won’t find anything, but ok.  Um, thank you again for fixing my cloak.”

“You’re welcome, ta ta.”  Rarity then left the room and to the living room.  Before leaving, she told Applejack that she already informed Heart about his appointment with the doctor.

Pinkie then elected to go next, she did remember Heart Wing’s timid nature so she would have to try real hard not to be her usual bubbly in your face self.  She happily hopped down the hall and entered the room to see Heart Wing now wearing his cloak.  “Hiya Heart Wing, I brought some tasty treats for you.”

Heart Wing lowered his hood as he looked to Pinkie Pie.  “Oh, hello Pinkie, what did you come by for?”

“I just figured that I could bring a smile to your face with some delicious cupcakes.”  Pinkie reached into her saddle bag and brought out a cupcake.

Heart Wing looked at the thing Pinkie held in her hoof carefully, he didn’t know what to make of it.  “Um, what’s a cupcake?”

Pinkie let out a long drawn out gasp at Heart’s statement.  “OH MY GOSH, how could you not know about cupcakes, they’re only the most delicious and tastiest treats ever!”

Heart Wing was starting to feel very nervous around Pinkie as she practically shouted at him.  He was now cringing a little in the corner.

Pinkie soon realized her mistake and began to take steps to try and fix things.  “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry Heart, I didn’t mean to frighten you, it’s just that I’ve never met a pony who’s never had a cupcake before, please don’t be mad at me.”

Heart Wing was no longer cringing but was still a little apprehensive around Pinkie.  “Uh, I just never had one before, we didn’t have anything like that in Stableton.”

Pinkie slowly made her way over to Heart Wing and held out the cupcake before him, hoping he would at least try it.  “Here, give it a try, I promise you’ll like it.”

Heart Wing eyed it curiously again.  “Why are you giving me this again?”

Pinkie kept her smile as she answered.  “Because cupcakes can make any pony smile, and you deserve a smile after what you’ve been through, I just can’t believe that you’ve never had one moment of joy in your life, so I figured what better way to make you smile than with something that makes every pony happy.”

Heart Wing took the cupcake from Pinkie, he slowly moved it to his mouth as he opened up, took his first bite, and chewed it to let the taste settle on his tongue.  It was so sweet and moist in his mouth, he had never had anything so good in all his life.  As Heart Wing swallowed his first bite, he looked to Pinkie.  “This IS really good, I’ve never had anything like this before, thank you Pinkie.”  He never smiled though as he finished it.  

Pinkie was glad he was enjoying his first cupcake, but was curious as to why he didn’t smile, not even so much as a hint of joy was on his face.  “I brought some more for you, you can help yourself to all the cupcakes I brought.”  Pinkie then took out a basket full of cupcakes from her bag and set it on the nightstand next to the bed.

Heart Wing eyed the basket of goodies that was all for him, as he did, he was once again struck with a sharp pain from his heart.  “GAH, ah ha, oh.”

Pinkie got worried.  “Heart Wing, are you all right, it’s your heart again isn’t it?”

“I’ll…..I’ll be all right.”

Pinkie was still worried.  “Oh, I sure hope Stable can help you with whatever is wrong.  Please take it easy Heart. I have to get back to Sugarcube Corner, I’ll see you later ok.”

“Yeah, sure, see you later.”

Pinkie left the room with a sad frown on her face, still worried for Heart Wing.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash saw Pinkie as she was coming out.  Applejack was the first to address her.  “So how’d it go, did ya get him ta smile?” She asked with hope in her voice. 

“He liked the cupcakes I brought him, but he didn’t smile.  And after I brought out a basket full of cupcakes I brought for him, he had another pain attack.  I sure hope the doctor can find out what’s wrong.”

Rainbow Dash then spoke up to try and cheer Pinkie up.  “Don’t worry Pinkie, the doctor is really good at what he does, and if he can’t find anything wrong, I just know Twilight can.  Heart Wing will be just fine.”

Rainbow Dashes words seemed to work as Pinkie smiled a little.  “Yeah, your right, Heart Wing will be just fine and better than ever.  I’d better get going though, I’ll see you all later.”  Pinkie then left to get back to work.

Now it was Rainbow Dashes turn.  She entered the room to see Heart Wing eating another cupcake from the basket Pinkie left.  “Hey Heart, how ya doin?”

Heart Wing had just finished his second cupcake of the day as he turned to face Dash.  “Hello, I suppose you’re here to pay me a visit too?”

“Yep, Applejack told me about how you never got the chance to learn to fly, so I’m here to offer my services.  Once your all better, I’ll be your flying coach and teach you everything I know.  You’ll be almost as good as me as a flyer when I’m done with you.  What do ya say, pretty cool huh?”

“You would…..teach me to fly, why? What would you get out of it?”

Rainbow just smiled as she answered.  “The satisfaction of helping a friend, besides, any pony with wings should know how to fly.”

“I just don’t get it, why would you go out of your way to help me like this, why would any of you ponies, I’ve never met any pony as nice as you all.  I…….I just don’t  GAHHA HA ah ha.”  Another pain attack struck, this one was almost more painful than before.  He put his hoof to his chest as the pain struck.

Rainbow became very worried as she quickly rushed over to try and do something, she didn’t know what she could do other than just be there for him as he was hurting.  “Heart Wing, oh man, please be ok.”

Heart Wing looked up to Rainbow as the pain slowly subsided from his chest.  “I’m all right Rainbow, like I said before, this pain just comes and goes, it’s nothing to worry about.”

“I just think that it stinks that your hurting so much and there isn’t anything I can do to help.  The best I can do is to stand by what I said earlier and give you flying lessons when your better.”

Heart Wing still didn’t smile as he answered back.  “I suppose that would be nice. Thanks Rainbow Dash, I’ll take you up on your offer.”

Rainbow smiled back.  “Glad ta hear it.  You should take it easy until the doctor gets here.  I gotta get going too.”  Rainbow Dash left the room as she said good bye.

Applejack caught Rainbow as she was leaving.  “So how’d your visit go?”

“He said he’d let me teach him to fly, but he had another attack, it seemed a little worse than the one I saw him have before.  He’d better make it through.”

“Now don’t you worry none sugar cube, why don’t ya’ll remember what ya said ta Pinkie earlier.”  Applejack gave a smile to Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow smiled back.  “Yeah, he’ll be fine, he has to be.  I’ve gotta get going, I’ll see you later.”

“See ya Rainbow.”  Rainbow Dash then left to do her own thing, leaving Applejack to her work in the orchard with her big brother.

Heart was now alone for now, waiting for the fateful meeting with a doctor.  Heart knew it was pointless, there just wouldn’t be anything he could do for him, but the others were so adamant about it, he just couldn’t refuse.  He just sat in front of the window staring out and waited for the doctor to come.  

> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 4

Twilight was in her library as she and spike were looking through the books she had on illnesses to see if she could find anything that might tell of why Heart Wing is unable to use magic.  “I just don’t get it, there’s nothing in any of these books that even hint at an illness that prevents a unicorn or alicorn from using magic, there are some that weaken it or make it difficult to control, but nothing similar to what’s going on with Heart.”

Spike was a little dragon with purple scales, a light lime green belly, green spines that ran from the top of his head down his back and had lime green frills on the side of his head.  He was afraid that Twilight was about to worry herself to death over this whole mess.  “Take it easy Twilight, even if there isn’t anything in any of these books, I’m sure you can find out something yourself.”

Twilight then got an idea that might work to help her figure out why Heart was unable to use magic.  “Your right Spike, and I think I know just the spell to help, you can come with me this time to meet him, I’ll need you to take down any notes in case I can find something about what’s going on.”

Spike gave a salute to Twilight.  “You can count on me.”  He then hurried to gather the things necessary to take down any notes Twilight would need while she did what she could to find out why Heart Wing was unable to use magic.

It was almost time for the doctor to look over Heart Wing and Twilight wanted to be there, so with her saddle bags packed with blank scrolls, ink wells, and quills, she and Spike made their way to Sweet Apple Acres.

Upon Twilight’s arrival and entering Applejack’s house, she found all her friends there eagerly waiting for the doctor to come.  “Hello girls, I take it you’re here to see what Doctor Stable will have to say once he finishes his examination with Heart Wing.”  The girls all gave a collective nod.

It wasn’t long before doctor Stable finally arrived with a black saddle bag filled with medical supplies to perform the examination, he gave a warm smile as he said his hello.  “Good day all, I take it you all are here to see what I might find is wrong with your friend?”  He too was answered with a collective nod.  “Very well then, Applejack, would you be so kind as to show me to my patient?”

“Right this way doc.”  Applejack then led the doctor to Heart Wing’s room.

Applejack and Dr. Stable entered the room to find Heart Wing still just staring out the window with his cloak on.  When he heard them enter, he turned around to see them.  Upon seeing the new face, he grew somewhat nervous.  Dr. Stable saw this and spoke to try and calm him down.  “Hello there, my name is Dr. Stable, I’m here to give you a checkup to see what the source of these chest pains you’ve been getting are.”

Heart Wing became less nervous then before but was still wary around this new face.  “I tried to tell them that they would be wasting your time with this, I had a doctor look at me about those chest pains when I was little and they couldn’t find anything wrong with me.”

“Well medicine has come a long way since then, so why don’t you just humor me and let me take a look at you, I was already informed that you’re an alicorn and I promise that will stay a secret between you, me, and your friends out there.”

Heart Wing hesitantly undid his clasp and removed his cloak.  The doctor was in a bit of awe at the fact that he was in the presence of an alicorn, he quickly shook those thoughts out of his head and set his bag aside.  Applejack figured it would be best to let the doctor work in peace.  “I’ll just leave ya to it then, I’ll go join ma friends while you do this.”  Applejack then left the room.

The girls all waited in the living room for the doctor to finish with his examination.  Some were calm, some were nervous, and some let their mind fill with the worst possible outcome as they shook with fear over it.  The minutes seemed to creep by as they waited, even Spike was feeling antsy.  “Geez, how long does it take for this examination to get done?”

Twilight looked to Spike with a bit of annoyance.  “Spike, the doctor is just trying to be thorough, we don’t want him to miss anything. Just be patient.”

Spike gave out an annoyed sigh as he folded his arms.  After almost half an hour, the doctor finally came out to give the girls the news about what he found.  They all were very anxious at this point as Twilight greeted the doctor.  “Well, did you find out what was wrong?”

Rarity spoke next.  “It isn’t serious is it?”

Then Rainbow Dash.  “Is it the feather flu?”

Fluttershy came next.  “Is it the pony pox?”

Finally Pinkie.  “Is it some horrible new disease that will spread and make everypony sick and turn us all into zombie ponies?”

The girls and Spike all looked at Pinkie with a confused look.  “What?”  Was all she said in response to their stares.

Every ponies attention was back on the doctor so they could hear what he had to say.  “Well, for some reason, I couldn’t find anything wrong, whatever these pains he’s been having are, it isn’t physical, I just couldn’t find anything.  I did try a magic scan for some magical disease, and again, I still couldn’t find anything.  I’m sorry, I wish I could tell you more.  I do have a bit of good news, his injuries from that tumble you told me about should be all healed up by tomorrow.”

The girls were all disappointed that the doctor couldn’t do anything, Twilight gave her thanks anyway as the doctor left.  “Well, I guess it’s up to me.”

The others got curious at her statement.  Applejack spoke up.  “What do ya mean Twilight, can you find out what’s wrong with Heart Wing?”

Twilight gave a confident smile as she answered.  “I believe I can, I thought of a spell I recently found in one of my older books that is guaranteed to reveal whatever is wrong with a pony.  Once I find out what it is, we can take steps to help Heart Wing get over it.  Come on Spike, time to get to work.”  Spike then followed Twilight to Heart’s room as the others were left to wait once again.

Twilight and Spike entered the room and greeted Heart Wing.  “Hello Heart Wing, I brought someone else with me, this is spike.”

Spike gave his greeting.  “Hi there, I’m Spike, Twilight’s number one assistant, it’s nice to finally meet you.”  

Heart Wing looked to the dragon as he spoke.  “Hello.  Well Twilight, I told you the doctor wouldn’t find anything.  Whatever these pains are, they’re just nothing to worry about.”

“I don’t believe that, besides, just because the doctor couldn’t find anything wrong with you doesn’t mean there isn’t anything wrong, there’s still the mystery of why you can’t use magic, and I’m going to find out why.  I know a spell that will show me what is wrong, I found it in one of my older books and it is difficult, but I’m confident I can pull it off.”

Heart was skeptical but he knew by now that these ponies weren’t going to give up on him.  “Fine, just do it and get it over with.”

Twilight levitated her saddle bags off and set them aside.  Spike then opened one up and took out a quill, inkwell, and a blank scroll to write on so he would be ready to write down any notes.  Twilight ignited her horn with the spell and stepped closer to Heart Wing, she touched her horn to his head and, in a brilliant flash from her perspective, she soon found herself in a black abyss.

Twilight looked around frantically for any sign of anything, seeing nothing, she called out.  “HEART, HEART, WHERE ARE YOU?”  She was answered with the abyss fading out and revealing a village, it was dirty looking and seemed very dreary.  She found herself surrounded by other ponies, all wearing grim frowns on their faces.  She tried to call out to him again, but no sound came from her mouth, she was now very confused and scared.  Then she heard little ponies laughing in a mean way at something.

She quickly followed the laughter to a group of little foals and fillys all pointing and laughing at a little pony in the center of their circle, it was a little pony with a white coat and a black mane and tail, he also had a pair of wings and a horn.  She heard the mean things the other ponies said to the little alicorn.  

“Freak!” One said.   “Monster!” Said another.  “You can’t do anything right, your just a worthless little mutant!” Said another.  Twilight felt bad for the poor little foal, she tried to call out to the ponies to make them stop but she just couldn’t speak.  It was then that she realized who the little alicorn was, it was Heart Wing, she was in his memories.  The scene soon changed before her and she was now in a rundown old house, she saw little Heart Wing with a unicorn mare with a light blue coat and a purple mane and tail, her cutie mark was a crystal ball with four stars around it.  There was a Pegasus stallion with a black coat and a grey mane and tail with a shooting star for a cutie mark.

Twilight figured these must be Heart Wings parents, it looked as if they were trying to comfort him as he just sat there with a frown on his face.  She heard the unicorn mare speak.  “Now Heart Wing, you need to just ignore what those mean kids said, you are not worthless, your special, you just need to try and believe in yourself.”

The stallion then spoke up.  “Son, I know you might not believe us, but you are destined for great things, you need to just ignore what they said and listen to what where telling you.  I promise one day you will find out just how special you are.”

Heart Wing looked up at his parents.  “Dad, if I’m so special, then why do I keep getting these pains in my chest, what does it mean, so far it only happened three times.”

Heart’s mother answered.  “Those pains are your heart trying to tell you something, you need to stop fighting it and listen to what it’s trying to tell you.”

Heart Wing spoke again.  “I don’t want to listen to it if it hurts so much.  What’s the point anyway.”  With those last words, the scene changed again.  

Twilight then found herself in the abyss again, but this time there was a dark grey floor and blackness all around.  As she looked around, she found Heart Wing as he is now without his cloak.  “Heart Wing!” She called out to him, suddenly startled that she was able to talk again.  Heart Wing didn’t answer, he had his back turned to her looking up at something. 

Twilight made her way over to Heart to see what he was looking at.  She came up next to him and tried to get his attention.  “Heart Wing, what is it, what are you looking at?”  She then turned her head and looked up to see what he was staring at.  Before her was a large black door with carvings of ponies that appeared to be in pain, she could swear she heard wailing coming from it.  But there was something else about the door that didn’t seem right, something that seemed out of place.

As she looked upon it, she saw nine cracks on the door, One on the top of it coming down in a vertical way, three on one side horizontally, three other horizontal cracks on the other side, and two more vertical cracks on the bottom, each one seemed to be emitting a white light.  “Heart Wing, what is this?” Twilight asked with worry and fear, the door itself seemed to fill her with sadness and fear as she looked upon it.  She looked to Heart Wing to try and get an answer, only to find him staring at it with utter terror.  His eyes were wide with fear, he then collapsed to the dark floor, quivering and whimpering before this door.

Twilight grew worried for Heart.  “Heart Wing, what is it, what’s wrong, please answer me!”  Nothing, he was just too scared of the door to do anything but cower.  Twilight couldn’t take it anymore.  She decided to try and remove this door herself.  She faced the horrid thing, charged her horn with magic and fired a bolt of purple energy at it to try and destroy it.  The bolt hit the door, only to have it rebound back to her and violently forced her out of Heart’s mind.  Heart Wing and Twilight both fell backwards from the force.  

Spike saw this and cried out in fear as he dropped the parchment and quill and rushed to Twilight’s side.  “TWILIGHT, are you ok, what happened?”  

Twilight slowly got up as she rubbed her head.  “Oh my head, what was that? OH MY, HEART WING!”  Twilight then looked to see if Heart Wing was all right.  She quickly got up and made her way over to him only to find him cowering and muttering something to himself that she couldn’t make out.  Twilight carefully put a hoof on his shoulder to try and get his attention and calm down.

As soon as she touched him, he seemed to snap out of it.  “AH, UH, huh, T-Twilight, wh-what just happened?  What was that door that frightened me so much?”

Twilight looked down at Heart Wing with a frown.  “I-I don’t know, I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Heart Wing finally stood up.  “Do you think it has something to do with why I can’t use magic?”

“It must be, whatever it is.  I can only think of one pony who might be able to help in dealing with this.”

“Oh yeah, who?”

“Princess Celestia, she’s sure to be able to help in some way.”

Heart Wing still kept his skepticism.  “Yeah right, why would she bother to help some lowly pony like me?”
“Because I’ll ask her to, I am her personal student after all, and besides, she is very kind and caring.  Heart Wing, there is something seriously wrong with you, that…….thing, whatever it was shouldn’t be there.  I just know that once I inform her of it, she’ll want to take immediate action.”

“If you say so, I’m still having trouble understanding why you all are going out of your way just to help me, this…..friendship thing just doesn’t make any sense to me.”

“Spike, take a letter please.”

Spike saluted again.  “Yes mam.”  He then rushed over to the parchments they brought and got ready to take a letter.

Twilight began to dictate.  “Dear Princess Celestia, I have some urgent news to report.  A new alicorn has appeared in Equestria, he has been here for a few days now.  I am sorry for not informing you sooner, but he was injured when Applejack found him.  His name is Heart Wing, he has been recovering from his injuries at Applejacks place.  It seems that there is something wrong with him. Every once in a while, he gets these chest pains that eminate from his heart, I had a doctor give him a physical examination but he couldn’t find anything wrong.  Also, for some reason, he is unable to use magic, I used a spell I learned to try and see if I can find out why.  Upon casting it, I was unexpectedly sent through his mind where I then found a very strange dark and disturbing door with depictions of ponies in pain.”

“I tried to blast the door with my magic as it seemed to fill Heart Wing with fear, but I couldn’t destroy it, when I tried, I was violently forced out of Heart’s head.  I request your help with this in hopes that you might be able to help Heart Wing.  Sincerely, your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.”

Spike then wrote the last line on the letter.  “Got it, It’s all ready to go.”  Spike then rolled up the letter and put a red ribbon on it to seal it.

“Thank you Spike, go ahead and send it please.”

Spike made his way over to the window, opened it, and blew green fire out of his mouth on to the scroll, in a puff of smoke, it was gone.

Heart Wing spoke after the letter was gone.  “I still say you’re wasting your time.  She’s not gonna want to waste her time with a lowly peasant like me.”

“She will if I ask her to, she always has time for my friends.”

It wasn’t long before a response was received as Spike belched out a letter from Celestia.  Spike picked it up and read it out loud.  “Dear Twilight Sparkle, I am most intrigued by this bit of news, I can understand why you did not inform me of the alicorn sooner.  I am very eager to meet this new friend of yours, I am however curious about what seems to be wrong with him.  I must say that what you described sounds like very dark and ancient magic at work.  I would be more than happy to do what I can to help.  You and all your friends are welcome to come to the castle tomorrow, I, my sister Luna, and Cadence will be there to greet you.  Signed, Princess Celestia.”

Twilight smiled at Heart Wing.  “Told you she’d want to help, looks like we’ve got an appointment with royalty.  You go ahead and rest up, I’ll go and tell the others about what’s going on.  See you tomorrow Heart Wing.”

Heart Wing was once again left in disbelief that a princess was willing to help him.  He didn’t know what to make of all this, he was curious about what that door inside of him was and why it filled him with such terror just from looking at it.  He figured that he would get his answers tomorrow when he meets with these princesses of Equestria.  Little does he know that he is about to meet other alicorns like himself.   

> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 5

Heart Wing was just now waking up as Applejack came in with breakfast for him.  He had his cloak sitting at the foot of the bed.  “Mornin Heart Wing, did ya sleep well?”

“I’ll admit that sleeping in a bed is a lot better than sleeping on the ground while it rains, or in a dark dank cave, so I can say that yes, I did have a good night’s sleep compared to all the other nights while I was searching for Equestria.”

Applejack smiled at Heart’s answer.  “Glad ta hear it, here’s breakfast for ya, some nice apple flapjacks.”  Applejack gave Heart Wing the plate so he could eat.  “And once yer done with breakfast, we can finally take off yer bandages and cast. Bet yer glad about that.”

Heart Wing didn’t respond, he just went right to eating.  Thanks to Applejack, Heart Wing was starting to finally put on a bit of weight so his ribs were no longer showing, he was really starting to look much healthier.  Applejack just sat there and watched Heart Wing eat so she could take his plate from him and get his bandages off.  

Once Heart Wing was done, Applejack placed his plate on the night stand.  “All right then, let’s get them things off.”  Heart Wing climbed out of bed and sat there while Applejack removed the bandages around his head.  “There we go, and now yer cast.”  Applejack then carefully removed the cast around his foreleg.

Once that was off, Heart Wing moved his leg around to test it to see if there was any residual pain.  He was satisfied when he felt none as he moved it.  “Well, that’s that then, um Applejack…..I just want to……..oh how do I do this.”

Applejack looked at Heart curiously.  “Do what sugar cube?”

Heart looked very deep in thought as he seemed to be searching for something in his mind.  “Well, you and your friends are the first ponies ever, besides my parents, to care about me and I’m trying to figure out what I’m supposed to say for what you all have done for me.”

Applejack smiled as she realized what he was trying to say.  “I believe the word you’re looking for is thank you.  That’s what you say to some pony that does somethin fer ya.”

“Oh, ok then, thank you Applejack for all you have done for me.  And I suppose I should say that to the others as well.”

“Yer welcome darlin, now come on, we’ve got an appointment with the princesses ta get to.”
Heart Wing then grabbed his cloak and put it on with his hood up.  He followed Applejack out to the living room where the rest of her family was.  Granny Smith was the first to speak up.  “Glad ta see ya finally up and about ther young fella.”

Heart Wing looked at Granny Smith as he responded back.  “I want to thank you and your family for being so hospitable.  I really appreciate it.”

“Think nothin of it youngin, ya’ll just take care of yer self, yer more than welcome ta stay here when ya get back from yer meetin with the princesses until ya’ll can find a place of yer own here in town.”

Apple Bloom then decided to speak up.  “And once you get back, me and my friends will be ready ta make you an honorary member of the cutie mark crusaders.”  She was grinning from ear to ear as she spoke.

Even Applejack chuckled a little.  “All right now, we’ll be back later, you’ll be all right to take of things while I’m gone right Big Mac?”

“Eyup.”  Was all he said.

Applejack and Heart Wing made their way out of the house, as soon as Heart Wing stepped out and into the sun, his eyes were assaulted with the brightness of the day, even with his cloak on, he could see how bright the day was.  He had to put his hoof to his face to shield his eyes for a moment so they could adjust to being out in the sun after being cooped up indoors for so long.  Applejack noticed Heart Wing stop.  “You all right there sugar cube.”

“Yeah, I just need a moment for my eyes to adjust.”  Even with his cloak on, Heart Wing could also feel the warmth of the morning sun, it felt so comforting in combination with his cloak, but, as usual, he showed no sign of pleasure at the warm sensation.  Once his eyes finally adjusted, they continued on their way to the train station to head to Canterlot to meet the princesses.

As Applejack led the way, Heart Wing took in the sights of Ponyville, everywhere he looked, ponies were happily going about their business with smiles on their faces, chatting, or just enjoying each other’s company.  The town seemed so much more cheery and happy compared to the towns and villages he had been to before.  “Applejack, is this town always so…..cheerful?”

Applejack smiled as she answered.  “Yep, and so is everywhere else here in Equestria, all thanks to our princesses, Celestia and Luna.”

“What about this princess Cadence, isn’t she one of your princesses too?”

“Well ya see, she’s actually the princess of a small kingdom that’s a part of Equestria called the Crystal Empire.  She and her husband are here on a break from their duties to pay a visit to Celestia and Luna, she’s their cousin.”

They soon arrived at the train station and met up with the other ponies. Applejack gave her usual greeting.  “Howdy ya’ll.”  

Twilight then gave her greeting.  “Hi Applejack, hey Heart Wing, feeling any better today?”

“Let’s just say that I’m relieved to finally be able to get up and walk around again, being stuck in a room for so long was so boring.”

Rainbow Dash then responded.  “Tell me about it, I know what that’s like.  I was laid up for a few days myself with a broken wing after a new trick I tried grounded me and landed me in the hospital.  It was soooo boring.”

Pinkie then pointed something out.  “But Rainbow Dash, didn’t you have a book to read to keep you occupied, if I recall, you even tried to sneak back in after you were let out to try and steal the book.”

Rainbow Dash facehoofed at the recollection of that memory.  “I thought we agreed to never speak of that incident again.”

Rarity interjected.  “Excuse me, but shouldn’t we get on the train before it leaves without us, the princesses are expecting us after all.”

Twilight agreed.  “Right, let’s get on board and take a seat.”  The group filed into the train and found a place to sit.  They scattered about one of the cars in different places close to each other so they could chat on the ride to Canterlot.  Heart Wing just took a seat in the back of the car away from the others and took a window seat.

Heart Wing just stared out the window at the passing scenery as the train sped on.  It was an uneventful train ride as the girls just chatted amongst themselves until the train finally arrived at Canterlot station.  The group filed out and began to make their way through Canterlot to the castle.  Heart Wing was once again taking in the scenery as they walked, he noticed how the ponies here wore fancy clothes and seemed a bit more snobbish as they went about their business.  The town itself also seemed nicer compared to Ponyville.  The buildings were made with stones instead of wood for the building and straw on the roof.

With Twilight leading the way, they soon came upon the doors to the palace with two guards standing watch.  They stood at attention upon seeing them approach.  “Miss Sparkle, good to see you, the princesses are waiting for you in the throne room.” One of the guards said.  They then opened the door to let them in.

The group entered the palace and was greeted by a unicorn stallion in front of a set of stairs.  This unicorn had a white coat, three shades of blue were in his mane and tail, a light blue, blue and dark blue, his cutie mark was of a dark blue shield with a pink six pointed star.  Twilight quickly ran up to him to greet him.  “Shining Armor, It’s good to see you big brother.”  She said as they hugged.

He responded back as they hugged.  “It’s good to see you two Twili.”  They broke their embrace.  He then turned his attention to the others that came.  “Hey girls, it’s nice to see you all as well.”

They each gave a greeting with Pinkie starting off.  “Hey Shinning, how’s married life treating you?”

Shinning answered with a big grin.  “It’s great, marrying a princess is certainly a great way to step up on the career ladder.”  He chuckled at his little joke, the others shared in the laughter too.

Rarity then spoke up.  “Anything new going on at the Crystal Empire?”

“Nope, things have been pretty quiet since we defeated King Sombre.”

Fluttershy then spoke up.  “That’s good to hear.”

Shining Armor then turned his attention to Applejack.  “What about you, is there anything new going on with you Applejack?”

She smirked as she answered.  “Well, other than catching an apple thief, causing him to fall down a hill, bandaging him up and finding out that he’s an alicorn, not really.”  The group shared a good laugh at that. All the while, Heart Wing just hung back while the group talked.

Twilight decided to finally introduce Heart Wing.  “Shining Armor, this is Heart Wing, he’s the one the princesses are going to meet, Heart Wing, this is my big brother Shining Armor.”

Shining approached Heart Wing to say hello.  “Hey there, it’s nice to meet you.”
Heart Wing hesitantly greeted back.  “Um, h-hello.”

“So you’re an alicorn huh, gotta say that’s pretty surprising, would you mind if I saw for myself?”

“I-I’d really rather n-not right now.”

“That’s fine, come on, we’d better get to the throne room.”  Shining Armor then led the group through the castle to a pair of large grey doors, one had a carving of the sun while the other had a carving of the moon.  Two unicorn guards were on either side of the door and stood at attention at the groups approach.  Their horns lit up and opened the doors so they could pass.

They entered the throne room which was massive, colorful stain glass windows lined the walls, all with different images of something going on.  Heart Wing noticed one of six ponies shooting rays from them at a creature that looked like it was made up of different animal parts, another of what looked like a little dragon that had a striking resemblance to the little dragon he met earlier holding a heart shaped crystal.

Heart Wing noticed that each one seemed to tell a story in some way.  His attention was drawn from the windows as he heard Twilight call out.  “Cadence, it’s great to see you again.”  He saw Twilight run up to one of the three new ponies in the room.  He watched as they did a little song and dance together.  “Sunshine sunshine lady bugs awake, clap your hooves and do a little shake.”  They did it in perfect unison.

The one identified as Cadence spoke up.  “It’s great to see you again Twilight, how are things going in Ponyville?”

Twilight answered.  “Things are great, every pony is doing just fine as usual.”

“Glad to hear it, I understand you’ve made a new friend who just so happens to be an alicorn.”

Heart Wing’s mouth hung open as he realized that he was standing before three creatures with both a horn and wings like him.  He just stood there as the girls all gave a bow to the other two and said their hello’s.  He just couldn’t believe what he was seeing, real alicorns, real live alicorns before his very eyes.  Heart Wing was just too stunned to do or say anything at all.  

The girls finally made their way over to Heart Wing to introduce the princesses to him.  Twilight began.  “Celestia, Luna, Cadence, this is Heart Wing.”

The first to address him was the alicorn that did that little dance with Twilight.  She had a pink coat, with a multi colored mane and tail with light purple, pink and yellow colors, her cutie mark was of a heart shaped crystal with gold looking swirls coming from behind it.  “Hello there Heart Wing, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”  This was Cadence.

The next was an alicorn with a dark blue coat and her mane and tail appeared ethereal and looked like it was made of the night sky as it sparkled. Her cutie mark was a black splotch with a crescent moon over it.  “Yes, we were most eager upon hearing the news of another alicorn.”  This was princess Luna.

Finally the tallest of all the ponies in the room, she had a white coat and her mane and tail also appeared to be ethereal as they moved and flowed on their own. They were colored with light green, light blue,   another light green, and a light red streak.  This was Princess Celestia.  She spoke with the kindest voice he had ever heard, it almost reminded him of his mother.  “Well met Heart Wing, would you be so kind as to show us what you look like under that cloak?”

Heart Wing just kept staring at them with his mouth hanging open.  It took a jab from Rainbow Dash to get him to finally speak.  “HUH, oh uh I…uh….that is….um.”  He stammered, he still couldn’t speak straight. Almost every pony in the room laughed at Heart Wings inability to form words.

Even Celestia let out a little chuckle.  “It’s all right, you won’t be judged, as I understand it, there is something wrong with you and we are here to help you.”

Heart finally found the strength to talk.  “Oh…uh….yeah, just a second.”  Heart Wing removed his hood to show his face and reveal his horn, then he unfolded his wings from underneath his cloak and pushed it up with his wings forcing the cloak onto his back revealing his wings.

The three princesses were very happy to see another alicorn like them.  Luna just had to speak up.  “It is true, he is an alicorn, this is incredible.”

Celestia then spoke up.  “This is quite unexpected, but a good surprise.  Tell me Heart Wing, where do you come from?”

“I….uh….I…I…that is………..uh.”  Heart Wing still had trouble speaking.  

Applejack came up beside him to try and comfort him.  “It’s all right sugar cube, just tell them what they want to know, nothin bad will happen.”

Heart Wing seemed to find strength in Applejack’s words, he swallowed hard and found the courage to finally speak up.  “I…uh…I come from a village very far away from here called Stableton.  It’s not part of any country, it’s just a village in the middle of nowhere.”

Luna decided to ask a question next.  “And why did you come here to our country?”

Heart Wing folded his wings back to his sides allowing his cloak to come back down before answering.  “My mother, who was a unicorn, had a special talent for getting these visions of the future.  She didn’t have any control over them, but one day, before she passed away, she had a vision telling me that I should go to a town called Ponyville in a country called Equestria.  She told me that I would find happiness there.  No pony in Stableton had ever heard of this country before, so I had no idea how I would get to it.  It was sheer luck, I guess, that I stumbled into your country and Ponyville.”

“Ever since I got here, I haven’t really found any happiness, but these six ponies that brought me here before you have been very kind to me.  Other than my parents, they’re the only ponies I’ve met who have been so nice to me.  I am grateful to them for all the help they’ve given me, but I still can’t understand why they are going through so much trouble for some pony they barley even know.”

Celestia decided that she heard enough.  “I see, well I think we’ve heard enough, why don’t we get started with this problem of yours that Twilight told me about.  Cadence, Luna, I would like your assistance.”

Luna responded.  “Of course sister.”

Cadence responded as well.  “Of course.”

Celestia addressed Heart Wing.  “Heart Wing, please step forward, we will need to see this door inside of you for ourselves.”

Heart Wing hesitantly took his steps toward the three princesses.  Once he was directly in front of them, all three of them lit up their horns with magic and touched their horns to his.  Soon, all three alicorns found themselves in a dark abyss, they were standing in the same area as Twilight was when she was there.  The three spotted Heart Wing standing with his back turned to them in the same fashion as when Twilight was there as well.  The three princesses walked up to him.  Celestia was the first to try and get his attention.  “Heart Wing, can you hear me?”

Luna made an observation.  “Sister, I do believe he is struck with fear, his eyes seem fixated on something.

Cadence was the first to notice what Heart Wing was staring at as she turned away from him to see what he was looking at.  She spoke with a bit of fear in her voice.  “I think he’s afraid of….that.”  Cadence pointed with her hoof to the same black door with carvings of ponies in pain and agony, wailing.

Celestia and Luna turned to face the door as well, needless to say, they were utterly shocked at what they were looking at.  Luna was the first to speak in fear.  “What in the name of the eternal heard is that?”

Even Celestia, who was older and wiser than Luna and Cadence, was a little afraid.  “I….I don’t know, I’ve never seen anything like it.”  It didn’t help the matter that they could hear faint wails that seemed to eminate from the thing.

Cadence then pointed something out.  “What do you think those cracks are, I don’t think those are part of it.”  Cadence noticed the cracks in the door that seemed to have light coming out of them.

Luna agreed.  “I think your right, but what could have made them?”

Celestia started to have some suspicions.  She needed Heart Wing to answer some questions.  “Heart Wing, I need you to look at me, there is something very important I need to ask you.”  Heart Wing’s gaze never left the door, it was like he was mesmerized by it.  Celestia then used her royal Canterlot voice to try and get his attention.  “HEART WING, I NEED YOU TO LOOK AT ME NOW!!”

It seemed to work as Heart Wing shook his head and finally tore his gaze away from the door and to Celestia. “HUH what?”

Celestia was glad to finally get Heart’s attention and began to ask the question she wanted.  “Heart Wing, I need you to tell me exactly when you first started getting these pains.  What was going on when you had your attacks in Ponyville?”

Heart Wing began to think.  “Well, the first one I had in Ponyville began after Applejack took me in after my fall and said that she was going to do whatever she could to help me get better and be my friend after I told her about these beatings I got for stealing food.”

“Go on, what about the other times?”

“After that, the second pain attack came after Rarity gave me a bath and cleaned me up.  The next one came when Fluttershy pretty much initiated a group hug after I told them my life story.  The next one came after Twilight said she was going to make an appointment for me to see a doctor to give me a physical examination to try and find the source of my pain attacks.  The next one was after Pinkie gave me a cupcake, then presented me with a basket full of them.  Finally the last one I had came after Rainbow Dash said that she would teach me to fly after she found out that I never had the chance to learn.”

Celestia took on a contemplative look as she thought about each event and looked at the door.  “Hmmm, six pain attacks in Ponyville, six cracks on the sides of the door.  What about before then, did you have pains before coming to Ponyville?”

“Well, I did have three others when I was little.”

“What was going on at the times of those attacks?”

“The last two I had years ago was when my mother and father were trying to cheer me up after I was getting picked on by the other kids.”

“And what about the first one, what was happening then?”

“My father was taking me flying, I was riding on his back as he flew around to try and let me have some fun.  I never felt any joy from it.  He flew me so high up, it was like I could see forever, as he hovered there over the world, I saw something very strange.  Off in the very distance, I saw a faint circle of colors explode out of nowhere, followed by a rainbow.  It was really far away though so I couldn’t see it clearly, but it was after that that I first felt an intense pain in my chest.  I almost fell off my father’s back from it.  And that’s it.”

Celestia spoke up.  “That’s it, nine pain attacks, nine cracks, each attack you’ve experienced was from ponies performing an act of kindness and caring for you. What you saw when you had your first attack occurred when you saw a sonic rainboom.”

Heart Wing looked at Celestia with confusion.  “A sonic what now?”

Luna explained.  “A sonic rainboom is an event that occurs when a Pegasus reaches speeds that breaks the sound barrier and light spectrum barrier, causing a sonic boom accompanied by a rainbow of colors.  So far, only one Pegasus has ever pulled it off.  That Pegasus is Rainbow Dash.”

Heart Wing was now even more confused.  “Wait, so your telling me that it was because of me seeing this sonic rainboom that I started having these pains? How is that even possible?”

Cadence then began to explain.  “Don’t you see Heart Wing, eight of the nine times you felt pain, it came after your mother, father, and the six ponies who helped you showed you an act of kindness, that very same sonic rainboom that you saw is how Rainbow Dash earned her cutie mark and helped the other five earn theirs.  You’ve felt pain erupt from your heart nine times, and there are nine cracks in the door.”

“So…..your telling me that whenever I had these attacks, a crack formed in that thing?”

Celestia answered.  “Yes Heart Wing, whatever that is, it is the source of your misery, that is the reason why you can’t feel joy or sorrow like you should.  That thing is what is keeping your heart locked up and keeping you from accessing your magic.  If you wish to free your heart, you must concentrate on the friends you’ve made here and let their friendship help you to destroy that thing, we can help, but you must focus on your friends and all that they have done for you.”

“But…every time they did something nice for me, I felt so much pain, how is that going to help me?”

Luna began to explain.  “That pain is your heart trying to break free of this curse your under, I know it hurts, but you must fight past it. While you focus on your friends, we will focus our magic on weakening and destroying it.”

“But…..I…..I.”  

Before he could finish his thought, Cadence placed her hoof on his shoulder to comfort him.  “It’s all right Heart Wing, we won’t let anything bad happen to you, were here for you.”

“All right, I’ll try.  Let’s do this then.”  Heart Wing then turned to face the source of his troubles as Celestia, Luna, and Cadence all took up a position just behind Heart Wing and readied their horns to blast the wretched door.  Heart Wing closed his eyes and focused his thoughts on the ponies that had been so kind to him the past few days.  Celestia, Luna, and Cadence all then fired a powerful stream of magic at the door.  Heart Wing was filled with pain as the princesses blasted away at the door, but Heart Wing did his best to ignore it and keep his focus on the ponies who were so kind to him, the ponies who helped him, the ponies who were……his friends.

As he thought of the word friends upon realizing everything the six ponies had done for him are what friends do for each other, the cracks in the door began to grow bigger and more numerous. Heart Wing’s pain increased as the door weakened, but he didn’t falter as he continued to keep his thoughts on his new friends while the princesses continued their assault on the door.  

Eventually, the door finally burst into pieces and a flood of white glowing water burst forth from where the door was, it swirled around like it had a mind of it’s own as it circled around Heart Wing and began to envelope his body.  He was lifted up and his entire form was aglow, it was so bright, the princesses couldn’t look, suddenly, a surge of energy emitted from Heart Wing that forced the three alicorns out of the abyss and back to reality.

In the throne room, the princesses were thrown back and all the other ponies in the room had to keep their distance as Heart’s body let off the same glow of white magic, he lifted off the ground a few feet and a pillar of light shot forth to the heavens, punching a hole in the roof of the castle.  After a moment, the light faded, Heart Wing slowly floated to the ground and fell unconscious.

The princesses, Shining Armor, Twilight and her friends all gathered around Heart Wing as he lay on the ground before them.  Twilight addressed Celestia.  “Princess Celestia, what happened, is he ok?”

Celestia began to explain.  “It’s all right Twilight, Heart Wing will be just fine now, it seems he was under some sort of curse that locked away his heart and prevented him access to his own magic, we’ve managed to remove it, but his body will need time to adjust to his new found power.”

Rarity wanted to know how long he would be out.  “How long is he going to be unconscious for?”

Luna answered.  “He’ll be out for a day and night, he should wake up by tomorrow morning.  It is best that he stay here until he wakes up so we can keep an eye on him.”

Applejack decided to voice her concerns.  “Beggin your pardin yer majesties, but would it be all right if’n we stayed here too, I reckon we all wanna be there for him when he wakes up.”  The girls all nodded in agreement.

Celestia smiled at the six ponies before her.  “Very well, I’ll send word to your families that you’ll be staying here at the castle until tomorrow.  Shining Armor, would you be so kind as to fetch one of my guards to take Heart Wing to one of the available rooms?”

“Actually, I wouldn’t mind doing that myself.  I’ll take him to one of the guest rooms, you girls can follow me and I’ll show you to the rooms you’ll be staying in.”

Celestia gave here thanks.  “Thank you Shining Armor, I appreciate it.”

Shining Armor then levitated Heart Wing onto his back and led the girls to the part of the castle where they would stay the night until Heart Wing woke up.  Once they were gone, Luna noticed a worried expression appear on her big sister’s face.  “Sister, what is wrong, why do you look so worried?”

“I can’t help but wonder where such a powerful curse came from, it took all three of us and Heart Wing’s thoughts to destroy it completely.  Whatever placed that curse on Heart Wing, it must have been very powerful and dark.  I only hope that whatever did this is no longer around.  What also concerns me is how was an alicorn born of a Pegasus and a unicorn, such a thing should not be possible.”

One CAN only hope that whatever it was that cursed Heart Wing is long gone, but it still begs the question as to what did place that curse on Heart Wing, and why was it placed on him?  These questions may very well go unanswered.

> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 6


Heart Wing slowly stirred from his slumber as he woke up, he let out a groan as he sat up in a large bed he found himself in. It had a nice thick blue sheet and big comfy pillows under his head.  He took in the room he was in and saw a light blue carpet for the floor, a kind of dresser on the other side of the room with an open door on its left that led to a bathroom, a large window on his right and another door to his left.  He closed one eye as he moved a hoof to his head and groaned again.  “Oh, my head, what happened?"  He crawled out of bed and took off his cloak to get more comfortable.

As he looked at it, he began to remember what had happened, how the princesses helped him remove that accursed door from his heart.  Then thoughts of his mother and father arose within him.  As he looked at his cloak, he remembered everything his parents tried to do for him to make him happy, and how they had died.  For the first time in his life, tears started to form in his eyes, he noticed a warm sensation upon his cheeks.  He placed a hoof to his face and wiped at it to see what was making his face wet, he noticed a dampness emanating from his eyes, it was then that he realized that he was actually crying.

“I…..I’m crying.”  It was then that he also began to feel a great sadness build up within him.  At the same time, the girls all decided to come in to the room to see if Heart Wing was awake.

“Good morning Heart Wing, we came to-“  Twilight cut herself off when she saw Heart Wing was crying.

“Heart Wing, what’s wrong, why are you crying?”  Fluttershy asked with concern.

“I…..I just can’t seem to stop myself, as I-I was l-looking at my cloak, I just-just started thinking about my parents and….and.” Heart Wing couldn’t finish as he broke down even more and a torrent of tears let loose, Fluttershy was the first to make her way over to Heart Wing and gave him a hug to try and comfort him.

“Shhh, it’s ok Heart Wing, just let it all out, you don’t have to hold back anymore.”  Fluttershy cooed as she held Heart Wing, Heart Wing returned the favor as he wrapped his hooves around her and continued to cry out.  

“I…I just c-can’t s-s-stop, what- what’s wrong?”  Heart Wing tried to ask through his sobs as he cried.

Twilight thought she had the answer.  “I think that now that the curse you were under is gone which kept you from really being able to feel, your emotions are finally catching up to you.  All the pain and sadness you experienced in life are now free to come out.  That’s why your crying.”  Twilight then made her way over to Heart Wing and joined in on the hug.  Heart Wing then wrapped one of his hooves around her as he now had two shoulders to cry over.  Then all the girls joined in on a group hug to comfort Heart Wing until he felt better.

Almost an hour had passed as he seemed to finally settle down and they all broke the group hug.  “Feeling any better Heart Wing?” Fluttershy asked.

Heart Wing sniffled a little as he answered.  “*SNIFF* Yeah, a little, it actually feels good to let it out, I’ve never cried before, thanks for……being here for me, I guess.”

“Think nothing of it dear, that’s what friends are for.”  Said Rarity.

“So, how long was I out?” Heart Wing asked.

Rainbow Dash answered.  “You were out for a whole day and night, Princess Celestia told us about what happened with the door.”

“She also told us about how you saw a sonic rainboom when you had that first pain attack.” Pinkie pointed out.

Applejack followed up.  “Do ya realize what that means sugar cube, we all saw that same sonic rainboom too, and it helped us get our cutie marks.”

“It means that we were destined to be friends, we all have a very special connection.”  Twilight continued.

Heart Wing wasn’t too sure about that.  “But how, sure I saw the same sonic rainboom as you all, but it didn’t help me get my cutie mark, I don’t even have one, all it did was weaken the curse I was under.”

The girls but Fluttershy gave a smirk at Heart Wing.  He looked at each of them curiously.  “What, why are you all looking at me like that?”

“No cutie mark huh, then what’s that mark on your flank?”  Rainbow Dash pointed a hoof to his backside.

Heart Wing kept his confused look at Rainbow, then he turned to look at what she was pointing at.  Sure enough there was a mark on his flank, a golden three pronged crown with a pink heart on it.  Heart Wing’s eyes widened as he looked at his new cutie mark.  “I…..I don’t believe it, how did…..where did….HUH?”  A big smile soon took over his face, it was so big, it seemed to threaten to tear his face in half.  “I’VE GOT A CUTIE MARK, WHOOOHOOO, THIS IS INCREDIBLE, YAHOOO!!”  Heart Wing was so happy, he started jumping around the room and whooping it up.  “HAH, I’M ACTUALLY HAPPY, THIS IS SOOOO WONDERFUL, WHAHOOOOO, I LOVE THIS!!”

The girls all just watched in amazement and glee as they saw his excitement over discovering his cutie mark.  They just laughed along with him.  They knew that this was the first time he ever felt any joy in his life, so they just let him continue until he was done.  Finally he stopped jumping around when a thought crossed his mind.  “Wait, how did I get it, I never found my special talent, so why do I have a cutie mark?”

After some thought, Twilight figured she had come up with an answer.  “Maybe that curse kept you from having your cutie mark appear as well, it kept you from your magic and your emotions, why not your cutie mark as well?”

Heart Wing also took on a contemplative look.  “I guess that makes sense.”  Everyone’s thoughts were soon interrupted by a rumbling sound, Heart Wing’s stomach was telling him it was time for breakfast.

“Come on Heart, Celestia invited us to join her, Luna and Cadence for breakfast.”  Fluttershy informed Heart Wing.  

Before they left, Heart Wing went over to his cloak and picked it up again, he just sat there and looked at it a moment.  “What is it Heart Wing, are you going to wear your cloak?”  Asked Rarity.

“I……I don’t feel like I need it anymore, but…….I don’t want to just get rid of it, it was the last thing my mother gave me before she……she-“  Pinkie cut him off by putting a hoof on his shoulder.

“It’s all right Heart Wing, you don’t have to get rid of it, you can still keep it, just wear it whenever you want.”

Heart Wing smiled at Pinkie Pie.  “Your right Pinkie, with everything that’s happened, I don’t feel ashamed of what I am, I am a real alicorn, and I am NOT a freak.”

“That’s the spirit sugar cube, now come on, let’s go get some grub.”   Applejack cheered.  The girls then led Heart Wing through the castle to the dining hall. 

Once they entered, the princesses were already there waiting for them.  Celestia and Luna sat next to each other at the head of the long table, while Cadence and Shining Armor sat next to each other to the left of Celestia.  The girls all gave a bow with Heart Wing following their motion.  Celestia smiled at them as she spoke.  “Good morning my little ponies, I trust you all had a good night’s sleep?”

Twilight answered for the group.  “We did princess, thank you, and it was a very beautiful night as usual princess Luna, thank you.”

It was Luna’s turn to smile now.  “You’re welcome, I am always glad to know that my nights are appreciated.”

Heart Wing seemed confused by this conversation, he just had to speak up and ask something.  “Um, excuse me your majesties, pardon the interruption, but…..what do you mean your nights?”

Twilight seemed to take on a look of shock as she responded to Heart Wing’s question.  “WHAT, don’t tell me you don’t know!”

Heart Wing then turned his attention to Twilight, along with the other ponies in the room. “Know what, what’s going on?”  He asked with nervousness in his voice.

Celestia had already figured out that Heart Wing didn’t know that she and her sister controlled the sun and moon.  “Twilight, it’s all right, I’ll explain.”  Twilight relaxed a bit and let Celestia talk.  “you see Heart Wing, my sister and I control the day and night, I raise the sun every day, and my sister raises the moon each night.”

“You two control the day and night?! I….that’s incredible, I had no idea, p-please forgive my ignorance your majesties.”  Heart Wing quickly gave a bow before them.  

The two princesses just smiled, Celestia spoke to ease his worries.  “It’s all right Heart, come, let’s begin our meal.”  With that out of the way, they all took a seat at the table.  Twilight sat next to her big brother, Heart Wing took a seat next to her, followed by Fluttershy, then Pinkie pie.  On the other side of the table, Rainbow Dash sat across from Heart, followed by Rarity and Applejack.

Some unicorn servants then entered the room levitating plates of pancakes for every pony.  They set the plates in front of each and they all began to dig in, except for Heart Wing, upon seeing Twilight levitate her fork with her magic to begin eating, a thought crossed his mind.  “Excuse me Princess Celestia, your majesty.”

Celestia turned her attention away from her plate to Heart Wing, as did every other pony.  “You may address me as Celestia Heart, what can I do for you?”

“OH uh, nothing, you, Luna and Cadence have already done so much for me  and I am very grateful for it, I just had a question.”

“Yes what is it?”

“Now that that curse is gone, I have access to my magic now right?”

Celestia gave a knowing smile as she answered.  She figured where this was going.  “why yes, you do.”

Heart Wing then turned his attention to Twilight.  “Twilight, do you think you could teach me how you do that levitation thing with your fork? I’d really like to give this magic thing a try.”

Twilight grinned from ear to ear.  “Of course Heart Wing, it’s real easy.  Just think about what you want your fork to do and it’ll do it, use your imagination and your magic will make it happen.”

“Ok, here goes.”  Every pony in the room watched in anticipation as Heart Wing was about to attempt his first try at magic.  He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on the fork.  His horn sparked to life as it glowed with a white aura.  He may have concentrated too hard as his plate of pancakes exploded in his face instead, as well as get pieces of pancakes and syrup on some of the others, Celestia and Luna included.

Heart Wing slowly opened his eyes as his face was covered in syrup and chunks of panckes,  Rainbow Dash and Pinkie were trying very hard not to laugh at Heart’s misfortune, and failed miserably as they started bursting with laughter, Rainbow Dash started rolling around laughing hysterically with Pinkie soon joining her.  Rarity gave Rainbow Dash a menacing glare to try and get her to stop but it didn’t work, Applejack was giving Pinkie the same look with little success as well.  Fluttershy and Twilight both looked to Heart With worry in their eyes.

“Oh my goodness, Heart Wing, are you all right?”  Fluttershy asked out of concern, despite the fact that she had some of the pancake and syrup on her.  The same could be said for Twilight, since they were sitting next to ground zero of the great pancake disaster.

Heart Wing didn’t say anything for a moment, then a smile crept across his face, he spoke.  “Well, guess breakfast is on me.”  He then burst out laughing at the little incident he caused.

Pinkie managed to speak through her fits of laughter.  “Breakfast is on me?!  That’s hilarious, HA HA HA *SNORT* HA HA HA HA!”

“I’ll say, HA HA HA, THAT’S A GOOD ONE HA HA HA HA!”  Rainbow Dash agreed.  Even Twilight and Fluttershy started to giggle, followed by Rarity and Applejack, Then Shining Armor and Cadence.  Finally even Celestia let out a few giggles at the laughter that soon filled the hall.  Luna seemed to be the only one to not get the joke as she just stared in confusion.

“Sister, I do not get it, what is so funny?”  Celestia leaned in to whisper in her sister’s ear to tell her.  “Oh, I get it, that is most amusing, HA HA!”  Now Luna was sharing in the joy.

After a while, the room finally calmed down as the servants brought another plate of pancakes for Heart Wing.  “Thank you.”  He said to the servant, he simply nodded with a smile and returned to the kitchen.  “Let’s try this again without any explosions.”  Heart Wing said with a jest, which coaxed a small fit of giggles from Rainbow Dash and Pinkie.

“Now try not to use so much magic this time and don’t concentrate so hard, just take it easy.”  Twilight instructed.

Heart Wing nodded in understanding, he turned his attention to his fork, he kept his eyes open this time, his horn once again flared to life with a white aura, his fork soon became enveloped by the same aura and lifted up off the table.  Heart Wing’s smile returned to his face as he saw the fork lift up under his power.  “I did it, I did it, HA HA, this is great, I can actually do magic now.”  In his elation, he lost his focus on the fork and quickly grabbed Twilight in a hug.  “Oh thank you Twilight, thank you for showing me how to do that!”

Twilight just hugged back as she smiled and responded.  “You’re welcome Heart Wing.”

Heart Wing then quickly released Twilight as an idea came to him.  “HEY, Twilight, do you think maybe you could be my magic teacher, pleeeeease.”  After he asked that, another thought came to his mind as he seemed to frown a little.  “Oh, wait, never mind, you’re probably too busy to teach some pony how to use magic.”  Twilight was pretty busy with her studies, sure she was able to take time away every once in a while to hang out with her friends, but would she be able to juggle her studies, her friends, AND teaching some pony to use magic?

As if sensing what Twilight was thinking, Celestia addressed her.  “Twilight, I can think of no other pony more suited to be his magic teacher then you. I will be more lax in your studies so you can have the time to teach him.”

Both Twilight and Heart Wing smiled big, Twilight was the first to express herself.  “Thank you princess, Heart Wing, I would be more than happy to be your magic teacher.”

“Thank you Twilight, and thank you princess, I promise to work real hard so I can learn to master my new powers.”  Heart Wing then began to try and levitate his fork again to begin eating, he was met with great success as he became familiar with how to move it with his mind, within no time, he was able to move it just as easily as Twilight could move things around.  In his excitement, Heart Wing finished his meal long before any pony else did.  With his plate now empty, he let out a satisfied burp.  “Excuse me.” He said with a bit of embarrassment.  “So Rainbow Dash, I was thinking.”  

Rainbow Dash turned her attention to Heart Wing upon hearing him call to her.  “What’s up Heart?”

“Well, I’m kind of eager to get started with those flying lessons you said you’d give me, do you think we can get started now, please.”

“Heh, sure, with your size and my awesomeness, I’m sure I can show you how to get off the ground in no time.  Come on, we can use the castle’s garden as our training area.”

“OOH OOH, can we come and watch!”  Pinkie asked eagerly.

Rainbow faked a thinking look to tease Pinkie.  “Weeeelllll, ok, sure, are you ok with that Heart Wing?”

Heart Wing smiled as he answered.  “Of course I am, I want all my friends there to see me when I take my first flight.  Princesses, prince Shining Armor, your highness, your all welcome to come too if you want.”

“Thanks, but me and Cadence have plans today, we just want some alone time.” Shining Armor answered.

“Me and my sister would be glad to join you, I think it would be quit enjoyable.”  Celestia answered.

Luna then chimed in.  “Yes, we would be most pleased to see how well you fly with Rainbow Dash as your teacher.”   A plan was now set, Celestia, Luna, and the girls all made their way to the gardens to watch Rainbow Dash give Heart Wing his first flying lesson.  Needless to say, Heart Wing was brimming with anticipation and excitement.

Once in the gardens, Celestia and Luna laid down next to each other behind Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinki Pie to watch Rainbow Dash and Heart Wing.  Rainbow Dash began her lesson.  “Now then, before we get started with the flying, it’s important to get a good feel for your wings, to know how they move and flex.  Are you already familiar with that Heart?”

“Well, I don’t think so, all I’ve ever done with them is fold them in and out.”

“Then get them at the ready, were going to do a few wing exercises first to loosen them up so they don’t cramp up and let you get a good feel for them.  Just do what I do with your wings.”

“Right.”  Heart Wing then unfolded his wings at the ready to copy what Rainbow Dash was about to do.

“Let’s start with a few circular motions, just follow my lead.”  Rainbow Dash then started moving her wings in a circular motion.  Heart Wing started making circles with his wings as well.  “Now, the other direction.”  Rainbow Dash then made circles in the other direction.  Heart Wing copied her in this as well.  “Good, now just stretch them out as far as you can to try and really loosen them up.”  Rainbow Dash then gave her wings a good stretch, Heart Wing, once again did as Rainbow Dash and stretched out his wings.  “All right, I think that’s enough stretching, did you get a good feel for your wings.”

“Yeah, it felt good to actually do all that with them then just folding them in and out.”

“Good, now were ready to begin, for now, let’s start with hovering, just start flapping your wings up and down until you start to lift up off the ground, the harder you flap, the higher up you go.”  Rainbow then demonstrated by flapping her wings and lifting herself up off the ground.  “Like this, now you try.”

Heart Wing nodded, he looked over to his wings, took a deep breath and started flapping his wings.  Pinkie watched in anticipation, while the others just watched.  Heart Wing flapped his wings a little harder when he noticed he wasn’t getting any lift, when he increased his flapping, his hooves finally left the ground and he lifted up into the air until he was level with Rainbow Dash.  “I did it, hah, I’m actually off the ground.”  Heart Wing did feel a little nervous, but he was more full of joy that he was actually off the ground under his own power.

“YAHOO, WAY TO GO HEART WING!”  Pinkie cheered, which seemed to get the others to cheer for him as well.  

Heart Wing turned to face them, but when he tried, he seemed to lose his balance and started flying backwards and crashed into a tree.  With a thud, his back meet bark and he slid to the ground.  “OOOH!”  is what came from the little ponies.

Heart Wing groaned.  “Ooh, ouch, ok that hurt.”

Rainbow Dash quickly landed as the others got up and rushed over to him to make sure he was ok.  Rarity was the first to ask.  “Heart Wing dear, are you all right.”

Fluttershy was next to voice her concern.  “Oh my, you’re not hurt are you?”

“I’m ok, guess I should have waited for lessons on how to keep myself balanced in mid-air to turn before trying it.”  Heart simply chuckled a little at his joke.  Heart Wing got up and assured Rainbow Dash that he was ok to continue with the lessons.

After a few lessons on keeping your balance, how to turn, and all that, Rainbow Dash felt he was ready to go high up into the clouds, she figured he would enjoy that since he’d never sat on a cloud before.  “All right, you ready for this Heart Wing.”

Heart Wing nodded.  “I’m ready, I feel real good about this thanks to your lessons.  I’ll admit that I am a little nervous, but at the same time, eager and anxious to do this.”

“Then what are we waiting for, follow me.”  Rainbow then started to hover above the ground and waited for Heart to take off, once he was off the ground, he followed her up and up and up to the clouds.  Heart Wing did look down once in a while as they flew up to take in the view, he was feeling so good to be so high up.  They finally got up to the clouds and Rainbow and Heart Wing took a seat on the cloud to take in the scenery before them.  “Take it all in, Heart Wing, great view huh?”

Heart Wing looked over the sight before him, he could see all of Equestria from up there, he just sat there and felt the wind as it blew through his fur.  “This is amazing Rainbow Dash, this view is spectacular, I can see everything from up here.”

“Yep, it sure is, this is why it’s so great to be a Pegasus, or in your case, an alicorn.”

Heart Wing then got a brilliant idea to have a bit of fun, he noticed how the clouds were puffy and he was able to actually take a few puffs in his hooves.  “Hey Rainbow Dash, you wanna see something funny.”  He said as he turned to Rainbow.

“What’s that?”  She asked as she turned to face Heart.

“Watch this.”  Heart Then took a big chuck of cloud in his hoovs, quickly turned around and molded it in some way so Rainbow couldn’t see.  After a moment, Heart turned around and he had shaped the puff of cloud into a big poofy wig, a pair of long eyebrows and a big round nose.  “Check it out, I’m a clown.”

Rainbow tried to fight back the fits of giggles threatening to come out, but it was no good, she started to laugh hysterically as she fell to her back and let loose.  “BWAHAHAHAAA YOU LOOK REDICULOUSE HA HA!”

Then Heart had another idea.  “Wait wait, I got another one, watch this.”  Heart Wing then turned around and reshaped the cloud again, Rainbow managed to pick herself up as she watched, still laughing a little at Heart’s earlier gag.  This time, Heart Wing shaped the cloud into a top hat, monacle, and a long mustache.  He then spoke in a fake English accent.  “Oh, hello my dear, your just in time for tea, care for a crumpet?”

He got her again as she started laughing just as much.  “HA HA HA, NO MORE, I CAN’T HA HA I CAN’T TAKE IT HA HA HAAAH!”

Heart Wing then had one more idea that was sure to get her. He swiped the cloud pieces off of his face and shaped it into a ball in his hooves.  “Hey Rainbow Dash, I got a present for you.”

Rainbow Dash got control of herself upon hearing the word present, she quickly sat up and looked to Heart Wing.  “Oh yeah, what is it?”  *POOMF*  A cloud ball struck Rainbow right in the face.

“GOTCHA!”  Heart Wing called out in triumph as his throw hit it’s mark.  “Man, you should see the look on your face.”

Rainbow Dash furrowed her brow as she looked at Heart Wing, which quickly changed to a smirk. “Oh, it is on.”

Heart Wing put on a fake scared look.  “Oh no, I’m in trouble.”

“Your darn right you are, come here you.”

“You want me, you gotta catch me first.”  Heart Wing then started running and jumping from cloud to cloud with Rainbow Dash in hot pursuit.

“Get back here you!”  Rainbow called out playfully as she chased Heart Wing through the sky.

“What’s the matter, can’t keep up, I thought you were the greatest flyer in all of Equestria, or is that just a bunch of big talk.”  Heart Wing called back to her.  Next thing he knew, he was now pinned down on his back on a cloud by a smirking rainbow maned Pegasus.

“Whos slow now smart guy?” She said as she looked down at him.  “You’re gonna get it now.”  Rainbow then picked up a piece of cloud and slammed it in Heart Wing’s face.  She then got another and did it again.  “Do you give up?”

Heart Wing laughed as he was assaulted with cloud.  “Yes, ha ha I give I give!”

“That’s what I thought, no pony messes with Rainbow Dash and gets away with it.”  Rainbow then got off Heart Wing and helped him up.

“Thanks Rainbow, this is the most fun I’ve had since………well ever.”

“You’re welcome, what are friends-“  She was cut off when Heart Wing suddenly brought her into a hug.

“Thank you, I can’t tell you how much this means to me.  This is the first time I’ve actually felt free, thank you so much.”  Heart said silently to her.

Rainbow Dash began to blush a little, she cleared her throat before speaking again.  “Hey, it’s no big deal, I’m just glad I could help, come on, we should probably head back down now and get back to Ponyville.”

Heart Wing broke the embrace and looked at Rainbow, with a nod, the two then flew back down to rejoin the others.  “It looks like you two were having fun up there.”  Applejack stated.

“I sure did, I never imagined flying could be so much fun.  I never got to say this to all of you, but I just want to thank each and every one of you for all you did for me when you first found me.  I feel like the luckiest pony alive thanks to all of you.”

“Think nothing of it dear, after all, we do share a special connection, remember?”  Rarity stated.

“I remember, and I feel ready to start a new life here, the question now is what can I do for a job in Ponyville?”

“You could join me on the weather team, it’s a pretty easy job and the pay is decent.”  Rainbow Dash offered.

“That sound great, but what about my magic lessons?”

“Well, once you get started as a weather pony and figure out your schedule, I can work out when we’ll both have free time so I can teach you magic.”  Twilight stated.

Heart Wing smiled big.  “Then it’s settled, I’ll get a job as a weather pony and learn how to control my magic on the side, my new life in Ponyville is now set.  This is just too perfect.”  With a plan set for Heart Wing, and flying lessons out of the way, Heart Wing and his new friends left the castle after giving their good byes to Celestia and Luna and headed for the train station.

The group finally arrived back at Ponyville and was glad to be back.  Heart Wing had his cloak on, but with the hood down.  “So Heart Wing, you ready to go see about becoming a weather pony?” Rainbow Dash asked Heart Wing as they left the station.

Heart Wing looked to Dash as he answered. “Actually, I would like to take it easy for the rest of the day, with everything that’s happened, I’m kinda tired.”

“That’s cool, I’ll come by tomorrow and show you down to town hall to get you started, sound good?”

“Sure, that’d be great, thanks rainbow.”  

“No problem, see ya tomorrow.”  Rainbow Dash then flew off.

“I’d better get going too, my animals must be worried about me, and I’m awfully worried about them, I’ll see you later, ok Heart Wing?”  Fluttershy said to Heart.

“Sure, see you later Fluttershy.”  Fluttershy then fluttered off to her cottage.

“I should get back to my shop too, I imagine I have a lot of work to catch up on.  Take care Heart.”  Rarity called as she left.

“OOOOH, this means that I can finally throw you one of my signature welcome to Ponyville parties, just you wait Hearty Wing, this is going to be even more fun than……than…………..well it’ll be a lot of fun!”  Pinkie couldn’t think of anything to compare her party to that would be more fun than something Heart Wing had done since he hadn’t had any fun until that curse had been lifted from him.  Pinkie then rushed off to start planning for the party.

“Come on sugar cube, I hope you havn’t forgotten that me and my family are willing ta give ya a place ta stay until ya’ll can get a place of yer own.  Ya’ll can take a nap in yer room once we get there.”  Applejack smiled as she spoke to Heart Wing.   

“I haven’t forgotten, and thank you again Applejack.  I’ll see you Tomorrow Twilight, I’ll let you know what my weather schedule will be once I get it.”

“That’s fine, I’ll see you tomorrow Heart.”  Twilight called back.

Applejack and Heart then began their trek back to Sweet Apple Acres.  Upon their arrival, Heart Wing was greeted by Big Mac, Granny Smith, Apple Bloom and two more fillys that he hadn’t met before.  Granny Smith spoke first.  “Welcome back youngin, I take it yer meetin with the princesses went well?”

“Yeh, I’m all better now, thanks to them, and I want to express my gratitude again for letting me stay with you.”

Before Granny Smith could respond, Heart Wing was confronted by the three little fillys with big smiles on their faces.  Apple Bloom started up.  “Heart Wing, I’m so glad yer back, these are my friends that I told ya about, this is Scootaloo,”  Apple Bloom motioned to a little Pegasus with a dark orange coat and a hot purple mane and tail.  “And this here is Sweetie Belle.”  She then motioned to a little unicorn with a white coat and a two toned mane and tail of a faded light pink and a light purple coloring.

Heart Wing noticed that each of them wore a cape that was dark red with a blue patch with a yellow silouete of a pony rearing up.  The little Pegasus rushed up as she began to speak in an excited tone.  “Hey there, Apple Bloom told us you were an alicorn, is it true?”

The little unicorn did the same.  “Can we see your wings, please please pleeeease.”

Applejack chuckled at their enthusiasm, but figured that Heart Wing was a little anxious to take a nap, so it was up to her to keep the little fillies in line.  “Now look here you three, Heart Wing had an exhausting day and needs a nap, ya’ll can have a nice chat with him later, all right.”

The three fillies let out a disappointed cry.  “AAAAAAWWWWWWE”  Heart Wing felt bad for them but he was feeling tired and wanted to take a nap, so he had to let them down for now, he would definitely have to do something to make it up to them later.

Applejack led Heart into the house.  “I know the way to the room by now Applejack, thanks.”  Heart Wing stated.
Applejack simply responded back.  “All right then, I need to catch up on some chores round here, ya’ll have a good nap now.”

Heart Wing entered his room, undid the clasp of his cloak and decided to exercise his new magical abilities.  He concentrated on his cloak and was most satisfied as he successfully levitated it off his back and set it on the foot of the bed.  He climbed in, used his magic to move the covers over himself, and laid his head down for a good long nap.
As he fell asleep, he began to dream, he found himself in a blue void.  He heard voices calling to him, it sounded very familiar to him.  “HEEEEAAAAART WIIIIIIINNNNNNNG!”

He definitely knew he heard it before.  “Mom, is that you, where are you?!”

He heard another voice.  “HEEEEEAAAAART WIIIIIIIINNNNNNNG!”

He recognized that voice as well.  “Dad, dad, what’s going on?!”  A white light soon appeared before him with two silhouettes.

The light faded enough for Heart Wing to look at them, and it was indeed his parents, but they seemed different, for some reason they had both a horn and wings, they appeared as alicorns.  Heart Wing was very confused by this.  “Mom, dad, is that you, what happened, what’s going on, why are you alicorns?!”  He had so many questions for them.

His mother spoke.  “Heart Wing, you must listen to us, we do not have much time, you must go back to Stableton, there is something there that you need to see.”

His dad spoke next.  “Son, you must listen to us, it is of the utmost importance that you go there, there is a truth you must be made aware of.”

Heart Wing couldn’t believe what was going on, his parents were wanting him to go back to that miserable town now that he had real friends and found happiness?  “What, but why, what truth, I can’t go back, I’m about to start a new and better life here in Ponyville like you wanted, why should I go back to Stableton, what’s this truth I need find?”
His mother continued.  “Heart, please listen to us, you will be able to return to Ponyville, but there is something in Stableton you must be made aware of, please, for us.”

“Son, I know this is difficult, but please go, we don’t have time to explain everything.”  His father stated. 

“But I don’t know how to get back to Stableton, I was lucky to find my way into Ponyville!”

“You will have the knowledge when you wake.” His mother stated.

Before his eyes, the light reappeared and his parents started to disappear.  “WAIT, WHAT TRUTH, AND HOW ARE YOU TWO ALICORNS, PLEASE DON’T GO YET!”

His parents said one last goodbye before they disappeared, his mother was first.  “Heart Wing, no matter what, we will always love you and we will always be with you.”

His father was next.  “We will always be proud of you son, take care.”  With those final words, they were gone, Heart Wing awoke with a start as he panted heavily with sweat dripping from his hed.  “MOM, DAD!”  He looked down over himself.  “It was a dream,  but it seemed so real, why do they want me to go back to Stableton, and how were they alicorns?  This doesn’t make any sense.  I can’t just up and leave, I’m about to start a new life.  They did say I would be able to come back.”  Suddenly, he felt a faint pulse of magic eminate from his brain, it didn’t hurt but it felt weird.  “What the hay?”  He then felt his brain fill with the knowledge he was promised, on how to get to Stableton from where he was.
Heart Wing stayed in his room for the rest of the day to think about that dream he had, about what his parents said, he had so many questions, the more he thought about it, the more he figured that if he wanted answers, he would have to go back home to Stableton.  He finally decided on what to do.

He had a quiet dinner with the Apples, Apple Bloom was sad that Heart Wing was no longer eligible to be a cutie mark crusader, but that didn’t mean that they couldn’t be friends.  Applejack noticed Heart Wing seemed to be deep in thought.  “You all right there sugar cube, you look like somethin’s botherin ya.” 

Heart Wing looked to Applejack as he responded.  “I’m fine, I just had a weird dream while I was taking my nap is all.”

Applejack accepted the answer and went back to her meal.  Dinner was finished and it was now time for bed.  The apples each said their goodnights to each other and Heart Wing as they went to their rooms.  Heart decided that it would be too difficult to say goodbye to them before leaving after everything they had done for him and discovering this special bond he shared with them, even though he would be able to come back.

He went to sleep and made a mental note to get up long before any pony else did.  He woke up in the middle of the night and put his cloak on.  He quietly left the room and made his way to the door to try and be careful not to wake anyone.  He made it as far as the living room when he heard a familiar voice call out to him.  “And just what are you doin up so late?”  Heart jumped at the voice and looked in the direction of the kitchen where it came from.

“Applejack, um, well, I could ask you the same thing.”  He stammered a little feeling very nervous that he was caught.

Applejack just looked at him as she continued.  “I was havin a bit of trouble sleepin so I thought a little midnight snack might help, you still didn’t answer ma question, why are you wearin your cloak?”

Heart Wing thought quickly to try and make something up, he just couldn’t bring himself to say goodbye.  “I…….well, I couldn’t sleep either, so I thought that…..a good walk around town at night might help, it would also give me a chance to appreciate the night.”

Applejack gave Heart Wing a menacing look, she didn’t like being lied to and she could tell he was lying.  “Heart Wing, you know I can tell when some pony is lyin ta me, now what’s really goin on?”

Heart Wing sighed in sorrow and defeat.  He looked at Applejack feeling sorry.  “Applejack, when I took that nap today……well, you remember when I said I had a weird dream?”  She nodded.  “My parents appeared before me in that dream.”

“Your parents, but how?”

“I don’t know, but the weird thing is, when they appeared before me, they were alicorns like me.  I don’t know how or why, but they did, and they told me that I needed to go back to Stableton to find ‘the truth’ or something.”

“The truth, the truth about what?” Applejack was looking very confused as Heart told her about his dream.

“I don’t know, but they made it sound very urgent, this just raised more questions, why were they alicorns, why do they need me to go back to Stableton, why is it so important, and what is this truth that they want me to find?  I have so many questions and the only way to answer them is to do what they said and return to stableton.  I don’t want to, believe me I really don’t want to, not after finding you all and becoming friends, not to mention the fact that I can finally start a new and better life for myself here, but if I want answers to these questions, then I have to go back to my home town.”

“Well, I….I don’t know what ta say ta all that, but that still don’t explain why yer sneakin out.”

“Applejack, if I just told all of you, it would be too difficult for me to say goodbye. I’ll be able to come back later, but the trip to Stableton is a very long one, it’ll take me at least three months to get there, and once I’m there, I don’t know how long I’ll be there.  Three months to get there means three months to get back, that’s six months, half a year.  I don’t want to be away from you all for so long, but I have to go if I want answers.”

“So you all just decide ta leave without so much as a word, no note, no nothin, that aint very friendly.  I can understand yer desire fer answers, but to just up and leave without lettin us know what’s goin in is just plain mean, we would start fearin the worst if you didn’t leave so much as a note tellin us what’s goin on.”

“I……I never thought of that before, oh Applejack, I’m so sorry, I-I just wasn’t thinking was I?”  Heart Wing’s eyes started to tear up as he realized the mistake he was about to make.  “But I still can’t say good bye to every pony, it’ll be too painful.”

Applejack walked over to Heart Wing and gave him a hug to comfort him in his greif.  “Hey now, it’s all right sugar cube, if’n this is somethin that ya’ll need ta do, then ya’ll need ta do it.  But were all gonna miss ya somethin fierce.  And just remember, the apple family door will always be open to ya when ya’ll get back.”

Heart looked to Applejack with a sad smile as she too wore one.  “Thanks Applejack, I’m gonna miss you all, I’ll be sure to get back as soon as I can, and tell the others that I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye to them myself.”

“Of course darlin, now ya’ll best get goin, sounds like ya’ll got a lot of ground ta cover.”

“Goodbye Applejack, and thanks again for everything.”

“Yer welcome.”  The two shared one last hug before Heart Wing left the house to begin his long journey back to Stableton, and away from his new friends and home of Ponyville.  What could this truth possibly be that was so important to rip a new and wonderful friendship apart for so long?  Only time will tell.

> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 7

It’s been three days now since Heart Wing left Ponyville, so far, the route his parents provided for him in his head had taken him along a path that had plenty of fruit trees so he wouldn’t starve, but how long would that last.  “I REALLY should have thought this out better.  No food, no supplies, no nothing, it’s not the first time I’ve traveled like this, but still, I barely survived last time.  I just know I’m going to be in as bad a shape when I reached Ponyville once I reach Stableton.”  Heart Wing complained to himself.  It was starting to get dark and Heart Wing would need to find shelter to sleep.

Luck was still on his side as he managed to find big enough leaves and sticks to make a makeshift tent just big enough for him to lay down in and some twigs and rocks for a campfire.  Building the shelter was easier for him ever since he learned levitation, he no longer had to strain himself to lift and tighten knots he made from vines to hold the thing together.  “I sure hope the others are doing ok,….what am I saying, of course they are, Ponyville is a great place, they’re most likely worrying about me, I just wish there was some way for me to let them know I’m doing ok so far.”  With those last thoughts, Heart Wing laid down his head in the comfort of his campfire and fell asleep under the night sky.

As Heart Wing dreamed, he found himself hovering in another void, this one was like the night sky, he was surrounded by stars.  “Now what’s going on, I swear if my parents show up in this dream again.”  He was soon confronted by a familiar form as he thought that.

“Greetings Heart Wing, I trust you are doing well?”

Heart Wing couldn’t believe his eyes, standing before him was princess Luna.  “Princess Luna, your highness, what are you doing here, how are you here?”

“I am the princess of the night, thus it is my duty to make sure my subjects have peaceful dreams.  But that is not why I am here.  My sister received a letter from her student and her friends explaining your sudden departure from Ponyville, needless to say, your friends are quit worried about you.  I decided to take it upon myself to see you and make sure you’re doing all right so that your friends would not worry so much.”

“I…I didn’t mean to cause them so much worry, but with the way my parents made it sound, this is something that I have to do.  I was afraid that this would happen.”

“Tell me, are you doing ok?”

Heart Wing looked to Luna with a goofy grin as he answered.  “Well, to be honest, I didn’t really think this whole trip through properly, I left without any supplies at all. So far I’ve been lucky in finding fruit trees so I wouldn’t starve, but who knows how long that will last.  So, I don’t know what I’ll do.”

Luna took a moment to think.  “I think I can help with that, if you do not mind waiting around in your current location, I can have one of my Pegasus guards deliver a saddle bag with enough supplies to last you until you get back to Ponyville.”

Heart Wing was surprised to hear such an offer from a princess.   “You’d do that for me, but how would a saddle bag hold so many supplies?”

Luna just smiled as she answered Heart’s question.  “The saddle bag will be enchanted allowing it to hold more than what it seems it’s capable of.  Just stay where you are for a while and in two days, a Pegasus will be by with your new supplies.”

Heart Wing stammered.  “I….I don’t know what to say, thank you your majesty.”

“Please, you may address me as Luna.”

“Oh, ok then, thank you Luna, I can’t thank you enough for your help, and I also imagine you’ll tell my friends that I’m doing ok?”

“Of course, I’ll let them know of my plans, take care Heart Wing, I’ll be sure to check up on you like this each week so I can inform your friends of how you are progressing.”

“Thank you again Luna……and also, I never got to thank you for your beautiful nights, I never knew some pony was behind them, and now that I do, I can express my gratitude for it.”

“You are welcome Heart Wing, I do so enjoy knowing that my nights are appreciated.  I’ll see you in a week to check up on you in this manner again, until next time.”

“Good bye Luna, have a great night.”  With the goodbyes said, Heart Wing woke up feeling very refreshed, the sun was just now coming up over the horizon as he crawled out of his leaf tent. “So I just need to wait here for two days and I’ll have some supplies, I can do that.”  So heart Wing stayed where he was to await his delivery from the generous princess of the night.

Two days flew by as Heart Wing waited in his camp site for his impending gift from Luna.  It was now mid-day as he waited and soon, the form of a Pegasus came into view.  He waved to the Pegasus to get it’s attention.  “HEY, DOWN HERE!” It worked as the Pegasus flew down to him, but as it got closer, Heart Wing was struck with familiarity as he looked upon the form.  “What, RAINBOW DASH, I don’t believe it, what are you doing here, not that I’m not happy to see you but………how did you find me?!”

Rainbow Dash chuckled a little at Heart’s surprised look on his face.  “Heh heh, hey Heart, glad to see you too.”
Heart Wing smiled as he looked upon Rainbow Dash, he then quickly rushed over to her and grabbed her in a hug.  “Oh my gosh, I’m so happy to see you!”

Rainbow Dash just rolled her eyes as Heart Wing hugged her, then a smile crept on her face, she was glad to see him, but she didn’t want to let on how much she missed him.  “It’s good to see you too.” She reiterated.
Heart Wing then broke the embrace and bombarded her with questions.  “What are you doing here, why are you here, how did you find me, why-“  His assault of queries was silenced with a hoof to his mouth.

“Easy Heart, give me a chance to explain for ponies sake.  Look, after your talk with Luna, she informed us of what was going on, when she told us that she was going to send you some supplies that YOU forgot to plan for and pack, we all jumped at the chance to help out.  We started making plans on what each of us could send for you, we quickly contacted Luna to let her know that we wanted to send you some things, so she sent a letter back saying that she would send the bag our way so we could pack it ourselves.”

“And is that the bag?”  Heart Wing noticed a dark blue saddle bag with a crescent moon on the buckle.
“Yep, Once the bag came, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Applejack took care of filling it with plenty of food, Rarity put in her two story tent which is easy to set up for us to use, and Twilight-“

“Woa woa woa, US, what do you mean us, don’t tell me your coming with me?”

Rainbow smiled as she began to explain.  “Well yeah, I mean, we couldn’t let you do this alone, and it would be too much trouble if all of us came along, so I volunteered to go with you, it only makes sense after all, I am the toughest of the group. Well, next to Twilight, but that’s only because she’s so good with magic.”

“But what about your job, your home, don’t you have responsibilities back there?”

“Don’t worry, I cleared it with the mayor, she said I had enough vacation time saved up and said it was ok, and Fluttershy said she’d watch my pet turtle for me.”

“So let me get this straight, you managed to save up six months-worth of vacation time? I find that hard to believe. And how do you have a pet turtle,  I kind of find it hard to believe that you would have one of the slowest creatures in the world as a pet.”

“It’s kind of a long story, anyway, like it or not, I ‘m coming with you to make sure nothing bad happens to you on your trip.  Some ponies gotta keep an eye on you.”

Heart Wing smiled at Rainbow.  “Guess  I don’t have much of a choice then do I?”

Rainbow smirked.  “Nope, I’m sticking to you like bees to honey. OH, I almost forgot, since Twilight won’t be able to teach you any magic herself, she sent along a bunch of magic books for you to study so you can learn while we travel.”

“That’s great, I can’t wait to get started, but I suppose we should get going now, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover, I’ll take the bag then.”  Heart Wing then levitated the bag off Rainbow Dash and set it on his own back. “Thanks for coming with me Rainbow Dash, this trip would have felt so lonely without some pony with me, and I can’t think of a better travel companion.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it, what are-“

“Friends for I know, you don’t have to keep reminding me.”  The two shared a good laugh at that.  “So, if there’s nothing else, lets hit the skies.”  Heart Wing then flew up with Rainbow Dash right behind him.

After a few hours of flying, the sun was now starting to set, they decided to land and set up camp to rest for the night, now was a perfect time to see this two story tent Rarity packed for them.  They found a clearing and Rainbow set up a campfire. Heart Wing took the bag off his back and set it on the ground, he opened it up and wondered how he was supposed to pull out what he needed.  “Luna told me that you just think about the item you want to pull out when you reach your hoof in and you’ll get it.”  Rainbow informed.

“Is that all, sounds simple enough.”  Heart then reached into the bag and thought to himself ‘Rarity’s tent’ and suddenly, he felt something come up to his hoof, he took hold of it and pulled it out.  “Um, Rainbow Dash, I think the charm on this bag isn’t working, this doesn’t look like a tent.”  Heart Wing had pulled out a small white cube with a string attached to it.

Rainbow Dash chuckled at Heart Wing’s confusion.  “Heh heh, just set it on the ground, pull the string and stand back.”

Heart Wing looked at Rainbow skeptically but did as she instructed. He found an open space near the camp fire, set the cube down, pulled on the string and took a few steps back, as soon as he pulled the string, a whistling wind erupted from the cube as a massive purple tent erupted from the tiny cube, the tent was decorated with yellow stars and a white crescent moon, with gold lining on the corners, there was even a balcony on the second story.  Heart Wing’s mouth hung open at the sight, he couldn’t believe such a big fancy looking tent, could come from such a small cube.

Rainbow saw the look on Heart’s face and just started laughing at his bewilderment.  “HA HA, you should see the look on your face HA HA HA!”

Heart Wing shook his head to regain his sense.  “WOW, Rarity is letting us use this, that’s some tent.”

“Meh, a little too fancy for my taste, but it is roomy.”  Rainbow managed to get control of herself after her laughing fit.  She then went over to the bag and pulled out two pies for dinner, one for her and one for Heart Wing.  Heart Wing then went over to the bag and pulled out all the books Twilight put in there for him to study.  There was at least twelve in total, some covering defensive spells, some covering offensive spells, basically various types of spells for Heart Wing to learn.

Before Heart got started on the spell books, he figured that, while he joined Rainbow in front of the fire to eat the pie she pulled out for him, now would be a good time to learn more about his new friends.  “So, Rainbow Dash, how did you and the others meet, I’ve only known you all for a few days, so I really hardly know anything about you.”

Rainbow Dash smiled with a mouth full of pie, she promptly swallowed so she could speak.  “Oh boy are you in for a treat, it’s a harrowing tale of great deeds and adventure.”  Rainbow Dash then began to tell the tale of how she and the others first met in Ponyville, about how Luna used to be this evil creature of night called Nightmare Moon, and about how she and the gang defeated Nightmare Moon and turned her back into Luna using these six magical artifacts called the elements of harmony.

Heart Wing hung on to every word as Rainbow recounted her first adventure with her new friends, Heart was very impressed by all they did to save Luna from being a tyrant of darkness.  “WOW, that’s some story, I wish I could have been there.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it, were having our own adventure right now aren’t we?”

Heart Wing perked up a little at Dash’s words.  “Yeah, I guess we are, there’s no telling what kind of trouble we could find out here, I just hope it’s nothing we can’t handle.”

“Are you kidding, with me around, anything we face will be a piece of cake.” Rainbow flew up off the ground a few feet as she boasted.

Heart Wing chuckled at Rainbow’s bragging.  “I feel so much safer with you around.”  He said with a bit of sarcasm, Rainbow Dash didn’t seem to pick up on it though as she landed back to the ground and lay next to the fire.  Heart finally was able to get to the books Twilight gave him and started reading the book with defensive spells, he would definitely have to try them out some time.

After a while of reading, he heard Rainbow give out a yawn.  “*YAWN* Well, I don’t know about you but I’m ready to hit the hay.”  She went over to the bag and pulled out two sleeping bags.  “This is your bag, I’ll set it up for you in the tent. Good night Heart.”

“Thanks Rainbow, see you in the morning.”   Heart answered back before going back to his book.  He continued to read for a while longer until he started to feel sleepy too, he set the books he pulled out back in the bag, levitated it up and took it in the tent with him, inside, he saw a cloth staircase to the side that led to the second floor.  He set the bag next to the entrance and found his sleeping bag in the center of the first floor next to a sleeping Rainbow Dash.  Being careful not to wake her, he removed his cloak and set it next to his sleeping bag, laid down and got comfortable.

Before sleep took him, his final thoughts were how lucky he was to have such great friends, he was really going to have to try and get back to them as soon as possible.  He let out a yawn and fell asleep.

The next morning came as Heart sat up and stretched his limbs as he let out a yawn.  He looked over to Rainbow just in time to see her waking up as well.  “Monrin Dash, sleep well?”

Rainbow looked over at him with a groggy look in her eyes and a messy bed mane.  She smiled as she looked to Heart.  “Yep, how about you?”

“Like a log, say Rainbow, after breakfast, would you mind helping me test a spell I learned last night?”
Rainbow Dash began to look nervous as she responded back.  “Uh, what kind of spell?”

“I want to try out a shielding spell I found in that book I was going over last night.”

Rainbow was certainly relieved to hear that.  “Is that all, no problem, but how am I gonna help with that?”

“Easy, I’m gonna try and put up a magic barrier and I want you to throw rocks at me to see if I got it down.”

“Are you sure about that, I don’t want to hurt you.”

“It’ll be fine, I need the practice, anyway, let’s eat.”  Heart Wing then levitated the bag over to them and let 

Rainbow pull out the food for breakfast, she would have to be in charge of the food coming out since she knows what’s in there.  Once breakfast was over, Heart decided to leave his cloak in the bag for now for safe keeping, he and Rainbow put their sleeping bags into the bag and exited the tent.

Heart Wing looked at it curiously.  “So, how do we get it back into the bag?”  He asked Rainbow.

“Just pull the same string again and it’ll shrink back down.”

Heart Looked around the tent and found the same string he pulled to set it up.  He gave it another pull and, just like Rainbow said, it shrank back down to a little cube.  “Well, this will make things easy.  Remind me to thank Rarity for this tent when we get back.”  Heart then picked up the now collapsed tent and placed it in the bag as well.  “So, you ready to help me with my practice?”

“All right then, whenever you’re ready.”  Heart noticed a few small rocks scattered about their former camp site and levitated them into a pile next to Dash.

He remembered about how the spell went from reading it last night and flared up his horn to put up his first barrier.  Soon, he found himself in a white clear dome surrounding himself.  “So far so good. Ok Dash, let it rip, give me your best shot.”

Rainbow picked up a rock and readied herself to throw it.  “Just remember, you asked for this.”  She warned.  She drew her arm back and threw the rock with all her might at Heart Wing. To both their relief, the rock made contact with Heart’s barrier and fell to the ground. 

Heart Wing cheered. “HAH, it worked, go ahead, try again Dash.”

Once she saw it was working, she had an idea that would be fun to launch them at Heart. “Get ready Heart, I’m about to really let loose.”  Rainbow Dash then picked up all the rocks and flung them straight up, she then quickly turned around and started bucking them one after the other towards heart in quick succession.  The rocks went flying through the air to Heart Wing and each one made contact with his barrier and fell to the ground.

Heart Wing smiled at his success.  “Well, I guess I’ve got that down, thanks for helping me with my training Dash.”  Heart then let the barrier disappear.

“No swat, that was kinda fun, you should let me chuck rocks at you more often.”  Now with the training session out of the way, Heart Got their bag and took to the air to continue their journey.

The days went on as they journeyed closer to the borders of Equestria, along the way, Rainbow Dash would tell Heart Wing all about the adventures she and the others had before he came along, about how Pinkie Pie had this strange ability to predict sudden and vague events with these twitches she gets and calls it her Pinkie sense, about how Fluttershy was able to reduce a dragon to tears, the time when Rainbow Dash entered the best Young Flyers competition and Rarity, with a pair of butterfly wings Twilight gave her so they could cheer Rainbow on, entered as well, only for her wings to evaporate and Rainbow performed a sonic rainboom to save her and the wonderbolts after they got knocked out when they tried to save her.

She went on to tell Heart about the grand galloping galla, Discord’s attack on Ponyville, and many other adventures they had.  Heart Wing was more impressed with the whole changling invasion that took place.  Without warning, Rainbow started to descend to the ground, Heart Wing saw and followed her.  Upon landing, Heart Wing spoke to her.  “Rainbow Dash, what’s wrong, why did you stop?”

Rainbow Dash looked away nervously.  She looked back and began.  “Can you keep a secret?”

Heart Was a little taken back by the question that came out of the blue, but answered anyway.  “Sure, I can keep a secret, what’s wrong?”

She hesitated for a moment.  “It’s just that, well, I’ve never been outside Equestria, and were about to cross its borders, I’m just a little afraid of what we’ll find.”

Heart Wing couldn’t believe what he was hearing.  He then thought of a way to try and cheer her up.  “Hey, don’t worry, the path in my head is taking us through some familiar places I’ve been to, some of the areas we’ll be going through are unfamiliar to me, but don’t worry, you’ve got me to protect you.”  He smirked as he said that.

Rainbow Dash glared at Heart upon hearing this.  “EXCUSE ME, you protect me?!  In case you forgot, I’m here to protect you, I don’t need protection, I’m the toughest pony around!”

“That’s what I thought, so are you ready to go now?”  Heart Wing kept his smirk on.

Rainbow noticed and soon was struck by realization.  She smirked back.  “Ha ha, very funny, come on tough guy, let’s go.”  The two took back to the skies to pass beyond the borders of Equestria, not really aware of what’s to come.

> Chapter 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 8

Heart and Rainbow had just finished lunch when they started with another magic training session.  Heart Wing wanted to practice firing magic projectiles, Rainbow Dash was next to Heart Wing.  “All right Heart, you ready?”
Rainbow was set to throw a few rocks up in the air so Heart could practice shooting them.  

“I’m ready, and…..throw!”  Heart called out.  Rainbow tossed a rock up in the air and Heart fired a white magic bolt from his horn. “Darn it, I missed again.”

“Good try though, you almost hit it that time.”  It had been a month now since they left Ponyville and were now beyond the borders of Equestria.  As promised, Luna had been visiting them in their sleep each week to see how they were doing and would pass the news along to their friends back in Ponyville, Heart made sure to ask Luna to pass along his thanks to the others for all the things they gave him and Dash.

Heart Wing had taken every opportunity he could to practice his magic skills whenever they stopped for a rest for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  So far, he had been practicing with his shielding spell, he was starting to get the hang of it.  He also started practicing with a teleportation spell, that hadn’t been going so well so far, every time he tried it, he ended up above the ground upside down or in a tree.  He was starting to get the hang of this projectile spell, he just needed to work on his aim which is what they were currently doing.

After a while of practicing, Heart Wing felt it was time to get going.  “All right, I think that’s enough practicing for now, would you mind if we just walked for a bit Rainbow, my wings are kinda tired from all the flying we’ve been doing.”
“Yeah, mine too. Let’s go.”  Rainbow agreed.  Heart placed his magic books back in the bag and placed it back on his back, he still opted to keep his cloak in the bag.  The two then began their walk along a dirt road Heart had led them to. They walked for a good few hours when they came to a point in the road that seemed to enter a dark forest.  
Before they went any further, Heart Wing stopped in his tracks, Rainbow stopped too.  “Hold on Dash, something isn’t right here.”

Rainbow Dash looked at Heart Wing with a curious expression.  “What is it?”

“According to the map in my head, this path is supposed to go around the forest, not through it, something’s wrong.”

“Maybe someone just recently made a path through the forest to make a shortcut.  I’m sure it’s no big deal, come on.”  Rainbow Dash then started down the path through the forest.

Heart followed hesitantly but he had to catch up since he was supposed to be the one leading the way.  Heart Wing then took the lead in front of Rainbow and they continued down the path through the forest.  As they walked, it seemed to get darker and darker.  “I don’t like this Dash, it’s getting darker when it should still be daylight.”

“Would you relax, the forest just has a thick canopy, quit being such a baby, just use that illumination spell you recently learned.”  Rainbow Dash wasn’t afraid of a dark forest, she had been in the Everfree forest before and she wasn’t afraid, it was the most dangerous place in all of Equestria as far as she knew, but she never thought that there could be other places more dangerous than the Everfree forest outside of Equestria.

Heart Wing lit up his horn and provided some illumination for them.  They continued on and soon found themselves coming up to an area where the trees weren’t as thick anymore, but it was still kind of dark.  They found themselves standing before some ancient stone ruins with stone buildings and pillars all covered in moss and vines.  Rainbow Dash was impressed with the site.  “No way, this place is awesome, check it out heart, I wonder what this place used to be.”

Heart just looked around nervously as they made their way into the place.  “I don’t know, but I’m seriously getting a bad vibe from this place, maybe we should go back.”  No sooner had he said that that a sound erupted from behind them, like hooves landing on the stone road they were on.  Heart and Dash quickly turned around and were greeted with a horrifying sight, it was a walking skeleton of a pony with red dots in the eye sockets wearing an old metal helmet.  “AAAAAAHHHHHH!” Heart and Rainbow cried out together.

Soon, more skeleton ponies appeared, some on the rooftops of the stone structures with bony wings and some with bony horns on their heads, they were everywhere, Heart and Rainbow were surrounded.  “What the hay are these things?!”  Rainbow asked with fear.

“How should I know, I’ve never seen anything like this before.”  As if to answer their question, the skeleton ponies in front of them stepped aside and let a new figure through to approach them.

It was a minataur with black fur, he was wearing a gold chest plate with fancy designs on it and a long red cape with black lining, as well as a gold gauntlet on his right hand.  He stepped forward and greeted the two ponis.  “Well well well, what do we have here?”  He spoke with a deep voice that rumbled a little.  “Two little lost ponies, how sad for you to walk right into my kingdom.”

Heart Wing tried to address the minataur.  “Uh, Excuse me sir, but we didn’t mean to intrude, we were just passing through, please just let us be on our merry way and we won’t be any trouble.”  Rainbow shook her head to agree.
“Sorry, but that’s not how things work around here, allow me to introduce myself, my name is Dark Horn, and as I said, this is my kingdom.  You two are trespassing, so I get to make you my newest sacrifices.”

Rainbow tried to put on a brave face as she spoke.  “What do you mean sacrifices?”

Dark Horn continued.  “It’s a bit of a long story, you see, ages ago, I made a deal with a demon to grant me power and eternal life, it was in this city that it happened, for it was in this city that I found an ancient spell that told me how to contact and make a deal with a demon, I’ve always craved power.  I did as the spell instructed and the demon appeared.  The demon would grant me eternal life and an army of undead soldiers so I could rule the world, but in exchange, I would have to sacrifice one thousand souls to him of ponies from outside this city, little did I know there was a catch.

“I couldn’t leave the city to find the souls I needed, I had to find a way to trick others into coming here instead.  I’m guessing you two came to a road that led you right through this forest, correct, through the powers I was granted, that road originally went around the forest, so I used the magic I have to create an illusion of the road going through it to trick travelers.  Now that you’re here, there is no escape, there is a barrier around the city that can only be entered through and no one can leave.”

Rainbow put on her toughest act she could.  “You’d better let us go you creep or you’ll be sorry, I’ll buck you clear to next Tuesday!”

Dark Horn was not amused.  “Oooh, feisty, I like that, maybe I’ll keep you as a pet, your quit cute.  Today is indeed my lucky day, you see, so far I’ve managed to sacrifice nine hundred and twenty two souls, but the demon said that if I manage to get an alicorn, he would let me leave this place right away so I can begin my campaign, you see, alicorns are rare and powerful, so sacrificing one will automatically set me free from this place.  I can just sacrifice your alicorn friend and keep you for myself, once that’s done, I’ll be free to lead my army of undead soldiers and take over everything.”


It was now Heart’s turn to get mad.  “You are not turning my friend into a pet, I’m gonna blast you all over your stone city if you don’t let us go!”

This made all the skeleton ponies and Dark horn erupt in laughter.  “HA HA HA, haven’t you been listening, I’m immortal and powerful, do you really think you can harm me?  I think a demonstration is in order.  YOU, come forward.”  Dark Horn pointed to one of his minions on the side, the skeleton pony obeyed without hesitation.  Dark Horn held up his right hand with the gauntlet, a black aura appeared around it and fired a black bolt of magic at the skeleton, it fell to pieces before Heart and Rainbow, after a second, the skeleton then reassembled itself.  “You see, you can’t harm my minions and you certainly can’t harm me.  TAKE THEM!”

The skeletons swarmed towards Heart and Rainbow, they tried to fight them off but there was too many, Heart and Rainbow soon found themselves hogtied and hanging upside down from long wooden poles.  One of the skeletons took their bag of supplies from them and carried it along-side them.  The skeleton army carried them through the town as their dark leader led them.  Rainbow tried to threaten him again.  “Let us go you creep, you’ll be sorry, our princesses, Celestia and Luna will kick your sorry flank if you don’t let us go.”  Dark Horn ignored her, Heart Wing noticed that they were being watched by faces from inside the stone buildings through the windows.  

From what he saw, they seemed to be half faces, there was flesh on them but half the face was gone around one of the eyes which also had a red dot in the eye socket like the skeletons.  The faces seemed scared and worried as the two prisoners were carried off. Heart Wing tried to use his magic to break himself free from his bondage but his magic just didn’t seem to want to work.  Dark Horn seemed to notice this.  “Don’t bother with your magic, those ropes are specially made to nullify any magic, as I said, you two are not the first visitors I’ve had, and certainly not the first who could wield magic.”

Dark Horn led his prisoners to a large stone building with bars on the windows, he went up to a large stone door with two skeleton guards who promptly opened the door for him.  He went inside with the skeletons carrying his new prisoners behind him.  He came up to a guard that was not a skeleton, but looked almost like a regular pony, he still had a body but some of it was missing chunks of flesh and his bones in those areas were visible, his coat (what was left of it) was a dark green color with a black mane and tail. He was also missing an eye and his eye socket was visible, just like the others, there was a red glowing dot in the socked.  This guard also wore a helmet and a worried expression, he was an earth pony.

Dark Horn addressed the guard.  “Spear Hoof, you are to guard these two until preperations for the sacrificial ceremony is complete, understood.”

The pony guard saluted in response.  “Yes sir, understood sir.”  He then opened one of the cells, the skeletons carrying Heart Wing and Rainbow Dash took them off the poles and threw them into the cell.  The one carrying the bag set it on a table in the room for safe keeping.  

“Now don’t you two go anywhere, I’ll be back soon.  These bars will keep you from pulling any magic escape attempts.  HA HA HA HA!”  Dark Horn teased them.  “Come, let us prepare for the ceremony for the sacrifice, and OUR INVASION!”  He then cheered to his minions who promptly cheered in glee back.  He left the building to begin his dastardly plans.

Rainbow quickly got up with anger on her face and ran up to the bars, she gripped them in her hooves and tried to shake them loose, of course, it didn’t work.  Her face then fell to one of sorrow as she went back and sat next to Heart Wing.  “This is all my fault, I should have listened to you, I’m sorry Heart Wing.  You knew something was wrong and I didn’t listen.”

Heart Wing looked into Rainbow Dash’s eyes.  “This isn’t your fault, no pony could have known this was going to happen, what we need to do now is figure out a way out of here and stop that maniac before he gets this ceremony thing ready.”

“But how, were trapped in here, not to mention he’s got an unstoppable army of skeletons and some weird powerful magic on his side.”

“I know how he can be stopped.”

Heart and Rainbow turned to the guard who was identified as Spear Hoof outside their cell.  “Excuse me? what did you say?”  Heart Wing asked.

He looked around nervously before answering, he motioned them to come closer to him.  They looked at each other first then back to the guard and moved closer. Spear Hoof whispered to them.  “I know how you can stop him, it won’t be easy, but it may be your only chance to stop him once and for all.”

“Hold on, how do we know we can trust you, and why are you telling us this?”  Rainbow asked with suspicion.

“Take a good look at me, I’m a freaking zombie, do you think I like being like this, this town used to be a great place, me and all the other ponies who lived here had peaceful lives, until he showed up.  That deal he made turned all of us into the walking dead, we’ve been trapped here and forced to serve that creep minataur for centuries, were in constant torment because of him.”  Spear Hoof seemed to get madder as he recalled the events that led to the town being cursed.  “He may see immortality as a blessing, but it’s a curse for us.  You, alicorn, are the only one who can save us.”

Heart Wing and Rainbow Dash were very surprised by this revelation.  “ME, why am I the only one who can save you?”

“Because, only a true immortal, like an alicorn, can approach the crystal orb that is the source of all this misery, if any of us tries to approach it, we’ll get disintegrated and turned to a pile of dust, only to come back in a another part of the city away from the orb.  Please, you’re our only hope, you heard what he plans to do once he can leave the city, you have to do this, or he’ll destroy your home.”

Heart Wing started feeling nervous at all this news.  “But, how am I supposed to destroy it, why me, I’m only just now learning magic, and for the longest time, I doubted I even was an alicorn.  How am I supposed to stop a mad minataur from taking over the world with an undead army?  I can’t do this, I just can’t!”  Heart was now ready to start crying as so much weight was being thrusted on him, he was all of a sudden expected to stop a crazed minataur from ruling the world, face an army of undead creatures and remove a dark curse on a whole town.

Rainbow Dash saw Heart Wing feeling distressed about the situation.  She put a hoof on his shoulder as she spoke.  “Hey, it’s ok Heart, you can do this, I’ll be right there with you no sweat.  Come on, between the two of us, this will be a piece of cake.”

Heart Wing looked up to Rainbow.  “You think so?  But what if I end up having to fight Dark Horn, I still haven’t perfected my aim with my magic bolts and my teleportation still needs a lot of work.”

“Hey, that Dark Horn guy is WAY bigger than some rock, and you don’t need to be perfect with your teleporting, you can just use that magic shielding spell to protect yourself.  Plus, you’ve got me to back you up.”

Heart Wing seemed to perk up at Rainbow Dash’s words.  “Thanks Dash, your right, no matter what, I still have to try, and with you to help, I know we can do this, but that still leaves the question as to how I’m supposed to destroy that crystal.  Spear Hoof, would you mind filling us in since you’re so adamant about helping us.”

Spear Hoof began his explanation.  “It’s actually simple, all you have to do is get within a few inches of it and fire your strongest magic bolt you can at it, and it will shatter and break, thus ending this horrid curse and freeing all of us.  It should be easy to sneak around since most of the skeleton soldiers will be busy with the preparations for the sacrificial ceremony.  I’ll let you out and help you get to the altar at the center of the town where the crystal is.”

Rainbow Dash gave a confident smile, as did Heart Wing.  “All right, let’s do this, we’ll show that no good jerk not to mess with ponies from Equestria.”  Cheered Rainbow.

Spear Hoof smiled back, he got out the keys for the cell, opened the cell door and let the two out.  “Follow me, we have to be quiet when we get outside.”  Spear Hoof led the two to the door and quietly opened it, before going outside, he looked around for any loyal guards patrolling the streets.  “The area is clear, let’s go.”  The three walked out the door to begin their trek to the middle of town for the crystal orb to destroy it. 

“NOT SO FAST!”  Luck was not on their side, Dark Horn was now standing before them.  “Did you really think I wouldn’t think you would try something like this Spear Hoof, the only creature capable of breaking my spell comes to my kingdom and you think that I would just forget that you might try to help the creature to try and break it, just like how all the others would most likely try, I don’t think so.”

“Please lord Dark Horn, I can explain!”  Spear Hoof started pleading before Dark Horn.

“Explain what, how you would betray your king, how you would help the creature that can help me finally achieve my goal escape and stop my plans, you have betrayed me Spear Hoof, and now you must suffer the consequences.”  Dark horn raised his right hand, his gauntlet started glowing, Spear Hoof was lifted up in the air and was flung back down hard.  “I will not tolerate traitors in my kingdom.”  Dark Horn fired a bolt of magic at Spear Hoof, his body was then engulfed in flames as he rolled around screaming in agony.  Heart Wing and Rainbow Dash watched in horror as their new friend burned and suffered.

Rainbow had enough.  “THAT’S ENOUGH, let him go you jerk!”  Rainbow then took to the air and flew straight at Dark horn with all her might.

Heart Wing tried to call out to her to make her stop.  “DASH NO!”  It was no good, she was already on an intercept course with Dark Horn.

Dark Horn saw her flying at him, he quickly pointed his gauntlet at her and fired a black bolt of magic, it struck her square in the chest and sent her flying back to the ground and skied back to Heart Wing.  “DASH, NO!”  Heart Wing called out to her agin, he quickly rushed to her side and lifted her head up.  “Dash, come on get up, I can’t do this without you!”  She didn’t move.  With all the commotion going on, he failed to notice that the other ponies who were suffering from the curse came out to see what was going on, they gathered just behind the skeleton guards that had formed a circle around Heart and Dark Horn.

“Dash, please, don’t leave me, I need you, I can’t do this without you, I need your strength.”  Heart’s eyes began to tear up over Rainbow’s body.  “Please……please be ok, you have to, I need you, I……I….love you Dash, I should have said something before, but all this time we’ve spent together, I started getting these feelings for you. It was your sonic rainboom that helped me begin my path to freeing me from my curse, it was also your sonic rainboom that made that special connection that we share with our friends, it was you that helped me learn to fly.  You volunteered to come with me to make sure I’d be safe, and it was you that has been helping me with my magic training.  Please Rainbow Dash, please don’t leave me.”  A tear fell from Heart’s eye onto Dash’s motionless body.

“Oh please, you’re going to make me sick with all this mushy stuff.”  Dark Horn interrupted Heart’s speech.
Heart Wing looked up from Dash’s body as he glared at him with tears in his eyes.  “YOU, you’re going to pay for this!”  Heart Wing set Rainbow down on the ground gently, he got up and stood before Dark Horn.  I won’t let you get away with hurting my friends, I will stop you!”

“HAH, you don’t stand a chance against me, just consider yourself lucky I need you alive for now. But if you want a fight, then you’ll get one, you and me.”  Dark Horn smirked.

Neither of them noticed Spear Hoof as he got up after recovering from his torment, he made his way over to Rainbow Dash to check her.  He put his ear near her mouth to see if she was still breathing.  He sighed in relief when he heard her breath.  She was hurt, but not dead.  He figured it would be best to tell Heart Wing she was ok after the fight that was about to occur.

Heart Wing didn’t waste a second, he made the first move and fired a continuous beam of magic at Dark Horn, Dark Horn just casually lifted his right hand and produced a shield in front of him to stop Heart’s attack.  Heart’s beam was bigger than the bolts he shot before in his training.  Dark Horn found himself actually having to strain as he tried to hold back Heart’s attack.  Heart didn’t let up, he just kept firing his magic, soon, Dark Horn’s shield started to crack, then it just shattered to pieces and he was struck square in the chest by Heart’s attack.  It sent him flying backwards and into a stone building.

Upon impact, the building collapsed and buried Dark Horn in rubble, after a moment, he stood up and got out of the rubble with a very displeased look on his face.  “You, you are going to pay for that. NO ONE HURTS DARK HORN!”  In a fit of rage, he charged at Heart Wing.  Heart Wing quickly got an idea, he readied his horn with magic and waited for Dark Horn to get close.

“Just a little closer.”  He said quietly to himself.  After Dark Horn was about five feet away from him, he quickly jumped straight up using his wings for lift, Dark Horn passed right under him, he then quickly turned around just as he landed and fired another powerful magic bolt at Dark Horn, once again sending him flying through the air and crashing into another building.

Heart Wing saw this as his chance to make his way to the center of the town where the crystal he needed to destroy was.  He quickly took to the air and flew as fast as he could, he was soon being followed by the flying skeleton soldiers.  He blasted them as he flew, his aim still wasn’t perfect as he missed more than he hit a few. They were starting to gain on him, he needed some way to lose them so he could do what he needed without interruptions.  It was then that he got a big surprise, some of the Pegasus citizens came up to him, they too had chunks of flesh missing and some of them had one bony wing, it was a mystery how they were able to fly.  

“Alicorn, you go to the crystal, we’ll do what we can to hold off the soldiers!”  One of them said.

“We’ve been afraid of Dark Horn for too long, this is our one chance to free ourselves from his tyranny and find peace at last!”  Another called out.  With that, the pegasai all turned around and started to engage the airborne skeleton soldiers.  Heart Wing looked back at them as the airiel battle of the undead began, he faced forward again and continued on his path. 

The alter he was searching for soon came into view, he saw the crystal he was supposed to destroy sitting on a pedestal under a stone roof held up by four stone pillars.  “There it is, time to end this nightmare.”  He came to a landing near the altar, the crystal was letting off a very ominous red glow, he heard all kinds of wails and moans coming from it.  He then noticed he wasn’t alone, he saw more of the citizens gathered around waiting for him to do his thing and save them from their eternal torment.

“HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!”  Heart Wing quickly turned around and saw Dark Horn approaching.  “DO YOU REALLY THINK I’M JUST GOING TO LET YOU RUIN MY PLANS THAT EASILY, THINK AGAIN!  I WILL BE THE ABSOLUTE RULER OF THE WORLD, AND THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP ME!”

“Your wrong Dark Horn, he can stop you, and he won’t do it alone!”  Dark Horn and Heart Wing saw a mass of the citizens of the cursed town gather, pegasai, earth ponies and unicorns all gathered around, the crowed stared angrily at Dark Horn.  The one that spoke for the crowed stepped forward.  “We have suffered under your rule for too long, we are not about to let you take away our one chance at salvation!  We won’t let you hurt the alicorn!”

Dark Horn glared at the crowed.  “You pathetic creatures, do you honestly think you can stand up to me, I am all powerful!  SOLDIERS TO ME!”  As he called out, the ground shook with great force, skeleton ponies emerged from the ground around Dark Horn.  The citizens didn’t back down, they too were immortal.  They just had to do what they could to get to Dark Horn and let Heart Wing do what he needed.  “CHARGE!” The skeletons charged at the crowed and some at Heart Wing.

Some of the Pegasai landed in front of Heart Wing to intercept the soldiers, other pegasai flew at Dark Horn to try and take him down once and for all.  While the battle ensued, Heart took this opportunity to make his way to the crystal.  He ran up and got a few inches from it like he was instructed.  “This is it, time to end this.”  Heat focused his horn with as much magic as he could, he charged it up, once he felt he could give all he could, he fired the most powerful blast of magic he could muster at the orb.

As he kept up his beam, the orb started to crack, red light started to shine through the cracks until eventually it burst, letting loose with a massive shockwave of white light.  It flung Heart Wing back a few feet away from the altar.  Dark Horn saw what had happened too late.   The shock wave struck him, his body started to form cracks as well.  “NO, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”  He screamed as he too burst into a million pieces.  As the shockwave spread, every skeleton it touched turned to a pile of ash, as did the zombie citizens of the stone city.

Heart Wing fluttered his eyes open, he slowly got up and looked around.  “What, what happened?”

“You did it, that’s what happened.”

Heart Wing quickly searched for the source of the voice but found no one.  “Hello, who’s there?”

A ghostly figure appeared before him, followed by a mass of them.  “Thank you Heart Wing, because of you we can finally rest in peace.”  

“Spear Hoof, is that you?”  Heart Wing looked upon the ghostly apparition before him, it did indeed look like Spear Hoof, he looked whole, but also white and transparent.

“Yes, it’s me, you saved all of us from that evil monster, we are now free.  We can’t thank you enough.”

“You’re welcome, I just wish it didn’t come at such a high price.”  Heart looked down to the ground as he remembered what happened to Rainbow Dash.

Spear Hoof smiled.  “Heart Wing, she’s not dead, she was hit bad yes, but she was just knocked unconscious, you’d better get to her before she wakes up, it’s time for us to go now, take care my friend.”  The ghosts all faded out with Spear’s goodbye.

Heart Wing quickly got up and flew as fast as he could back to Rainbow Dash, he just had to go and make sure for himself that what he heard was true.  He found her right where he left her, he quickly got to her and lifted her head.  “Rainbow Dash, are you ok, wake up.”

“Ooohhh, my head, what happened?”  Rainbow groaned as she opened her eyes.

“Rainbow Dash, you’re ok, oh thank Celestia you’re all right!”  Heart Wing then embraced Rainbow in a tight hug.

“Of course I am, why wouldn’t I be?”

“When Dark Horn hit you with that magic blast, I thought you were dead.  I can’t tell you how happy I am you’re ok.”

“Hey, no worries, I knew you could do it.”

Heart Wing then broke the embrace.  “Wait, how did you know I did it? You were unconscious.”

“Before I woke up, Spear Hoof came to me and told me what happened.  Sounds like you didn’t need me after all.”

“Don’t you ever say that Rainbow Dash, I’m always going to need you, I……I mean, you are my friend after all right, heh heh.”  Heart Wing chuckled nervously as he was about to say what he did earlier, he wasn’t sure how Dash would react if he told her that he loved her.

“So Heart, is it true?”

“Is what true?”  

“All that stuff you said earlier when you thought I was dead.”

> Chapter 9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 9

Heart Wing and Rainbow Dash had just gotten out of the forest where they just had their first real adventure together and set up camp for the night.  Heart had managed to avoid answering Dash’s earlier question, but she wasn’t about to let it go.  The two were sitting next to each other in front of the campfire while Rainbow tried to get Heart to answer.  “Heart Wing, you still didn’t answer my question, did you really mean all that stuff you said when you thought I was dead, especially about how you were in love with me?”  She was smirking as she asked, she was just teasing him, but she wanted to see if she could get him to feel embarrassed.

Heart was already feeling embarrassed and annoyed that Rainbow was bugging him about it.  “Of course not, I was distraught, I thought you were dead, I just said whatever came to mind I could think of that might shock you awake, that’s all.”

Rainbow kept her smirk as she continued.  “Oh really, and the first thing that came to mind was that you loved me, come on, admit it, that’s what you said isn’t it?”  She knew he didn’t really mean it, she was just having fun with him.

Heart Wing couldn’t take any more, he was afraid to admit how he really felt about Dash because he thought that she could never feel the same way about him, she was brave and strong and fast, and he wasn’t anything like her.  With Rainbow’s teasing and his emotions finally flaring up, he couldn’t contain himself any longer, he just had to get it out in the open once and for all.  He took a deep breath, propped himself up on his haunches, and finally let it all spill out.

“All right already, yes I admit it, I said I love you and I meant it all right!*SIGH*  Look, I can’t help but feel a stronger connection with you than I do with our other friends.  As I said before, you are essentially responsible for me starting down the path that helped me get free of that curse I was under, it was you who taught me to fly, you who volunteered to come with me and make sure I’d be safe on this journey, and it’s been you that has been helping me with my magic training.  You are strong, and brave, and fast, and everything I wish I could be.  I didn’t say anything before as I started to feel like this earlier because I figured you wouldn’t feel the same way about me, how could you, I’m not as strong or brave as you are.”  Heart Wing closed his eyes as he looked away from Rainbow.

Dash was shocked, she couldn’t believe what she just heard, Heart really was in love with her, she sat up on her haunches and looked down to think of what to say.  After a moment, she used a hoof to make Heart Wing look at her as she spoke in a soft voice.  “Hey, come on now, you are brave, it took a lot of guts to try and stand up to that Dark Horn creep, and in the end, you came out on top, that makes you pretty brave in my book.”

Heart still wore a sad look on his face as he responded.  “But I’m still weak, there’s no way I would have been able to take on Dark Horn on my own, I was just lucky, and if those ponies of that city hadn’t stepped in when they did to distract Dark Horn, we’d be doomed.”

Rainbow looked at Heart with a determined look.  “Heart, if you want to get strong, you’ve got to work for it, I wasn’t always as tough as I am today, I had to work hard and practice at what I wanted to be good at.  You just need to do the same thing, and I’m the pony for the job.”

Heart Wing looked hopeful at Dash’s words.  “You mean it, you’ll help me get stronger too?”

Rainbow smiled as she answered.  “Of course, and…as for the whole love thing…….well, look, when I first saw you after Rarity gave you a bath, I thought you looked pretty cool.  I definitely thought you had a great sense of humor when you made those funny faces with the clouds that day when I taught you how to fly.”  Rainbow chuckled at the memory.  Heart Wing began to smile more as Rainbow Talked.  “Don’t tell anypony this, but when you left, I was a little more worried about you then I let on, I volunteered to come with you, not just cause I wanted to make sure you’d be safe, but because I……well I wanted to see if maybe…..you…….AW BUCK IT!”  Rainbow then suddenly pushed her face into Heart Wing and pressed her lips against his with her eyes closed.

Heart Wing was shocked as his eyes widened with the kiss he was getting from Rainbow Dash.  He just couldn’t believe it, everything was happening so fast and sudden, his mind couldn’t keep up. His head swarmed with thoughts about what was going on.  After a moment, Rainbow finally broke away and looked at Heart Wing with a smile.  She then spoke with a serious tone.  “Just don’t go giving me any lovey dovey pet names all right, I’m not really big on mushy stuff.” Rainbow then laid back down in front of the fire leaving Heart Wing with a very shocked look on his face.

Heart Wing finally managed to regain his senses after a moment and looked down at Dash.  “So……does this mean that……I mean…you and me are.”

Rainbow Dash looked up at heart with a very amused expression at Heart’s stammering.  “Heh heh, yes Heart Wing, you and me are a couple, after the time we’ve spent together, I could see what a cool guy you are, and I can definitely see myself with an awesome stallion like you.”

Heart Wing smiled the biggest smile he ever did, he tried to contain himself though as he was afraid his actions would make Rainbow Dash seriously reconsider being his marefriend.  “So do you think we should tell Luna about us and have her pass on the news to the others?”

Rainbow Dash smirked as she answered.  “Let’s make that a surprise for when we get back.”

The days went on for the new couple, just like Rainbow Dash promised, she not only continued to help Heart Wing with his magic training, but also helped him learn a few flying tricks and how to fight with his hooves so he wouldn’t have to rely on just his magic.  Heart Wing was really starting to feel more confident in himself thanks to his new marefreind Rainbow Dash.  Luna was certainly shocked when Heart and Dash told her about the little adventure they had in a forest they came across with a city under a curse.  She was relieved though as well and impressed when hearing that the problem had been dealt with and how it was handled.

The final two months of their trip was coming to a close as they neared their destination and their relationship was really blossoming, Rainbow Dash was proud of the progress Heart Wing was making with the training she was giving him.  Heart Wing had also managed to master most of the spells he started learning, he got his teleportation down perfect, his aim with his magic bolts had really improved, he had learned an invisibility spell, and he picked up on some healing spells from the books he was given.

The two travelers came to a hill overlooking a village, Heart Wing was wearing his cloak and Rainbow Dash had the bag.  Heart Wing stopped at the top of the hill and Dash walked up beside him, Heart lowered his hood as he looked down at the village.  “Well, here we are, home sweet home, welcome to Stableton Rainbow.  I never thought I would have to come back here.”  He said in disgust as memories of how he was treated by others flooded his mind.  His simple stare soon turned into a glare at the town.

Rainbow saw this and nuzzled Heart’s neck to try and help him calm down.  “Hey, come on now, were only here for a bit, once we find what you’re looking for, we’re outta here, and you won’t have to come back ever again.”

Heart Wing smiled as he nuzzled Rainbow Dash back on the top of her head.  “Thanks Dash, you’re right.”  They broke their nuzzling embrace and looked back at the town.  “Come on, let’s find this “Great Truth” and get back home.”  The two followed the trail into the town.

As they entered Stableton, Rainbow Dash saw just how miserable the town was for herself, it was surrounded by land that seemed almost barren, it was a miracle anything grew there.  The ponies of the town didn’t seem all that friendly as they walked around with scowls on their faces.  Most of the buildings that made up the town all looked run down and old, some of them had missing shutters on the windows, and the roads were very dusty.  “Gosh Heart, you weren’t kidding when you said how miserable this place is, it seems like most of the ponies here don’t even have their cutie marks.”

“I know, it’s because they don’t care about finding their special talent and earning their cutie mark, when one of them does, it’s really only by accident or something and they just don’t care.”  Heart Wing informed with a bit of gloom in his voice.  They walked a bit more before Heart Wing finally came to a stop in front of an old house that looked more run down then the others.  Heart Stood facing it with a straight face.  “I don’t believe it.”  

Rainbow came up next to him.  “Heart Wing, what is it, do you know this place?”  Heart didn’t answer, he took a few steps toward the house and stopped a few feet in front of the front door and looked down at a spot on the ground.  Rainbow tried again.  “What’s wrong Heart, are you ok?”

“This was the spot where my father died in front of me, I saw it happen as he was struck by lightning and he landed on this very spot in front of me and my mother.”  Heart Wing spoke softly as he remembered, tears threatened to come out as he looked down.

It was then that Rainbow realized that this house they were in front of was Heart Wing’s home where he grew up.  It had a wooden roof with white walls on the outside, one window on either side of the door with the one on the left missing a shutter.  Rainbow nuzzled Heart Wing’s neck again to comfort him.  “It’s ok Heart, I’m sure your parents would be proud of you to see you finally able to be happy.”  She then pulled away to look at him.

Heart Wing smiled back at her.  “Thanks Dash, you’re right, we should keep mov-“  He cut himself off when he just now realized something.  “Wait, what the buck, what’s going on here?”

Dash looked at him curiously.  “What is it Heart, what’s wrong?”

“The trail I had in my head ends here, I don’t understand, why would it end just in front of my old house?”

“Maybe what you’re supposed to find is in the house.” Rainbow guessed.

“It can’t be, after my mother died and before I left, I sold everything in the house so I would have some money to buy food for when I managed to come across a town.  The house is empty now, there’s nothing in there.”  Heart Wing was starting to feel frustrated as it seemed like he had come all this way and left his friends for nothing.  “Why the buck was I supposed to come back here for if there’s nothing for me to find,  why did I come all this way for!?”

Rainbow tried to calm him down.  “Take it easy Heart, we’ll figure this out, we just need to think.”  Rainbow then noticed Heart’s horn begin to flare up with magic.  “Heart, what are you doing? Why are you casting a spell?”

Heart looked at Dash confused.  “What are you talking about? I’m not casting a spell.”  Before Dash could answer, a small orb of light appeared out of Heart’s horn.  Heart and Dash looked at it in confusion as it floated in front of them.  “What the hay, I didn’t do that………did I?”

The orb floated in the direction past the house the two were going in the first place and stopped a ways, it flashed a few times as it just hovered.  Dash seemed to take notice.  “Whatever it is, I think we’re supposed to follow it.  Come on Heart, this could be the answer you were looking for.” 

Heart Wing nodded and the two took off after the orb. It led them out of the village and continued down the dirt path away from the town.  It then led them to a large cliff that was part of a mountain nearby, it stopped in front of the side of the cliff a moment to let Heart and Dash catch up.  Heart Wing looked on in confusion.  “What the hay is this thing, why did it lead us here?”  As soon as he asked that, the orb lit up brighter and a section of the cliff wall disappeared revealing a cave, the orb then continued into the cave slowly.

“No way, where did that cave come from?”  Dash asked in wonderment.  With no way to answer, they just continued to follow the light orb into the cave. With no idea what to say about all this, Heart and Dash continued on in silence as they followed the orb through the cave tunnel.  After a while, they could see an exit out of the tunnel up ahead, they exited the tunnel and found themselves in a large open area surrounded by rocks.  Heart Wing and Rainbow Dash stopped in front of a group of rocks that the orb led them to as it floated on and stopped at the center of them.  The rocks were positioned in a strange pattern.  There were five tall thin rocks on the outside of a circle of small rocks in the ground.  There were two circles made up of the rocks on the ground.  There were also four lines made up of rocks that started at the center of the formation and made a kind of x as they went from the center to the outer circle of rocks.  At the very center of the formation where the orb was hovering was a round smooth rock with a hole in it.

“What kind of rock formation is this?” Heart Wing asked out loud to no one in particular.

“I think were supposed to get in the center of this, this IS where that orb led us.”  Rainbow Dash pointed out.

“I think your right, I can’t help but wonder what that orb is though, I didn’t use a spell to make it, at least not consciously.”  Heart and Rainbow then cautiously made their way to the center of the rock formation.  Once they were directly in front of the orb, it slowly descended to the rock under it, settled in the hole and all the rocks then lit up with a white light.  Heart and Dash looked on nervously as they were then encased in a dome that formed from the tall rocks on the outside of the circle.  All they saw was white from their point of view.

Heart and Dash were blinded by a brilliant flash for a moment.  When they opened their eyes, their surroundings had changed, they were still standing in the middle of the rock formation, but they were now in a different area.  There was green grass all around theim, they saw that they were standing in the shadows of massive cliffs all around them, but they could still see the blue sky above them.  To their right, they noticed a pair of massive stone doors built into the cliff side with depictions of two alicorns with no discernible features. Coming from underneath the door was a cobble stone path that went past the stone formation the two had arrived in.

Heart and Dash slowly walked out of the stone circle and up to the door to get a better look.  “Where the hay are we?”  Heart Wing asked out loud.

Rainbow Dash followed the path that came from the door with her eyes and was met with an incredible sight.  “Um, Heart, you may want to see this.” 

Heart Wing turned around to look at Dash.  “What is it Da-“  What he saw left him in awe, right before their eyes was a massive castle, easily bigger than Celestia’s.  It was white with blue roofs and windows on the towers. Some of the windows were shattered or missing.  In front of the castle was a steel gate with two large statues of alicorns on pedastals, also with no real discernible features, moss was growing at the bottom of the pedastals.  Behind the gate, they could see a stone bridge over a dried out moat that led to even bigger doors that were most likely the front entrance of the castle.
Heart Wing and Rainbow Dash approached the gates cautiously as they looked on in wonder.  “What is this place, it’s huge.”  Heart asked.

“I’ll say, why did that orb lead us here?”  Rainbow asked, still confused and bewildered at what had happened and what they were seeing.  

As they approached the gates, the eyes of the two statues flickered to life with a light blue glow, a female voice erupted from both statues.  “HALT, PLEASE PRESENT CUTIE MARK!”  

Heart and Dash were surprised by this.  “AAHH!”  They both cried together.  “OK, what the buck is going on here, did those statues just talk?!”  Heart cried out.

“I think they did.” Dash answered. 

The statues spoke again.  “PLEASE PRESENT CUTIE MARK!”

“Um Heart Wing, I think were supposed to present our cutie marks.”  Dash stepped forward to try and see what would happen, she turned her flank so the statues could see her cutie mark.  A light blue beam shot from the statue on the right and appeared to scan Dash’s cutie mark.  Heart watched in worry.  

The statues then spoke again.  “CUTIE MARK NOT RECOGNIZED, ACCESS DENIED, OTHER APPLICANT, PLEASE PRESENT CUTIE MARK!”

“Ok, this just gets weirder and weirder.” Heart commented.

“Heart, why don’t you try and see what happens when they scan your cutie mark.” Rainbow suggested.

Heart Wing was hesitant.  “I don’t know, this is just too strange, what is this place, why did that light orb lead us here?”

“Heart, stop being such a baby and just try it, this could be the answers you were looking for, just let the thing scan your cutie mark and see what happens.”

“All right, here goes.”  Heart took a gulp, he walked up, turned his flank to the statues and levitated part of his cloak that was covering his flank so the statues could see it.  

The statue then scanned Heart’s cutie mark.  Once done, they spoke again.  “CUTIE MARK RECOGNIZED, ACCESS GRANTED, WELCOME BACK YOUR MAJESTY.”

That statement really threw them for a loop.  “YOUR MAJESTY!”  They said together.  Heart then spoke on his own. “OK, I am now officially creeped out, why did those statues just call me your majesty?!”  The gates then creaked open to allow passage to the doors on the other side of the bridge. 

Rainbow gave a determined smile as she looked to Heart Wing.  “Hey, it worked, come on Heart Wing, I’ll bet we’ll find what we’re looking for inside, come on.”  Rainbow Das then started walking forward.

“Dash wait, I don’t know if I can do this, I know we came here to find something, but this is just too much, those statues addressed me as royalty.  How am I royalty when I was raised by simple ponies, how did they recognize my cutie mark, I’m sorry but this is getting to be too much for me.”  Heart was starting to get very worried.

Dash came back and up to Heart Wing, she spoke softly to him as she saw how distraught he was getting.  “Heart, it’ll be ok, we’ve come this far, we might as well see this to the end, besides, I’ll be right there with you all the way.  Do you really want to go back now after we’ve come this far?  Whatever your parents wanted you to find must be in that castle.  I promise everything will be fine.”

Heart looked at Rainbow and smiled.  “You’re right Rainbow, we’ve come this far, with everything we’ve been through, it would be a shame not to see this through.  Thanks Dash, I’m really glad you came with me, I really don’t think I could have gotten this far without you.”  The two then nuzzled each other’s cheeks.  Heart Wing took a deep breath and began moving forward to the castle to find out once and for all what his parents wanted him to find.

> Chapter 10
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 10

Heart Wing and Rainbow Dash made their way across the stone bridge to the massive doors that led into the castle, as they approached, the doors swung in on their own to let them through. They stopped, only for a moment to look at each other gave a determined look and nodded.  They faced forward and entered the castle.  They found themselves in a hallway where the walls on each side of them had a strip going along the walls that was letting off a white glow to provide illumination.  They followed the hall a ways, it led them to a very large and spacious room.  There were entrances to other hallways on the sides of the room, and at the center was a large crystal, it was wide at the center and narrowed at the top and bottom, it was letting off a bright white glow to light up the room as it slowly rotated.  Heart and Dash looked on in astonishment.  “WOW, this place is amazing, look at the size of this room, and that crystal.”  Dash commented.

Heart agreed.  “I’ll say, but what’s up with that crystal?”  The two slowly approached the crystal to get a better look. Once they got closer, it suddenly lit up more for a moment.  When it did, Heart and Dash had to cover their eyes for a moment with their forelegs. The brightness subsided and the two were free to look on again, but when they looked again, there were two ghostly looking figures before them.  “I….I don’t believe it, what……what’s going on here.”  Heart was now confused as he looked upon the two figures.

“Heart, what is it, who are they?”  Dash asked in worry.

“It’s my parents.  Mom, dad, what’s going on here, how are you here?”  The figures were his parents as alicorns.

Heart’s father spoke.  “Greetings son, if you are seeing this, then you have finally come home, were sorry we couldn’t be there with you to tell you all that needs to be said. There is much that must be told, so please listen.”

His mother began.  “Son, you are a prince, this castle was your home, your father and I ruled over a great kingdom in peace and happiness, but terrible events have occurred that destroyed that peace, and our kingdom.”

His father continued.  “As you know by now, your mother has the ability to receive visions, one day, she received a vision that a terrible demon of pain and misery would arise and try to destroy everything and rule over the world.  We would be unable to stop it permanently, but we would be able to seal it away temporarily.”

His mother went on.  “In my vision, I saw that in the end, it would be you and six other individuals that wield a great power who would defeat the creature once and for all.  We know that the great power is six magical artifacts called the elements of harmony, but even they won’t be enough.”

His father continued.  “I ordered the best magic crafters to forge armor that would increase the power of the elements of harmony, your mother saw in her vision that you would one day befriend them, she didn’t see who they were or where they were.  If the bearers of the elements are there with you now, I wish to give you our thanks for being there for our son since we are unable to.”

His mother continued.  “I also saw that we would not be able to be there for you when the time came, the best we could do was to take steps to make sure you had all you needed to make sure you could win the fight that is to come.  While we are unaware of the location of the elements of harmony, we have in this castle a mystical gem that has been in our kingdom for generations that is believed to be where the elements of harmony came from, we hope that, with it, you will be able to obtain an element of harmony of your own.”

His father continued.  “In order to seal the demon as we mentioned earlier, we will have to give up our alicorn forms.  Your mother foresaw this as well, upon sealing the demon, he will cast a terrible curse on you as revenge, a curse that will seal your heart and close off your magic.  This curse will also affect a town where we will take refuge, causing it’s citizens to forget us and lose their belief in magic, as well as making it impossible for them to be happy.  It will also remove your cutie mark, hiding your true lineage.  That’s right son, your cutie mark is not a sign of your special talent, it is the mark of your birthright, you are the prince of Ponytopia.  A once great kingdom that thrived and had access to great magic, but by the time of you viewing this, that kingdom now lies in ruins, it is just beyond the large stone doors in front of this castle.”

His mother continued.   “As an extra precaution to make sure that you will have the power you need to stop this demon from taking over the world and thrusting it into eternal misery, several unicorns under us have volunteered to give up their magic and seal it away in an orb for you to retrieve to increase your magical abilities.  You will be so much stronger my son.  I know this is a lot to take in, but you must have faith in yourself, and believe you can do this.  Upon the end of this recording, this crystal will give you a map of the castle so you can find the vault where all we have left you to make sure you can stand up to the demon is. We believe that at the time you see this and receive our last gifts to you, the demon will break free from the prison we put him in in one year.  Always remember that we love you son, and we will always be proud of you.”

His father continued.  “Be brave son, no matter what, we will always be with you.  Take care.”  The recording ended and the figures faded out.  A beam of white emitted from the crystal and struck Heart in the head.  He didn’t move, his head was now filling with knowledge of the layout of the castle, but after everything he just heard, he didn’t react to it.

Heart Wing looked on at the crystal with tears in his eyes, he couldn’t believe all he heard. Rainbow Dash was worried for Heart Wing.  “Heart Wing, are you ok?”

Heart never took his eyes away from the crystal.  “Yeah *SNIFF* I’ll be fine, I just can’t believe all I’ve heard, I’m actually descended from royalty, and now I’m expected to save the world from a demon, it won’t be the first time, but this demon sounds a lot more powerful than the last one we were up against.”

Dash nuzzled Heart to try and comfort him as she spoke.  “Hey, don’t worry, from what it sounds like, your parents left you some killer stuff to make sure you could win.  And besides, you won’t be doing this alone.”  

Heart Wing looked upon Rainbow Dash as he smiled.  “I know Rainbow, I won’t be fighting alone, I’ll have friends by my side when the time comes, and you.”  The two shared a kiss.  Heart then broke the kiss and spoke.  “Come on, let’s go find this vault and get this armor my parents left for us.”  The two then headed down a hallway to their left, each hall they went down had a strip along the walls letting off a white glow for illumination so they could see.  Heart led the way through a series of halls and stairs that went down.

After a while, they finally came to a large stone door with a pony face with no eyes carved into the door.  Heart Wing approached the door.  The eyes of the pony carving flickered to life and was glowing light blue.  A female voice spoke from the carving, just like with the statues out in front of the castle.  “HALT, PLEASE PRESENT CUTIE MARK!”  Heart Wing did as before, he turned his flank so the door could see it and levitated the part of his cloak with his magic so it could see it.  The door scanned his cutie mark and spoke again.  “CUTIE MARK RECOGNIZED, ACCESS GRANTED!”  The door then opened out to allow entrance to the vault.

The two entered into the vault and found it was a very large room, there was gold bits just laying around in huge piles along the walls.  “Whoa, Heart, check it out, I’ve never seen so many bits before in all my life, if this place is yours, than you are loaded.  You won’t have to worry about money for a long time.”  Dash said as she eyed the piles of gold.

Heart seemed a little skeptical at Dash’s statement.  “I don’t know Rainbow, I suppose I could just take what I need so I can get a place for myself, but I don’t feel right about having so much money like this if I didn’t earn it.  Besides, I’m sure there may be others back in Equestria who might need this more than me.  Not only that, but how would we get all this back to Ponyville in the first place, it would take too long to pack it all in the bag.”

Rainbow agreed.  “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”  Something then caught Rainbow’s eye in the center of the room.  “Hey, what’s that thing?”  Rainbow spotted a simple crystal orb glowing white on a stone pedestal with a red cover under the orb.

Heart Wing and Rainbow Dash approached the crystal.  “I think this is the crystal my parents mentioned that has all that magic that’s supposed to give me a power boost.”

“Well, what are you waiting for, go ahead and use it.” Rainbow urged him on.

Heart Wing gave a determined look.  “All right, here goes.”  He approached the crystal, he moved his horn down and touched it to the crystal.  At the moment of contact, the crystal shone even brighter, Rainbow had to shield her eyes from it, the glow slowly started to fade out.  Heart Wing just stood there a moment after the glow was gone.

Rainbow approached Heart Wing.  “Are you ok, do you feel any different Heart Wing?”

Heart Wing looked at Dash as he answered.  “I think so, I definitely felt a surge of magical energy as the magic entered from the crystal into me.  It was kind of weird, but I do feel more magic within me.”  Heart then noticed off to the side, a long stone table also with a red cover over it with several identical objects sitting on it. “HEY, I bet that’s that armor my dad mentioned that he made for us.”  The seven pieces of armor had two holes in the front for the legs and one hole for the neck to poke out of, three of which had two other holes on the side for wings.  In front of each one was a helmet, three of which had a hole in the front of them like it was meant for a horn.  They all were a simple white color with lines along the back where the armor opened up so some pony could put it on.

“Cool, this armor look pretty neat.”  Dash commented.  “I can’t wait to try it out, but let’s wait till we get back.”  

“Good idea, let’s get these in the bag and find that gem my parents mentioned.”  Heart Wing then levitated the armor off the table as Dash opened the bag, Heart placed the armor in the bag and Dash closed it.  “Before we start looking for it, I want to also go ahead and take some of the bits here so I can get a house for myself back in Ponyville.  How much does a house usually cost Dash?”

“About five thousand bits.”

“All right then, let’s get some in the bag.”  Heart then gathered a good amount of bits together and put it all in the bag as well.  “Now to find this thing.”  It didn’t take long, the gem they were searching for was at the very back of the vault.  It wasn’t as large as the crystal they found in the center of the room they first entered from, but it was just a little bigger than Heart.  In front of it was a book stand with an old book sitting on it.

“I think this is it.”  Dash said, she approached the book and read the title out loud.  “The gem of harmony. Wow, I’ve never heard of this thing.”  Dash then opened the book and began to read what it said inside.  “The gem of harmony, it was made ages and ages ago as a means to protect the world from any dark and dangerous evils or magic.  The gem itself is not capable of doing such a feat, but it is capable of granting a pony a powerful gem that can focus the magical positive energy in one’s heart.  When one touches the stone, they will be granted a power gem that will allow one to focus the positive energy of what their heart best represents.  As the records show, there was a great threat to the world, six ponies were fortunate enough to be granted these stones of power by the gem of harmony, one of which was instrumental for the six to work, that one was magic.  It was the magic stone that was capable of focusing the others into a powerful beam that can banish the darkness.  The other five were kindness, laughter, loyalty, generosity, and honesty.”

“It was through these six elements that make up a strong bond of friendship that the six ponies were able to banish and destroy the great evil that threatened the world, if other elements were discovered from the gem, it would only increase the potential of such power, so far though, only six elements of harmony exist.”

Heart and Dash were impressed.  “Wow, that is incredible, but from what it sounds like, it is highly unlikely that I can get an element of harmony from this thing.  What do you think Dash?”

“You won’t know unless you try.”  Rainbow smiled as she answered.  “Besides, I’ve got a good feeling about this, just go up there and touch the gem.”

Heart smiled.  “Like I wasn’t going to?  Come on Dash, my parents wanted me to come here and find all this, it’s only right that I try.”

“Glad to hear it.”  Heart then walked up to the gem and placed a hoof on it.  Once again, the two were met with a blinding light from the gem as it glowed, Heart Wing found himself beginning to glow as well, Dash simply watched on as the scene unfolded before her.  

The glowing died down and Heart and Dash were now able to see again.  Heart Wing pulled his hoof away from the gem and looked at Dash.  Heart felt something now around his neck.  He undid his clasp so he could remove his cloak and get a good look at what it was.  With his cloak off, Dash and Heart saw that Heart was now wearing a gold necklace with a white crown shaped gem and a small black heart shaped gem on it, it was shaped just like his cutie mark.  “No way, it worked, you’ve got an element of harmony just like me and our friends!  This is so sweet!”  Rainbow was very happy for Heart Wing.  “So what element does it represent?”

Heart put his cloak back on and smiled at Dash as he answered.   “Trust, it’s the element of trust, don’t ask me how I know, but as the necklace appeared, one simple word came to mind, trust.  I think I know why, because even though I was under that curse, I trusted each of you as you were helping me with my problem, and after the curse was lifted, I gained more trust in each of you, I trusted Twilight to be my magic teacher, and, even though it wasn’t in the way I expected, she did help me with that by giving me those magic books so I could learn.  I trusted you to be my flying coach and you didn’t let me down.  My element of Harmony is trust.”  Heart stated with confidence.

“So now all that’s left is to get back to Equestria and do what we can to prepare for this big demon that’s supposed to appear in a year.”  Rainbow stated.  “We’ll definitely have to tell Luna and Celestia about this.”

“No argument here, but I would like to stop by the library here in the castle to see what kind of books they have first, there may be a spell there I can use to get us home faster.”

“A library?”  Rainbow asked in confusion.  “How do you know there’s a library here?”

“My parents gave me a layout of the castle at the end of that message they left, remember, come on, the sooner we get there and see if there’s a spell to get us home faster, the faster we can get home, maybe even surprise our friends with an early return, they won’t be expecting us for another three months.”  

Rainbow Dash smirked at that.  “That’s a great idea, what are we waiting for, lead the way.”  Heart and Rainbow left the vault behind, as they exited, the vault closed up behind them.

Heart Wing led the way through another series of halls and a few stairs that went back up, eventually coming to a pair of white wooden doors, Heart used his magic to open the doors and entered the library, it was yet another large room with many many shelves full of books, there was enough room in there for the two to fly around in and get a look at the place from above.  “Man, Twilight would faint if she saw all these books.”  Rainbow commented.  “She’d go nuts with so many books around.”

Heart chuckled a little at Rainbow’s comment.  “Come on, let’s see if we can find where the magic books section is.”  Heart Wing and Rainbow Dash then took to the air and flew about rather quickly so as to minimize the amount of time they would have to search for what they were looking for.  

It wasn’t long before Dash found the section, she called out to Heart.  “HEY HEART WING, I THINK I FOUND IT!”  

Heart Wing flew to where Dash was, sure enough, the section she was standing before held many magic books on its many shelves.  “Nice work Dash, you’ve got a real sharp eye.”  Heart nuzzled Dash in gratitude.  Dash smiled as she nuzzled back.

They then began to search the section for a book that may hold a teleportation spell.  Dash’s keen eye soon found a book that might help.  “Hey Heart, what about this one? Spells of teleportation, this might help.”

Heart smiled again.  “Nice work again Rainbow, this is sure to have what I hope to find.”  Heart and Dash nuzzled each other again.  Heart levitated the book out of Dash’s hooves and floated it in front of him, he opened it up and began scanning the pages.  “Let’s see, simple teleporting, phasing through objects, bringing an object out of sight to you, AH HA, here we go, long distance teleportation, this spell will allow the caster to teleport anywhere they have been regardless of how far away the location is.  This is perfect, and it looks easy enough.”

Rainbow felt a little skeptical.  “Are you sure you can do this, it doesn’t sound simple.”

“Trust me Rainbow, I wouldn’t try this if I wasn’t one hundred percent sure I could do this.”

Rainbow smiled confidently at Heart Wing.  “All right then, boy are the others going to be in for a surprise when we show up sooner than they expected.”  

“They sure are, let’s go somewhere where we have plenty of room so I can cast the spell.”

Rainbow Dash then got a thought.  “Hold on Heart Wing, before we go, I kind of want to see that place that’s beyond those big doors we first saw when we got here. Is that all right?”

“Actually, I kind of forgot about that, I want to see it too.  Let’s go.”  Heart Wing and Rainbow Dash then left the library with the new book in the bag.  Heart and Dash made it back to the first room they came to and made their way back out of the castle to the area where they first appeared.  They went up to the large stone doors and Heart Wing used his magic to open it up.  The doors led into a short tunnel as they could see the other end of the tunnel a few feet away.

They came out the other end of the tunnel to be greeted with a tall stair case made of stone going down.   From their point of view, they saw before them a large city of stone and wood, no trees, no grass, just buildings of stone and wood, all utterly destroyed and in ruins.  The sun was shining brightly, but the place looked like it was in the middle of the desert.  Heart Wing was stunned.  “Oh man, look at this place, its completely destroyed.”

“I’ll say, your folks weren’t kidding when they said the kingdom was ruined, uh…..I mean.”  Rainbow Dash soon realized that she made a mistake with her statement, she was afraid that Heart would get upset at seeing the kingdom he would’ve had in ruins like this.

“It’s fine Rainbow, I don’t know what this place was like when my parents ruled it.  I’ll probably never know, but it doesn’t matter, because I have friends, and most of all, I have the love of a great mare.”  Heart Wing smiled at Dash as he said this.  Dash smiled back.  “Come on, I’ll cast that spell and we can finally get back home.”  Dash smiled at Heart Wing, they headed back through the tunnel back to the area they arrived in and prepared for the teleport.  The girls will be very surprised to see them so soon, and to learn that Heart Wing and Rainbow Dash are a couple. Plus all that other stuff they found out in the castle.   

> Chapter 11
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 11

Heart Wing got the new book out again to get another look at the spell that would get them home faster.  Once he was satisfied that he had it down, he placed the book back in the bag and began to cast it, focusing on the location he wanted to go, the throne room of Canterlot castle.  “OK, here we go, Equestria, here we come.”  His horn flared to life, a white dome formed around the two and in a flash, disappeared from their location.

Canterlot castle, the throne room, Celestia and Luna had just finished with a meeting with a delegate when a strange wind started to blow about the throne room. A small white orb formed in front of them as they looked on.  “What is going on here?” Luna asked in concern.

The orb expanded into a dome, in a flash it then disappeared and left behind two ponies.  “What the, why did you teleport us to the throne room in Canterlot castle Heart Wing?”  Dash asked in confusion.

Before he could answer, the voice of princess Celestia was heard.  “Heart Wing, Rainbow Dash?”  Celestia called in curiosity.

Upon hearing their names and seeing the princesses before them, they quickly bowed down.  “Your majesties.”  They said in unison.

The two princesses approached Heart and Dash with smiles on their faces, Luna was the first to address them.  “Heart Wing, Rainbow Dash, it is good to see you in the real world, tell me, did you find the answers you were looking for, what did you find, what was your home like?”  

Celestia chuckled at her younger sister’s enthusiasm.  “Luna, calm yourself, give them a chance to talk.  Now Heart Wing, I am pleased to see you and Rainbow Dash again, but how and why did you come here?”

Heart Wing began to explain.  “You see princess,”

Celestia cut him off.  “You can simply address me as Celestia, no need for formalities here.”

“Oh, um, ok. Well pri-uh, Celestia, I did find what I was looking for, and then some, in the place where I found my answers, I found a spell book that instructed me on how to perform a long distance teleportation spell.  I used it to teleport myself and Rainbow Dash here.  The reason I chose here was because I was hoping that you would help us set up a surprise party for our friends so we could surprise them with our early return.”

Rainbow Dash smiled as she looked at Heart, she liked the idea of throwing a surprise party and surprising her friends like that.  The princesses seemed to like the idea as well as they smiled at Heart Wing.  Luna agreed.  “That is a most wonderful idea, sister, do you not agree?”

“I think that sounds like a wonderful idea.  We’ll get started right away.” Celestia agreed.

“There is one more thing Celestia.”  Heart Wing said before they started with preparations.  “There is something I will need to tell you and the others after the party, I will be more than happy to tell you all about what I found, but I think a nice celebration would be better first.”

With that out of the way, Celestia and Luna had her servants begin preparations for a small private party for Heart Wing and Rainbow Dash’s return to Equestria.

A few hours later down in Ponyville, Twilight and Spike were busy about the library reorganizing the books.  They had just finished when Spike burped out a letter.  “Hey Twilight, the princess just sent us a letter!”  Spike called out.  
“A letter from the princess, I wonder what she wants, what does it say Spike?”  Twilight asked.

Spike cleared his throat and began to read it. “*AHEM* Dear Twilight, something urgent has come up, I need you and Spike to bring your friends to Canterlot castle to meet me right away, please come as soon as you can.  Signed , princess Celestia.”

Twilight was a little confused at the letter.  “I wonder what could be wrong, I hope it isn’t something where the elements of harmony will be needed, we are one pony short after all.”  Twilight said with a bit of sadness, despite receiving weekly letters from Luna informing her of how Heart and Dash was doing, she still worried about them and missed them very much.  “Come on Spike, let’s get the others together and head for the castle.”  Spike got on Twilight’s back and the two made their way to gather the others.

The girls and Spike all arrived at the castle and entered through the front door, Celestia and Luna was there to greet them with a straight face.  They all gave a bow before the princesses.  “Your majesties.”  They said together, Twilight then stepped forward.  “Princess, what’s wrong, why did you need to see us?”

“I need to discuss something with all of you in private, please follow me.”  Celestia said to her subjects.  She and Luna took the lead as the others followed, she and Luna tried hard to hide their smiles as they walked.  The group simply followed behind with worried expressions, unknowing of the surprise they were about to get.  Celestia and Luna led the group to the ball room, it was a large room with marble floors and a small stage near the back, tables were all set up with balloons, all kinds of sweets on the tables and drinks.

The girls all looked on in confusion.  Applejack was the first to speak up.  “I….I don’t understand, what’s all this about princess?”

The princesses finally smiled.  Luna pointed to a large present at the center of the room with green coloring and a large red ribbon tying it closed.  “Go open that present and you will understand.”

Pinkie smiled big as she realized that this was a party.  “Oh my gosh, they’re throwing us a party and got us a big present, what is it what is it!?”  Pinkie was the only one who was smiling, the others were just confused.  

“But what is all this for, why are you throwing us a party, not that were not grateful.”  Rarity asked.

Celestia just smiled as she answered.  “Just open the big present and you’ll see.”

“Ooh ooh, let me let me,  I wanna open it!”  Pinkie squealed in delight, she then bounced over to it while the others simply followed behind.  Pinkie grabbed one end of the ribbon with her mouth and pulled on it, the bow slowly came undone and the box fell open.

“SURPRISE!”  Heart Wing and Rainbow Dash called out as they were revealed to be the ones in the giant present.  The girls all gained a huge grin on their faces upon seeing their friends after so long.  Seeing what was coming, Heart Wing jumped to the side just in time as the girls tackled Rainbow Dash to the ground in a group hug and started chatting up a storm with tearful hellos, asking her so many questions so fast.

Heart Wing figured this would be the case, he figured they would be more happy to see her than him since they and Rainbow Dash had been friends longer than they knew him, he had only just appeared in Ponyville and they only really knew him for a few days.  He just stood by with a smile on his face as the group said their hellos, but then was suddenly surprised when a pink hoof grabbed him and pulled him into the group hug and was being greeted the same way.  He couldn’t believe it, they were all just as happy to see him as they were to see Dash.

“Heart, Dash, were so happy to see you two again!”  Pinkie cried out.

“We sure did miss ya’ll somethin fierce!”  Applejack cried out.

“We simply can’t tell you how glad we are that your all safe and sound!”  Rarity cried out.

“It’s wonderful to see  you again, but how did you get back so fast, we thought it would  be another three months before you got back here.”  Twilight asked.

“Well,…..if you would get off us for a moment, we’ll tell you.”  Rainbow said as she gasped for air.

The girls and Spike let the two off, Heart Wing began to explain.  “You see, I found a spell book that showed me how to do a long distance teleportation spell, I used it to teleport us back here, I figured it would be a great idea to throw a party to surprise you all with our early return.”

“HEY, throwing parties is my thing.”  Pinkie cried, but she then started to laugh, she was just happy to see her friends again.  The others then joined in on the laughter as well.

“So Heart, did you find the answers you were looking for?”  Spike asked.

The others all looked to him expectantly for an answer.  “I did actually, but I would like to tell you all about it later after the party, for now, let’s have some fun!”

“WOOO HOOOO!  LET’S PARTY!”  Pinkie cried out, then out of nowhere, she pulled out a light blue cannon 
with pink wheels and fired it off, shooting confetti and streamers everywhere.

Heart Wing was surprised by this.  “WHOA, Pinkie, what is that thing?”

Pinkie looked to Heart for a moment.  “It’s my party cannon silly.”

“But, where were you keeping it, it’s like you just……pulled it out of thin air.”  Heart Wing felt a hoof on his shoulder, he turned to his side and saw Rainbow Dash next to him.

“It’s best to just forget about it, remember what I said about how random she can be, if you try to figure her out, you’ll just get a headache.”

Heart Wing simply nodded at Dash’s advice.  The party finally began and every pony, even the princesses, started to enjoy themselves as they ate and talked with a live band that came in moments later to play music for them. Dash and Heart were begged by Spike to tell him and the others all about the adventure they had at that cursed city they stumbled onto.  They told them about the training Rainbow helped him with and the spells he had mastered.  Heart Wing was also sure to give his personal thanks to each of them for everything they sent him and Dash for their journey. 

The sun was starting to set and the party was starting to wind down.  It was now time for Heart Wing to tell them about what he had found.  “Now, before I get too into it, I do have one other thing me and Dash would like to make you all aware of.”  The girls, Spike, and the princesses were all gathered around Heart Wing and Dash at the center of the room.  
Dash began.  “During our journey together, I had a chance to see what a great stallion Heart Wing is personally, and during our adventure in that cursed city, Heart Wing let something slip.”  Dash smiled at Heart Wing as she remembered how things went between them after that moment.

Heart Wing smiled back as he continued.  “When I thought Rainbow Dash was dead, I kind of…..said that…..I loved her.”

Heart and Dash waited a moment to let that bit of news sink in for the others.  “Oh, how romantic, in what you thought was her last moments, you confess your love for her, simply romantic.”  Rarity swooned.

Heart Wing smiled a little embarrassed while Rainbow Dash just rolled her eyes with a smirk.  Dash continued for him.  “Anyway, after that incident, we started talking at the campsite we set up after getting out of that forest.  It was then that he said what he meant and…..well, I kind of realized that for a while after traveling with him, I had the same feelings too.”

Heart Wing continued.  “She kissed me, I kissed back, now she and I are a couple.”
The girls let out a collective ‘AWWWWEEE’.  “Well congradulations, I’m might proud fer ya.”  Applejack said.

“This is wonderful news, I’m so happy for you two.”  Fluttershy said.

“Yeah yeah, that’s all well and good, but what about what you found, did you find the answers to your questions?”  Spike interrupted.

Heart Wing could tell he just wanted to know what he found.  “All right, I won’t keep you in suspense any longer, I’ll tell you exactly what I found out.”  And so, Heart Wing began to tell them all he found, he planned on saving the part about the demon that was to come, the armor and the gem of harmony for last.  “So, there you have it, apparently, I am descended from royalty.”  

“I knew it, I just knew there was something regal about you.”  Rarity cheered.

Heart Wing then decided to reveal the rest.  “There is a bit more though that you all need to be aware of. You see, my parents had to give up their alicorn forms to seal away a demon of misery that would have taken over the world and plunged it into eternal misery.  They couldn’t stop it completely, only seal it away temporarily, my parents left me a lot of things to make sure I would have the strength to stop it.  A few unicorns volunteered to give up their magic and seal it away in an orb so I could obtain more magic and be stronger.  They also left me some armor for all of you as well.”
This seemed to confuse the group.  Twilight stepped forward.  “Wait, why did your parents leave armor for us, how did they even know about us.”

Dash filled them in.  “Apparently, Heart’s mother had a talent for getting visions of the future, she was able to see that Heart would one day befriend the bearers of the elements of harmony.  The armor is supposed to focus and enhance the magic of the elements of harmony and make them stronger.  That’s not even the best news, Heart Wing got himself an element of harmony too.”

This really got every ponies attention, even Celestia and Luna.  “How did you get an element of harmony?”  Twilight asked.

Heart Wing first moved his hoof up to remove his cloak so the others could see it.  He removed his cloak and set it aside for now.  “This is the element of trust, my own element of harmony.  Celestia, Luna, do you know where the elements of harmony came from?”

“I do not, my sister and I were fortunate to hear about them and find them when our kingdom was in peril but we have no idea where they came from, do you know?”

“How do you think I got one of my own, it turns out my family came into possession of a powerful artifact that the elements came from, the gem of harmony.”  The room was silent for a moment.

Luna broke the silence.  “So you’re telling us that you have possession of a powerful item that the elements came from?!”

“I am, and I would be willing to take you to it and let you have it, if you want, I have no use for it, or the gold in the vault of the castle where I found it.”

Celestia then cut in.  “I think we have more pressing matters to worry about than this gem of harmony, about the demon you mentioned.”

“Princess, the demon that is to come won’t break free from his imprisonment for another year, we have time to take care of other things and prepare for when it comes.  With everything my parents left us, we are sure to defeat the monster and destroy it once and for all.”

Celestia smiled at Heart Wing’s words.  “Very well, I will have faith in you, but I am curious as to how this armor you mentioned is supposed to increase the power of the elements of harmony.”

“Perhaps we can see tomorrow, I’m kind of tired and I am looking forward to sleeping in a real bed. *YAWN*”   Heat Wing then took off his element of harmony and placed it in the bag which was sitting on the box the two had been wrapped up in. 

“Very well, you may all stay here for the night, tomorrow, I would like to see the armor myself.”

“Come, I will show you to your rooms.”  Luna said to the group.  They all nodded and followed Luna out the ball room. Once they were all settled in, Luna headed out to raise the moon for the night.  Heart Wing and Rainbow Dash agreed to share a bed together, they were both very pleased to be sleeping in a real bed instead of a sleeping bag, it was so much softer and more comfortable.  The new couple snuggled up to each other with Dash resting her head on Heart’s neck, the fell asleep in each other’s embrace with smiles on their faces.

Morning came, Heart and Rainbow woke up with sleepy eyes but still smiled as they looked at each other.  “Good morning beautiful.  Did you sleep well?”  Heart Wing asked.

Dash blushed a little at Heart calling her beautiful.  That may very well have been the first time a stallion has called her that. “I did, thanks, how about you handsome?”

“I slept great, come on, I’ll bet the princesses will have breakfast waiting.”  Heart Wing and Rainbow Dash got out of bed, Heart left his cloak in the bag, he picked up the bag with his magic and placed it on his back.

After breakfast, it was now finally time to see what kind of power would come from combining this new armor with the elements of harmony.  Celestia and Luna led the girls and Spike to the room where the elements were kept.    Celestia used her magic to unlock and open the door the elements were behind.  “Heart Wing, would you go ahead and bring out this armor?”  Celestia asked.

“Of course Celestia.”  Heart Wing levitated the bag off his back and brought it to the side of the room, he opened it up and brought out the armor, he then brought out his own element and set it next to the bag for now.  “I believe you girls are supposed to put the armor on first, then you put on your elements.”

Dash was the first to take hold of hers first, she opened it up, slipped it on and closed it around her body, her wings were sticking out two holes on the side, as soon as it closed securely, it lit up and changed color.  “WHOA, check it out, it changed colors!”  Dash exclaimed.  Her armor had changed from a simple white to match her coat color with a darker shade of blue along the holes of the armor and along the back.  She then put on the helmet and the same thing happened. Then something really unexpected happened.  The group all watched in amazement as the changes occurred, a horn was now forming on the forehead of the helmet.  “No…..way.  This thing gave me a horn? How is that possible!”  She exclaimed in amazement again.

“That’s…that’s amazing!”  Twilight exclaimed.

“I don’t believe it.”  Applejack said in a kind of hushed tone.

“Oh my.”  Said Fluttershy.

“Well,….that was unexpected, I had no idea that was going to happen.”  Heart Wing said.

Celestia and Luna were at a loss for words, they had never seen anything like this, the armor Rainbow Dash just put on may have just turned her into an alicorn.  Celestia then asked a question.  “Rainbow,…..do you feel any different?”

Rainbow thought for a moment.  “I think I feel something, Twilight, how did that levitation thing work?”  She asked Twilight.

“WHAT, Rainbow Dash, you can’t be serious, you don’t have magic, there’s no way that horn is real.”  Twilight explained.

“Never mind, I figured it out.”  She snickered to herself.  The others were stunned again.  a light blue aura was surrounding the horn that was on Dash’s head, at the same time, that same aura was surrounding the bag and was lifting up off the ground.  “Check it out, I can do magic too!  This is so….AWSOME!”  Rainbow then set the bag down and the horn’s glow faded out.

The girls and Spike all just stared on with mouths agape except for Fluttershy, who was just staring, and Pinkie Pie, who was smiling really big.  “OOH OOH, me next me next.”  She cried out.  She then proceeded to put on the armor before her and, just like Rainbow’s, once it closed, it changed colors to match her coat and mane color.  Then, a set of pink wings appeared on Pinkie’s sides.  The girls were still amazed at what was going on before them, Dash’s armor had given her a horn and Pinkie now had wings to fly.  “ooooh neat, I have wings.”  Pinkie then put on her helmet and a horn appeared just like with Rainbow Dash.

“I……I…..WHAT!”  Twilight was still unable to comprehend what was going on.

Celestia finally decided to speak before anything else happened.  “Heart Wing, where did you say you got this armor from?”

Heart Wing looked to Celestia a little stunned that the armor was giving his friends horns and wings.  “Well, in a message my father left me in the castle, he said he hired the best magic crafters he could find to make these.  I had no idea they would do this.”

Pinkie was now flying around the room with her new wings.  “WOO HOOOO, look at me, I’m flying, now I see why you love it so much Dashie.”

Twilight called to Pinkie.  “Pinkie, get down here, we don’t fully understand this armor, you need to be careful!”

“Awwe, but it’s so much fun, all right I’ll come down.”  Pinkie then landed next to Twilight.

“Well, might as well get this over with.”  Applejack said as she eyed her armor.  She removed her hat and set it aside for now.  She dawned her armor and changed to an orange color to match her coat and the lines around the holes turned yellow to match her mane and tail.  Then she too sprouted a pair of orange wings.  “Well I’ll be, would ya look at that. I’ve got wings too.”  She then placed her helmet on and it too sprouted a horn.  “HOO WEEE, if my family could see me now.”

Fluttershy was a little quiet as she put on her armor, it changed to a soft yellow to match her coat and the lines turned pink.  She then put on her helmet and she too got a horn as well.  “Oh my.”  Was all she said.

Twilight was still stunned, but it was starting to wear off as each of her friends gained either horns or wings or both in the case of Pinkie and Applejack.  Twilight then too just put on the armor, it too changed colors to match her coat mane and tail.  She gained a pair of purple wings.  Then she placed on her helmet which had a hole for her horn.  “Wow this is great, I wonder how it works.”

Rarity was last, she simply eyed it nervously.  Thoughts of what happened the last time she had wings filled her head.  “Um, do we really need to do this now, maybe we could wait a bit or something.”  She asked, hoping she wouldn’t have to put on her armor.

The girls and Heart Wing gathered around her to try and comfort her.  Twilight started.  “Don’t worry Rarity, it’ll be ok, these wings are much more sturdy than those gossamer wings you had last time.”

Dash then chimed in.  “Yeah, and besides, if you do fall, you’ll have me to catch you.”

Heart then decided to try and help.  “Rarity, I promise it will be ok, my father wouldn’t have left me these for us if he wasn’t sure they would work.”

Rarity smiled a little at her friends.  “Well, all right then.”  Rarity then hesitantly put on the armor, the body stayed white, but the lines changed to match her mane and tail color.  She too then grew a pair of white wings. Then put on her helmet for the final touch.

Finally, heart Wing put on his armor, it had holes on the side for his wings and a hole in the helmet for his horn.  The lined changed color to match his mane and tail.  “Looks like were ready for the elements. Princess, if you please.”
Celestia then levitated the box containing the elements of harmony over to the group, she opened the box and levitated the elements out.  One was a tiara for Twilight with a purple star adorning it.  The others  were on gold necklaces, Dash’s was a red lightning bolt, Pinkie’s was a blue balloon, Applejack’s was an orange apple, Rarity’s was a violet diamond, and Fluttershy’s was a pink butterfly.

The girls each took their element of harmony in their hooves, Heart levitated his over to him and took it in his hoof.  “All right, let’s put them on together. Ready?”  Heart said to the group.

“Ready.”  They all said in unison.  They all put on their elements together. Once on, the elements of harmony started to glow, matching their color.  They got brighter and brighter, Celestia, Luna, and Spike all had to shield their eyes from the intense light that filled the room.  The light was emmiting a kind of magical whirring sound as the glow intensified even more.  Finally, a surge of magical energy erupted from each of them in a boom.  The light finally faded, the girls and Heart all got up to look at what had happened.

Twilight was the first to look around, the first one she saw was Spike looking up at her, but something was off, had he always seemed that short.  “Spike, why do you seem so small?”

> Chapter 12
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 12


“Spike, when did you get smaller?”  Twilight asked as she looked down at Spike who was standing in front of her.

“Um, Twilight, I didn’t shrink, you grew.”  Spike answered.

Twilight took on a confused look at his answer.  “What are you-“  Before she could finish, she heard Rainbow Dash call out.

“No WAY! Check me out, I look awesome!”  Rainbow cried out.

Twilight looked to Dash.  “Rainbow, what are you,”  She stopped herself when she saw what Rainbow Dash looked like. “But…..but….WHAT!”  She then looked at all her friends.

“Good heavens!”  Rarity exclaimed as she looked herself over.

“Well I’ll be.”  Came Applejack’s voice.

“Oh my goodness.”  Said Fluttershy.

“Look at me, look at me!”  Pinkie exclaimed as she hopped up and down in her new form.

Twilight finally gave herself a good look over and was stunned at what she saw.  “I….I don’t believe it, princess.”  Twilight looked to Celestia who was just as stunned as she was at how they now looked.  Twilight and her friends were all as tall as Celestia herself.  Their helmets were gone, and replaced with tiaras like Twilight’s and had their element of harmony resting on their heads.  Their manes and tails were all flowing just like Celestia’s and Luna’s were.  Their chest pieces were still there, but they now had each of their cutie marks at the center of their chest.

“WHOA, I expected something to happen, but nothing like this. This is amazing.”  The girls and the princesses all turned their attention to Heart Wing, he was now slightly taller than Celestia, his helmet was replaced with a crown with his element on the center of it, his chest piece also had his cutie mark at the center. His mane and tail was also flowing like Celestia’s and Luna’s.

Rarity started to swoon. “Oh, don’t I look just absolutely fabulous. I look just like a princess.”

“You sure do.”  Spike said with hearts in his eyes as he gazed upon Rarity.

“We’ve all become alicorns.”  Fluttershy pointed out.  It was true, they still had their wings, the horns that came from the helmets they wore were now attached to their head like it was a part of them.  The same with the wings, they appeared attached to their bodies as if they were a part of their bodies.

Celestia finally decided to speak up.  “Well, this is certainly an interesting turn of events.  Heart Wing, the armor you brought has granted you and your friends great power.  Did you know this would happen?”

Heart Wing looked to Celestai.  “I had no idea princess. But you have to admit that this is a good thing, with this power, were sure to be able to handle anything that threatens the kingdom with this power.  HEY, I just had a great idea, let’s give ourselves a team name, I think these forms of ours deserve it, don’t you?”

Pinkie smiled big.  “Oh my gosh, THAT’S A GREAT IDEA, but what do we call ourelves?”

“A team name, really?”  Applejack said with skepticism.

“Why not, I think it’s a cool idea.”  Rainbow agreed.

“Yeah, why not, with this kind of power, were not just the bearers of the elements of harmony, were……..AHA, the GUARDIANS OF HARMONY!”  Heart Wing exclaimed.

“HEY YEAH, that sounds like an awesome name.”  Dash cheered. 

“That’s a great name, I like it.”  Said Pinkie.

“I suppose it has a certain ring to it.”  Rarity said.

“I think it sound nice.”  Fluttershy said.

Applejack finally chimed in.  “Eh, why not, sounds good ta me.”

“I guess it’s settled then, princess Celestia, princess Luna, I present to you your guardians of harmony.”  Twilight said as she turned to face the princesses.  The girls and Heart Wing each then bowed down to the princesses. 

Celestia and Luna smiled.  “So be it, from this day forth, you shall all be known as the guardians of harmony.” Said Celestia.

“So, what do you all say to going for a test flight in these new forms, I’ll bet we can go really fast like this.”  Heart Wing said to the girls.  “Spike, you can come to if you want, you know, go for a ride, what do you say?  You can ride on my back if you want.” 

“Really, can I come Twilight, please.”  Spike asked Twilight with pleading eyes.

Twilight giggled a little. “All right, but be sure to get a good grip, I don’t want you falling off.”

“All right, thanks you guys!”  Spike cheered in joy, as soon as he was done, he was suddenly enveloped in a white aura and lifted off the ground, then placed on Heart Wing’s back.

“Don’t worry Spike, I won’t let you fall off. Just get a good grip and hold on tight for a real ride.”

Applejack interjected.  “Now hold on there, I’m not too sure about this, I’m an earth pony, frankly, I’d rather keep ma hooves on the ground.

“Oh come on Applejack, where’s your sense of adventure, this is going to be lots of fun.”  Pinkie encouraged.

“Well, all right, I guess I’m willin ta give it a try.”

“That’s the spirit, come on, let’s go.”

Heart Wing and Twilight were in the lead as they led the others out to the garden.  “All right, I say we start this off with some style, I’m thinking we take off and fly in a formation, a flying v formation.”  Heart Wing informed.

“Aw yeah, that would be cool.” Raibow agreed.

“I can really see why you like him Dash, he seems to share your taste for trying to be cool.”  Rarity pointed out.

“What can I say, he’s a stallion after my own heart.”  Dash said as she moved to nuzzle Heart’s neck.  Heart then blushed a little as she nuzzled him in front of the others.  Spike proceeded to make a gagging motion on Heart’s back. 

“Ok ok, let’s get this started shall we.”  Heart said, trying to cover up his embarrassment.  “Rainbow Dash and Twilight, I want you two next to me first.  Then, Fluttershy and Rarity, finally Pinkie Pie and Applejack, sound good?” The girls all nodded and lined up as Heart Wing suggested.  “Here we go, Hole on tight now Spike.”  Spike then gripped on to Heart and readied himself for takeoff.

They all flew up into the air and took off at an incredible speed.  They had managed to create a sonic rainboom together as soon as they were flying straight ahead.  “NO WAY, We created a sonic rainboom without even trying!”  Dash cried over the sound of rushing wind.  They were now leaving behind a rainbow of colors behind them as they flew.
“WOOO HOOOO, THIS IS INCREDIBLE!”  Pinkie cried out in pure joy.

“YEEEEHAAAAW, man I’m glad I did this!  You were right Pinkie, this is fun, YEEEEEHAAAW!”  Applejack cried out.

“This is certainly most invigorating, I must say that I am having fun with this!”  Rarity called out.

“THIS IS AWESOME!  I’ve never flown this fast before, this is so cool!”  Rainbow cheered as they raced through the sky.  Fluttershy didn’t say anything, but she had a smile on her face, she was enjoying this too.

They were flying so fast, only a pony who just happen to be looking up at the time of them passing over would get a glimpse of them as they flew, and even then it was only for an instant.  They were flying so fast, the world around them seemed to become one big blur, they failed to notice that they weren’t even in Equestria any more, they were just enjoying flying at such incredible speeds.  As they flew, something familiar caught Heart’s eye. It was only for a moment, but it was enough for him to want to stop a moment.  “WHOA, hold up girls!”  Heart called to them, they all slowed to a stop.

“What is it Heart Wing?”  Twilight asked.

“I think I saw something familiar.”  Heart Wing then flew back in the direction they came with the others following him.  “No way, I can’t believe we got here so fast.”

“Dude, how fast were we flying?”  Dash asked as she too recognized the village they were standing before.

“What is it heart, is everything ok?”  Fluttershy asked.

“Wow, what gloomy place, why did we stop here, this place doesn’t look like fun.”  Pinkie said as she looked over the town.

“This is my home town where I grew up. This is Stableton.”

“WHAT!” Is what came from all the girls except for Dash.

“Man, what a dump.”  Said Spike from Heart’s back.

“Spike!  That’s rude.”  Twilight scolded Spike.

“What?” Was his response.

“It’s fine Twilight, he’s right, this place is rather……unpleasant.”  Heart said, even though it was his home, he was treated badly here and the place always looked dirty.

“Well, it could certainly use a good cleaning, if you ask me.”  Said Rarity.  “This place is absolutely filthy.  How can the ponies here stand to live in such filth?”

“Simple, they just don’t care.”  Heart answered.

“Oh my, they all look so miserable, isn’t there anything we can do for them?”  Fluttershy said, feeling sorry for all the ponies as she noticed none of them smiled.

“There must be some way we can make them happy, no pony should have to live without being able to be happy.”  Pinkie pitched in.

Twilight then interjected.  “Hold on, how did we get here so fast, didn’t it take you and Rainbow three months just to get here, how did we get here in a matter of a few minutes?”

“Are you kidding, didn’t you notice how fast we were flying, I’m not surprised we got here so fast like we did with the speed we used.”  Dash informed Twilight.

“It’s these alicorn forms, they must give us incredible speed, that’s why we were able to fly so far so fast.”  Heart guessed.  “Hey, there is something we can do for the ponies here!”  He said as he then remembered something.  “In that message my parents left me, they said that this town was cursed in a similar way that I was, they must not be able to be happy because of it. But now that were here with the power we have, we can lift the curse and help the ponies here.”
“That’s a great idea, let’s do it!” Pinkie cheered.

“Well all right then, what are we waitin fer, let’s brake this here curse and free these here ponies.”  Said Applejack.

“Right, let’s do this.”  Twilight agreed.

“Follow me girls, for this to have maximum effectiveness, we need to be at the center of town, Spike, you’ll have to wait her, for a moment, is that ok.”  Heart said to the group, then addressed Spike.

“That’s fine with me, I’ll probably get thrown off or something when you do….whatever it is your about to do.”  Spike was then levitated off of Heart’s back and set on the ground.

Heart Wing and the girls then took to the air and flew to the center of town.  The ponies down below seemed to pay them no mind as they flew overhead.  The group got to the center of town and hovered there a moment.  Heart addressed the girls.  “You all ready to do this.”  They all nodded in unison.  “All right, Twilight, you get in the center and we’ll form a circle around you, since your element is the one that focusses the other elements so they can do what they need to.

“Right, all right girls……and heart, form up.”  Twilight hovered over to where Heart Wing was as he flew back to form the circle with the others.  They all closed their eyes and focused on their elements to begin the spell to break the curse on the town.  One by one, the elements lit up, each one letting off a magical humming sound, the elements grew brighter and brighter.  Finally, a beam matching each of their colors shot forth to Twilight, connecting with her element.   They all opened their eyes, each one of them had solid white glowing eyes, a surge of magical energy erupted from the group and expanded into a dome that grew rapidly.

The wave of magic came down to the ground, the ground it touched suddenly had grass on it. The wave spread across the town, every old building, every dry patch of dirt, every broken fence and busted window, it all was fixed and repaired, the ground was going from a brown dirt covered road to a green and beautiful color.  Whenever it came in contact with the citizens, they stopped in their tracks and shook their heads, the frown they wore disappeared and was replaced with one of confusion as they started to mumble and look around.

The wave spread a bit beyond the town, making green grass appear in the dirt covered ground.  The magical wave finally dissipated and the guardians of harmony floated down to the ground with their task complete.  The town no longer looked old and dirty, it was now a wonderful looking town, the buildings looked clean, the roads were visible, and the ground had green growing grass.  The guardians touched down.  

“W-what happened?”  One of the citizens asked, the others joined in on the confusion as they looked around.
Spike made his way through the town and up to the girls and Heart.  “That was amazing, you guys did it!”

“Was there ever any doubt?”  Rainbow said with pride.

“It can’t be, is it really you?”

The guardians turned their attention to the source of the voice.  It was an elderly looking stallion with a light grey coat and a white tail, he was bald and had no mane.  Heart addressed the pony.  “Excuse me, but what did you say.”
The elder pony then saw Heart’s cutie mark, and the mark on his chest.  “It is you, I can’t believe it, after so many years, you have returned, you’ve freed us all. Thank you, thank you so much your majesty.”  The elder stallion was practically on the verge of tears.  “I never dreamed I would live to see the return of our long lost prince.”

“Um, how do you know me? Who are you?”  Heart asked, it was then that he noticed other elderly looking ponies gather around while the younger ones just looked on in confusion.

One of the other elder ponies came forward to answer, he approached Heart Wing and gave a bow.  “Your majesty, we were around when your parents, our king and queen, ruled Ponytopia, we lived under their rule in great happiness and peace.  But then that terrible demon came and ruined everything.  He cursed this town and made us forget you, but now that you have lifted the curse, we are free, free to be happy again.”

One of the younger ponies came forward and spoke to the elder pony that answered.  “Grandpa, what are you doing, what are you talking about, and why are you addressing this guy as royalty.”

The elder pony then turned his attention to the younger one.  “You watch your tone young colt, you are in the presence of your prince.  You’ll have to excuse him your highness, he was born after the tragedy that struck, so he doesn’t know the history.  I’m afraid that we old ones are the only ones who truly know of the great kingdom your parents ruled over.”

Heart was a little confused, he wasn’t sure what to do in this situation, the others just watched and thought it best to let Heart Wing handle this himself.  “Um, that’s….all right, I am sorry you had to suffer so long, but if you recall, I was growing up in this town too, I was also under a great curse from that demon.”

Another old stallion approached and bowed to address Heart Wing.  “I remember your majesty, I saw a few occasions when you were being picked on by some of the other young ponies here, I regret that my son was one of them.  SIGN POST, GET YOUR FLANK OVER HERE NOW!”  The old stallion called out.

A pony about Heart’s age emerged from a nearby building.  He had a sign post for a cutie mark with a dark brown coat and a light brown mane and tail.  “Yes……dad?”  He said nervously.

“Young colt, I want you to apologize to your prince for how you and your friends picked on him years ago when you were all young.”

“But dad, how is he a prince?  What is this all about?”

Heart Wing then cut in.  “Look, this reeeaaally isn’t necessary, I forgive him, he doesn’t need to apologize.”
The elder tried to speak.  “But your majesty,”

Heart cut in as nicely as he could.  “It’s fine, really, this really isn’t necessary, I promise.”

The girls were enjoying seeing Heart in this situation, they couldn’t help but laugh a little.  The elder spoke up again with a smile.  “You are too kind your highness, thank you for your understanding.”  The elder then gave a bow and backed away.

Heart had enough, he spoke to address the town.  “Listen every pony, I am glad that I was able to help, but I didn’t do it alone, I couldn’t have.  As I’m sure some of you know, I too was suffering under a curse, a curse that closed off my heart and kept me from my magic.  It was thanks to these ponies that are here with me that I was freed from that curse, it was also with their help that you are all free from the curse you suffered under.  I’m sorry to say that the kingdom my parents ruled over is gone for good, but you are now free to live happy lives, so please, you need not address me as royalty, just call me Heart Wing, all my friends do.”

An old mare then spoke up from the front of the crowd.  “But isn’t there anything we can do?”

Heart Wing frowned, he didn’t like having to make them sad.  “I’m sorry, but if all that is left of the kingdom is the elderly ponies, there isn’t really anything that can be done, Ponytopia is no more.”

Then another elder stallion spoke up from the crowd.  “Then we’ll just have to build a new one, it won’t be like the one that existed before, but it will live on through us.  We will take it upon ourselves to educate the young ones of the great land of Ponytopia so they can carry on where we can’t.”

The first elder stallion that appeared spoke up.  “That’s right, as long as we pass on the knowledge of the great kingdom that once stood, it will never die, Ponytopia will live on.”  All the elders then started to cheer.  The younger ponies were just confused by all this.  “Please say you’ll stay and be our prince again, your parents were wonderful rulers, I just know you’ll be great too.”

Heart Wing smiled at the enthusiasm the old ones were showing.  “I’m sorry, but I have a new home, and new friend’s,  I can’t just up and leave them, you don’t need me to do all this, just do what you can here and everything will turn out great, I just know it.”

The second elder stallion that came forward then spoke.  “We understand your majesty.”

Heart Smiled at the group.  “I’m glad I was able to help, I’m afraid me and my friends must be going now, I wish you all the best of luck in your endeavor to create a new Ponytopia.”

Another elder mare came forward.  “Before you go your highness, may we inquire the names of your friends?”
The girls then stepped forward and got beside Heart Wing to introduce themselves, Twilight started.  “My name is Twilight Sparkle, the bearer of the element of magic.”

“My name is Rarity, the bearer of the element of generosity.”

“My name is Applejack, the bearer of the element of honesty.”

“My name is Fluttershy, I’m the bearer of the element of kindness.”

“My name’s Pinkie pie, my element is laughter.”

“And my name is Rainbow Dash, the bearer of the element of Loyalty.”

Heart Wing finished off.  “And you all know me as Heart Wing, I am the bearer of the element of trust. And together, we are the guardians of harmony.”  Heart Wing then levitated Spike onto his back and the guardians all took off for home.

As they flew, the elder ponies all waved goodbye to their beloved prince.  They were set in creating a new Ponytopia to replace the one they lost to that terrible demon ages ago.

> Chapter 13
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 13

In two months, a lot has happened, Heart Wing showed Celestia and Luna how to do the long distance teleport so they could use it themselves, he took them and the girls to the castle that belonged to his parents to show them around, he gladly volunteered to donate half his wealth to charities in Equestria to aid those in need, while the other half went to Stableton, he helped Celestia and Luna transfer the gem of harmony from his castle to theirs for safe keeping.  Heart Wing kept the bits he collected himself from the castle during his first visit for something else as he and Rainbow grew so close, she decided to let him move in with her.  Heart also donated all the books from the castle library to Luna and Celestia as well, Twilight was amazed at the number of books there, she practically fainted at the sight of the size of the library.

He now had a job as a weather pony in Ponyville and was having a great time doing it because it meant more time with his love.  Celestia also let Twilight keep the elements of harmony with her so the girls could practice in their alicorn forms and get used to how to control and use the new power they gained.  The forms weren’t permanent, only while they wore the elements of harmony and the armor Heart Wing brought with him for them.

Heat Wing had stopped by Rarity’s to pick up something.  “Hey Rarity, how are you doing today?”

Rarity turned from the dress she was currently working on.  “Heart Wing, darling, how good to see you, I’m doing smashing, I take it you’re here for your order?”

“I am, I am very grateful to you for making me a suit, I’ve got a big date with Dash tomorrow and I want to look good, I know she doesn’t really like mushy stuff, but I just know she’ll have a good time for what I have planned.”

“I’m sure she will, you know how much she loves the wonderbolts.  One moment and I’ll retrieve your suit.”  Rarity went up to her workroom to retrieve the suit she made for Heart, moments later, she came back down levitating a black suit with a line of white diamonds in the collar and a pair of white diamond cufflinks for the foreleg sleeves.  “Here you go Heart Wing, I hope you like the extra bit I added, I just couldn’t resist adding in some diamonds into the suit, I think it adds a nice flare to it, don’t you think?”

Heart Wing was amazed with Rarity’s work.  “WOW Rarity, it looks amazing, you didn’t have to do that.”

“Nonsense dear, I am more than happy to help a friend out. Now here you go, you’d best be off and get the other thing you got for her.”

“Thank you so much Rarity, I really appreciate it.  I’ll see you later.”  Heart Wing then took the suit with his magic and left the store.  He made his way back to Dash’s house so he could store it in his room.  He made sure she wasn’t around though as he wanted to surprise her with his outfit.  Once it was stored away in his closet, he left and made his way to the town jewler.

He walked into the store which caused a little bell just above the door to ring to announce to the jewler he has a costumer.  “Welcome, how can I help you today?”  The jewler asked.

“I’m here to pick up a special order I made a few days ago.  I was told it would be ready today.”

“Ah yes, Heart Wing, correct, one moment please, it’s in the back.”  The jewler then went to the back of the store and retrieved a small black hinged box.  “Here we are, I hope it’s to your liking.”  The unicorn jewler then opened the box to show Heart Wing.

It was a gold necklace, for the centerpiece, it had a white diamond cut in the shape of a cloud and a few colorful gems shaped like a lightning bolt, each held in a gold setting, the jewels were shaped and made to look just like Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark.  “It’s perfect, I just know she’ll love it.  Thank you very much sir.”

“You’re welcome, I’m glad you like it, it wasn’t easy to make this, but knowing what it will be used for makes the hard work worth it.”  Heart Wing then paid the jewler and took the box with him.  He was now set to take Rainbow Dash out on a most memorable date tomorrow.

The next day came and Heart had dash waiting in her living room wondering what he wanted to surprise her with.  “Come on Heart, hurry up, what’s this big surprise you have for me?”  She asked impatiently.

“All right, I’m coming out.”  Heart Wing then entered Dash’s living room wearing the suit he picked up.  “TADAA, well, what do you think, do I look good or what?”

Dash liked how handsome Heart looked, his mane was combed back and his coat and tail looked smooth.  She didn’t admit it right away.  She decided to have fun with him.  “Eh, I’ve seen better.”

Heart smirked, he knew she was teasing him, so he decided to tease her back.  “Better huh, well, I guess if you don’t want to admit how good I look, then I guess I’ll find some other mare to take to the wonderbotls show in Canterlot today.”

Dash let her jaw drop when she heard that.  “NO WAY, you got tickets to a wonderbolts show?!”

Heart continued to smirk.  “Yep, but if you don’t want to admit how good I look, you won’t get to go.”

Dash rushed forward and hugged him real tight. “OH THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!”  She then gave him a very passionate kiss on the lips, Heart didn’t fight it, he just kissed right back.

Once they broke apart, Heart began.  “Now hold on there, you still haven’t told me how good you think I look.”
Dash just rolled her eyes, still feeling joy that she was going to a wonderbolts show.  “Fine, I think you look great Heart Wing. But why did you get all dressed up just for a show?”

“I just wanted to look my best for you.  I figured after the show, you and me could go out to eat lunch in Canterlot. Sound good to you?”

Dash smiled big as she answered.  “That sounds good to me.”

“Then let’s go.”  The couple then headed out to the train station to start their date.

They arrived in Canterlot one hour before the show was about to start.  Heart Wing figured they could just stop at a café for a bit and have a drink.  “We still have some time to kill before the show, would you care to get a drink?”

“Sure, it’ll be nice to just sit and talk for a bit.”  There was something on Dash’s mind that had her a bit worried about her relationship with an alicorn.  They found a café that was relatively close to the stadium, they sat down and ordered their drinks.  Rainbow began the conversation.  “So, Heart, there’s…..something I want to ask you.”

“You can ask me anything Dash, what’s on your mind?”

Rainbow wasn’t sure how to ask what she wanted, she was a little afraid of the answer she would get.  She asked with a bit of hesitation.  “Um, Heart Wing, seeing as you’re an alicorn, there is something I can’t help but wonder.”

Heart looked at Dash with curiosity, he wondered why she would bring up the fact that he was an alicorn.  “What is it Rainbow? Don’t tell me your starting to have second thoughts about our relationship just because I’m an alicorn are you?”

Rainbow quickly responded.  “NO NO, nothing like that, it’s just……well, are you…..i mean you’re,”

Heart cut her off.  “Your concerned about me being immortal aren’t you?” he said with a straight face.

Dash was surprised that he guessed it.  “Well, yeah, I mean, I think it’s kind of neat and all, but I’ll just grow old and you’ll live on, would you really be ok with that?”  She asked, sounding a bit worried about the situation.

Heart Wing figured that now would be a good time to bring out his little gift, but first, she needed to be made aware of something.  “Dash, let me tell you something.  I found a book about my family in the library, that book had a whole bunch of information about my family, and my ancestors.  I had a grandpa, and a grandma too, when I saw the pictures of them in the books, they were alicorns, but they were old, there were other pictures of other members of a family I never got to know, some of them weren’t alicorns, but some of them were, in those pictures, some of the alicorns were old looking.  Do you see what I’m saying here Rainbow?”

Dash just looked at him with confusion.  “Not really.”

He decided to just spill it since she wasn’t getting it.  “Rainbow, I may be an alicorn, but I’m not immortal, my parents weren’t immortal and they were alicorns too. From what I’ve heard about Celestia and Luna, they are, I don’t know how they got to be immortal, but the alicorn family that I come from was not.  Which means I am not immortal either, I will grow old Rainbow, which is why,”  He paused, he then levitated out the little black box he had in his suit’s pocket, took it in his hoof, held it out in front of Rainbow and opened it.

Rainbow looked at the necklace, she had never seen anything like it, it was her cutie mark made out of gems.  She looked back at Heart Wing.  “Heart, what is this?”

“This is me asking you if you would want to grow old with me, I know I’ve said it before, but only because it’s true, you are the strongest, bravest, toughest pony I know, you’ve helped me so much in the past, and we’ve done so much together, I can’t imagine the rest of my life without you, which is why I’m asking if you’ll marry me.”

Dash’s eyes started tearing up, the stallion of her dreams was asking her to marry him.  “Darn it heart, you know I don’t like sappy stuff…….but I guess I’ll make an exception this one time.”  She said with teary eyes and a smile.  “Yes, I will marry you.”  The two then embraced in a loving hug and kiss to seal the deal. They held it for a good minute before they noticed they had a bit of an audience looking at them with admiration.

They broke their embrace slowly and Heart put Dash’s necklace on her. She smiled big as she eyed her engagement necklace on her.  She then looked back at Heart.  “This is wonderful Heart Wing, thank you.”

Heart smiled back at her.  “Thank you Dash, you’ve made me the happiest stallion in the world.”  Ignoring the audience they had, they kissed again, only with a bit of less passion.  Heart and Dash broke from their embrace again.  “Come on, it’s almost time for the show to start.  We’d better get going, these tickets are front row seat after all.”  Heart had hoped to wait until after the show to propose to her, but when she brought up her worries of him being immortal, it seemed like the perfect way to ease her troubles.  Besides, it all turned out fine in the end.

The show was spectacular, it was a good two hour show of the wonderbolts showing off their moves and flying stunts.  Dash and Heart enjoyed every minute of it, though Rainbow enjoyed it more than Heart.  After the show, as they were leaving, Rainbow Dash just had to ask.  “So Heart Wing, how did you get such amazing tickets?”

Heart smiled big at his new fiancé as he answered.  “Easy, it was a thank you from the princesses for the amount of bits I donated to charity and the books from my family’s castle.  They wanted to do more for me to thank me for all that, but the tickets were enough, seeing as it was enough to make you smile, and your answer to my question earlier today was more than enough of a thank you for my charitable actions.”  

“So do the others know that you were going to propose to me like this?”

“Nope, I told Rarity I was getting something special for you, but I didn’t tell her what it was or what it was for, so they had no idea.  They are sure in for a surprise when we get back though.”

Dash giggled at how they would react upon hearing that she and Heart were getting married.  “heh heh, yeah, I can just picture the looks on their faces.”

“But first, allow me to treat you to lunch.”  He then held out his foreleg for Rainbow to wrap her foreleg around, she smirked a little and rolled her eyes at his theatrics.  “Oh, right, no sappy stuff.”  He laughed. 

Rainbow looked at him.  “I suppose I can make one more exception, but this will be the last time……for today.”  She then wrapped her foreleg around his and they proceeded to their lunch date before heading home to tell their friends of the good news.

The new couple made it back to Ponyville and decided to let Twilight know first about them getting married.  Heart decided to first change out of his suit since the date was now over, so they first headed back to their home and dropped off Heart’s suit.  They then went to the library.  Heart knocked on the door, after a moment, Twilight answered.  “Hey Heart Wing, hi Rainbow Dash, what’s up?”  She then noticed Dash’s necklace.  “Wow, Rainbow Dash, that’s a beautiful necklace, where did you get it?”

Rainbow Dash smiled as she answered.  “Heart Wing gave it to me when he proposed on our date today.”

Twilight’s face grew a very wide open mouth smile as her eyes went wide, she asked in an almost squealing voice.  “And you said yes?!”

Dash then smirked.  “No, I said no and crushed his heart, I’m just wearing it to remind him of my rejection.”

Heart Wing then joined in on the fun.  “Oh the pain, I may never love again.”  He said rather dramatically.

Twilight got the message, but she was too overjoyed for the two lovebirds to give a look, she just kept her smile. “Congratulations you two, I’m so happy for you.”

“Thanks Twilight, would you mind helping us get the others together at Sugarcube Corner so we can tell the others the good news?”  Heart asked Twilight.

“Of course, oh this is so exciting, I just know Pinkie is going to want to throw a party.”

“That’s why we’re having a meeting there, knowing Pinkie, she’ll want to celebrate as soon as possible.  Just don’t tell them why we’re meeting yet.”

“Of course, Spike you can come too.”  

Spike then came up next to Twilight, he had heard the whole thing.  “All right, party at Sugarcube Corner, congratulations you two.”

“Thanks Spike.”  Said Rainbow before the two took off to gather Rarity and Applejack, that just left Twilight to get Fluttershy.

“So why did you need us to meet here at Sugarcube Corner Twilight?”  Fluttershy asked.

“Yeah, what’s all this about Twi?”  Applejack asked.

“That’s for Heart Wing and Rainbow Dash to say.”  Twilight said with a smile.

“So then what, pray tell, is this all about you two?” Rarity asked.

“Ooh ooh, I know, you want to throw a party right?”  Pinkie guessed with her usual enthusiasm.

“Now why in the hay would they want to throw a party?”  Applejack asked while looking at Pinkie Pie with a confused look.

Heart Wing then spoke up.  “To celebrate our engagement.”

The girls, all looked at Heart and Dash with surprised expressions.  Rarity found her voice after the shock and spoke.  “I beg your pardon, but did you just say, to celebrate your engagement?”

Rainbow Dash then answered.  “Yep, we went on a date today and Heart wing proposed to me, so him and I are getting married.”

Heart Wing continued.  “I figured that once Pinkie Pie heard the news she’d want to,”  Heart Wing was then cut off by a pink tornado zipping around the room at impossible speeds, setting up balloons, streamers, cakes, cupcakes, and party hats, as well as punch and a record player, once it was all done, Heart Wing was finally able to finish his sentence.  “Celebrate.”

“LET’S PARTY!!!”  Cried Pinkie, who then proceeded to blow in a party noise maker that resembled a small horn.  

“Well I’ll be a pig in a mudhole, congratulations ya’ll.”  Applejack congratulated them.

“Oh my, this is wonderful, I’m so happy for you two.”  Fluttershy said.

“How marvelous, oh I can’t wait for the wedding.”  Rarity cooed.

“What are we waiting for, let’s get this party started!”  Pinkie cried again and started the music. 

The party was a blast, during the celebration, Heart Wing and Rainbow Dash informed the girls that they wanted their help with the wedding preparations, Twilight would be the wedding planner, Fluttershy would provide music with her bird choir, mainly because Heart hadn’t had the chance to hear her birds sing and the wedding would be the perfect time to hear them for his first time,  Applejack would provide the catering, Rarity would make a dress for Raibow Dash, Heart Wing decided to wear the suit he wore on their date for the wedding, and finally, Pinkie Pie would be in charge of the reception party.  This was going to be a great wedding. 

Heart Wing awoke the next morning with Rainbow Dash resting her head on his chest.  “*YAWN* hmm, that’s odd, the sun should be up by now.”  Heart Wing looked out the window and saw that the stars and moon were still out. “Hey Dash, wake up, what time is it?” He carefully nudged Rainbow with his hoof to stir her from her sleep.

She started to slowly wake up.  “Huh, WHAT THE, WHO THE HAY ARE YOU, AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY BED?!”

> Chapter 14
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 14

“Dash, What’s wrong, it’s me, Heart Wing!”

“How do you know my name, I don’t know you, you better get the buck out of my house or I’ll mess you up!”  Rainbow Dash was glaring menacingly at Heart Wing, Heart just wore a scared and confused look on his face as his wife to be was threatening him.

“Dash come on, don’t be like this, you know me!”  Heart pleaded with Rainbow to no avail.

“GET OUT!”  Dash then started taking swings at him, Heart was forced to retreat, he flew out of the window away from his love.

“What the hay, how could she have forgotten me, what’s going on here?”  Heart hovered in front of Dash’s house as he pondered.

Suddenly, Dash’s voice broke his train of thought.  “HEY, DON’T FORGET YOUR BAG CREEP!”  She then tossed the bag Luna gave him when he first started his journey to Stableton to find out who he was.

Heart managed to catch it with his magic, he placed it on his back.  “Rainbow, please, you have to know who I am!”  Dash just slammed her window shut with an angry glare.  Heart slowly descended to the ground, tears threatening to pour out.  “I don’t get it, how could she have forgotten me?”  He then remembered what he noticed first.  “And where is the sun, it should be up by now?  Maybe Twilight can help, she might know what’s going on.”  Heart decided to head to Twilight’s in hopes she would be able to tell him what was going on, if not, at least be able to help.  He then wiped away the tears in his eyes.

He came to the library and was appalled at what he saw.  “What the hay, what happened here?”  The library was a mess, the windows were boarded up, the tree itself looked almost dead, and the front door had planks holding it shut.  There was a sign over the original sign of the library, Heart Wing approached the library to get a better look.  “Closed indefinitely, what the hay is going on here, where’s Twilight?!  I don’t like this, I’ve got to find the others.”  Heart decided to try Rarity’s next.

He got to Carousel Boutique and approached the door, the sun still hadn’t risen.  He entered and called out.  “Rarity, are you here, Rarity!”

A familiar voice responded.  “One moment, I’m coming.”  Rarity descended the stairs.  “Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is sheik, unique and magnifique, oh hello, I’ve never seen you before, did you hear my name from one of my clients?”

Heart was a little frightened now, she didn’t recognize him.  “Rarity, it’s me, Heart Wing, your friend, you have to know me.”  he said rather desperately.

Rarity just looked at him confusingly.  “I’m sorry, but I don’t believe we’ve met, is there something I can help you with?  If you don’t have business here, I will have to ask you to leave, I do have a business to run.”

“I don’t believe this, you don’t know me either, what’s going on?”  Heart then ran out of Rarity’s shop.  “Pinkie has got to know me, she’d never forget a friend.”  He then galloped as fast as he could to Sugarcube Corner, still no sign of the sun coming up.

He arrived at Sugarcube Corner, only to find that the place didn’t look as cheerful as it normally did, in fact, it didn’t even look like Sugarcube Corner, it just looked like an ordinary baking shop.  “I don’t get it, this is where the shop is supposed to be.”  Heart Wing made his way inside.  He found Cupcake working the counter.

“Oh, a customer, welcome to Sugarcube Corner, what can I get you?”  Mrs. Cake said with a nervous smile.
Heart figured she didn’t recognize him either, he decided to see if Pinkie was here.  “Actually, I was wondering if there was a Pinkie Pie here.”

Mr. Cake came from the Kitchen.  “Why do you need to see her, she doesn’t normally get visitors.”

Heart was stunned. He wanted to cry out, but he figured that might scare them.  “Please, I have an important message for her.”

As soon as he said that, Pinkie was slowly making her way down the stairs, but something was off, her usual poofy mane and tail were all straight and hung down low to the ground.  She spoke in a kind of even tone way with no joy in it whatsoever.  “Did somepony need to see me.”

Heart was aghast at how Pinkie looked, she wasn’t her usual bubbly self with her poofy pink mane and tail, it was like she wasn’t even Pinkie Pie.  “Pinkie Pie……is that you, what happened to you, what happened to your poofy pink mane and tail?”

Pinkie looked at Heart with a curious expression.  “I’m sorry, do I know you?”

“Pinkie it’s me, Heart Wing, we’re friends remember, you threw me and Rainbow a party yesterday to celebrate our engagement!”

“Who?  Who’s Rainbow Dash, I’m sorry but you have the wrong pony, I don’t throw parties, not since they were outlawed.”

“OUTLAWED, what do you mean outlawed!?  Who would be so heartless as to outlaw parties, what in the name of Celestia is going on?!”  The three ponies then gasped and looked horrified.  “What? What did I say?”

Mrs. Cake explained.  “Don’t you know it’s against the law to say her name anymore, no pony is allowed to mention her.”

Heart was even more confused.  “What do you mean against the law to say her name, she is the ruler here isn’t she?”

Mr. Cake then began to explain.  “Young man, I think you might be confused, Nightmare moon is our queen, she has been ever since she returned to Equestria and banished…….her, to the sun.  And now it’s night forever.”

Heart just got more and more confused and frightened.  “THAT CAN’T BE RIGHT, what about the elements of harmony, the magical artifacts that Twilight, Pinkie, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity used to turn her back to Luna!”

Pinkie then spoke up.  “I never did anything like that, and who are these other ponies you mentioned?”

He couldn’t take any more.  “I have to go find Fluttershy, maybe she remembers me.”  Heart Wing then left the bakery and made his way to Fluttershy, leaving three confused ponies.

He found his way to Fluttershy’s cottage.  He approached the door and knocked.  “Hello, is any pony home.”  He said quietly, just in case.

The door slowly opened a crack and revealed a pair of blue eyes from behind the door.  “Uhm, hello, what do you want?” A shy timid voice asked from behind the door.

Heart began as carefully as he could.  “Fluttershy, it’s me, Heart Wing, please tell me you know me.”
The timid Pegasus seemed to recoil as this strange pony knew her name. “H-how do you know my name?”
“Fluttershy, I’m your friend, you have to know me, please.”  He said a little more forceful than he meant.  It scared Fluttershy.

She then slammed the door closed.  “P-please go away now.”  She asked timidly.

“Fluttershy!  Please, you have to believe me, we’re friends.”  No response, Heart Wing just hung his head and turned away in defeat.  “What is going on here, how could my friends have forgotten who I am, how could they forget each other, and how did Nightmare moon become the queen?  This doesn’t make any sense.”

As Heart Wing pondered this, a smooth yet deep evil sounding voice spoke out of nowhere.  “It does if you consider who’s behind it all.”

“What, who’s there, show yourself!”

“With pleasure.”  The voice said back.  In front of Heart Wing, a black hole appeared on the road, it let out a kind of bubbling sound as it moved and bubbled, it then shot up a spout five feet up, it held there and began to form into a dark figure, the blackness faded to reveal a terrifying looking creature, it had large bat like wings, two horns on its head, an elongated snout with sharp teeth, and dark grey skin.  It looked like a gargoyle.  It’s eyes let off a red glow as it looked down at Heart Wing.  “Greetings, I am Misery, at your service.”  The creature gave a mock bow.

“Misery, are you the one behind all this?  What did you do, why have you done this?!  And who are you?”

“So many questions, you wound me that you don’t recognize me, then again, you were just a baby at the time of my appearance.”

Heart just looked up at the creature identified as Misery.  “Wait……you aren’t……you can’t be.”

“DING DING DING, looks like you’ve figured it out.”  Misery said with an evil grin.

“You’re the demon my parents sealed away years ago so I could be ready to stop you, but how did you break out so early, you weren’t supposed to break out for another few months!”

Misery rolled his eyes.  “Oh please, that was just an estimate from your parents, they couldn’t know how soon I would get loose.  And now that I am, I am now the absolute ruler of the world.  I suppose you’re wondering how all this happened.”

Heart Wing just glared at him, he decided to let Misery explain himself.  “It’s like this, as you know, I am a powerful demon, when I broke out, I was able to use my powers to go back in time to change certain events that allowed me to take control of the world and gain a powerful ally, well, not as powerful as me.”

“Nightmare Moon, you did something to change the outcome of the battle my friends had with her when they used the elements of harmony.”  Heart Wing guessed.

“Close, I changed it so that the one you call Twilight, never got sent to Ponyville, I used my powers to intercept a letter Celestia sent Twilight and changed what it said so she would stay in Canterlot, since she never came to Ponyville, she never made friends, never went on a quest to find the elements of harmony, thus letting Nightmare moon take control of Equestria.  I also made a few changes and erased a few memories for fun.  Your so called friends have no idea who you are.”

Heart was furiouse at the demon, there was still one thing that bothered him though.  “If you changed history, then how come I wasn’t affected?”

Misery crossed his arms and put one of his claws to his chin.  “It seems your magic is indeed powerful, it acted on its own to shield you from the time line change, I can sense the amount of magic within you, but you still are not strong enough to deal with me, so I have no problem leaving you alone in your misery, besides, it’s not like there’s anything you can do to stop me. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  Have fun in your new home, Heart Wing, HA HAHAHAHAHA!”  Misery said Heart’s name in a mocking tone and disappeared in a black poof of smoke.

“No, this can’t be happening, this has to be a nightmare. WAIT, the bag.”  Heart then took the bag off his back and looked inside.  “I wonder if……AHA, It is in here.”  Heart Wing pulled out his armor, it was still in the bag, which meant the others were too.  “I get it, my magic must have protected the bag too, and the bag has a kind of dimensional magical charm which must cancel out time changing, but why didn’t my magic protect Rainbow, I wonder if.”  Heart Wing then put the armor back in the bag.  “It’s in here too, Dash’s necklace, If what is going on is true, maybe I can get her to remember me with this, it may be a long shot, but it just has to work.”

Heart placed the necklace back in the bag and left for Rainbow’s house, hoping that his plan would work.  He came to Dash’s front door and knocked.  Rainbow opened the door and glared at Heart as soon as she saw him.  “What do you want, I thought I told you to get out!”

Heart had to act fast.  “Rainbow Dash, please let me explain, I’m sorry for breaking into your house, but I had a good reason.”

“Yeah right, I’m not interested in any excuses for you coming into my house and getting into bed with me, now beat it!”

Before Dash had a chance to slam her door, Heart used his magic to keep it open.  “Dash please just listen to me, this isn’t right.  Nightmare Moon isn’t supposed to be in control here.”

“What are you talking about, she’s always been in control since she came back from her banishment, now why can’t you take a hint and get lost!”

Heart tried again.  “Rainbow, please just give me five minutes to explain, that’s all I ask, there must be some part of you that believes me, deep down inside, you know what I’m saying is true.”

Dash was about to try and slam the door on Heart again, but something told her to hear him out, she knew this pony had to be crazy, but something was telling her to trust him, to listen to him, she finally caved in.  “You’ve got three minutes to explain.”  She stepped aside to let him in.

She led him to her living room where she sat on her couch and crossed her forelegs.  Heart stood in front of her and set his bag on the side.  He then reached in and brought out the necklace he gave her.  “Do you remember this?”  He levitated it in front of her for her to get a good look at it.

Her eyes softened as she looked at the necklace with her cutie mark made out of jewels.  “Wh-what is this, why does it look like my cutie mark?”

Heart smiled as he began.  “I had it made special for you, I used it to propose to you because I love you, and you love me, I know you remember, you have to, somewhere deep inside, there must be a part of you telling you to remember and believe me.”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’ve never seen this before in my life.  There’s no way I could love some pony I just met.”  Rainbow didn’t seem to believe her own words.

“Please Rainbow, you have to remember, I know you do, please just try.”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but feel some sense of familiarity as she looked at the necklace.  She nervously reached her hoof out to touch it, her hoof got within an inch before she recoiled it back a bit, then continued to reach for it, once she had a hold, Heart Wing released his magic hold on it.  “You……had this specially made for me?”  Dash asked as she looked at it.

“Yes, and I asked you to marry me with it on a date we went on, I took you to see the wonderbolts in Canterlot, it was before the show that I proposed and you said yes.”

“I-I think……….I don’t AGH, my head.”  Rainbow suddenly got a major headache, she dropped the necklace and grabbed her head with her hooves.

Heart Wing quickly rushed over to her side.  “Rainbow, are you ok?”

“My head, it hurts so much, what’s wrong?”  Dash was keeling over from the pain.

“Please hang in there Dash, I know it hurts, but you have to fight through it, listen to your heart, you can fight this.” Heart did all he could to help Dash through her pain with his words.

“I’m…trying……but….AAGH AHA AHAH, it hurts so much, I think I’m………..AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”  Her body emitted a bright white flash of light as she cried out.  Heart Wing had to shield his eyes.

After the glow died down, Heart Wing was finally able to look at Dash as she lay down on her stomach with her eyes closed.  “Dash, are you ok, speak to me, please say something.”

Her eyes slowly fluttered open.  “Uh, Heart, is that you, why does my head hurt?”

Heart gained a hopeful smile as Dash seemed to remember him.  “Dash, do you remember me, do you remember our friends?”

“Heart Wing, oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, I can’t believe I had forgotten you.”  Dash then grabbed Heart in a tight hug as she was about ready to cry.

“It’s ok Dash, it wasn’t your fault, none of it was your fault.”  Heart said all he could to comfort Rainbow.
Dash then pulled her head back to look at Heart Wing.  “But what’s going on here, my head is still kind of fuzzy, the only thing I can remember clearly is everything about us, what’s going on?”

Heart Wing began to explain.  “Dash, that demon my parents sealed away years ago is now free, he’s the one who made you forget me and our friends.”

“Our friends, I don’t understand, I don’t remember any friends, just you.”

“It must be because of the time line being altered, I was able to fix your memories of me but not of our friends, Dash listen, what all do you remember about us?”

Dash did all she could to remember.  “It’s weird, it’s like my memories are mixed, I remember I was giving you flying lessons, there WAS supposed to be others there, but they’re all hazy, there was a time when you and I went on a long trip and fought some evil minitaur, and in those times the sun came up for the day, but at the same time, it was always night, it doesn’t make any sense.  We came to a castle, we found a giant crystal with a message from your parents, there was something about special armor that’s supposed to increase……..something, but at the same time, it’s like that journey should never have happened.  But what I do remember clearly and that seems to stand out strong is that you proposed to me and I said yes.”

“Your memory is conflicting because of the time line being altered, maybe I can help further, do you trust me Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow looked at Heart with a smile.  “I do, if you feel that you can help me fix how my memories should be, then go ahead, I trust you.”

Heart smiled bigger, he lowered his horn to touch Rainbow on the forehead.  “All right, just relax and open your mind.”  Dash closed her eyes, Heart’s horn began to glow, Heart Wing began to cast a spell to try and straighten out Dash’s memories to how they should be.  It seemed to be working, Heart could see all the fog in Dash’s mind begin to fade away, erasing the false memories and being replaced with how things should be.  

Rainbow felt her head begin to clear up.  After a moment, Heart finally ended his spell.  Dash looked to Heart Wing.  “It worked, I remember how things should be, I remember our friends, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity.  I remember all of them.  We have to help them remember too and get the elements of harmony so we can stop that evil demon.”

“Don’t worry Dash, we will, come on, let’s try and help Pinkie first, I couldn’t stand to see her the way she was.”

“Why, what was she like?”

“You’ll see when we get there.”  The two then left and headed for Sugarcube Corner.

Upon arrival, Rainbow was a little surprised to see it like this.  “Man, now that I think about it, this place doesn’t look so inviting, are you sure this is the right place?”  

“I’m afraid so, I just can’t imagine how Nightmare Moon coming back could have changed how Sugarcube Corner would look.”  They entered the bake shop and were greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Cake.

Mr. Cake was the first to speak.  “Oh great, it’s the crazy one, what do you want now?”

Heart Wing wasted no time.  “Where’s Pinkie Pie, I need to see her.”

Mrs. Cake spoke up.  “She’s not in the mood to hear more crazy talk from you, I suggest you leave.”

Dash decided to try her luck.  “Look here, we’re not leaving until we get to see her, now where is she?”

“Easy Dash, remember, they don’t know us, I’m sorry about her, she’s just a little…..on edge over something, it doesn’t matter, can we please see her, I am sorry for all the things I said earlier, I hit my head and had a crazy dream that I thought was real, but I really do have something to tell her for real.”

Pinkie then emerged from the bakery kitchen.  “What’s going on Mr. and Mrs. Cake?”  Heart Wing then used his magic to take hold of Pinkie and levitated her up and over to him.  Pinkie cried out in fear.  “AAAHHH, HELP!”

Mr. Cake tried to say something to defend her.  “Let her go you brute!”

Heart Wing then called out to them.  “I’m sorry about this Mr. and Mrs. Cake.”  Heart then cast a spell to put them to sleep.

Pinkie looked to Heart with fear in her eyes.  “P-Please don’t hurt me, I-I swear I haven’t thrown any parties, honest.”

Rainbow looked over Pinkie.  “It’s all right, were not here to hurt you, were here to help you.”

Pinkie then looked confused.  “H-Help me, wh-what do you mean.”  Heart Wing then set her down in front of him.

“Pinkie, you have to know that this isn’t right, this world, the way things are, none of it is right, you’re a party pony, you love to throw parties and make every pony smile.”  Heart said as he addressed Pinkie.

Pinkie looked more confused.  “But, how do you know that about me, I don’t know you.”

Rainbow tried to remind Pinkie.  “Yes you do, you just need to try and remember, we’re your friends Pinkie, you and me, we’ve had some great times together, like the time when we pranked all our friends, and the time you and the others came to Cloudsdale to see me perform in the best young fliers competition, you have to remember that.”

“I-I don’t, I’m sorry but I just don’t.  I can’t help but feel like I should but,  AAAAGGGH!”  Pinkie cried out in pain.  “My head, my head hurts so much, what’s wrong with me!”  

Dash tried to comfort her.  “I’m sorry Pinkie, but you have to fight through the pain, you have to.”
“My head, it hurts so much, AAH, make it stop!”

“Dash, I have an idea, try and hold her head still and press your fore head against hers.  I’m going to try and transfer your memories of you two together and some of mine to help her.”  

Dash nodded, she took Pinkies head and held it in her hooves.  “Wh-what are….you doing AAAHA!”  Pinkie cried in pain.

“Just hang in there Pinkie, you’ll feel better soon.”  Dash said to Pinkie, she then did as Heart told her and pressed her forehead against Pinkie’s.

Heart’s horn flared up with magic as he moved his horn closer to the two and began the spell.  Pinkie felt something happening in her head, the pain was dying down, but her memories were changing.  She couldn’t help but feel like she should just let this happen, there was something about them that seemed familiar to her.  After a moment, she too was enveloped in light and let out a burst of magical energy from her body which forced Heart and Dash back a bit.
“HEART WING, RAINBOW DASH!”  She cried happily.  Heart and Dash looked at their pink friend and saw she was back to her old self.

“Pinkie, you remember us?”  Dash asked hopefully, she was answered with a great big bone crushing pinkie hug along with Heart Wing.

“OH, I’m so sorry, I can’t believe I had forgotten about you two.”  She then released them from her grip.  “But how could I have forgotten, do you know what’s going on Heart?”

Heart gasped for air before answering.  “*GASP* It’s….a long…..story….first…..we need…..to help…..the others.”  Heart panted out as his lungs begged for air from the tight hug he received.

Pinkie smiled.  “Okie dokie lokie, but wait, what about the cakes, what happened to them, are they going to be okay?”

“Relax Pinkie, I just had to put them to sleep for now, they’ll be ok.”

“Of course, I should know better than to think you would hurt somepony.”

Dash figured they should get going.  “Come on guys, let’s go get the others.”  The next stop they made was Rarity’s.

After a bit of talking to, Rarity started to feel like things weren’t right either, it was then that she got a headache too, Heart did the same thing for her that he did for Pinkie.  Pinkie and Dash but their heads against Rarity’s while Heart Wing used his magic to fix Rarity’s memories too.

After some heartfelt apologies and a group hug, they moved on to Fluttershy’s cottage.  This one was a little trickier as she was so timid, but they managed to get in her house and fix her memories as well.

Finally, it was Applejack’s turn, the group made their way to Sweet Apple Acres. Heart Wing was   in the back of the group, he was starting to feel tired after fixing his friend’s memories, he did his best not to show it though as there was still two more friends to go.  They came to Sweet Apple Acres and Heart did not expect what he saw.  There were tall metal black poles scattered amongst the apple trees with bright yellow orbs floating just above the poles where it was flat.  “What are those things?”  He asked the group.

Rarity began to explain.  “They’re Nightmare Moon’s answer to the sun being gone, they provide the same kind of solar energy for plants to grow as the sun does, she cared just enough to have these things placed in all the farms so we could still grow food.  Thanks to you Heart, we know how things should be, but we also know how things are now when she took over.”

“Come on girls, let’s get Applejack.”  Dash said to the group.  They made their way up to the farm, Dash knocked on the door and waited for some pony to answer it.

The door opened and showed a sad looking Applejack.  “Hello, welcome to Nightmare Apple Acres, where we grow the best Apples in the name of Nightmare Moon.  What can I do fer ya’ll?”

Heart Wing was confused when Applejack called the place Nightmare Apple Acres, he figured it was because of the time change as well so he pushed those thoughts aside.  Rarity began.  “Applejack, we need to talk, may we come in?”
Applejack looked at them confusingly.  “Beg pardon, but do I know you, I’m not about ta let strangers inta ma house, unless yer here ta buy apples, I’m gonna have ta ask ya ta leave.”

Fluttershy tried to talk to her in hopes her gentle voice might persuade Applejack to listen to them.  “Oh, please just hear us out Applejack, we know you might not believe us, but were your friends.  Please just let us talk for a moment…..if you don’t mind.”

Applejack just snorted at her.  “Friends, I don’t have no friends, not since Nightmare Moon had her goons take my Granny Smith a prisoner and threatened her if’n we didn’t do what she wanted.  Now would ya’ll kindly get off ma property?”

Dash then flared her wings and charged at Applejack knocking her to the floor and pinning her down.  “Applejack, this is for your own good, you have to listen to us, we’re friends!”  She cried out.

“GET OFF ME, BIG MAC, I NEED HELP!”

Big Mac then came trotting in the room with Apple Bloom behind him.  “Just what do ya’ll think yer doin, ya’ll best get outta here right now!”  Big Mack pawed the floor with his hoof, ready to charge.

Heart Wing quickly cast a sleep spell on Big Mac and Apple Bloom so they couldn’t interfere.

Pinkie then trotted up to the two with Rainbow holding Applejack down.  “Oh, please don’t be mad, we’re trying to help you, things are all messed up here, you must know this.”

“What in tarnation are ya’ll talkin about, get off me!”  Applejack tried to fight Rainbow off her, but it was no good.
After a few minutes of talking and convincing, Applejack managed to calm down and started to believe them, it was then that she too got a headache, that was their cue, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity touched their foreheads to Applejack’s and Heart cast the same spell he did before.  The result was the same as last time and Applejack recognized them.

“Girls, I’m awful sorry for forgettin ya, I can’t tell ya’ll how sorry I am.”  Applejack apologized.  
Fluttershy addressed Applejack.  “It’s not your fault Applejack,   we all had our memories affected.”

“Yeah, you don’t need to apologize.”  Pinkie squealed.

“It’s quit all right darling.”  Said Rarity.

“All right girls, we’ve got one more friend to find, let’s go get Twilight.”  Rainbow said.

Heart Wing was feeling a little more exhausted, appearantly, using the spell he’d been using was taking a lot out of him, but he had to press on, for his friends, for Equestria, and for the world. “Come on girls, we need to go to Canterlot and get Twilight.”  They all agreed, Heart figured the fastest way was to use the armor so they could all fly there.  Heart pulled the suits of armor out of the bag and gave them to the girls, he put on his own armor and they were now ready to go. Let’s just hope Nightmare Moon doesn’t notice them while their there.

> Chapter 15
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 15

The girls and Heart Wing all had their armor on and ready to take flight to Canterlot, when suddenly, a voice called out to them.  “Hello, excuse me, might I have a moment of your time.”  The voice had a British accent to it.

The group turned their attention to where the voice came from.  It was an earth pony stallion with a brown coat and a black mane and tail with an hour glass for a cutie mark.  Applejack steeped forward to address the pony.  “Sorry pardner, but right now were kinda closed, got some business to take care of right now.”  She figured it was just some pony here to buy apples.

“Actually, that business you need to take care of is exactly why I’m here.”  He said.

Dash got a little suspicious of what he said.  “How do you know what business we have to take care of?”

The pony never lost his cool, he answered with a smile.  “It’s my job to know, I’m the doctor.”

“Doctor who exactly?”  Rarity asked.

“Exactly.”  Was his only response.  “Look, I’m here to help, I know for a fact that you all know that things are not as they should be, I’m here to help you rectify that little problem.”

“And how in tarnation do ya’ll know that?  We needed a spell to help us realize that, how do ya’ll know what’s what and what’s not?”

“Like I said, it’s my job to know, and also I have a time machine.”

“OK, this guy is crazy, come on girls, we’ve got more important things to do than deal with some crazy pony.”  Said Dash.

“Hold on Dash, he might not be crazy.”  Heart said.  “If he does know that things aren’t the way they should be, how else could he know, granted the whole time whatchamacallit sounds a little odd, but I for one am curious as to how he knows that things are messed up.  Let’s hear him out.”  The girls looked at Heart then to the doctor.  They agreed to trust Heart’s judgment.

“All right doctor, we’re listening.”  Said Rarity.

“Right then, you see, I have a time machine that lets me travel through space and time, I travel through time and fix things in history that were changed where they shouldn’t have.  So I am here to help you all fix what was changed.”

Fluttershy spoke up.  “So you can take us back in time and help us change things?”

“Well, sort of, the thing is, I know that things have changed because of the demon Misery, the problem is, there is no way of knowing where exactly he is in the point in time when he made the changes he did that prevented your friend Twilight from coming to Ponyville.  There is still a way we can change things to the way they were from here though.  Because of what Heart did for all of you, he unknowingly made you all paradoxes in the time line, thus making it so that if you do what you were supposed to do when Nightmare Moon first showed up, it will make things the way they should be up to this point in time.”

“Uh, did any of ya’ll get that?”  Applejack asked felling confused and a bit of a headache coming on.

“It’s simple, all you have to do is get the elements of harmony, use them to turn Nightmare Moon back into princess Luna, and everything will be fine”  Came a voice from behind the doctor. 

“Ah, Derpy there you are, did you get the muffin you wanted?”  The doctor asked a mare Pegasus with a grey coat, gold eyes, and a blond mane and tail with bubbles for a cutie mark.

“No, when I got there, Mr. and Mrs. Cake were asleep.”  Derpy said.

“Girls, and Heart Wing, this is my lovely assistant, Derpy Hooves.”  

“DERPY, what are you doing here?!”  Rainbow asked in surprise.

“Hey Rainbow Dash, it’s good to see you again, I’ve been traveling with the doctor to help him.  We’ve had all kinds of amazing adventures, this one time we-“

The doctor cut her off.  “Sorry Derpy but we don’t have the time to go down memory lane right now.”

“Oh right, sorry.  Anyway, come on girls, you can trust him, I promise he can help.”

The girls weren’t sure about this, but Heart Wing figured that if Derpy trusted him, he could too.  “Come on girls, let’s see how he can help.”  The girls all nodded in agreement.  “So, what can you do to help?”

“I can take you right to your friend Twilight, my time machine is right over there.”  The doctor then pointed his hoof to the left and to a tall blue box with a light on top.  It had Police Box written on the sides and front.  “Come along then.”

The doctor and Derpy led the group to the box, the doctor opened the door and walked in with Derpy behind him.
The girls walked in with Dash being second to last and Heart Wing being last.  Heart just sat down in front of the entrance once inside, he was feeling exhausted by now.  He couldn’t even be amazed at the size of the room they were now in.

“Oh my, it’s so big in here.”  Fluttershy commented.

“But, how in tarnation is this thing so much bigger on the inside than it is on the outside? It don’t make no sense.”  Applejack questioned.

“I said the same thing when I first saw this.” Said Derpy.  The room was large and round with a console at the center and a cylindrical glass object surrounded by the strange looking buttons and levers.

The doctor grinned big at Applejack’s comment.  “It’s sciency stuff, hard to explain in ways you would understand.”

Dash looked back at Heart Wing.  “Hey Heart, are you ok, you look tired.”

Heart looked up at Rainbow.  “I’m ok, I’m just tired is all, those spells I used to fix your memories took a lot out of me.  I just need some time to rest.”

The doctor didn’t seem to think so.  “Hmm, Heart Wing, how was it you weren’t affected by the time change again?”

“Well, after I went around town to see if any of my frineds remembered me, the demon showed up and taunted me, he said my magic acted on its own to shield me from the time stream being altered.”

“Hmm, curious.  Give me a moment please.”  The doctor then pulled a small metal long object with a green light at the end out of his mane and held it out with his hoof towards Heart.  It started to give off a buzzing noise as the doctor moved it around Heart Wing.  He then stopped and looked at the side of the object.

“What is that thing?”  Pinkie asked.

“It’s called a sonic screwdriver, It does sonicy things.  Oh dear, I was afraid of this.”  The doctor had a freatful look on his face as he examined his screwdriver.

“What is it doctor, is Heart ok?”  Fluttershy asked.

Dash was now sitting next to Heart Wing with a hoof on his shoulder.  The doctor began to explain his findings.  “The spell his magic used to shield him is still in effect, it never stopped working, it’s been active this whole time, as long as it stays active, it will drain his magic, once he runs out, he’ll…..he will.”  The doctor was afraid to say it.

“He will what, spit it out already!” Dash said desperately with worry.

“He will disappear.”  The doctor finally said it.  The girls all let out a collective gasp.

“Disappear, what do ya mean disappear?”

“Just what I said, disappear, when the demon changed history, he changed Heart’s history as well, thus making it so as he never came to Ponyville.”

“Isn’t there anything you can do to help him doctor?”  Derpy asked.

“There must be something, you can’t just let him fade out!”  Dash cried out.

“I’m sorry, but the demon pretty much erased him from history, when he changed things for Nightmare Moon to win, it made things so that Heart Wing never came to Ponyville.  If we are to change that, we need to stop Nightmare moon here.”

“Well then, let’s go back to that moment and stop him, if we do that, than Heart will be safe right?”  Dash asked desperately to find a solution to save her fiancé.
“
I’m sorry but that won’t work, Misery is too powerful and Heart is too weak, besides, we need to find the elements of harmony first before you try to take him on, and before that, we need to get Twilight.”

“Well then, what are we waiting for, let’s go get Twilight and do this.”  Pinkie said.

“Uhm, excuse me doctor, but um, how much time does heart have left?”  Fluttershy asked nervously.

“Every time Heart Wing cast a spell, it decreased the amount of time before his magic would go dry.  I would have to estimate another three hours at the most, but we need him to cast his memory spell on Twilight so she can help us, after that, well…….we just need the six of you to use the elements of harmony.”

The girls were all very sad at this, but none more than Dash as she desperately clung on to him as if his life depended on her.  “NO, I can’t lose him, I won’t!”  Dash was crying as she hugged Heart.

“Hey, it’s ok Dash, like he said, all we need to do is get Twilight, the elements of harmony and use them to turn Nightmare Moon back to Luna and everything will be as it should.”  Hear Wing said weakly to Dash.

“Doc, we need to go NOW!  We are not about to lose our friend Heart Wing, so if this here ship o’ yers can get us to Twilight, then hurry up.”  Applejack demanded.

“Right then, Alonsy!” The doctor cried cheerfully and rushed over to the console, he started pushing buttons and pulling levers as he rushed around it, the engine sprang to life and let off a kind of grinding noise as something in the glass at the center moved up and down.  The ship shook a bit as everything sprung to life.

The girls all gathered around Heart Wing and embraced him in a group hug, even Derpy joined in, she and heart had met many times before and became friends as well.  Needless to say, she was just as upset over Heart’s situation as the others.

“So doctor, where is Twilight, she is in Canterlot isn’t she?”  Pinkie asked with sadness in her voice.

“She’s in the dungeons of Nightmare castle.”  The doctor answered as he looked away from his console.
Heart was confused at this.  “Nightmare castle, where is that?”

“It used to be Canterlot castle, but when Nightmare Moon took over, she renamed it, when she returned, she and Celestia fought, as we know, things didn’t turn out in Celestia’s favor, she was banished to her own sun.  Once Celestia was dealt with, Nightmare Moon turned her attention on Twilight, she sent Twilight to the dungeons as an example to all who would defy her.  That’s where we’re going.”  After a few minutes, the ship settled down and fell quiet.  “We have arrived.”   The doctor moved past the girls and up to the door.  “Come along now, we haven’t much time.”  The group followed the doctor out of his ship.

“W-w-what is this place, is-is th-this really the dungeons?”  Fluttershy asked with fear.  The group found themselves in a dark hallway of stone lined with torches.

“Yes, these are the dungeons, come along now, we need to get to Twilight quickly.”

“Heart Wing, are you going to be ok?”  Dash asked as they walked along with worry.  She never left Heart’s side.

“I’ll make it Rainbow, I have to, we need to fix this, we’re the only ones who can.”  Heart said with determination, but at the same time sounding weak.

“Doctor, if Heart uses his spell to restore Twilight’s memories, that means he’ll fade away doesn’t it?  That’s what you tried to say earlier isn’t it?”  Derpy asked.  “I don’t want Heart to fade away, he’s my friend too, and I don’t know what I’d do if that happened.”

The doctor looked to Derpy somberly.  “I know Derpy, but when he does, it will only be until Nightmare Moon is defeated, once the girls use the elements of harmony on her, he will come back, I promise.”  The doctor smiled his best to Derpy.

The cells were all just bars coming down from the ceiling, the group made their way to the last cell at the end.  “Here we are.”  The doctor said.

The girls looked in the cell the doctor indicated and there, lying down in chains with a metal ring on her horn was Twilight, she did not look well, her coat was messed up, her mane and tail was frizzy and unkempt, and she looked absolutely miserable.  The girls all called out to her.  “TWILIGHT!”

Twilight lifted her head from the floor and looked out her cell.  “H-hello, who-who’s there?”  She said rather weakly.

Rarity started.  “Oh Twilight, thank heavens we found you, don’t worry, we’ll get you out of here.”

“I’m sorry, do I know you, and what do you mean get me out of here, no pony can escape these dungeons.”  Twilight responded back.

“Hold on, I’ll open the cell.”  The doctor brought out his sonic screw driver and waved it over the lock of the cell door, the cell clicked and the doctor pushed it open.  “There we go.” He then made his way over to Twilight with Derpy and the others behind him, Dash and Heart were last in.

“How…..how did you do that?”  Twilight asked.

“Like this.”  He then did the same thing with the chains on her and they all just clicked and fell off.

“I…I don’t understand, who are you, and why are you helping me?”  Twilight asked in more confusion.  

Pinkie began.  “I know you don’t know us now, but we’re friends, the way things are now aren’t supposed to be like this, their supposed to be nice and fun and good.”

Applejack continued.  “We’re all friends here Twilight, and we need your help ta fix things and put them back to how they should be.”

Fluttershy then continued.  “Oh, please try to remember us Twilight, we need you, we’re friends.”

Dash was busy nuzzling Heart Wing as they just hung back a bit, Heart just hung his head low as he was feeling much more tired.  Rarity then continued.  “Twilight, I know this may be hard to believe, but this isn’t how things should’ve turned out, you must try and remember us.”

“I…..I don’t understand, I….I never had friends……did I.”  There it was, the doubt needed to trigger what was needed.  “AAAH, my head, wh-what’s going on, why does my head hurt?!”

Heart looked up from his position.  “It’s time, every pony, get into position.”

“Heart wait, if you do this, you’ll disappear!”  Dash grabbed his leg.

“If I don’t do this, we lose, we need Twilight, she’s our friend, and we can’t just let her be like this, she needs to be reminded of her friends.”

Dash frowned, she knew he was right, but she didn’t want to lose him. “Are ya sure about this sugar cube, isn’t there someother way to help her remember without ya havin ta waste yer magic like this?”  Applejack asked.

“It won’t be a waste if it’s to help a friend, now please, everypony get into position.  Just remember, I won’t be gone forever, just until Nightmare moon is defeated.  You won’t need me for that, you were able to save Luna with just six of the elements.  Also, we represent the spirits of the elements of harmony, you won’t need to go hunting for them, just call to them with your heart and they’ll appear.”  Heart then set the bag on his back to the side and pulled out Twilight’s armor.  “Once she remembers, have her put on her armor and you all call for your elements.”

Twilight was writhing in pain on the floor as she fought to try and remember what she was supposed to.  The girls gathered around her, they helped her up and touched their foreheads together, ready for Heart Wing to do his thing.  Heart began his spell and poured the last of his magic into Twilight’s mind while allowing the others memories of her flood her thoughts to help her remember.

Derpy and the doctor merely watched in silence as it happened.  After a few moments, Twilight’s form lit up and let out a burst of energy which caused the others to reel back a bit, but for Heart Wing, it was stronger as he fell backwards and onto his back.  

“W-wha, what happened, GIRLS, I remember!”  Twilight exclaimed as her mind filled with what should be.  “Girls?”  Twilight looked to see them all huddled around Heart Wing.  “What’s going on, what’s wrong  with Heart Wing?”

Dash was now holding him up as his form was starting to phase in and out, his magic was almost gone which meant he would disappear from time.  “Heart, please don’t go, we need you, I need you, I love you heart!”  Dash cried as her love was fading.
“Don’t worry Dash, this isn’t goodbye, just see you later, you don’t need me, you’re the toughest pony I know, no pony is as strong and brave as you remember.  The sooner….you…..beat….Nightmare Moon, the sooner…….we’ll see…..eachother.”  Heart’s voice echoed at his last words as he finally faded out of existence.

“Heart, HEART!”  Dash cried and broke down in tears.  “Please come back, Heart Wing!”

“Wh-what happened to Heart Wing, where did he go?”  Twilight asked her friends.  No answer, only crying and sobbing from each of them, even the doctor was sad as Derpy was crying over his shoulder.

After a few minutes of crying, the girls finally composed themselves, while they were crying over Heart Wing, the doctor took the time to inform Twilight about what was going on, afterwards, she too started to cry over Heart Wing.
The doctor finally spoke, but he was careful and soft with his words.  “Girls, I know you’re sad, but you need to pull yourselves together and do what needs to be done, if what Heart Wing said is true, then you can call on the elements of harmony and we can go after Nightmare Moon to bring Heart Wing back.”

Rainbow Dash picked herself off the ground, her eyes still wet with tears, she steeled herself.  “He’s right, let’s call on our elements, stop Nightmare Moon, and get Heart Wing back.”  The group nodded together.

“We’ll show that meanie Nightmare who’s boss!”  Pinkie cried out.

“I just know we will succeed, we did it before, and we can do it again.”  Said Rariy.

“We just have to save Luna from her curse and get Heart Wing back.”  Fluttershy said with a bit of nervousness.

“Not just her, but that mean ol demon Misery that’s behind this whole mess!”  Applejack said.

“We work together as friends and undo this mess, for Equestria, and for Heart Wing.”  Twilight chimed in.  
With their minds set they felt ready to do this, and suddenly, without them even having to try, the elements of harmony appeared before them.  Twilight quickly dawned her armor.  “This is it girls, let’s use our power and undo this mess.”  The girls grabbed their elements, put them on and were immediately transformed into the guardians of Harmony, ready to finally face Nightmare Moon.

> Chapter 16
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 16


The girls were now in their guardians of harmony form, the doctor and Derpy were both very impressed with their forms.  “Good heavens, you girls look incredible.”  The doctor said.

“WOW, you all look amazing, how did you do that?”  Derpy asked.

“Sorry, but there’s no time to explain, doctor, can you take us to Nightmare Moon?”  Twilight asked the doctor.

“Of course, right this way.”  The doctor then led them back to his ship to take them to the throne room where Nightmare Moon was.  

“Don’t worry Heart Wing, we’ll get you back.”  Dash said to herself as they galloped through the dungeon back to the TARDIS.

“All right every pony, hold on.”  The doctor then started up his ship and they were off.  It only took a few seconds before the ship settled again.  “Here we are, good luck girls.”

“We don’t need luck, we’ll show that meanie Nightmare not to mess with us.”  Pinkie said with determination.  The girls made their way out of the ship and into the throne room where Nightmare Moon sat at the throne.

“WHAT, who are you, how dare you intrude in my castle, you will suffer for this intrusion!”  Nightmare said with anger and malice in her voice.

“It’s over Nightmare Moon, we are the guardians of harmony, and we are here to set Luna free from your control and restore the kingdom to the way it should be!”  Twilight announced as she stood in front of her friends.

“WHAT, guardians of harmony, wait, it can’t be, how do you have the elements of harmony, no pony knows where they are!”  Nightmare noticed the tiaras each of the girls wore atop their heads.

“We don’t have to explain ourselves to you, you monster!”  Rarity called out to Nightmare.

“Yeah, all you need to know is that we’re here to kick your sorry flank out of here and make things right!”  Rainbow followed up.

“You pathetic creatures, the elements of harmony are useless against me now, thanks to a friend of mine who helped me gain all I have, he also granted me greater power, your elements alone won’t work!  You will pay for your insubordination!”  Nightmare glared at them.

“In case you hadn’t noticed, we have power of our own, the elements alone didn’t make us into what you see now, it was thanks to a good friend of ours that we have the power we do.  And we’re gonna do all we can ta get him back.”  Applejack informed.

“We’ll see about that.”  Nightmare scoffed at them.  A smirk crossed her muzzle, her gaseous mane and tail began to swirl around her hiding her form.  The cloud grew wider and wider.  After a moment, the cloud dissipated and revealed five more Nightmare Moons.  “MWAHAHAHAHAHA, Behold my power, you cannot win against me!”  The six Nightmares called out in unison.

“What in tarnation, which one is the real Nightmare Moon?”  Applejack asked.  The girls looked in confusion, but tried to keep a determined face.

“Catch us if you can!”  They all said in unison again before flying off in different directions through the glass windows and out into the night sky.

“Looks like we’ll have to split up and take them down one at a time.”  Twilight informed the group.  

“Are you sure we can, she was able to make copies of herself, I can’t fight her alone.”  Fluttershy said, despite the power she wielded she was still the same old Fluttershy, afraid to fight.

Rainbow Dash then approached Fluttershy.  “Fluttershy, think about it, if we don’t do this, then she’ll win, and so will that demon that’s responsible for this mess, and for making us lose Heart Wing, remember.”

That struck a cord within Fluttershy.  “That……big………dumb………MEANIE!!!”  She said with anger growing within her with each word, without warning, she then took off to find one of the Nightmare Moons.

“Well that worked.”  Dash said with surprise.

Twilight then got their attention.  “Come on girls, let’s go.”  They all nodded in unison and took off in different directions to hunt down and fight the Nightmares.

“Come along Derpy, let’s go watch the fight.”  The doctor said as he turned to head back into his ship.

“Coming doctor.”  Derpy said as she followed him in.  The doctor started up his ship and took off to find a good position where they could watch the whole event.

Fluttershy was now flying over Canterlot, searching for a Nightmare Moon with a scowl on her face.   “I won’t let Nightmare Moon or that nasty demon win, I may not like it, but I will have to try and fight to get our friend back and set things right.”  She said to herself.  Suddenly, a black bolt of magic shot up in front of her, causing her to stop in midair. “WHA!”  She cried, she then looked down and saw a Nightmare Moon looking up at her from a rooftop.  Her scowl returned.  “You big meanie, I won’t let you win!”  She called down to the Nightmare.  She began a quick descent, divebombing towards her.

Remembering all the magic training she received in her alicorn form, Fluttershy began firing magic bolts at Nightmare Moon, the Nightmare then took to flight to avoid the first shot and began to fly along the streets, leading Fluttershy in a chase through Canterlot.  “Catch me if you can little mare, HA HA HA HA!”  Nightmare scoffed as she easily dodged each of Fluttershy’s blasts.  She was toying with her.  “Please, you’re so pathetic, once I’m done with you, I’ll be sure to make your friends suffer greatly for this assault on your queen.”

One thing you never want to do is threaten a timid little Pegasus with an alicorn form and powerful magic at her disposal.  Fluttershy then poured on the speed and, within seconds, was on top of Nightmare Moon, Fluttershy slammed her into the road and grinded her against the stone a few feet.  “AAAAGGH!”  She cried out in pain.

Fluttershy then used her wings to back up a bit off of Nightmare, still looking very angry.  Nightmare got up, Fluttershy already had a spell ready and fired a bolt of magic, Nightmare Moon was not ready and was hit square in the chest, she was sent flying backwards at least twenty feet before crashing into a stone house, luckily it was abandoned.  Nightmare emerged from the rubble and faced Fluttershy.  “You pathetic little worm, I’ll make you pay for hurting me!”

Fluttershy didn’t give her a chance to retaliate, she thought of a spell that would be sure to finish her off.  Fluttershy quicly cast a spell, sending yellow butterflies at Nightmare at high speeds, like little projectiles.  Nightmare quickly put up a shield to protect herself, with each impact the butterflies made, an explosion followed.  “NO, Impossible, how can you have so much power?!”  Nightmare was struggling to keep her shield up, but it was starting to weaken with each impact.  

Fluttershy kept up her assault of magical butterflies from her horn, Nightmares shield finally broke and shattered, leaving her vulnerable to the butterflies.  “NOOOOO,  AAAAAAAAHHHHH!”  The magic butterflies each impacted her, one after another, creating a cloud of dust.  

The smoke finally cleared and Fluttershy approached the downed Nightmare Moon.  “You do not threaten my frineds, you got that!”  Fluttershy then noticed the Nightmare Moon before her start to fade out into nothing.  Her scowl quickly faded and was replaced with one of confusion.  “Oh my, this one must have been a fake, I guess I should go and see if one of my friends needs help.”  Fluttershy then took off to find one of her friends.

While Fluttershy was busy with her Nightmare Moon,  Applejack was in the middle of a scuffle with another Nightmare Moon.  Nightmare Moon fired a powerful magical blast at Applejack, who managed to put up an orange apple shaped shield around her to protect herself.  “There’s no way I’m   gonna let you win this Nightmare Moon, you might as well give up now!”  Applejack called to her.

“You pathetic creature, I am your queen, you will pay for your insubordination!”  Nightmare shot back.

Applejack reared up and slammed her hooves on the ground, large apple trees then sprang up around Nightmare Moon from the ground.  “Have a taste of some good ol fashion apples!”

Nightmare was a little confused by this, she had never seen magic like this, the distracton was enough for her to get hit with an apple that fired from one of the trees and caused a small explosion which hurt Nightmare.  “GAH, You’ll pay for that!”  Then all the trees started firing apples at her, when one apple was fired from its position, another would immediately take its place. The assault continued for almost a minute.  A smoke screen had formed around Nightmare’s position.  Applejack ceased her assault and went to look at the damage she dealt to Nightmare Moon.  
Applejack stood proud.  “How’d you like them apples, ya varmint.”  She spat.  

Suddenly, Nightmare flew straight up out of the dust cloud and looked down at Applejack with an angry expression.  She was bruised and hurt, but not down for the count.  Nightmare Moon  then formed a dark shield around herself and charged toward Applejack.  Applejack then got an idea, she charged her horn with magic and waited for Nightmare to get close enough.  When Nightmare was a few feet away, Applejack made her move, she shot a magical orange glowing rope at Nightmare and lassoed her shield, she used Nightmare’s momentum against her and swung her around while squeezing the shield.

Nightmare’s shield broke and Applejack’s lasso managed to wrap itself around Nightmare’s legs.  Applejack swung Nightmare around and slammed her into buildings and on the ground. “YEEHAAWWW!  Now this here’s a rodeo!”  Applejack gave one final slam to the ground with all her might, creating a big crater in the ground.  Applejack watched as the Nightmare Moon she fought faded away.  “Well, that takes care of that varmint, now ta find the varmint queen.”  Applejack flew off to find the real Nightmare Moon.

Rarity was currently on the defensive as Nightmare was shooting magic bolts her way, Rarity had a shield shaped like a diamond to protect her.  “Come on Rarity think, there must be some way to get the upper hoof on this ruffian.”  Rarity thought to herself.

“EH HAHAHAHAHA, give it up you fool, you don’t stand a chance against me, I am your queen.”  Nightmare cackled as she continued her assault.

Rarity then got an idea.  “You are not my queen!”  Rarity then was able to keep her shield up while she managed to summon up gemstones from the ground.

This caught Nightmare Moon by surprise as she suddenly stopped her assault.  “WHAT, what this?!”
Rarity smirked as she sent the gemstones flying at high speeds towards Nightmare.  They moved too fast for Nightmare to put up a shield of her own as they wizzed passed her, she got cut in a few places as she cried out in pain.  “GAH, AH, you will pay for that you disgusting creature!”

THAT was a bad call.  “Oh it…..is…..on.”  Rarity created her diamond shield with the points pointing forward and back, she flew at Nightmare Moon at high speed, launching herself like a giant projectile.  Nightmare created a cone shield around herself and flew towards Rarity.  The two flew closer and closer, who would win this game of chicken.  Closer and closer, they were mere feet away.  The two finally passed each other, time seemed to slow down at that moment.  Who dealt the killing blow, the two combatants came to a stop with their backs to each other.  Rarity lifted her head and ran her hoof down her neck with a smirk, Nightmare Moon let out a cry and fell to the ground.  “GAH! Uhhh.”

“HMPH, never insult a lady.”  Rarity gave a whip of her flowing mane and took off as the Nightmare Moon she fought disappeared.

Pinkie Pie was having fun with her battle, every time Nightmare Moon took a shot at her, she dodged it easily, it was as if she could sense when and where her attacks were coming, Pinkie’s new alicorn form seemed to increase her Pinkie sense as well.  “Hold still you little whelp!”  Nightmare Moon was getting frustrated with Pinkie.

“You can’t hit me, you can’t hit me!”  Pinkie bounced around the field and gave Nightmare a good raspberry.  “Hey Nightmare, I’m over here!”  she called in a sing song voice.  

“I’ll get you yet you pest!”

“Missed me, I’m over here.”  Pinkie then started teleporting around to further annoy Nightmare Moon.  “Nope, over here.”

“GAAHHHH!  HOLD STILL!” Nightmare took another shot and missed again as Pinkie teleported just in time.  This time, she didn’t reappear in Nightmare’s field of vision.  “Where are you, show yourself you pest!”  Nightmare called out in anger as her eyes scanned the area for any sign of Pinkie.  Nightmare Moon then felt a tap on her shoulder, she quickly turned around and saw a horrible sight, it was so surprising, it actually caused her to rear up in fear.  “AAAHHHH!”

Pinkie reappeared behind Nightmare Moon, tapped her on the shoulder and, as soon as Nightmare turned around, she made a very goofy face with her tongue sticking out and shaking her head back and forth.  Nightmare reared back in fear which caused her to stumble backwards, she then fell head first intoa light blue cannon with pink wheels and flowers on them.  “Hey, you found my party cannon.”

“Let me out of here this instant, I command you!”  Nightmare’s voice called out muffled by the cannon as her hind legs were waving about in a desperate and futile attempt to get out.

Pinkie then came around to the back of the cannon and put her hooves on it.  “Nighty night Nightmare.”  Pinkie said, then fired the cannon and sent Nightmare Moon rocketing off into the sky.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhh!”  Nightmare Moon’s cry was heard as she disappeared into the night sky.

“That was fun, onto the next one. La la la la la.”  Pinkie then hopped off to join her friends.

Rainbow Dash was up in the sky battling another Nightmare Moon.  She had been expertly avoiding Nightmare’s attacks trying to find an opening, or at least come up with a strategy.  Nightmare Moon was getting agitated with Rainbow.  “You really think you’re a match for me, you are nothing compared to me!”

“Do you ever stop talking, man your such a blabber mouth.”  Rainbow mocked Nightmare with a smirk.
Nightmare did not like that at all.  “How dare you insult your queen!”

Rainbow took that opportunity to make her move, she started flying around Nightmare Moon as fast as she could, Nightmare tried to shoot at her, but Rainbow was flying too fast. Soon the winds started to pick up around Nightmare, she was starting to lose balance.  Rainbow Dash had created a tornado around Nightmare Moon which sent her into a very dizzying spin.  “WHA WHA WHA!  STOP….THIS…..I…..COMMAND….YOU!”  She said as she spun.

“You’re the boss!” Rainbow called back mockingly.  She halted her tornado leaving Nightmare Moon very dizzy and struggling to keep herself afloat while, at the same time, unable to see straight.  Rainbow then flew straight up into the sky and stopped after a a good couple feet.  She looked down as Nightmare Moon was still recovering from her spin.  Dash then flew down as fast as she could, creating a sonic rainboom right from the start.  She plummeted at such great speed, she ran into Nightmare in mere seconds from her  takeoff.  She slammed into Nightmare Moon’s back and continued to plummet at high speeds.

The shock of being spun and suddenly a powerful impact from high speeds was too much for Nightmare Moon to make a move to counter.  The two grew closer to the ground with each passing second.   Closer, closer, closer, Rainbow and Nightmare impacted in the ground with such force, it created a huge rainbow colored mushroom cloud and a very loud boom that could be heard from all over Equestria.  Since it was Rainbow Dash who did this move, she came out unscathed, Nightmare Moon however was down for the count and started to fade out just like the others.  “HAH, now that’s was cool.”  Rainbow said before taking off to join her friends.

“Give it up Nightmare Moon, it’s over, your reign of terror ends here!”  Twilight declared as she faced down against the final Nightmare Moon.

“I will never relinquish my throne, I am the queen of Equestria, it is mine!”

“It belongs to Celestia and Luna, not an abomination like you!”  Twilight then fired off a magic bolt towards Nightmare Moon, Nightmare counted with one of her own, the two blasts meet in the middle and cancelled each other out.  Twilight then focused on a plot of earth and lifted a huge rock out of the ground.  She hurled it at Nightmare Moon who just blasted it with another bolt.  Once the rock had been blasted to pieces, Nightmare found a wall of fire heading her way, she quickly put up a shield to protect her from it. The flames struck the shield and dissipated around it. 
“Where are you you coward?”  Nightmare Moon called out when she saw Twilight was nowhere to be seen.  A powerful bolt of lightning suddenly struck Nightmare Moon in the back from above.  “GAAAHHH!”  She collapsed to the ground on her hooves.

Twilight was hovering above Nightmare after she launched a lightning spell at her, she then teleported to the ground in front of Nightmare.  “You can’t win Nightmare Moon, I was trained by Celestia herself, and I have my friends to back me up.”  As soon as she said that, the girls all came together to join Twilight.  “Hey girls, I take it your fights went well?”

Fluttershy was the first to answer.  “Uhm, yes, I was able to beat the mean old Nightmare Moon clone.”
“Same her, it was a piece of cake.”  Came Applejack’s answer.

“I certainly had no problems with my fight, she went so far as to insult my beauty.”  Came Rarity’s answer.

“Well mine was a lot of fun, I just wish it could have lasted longer so I could have enjoyed it.  Oh well.”  Was Pinkie’s answer.

“Heh, no sweat, I take it you all heard that big explosion earlier, that was me finishing off my Nightmare Moon clone.”  Came Rainbow Dash’s answer.

“So that leaves this one to be the real Nightmare Moon.”  Was Twilight’s response.  “You might as well give up Nightmare, you can’t beat all six of us.”

“NO, I will not give up my throne, it is mine, I am the queen.  My night will last forever!”  Nightmare Moon cried out in refusal to give up.

“OH give it a rest, you sound so pathetic.”  Came a voice out of nowhere.

Nightmare perked up her head.  “Master Misery, help me, do not let me lose my throne!”

A shadowy mass appeared on a nearby wall, it stood a good six feet and appeared bipedal.  The shadow emerged from the wall and became a solid black mass.  The black finally faded to reveal Misery himself. “MISERY!”  The girls all cried out together.  “What are you doing here punk?”  Rainbow Dash asked angrily.

Misery just gave them a side glance, then turned his full attention on Nightmare Moon.  “Master Misery, please help me defend my throne.”

“Oh do shut up, you are such a spineless worm.  Why in the world would I help you, you have failed to defend your own throne yourself.”  Misery spoke harshly to Nightmare.

“Misery, have I not been loyal to you, have I not done everything you asked? Why would you abandon me now?”  Nightmare asked with a bit of fear and desperation in her voice.

“Because I gave you great power and you still failed to defeat a bunch of pathetic ponies, that’s why.  You have failed me Nightmare Moon, you deserve the fate these ponies have in store for you.  Frankly my dear, I just don’t care, you were just a pawn and you have now fallen.”  Misery explained to Nightmare.  He then turned his attention to the girls.  “And as for you, well, you have certainly proven yourselves quite powerful, but still not as strong as me, however, I am feeling merciful, I will let you keep your Equestria when you return things to the way they are.”

“Not so fast bub!”  Pinkie called out from the group.

“You’re not going anywhere, in case you forgot, you and us have some unfinished business, like kicking your sorry flank for messing things up and causing me to lose my stallion!”  Rainbow called out in anger.

“Oh please, I have better things to do than mess around with a single country, you’ll get your precious Heart Wing back once you turn Nightmare Moon back into Luna.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some delicious misery to create.  Ta ta.”  Before any of them could do anything, Misery disappeared into the shadows.

“Dag nabbit, he got away, that slippery varmint is gonna pay fer what he’s done!”  Applejack exclaimed angrily. 

“We’ll worry about him later girls, right now, we have a Nightmare to dispel.”  Twilight said, getting the others attention.

“No, you cannot do this to me, I am the queen of the night, I am eternal!”  Nightmare Moon called to them in anger.

“Oh give it a rest wily a!”  Pinkie exclaimed.  The girls then gathered around and began to activate the elements of harmony.  Their bodies let off a glow with a color to match their element.   Two rainbows then shot up from them, forming a double helix, they merged together into one big rainbow above the girls and came down on Nightmare Moon, bathing her in the magic and changing her back to Luna.  As soon as it worked, the whole world went white.

“Rainbow Dash, hey, Rainbow Dash, it’s time to get up sleepy head.” 

Dash’s eyes slowly opened as she groaned.  “Ooohh.”

“Come on sleepy head, get up.”  A soothing male voice spoke to her.  

She opened her eyes wearily and sat up.  She rubbed her eyes and looked down.  Her eyes then shot wide open when she realized she was in her own bed.  “Wha, what the hay.”  She then looked to her side and saw a big smile on a face she loved very much.

“Morning Dash, did you sleep well.”

Rainbow Dash’s face grew a big wide smile as tears formed in her eyes.  “HEART WING, YOUR BACK!”  She lunged at him with a hug, knocking the both of them out of the bed.

“WHOA, easy Dash.”  Heart said with Rainbow on top of him, hugging him tightly.

“Oh Heart Wing, I missed you so much!”  She cried through clenched eyes.  She then pulled back and gave Heart Wing a big passionate kiss.

“UMPf.”  Heart Wing was surprised by this, but he just let it happen and kissed back.

Dash finally broke the kiss after almost a minute.  “Heart Wing, I missed you so much.  I’m so glad your back.”

“I’m glad to be back Dash, I love you.”

“I love you too.”  They started another make out session on the floor of the bedroom.

After a few minutes of the making out, they got back into bed and just laid there with Dash resting her head across Heart’s neck.  Rainbow Dash decided to ask a question.  “Heart Wing, do you remember what happened?”

“What do you mean, remember what?”

“About how that demon Misery changed history and made Nightmare Moon in charge.”

“Oh that, yeah I remember, why?”

“Just curiouse.”

“Hey dash.”

“Yeah.”

“I guess this means we’ll have to put our wedding plans on hold until we can finally get rid of Misery once and for all.”

“Yeah, I guess so.  Do you really think we can?”

“Of course I do, we ARE the guardians of harmony after all.”

Dash chuckled at Heart ‘s comment.  “Yeah, we are.”

“HEY DASHIE, YOU UP!”  Pinkie’s voice called out to them.

“Aww pony feathers, I don’t want to get up yet, I want to stay in bed with you a little longer.”  Dash pouted.

“Come on, knowing Pinkie, she won’t go away until she talks to us.”  Heart said.  Dash reluctantly got up out of bed, Heart Wing followed suit.  The couple made their way out the door and flew down to see Pinkie and the others all together, along with the doctor and Derpy.  “Hey girls, it’s good to OOMPF!”

“HEART WING!”  The girls all cried out as they jumped him in a group hug, Derpy included.

“Oh Heart, it’s sososososo good to see you again!  I can’t tell you how much I missed you!”  Pinkie cried.

“It is such a relief to see you safe and sound darling.”  Rarity said.

“Oh Heart Wing, we we’re all so worried about you.”  Fluttershy cried out.

“It’s a real might pleasure ta see ya up and buckin again.”  Came Applejack’s cry of happiness.

“It’s good to see you back Heart Wing, we should go get some muffins together some time to celebrate.” Derpy cried.

Twilight was the last to express her joy.  “It is great to see you again Heart, we we’re all so worried about you.”

Heart Wing was smiling big to see all his friends smiling and glad to see him.  “All right already, I get it, you’re all happy to see me.”

“All right, that’s enough, you girls better not break him, or you all owe me a new stallion.”  Rainbow joked.  The girls all got off of Heart Wing and let him stand up.

“Ouch, you mean that if I get so much as a broken leg, you’ll find some other stallion?  That’s cold Rainbow.”  Heart joked with her.

“Well then, just make sure nothing happens to you and you won’t get replaced.”  She smiled as she said that.  The girls all shared a good laugh.

Heart then had a thought.  “Hey Derpy, I think we should go with your suggestion, why don’t we all go and get some muffins to celebrate our victory?”

“ALL RIGHT, MUFFINS!”  Derpy cried out in joy.

“Hey doc, you joinin us or what?”  Heart Wing asked the doctor.

“I’d like that, but I have something to take care of, you all go on and enjoy yourselves.”

Derpy took on a confused look as best she could with her eyes the way they were.  “You’re not leaving are you, come on doctor you just gotta join us.”

“Yeah, come on doctor, you did help us out when we needed it with Nightmare Moon and the whole incident.”  Twilight said.

“Come on, PLEEEEEAAAAAASSSSSSSE!”  Pinkie gave him such a pout, begging him to join them.

The doctor was helpless before Pinkies sad eyes.  “Well, maybe just one muffin.”  The group all cheered in happiness.

“Come on every pony, free muffins at Sugar Cube corner!”  Pinkie cheered.

A few minutes later, the group was gathered around a large table eating muffins of their choice, with Dash sitting right next to Heart Wing leaning on him.  Heart Wing then decided to just go ahead and wrap his wing around her, holding her close to him.  They smiled as they looked at each other after Heart did that.

The doctor then cleared his throat to get the others attention.  “AHEM, every pony, there is something I need to tell all of you.”

“What is it doctor?”  Fluttershy asked.

“It’s about Misery, I did some research on him and found out something that you should know about him.”

“What is it doctor, is it something bad?”  Twilight asked.

“That depends on how you look at it.  Do any of you think it’s strange that he didn’t change things so that he was in charge of Equestria instead of Nightmare Moon?”

The girls shook their heads indicating they didn’t.  “We didn’t even think about it.” Heart said for the girls.  “Why is that important?”

“I’ve discovered that Misery feeds on, well, misery.  It is what fuels his power, if he were to set foot in an area that has nothing but happiness and joy, he would get weak.  Thanks to Celestia and Luna, Equestria is the happiest place in the world, there is practically no unhappiness anywhere, and because of that, Misery would be left powerless.  The rest of the world is not so fortunate.”

“So, your saying that Misery can’t harm Equestria?”  Twilight asked.

“Precisely, he will never come here and try to take over, in order for him to have made the changes he did that put Nightmare Moon in charge, he would’ve had to intercept that letter from somewhere outside of Equestria.  If you want to go after Misery, you’ll need some way to locate him.  Which is what I was about to do before you all talked me into joining you for these muffins.”

“You were, oh my, why thank you doctor.” Rarity exclaimed.

“Your quite welcome dear, anyway, once I find out where he is hiding, I’ll come back and let you know where he is and take you to him. Until then, I suggest you all enjoy yourselves, Equestria is safe from his control.”

Heart then stood up.  “Then it’s settled, the doctor will find Misery for us, and we can all relax for now, once he finds Misery we spring into action and get rid of him once and for all.  We can’t thank you enough for all your help doctor, we really appreciate it.”

The doctor smiled at Heart Wing.  “Your quite welcome, Derpy, I won’t need your help for this so you can stay here and hang out with every pony.”

“Are you sure doctor, I wouldn’t mind coming with you.”  Derpy said. 

“I know you wouldn’t, but I can do this just fine on my own, you enjoy yourself too.”

“Ok doctor, thanks, and good luck.”

“I’ll see you all soon.”  The doctor gave a wave as he left.  

“Good bye doctor, thanks again for all your help.”  Twilight called out as he left.

“When you get back, we’ll be ready and waiting for when you find him.”  Heart Wing called.  The girls all waved goodbye to the doctor as he left.  All that was left now was to enjoy themselves and get ready for when the final showdown comes against Misery, let’s just hope our heroes can pull out a victory. 

> Chapter 17
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 17

It’s been almost a week now since the doctor left to find where Misery was hiding in the world.  Every pony did just as the doctor said and have just been relaxing and enjoying themselves.  The doctor, Derpy, the girls, and Heart Wing are the only ones who knew what happened when Misery changed history.  No pony else had any idea of what had happened, it was for the best anyways.  Ever since that incident, Dash never took off her engagement necklace, except for bathing and sleeping.  Twilight, however did feel it necessary to inform Celestia of Misery’s appearance, but wasn’t sure how to explain it without telling her about what happened when he appeared.  She went ahead and did her best to explain the time change incident that happened in a letter and sent it to Celestia, she believed and understood Twilight.

Heart and Rainbow were relaxing at the park, just to enjoy each other’s company, Dash was leaning against Heart’s side while he had a wing wrapped around her as they gazed over the park and watched all the young filly’s and foals play.  “Hey Dash, do you ever think about having kids of your own?”

Dash looked up at Heart.  “I don’t know, I never really saw myself as a mother figure.”

“Isn’t there a certain little Pegasus who looks up to you like a big sister?”

“Well yeah, but that’s different, she wants to be my little sister, not my daughter.”

“Maybe she just never thought about being your daughter.  Maybe if she were offered, she would gladly take it.”

Rainbow was now wearing a confused look.  “Heart Wing, what are you getting at?”

Heart Wing smiled big.  “I’m saying that once this mess is over and we get married, why don’t we adopt Scootaloo into our family, that poor filly has had it real ruff, and I just know she would love to have you as a mother.”

“You really think so, well…..I guess we could, sure, why not, she deserves a family.”

“Exactly, and besides, she and I are on good terms, you should have seen how much Applebloom was begging me to join their cutie mark crusaders club when she saw I didn’t have a cutie mark, and when I got back from the castle after that curse was lifted, they were so disappointed that I was no longer eligible to join.  I don’t know how good of a father figure I’d make, but I would certainly do my best, so what do you say, will we adopt Scootaloo and make her our daughter once we get married?”

Rainbow smiled big as she answered.  “Sure, I think that would be a great idea.  Let’s save it as a surprise for her once we get married though.”

“Fine by me.”  The two then shared a loving kiss.  

“Heart Wing, Rainbow Dash, there you are, the doctor just got back, he found Misery.”  Pinkie called out, interrupting their moment.

“Aw ponyfeathers, can’t we just stay here a little longer?”  Dash was a little upset that they had been interrupted. 

Heart Wing chuckled. “Come on Dash, this is a good thing, once we get rid of Misery once and for all, we can get back to where we left off, but probably best to do it in privacy, he he.”  Dash and Heart then got up and followed Pinkie to Twilight’s library where every pony else had met up, Derpy included. 

Once every one was together, the doctor began.  “Good, your all here, as you know, I managed to find where Misery is hiding, or rather where he is ruling from.  Being a creature of his great power, he has no need to hide.  Anyway, let’s get on with this, shall we?”

Twilight began.  “Right then, every pony, let’s get our armor on and dawn the elements of harmony.”

“Guess I’ll have to leave this here then.”  Dash said motioning to her necklace.  “Spike, you better not try and eat it.”  She said jokingly.

“Don’t worry, I do have some self-control after all.”  Dash took off her engagement necklace and gave it to Spike for safe keeping.  Heart Wing used his magic to teleport their armor to them.

“Here you go, let’s get them on, then our elements and become the Guardians of Harmony.”  Heart Wing said as he levitated the armor to every pony and put his own on. The girls all got their armor on, then Twilight brought out the elements of harmony and levitated them to their respective owners.  

They each dawned their element of harmony and transformed into the guardians of harmony.  “All right doc, we’re ready to roll, let’s go get that meanie Misery.”  Said Pinkie.

“Yes, lets show that ruffian it isn’t nice to bring misery to the world.”  Rarity said.

Applejack followed up. “It’s time ta take that varmint down.”

Fluttershy then spoke up.  “We’ll show him that what he’s doing isn’t nice.”

“We’ll kick his sorry flank so hard, he won’t know what hit him.”  Rainbow followed up.

“We stand against him together.”  Twilight then came in.

“We do this together.”  Heart Wing finished.  “Derpy, it’s probably best that you stay here, doctor, once you drop us off, you should leave too, there’s no telling what he may do to you if he sees you.”

“Right, there is something I should tell you about where he is though, you may not like it.”

Heart and the girls didn’t like the sound of that.  “What is it doctor?”  Twilight asked.

The doctor spoke hesitantly.  “Well, it seems he’s made Heart’s family’s castle his own now, he’s completely changed it.”

Heart Wing was upset now.  He growled through gritted teeth.  “He dares to defile my family’s home, I’m gonna make him pay for this.”

Dash tried to comfort him.  “Hey, it’s ok Heart, like you said, we’ll stop him and get rid of him once and for all, right?”

Heart looked at Rainbow, her words worked to calm him down. “Your right, let’s get this over with.”  The guardians followed the doctor out of the library and to his Tardis which was just outside.  They filed in and the doctor whisked them away.

The engine of the Tardis had come to a stop, signaling that they had arrived.  The doctor announced to the guardians.  “Well, here we are, best of luck to you, myself and every pony else will be rooting for you.”

Twilight addressed the doctor.  “Thanks doctor, for everything you’ve done for us.”

The doctor simply smiled.  Pinkie then cheered out.  “Come on every pony, we’ve got a demon to slay!”  With Twilight in the lead, the guardians stepped out of the Tardis to confront Misery.

The castle that stood before them was a monstrosity.  The cliffs that once surrounded Heart’s family’s castle was now gone, the whole area surrounding it was flat.  The two alicorn statues that stood at the front were replaced with statues of Misery himself.  The castle was looking dark and threatening, it was all black, the spires at the tops of the towers were looking much sharper than they did before. Even the moat was gone.  Heart Wing looked upon his family’s once proud home, now twisted by the dark powers of the demon Misery.  “My family’s home, what has he done to it, he’s going to pay for this.”  The area they were in was dark, the sun couldn’t be seen, it was as if it was night, but not even the stars or moon could be seen, the sky itself was a mix of black and red above them.

Heart Wing stepped away from the girls to take the lead, he stopped short of the gates that were at the front of the castle, he called out as loud as he could.  “MISERY, COME OUT, YOUR DAY OF RECKONING HAS COME!”

Twilight joined in.  “MISERY, WE ARE THE GUARDIANS OF HARMONY, COME OUT NOW AND FACE YOUR PUNISHMENT FOR YOUR CRIMES AGAINST LIFE!”

Lightning out of nowhere went off over the sky twice, Misery’s voice then followed as it came from nowhere.  “YOU DARE TO THREATEN AND ORDER ME, AN ALL POWERFUL DEMON, YOU FOOLISH CREATURES, YOU CANNOT HOPE TO STOP ME!”  A dark figure was seen quickly flying up over the castle and quickly landed in front of the guardians, Misery now stood before them, clad in black armor with a black cape and a black helmet.

“This is it fer you Misery.”  Applejack called out.

Rarity then followed up.  “That’s right, you can’t possibly think we’d let you get away with all the evils you’ve commited.”

Pinkie then came in.  “You big bully, how dare you make so many ponies unhappy!”

Fluttershy then spoke up.  “You’re nothing but a big dumb meanie!”

Then Rainbow Dash came in.  “We’ll make you sorry you ever came back!”

Twilight then came in.  “In the name of harmony, you will be stopped!”

Finally, Heart Wing came in.  “For the sake of my family and all others that have suffered under you, we will end you here and now Misery.  My parents may not have been able to stop you, but me and my friends will!”

Misery just smirked.  “If you truly believe that, then bring it on, I’ll make you wish you had stayed in your safe little country.”  Misery’s hands then began to glow a mix of black and red, he raised his hands to the sky and the castle behind him seemed to just fall apart, but the pieces all fell upwards, the long staircase that led to the ruined city of Ponytopia disappeared and the cliff raised up, the whole area became one large flat area with nothing in sight.  “Now that the stage is set, let’s begin shall we, I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll let you make the first move.”

The guardians lined up next to each other, lowered their horns and began their assault, Each of them fired off a beam from each of their horns.  Fluttershy fired energy butterflies from hers, Rarity fired energy diamonds, Pinkie fired a beam of confetti and streamers, Applejack fired apples, Rainbow Dash fired a rainbow colored stream of lightning, Heart Wing fired white hearts, and Twilight was firing a simple powerful beam of magic.  Misery just stood there as the beams came at him with his arms crossed.

Their magic beams made contact which resulted in a huge explosion of magical energy that kicked up a lot of dust.  Rainbow Dash felt that did the trick as she spoke up.  “HAH, take that Misery, not so all powerful now are you?”

The dust settled and Misery stood there, still smirking, there wasn’t a single scratch on him. The girls all gasped at the same time.  Twilight spoke up.  “But…..that’s impossible, that should have at least hurt you!”

“You poor deluded creature, I’m a demon, what part of that is so hard to understand.”  Misery scoffed at them.  That’s when he made his move.  He disappeared from his spot and reappeared next to Twilight, he made a fist and swung it down on her just as she looked at him with a surprised look. She was knocked to the ground hard, he then jumped over to Pinkie and gave her an uppercut which caused her to fall backwards as she cried out in pain.  “AAAAHHH!”  He then shot two red beams at Fluttershy and Rarity, effectively blasting them back a few feet, then he turned his attention on Applejack, he managed to grab her by the neck and slammed her hard into the ground with great force, then he jumped up and landed on Heart Wings back with a double kick, finally, he quickly moved in front of Rainbow Dash and smirked at her before sending her back with a blast of his dark powers to the chest.  He moved so fast, none of them could react.

“You see, you are powerless before me.”  Misery gloated over them.  Misery walked away from the group to his original spot.  While his back was turned, Applejack managed to struggle to her hooves.  

“We ain’t….done yet ya….dirty varmint.”  Applejack breathed out.

“Oh, do tell.”  Misery said as he looked at her over his shoulder.

Applejack then reared up and slammed her hooves to the ground, causing massive apple trees to spring up around Misery, just like with her battle with the Nightmare Moon clone.  Misery just looked at them. “Have a taste o’ some good ol’ apples!”  Applejack cried as the trees began to fire the apples at Misery.  The others took this opportunity to begin another assault.  Rarity then managed to get up and began summoning and shooting gemstones at Misery.  Fluttershy fired her butterflies, Pinkie brought out her party cannon and fired a huge beam of pink energy from it, Heart Wing spread out his wings and fired a barrage of white magic feathers from his wings, Twilight fired a beam of magic at Misery, Rainbow Dash was getting herself ready to finish him off with her rainboom explosion. 

She flew up into the dark sky a good distance and waited for the others to finish.  The magic assault had kicked up another smoke screen around misery, Rainbow took that as her cure, she took off as fast as she could, creating a sonic rainboom right as she started flying down.  A rainbow colored cone formed around her as she flew straight for Misery.  Misery waved his arm in front of him and cleared the dust around him, he saw Rainbow flying at him and smirked.  He got into a stance and brought his left arm back and formed a fist.  Rainbow Dash kept up her descent at high speeds.

Rainbow Dash grew closer and closer, just before she impacted on Misery, he quickly swung his fist right into Dash’s head.  Time seemed to stop at that instant, Misery’s fist striking Rainbow Dash created a huge shockwave that rocked the ground around them.  Misery striking Dash was held in time for a moment, then resumed and Dash was sent flying back, rolling and tumbling on the ground to the others, knocking them all back with great force.  
“HA HA HA HA HA!  Did you really think that would work, you are only proving just how inferior you all are!”  Misery just laughed at them.

The guardians were all lying on the ground, groaning in pain.  Applejack was the first to speak up as she struggled to at least lift her head.  “He’s…..too strong.”

Fluttershy was next.  “How are we….supposed to beat him?”

Twilight tried to get their spirits up.   “We can’t give up…..there has to be……something we can do.”

Rarity then chimed in.  “But what, we used…..our best attacks and…….he just brushed them aside.”

Pinke then came in. “We can’t just…..give up….the whole world…..is counting on us…..to bring them smiles again.”

Rainbow Dash then voiced her concerns.  “Pinkie and…..Twilight are right…..there has to…..be some way…..we can win this.”

While the girls talked, Heart Wing was trying to figure out why they were so outmatched, the armor his parents left him were supposed to increase the power of the elements of harmony so he and his friends could win this.  So why didn’t it work.  “Come on Heart, think, what are we doing wrong.  The elements work together as one, it has to be six for the magic to work, when other elements are added, it just increases the power.  When the elements are used, they work together to banish darkness.  Work as one, work as one.  THAT’S IT, work as one, the elements don’t work together separately they ARE one.”

That’s when heart got an idea and announced it to the girls.  “Girls, listen, I know what to do. I’m not sure if this will work, but it’s worth a shot.”

The girls looked at Heart Wing in confusion.  Twilight spoke up.  “What is it Heart, do you have a plan?”

“I know what we need to……I think, I’m not entirely sure if this will work or what will happen, but it may be our only shot.  Do you trust me?”

Fluttershy answered.  “Of course we trust you.”

Pinkie followed up.  “Yeah, you’re our friend”

Twilight then asked with a smile on her face.  “What do we need to do?”

“All right, we need to put our horns together and repeat this phrase, we are harmony, we are one.”  Heart Wing said to them.  

The whole time they were all discussing, Misery was slowly making his way over to the guardians, he knew they didn’t stand a chance against him, so he decided to enjoy this as much as possible.

The guardians all stood up, formed a circle, and touched their horns together.  They began to chant what Heart Wing told them.  “We are harmony, we are one, we are harmony, we are one.”  They chanted over and over.  Soon, their bodies began to glow a solid color, each one matching their element of harmony, Heart’s was white. Their bodies glew brighter and brighter, then each one of them shot a pillar of light to the sky.  Misery stopped in his tracks when he saw this, he looked on in curiosity.  

“What are they up to now, don’t they know there’s nothing they can do to stop me.”  He said to himself.  The pillars of light disappeared in the sky, the guardians were gone.  “HA, I see, they ran away, guess they decided to give up after all.”  Soon, a bright white light filled the sky, it was so blinding and fierce, Misery had to look away.  “WHAT, what is that accursed light?!”

The light finally faded a bit after a few seconds, a new alicorn now hovered before Misery.  It had a pure white coat with a golden sparkling flowing mane, gold armor adorned its form, a helmet, shoes on each of its hooves, on its wings, and on its chest.  On the chest piece were the seven elements of Harmony in a circle, with the element of magic at the center. It’s eyes were constantly changing color. “Who are you?”  Misery asked with a glare.   

As the new alicorn spoke, it seemed to have multiple voices speaking all at once.  “WE ARE THE GOD OF HARMONY, WE ARE HERE TO END YOUR REIGN OF TERROR AND MISERY!  YOU HAVE PLAGUED THIS WORLD FOR TOO LONG, IT IS TIME TO END YOUR EXISTENCE ONCE AND FOR ALL!”

Misery did not like the sound of that.  “You dare to speak to me like that, I will destroy you for thinking you could hope to defeat me!”  Misery then summoned a red magic shield around himself and charged full speed at the new god.
The god of harmony summoned a white magic shield and charged back.  The two clashed in mid-air, magical energy clashed and sparked all around as the two combatants crashed into each other.  Lightning emitted from the two, striking the ground and leaving scars on the land.  The two struggled to push the other back.  The god of harmony then poured more energy into it’s shield, it started to push Misery back, then picked up speed and slammed Misery to the ground, pushing him along the ground for a good mile once his shield dissipated.

The god of harmony then backed off.  Misery got up and glared at the god.  He then raised both his hands and quickly formed a large red orb of magic.  Before he could launch it, The god of harmony fired a white beam at it and changed it to white, Misery only had time to quickly look up as the orb exploded, resulting in a massive explosion.  A large cloud of dust now covered the area, the god of harmony landed and flapped it’s mighty wings once, causing the dust to clear.  There was now a massive crater five miles wide and two miles deep with Misery at the center.

Misery slowly got up.  “You will pay for tha-“ *POW*  Misery was then struck with a small magic orb to his face which sent him flying back and crashing into the wall of the crater.  Harmony then started firing more magic orbs at Misery for impact instead of explosions.  Misery was getting hammered hard and was unable to move.  Harmony ceased its assault on Misery.  Misery was able to look at Harmony and glare menacingly as his eyes glew red.  He burst out of the hole he was in from Harmony’s attacks and took to the air.  Harmony followed.  Misery began his assault and started firing red orbs at Harmony, but harmony was too quick.


Harmony teleported all over the place, easily avoiding Misery’s attacks.  Misery was starting to get aggravated.  “HOLD STILL SO I CAN DESTROY YOU!”  The next time Harmony disappeared, it didn’t reappear within Misery’s field of vision.  “WHERE ARE YOU YOU COWARD!”  He looked all over the field but saw nothing.  He was then struck in the back and sent crashing to the ground again. Harmony had teleported behind Misery and slammed into him with its magic shield.  Misery stood back up, but before he could turn around, he was once again struck in the back by a powerful magic beam that sent him sliding across the ground another mile.

Misery was weak now, the continuous onslaught was starting to take its toll on him.  The god of harmony spoke.  “IT IS TIME TO END THIS!”  The god then flew straight up into the air, higher and higher it flew, it breached the dark clouds that hung over the battle field.  Harmony flew higher still into the stratosphere and out into space.  Harmony hovered for a moment and looked down at the world. 

Harmony started charging it’s horn with magic, brighter and brighter it glew, finally, Harmony had gathered a lot of magical energy within its horn and flew straight down to Misery’s location, it’s form becoming engulfed in a rainbow colored cone as it fell like a comet.  It pierced the dark clouds and created a hole to see the night sky, the god fell closer and closer to Misery just as he was starting to get back up.  He turned just in time to see a cone of rainbows coming at him.  Impact, a huge explosion that could be seen from space erupted.  

“NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”  Misery’s cries echoed throughout the world.  The brilliant flash of the explosion finally faded, the dark clouds were gone and Misery was no more, the god of harmony stood victorious, but it’s work was not done yet.

“WE STILL NEED TO UNDO THE MISERY THAT DEMON HAS CAUSED ACROSS THE WORLD!”  The god took to the air and began a flight around the world at such high speed, it managed to circle the world in mere seconds with a rainbow trail following it.  Every continent the god passed over that had been affected by Misery was now free from his dark magic and was able to be happy again.  After the god finished his flight around the world and freed every living creature from Misery’s curse, it’s work was finally done.  It returned to the spot where it’s battle with the demon started and the castle that stood there was back and was how it was before the demon warped it.

“OUR WORK IS DONE!”  The god then flew up into the air one more time, its body glew white then split into seven orbs, the orbs came back down and formed the guardians again.  The seven heroes, still in their guardians of harmony form looked at each other with a smile, no words were needed. They took to the sky and flew back to Equestria to spread the word that Misery is gone.

“My beloved subjects, we are gathered here today to witness the bonding of two lives together in marriage, Rainbow Dash and Heart Wing.”  It has been a month now since the demon Misery was defeated.  Celestia was overseeing the wedding of Heart Wing and Rainbow Dash.  “May their love carry on for ages. It is with great pleasure I now pronounce you both mare and stallion. You may kiss the bride.”

Heart and Dash looked at each other for a moment, they closed their eyes and shared their first kiss as a married couple.  The room erupted with cheers of joy, while the girls were all crying tears of joy.  They were Rainbow’s brides maids while Spike was Heart’s best stallion, or dragon actually.  The cutie mark crusaders acted as the flower girls for the ceremony and stood next to spike while it was going on.

At the party after the wedding, Heart and Dash felt now was a good time to inform Scootaloo of their plans.  They found her with her friends near the snack table.  Heart was the first to address them.  “Hey girls, you all having a good time?”

Sweetie Belle was first to answer.  “We sure are, congratulations you two.”

Rainbow Dash responded back.  “Thanks, this isn’t just a day for the two of us, we have something in mind to make somepony else’s day too.”

Apple Bloom then asked.  “Oh yeah, who and what is it?”

Heart began to explain.  “Well, since we’re married now, we would like to have a kid of our own.  We talked about it and we were wondering if Scootaloo would like to be part of our family.”

Scootaloo’s eyes went wide with shock.  The other two just smiled real big for their friend.  Scootaloo finally found words.  “You…….you mean it, you really want me as your daughter?”

Rainbow answered.  “Sure do, what do ya say squirt, you wanna be part of a family?”

Scootaloo smiled real big as tears of joy began to form.  “YES, oh thank you so much, thank you thank you thank you!”  Scootaloo then rushed forward and hugged her new parents to be.  Her two friend were also on the verge of tears of joy for their little Pegasus friend.

Apple Bloom just had to speak up. “Oh, congratulations Scootaloo.”

Sweetie Belle was next.  “Yeah, this is so great, you get to have a family now.”  The two then went over and got into a group hug.  Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Twilight were close by and heard all that was said.  Needless to say, they two were getting misty eyed for the little Pegasus.

“Well shoot, aint that just somthin.”  Said applejack.

“Oh, how wonderful for her.”  Fluttershy complemented.

“I just know they’ll be happy together.”  Pinkie cried.

“It’s just so beautiful.”  Rarity then complimented.

“They’ll be a great family.” Twilight came in.

The girls all looked on at the new family to be in a loving hug.  This was the start of a beautiful family to be.

THE END.