Chapter 1: Life as it was

Chapter 1:Life as it was

The wind chilled the streets as darkness began to fall upon the neighborhood. Footsteps echoed through the silence that surrounded the area, giving an eerie feeling over one's body. A boy in his late teens walked on the road, unsure of what or was going on. Following the streets, he eventually came to a stop as he saw a confusing sight in front of him. A cluster of people was running in his direction but, in slow motion. Time seemed to be slowing at an alarming rate causing them to almost freeze in place. The boy seemed to be unaffected by whatever was causing this issue of time. Walking through the crowd, he caught something in his sight and ran towards them. He approached three other people who were staring at the sky and tried to get them to move. But, no matter whatever actions he tried, it was of no response.

"Hey guys? What's... What the hell is everyone running from?" asked the boy in vain.

Suddenly, a loud bang shook the ground beneath him, nearly knocking him over. A wall of fire began to slowly make its way over to him. He quickly jolted up and tried to pull his friends along with him. The three people were somehow stuck to where they were. The man gave up and began to bolt away from the oncoming threat. His feet began to become heavy and slowed him just like the people in the street. Slowly the wall began to engulf him and everyone there allowing him to feel the heat of the blaze.

Suddenly, he sat up on his bed just as the alarm clock rang. Still gasping for air, he reached over and smacked the snooze button on the clock. Calming down, he proceeded to switch on his lamp and then his glasses. It was five o clock on a Friday morning. Nobody was around to bother him. He lived alone in the bedroom, it was a two room, one bathroom home made of concrete. His bedroom was a mess of clothes and other various items scattered across the room. The boy stood up, walked into the hallway and into the bathroom to prepare himself for the coming day.

After several minutes...

He exited the bathroom and back to his room where he put on a school uniform. A white button up shirt with a black shirt underneath, area, givings and a pair of Converse. He quickly checked himself in a mirror.

"What the hell is going on?... What the hell was that all about?" he thought to himself as he began to go over his features.

Feeling that the time was running low he grabbed his phone and his wallet and stuffed them in his pockets. Then he grabbed his backpack from his desk as he began to walk out into the hallway. He threw his bag on the couch and stuffed it with his computer, notebooks and binders. He even packed his little gaming device and a little snack for later. He sighed as he walked into the kitchen to grab a drink before he had to leave.

"Mom and Vic could've at least stayed to help out with the place. It's nice and all they left it to me. Though... I betcha they're having a better time than I am right now." he thought to himself placing the cup on the counter. "Oh, well, let's get the day over with, " he said aloud. He grabbed his jacket and put it on as he walked over to the couch to grab his bag. Heading out the door, he put on a pair of earbuds and began to listen to music as he walked down the hill towards the road. The sky was breezy and full of clouds as if a massive storm was approaching.

"My life was normal... I went to school, lived in a house, I had friends. My mom and my stepdad left to the mainland while I stayed here stuck on this island until I finished school. I didn't mind the fact that I was lonely at home, I enjoy it except in the morning. All I wish is that something fun were to happen. Something that was different you know... " said the voice belonging to the boy.

The path to the bus stop was a long one. So there was plenty of time to listen to some music. These parts of mornings were always dull and always seemed to be the most boring experiences you could ever be stuck in. A yellow blur flew right next to the boy as he walked the path. Most likely the bus that was meant to be his ride to school passed his stop to pick up the other people waiting at the other stop. A slight sigh could be heard from the boy as he slowly began to approach the bus stop. He took a moment to look up at the sky. Through the clouds, the moon was clearly visible. It may have been morning, but the skies always seemed to keep the moon up. It always seemed to be something to enjoy on the night. But here you can get the best of both worlds.

As he approached the bus stop, rain had begun to fall. The boy patiently sat down seeing that nobody else was there. Lightning slowly riddled the sky with bolts of electricity and the sound of thunder. Yet the boy did not stir when the rain splashed him, nor when the thunder echoed across the area. Shortly after finishing a song the bus finally appeared with the loud hiss of its brakes. The boy boarded the bus and chose a seat by the window. Other people in the bus seemed to be either half awake or asleep. More or less they were the same people that he had seen every day for the past four years. Rarely will you ever see a new face. Thoughts began to cross his mind as the bus passed his home thoughts of anxiety, pleasures and everyday things become a burden to those who cannot control the amount of data that goes into one's mind.

The boy began to sense a sudden desire of sleep come over him, causing the music he was listening to to fade as he struggled in vain to stay awake. Before long he found himself sitting on a flat surface by himself. "What is this? Where am I?" he thought as he stood up trying to identify his surrounding. He was standing in what appeared to be an empty white space. He began to walk forward as if an invisible force began to pull him in the direction. He seemed to have walked for several minutes until he was violently jerked forward. "What the?" said the boy as he raised his head. He was once again in the bus and it had just parked at the school to drop off everyone. He used the sleeve of his jacket to wipe the sweat off his face as he used the hood of his jacket to cover up the mess he called his hair.

The crowd of people that came out of the bus, walked along the side of a rather large building and into a narrow outdoor hallway. They began to line the walls as they chatted away at each other. The boy ignored it all as he walked the rest of the way into another big building that housed a bunch of tables and chairs and made his way towards one certain table. He sat down, removed his hood and adjusted his glasses. He was not alone, there were three more people that were there as well. A skinny kid with long brown hair read a book as another with a white jacket sat playing his game. Lastly sat this kid who seemed to be asleep with his face to the table. The three of them each looked at each other until the boy suddenly struck the table waking the sleepy one.

"So what are we up to today? Asked the boy who struck the table. "Jeremy, are you done with the printouts?" Jeremy was just a student in his Junior year who had a tendency to read a lot. He sported a brown jacket, brown hair and liked to carry around books. He closed his book and answered with a simple nod of the head. "I'm doing what about Kris?"He asked, pointing at the one wearing white.

"What?... The project? Come on, there's nothing due today's it's not due till Friday, so we can wait. You know Joe, I don't get why you always have to rush these things." Kris has been a Senior year student just like Joe. He commonly wore a blank white jacket that did not have a hood. He constantly carried around a portable game.

"Dude, it's Friday the rest of the project is due today." answered Jeremy as he started making the same motion with his fingers.

"No.. It can't be..." said Kris as he checked his phone. "Aw, fuck..."

"Ha!" shouted Jeremy at the sleepy kid puts his head down to sleep.

"Umm... Don't worry, I can get them done by lunch... I think." replied Kris as he took out his little notebook.

"So, uh, Joe, what's been going on with you? You've been so freaking quiet since you started living alone." asked Jeremy they turned their attention towards the boy in the black jacket.

"Well, nothing much just working on the school crap, sorting the home ownership thing at the attorney, and besides It's been way more peaceful. It's driving me a bit crazy though when I get these stupid nightmares... They're just getting out of hand. But, all in all the place is awesome." Replied the one now known as Joe. He is nineteen years old and lives by himself. He was the boy in black and am Jack-of-All-trades among his friends. He's been through all sorts of hell until this point. "What about Rick?" asked Joe to look at his sleeping friend. Rick was a plump kid who always wears shorts and converse. He had short hair and knew a crap load of stuff on whatever tickled his fancy.

"Rick... Rick!" shouted Jeremy poking and shaking his friend. He wouldn't budge, so, Jeremy's patience began wearing thin. Suddenly he smacked the table, waking up Rick instantly.

"Whoa!?... What's going on? Somebody call my name?" said Rick drowsily.

"Hey, wake up. The bell is going to rain soon so, wipe up your drool and talk before we gotta get outta here." said Joe is looking at his sleeping friend.

"Hey Joe, want to play a quick match?" asked Kris as he took his eyes off his screen.

"Frick that! I don't want to get stuck with you smashing the table and begging for a rematch. I think I'd rather take my chances playing with a mouse trap." replied Joe as he began to feel a slight pain in his stomach and across his chest. He grunted through the pain until it subsided.

"Hey, what's wrong Joe?" asked Jeremy as he noticed Joe grab his stomach in pain.

"Nothing... I'll be fine.. Give... Me...a... Second" Replied Joe as he began to sit back up.

"Hey, when is the next time we're going to hang out somewhere? We haven't done that in days. Geez, it's just a friggin bore having nothing to do." said the enthusiastic Jeremy."C'mon summer is just around the corner and you and Kris are graduating and it's not like you're going anywhere."

"Well... I sort of going to get a job over at the airport. I'm going to be a security officer till I can get a better job now. I've gotten started paying for my own bills now, remember?" Replied Joe as he took out his phone to check for messages. A certain text caught his eye as the bell began to ring. But he had to shut it off so that it would be less of a distraction.

"Hey Joe you're showing the project in third period today right? Asked Rick, who seemed to be fully awake now.

"Yeah, why?"Joe responded in a serious tone of voice.

"Nothing, just checking. We can always count on you to get us through all this." smiled the fully awake Rick."Oh yeah and don't forget this.". He handed him a small piece of paper. "Don't worry, this list is shorter, I promise."

"Seriously, dude another song list? Fine I will see if I can do it..." Replied Joe stuffing the paper in his pocket.

Finally the bell rang and everyone got up. Joe threw his bag over his shoulder while the other three stuffed their belongings into their own bags and followed Joe out the door. The rain had gotten a bit stronger than it was earlier now it seemed like a full blown typhoon was going on. Luckily, the hallway protected them from the rain a little as they sprinted into the main building. Inside, the air conditioning was not any better. It was way colder than it was outside giving anyone the chills.

"See that. That's why I always wear the jacket." Said Joe revealing the symbol at the back of his jacket. They were two red wings that were spread out and decorated with black. The same symbol was also on his Quicksilver backpack as well.

"Oh, shut up and keep walking." Said Kris as he shuddered under the cold. "Let's get to class." As they all began to separate to go to their classes.

Several minutes later...

Joe sat in his first period class with his earbuds blaring a good old rock song to an old school book. The class was in the middle of reading a cryptic tale of Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Watson. Joe sat in the back of the room with two old friends. One being Sam, Joe's in a sense female copy and the other Dan, his childhood friend. Sam wore just the school uniform and had her brown hair bound in a ponytail. Dan on the other hand, wore the uniform polos and had short hair. They were also deep into their books as the teacher sat watching her students. Suddenly, Joe closed his book and set it to the side of his notebooks. The teacher took notice and followed up by calling out his name. "Mr. Joseph why have you stopped reading? Do you feel ill?" She asked as she took out a note pad that she used to keep records of what goes on in class.

"Nothing Mrs. Andres." Replied Joe as he removed the earbuds from his ears. "It's just that I'm already done with the book."

"Damnit." said Sam under her book.

"That can't be possible, we just started reading yesterday." She exclaimed in wonder. "You're probably just saying that so you can leave."

"These books are too short and have only fifteen chapters. It doesn't take me very long to read these. I've finished thicker books than this in only a few hours yet I've only been reading for 2 hours. Also, it was Mr. Berkeley that murdered the Barron's mistress." A bunch of the students began to shush him at the sound of the ending seemed to spoil the reading. Joe put his phone away as the teacher wrote a little report at her desk. "Sigh... Now I'm bored. I wonder what's next.?" Joe thought to himself. Looking around the class, he could tell that the other students were going to take a rather long time to finish so he took out a paper and began to write the reaction paper.

"Psst... Hey, are you going to show the stuff in third block right?" Asked Dan wondering about the project."I hope we did good on it. I really want to see how it turned out."

"Yeah, don't worry, I made sure everything looked good. I wouldn't mess this kind of thing up." Answered Joe as he put his head down and tried to calm his body aches. The pain returned from this morning, but it was stronger than before. It was now affecting his head and shoulders.

Later

Joe prepared a projector that he could plug his computer to. He was preparing a school film project that he and several other students had done over the year to show on the last days of school. As the class filed in Joe turned on his laptop and its screen was revealed on the projector. A mess of files and the background which was a picture that he took of the city bay during the night. The students were astonished at the amount of work he had put into just customizing his own computer.

Mr. Norris, Joe's third period teacher stood up and turned towards the class. "Class I'm sure you have been wondering about the shots we filmed with a few of your fellow classmates. Well, today we are here today to see the fruits of our labor. Today we present you with our new short film for the school. We can thank Joe here for providing the editing and some of the script." He finished as the class began to applaud and shout." Now please can somebody please hit the lights so we may begin?" A student cooperated and shut them off. "Thank you. You may begin now Joe."

"Yes, sir." Replied Joe as he opened up the file and it began to play. The first thing to appear was the red and black wings design that Joe put on everything. The first scene of the movie opened up to a desert scene with people in military fatigues running towards the camera. While one stayed back and fired shots from a machine gun at men in masks chasing them. The first character to be seen was Joe playing as the team's leader and several other students as soldiers.

"Retreat!" shouted the leader as Kris ran farther ahead dressed as a soldier. " Go, I will hold them back!" Joe dressed as the leader ran towards the group of enemies like a lion into a pack of angry hyenas. Charging head first he managed to knock down a group of them, then he began to fire at them as more began to arrive.

"Captain! Evac in T-Minus three minutes and forty seconds." Yelled a soldier taking aim with a sniper."Incoming more hostiles take cover everyone!" Joe dressed up in The leader uniform took cover as two jeeps with mounted assault guns came up to where the two teams were locked in combat. He then proceeded to fire at the jeeps. There were many casualties on both sides of the firefight seeing as the enemies began to fall left and right. Joe managed to take out four more hostiles then threw a couple of his grenades at the jeeps. Causing them to explode in a display of fake fire. A few students in class began to cheer at the action on the screen. While the cheering was going on Joe felt a burning sensation in the middle of his palm. But, he tried to not let it bother him as they watched the movie.

Back in the film

The captain seemed to have finished off his last mag, so, he switched to his pistol and began to fire off small rounds. He managed to take out three more men just as they took out two of his fellow soldiers. Soon afterwards he was completely out of ammo and his enemies knew it. His team was completely defenseless. The captain looked over the rock he hid behind to see the enemy come forward with their knives drawn. Watching one of his men, he signaled him to fall back and await for Evac. It was Jeremy dressed as another soldier, he signaled back no. "That's an order soldier!" shouted the captain just as the enemies tried to grab him. Using the pistol as a weapon the captain managed to smack them in the head before he threw it to one with a machine gun. The captain looked back up to see that the men were running to a high rock.

So, he drew his own knife and approached the enemies who were also wielding knives. Carefully, he dodged their stabs and counter attacked by stabbing them in the chest. Suddenly a bullet hit him in the left shoulder blade. He fell to the ground and watched as an enemy with a crappy looking RPG took aim at his team.

"No you don't!" said the captain to himself as he took his knife and threw it at the guy with the RPG stabbing him in the chest. The man with the RPG fell motionless. With nothing left the captain raised his working arm in surrender as men began to surround him. The men broke the circle as a tall, aged man stepped into the circle. He had graying hair, a fancy scarlet suit, and a cane with a big black stone on it.

"What is this? Do you think this is some kind of game? Hmm? Do you think you and your little friends can step in and ruin what I have worked for?" Asked the man in the suit. The captain remained quiet.

As Joe watched the event on screen he began to feel the pain come at him again while the rest of the class watched on edge.

The man with the scarlet suit looked towards the hill with Captain's men on it. He clicked his tongue as an evil look crept on his face. "You there!" He said aloud, pointing at a masked man. "Yeah, you. I want you to bring that little toy rocket to me." The man in the mask obeyed the order and handed it over to him. "Look here you little bastard. I am the king around here and whatever I say goes. You should've stayed home where it was safe." He said as he took. Aim at his team.

"Nooo!" Shouted the captain as he shot up to his feet and bolted towards the man in the suit. He managed to reach him in time to jab him in the face, causing him to fire away from his target.

"Oh! Ho! Ho! Lookie here boys we got ourselves a bad ass." He snickered as he got back up. "Hold him!" Several of his men ran to the captain and held him by both of his arms while the Captain's team looked back to watch what was happening.

"Ha! Such a cruel and desperate attempt you tried there. I'm pretty sure that you're not going to like what happens next, " said the man in the suit. He quickly unsheathed a hidden knife at the handle of the cane he had and stabbed the captain in the chest. Joe writhed in pain at seeing himself die. "Goodnight Monsieur capi-tain" he then pulled the knife out and wiped it on the man on his right sleeve. The captain could only watch as his men turned their heads in anger and continue on their way with tears in their eyes. Then the screen faded to display the title "The Runners"

Joe could feel the pain return and couldn't stand it. His head began to spin. Suddenly, a light began to appear in the palm of his hand. Trying not to panic, he covered his hands in his jacket and stood up. "Sir! I'm gonna take a trip to the bathroom." He said aloud. Without waiting for an answer, he was out the door. He bumped into walls and nearly tripped due to his dizziness. The light began to spread so he began to move faster that he ran straight into the bathroom and locked the door. His hand was illuminating the entirety of his jacket. It spread all throughout his arm and to the other until he turned on the sink. He put his right hand under the water, allowing the light to slowly subside. (For some reason.) he slumped himself over the counter and closed his eyes. After a while he began to feel a bit better he unlocked the door and slowly headed back to the class.

Back in the class

He discovered the movie was nearly finished. He actually hadn't noticed how much time he spent outside. Quietly he walked back to his seat and waited for the film to be over. Still, he wondered was he seeing things or was he just hallucinating from his headache.

The last scene in the movie showed the captain's team attacking the Scarlet suited man who this time had the tide turned on him for what he had done.

After class

Joe walked over to where he and the others would stay to wait for their buses. The sky was still gray and seemed to be getting worse. Kris, Jeremy and Rick were waiting for him at a coconut tree. "So, What's happening?" Asked Jeremy as he put the hood of his jacket up."was the movie great?"

"Yeah, it was. It had them on the edge of their seats. That's what Mr. Norris said." Replied Joe looking towards the buses.

"You know the teachers are saying there is a storm coming later tonight." Said Rick as he began to read things off of his phone."that's some scary stuff."

"Are we gonna be hanging out tomorrow? If the storm didn't mess anything up. Cause Frick it's finally the weekend." Asked Joe scratching his head wondering where the hell his bus is.

"Yeah... About that it's your turn. We're coming over at ten tomorrow, so make sure everything is cool."

"Yeah, don't worry. If I'm still asleep, I still have that key outside if you need to wake me up. I trust you guys are fine with instant ramen." Replied Joe as he spotted his bus coming from the highway. "I have steaks just in case Jeremy decides to eat everything."

"Shut up I was hungry" yelled Jeremy as he tries to attack Joe with a fist.

"Crap. Well, anyway gotta go see ya guys later." Said Joe as he walked off to his bus and got in. He once again by a window by himself.

On the bus

Several thoughts ran through his head about what had transpired earlier. What did it mean? Suddenly a text snapped him out of his trance. It was from Rick. "Did you see today's newspaper? Korea is launching test missiles again and this time it reached the island. It's fucking scary now"

Joe texted back. "No shit look at where we're at. We are the closes U.S. military presence in the Pacific. Why wouldn't they aim at us?"

"That's just fucking scary." Replied Rick.

"Pay attention to the newspapers and maybe you would see it better."Joe replied as he began to feel pain all over again. Rick stopped texting so Joe went ahead and put on his headphones to drown out the sound of the people shouting in the bus and played it at max. It helped, but it forced him to stay awake.

At the bus stop

Joe walked out of the bus and down the path to his house. His head was blaring and he felt as he did in class. Even the glowing began again, but not as severe as it was before. To make matters worse, the weather apparently decided to take a turn for the worst and began to rain. He fought as he tried to fix his eyes on the path. He was burning up all over his body, his brain was ready to pop and it was getting dark.

Halfway to the house.

He abruptly dropped to his knees in pain as the glow appeared all over his body. The pain drove him to clench his eyes shut to try to calm down, but when he opened them there was nothing but darkness. He was no longer on his knees, nor where he was a few moments ago. He was slowly falling through darkness. The pain and the glowing were gone. He felt nothing but the rush of the feeling of an empty mind. In a sense, his mind completely shut down for no cause. The falling stopped as his body slowed its pace and suddenly dropped him knocking him out. It was cold, but, the smell of smoke lingered in the air as he awakened. He was surprised to witness the evening sky and a forest covered in snow. He was lying in a crater scorched with black burn marks. He took off his glasses and rubbed them to see the big trees and the light of a fire that was coming from a burning tree near the crater. Slowly he tried to get up, but he quickly fell down and vomited the contents of his stomach. Feeling faint, he tried to turn his head to take in the location.

After straining to stand up again, he succeeded in doing so, but, he still was at a point where he staggered about. Two major thoughts of survival ran through his head. One for shelter and one for warmth. He promptly reached for a burning branch and snapped it off the tree with ease. The fire provided a much needed light source to traverse the snowy forest. Through the darkness he spotted a big mound. It was soon discovered that he had stumbled upon a small hill covered in rocks and hopefully a cave. He searched around it for a sort of entrance, but he found none. Suddenly, a loud noise rang out through the area, causing him to panic and jog in the opposite location causing him to run into the wall of a cliff. He felt the need to follow it until he found something to hide in. In the haste he fell into a gap in the wall. It was an entrance into some sort of cave. He had found his shelter so he carried the fire and walked in carefully to see if there were any dangers. Seeing nothing but the solid innards of the cave, he lay the fire near the entrance and sat near it to stay warm. The idea of this being a bad dream ran through his mind while the other worried that this could be it. The only truth he experienced at the moment was that he was in this completely alone and that he was away from the home he knew.

Chapter 2: Taken

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Chapter 2: Taken

(During the events of chapter 1)

The evening was serene and the snow had begun to fall. A really thin layer of snow sat upon the land. Very few ponies still walked around wearing scarves, saddles and boots. There were a very few guards out at this time due to a chance of attack. The castle had been in a more alert state due an earlier attack by creatures known as Changelings and their various allies.

Celestia the royal leader of Equestria was deep in concentration. Debating with herself for the safety of the citizens of Ponyville and Canterlot. She released a quiet sigh as she got up from her desk and walked over to the grand window that sat facing out toward the garden. "Something is not right..." she said to herself as she looked towards the Everfree forest. Suddenly she stopped moving. "Magic?..."

Suddenly, the ground began to shake as a distant rumble is heard and a bright flash of green is seen upon the horizon. It illuminated everything in sight for a short moment, but as quick as it came it was gone. In an instant, the princess straightened herself out and galloped quickly toward the balcony to see if anything had happened.

"What the hay is going on?" and other sounds of panic could be heard from those very few ponies below as everything began to return to a normal state.

Royal guards began to file out of the castle and into the courtyard. Celestia had expected to discover a few fractures in the walls of the castle, but strangely there was no physical damage to be seen on the castle and no one was injured at all. Upon seeing this, Celestia backed away from the balcony and slowly walked towards her two large doors that bore her cutie mark of the sun. There were soon the sounds of hooves coming quickly towards her room and on cue knocks were heard as the door slowly opened revealing a very weary guard. "Are you alright your majesty?" He asked, still trying to catch his breath from all the galloping he had done.

"Yes. I am. Please inform the Captain to prepare his shield spell. Also tell him to deploy it after Luna has returned." Celestia finished.

"As you wish, your majesty. "The guard replied as he turned around closing the great doors of her room.

Celestia turned toward her desk and levitated a scroll and quill over to herself. As she spoke the quill wrote it down

"To my faithful student Twilight Sparkle. I am uncertain of the mysterious events of lately. We have had the captain of the guard on standby since he had returned from his trip. Tonight we are deploying his shield spell as a precaution for that bright flash of green light. Currently, we have no idea what it could mean, but I am certain that it did have a reason. For the safety of Ponyville I will need you and the others to remain on a constant look out. Sincerely, Princess Celestia" She then wrapped a red ribbon on the scroll. Her horn began to shine with a bright yellow aura and it quickly spread all over the Scroll. With a blink of the eye, it instantly disappeared. Suddenly, she heard the beating of wings behind her.

"Sister! What was that? I saw a bright flash but, I could not pinpoint where it was from!" said the Mare of the Night.

"Luna. I can't quite put a label this predicament, but, as long as everyone is still safe, we will find a way to end this dilemma and must you still talk in that volume? "Celestia said in reply to Luna's remark. A large pink light began to shine in as a wall of energy came from outside.

"Luna we will need to remain here for now. We will discuss this topic in the morning. "Said Celestia as she approached her massive bed to sit on

"I agree. "Said Luna as she exited her sister's room.

Celestia returned to her state of deep concentration as she began to lay down. "Nevertheless, that strange light... What does it mean?..." She thought to herself as she slowly began to fall asleep.

In Ponyville...

"Will do princess" said the now awake unicorn as she rolled up a scroll and placed it on the kitchen table.

"What did it say Twilight?" asked a very sleepy dragon.

"Well, Spike It was about that light we saw earlier. The princess says that we should keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary and that Canterlot will be on lock down till tomorrow. "Answered Twilight as she levitated a few scrolls and a quill over to Spike.

"Can you write letters to the others requesting that they come here early in the morning, before you go to bed? "Asked Twilight.

"Can you buy me a *yawn* couple of rubies tomorrow if I do? Replied Spike as he began to write.

"Sigh... Ok, I will" answered Twilight as she walked toward a bookcase and began to pull books out of it.

Spike finished writing the letters and then one by one blew green flames to burn them thus, sending them out, then he walked upstairs yawning and stretching his arms out. "Good night "He sleepily yelled down to Twilight as she sat on the couch going through some books.

"You too, sleep tight. "Replied Twilight as she returned her focus toward her books. Books began to pile up all around the table as she continued to read through several books as if they were telephone directories. It was nearly five in the morning when she finally decided to fall asleep.

The next day

The sun rose up from the East of town and colored the skies with a barrage of pink, blue and orange. Five figures headed towards the library. The sounds of hooves approaching and tired yawns could be heard. As soon as they reach the door they knocked on it. A few seconds later a window was opened and out stuck Spike's head.

"Hey guys! Whoa. Major bed heads you guys got going there." Said spike as he stuck his head back in the window.

"It's not our faults Twilight gave us such a short amount of time to actually prepare ourselves!" Replied Rarity.

"Let me go and get Twilight." Said spike as he stormed downstairs to find her still asleep with a book in hoof.

"Wake up Twilight! The girls are all here and you still have to get prepared." As he began to shove at her sleeping body.

She finally awoke with a shock and asked "What they're here?" She then levitated each of the books around her and stacked them in an orderly fashion. Spike simply nodded and went to open the locked door. The moment the latch came undone a familiar pink pony pushed the door opened and yelled surprise.

"Pinkie! It's not her Birthday it's only a meeting, "said Applejack who seemed to be an early riser.

"It isn't? Aww... Oh, well, "said Pinkie as she hopped over to Twilight sitting on the couch.

Two Pegasus ponies walked in side by side talking about the other being too slow. "We could have gotten here faster if Fluttershy here didn't have to constantly stop to look in all the trees for animals. Besides, aren't most of them asleep? "Stated Rainbow dash in a rather grumpy tone.

"I'm sorry, but all that shaking and that bright light caused a panic between all the animals at my house so, I have to make sure that nopony has been disturbed or hurt. "Said Fluttershy keeping her head low to the ground. They both walked over to one of the bookcases to finish their talk. The last to enter was Rarity. She looked flawless as ever. "Why Twilight your mane! It's positively monstrous. "She said in a complaining tone and rushed over to Twilight grabbing a brush with her magical grip. A light blue aura surrounded the brush as she began to work with a professional manner.

"Dang! She's been doing that since we picked her up." Said Rainbow Dash holding her hoof up trying to whisper.

"Oww! Well, I had received an. Oww! Rarity, please stop for now!" Twilight started In an annoyed tone as she began to pull away from Rarity. "I received an important message from the princess requesting our help!" She yelled after freeing herself and setting Rarity in the line of her friends. They all stared in shock seeing how serious the matter at hoof was. Twilight began to read the scroll out loud and everyone seemed to take on faces of seriousness.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Tell us what needs to be done already! "Shouted Rainbow in a restless voice.

"Okay. I need you and Fluttershy to take to the air to scan both the Everfree forest and the whitetail woods for anything that looks suspicious." Commanded Twilight as she handed them maps.

"Gotcha! I can do it in 10 seconds flat." replied Rainbow.

"Applejack can you get Big Mac gather up some volunteers to search around town and forest for anything that seems out of place if you find something call us."

"That'll be mighty hard seeing that not everyone is brave enough to head on into the Everfree." Replied Applejack. "But we will try our best."

"And Rarity do you still remember that shield spell that my brother showed us?" Twilight asked.

"Of course I do." said Rarity creating a small blue magical barrier.

"Then I will need you to try to make one that can help protect us in case of anything."Said Twilight turning her head towards Pinkie. "Pinkie Can you watch over the town? "

"Aw, that's going to to be boring. What if my Pinkie sense kicks in?" asked Pinkie as she balanced a book on her nose.

"Well, you can always come looking for me. I will be in town. "Twilight answered.

"Okie Dokie Lokie" said Pinkie Pie jumping in the air.

"Good then. I will try to make my way to Canterlot as soon as the shield drops, but for now I must inform the mayor of our plan. "She said as she levitated her winter wear to put them on.

Spike came running down stairs as he heard the shuffling of hooves. "Don't forget my Rubies. "He hollered as the group of ponies filed out the door. They then gave their goodbyes and separated into their assigned duties. Rainbow began to circle Cloudsdale and then began to move more toward the forest which circled the town. Fluttershy went to her cottage and requested from her young rabbit to remain on guard duty till she returned. Before she left, she took several birds that were awake out of their cages to assist in the patrol. Applejack returned to her farm to get her brother and several other ponies that were sitting around to begin her own patrol. Rarity went to her home and began to practice the shield spell. She formed a small barrier in her shop and began to expand it. She kept making it expand inch by inch. Suddenly she heard a small cat shriek. Rarity saw the little kitty under the pressure of the shield cornering it and quickly shattered it. Pinkie began her job by getting some cupcakes, hot cocoa and a chair. She then went and sat down at the fountain in the center of the town. Watching everyone and everything that moved. Twilight made her way to the mayor's office and walked in with a whole lotta scrolls that were stuffed into her saddlebag.

Inf another area of the Forest

Inside of a cave, Joe began to stir as the sun entered through the mouth of the cave. He sat up in the same groggy way he did every day before this change of terrain. "Augh... What the heck is going on?..." He asked, still trying to wake up. A surge of sudden realization hit him as he quickly shot up shocked about what had happened the day before. He was sitting in a cave that was within a forest. "Where am I?..."he asked himself as he got to his knees to stand up. "Holy crap..."he tried to take in his sight as he stepped out of the hole in the cliff. He suddenly paused and took a look at the ground and saw snow. Living on an Island most of his life had he really seen this much snow. The only other times he had been in any contact was when he was back in California.

"What the Frick? Snow! It shouldn't be snowing here in the Pacif... Wait... This isn't home..." he exclaimed with his sudden realization. Walking back into the cave, he sat down with both his legs crossed and sighed. "What the Hell? I was just walking home and th... .. I was falling? He said to himself trying to figure out what had just happened. "Great, now I'm talking to myself. Just what the fuck hap-" Suddenly, he was hit with a barrage of images that were from the previous day, Waking up, Feeling of sickness plugging his computer in the class. "WAIT!" He shouted as he got up and ran out the cave.

He kept running until he found the crater that he awoke in during the night, he slowly made his way toward the center and began to dig into the collection of snow that had fallen there. "YES, I still have it! He said in a relieved tone and pulled out his black bag. He dusted the snow off and began to walk back towards the cave to inspect his belongings. With a zip the backpack was opened and he began to pull out whatever was still in it. The first thing he pulled out was the laptop. He opened it up and clicked the on switch. The screen came to life as he set it down to the left of himself. He reached his hand back into the bag and the next object that was pulled out was a Black PSP. He turned it on then off knowing that it was still working. The very moment he pulled out a bag of dry mango slices His stomach roared as if it were a starving beast waiting to be fed. "Damn, I'm hungry." he said as he opened up the bag of fruit and began to eat. He stopped as soon as the bag got to about a quarter of what it started with and put it back in the bag. He then proceeded to turn off his laptop that had been sitting in standby and placed it into the bag.

"Right now, I have no time to play games." he quietly said and threw his gaming device in the bag. Making sure everything was in the bag he stood up and checked his pockets to find his IPhone and wallet. "Thank God." He exclaimed as he pulled out the little rectangular device and turned it on. With a press of a button and a swipe at the screen. He was happy to see the battery still charged up and then a look of disappointment came over him as he saw the top left side of the screen that clearly read "No service" and then he sighed.

"Well, there's no use staying here anymore." He said as he stood up and threw his backpack over his shoulder, took a few steps out. It was blistering cold, so he threw the hood of his hoodie on his head. "This is just getting more and more weird. This place is huge!" He thought to himself as he continued to walk. The sounds of the wind and the crushing of snow were the only audible thing to be heard. He was shocked to see that through the canopy he could see several mountains and huge clouds hovering about. Soon he began to feel tired after walking for a few hours. Suddenly he saw a figure dart from around the trees and into the other side of the path. "Hey! Hello?! Is anyone there?!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. He waited to hear a reply, but was quickly disappointed to hear none. "Oh, well..."

Suddenly, a large log swung out and hit him across the face. He stumbled back as he attempted to look for what had struck him. A large gray dog faced creature walked out from behind a tree and readied itself for another swing. Joe managed to roll to the left and plopped his bag against a tree "You are one ugly looking puppy. Get that mask off and maybe I could take you a little more serious" demanded Joe. It failed to respond so Joe ran to its left and then behind it to jump on it's back. He attempted to remove the face that he believed was a mask. The dog guy cried in pain as Its skin was nearly torn off of its skull.

"What the fuck! It's real!" Joe cried out as he fell off. The creature turned around with a pissed off expression and looked down at Joe. It limbered up and hit Joe with it's log. Joe slowly began to rise just as did his anger. The creature began to laugh, pissing Joe off even more. It's guard seemed to be off. So, he did what seemed necessary and began to quickly run towards the dog. He managed to deliver a very powerful drop kick to its face, inducing it to stagger back dazed. Seizing the opportunity Joe managed to deliver a massive uppercut to its jaw. The beast then slumped back unconscious. Joe stood victorious relishing the moment, until he was hit in the back of the head with yet another log. He struggled as he attempted to stay conscious as two more figures that were just as ugly as the first one was walking towards him. He tried to stand up but, failed miserably. Joe's eyes slowly shut as he began to lose consciousness.

After an unknown amount of sleep.

Joe had awoken to find that his head was covered by some sort of bag and that he was hanging upside down from a pole. His head was throbbing in pain from that last blow to the head. The impact of that hit did some real damage as there was a huge bump sitting upon his head. His consciousness began to fade again, but he was able to hear the sound of gravel and felt a sudden change of temperature. He knew they had made it to where ever they were taking him. But, he once again fell unconscious as the three or something foes throw him against a wall.

Back at the mayor's office.

Twilight waited inside the mayor's office and watched as other ponies worked at their desks. "You may come in, " said a female voice. Twilight, then proceeded to open the door and stepped in to see the secretary at her desks

"I am here to see the mayor to alert her of the situation in Canterlot." Said Twilight as she signed into a check in sheet sitting on the desk.

"I will go see if she is available for a meeting." said the secretary as she walked into the hall.

Twilight waited a good ten minutes until the secretary returned with the mayor. "It's good to see you mayor." Said Twilight as she got up from the chair she had been sitting on.

"Likewise. What is it that you wished to tell me? Replied the mayor in a wondering tone.

Twilight spent about an hour explaining what she had accomplished since this morning with the help of her friends and her entire strategy to start a lookout. She took a moment to catch her breath and sat back down to think of any other things to add.

"My, my Twilight you work rather fast for a mare your age. I expected this type of actions the moment we made you the organizer for the Winter wrap up. "Said the Mayor as she stood up from her seat.

"Well, it was for the safety of the town and the Princess." Twilight replied as she stood up as well. "Now that you've been informed. I have to prepare to go to Canterlot pretty soon. Can you also inform the rest of the town as well? Asked Twilight as she looked at the clock hanging across from her.

"Of course I will its part of my job. But, before you go, I have to inform you that there have been several disappearances around town. They all ended up disappearing in and around the Everfree forest. Said the mayor in a sad tone of voice.

"That sounds awful. I will ask the rest of the girls to be on guard in case they see anything strange or if somepony else went missing. Trust me when I say this, we will not allow anypony to get hurt." Twilight Said in a defiant stance.

"I believe what you say. Be safe now. I will deal with the matters here. Now go and prepare for your departure." as the mayor began to walk away from her desk.

Twilight simply nodded in agreement as she wished both the mayor and her secretary good bye. With high hopes she stepped outside only to see Pinkie pie bouncing quickly towards her in the snow.

Chapter 3: Taken Part 2

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Chapter 3: Taken Part 2

Back at the Mayor's Office.

"Twilight! Twilight! I had one of those Senses again. I think its the ones that say something big is going to happen but, then I got hungry and ate and it disappeared. What was that about?*Gasps for air*I think it's something but, it might have been me just being hungry and-" Was all Pinkie able to say before a hoof was placed on her mouth.

"Calm down! What exactly is the problem? "Asked Twilight as she removed her hoof from Pinkies mouth. "Say it this time while you breathe."

"Well Okie Dokie then. Where was I? Oh yeah! I was sitting at the fountain and I felt my stomach rumble. I opened a bag of goodies I had and began to eat but, my whole body began to shake."

"Remember that one time where you didn't believe in my Pinkie sense then you finally did? It keeps happening at random and they are the strongest I've ever felt before. I have a bad feeling about this one. "She began to uncontrollably shake once more."seeeeee I. Told... You!"

"Hmm... Things are getting more and more suspicious. Do you suppose Discord is coming back?" Twilight asked as she walked closer to her friend. Pinkie gave the I don't know face causing Twilight to sigh.

"That's it I am going to Canterlot right now! Come on!" She wrapped herself and Pinkie in a pinkish aura and in a flash they were gone.

Back at the Carousel Boutique.

"Opal will you please sit still. I'm gonna get it this time. "Said Rarity. The shop was in a complete mess and so was the white cat in front of her. Opal began to growl softly as she sat still. "Hush now and focus." A soft blue glow began to emanate at the tip of Rarity's horn then she pointed it at her pet. "Here I go". The cat watched as her owner fired a pillar of light through the the roof of the shop without breaking anything. The pillar began to stretch out over the entire shop until it had reached the ground. When Rarity finally opened up her eyes, she was in awe of her work. A light blue bubble completely surrounded the shop. "I knew it! I did it "She picked up the cat in an extremely quick happy matter and began to wave her around in a very violent way. "Oh I must tell Twilight so she will be able to rest easy knowing that everypony will be ever so safe with me around." and with that she was out the door.

Over the Everfree Forest.

Rainbow Dash scanned the forest from above looking for any signs of immediate danger. "This is getting boring we've been out here for hours it's freezing out has to be something out there" She circled once more and flew back toward Ponyville. Over at the entrance of the town stood Applejack. She seemed to be scanning a map of town and areas of the forest. A pencil sat in her mouth as she marked the areas surrounding the town with a few Xs and Os. Suddenly her little sister appeared.

"Hey sis can we go home yet? Me and the Girls are getting tired. And it's starting to snow again." Asked little Apple Bloom as she sat down to rest her hooves. Applejack lifted her head to look at her sister and the others who were heading her way. Even Big Mac himself seemed to be tired he was covered in snow and twigs. It seemed that he did more than use his eyes to look around.

"I guess everypony here is mighty tired already. Best head on back home after one more look around. Be sure to tell the others as well." said Applejack as she watched her sister leave. Applejack stood up and began to walk over to the library. Just then, she heard the beats of wings above her to see her Rainbow maned friend fly down right next to her.

"Hey Applejack anything happening out here? "Asked Rainbow dash.

"All we found were a bunch of unearthed gemstones. "Answered Applejack holding up a small sack of them. "Another thing we did find was an old cave and a huge hole in the ground in the North of the path leading to the lake. This just don't look like your everyday rodeo looks like something funny is happening. "I reckon it's time to inform Twilight bout this little fiasco."

"Right Behind you." Replied Rainbow as they began to walk. Along the way they saw Fluttershy coming from the South of town accompanied by small birds of various colors and a big Hawk. "Now when you guys get home I want you all to stay inside please. We don't want any of you freezing your feathers off now do we?" Said Fluttershy as she waved them goodbye. Applejack and Rainbow quickly trotted over to her and asked about her patrol.

"Well...There was nothing around the southern half of the town but, my little friends say they saw a bunch of broken branches and a few odd creatures in the North." said Fluttershy as she gazed upon the snow at her hooves.

"We ought to get ourselves over to the library now that most of us are here." Said Applejack as they all began to walk toward their location.

Back to where ever Joe was taken.

The wind blew sand around as Joe awoke in the desert dazed and confused. "What the hell? Wasn't I just in a forest?" He said as He staggered to his feet. Padding his clothes he found that he was wearing the captain outfit that he wore while they were recording the class film. "What the heck? Why am I wearing this? Isn't this supposed to be the... What the crap?!" He looked up and saw that he was in an actual desert. "I thought that we filmed this at the beach... This... This is the movie scene." The confused him. Wasn't he just in the freezing cave. He walked for about and hour and walked until he found the place that was among both rocks and sand. "Hello is anyone out there?" He yelled for help only to hear nothing but the sound of the wind ringing in his ears. Suddenly, the sounds of gun fire and yelling came from a few meters to the left of where he was standing. Feeling suspicious he ran to see what it was and was surprised to see that it was friends and a few other people that He sort of knew. They were being chased by a group of creatures that He had seen and fought in the forest before waking here. "What the? Hey guys!" I yelled as He ran to join them.

"Captain where have you been? We are running low on ammo and we need to pull out! Now! "Said the one who resembled Kris.

"What the hell? Those are the lines from the movie aren't they? Why don't you-" Joe managed to say as a bullet nearly hit his head. "Those are real!"

"There's a vehicle heading straight for us in T minus ten minutes."replied Joe acting as he did when they recorded the scene. He found this to be disturbing seeing that they had recorded this scene weeks ago. Another weird fact was that he knew all the lines by heart. These people were not really his friends but, people that had been created by his writing of a script. Joe began to recite things just as he did making the scene. He commanded them to retreat so that he could hold off the incoming enemies. Feeling like how he did when they did the scene. when the enemy began to surround him he began stabbing and shooting them knowing that they were not actual living creatures. Joe had to keep that that thought running through his head during the whole thing. he suddenly stopped when the old man in the scarlet suit appeared.

"I've been waiting for some one like you to appear for quite a while." Said the old man as he began to stroke his beard.

"That's not in the damn script!" Shouted Joe in a confused way. "What the hell is going on?"

The old man began to laugh as he pulled a blade out of his cane. "Ha... Don't worry you will see soon enough."

Suddenly, Joe felt the sharp pain of something entering entering his chest. The pain he was feeling was real. The old man let out a horrible laugh as Joe looked to his team and back at the old man for a moment. His vision began to fade and He began to fall into the darkness once again... "Augh!" yelled Joe as something hit him in the stomach. He opened his eyes and looked up through a broken lens and saw the evening sky entering through a hole in the roof of the cave. Slowly he turned to his left to see the ugly face of what seemed to be a dog man. He snapped a weird looking collar on Joe's neck. (oh the irony)

"Now you will dig for us hairless one. Find the treasures and bring them to us." He said as a bigger dog man lifted Joe off his feet."Don't think of running or-" He pressed a button and volts of electricity shot through Joes's entire body. The collar seemed to be the source of the shock. The big dog man holding him wasn't affected by the electricity. He simply grunted and threw him to the ground. "You will stay till we say you go. You are to now serve King Remington of the Diamond dogs." He then attached a chain to the collar and led him out of the little cell he was being held in. The cave wasn't too sophisticated as Joe managed to memorize the paths they took till he was thrown to where a line of creatures were working. There appeared to be little horses and dog men who were chained up digging alongside each other. The little horses seemed strange they appeared to have a whole different color pattern than what he was used to. The dog men on the other hand looked like actual dogs with a human's body structure. Two more dog men came towards them. A short gruffy looking one and a big tall one that wore a red vest.

"You can't do this to me. I don't even know what the hell is going on. But, I swear I am gonna kick your-"And then he was shocked once more.

"Hmm what in Tartarus are you hairless one? The tall one asked. As he tried to get a better look.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out."replied Joe staring defiantly.

"If you keep talking, we will throw you into the hot water rocks! Yelled the smaller dog as he walked away from him.

"That doesn't make sense. You asked what I am and now your telling me to shut up. Make up your minds." Replied Joe in a mocking tone.

"Shut up! It does not matter we will wait for lord Agnis and the King to decide what to do with you. As for now you work." said the tall one as they left out the tunnel they came through. The big dog man stood close to the wall to watch us. He appeared to be getting bored since the sound and sight of things at work were probably something he had been watching for hours already.

Joe picked up a shovel that sat against the wall and began to dig just as the big dog began to pace around the tunnels. The dirt was pretty easy to dig through seeing that it did not have the amount of rocks as home seemed to be full of. It actually helped with digging making it way quicker and less of a hassle. The big dog man seemed to see this and walked away. After a few minutes of digging a sort of shush sound was heard. Joe turned to his right to see the face of a dog man that did not seem like the bunch that dragged him in here his body seemed to be broader and had a head that looked just like that of a Doberman pinscher.

"Hey I need you to listen to me. I have a plan to get us out of here will you help us." He asked quietly trying not to sound shady.

Joe gave no answer and kept digging for about another three minutes and a half. He looked in the dog mans direction and saw that he had seen him . "What exactly is this plan you are talking about and how do I know I can trust you? " asked the cautious human.

"Well first things first the name is R.R. Yours?." the Doberman asked as he dug.

"Just call me Joe. "The human replied. "What exactly is this place? Where the fuck am I and why are they making me do this crap?"

R.R just stood there for a moment and finally replied. "You are in the land of Equestria. This is part of the Diamond dog's many cave systems and to answer that last one, I am not too sure why they are making us dig up all these useless things.?"

Joe gave him a curious look and asked. "Who and what exactly are you things?

"That will not mean anything if we don't get out of here. We can do explaining later and besides I don't even know what you are either. R.R answered back.

Joe still wanted to get a better explanation of what exactly was going on. "Where the heck is this Equestria place? dog people? But, I guess I will be stuck wondering what kind of bizarre world this was till I manage to get out of here." He thought to himself. "Well I gotta ask who is this Agnis guy those things were talking about? They said he was coming to check what to do with me." Joe asked trying to get a few more answers.

"He is the Advisor of the throne. I believe that he let his greed take over him. I know he is the kind that has an addiction to the sight of these rare minerals. "He replied holding up an emerald as big as his fist.

"Then how is it that he is ruling the kingdom with the king if he has his own people slaving away in a dang mine?" asked Joe getting more curious of his dilemma.

"The kingdom is being deceived. That is not the true king, He isn't even a dog. He is no more than a lowly shape shifter that is using his magic to resemble him. "He answered. "Well any way, can I count you in? Whatever you are."

"I guess then...How will it go? Joe asked. "Will it get this little shock collar thingy off me anytime soon? He grabbed for the little collar thing that was around his neck. "Who else knows about this plan?

"You my friend are lucky to have been caught yesterday, our plan is nearly complete. We have been like this for far too long and today we will take back our freedom." He looked at his clenched fist and smiled. "Fido, Rover and Spot are our main threats. They each hold the last three objects of our victory. The keys, the map and the surprise. They are all necessary. We take them and then we can strike back to free everyone." He explained.

"Who are those three?" Joe questioned as he dug a pretty deep hole in the wall finding nothing.

"These three are the most uneducated bunch of dogs that I have seen thus far other than the bulldog guards they possess. They would not have made it this far by themselves. I once heard they were bested by a single unicorn mare once." Explained R.R before he shushed Joe. A big guard dog passed by their wall and walked along the rest of the wall. The sounds of whipping and someone's cries of pain could be heard from where he had gone. The sound of torture seemed to anger him.

"Hey! Stop that crap! " shouted Joe only to be shocked.

"Get back to work or you will not get anything to eat." Said Fido he stuck his ugly face around the tunnel wall. Joe stared back at him. He laughed as he walked away.

"That Fucking guy is gonna get what I got coming to him. "Said Joe under his gritted teeth. "Hey are you okay? What's your name? " He asked trying to find out who they were hurting. He turned to the corner to see who or what it could have been. To his surprise it was a White coated horse with a short blue mane and tail. Upon closer inspection both the mane and the tail seemed to have been dyed red in a few spots and he had a mark that sort of looked like a stone tablet on its flank.

"Are you okay little guy?" He asked as he looked to see if a guard was approaching.

"*cough*...Yeah...The name's Tombstone" it said wearily as It turned and froze staring in the direction of Joe. Its voice was that of a male. Both Joe an the pony stared at each other in shock. Clearly due to the fact that It would be weird seeing a talking horse and a hairless ape.

"You talked! Horses aren't meant to talk!" said Joe pointing at him while trying to suppress yell. "What the Hell?"

"What the buck are you?" replied Tombstone still pointing with his hoof.

"Dog people and now talking Horses. What's next Dragons that talk too? I asked

R.R shot me a glance that Joe guess said yes. "There are all sorts of beings that reside here." He said in his regal voice Joe rolled his eyes in disbelief.

"How the hell did I end up in this kind of mess?!" Yelled Joe in a quiet tone as to not attract the guards. He began to rub his head in frustration."I just want to go back."

"I am truly sorry for whatever difficulty you are going through. I may not know whats been happening outside but, I can assure you we will get to the bottom of this. I will help you out." Said R.R in a reassuring voice. "There has to be some kind of way for you to seek what you need.

"What the hay are you? You don't look like anything I have ever seen." Asked the pony still in shock.

"I am a...Human. " Replied Joe cautiously.

"At first I thought you were just a really ugly-looking Diamond dog when they dragged you in here" Said R.R "Don't worry. I'm joking. "He turned towards Tombstone and asked "How did you end up here little one?"

"I was on my way to Canterlot when those cud biters ambushed Me." he replied

"Are you willing to help us with an escape? " Joe asked. "R.R here got a plan and it needs as much help as we can get."

"Sure I guess whatcha need help with?" he responded.

In an Instant they went silent. There were the sounds of footsteps and whimpering. We all jumped up and quickly got to work. The sounds got closer and closer until, Two Guard dogs and Fido came walking towards another end of the tunnel talking about two more new slaves and that Agnis has arrived.

"The White one. She can do it. She can see them. Gems in the ground. I know it" Said Fido happily. The one supposed to be Rover ran up behind him.

"Are you sure she is the one? Remember to close her mouth. She will try to get us to release her again. He warned, most likely remembering a past obstacle they once faced.

When they finally disappeared, R.R pulled both of them in."Take your pick and stick with it. We will need to get the map off of Spot, the keys from Rover and the tinderbox from Fido. "R.R began.

"I will get the Keys plus I have a score to settle with Rover ." Joe said remembering what he did to his glasses. "OH yeah that reminds me. Did I come in here with a black bag? R.R answered with a no. "Great now I don't have my stuff anymore. I am seriously gonna give these guys hell!" He sighed and turned back to check on Tombstone. "So, I take it you are in on the Plan as well?" Joe asked giving a questioning look.

"Yeah yeah... I heard everything. I will get the Map. "He replied eagerly. "That short guy has it right. Imma buck him up."

"And I will get the big surprise ready. I know exactly where it's at." Added R.R. "Fido keeps them in his chambers."

"For now we will wait for the right moment. I will spread the message." he finished.

They all began to work again but, with the knowledge that they will hopefully get out. The sun was going to set in a few hours as it sat there in the west side of the sky.

Back at the Library an hour earlier.

Twilight was placing multiple scrolls into her saddle while Pinkie sat by watching. "Pinkie have any of those senses or anything come back yet?"

"Uhh.. Let me check." The pink pony replied and then stood solid for about a minute. "Nope...Sorry. Maybe Applejack knows something."

"Applejack isn't back yet." Responded Twilight. At the Exact moment she said that, there were a couple knocks at the door and a familiar southern accent. Applejack herself came through the door followed by the rest of her friends.

"There was nothing really happening at all today. All we managed to find was these little gems, an old cave that looks like it was occupied by a dragon with hiccups, and this great big hole in the ground near the lake." said Applejack sitting down

"And there was nothing above the forest either. "Followed Rainbow. "But, I did have time to practice a few moves."

"That's still a bit odd. A giant hole? Was it a crater? "Asked Twilight.

"I reckon so." replied Apple. "It looked as if it could hold a Minotaur. Another weird bit was it looks like whatever was there burnt a good bit of a the trees."

"Are... You sure it wasn't a dragon?..." Ask Fluttershy as quietly as she could.

"That's even more curious. That could mean a meteor must have fallen and somepony must've taken it. I will have to ask the princess of that when I get there." replied Twilight. "How about you Fluttershy? Did you find anything out?"

"Well my little hawk friend Tornado says that he saw a couple of creatures dragging another towards the center of the forest."

"Where? How did I not see that? And what do you mean by "creatures"" asked Rainbow beginning to stand over her friend. "What were they ponies? Dragons? Changelings?"

"Near that path heading to the lake... When I asked Tornado that the only thing he said was they stood on two legs and one had a bag over its head. "She replied beginning to arch back away from her friend.

Suddenly, the door burst open and Rarity came in. "I did it Twilight! I mastered the shield spell! "She shouted happily as everyone just looked at her. "What do I have something in my mane? "Then she went to go sit down near Twilight.

"Okay so that settles things everything is alright for now I'm going to head over to see the princess now and... Wait a second can I have that bag of gems? Asked Twilight " Spike is gonna bug me for a bag of them I just know it."

"I guess ya can." Apple jack replied holding the bag up. Twilight then levitated it to her and called for Spike to come from wherever he was.

"Coming Twilight just give me a second" he replied coming up from the basement with a tower of books. He went to one of the shelves and set the books down near it then he walked over to the girls. "What's up need anything?" Twilight levitated the bag of gems towards him and he took it.

"Alright! Emerald bars and Rubies. Thanks Twilight" he said happily. He then took a green gem out of the bag and chomped on it only to receive an electrifying shock. He quickly spat it out. "What the heck?!" he said to himself as he took out a red ruby and bit down on it. Everyone watched as he ran to the window and spat out small balls of fire.

"Spike is everything alright?" Asked Twilight as everyone watched in curiosity.

"Dang that's spicy and no I'm not okay. I dont think those are even gems that I can eat. The green ones shocked me and the red ones burned my tongue. "He said still trying to cool his tongue. He then threw the bag over to Rarity.

Rarity caught the bag with her magic to examine them "That's strange... I've never seen Gems of this quality. "She said holding up a green gem. She then decided to rub it with a cloth. "oh my they are certainly filthy-" she then dropped it after receiving a shock herself. The gem glowed with electricity when it hit the ground. Everypony was in awe after seeing the gems brilliant glow.

"It seems these stones have elemental properties to them. I wonder where they could have come from?...pffffffttt..AH HAHAHA!" Twilight as she burst into laughter.

"What is the matter Twilight what is so funny?" asked Rarity looking at her friends acting all giggly .

"Oh Rarity I love your new hairstyle I think it fits your style. "Said Fluttershy as she giggled." You and Pinkie could be like sisters."

Rarity quickly zoomed over to a mirror on the wall and screamed at her reflection "My MANE IT'S RUINED!" she shouted." She quickly went over to the bathroom and as quick as a whistle she came back out. "Crisis Averted." She trotted back to where she had sat earlier and resumed examining the stones "Phew these stones smell quite horrible. They smell familiar." She brought her hoof up and began to ponder her thoughts. "I can't quite remember where..." She finished. She then dropped a red gem and it began to give a faint flickering glow. An image of fire blazed inside of it. She then picked it up with her magic and put it in the bag.

"Well, we will deal with that some other time. For now we have to deal with... Where is Pinkie pie?" asked Twilight examining her row of friends.

"TWILIGHT get over here it's happening again!" yelled the Pink pony. "My whole body is a twitch a twitchin!"

Twilight quickly ran over to see her friend sitting at the stair way. She was bouncing up and down surrounded with several books. "What?" She asked. "Where is it?"

"Check your door!" shouted Pinkie as she bounced into the living room. The moment Twilight heard her friend a loud pounding could be heard coming from the door. She quickly trotted over to door only to be caressed by a crying orange coated Pegasus filly.

"They took them! They took them!" she shouted tears falling from her eyes.

"Scootaloo? What's wrong what happened." Asked Twilight. "What happening where are the others?!"

"We... We found this strange looking saddle bag in the forest near the lake. we thought we could get cutie marks from patrolling in the forest and we were going to bring it back until these mean dog monster things showed up. They were with this weird black one that had weird looking wings. It was tall and covered in some kind of black cloak. They grabbed Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. I was able to escape with this bag." She began to sob again as Rarity and Applejack immediately galloped as fast as they could out the Library. Twilight lifted the bag off her and put it on the table as soft as she could and patted Scoots on the head.

"Who else knows about this? She asked.

"Big Mac and the other ponies that were at the entrance to the forest. "Answered Scoots still crying. "We were on our way here when it happened."

"Okay that was all I needed to hear. Fluttershy can you watch her. While I go try to help them find the girls?" asked Twilight as she handed her over to her friend. "Knowing my brother, his shield must be down by now." She then looked toward Spike.

"Spike! I need you to send a letter to the princess. Tell her it's an emergency and we need help." Spike quickly grabbed a quill and scroll and wrote it down as fast as he could. With a puff of green flames and smoke the scroll was gone.

"Rainbow I need you to lead the princess over to the forest the moment she gets here, can I count on you? Asked Twilight.

"I can meet her half way here!" Shouted Rainbow and just like that she took off like a jet.

"Okay Pinkie let's go! Said Twilight as she trotted up to Pinkie wrapping both Pinkie and herself in a pink aura.

"See you later Fluttershy" shouted Pinkie as they disappeared in a bright flash.

"Don't worry, knowing Twilight and the others. They are going to find them as soon as possible "said Fluttershy as she began check Scootaloo.

Fluttershy then looked toward the bag sitting on the table and went over to examine it. She began to scan the outside of the bag removing the snow that covered it. She found a big red rectangular symbol on the bag and looked at it. She then flipped it over and looked over to a little tag that caught her eyes.

"Who is Quicksilver? "She asked herself as she continued to comfort the little filly.

Chapter 4: The Great Escape

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Chapter 4: The Great Escape

In Canterlot the sky began to set as the princess finished putting away a stack of documents. They each had different information regarding the details of pony disappearance cases. The shield had been down since noon. Yet Twilight had not arrived. She was about to leave her desk when a scroll appeared in a puff of green fire. "Princess we need your help! Apple Bloom and sweetie Belle have been kidnapped. Scootaloo said some sort of strange monster took them. I think it may have been some sort of attack please help. Spike & Twilight Sparkle." said the letter as she rolled it with her magic. Surprised by the news, she quickly galloped out the door and searched for somepony to alert the guards. The halls were empty as she trotted through. Eventually she made it to the garden where she found a royal guard watching the gate. "You there I need you to inform Captain Armor of the dilemma in Ponyville. She commanded. "We will need a small brigade at once I fear that this may be much more than what it seems."

"A dilemma your majesty?" How exactly do I explain that to him?" he replied now in the air.

"Take this scroll he will know of the situations that have been occurring there. This may be the lead to finally understanding of what's been happening as of late." Said Celestia as she began to become impatient. "Prepare my chariot and inform Princess Luna of this as soon as she returns from her duty. The guard then quickly took off in the direction of the west wing of the castle. Celestia herself walked toward the front of the castle where the troops had already began to assemble. She stood valiantly as Shining armor began taking role. There we're as many as thirty ponies that were already armored and in position to fly. Shining Armor himself was restless and ready to throw his life away for his kind. He sat upon a carriage that held unicorns that were already charging a huge teleportation spell that will get them about halfway there Celestia watched and charged her horn as well. "Captain are you and your stallions ready" she asked.

"Yes your majesty" he answered. "Phase one go!" A collection of different colored auras began to surround all the troops and Celestia herself. "Start Phase two now!" he shouted as a giant flash consumed them.

South of Ponyville

The sky was calm and peaceful until a giant flash reappeared and the royal guard flew out undamaged. They were all accounted for. The wings of the royal guard Pegasus pounded the air as they all began to rise into the air. "The teleportation was a success and Ponyville is nearly in sight your majesty" said the Captain of the Guard checking his tired troops. He seemed to be tired himself due to the amount of magic he and the other unicorns had used in teleporting every one of them that far. Celestia nodded her head in gratitude as they flew steadily towards Ponyville.

"Your highness! Over here!" shouted a familiar voice. "Twilight and the others were headed over to the North of town. We'll be there in about fifteen minutes and wow you guys got here faster than I thought!"

"Thank you Rainbow Dash. Lead the way." replied Celestia as the carriage turned in the direction that the cyan Pegasus went.

At the entrance to the forest

Rarity and Apple jack were already searching every little nook and cranny for their lost sisters. "Anything yet Rarity? Any sign of them?" asked Applejack with tears forming in her eyes. "If they hurt them I'm gonna be burning mad!" She then bucked a tree with all her might causing it to nearly come off its roots. She then sat there contemplating on what she would do to those responsible once she finds them.

"Applejack! Calm down! I can't focus with that racket you are causing. It's... It's ..." she complained before falling to the ground and covering her head with her hooves." We're never gonna find em." she cried as she began to sob even more.

Suddenly, a bright pink flash appeared with Twilight and Pinkie inside of it. "Girls? There you are!" shouted Twilight as she approached the two of her saddened friends. "Don't worry we will find them. The princess is gonna send help."

"How Twilight? We don't even know where in tarnation they took em" said Applejack as she began to get up a walk towards Twilight. "Big Mac has been out here all day! He kicked how many of these trees over just searching for lil sis and now he's out there as angry as a Minotaur that lost his bits purse."

"If you had been listening to Scootaloo's story to finish. You would have known to search where the path leads to lake. That's the area she said the girls were taken." said Twilight in a reassuring tone.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get our sisters! Shouted Rarity getting up on all fours. "These hooligans are gonna pay dearly for stealing away my dear Sweetie Belle!"

"Then what are we standing around here then why don't we just get over there and search for them now?." shouted Pinkie already fifty feet away from her friends on the path leading to the North.

"Pinkie weren't you just behind me a second ago?" said Twilight looking behind her." Anyway let's go!" as she began to trot over to where Pinkie was walking as well began to walk again.

In the Diamond dog mines.

The three were busy at work digging away at the walls of dirt that have been full of little red ruby that looked like they would be pretty damn valuable back home. The three of them have been working for quite a while an were beginning to get annoyed. It was dig, find a diamond, throw it in the mine cart and then dig again. The guards that were watching seemed to be cracking jokes until the scruffy voice of a certain dog burst in.

"You there hairless one you are coming with me" said Rover with an evil grin. "The king and his advisor will see you now."

"Oh yeah? Well tell your highness that if he wants to see me he'd have to do better than sending me some weakling like you to get me" Joe replied still grinning. "OH and is he as ugly as you are? Cause damn! Am I tired of seeing all these stanky dogs?" R.R shot a glance to that looked like he didn't quite like that line. Joe then realized that he was actually helping a dog himself. So, he turned over to R.R. "No offense" I say hoping that he will forgive him for that.

"Wise guy eh? Why don't I make you remember your place" Rover replied from that earlier statement about him. He quickly gave him a zap and simply asked "More?"

Joe then quickly gave the hand gesture for time out." Okay! Okay! I'll go with ya..." R.R gave the signal that the plan was in action and that Its time to try to get his hands on Rover's keys. but, not until they've gotten to a more secluded place. Soon after that both Tombstone and R.R went back to digging as Rover undid the chains for Joe allowing him to follow him to where the so called king will examine him. Rover led the way through the tunnel Joe couldn't help but notice the different types of little horses working around here. They were all brightly colored and they all had a little mark on each of their flanks but, there was one thing that could easily define what kind of horse they were. Horns and wings, several of them were either a Pegasus, Unicorn or a regular horse. Joe couldn't help but feel a bit weirded out seeing these things. "I thought these things were only in myths and friggin story books. But, Damn I didn't Think they would be this short." Joe thought to himself. Just then a regular brown horse came at him as if it was trying to tell him something. He had some sort of muzzle on it and what seemed to be an hour glass or something for its mark. Rover seemed to see this and gave the little guy a shock. "Yo! Stop that man! You're hurting it!" Shouted Joe as He grabbed at his arm. Rover then turned towards him and shocked him as well.

"You better learn your place. Now keep going we aren't Far." he commanded pulling at the chain that was connected to the collar. They kept walking until they finally got to a rather fancy looking door. It was decorated in all sorts of gems and precious metals. There was gold, silver, a bit of bronze and a crapload of diamonds all over it. It was as if you let a little five year old go crazy on your bedroom door with a little bedazzler.

"Damn that is fancy." Joe said in awe just enjoying the sight of the door.

"I know right?... Gah! Just shut up." Replied Rover after shaking himself free of a trance. He then knocked on the door and went in to let the creatures behind it know. Rover then yanked on the chain pulling Joe in to see that behind the door was nothing but a big dirt room that had candles illuminating it. In the middle of the room sat a hooded figure on a cheaply done throne and another Diamond dog but, in some sort of royal looking outfit. They seemed to be royal seeing that they were much cleaner than Rover and his gang of lackeys

"Sire I have brought the unknown creature we found above. It refuses to give us any information on it. So, we made it work till your arrival." said Rover as he knelt In front of it. We were hoping that you would know what it is so that-"

"Silence!" the hooded figure screamed as he stood up. "Let me examine this creature myself." He walked over to me and let out some kind of green aura flow from its hand onto Joe's head

"Mm. Hmm. Aha! Ha! Ha! This one...this one is full of Potential... Intriguing... Ready him to leave we will take him with us as soon as we return. We will be heading out very soon." He said in a creepy voice.

"Yes sire" answered Rover. "Now come here you!"

"Wait! I have a few questions! " Joe managed to shout just as Rover began to tug on his chain.

"You dare speak!" shouted Rover as he prepared to strike him.

"Let him speak said the hooded figure. "I am curious to see what he desires to know."

"Alright..." said Rover as he backed away.

"Alrighty then. First things first who the Heck are you? " Joe ask out of curiosity.

"I am King Rex Remington of the Diamond dogs." He said taking off the hood. His face was shocking to Joe seeing as he began to back away from the king. The figure under the hood revealed him to be none other than R.R.

"That can't be. You can't be him.". Joe muttered still shocked. "R.R what the hell man?"

Everyone but Joe began laughing in the room. Rex had begun laughing so hard that he had fallen back into his seat.

"You truly believe that I am that little cretin. Agnis tell him the story. Tell him of Good ol R.R."

"Why certainly. Your highness." The royally dressed one snickered.

"The One you speak of is my brother and the former King. He believed in useless things and the ideals of righteousness. He made me sick. We were both saddened by father's death. But, he was the one to take the throne Not I but, he. I knew that I would never make it to the throne unless He was to give it to me. I knew he was going to refuse so, I had to do it another way. Since members of the royal family cannot harm each other. I had no other choice than to hunt for the perfect replacement. The help of a changeling was all I needed." Agnis explained.

"And what exactly is a changeling?" interrupted Joe.

"That would be me!" Said Rex as his face and body seemed to change. Flames of green shot from his body. His body seem to change from a bipedal canine into some sort of four legged, bug shelled freak of nature. Its physical features were pretty easy to identify. Its eyes were big and blue. Its body was made of some sort of jet black hard spiky material, there were holes covering his hooves, fangs, bug wings and a big black blade like horn on its forehead. "Ahh... It feels so good to be back in my original body. The body of a diamond dog feels just way too stiff." He said exposing his wings and fangs. "My name is Culex, General of the Changeling army. My Queen will enjoy meeting you. She loves big lean meals."

"Well fuck you! I ain't gonna become someone's dinner."nsaid Joe as He stood up for himself.

Culex began laughing at the gesture. "What do you think you're doing? You think I'd waste my time on such a pathetic creature as yourself? Forget it."

"What did I say about you talking? You will learn soon." Said Rover as he shocked Joe once again.

"Take him away. We are tired of his crude remarks for the moment. We must prepare for departure. See you later dinner boy." said Culex as he covered himself and Agnis in a ball of green flames and we're gone.

"Come Slave! We are gonna prepare for your departure." Said Rover as he grabbed the chain still attached to the floor. He led Joe away from the room and back into the tunnels.

"So do you all just listen to some big stink bug or are there others" Joe asked still pissed off and a bit confused."

"Shut Up! Stop talking!" he shouted. He seemed to be angry now. they turned to another path and straight into a door that was full of cages, muzzles, collars and a whole assortment of chains.

"You are going to get in here" He said as he dropped the chains and began to work on a cage.

Finally an opportunity opened and Joe took it. He grabbed a muzzle grabbed a muzzle and slapped it onto Rover's mouth. Rover panicked and began to grab for it on his mouth. Joe then grabbed an old chair that sat near and smacked it right on his head. The chair splintered out into a mess of different pieces and littered the area. Rover fell down unconscious. Joe just stood there panting with a leg of the chair still in his hand. "Damn" He cursed looking at a cut on his left arm. He must've got from the chair breaking in his hand. Blood slowly flowed out of the sleeve of his jacket. He then started searching for whatever he could find to at least cover it up. He picked up what seemed to be a red piece of cloth and immediately began to wipe at the wound. Strangely The cut on his arm had disappeared. There was nothing left but the blood that had bled out. "What the fuck?" He asked himself rubbing the area that once held the wound."That's new." The sounds of moaning quickly brought his mind back to the matter at hand. He dropped the bloody rag and turned towards Rover who seemed to be getting up. Joe quickly ran over and gave him a kick in the gut. "Not so funny when it's you isn't it?" Joe managed to say flipping him over. Rover was once again unconscious as He began to dig through his pockets. He quickly found a bag that was laced up and opened it. "Cha-Ching! Holy crap coins! Thanks Rover, you shouldn't have. "He thanked as he pocketed the bag. "What else do we have here? Bones, a stick, is this supposed to be a baseball?...Sick! A Dead bird!" He managed to completely empty out the pocket on his left. Now to the right side. He flipped him over once again and gems spilled out of it. They were all sorts of them blue ones, rubies, emeralds. They all went into Joe's pocket as well.

He found a lot of leaves, an acorn pipe and finally what He had come for. The keys were made from a mix of silver and gold embedded with little green gems. He couldn't keep his eyes off of them. But eventually, He remembered the plan and brought the key to the collar. The collar clicked and fell to the ground with a heavy thud. He couldn't help but rub his sneck from the relief. "Hey Rover. Thanks for the help man. Really appreciate it." said Joe said mockingly as he walked out. The tunnels were silent except for the sounds of shovels and hooves on stone. For some reason the dog guards were nowhere in sight. The path was nice and peaceful so, the tunnels didn't give any problems in trying to find the path back to his new friends. While on the way to R.R and Tombstone, the sounds of little girls screaming caught his attention and he began to run towards it. He turned a corner and saw an opening with a light shining out of it and the cackle of a dog. Joe watched as the dog opened up a cage and pick up a little filly that was crying. She was a shade of yellow and wore a pink bow.

"How do I turn you off? The noise hurts! Shut up! "He barked in pain. Then without any warning he slapped her and she fell limp. Someone yelled "Apple Bloom! Nooo! " That was it. That managed to piss joe off. As soon as he put her down on a wooden counter, Joe walked in.

In a bitter rage he grabbed him by the neck and looked him straight in the eyes and shouted. "What is wrong with you? How dare you smack a child let alone a little girl!" The other horse that sat in the other cage watched as Joe clenched his other fist and tighten the his grasp on the dog. She let out a small gasp as she saw a red aura engulf Joe's arm. "You're just a piece of crap!" Yelled Joe as his glowing fist plowed into the dogs face. The force of the punch sent him flying through the rows of cages. Joe quickly ran over to the little horse with the bow and picked her up. She was no bigger than a medium sized dog but dang was she heavy. She appeared to be unconscious and had a big bruise on her face. Joe placed her over his shoulder and opened the cage that held the other one. She remained silent as the door slowly swung wide open.

"Apple Bloom... Is she alright?..." said the little unicorn. "It hit her pretty hard."

"She's gonna live. He only knocked her out." Replied Joe. "Come on. We have to get out of here, my friends are waiting for me."

"Okay..." she said still in fear. "I wanna go home.."

"So do I." Replied Joe as they both exited the room as quickly as they could. Ahead were the lines of workers digging. The workers stopped and watched as they passed some tried to run towards Joe as others sat in fear. Their eyes were practically pleading for him to free them from their binds. He hated the idea of leaving them all behind so he had to give them some sort of way to cheer them up. "Don't worry we are coming to free you guys. I need to get my friends first so that everyone here can get out. Can you even understand what I am trying to say" he whispered. They all stood still for a moment then nodded their heads in agreement. "Okay then We will be here as soon as we-" The same brown pony that tried to get to him earlier approached him as he tried to finish speaking. He mumbled trying to speak but the muzzle he had on prevented him from doing so. He seemed to be trying to get him to remove it. Joe took a look at it but, he couldn't find any way of removing it. He gave off a disappointed grunt then began to draw on the dirt.

Joe looked at it but, it was too messy to read. "I... Am... The.. What? Doctor. Okay I will try to remember that When we get out of here." Said Joe sadly. the brown horse gave an angry grunt once more. "Sorry but, I really got to get over to my friends so yeah." Joe finished as he got back up and began to walk away from it again. The workers seemed to be more relaxed and the pony that tried to get attention kept jumping trying to get away. Joe could've freed them now but, he didn't want the risk having the guards seeing him or any free workers. His eyes scanned the walls if there were any sign of his friends . only to find workers watching and gasping as they kept going until, finally he found them. Joe put down the little filly and immediately walked over to R.R.

"R.R eh? Rex! Mind explaining to me why you didn't tell me anything about you being a king? " Joe asked almost lifting him off the floor.

"Wait He's the king?"Shouted Tombstone. "Oh and please tell me you got those danged keys."

Joe and Rex both shushed him at the same time. "Shut up."

"Hey just asking. This collar's giving me a rash." he said before he sat back down. Joe and Rex began to talk as the little unicorn just sat there watching them and her friend on the floor. She seemed to have her mind focused on something other than the situation at hand. But, she did seem to be listening.

"So you are the King right? Not that bug thingy I met in there. "Joe asked once more.

"Yes I am. I apologize for not telling you earlier. I needed to ensure you could trust Me." said the true king. "They will pay dearly for their crimes... Once we find them they will suffer."

"Okay man we get it, here's the key. "Joe intervened as he handed him the ring of keys.

His collar came off with a thud as he popped his neck. "This is just what I've been waiting for." he said as he began to stretch his arms and back.

Rex then threw the keys over to Tombstone. "Ahem no thumbs." He complained. Joe walked over and picked them up to free him. "That's better!" he said after his collar fell.

"Where are the guards? Joe asked looking around the corner. "I didn't see any of them on my way over here."

"They sort of all just ran out or something barking and howling. But I did see that little runt Spot run the other way. Probably to hide. "Answered Tombstone.

"Then this is the perfect time to get everyone out of here." Rex said smiling. "I will go and get the stuff. You and Tombstone need to get that map we need to find our way out of here."

"Yeah gotcha!" Joe complied as he ran down the tunnel he came through earlier. He walked over to the nearest room and laid the little pony with a bow on the ground. "Hey little pony. Can you hide in here until either me or my friend come back?"

" I guess... And the name is Sweetie Belle..." she responded. "This is Apple Bloom." she finished pointing to her friend.

"Well hey there. My names Joe. Okay. Are you okay?" Questioned Joe.

"Hey are we going or not?I" Shouted the impatient Tombstone.

"Yeah give me a second! "Joe shouted back. "Okay then if one of those dogs comes back, make sure to call for help ok. "Joe finished as he ran out back to meet Tombstone.

"Took ya long enough come on let's go!" he said as Joe ran along with him to go find the map and Spot.

Back at the forest (A Few Hours Earlier)

It was nearly night. The girls trotted as fast as they could until Twilight suddenly stopped them in the clearing by the path. "Girls! We're not alone..." she said with her horn glowing. The sound of wind and beating wings came from the left of the group." Get ready girls. Whatever it is it's gotta be bi-" she was interrupted by a voice that was very familiar to her. Followed by a rainbow Pegasus landing.

"TWILEY! There you are! "Shouted a very happy Shining Armor.

"BBBFF?" shouted the surprised unicorn" Princess? What are you doing here?"

"We came as soon as we got that letter from Spike. Did you locate where they could have taken the girls" asked Celestia as she stepped off her chariot. "I am truly sorry for not assisting in this sooner than we should have. The counsel had been persuading us to work even during this time of season." She walked over to Applejack and Rarity that still seemed to be in stress over the disappearance of their sisters. "Girls do not fret. We will find the missing ponies and your sisters. Just keep your faith alive and hope going."

"I thank you dearly, your majesty. It's so mighty kind of you to be helping out with this. "Said Applejack trying not to sound miserable.

"I agree, this is a grand act your majesty. It's just that we need to move now I just can't stand the idea of anypony getting hurt especially my Sweetie Belle." Said Rarity getting up.

"You're right girls. The citizens of Equestria are depending on us to rid them of any threat." replied Celestia backing away. "Captain... Have your troops search the forest and make sure they listen to the elements orders."

"Yes your majesty. "Replied The Captain of the guard. "Where do you want us to go Twiley?"

"Well... We're pretty much right next to it already so, I suggest searching around here." Twilight said. "This is the last place Scootaloo saw them."

"I understand. Alright gentlecolts, we have our location. Search the whole forest for whatever is out of check. Alert me or any of the Elements of Harmony understand?"

"Sir Yes sir!" Shouted the troops in unison. They all then spread out in every direction. Leaving the princess, The Captain, and the rest of the crew sitting there.

"Princess let me fill you and Shining on what exactly is going on." she said as they walked towards the path.

The rest of the Elements sat there talking. "Aww cheer up you two. We will find them and we'll have a big party to make it all better." said Pinkie trying to make things less depressing.

"Yeah the Princess is helping us so no probs right? "Said Rainbow Dash trotting over to her friends. "She said so herself remember?"

"Yeah we heard her but, I can't stop worrying about Sweetie Belle. She's out there probably covered in filth and hurt." said Rarity getting up. "So if you don't mind. Let's find them!"

"I agree with ya there friend. I'm not gonna sit here and grow sour roots. I want my sister! "Applejack said also standing up. "Rarity let's use that trick of yours again lets see what we have around here."

"Let's see then shall we" rarity Replied. A blue aura surrounded her horn as she began to scan the ground for anything. She trotted along the path until she spotted something peculiar "What is this? Those stones? Girls! I think I found something!

Upon saying this Twilight and the others came trotting over to see what it could be. "What is it Rarity did you find anything?" asked her friend.

"I picked up those strange gems that Applejack found. "She answered.

"Hmm...Let's follow it. Those gems could give us a lead and I have a feeling that these stones have more than meets the eye."

Twilight replied. "Princess, Shining can you give me a hand? The three of them gathered next to Rarity. "Okay we're going to need to spread this spell as far as we can. We have to combine our magic to create an illumination spell that will give us enough light to see where we're going." she said as she made her horn glow in a purple aura. She fired off a ball of light about the size of a basketball into the air. Followed by Shining with a ball the size of a boulder. Celestia then used her magic to merge the two orbs of light together. The snow around it began to melt. Heat emanating from the orb began to get too strong. Celestia then lifted the now giant orb into the middle of the sky and left it there. It's light was so bright that it partially made it appear as if it were day.

"That's just what we needed." said Rainbow Dash as she flew into the air.

"Okay Let's- ...shush..." said a Shining Armor. "I hear footsteps coming this way." He led them into the covers of the forest brush. Out of the forest came the sound of snow being stepped on. They slowly walked out into the light and revealed their dog faces.

"Diamond dogs! I knew that smell was familiar." said Rarity as she tried to contain her voice.

"Diamond dogs? But aren't they under treaty your majesty" said Shining in a concerned voice.

"This is indeed a violation. They have no authority here nor with our people. Whoever is in charge of this will be held accountable." Said Celestia in reply.

"Applejack wait!" Shouted Twilight as Applejack bolted out of hiding.

"We have to help her!" shouted Twilight as she bolted for her friend.

"Y'all messed with the wrong family! Ya danged dirty mutts!" shouted Applejack as she quickly approached them.

"Huh? "said one of them before getting his faced bucked. It fell backwards unconscious as its comrades stood and watched in confusion. One of them barked as they put all of their focus on the assailant. Applejack quickly bucked at another that was standing until, out of nowhere a rope wrapped around her fore hoof. Then a dog holding the rope pulled on it knocking her down letting a group of dogs surround her.

"No you don't! shouted Twilight as she shot a bolt of magic at the ugly mutt. "Shining now!"

Shining shot a barrage of huge bolts of magic out of his horn blasting away the Diamond dogs that surrounded his sister's friend.

"I'm sorry fellas. I couldn't control myself." Said Applejack as she removed the ropes.

"It's okay. At least we know who kidnapped them. Now all we have to do is find-"said Twilight as she was interrupted by the sound of some sort of horn. A diamond dog that was still conscious was blowing on a horn but was quickly knocked out by Shining.

"They're calling for back up. I suppose we ought to call our troops as well." with that Shining Fired a purple flair of magic out of his horn.

"We have no time that one's getting away." shouted Rarity.

"Quick let's follow it." Yelled Pinkie trotting after it.

"Wait Pinkie that's a horrible-... Wait that's a good Idea! Pinkie wait for us!" Twilight shouted.

Celestia took to the air and began to fly in the direction of the running dog.

"What is she doing isn't she gonna wait for back up?" asked Shining wondering what to do.

Twilight and the rest of the girls didn't want to wait either so they rushed as well after the escapee while Shining Armor stood waiting for his men to arrive. The Mane six and the Princess followed the dog till they reached an opening full of other Diamond dogs at the entrance of a small cave. "This is it girls we've found em. Said Applejack as she tried to catch her breath.

"Wow there must be at least forty of them out there. Do ya think they got any candy?" asked Pinkie.

"There are precisely Fifty-seven of them out there and no Pinkie I don't think they have any candy. That must be where they are keeping everypony" she said pointing at the Cave entrance. The dogs all stood at the ready looking where the one that escape was pointing. Celestia flew above the cave and illuminated the area above the cave. Sounds of wings flapping and hooves hitting the ground approached from behind them.

It was Shining and the rest of the troops ."Alright boys let's get em" He shouted passing the girls. "Try to not let any of them escape." He charged in and began firing at the enemy. Even the Princess got into the scrap she began firing bolts of magic that began to wrap around a few of the enemies that couldn't get away.

"I Know this may seem rash but, Let's get in there too girls!" Shouted Rarity the she galloped into the battle zone.

"Applejack we need to go and get everypony out of that cave. While the boys are distracting them. Pinkie can you and Rainbow help out Rarity and Shining.

"Yeah sure ! Don't worry we got this" replied pinkie as she took out a bag labeled pranks. "And after this we can all go home right? It's almost bedtime and Gummy hasn't had his bath yet."

"Yes sure we all have to go home any way. "Said Twilight.

"Then what in the hay are we waiting for let's go save them!" Shouted Applejack. Then she galloped in with Twilight by her side while Rainbow took to the air to find Rarity. Pinkie trotted in as well but not before she shot confetti into the air.

Back at the cave (later)

The tunnels began to come alive as they freed everybody they saw along the way to Spot. They didn't want them to follow Them so Joe told them to go to the same three way that they had been digging earlier. Tombstone appeared to be very ecstatic and enjoying all the action. "Wow this is the most fun I've had in years. Those guys over in Canterlot weren't kidding when they said this place was fun." Shouted Tombstone as he used the keys he held with his teeth to unlock a Diamond dog youth.

"Yeah I guess this is a bit funner than home isn't it?" Replied Joe. "Hey check that door out!" A door with the name spot stood at the end of the tunnel.

"Do you suppose that where he's hiding at? "Asked Tombstone.

"You seriously don't see that big sign there that clearly says Spot?" Joe asked trying not to laugh.

"Oh yeah right! I see that He's in there alright." he replied. "You go down that way and free everyone there and I will handle This guy"

He trotted over to the door and walked inside. The moment he step in it sounded as if all hell broke loose. "Come here motherbucker! Where do you think you're going" he shouted in a loud voice.

Joe walked down the path on the left to see if anything was indeed in need of freeing. There appeared to be only single cell sitting at the end of this path. Something was sitting inside of it and it was big! "Hey you there friend Can you help me out?" It asked in a voice that sounded like a burly German man."I will be forever in your debt."

"Alright but, if I do you better not try to go and eat me " answered Joe trying to figure out which key to use.

"Do not worry friend I am not that kind of dog." he replied. Joe unlocked the cell door and opened it up to reveal a massive German Shepard dog man.

"Thank you friend the name is Sergei. May I ask what Is yours?" He asked as he began popping all of his bones in one big stretch. He literally towered above Joe. He had to be about friggin Seven feet tall!

"The name is Joe nice to meet you. Hey uh.. Do you happen to know the way out?" Joe asked looking up.

"Ha! Are you joking? I know these caves like the back of my paw. My Pappy was the dog who dug these caves when I was no more than a little pup." he replied

"Well okay then Sergei. We have a few people waiting at the three way over there can you show them the way out and get to safety." Asked Joe.

"Oh yes we can! And those little traitors will pay for locking me up." He answered before charging off like a train.

"Okay this place is weirder than I thought" Joe thought to himself. "Well Tombstone ought to be done better check him out."

At the entrance to the cave

Twilight and Applejack began to run in but were met by a stampede of pony and diamond dogs. "Run! Run! Run!" Shouted Twilight as they barely made it out. The mob of angry prisoners joined the fray as a giant dog attacked the dogs in the armor.

"Ah! ha-ha! How do you like being at the receiving end of a fist huh? Taste good doesn't it?" it shouted landing punches on a whole bunch of other dogs "This is what you get for trying to lock away Sergei!"

Twilight was awestruck at the sight. "Somepony beat us to them. How?" she asked herself. "Applejack did you see that?" as she turned to her friend. But, Applejack was not there to answer that question. From within the cave Twilight managed to hear her friend shouting Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom's names. "*sigh* Wait up Applejack!" shouted Twilight as she ran in herself.

Applejack turned a corner and then heard a voice answer her. "Applejack is that you! We're over here!" Sweetie Belle cried out.

"Girls? Sweetie Belle! There you are!" said Applejack as she picked her up to give her a hug. "Where is Apple Bloom? Is she with you" She gasped upon seeing her little sister laying on the floor. "OH sugar cube! What happened" she shouted picked her up to examine her. She began to tear up upon seeing the bruise on Apple blooms face.

"That thing that saved us said that she was going to be okay. She's just knocked out." replied Sweetie Bell. "But, he got the dog that hit her."

"That's a relief I was about to buck the mutt that did this till he done kicks the bucket." answered Applejack. "We gotta find the person responsible for this mess though."

"Applejack where are you!" yelled a very panicked Twilight.

"Over here! I found them they're safe but, Apple Blooms been hurt! "Replied Applejack. "Over here!"

Twilight turned the corner and walked into the room that Applejack was in."How is she? Let me check." Said Twilight approaching her friends. She made the tip of her horn glow and ran an aura over Apple Bloom. "She's only been knocked out and she has a minor bruise on her face. All in all she is fine. Are you ready to get out of here?"

"Sure am" replied Applejack as she placed her sister on her back. "How bout you Sweetie?"

"I guess... But, what about that thing. The one that rescued me and that weird pony?" replied Sweetie Bell. "We just can't leave them."

"They probably can handle it themselves. For now we have to get you guys out now" Said Twilight surrounding them in her aura. "They probably finished up above by now. She then Teleported themselves out of there and to where her brother and the others were fighting.

In another part of the Tunnel

Joe walked back towards the door and saw that it had become more quiet. He knocked to see if there was anybody still in there but what He saw will most likely be burned into his memory forever. "Help me! Yelled Tombstone who was being ridden by Spot. "Get him off! What are you just standing there for come on!"

Joe walked over and grabbed Spot by the vest. "Okay I'd you don't want to end up looking like a brown Dalmatian. I'd suggest giving us the map."

"Don't hurt me! I didn't mean doing all that bad stuff. Promise!" The little dog explained with his tail between his legs. "The map is over there." The map sat there open on the smallest table at the end of the room.

"Got it" said Tombstone as he trotted over and picked it up.

"Okay that's a check for item two. So that leaves Rex with the surprise." Said Joe as he cleaned his glasses. "Spot stay! And keep still." Spot grunted and sat on the floor. "Holy crap that actually works!" Joe yelled in surprise as they walked out the door.

"Ahh!" someone shouted. Joe turned and watched as Spot hit Tombstone in the back of his head with a piece of wood. Tombstone's body fell limply with a thump.

"Tombstone? Why you little son of a bitch!" Joe yelled angrily. Spot quickly got up and charged at Joe with his little stick.

"And Boom!" shouted Joe as He kicked Spot like a soccer ball. He whimpered as he conveniently flew into an unused fire place. "Goal!" Joe then ran over to where Tombstone laid and gave him a few taps.

"Hey! Buddy are ya alright? Hey buddy! "Joe ask trying to wake him."Fuck! he's out cold." He lifted him up and threw him over his shoulder. "OH my God! You're just as heavy as friggin Rick! Damn!"mJoe walked out with his unconscious friend on his shoulders and walked back to the three ways to see Rex standing there with a big wooden box.

"Took you long enough. What happened To him? Was the runt was too much for him? "Asked Rex with a laugh. "Is everyone else out by the way"

Joe put down his friend and took out the map and saw that we were pretty close to an exit "Over here."

Rex picked up their friend and Joe picked up the box. "Hey what is this stuff?... It looks like... Dynamite!? He asked holding up the red stick. "You're planning to blow this whole place up aren't ya? Good riddance this place sucks." Up ahead they managed to see a bright object in the distance. "Hey look there's light up ahead!"

Rex turned to him. "Okay this is far enough. We need to stop the enemy from misusing this land for you see, this is actually the land of our neighbors, The people of Equestria. This scheme that that demon and Agnis devised must have something to do with the people here. I need to stop them before-" Green flames shot up around us as a big familiar bug rose from out of the ground.

"You! You are the cause of this! You pitiful excuse of a life form! You've costed us the whole operation!" shouted the now angry Changeling General. Using his powers to blow both Tombstone and Rex out of the ring.

"Joe! Wait I will find a way to get you out of there!" shouted Rex.

"No need! Leave it to me! " replied Joe as he dropped the box." You get tombstone out. I'll light the fireworks!"

"Foolish choice little one." said Culex firing off another wave of air at them.

Joe stood his ground and took it but Rex was overwhelmed and got shot straight out of the cave. "Is that all you've got? Joe returned looking him in the face.

"You are truly a fool. Nothing but a weakling." hissed Culex.

"Sure keep running your mouth. I've got nothing to lose. And I still think your nothing stink bug." As Joe kicked dirt at his face pissing him off.

"You will pay for your insolence. Fool!" He shouted as he fired green balls of flames towards him. "Burn!"

Joe bolted to the left just as a ball of fire nearly hit him. Culex kept firing until he had set the walls on fire as well. The side of Joes leg caught fire. He couldn't help but drop to the ground and try to put it out. Culex found this as an opportunity to laugh at how pathetic Joe looked on the ground.

"You see no matter what you do you can't even get to me. What do you think you could possibly do to me?" then he kicked Joe closer to the flames that circled them. Culex then walked up and placed his foreleg on his chest and put his face right in front of Joe's face. "Maybe instead of giving you to the Queen. Maybe I should just rid this world of you now. Ha! Ha! Ha!"

Joe turned his face to meet his big blue eyes staring at him. "Shut up!" Then he threw a punch at him and landed it on his face. He staggered back and put his hoof to his face.

"You little fool! My face!" He growled in pain and the flames dropped. Joe found this as an opportunity to light the dynamite and run for it. So, He kicked the box of the stuff towards him and dashed for the exit.

Outside (During the fight.)

Rex ran through the enemy dogs as he carried Tombstone. He quickly found his way to the area where Shining had a shield up for the wounded and placed down his friend. Then he ran into the battle to try to get back to the cave but, was stopped short due to other dogs that surrounded him.

Suddenly, a voice rang out through the entire area. "This ends now!" Celestia had her horn glow to a glow that rivaled the shine of the sun. She then fired a beam of light into the sky and then it changed into a bunch of rings made of light that seemed to be alive. The rings scouted the area and wrapped around the enemy dogs. They all were bound by the rings and fell over. The fighting was over and the prisoners were free. The royal guards rejoiced that they had won the battle and that their mission was a success. Twilight and the rest of the girls rejoined at the entrance to the cave which was littered with confetti.

"Oh Sweetie Belle... I was so worried. Look at you your mane is a complete mess and...I thought you were gone!" cried Rarity as she hugged her little sister.

"This was why everypony was disappearing. The Diamond dogs were kidnapping anypony they saw and forced them to work for them. But, still how did they manage to get free?..." Twilight said as she rubbed her head. "There still is so much to be answered we will need to go over this with the Princess."

"Maybe somepony was trying to make a new clubhouse." shouted Pinkie Pie as she played with a pile of party favors.

"I don't know... I have to agree with The egghead. Something not right about this." said Rainbow with a worried expression.

Celestia on the other hand was busy dealing with the matter of the prisoners. Both pony and Diamond dog stood separated as Shining and his men had them surrounded. Celestial removed the additional binds that were limiting the ponies of their abilities while the Diamond dogs had been interrogated by a few members of the royal guard.

"Is this all you know?" a guard asked.

Everything seemed in check until Rex finally popped out and approached the guard in charge. "I need to speak to your superior. I know what's going on." The guard let him by as he walked over to where Shining was standing. "Hey you there I have vital information regarding the entire operation. But first we need to save my friend. He is still in there" said Rex walking up to Shining.

Back to the girls

While everyone was busy Applejack was attempting to wake up her sister. "Come on sugar cube. You gotta wake up. Come on there ya go..." She said as Apple Bloom slowly began to open her eyes.

"Big sis?" Replied the little pony." oh big sis it was horrible! "there was a-" A giant explosion Shook everyone took everyone by surprise as the cave collapsed. Green flames flew out along with regular orange flames. At the entrance of the cave laid a motionless figure. Every one of them watched as it slowly stood up with its burning clothing. Its body seemed to glow red as it tried to keep itself up. "It's the monster shouted Apple Bloom. As she tried to run in terror.

Applejack immediately got up and began to gallop toward the creature. "You're not gonna hurt my sister again ya big ugly coot! She quickly reached the beast and gave it a buck to the chest that had enough power to throw it Four feet away from where it was standing. The beast fell and did not move as its hood was put out the moment it hit the ground.

"Applejack! What do you think you're doing? It's the thing that saved us!" yelled Sweetie Belle. "Why are you hurting it?"

Suddenly, a ball of green flames suddenly appeared at the entrance of the cave and a now a battle damaged Culex appeared. "Now! I will finish you now! "He shouted began to charge up his horn for a finishing blow. "You have humiliated me for the last time now it will be-" A beam of Yellow light knocked him off of the creature and sent him flying to the wall.

"Be gone you parasite!" shouted Celestial as her horn glowed. "Leave now or face the consequences! I give you one final chance to leave now!"

"I see then... I apologize your majesty... I shall take my men and leave your land. I will take him as well..." Culex hissed pulling himself off the wall he hit.

"No you will not! Shouted Rex as he came out of the troops followed by Shining Armor and Sergei. "You plan to feed him to your Queen! I will not stand by and let you take him."

"Fine! Have him then!" Culex roared He then spread his green flames around himself and the pile of his Diamond dog soldiers and vanished. Rex then walked over to Celestia and bowed.

"Your highness I am the true king of the Diamond dogs. I Rex of the Remington bloodline I am grateful for your apparent aid. We aren't your enemies, I only wish to save my people." Rex explained.

"He tells the truth your highness. He told me everything." Shining said trying to prove Rex's story. "That Changeling was a General, he was aided by a traitor to the throne and was used to manipulate Rex's appearance."

Celestia paused to take In all that she had heard."I think it would be more justified if we heard your story at the castle wouldn't you agree?" She managed to say as she turned back towards her men.

"That's fine and happy but what of the wee lad here? He's out like a candle. "Said Sergei.

"He will be treated at the castle. As for now we will all travel to the castle." Replied Celestia.

"Princess!" shouted a voice in the crowd. Twilight was able to push her way through followed by the four of her friends. "Princess what. What is that thing?"

"We will determine what he exactly is at a later time. For now, why don't you help these people back to town. I am sure there are ponies waiting for their safe returns. We can't let them wait. Can we?" replied Celestia

"But... What about the creature. What if it's dangerous? "asked Twilight.

"That will be taken care of. You mustn't worry with this matter until it is needed. For now you must help those that need your help."Said Celestia pointing at the crowd. "For now we will be taking these Diamond dogs to Canterlot to find out their story."

"Well if you insist Princess..." Replied Twilight. "I'll get them home." Then she and the girls steadily walked over to the group of freed ponies. "Are any of you seriously injured?"

A female pink Pegasus was the only to answer "We all are pretty much okay... Except for this one " pointing to a knocked out Tombstone.

"If anypony can't walk. Can some other pony be able to use those carts by the entrance to help bring them back to Ponyville?" Twilight asked aloud. The whole group agreed to the idea and began to gather up the injured including Tombstone. Who unfortunately was unable to be awake at the moment.

"Twilight! We will be going to the castle now." shouted Shining as he gathered his men.

"Shining... I need to ask you of an important task. I need you to escort Rex's people to the train station and to Canterlot as quick as possible. We can't have any civilians panic at their sight. "asked Celestia. "I will be going to Canterlot to discuss the truth. There has to be a reasonable explanation for a changeling to be here. Rex is the only one here who would know anything about their plans."

"I understand your majesty. We will be there as soon as we can." He replied.

"Sir Rex please come with me now. We are to depart to Canterlot now." Said Celestia.

"Yes Your majesty." Replied Rex walking over. Celestia Spread her Aura amongst herself, Rex and the unconscious Joe and were teleported away. The ball of light that Twilight and Shining had created slowly began to fade as the night took over.

Chapter 5: What?

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Chapter 5: What?

"What?... What's happening...Where am I?..." Joe asked himself lying on the floor. His mind was spinning from the pain he felt all over his body. The only things that were going through his head were the images of fire and a big bright ball of light. He finally opened his eyes when he heard the sound of a door open. He groggily tried to sit up but the pain in his ribs was stopping him from doing so. The room he sat in was nothing more than a jail cell that was littered with graffiti on the walls a single bench and a basket of fruits that sat away from him. "Where am I. Is this another cage? Great..." He thought to himself. Slowly he crawled his way over to the fruits and grabbed an apple. He took a bite out of it and opened his eyes wide.

"Holy crap that is sweet!"He said after swallowing a mouthful. He then proceeded to eat every bit of fruit that sat in it except a single pear. Slowly he managed to stand up using the little bench as a support and walked himself over to the cell bars. "Hello?... Is anybody there?" There was no reply just silence and the sunlight coming in through the cell windows. He walked over to one and looked out to see that he was pretty high up and that he could see everything from a forest, a small town, a rail road and even a river that led to a lake.

Outside was still a bit frosty but, from what he could see were little Pegasi flying through the air kicking clouds out of the sky above the town far below. There were also other little ponies on the ground clearing away the snow. It looked like they were literally cleaning up winter. "How the Frick?... I need to ask Rex about this... Wait a minute..." He said to himself as he walked over to the bars and yelled for Rex to see if he was still around. "Hey Rex! Tombstone! Anybody here?" There was still no response just silence. He quickly began to get impatient and started to search around his cell trying to spot any possible way to get out. He soon became frustrated as he tried in vain to open the cell door. Ready to give up, something caught his eyes. A letter sat near the end of the cell bars. He walked over and picked it up. His name was written on it so, he opened it. Inside was a letter that was Written by Rex.

"I am sorry about yesterday my friend. I am very thankful for your help because without you we wouldn't have been able to immediately escape." Joe looked up from the letter at the little window. "By the time you read this we will be miles away. I need to find the rest of my people it is very vital that We leave early. Sergei will be accompanying us as we journey back to our homeland. It was he who insisted that he should come. But, he apologizes about not keeping his word to help you. He says that he has something to take care of. It's most likely finding his family. Tombstone apparently seems to have gone with the Equestrians that were with us. The last I saw of him was when we escaped the tunnels. I left him with the royal troops tending the wounded. More or less he is in Ponyville and Canterlot. So, I have to say this is where we part ways for now. I have left you in care of a good friend of mine she may be able to help you with your problem of getting home. If anybody here knows a way it is her. Your friend Rex." Joe stuffed the letter into its envelope and placed it near the window then he went over to the bench and laid down.

"*Yawn* I can't... I don't even... What the fuck?..." He sat there with his hands to his head trying to calm his mind. The day had just begun and he was already in another cage. Joe looked up from his seat and saw that the cell wasn't completely sealed. There were no bars at the top of the cell door. He could easily climb his way out. "Hmm... Forget this I'm not staying in here." He dragged the bench over to the cell door and stood on top of it. Then he jumped up to the opening in the cell. He managed to grab on to the opening and used the bars to support him. He climbed up to the opening and squeezed his way out of it. But, unfortunately as he jumped down a leg of his pants got stuck on one of the bars. "Oh come on!" He yelled as he tried to pull himself up but couldn't on his own. So, he reached over to the bars and used it to climb his way up. "Gotcha!" He tugged at the pant leg with both hands until it came loose but he failed to ensure that he was secured to the cell so he fell off. The moment his body hit the floor he yelled in pain. He grabbed at his chest for the area that was in pain. He laid there for a short length of time until the pain had subsided. "Oww..."

He began to breathe in large amounts of air to try to relax his body and ease the pain. It succeeded in reducing the pain but, in turn made his chest a bit sorer with every breath he took. Slowly getting up he began to take in the sight of the room. It was big and white. At the end of the row of cells was a little wooden desk that a guard should have been sitting. Strange thing was there was no guard or anyone watching him. He looked around a little bit more only to find a door. He turned the knob and walked out of the room into a huge white hall that was decorated with pictures of ponies and a few decorative glass windows. Walking down the hall he passed a few rooms that had had titles above the entrances. There was a library, storage room, war room, museum, and even a bathroom. He knocked on the door to see if anybody was in there and walked in. Inside of the bathroom, it looked like the ones that you would see at a fancy hotel. The only weird looking thing about the bathroom was the size of the stalls. They were big and when I mean big they were big enough to fit a horse. ( No pun intended.)

"Good God almighty.! That's what I needed." He walked in and pretty much used the bathroom just as anybody would. After he was done he stepped over to the sink and washed his hands and face. Then he proceeded to exit the room. The halls were quiet nothing stirred but the sounds of the ponies outside. Towards the end of the hall he saw stairs. He quickly rushed over and descended to a lower floor. But when he got there a pony that had just walked in screamed. It was a sorta tall white unicorn with a pink and white mane.

"Guards! She yelled at his sight. There is a monster in the castle! Help!" Joe panicked and ran around her toward the rest of the hall. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he shouted as he brushed into a mess of other little horses. They gasped and screamed as he ran by. Those of them that were brave enough to try to stop him were unicorns they fired beams of light at him probably trying to stop him. He turned a corner and saw a gigantic door that was slightly opened and ran into it. He lightly closed the door and leaned against it. The group of horses that were pursuing him passed the door and continued down the hall. Joe had his eyes closed and his back against the door. he held his hand to his chest trying to calm his heart and ease the pain of his ribs. He gave one final sigh and opened his eyes. He was standing in a grand bedroom with a large bed and a balcony. He walked away from the door until a female voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Hello is anypony there?" asked a dark Catalina blue alicorn coming in from the balcony. She gasped at his sight as well.

Joe quickly ran out yelling "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" The pony sat there dumbfounded at what she saw. She quickly galloped to her balcony and flew out to the one on the other side of hers. "Tia! That strange creature you brought is running rampant around the castle! We must subdue it." said Luna as she approached her sister.

"Strange? That strange creature you speak of has a name. Rex did say he was mischievous. Have the guards take him in to custody I think it's time for him to answer a few questions." Replied Celestia.

"Tia I don't think I like this? Rex did say that he has to be strong if he managed to hold his ground against a Changeling let alone manage to actual break ones shell. "Asked Luna.

"That is true... Have the guards bring him in. "replied her sister.

At another part of the castle.

Joe Ran as quickly as he could dodging past everything in his way. He nearly bashed into a pony carrying a box full of scrolls and caused it to spill its load all over the place. "How big is this place?" he yelled zipping past a corridor filled with guards. "Aww! Come on!"

"There he is get him! Yelled a guard Unicorn as he pointed in Joe's direction. Several of the guards flew while the rest either shot at him with rings of magic. The regular ponies ran the quickest and were the biggest out of the group. They wasted no time catching up to Joe.

"Crap!" He said as he turned the corner. The problem with the regular ponies being big and everything was their momentum. The group of regular ponies then careened into the wall at the end of the hall causing several of the Pegasi to stop. The unicorns on the other hand did not do the same.

"Cease and desist by the name of Equestrian law!" yelled a rather large unicorn guard as one of his rings latched itself onto Joe "got him!" shouted another unicorn stopping and pulling at the strand of magic attached to the ring. Soon after, Pegasus began to fly down toward the unicorns to assist in the capture. With Joe finally pinned the rest of the unicorns were able to attach rings to both sides of Joe's arms and began to pull.

Joe began to feel the seriousness of the moment and pulled as well. Amazingly, he managed to pull harder giving the guards completely flabbergasted expressions at the sight of this feat. A single creature able to withstand the strength of both the Unicorns and the Pegasi forces. Joe felt his strength quickly draining and felt as though it was time to run due to the fact that the rather large regular ponies were quickly making their way towards him. "GET OFF ME!" he shouted loudly. Both of his arms slowly began to glow as he pulled them in closer. Many of the guards began to gasp at this sight and pulled even harder forcing Joe to fall on one knee. "LET GO OF ME... NOW!" he shouted angrily as all the rings on his arms shattered pulling his pursuers inwards. The pursuers then fell flat on their faces but, slowly began to get back up. Joe got up and ran thought the hall until he found another staircase that seemed to lead all the way to the bottom floor. The only ponies that were able to catch up to him were the regular ones that were able to make it to the stairs as he quickly descended down them. "What the hell is happening?" shouted Joe as he finally reached the bottom floor. The exit to the castle laid no more than twenty feet away. He was nearly home free all he had to do was make it through those doors. "Yes! I'm almost there. I can finally get the Frick out of here and-" he yelled crashing into a wall of pinkish energy. "Ow! What the heck is this?"

He placed his hand on the wall of energy trying to figure out exactly what it was. Suddenly the rest of the wall began to wrap around him turning into a small dome. "Aww! Crap! Crap! Crap!" was all Joe could say as a white unicorn walked towards him it wore armor but it wasn't quite the same as the rest of the guards Joe had seen earlier.

"You there! What is the meaning of this? What is your reason for causing this commotion. "Asked the Stallion. "I Shining armor the captain of the guard demand that you Explain yourself at once." Joe put his hand to his ear trying to understand just what Shining was saying. "What? I can't hear you! "he replied behind the shield

A single Pegasus guard approached the captain and tapped him on the shoulder with his hoof. "Sir I think he can't hear you. Your shield is Too thick. Shouldn't you drop it? "he asked.

"That won't be possible. This shield is too strong to be dispelled right now. He's stuck in there until the shield wears down. "replied Shining as he began to pace. "This is gonna take forever..." The rest of the guards that were inside the castle began to file out and surround the shield. Joe stood there waiting for the ponies next move. He began to worry that he was gonna end up digging in the mines again.

"Hello? Uhh... What's going on? *sigh* forget this!" he said to himself. He stood up and walked towards the wall of the shield to knock a few times.

The Pegasus that spoke to Shining earlier noticed him knocking. "Sir I think he's gonna try something... I think he wants out."

"He's just going to end up hurting himself. That shield is pretty much impenetrable." Replied the captain. "Just let him tire himself out"

Joe quickly lost his patience and began to punch and kick at the walls trying to get out. "Dang it!" what the hell is this made of?" he said to himself. The ponies on the outside of the dome seemed to be enjoying his attempts to free himself. "Okay then be like that." Joe said to himself as he got back into a fighting stance. His right hand began to glow as he pulled his fist back. He threw a straight jab at the wall shattering it in an instant.

Shining turned around to see what had made that noise. "What no! That's impossible! How did you do that?" Shining asked.

"I don't know and I don't really care. All I want to know is who Runs this place." Joe asked panting. "I need to find this person that my friend mentioned..."

"Boys contain him now! Shouted Shining as he and The Unicorn troops fired a massive amount of rings at him. Covering him all over. Joe was too tired he had used up what ever strength he had left just destroying the shield.

"Quickly take him to the Princess she may know what to do about him. I will be there shortly."

"Sir yes sir!" shouted a blue unicorn troop as he spread his magic to levitated Joe.

"Whoa! What the frick are You doing?" Joe shouted under the rings.

"He speaks! You have the right to remain silence until... How did it go again Sir? Asked the Unicorn.

"I think that only applies to convicts dude. "Joe replied floating behind the young soldier. He led them into a big doorway.

"Oh we'll then here we are. The throne room." Said the guard opening the door. The guard used his magic to open the door and led Joe into a large room decorated with an assortment of different statues and banners displaying suns and moons. At the very back of the room sat what seemed to be seats that have been decorated in an elegant manner. The Unicorn walked as Joe floated in the blue aura. The two of them made it to the grand seats as two guards came out of the side doors and then sat themselves at the front of the throne room keeping eyes focused on the two in the room. Moments later, two magnificent and taller looking horses stepped in. One with a coat and mane as dark as the midnight sky and the other's as bright as day with a mane that looked like a fading rainbow. Along with them came the same pink and white maned pony that Joe had seen earlier.

"You may put him down. We have many things to discuss with him. You may leave us now soldier. We appreciate you and the others help in containing this matter so far." said Celestia giving a short nod of her head.

"You're welcome your highness. Anything for you.". He said bowing back to the throne.

"Yes job well done. But isn't that a bit too much for this creature? You have covered in so many binds" asked Luna eyeing the floating human.

"Uhhh... Well, we did that because he... Somehow broke our rings earlier. So, the captain ordered is to use more power." The blue soldier replied.

"Do not fret little one. We understand from what Rex had said this one is somewhat a powerful individual." replied Celestia stepping forward.

"That's not all. Wait till the Captain gets here." replied the blue unicorn.

"Wait for what Blue Hoof?" said Shining entering through the door." I apologize for being late your majesties. I had to ensure my troops were alright after having to deal with him." pointing his hoof at Joe.

"It's not my fault. I swear! I was just looking for a friend." Joe replied back. "Rex said that some one here could help me. I need to find him...or her...or whatever the dang letter said."

"You can stop your search. I am pretty sure the one he spoke of was I. I am the friend you seek. My name is Celestia and this is my sister Luna." said Celestia as she looked towards him. "You are quite an extraordinary creature and from what Rex had explained. Your name is Joe am I correct? Also Rex told us that you are a...Hoo-man."

"Yeah that's pretty much it." Replied Joe.

"I'm afraid we may not be able to help you..." Said Luna

"What? Why not?" Shouted Joe wiggling around in the cocoon of rings and light.

"We cannot trust you... Yet. We need information. "Replied Celestia levitating a scroll from the throne. "There have been these weird events happening. You coincidently showing up during the Diamond dogs dilemma is highly suspicious. You were kidnapped, caused a riot and escaped, and you almost single handedly defeated a Changeling. All In a matter of a few days according to Rex. This is quite a list of achievements." she said magically rolling it up and putting it on the throne. "Sir Armor could you kindly remove these restraints so that our visitor can explain himself."

"Yes your Majesty." replied the captain of the guard. "Hold still This may be a little sketchy." Shining pointed his horn at Joe and fired a pinkish beam at the rings causing them to dissipate into the air. Joe slowly stood straight up and began to check himself. The guards in the room seemed to be watching him carefully. Celestia herself couldn't stand still she seemed tense waiting for something to happen.

Joe looked around the room and then back up towards Celestia. "Well I'm not quite sure myself...I..I...everything is just so cloudy right now and... Look at my friggin clothes! Dang I got dirty... I just... I just.. Oww...my head..." finished Joe as he began to rub the side of his throbbing head.

"Is anything the matter?" asked The Princess of the night. "Tia he doesn't look right. He may still be injured from yesterday."

Celestia brought her head up and turned toward the person in question. "You may go and rest. We will have nurse Blue Heart tend to any injuries that you may have sustained. And we will wash those garments. We will find something that you will be able to wear for now."

"Umm...what?... Oh! Okay then... But, is it okay if I can take a shower?... My whole body hurts and I look like I was being dragged around a field of dirt. "Replied Joe as he looked at himself over.

"Then it is settled. Once you are ready we will resume our talk." said Celestia as she levitated a scroll and quill over to her. "I will inform the staff at the Castle infirmary and the bath."

"Your majesty but, who will watch over him? What will everypony here think if they see him? "Asked Shining as he came forward next to Joe. "We can't have him running around stirring up trouble like he did today."

"We shall have him escorted by an officer for now. Is there anypony on duty? "asked Celestia. "Was there not a guard already stationed to the holding cells?"

"The last I checked we had officer Soarin there... Hoo-man what have you done with Soarin?" shouted Shining.

"What?...no! There wasn't anybody there when I got up. The room was empty. "Said Joe as he began to remove his worn out jacket to expose a dirt stained uniform shirt.

Shining dropped his head down and let out a dragging sigh. "Soarin you idiot. I should have known..."

"We will have Soarin watch you then. But, this time without any distractions." said Celestia as the door opened and two ponies stepped in.

"Your Majesty the infirmary is...What is that creature?!..." asked one of the two ponies. She had a white coat of fur and had a blue mane. She was wearing a nurse outfit. "I don't...he looks like he's in pain." then she walked over to Joe and began to examine his arms.

"T-T-The bath is being prepared f-f-for him your m-m-majesty." said the other pony. She was a tan pony with a blond mane wearing a maids outfit. "OH my look at those cloths they are positively filthy don't let them dirty the floor!"While she ran towards him too.

"Whoa! Slow down there... Ow that hurts. Hey my shirt! Help me! Ms. Pony lady!" cried Joe as the two ponies began to walk Joe out of the room.

"I thank you both. Can you two see to it that our guest is tended to? We have a lot to discuss and questions to ask." Said Celestia as the three of them left the room. She then turned her head away from the door and onto Shining. "What is this I hear?... He broke binds? How is that possible?"

"The men they told me about it. His claws were emitting a strange type of magic… I don't understand what are his powers? He was able to destroy my barriers and my men's rings… Still though in the end we were able to overpower him." The captain of the guard explained looking toward the floor. "Why Princess? Why are you still aiding him? He may very well be after the kingdom."

She looked towards Shining with a face of disappointment. "From what Rex had gathered from observing him is that he is trust worthy. But he himself could not comprehend his magic either. He also did mentioned something about the Changelings. Apparently, the one we saw at the mine was of a General Culex he had taken his form. He mentioned some kind of strange plan that the Changeling had in store for Joe…" Answered Celestia as she took a seat upon the throne. "Luna may you escort sir Shining out?"

"No need your majesty I will escort myself out." Said the Captain trotting his way to the door. "Cadence is probably wondering where I am. Shes probably looking for me. I'll tell her you guys said hi."

"Tia are you sure? This is quite a risk just as Shining had said. We are letting a creature of unknown origins into the castle. We don't even know what he's capable of doing yet." Asked Luna who seems to finally be speaking up. "What if we cannot help him ? What will the civilians think of us?"

"I cannot simply let another creature suffer for reasons we are beyond. It is not what Mother and Father would have done. Don't you remember we are not what we were years ago Star Swirl made sure of that." Celestia replied to her sister's questions. "For now we will wait and see…"

"Well I guess then…" replied Luna in a lower tone of voice. "I think I will go to Ponyville and assist our friends with anything. They could need help with…"

With that the Two sisters went their ways. Luna Wrapped herself in her dark blue aura and disappeared. While Celestia began to pull anther scroll and quill to write a letter. "Twilight and the others must know of the circumstances as of latetly." She said as her magic wrote the long letter and sent it to her disciple.

Chapter 6: Explanation

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Chapter 6: Explanation.

After his first encounter with the two noble leaders of Equestria he was being led along by two ponies who wouldn't take no for an answer. "Hey uhh... Where are we going?" Asked Joe as the two ponies opened a door.

"Well, the princess instructed us that you are in need of a cleanup and a checkup as well. "Said the maid as she took the muddy jacket.

"That's right that's a lot of dried blood on your body isn't it? You may have sustained some injuries. "Said the nurse as she walked along them. "As soon as you are done, can you bring him to the infirmary miss Dusty?"

"As you wish Nurse Blue Heart." replied the one now known as Dusty."

The nurse pony gave a thankful nod and exited as Dusty turned back to Joe.

"Now Joe was it? Can you take off those other pieces of clothing so that I may wash them? They look positively filthy." asked Dusty handing him a towel.

"Uhh... Okay. Can I have a bit of privacy please? I will put em by the door as soon as I am ready." Replied Joe still bewildered by everything.

"As you wish sir. I will be right outside by the door." with that Dusty exited the room and did just as she had said.

While Joe stood there in awe at the things he had seen from the previous day he had up till now. He quietly thought to himself about what was going on. "This just can't be happening. There is no way that these things are real. I was... Heading home wasn't I? Did I trip and hit my head? Or am I dead... Or in a Coma?...what the hell?..."

The door opened a crack and Dusty asked in a calm tone. "Are you okay? Can I have the clothes now?" The sudden question caused Joe to nearly fall over." Yeah... Just give me a moment. "He replied. Then he removed all his clothes even his shoes and wrapped himself up in the towel. Then he handed the bunch of clothes over to her "Here you go."

"Thank you they'll be clean in no time and the bath is just behind those curtains" she said throwing them into an empty basket. She then closed the door and quickly left.

Joe then proceeded to see what lay behind the curtains. To his delight it was a big steaming bath tub that looked like it could fit three people. He slowly let himself in and began to wash the gunk from his skin with a little bath towel. "Damn this is exactly what I needed." he said as he relaxed into a more comfortable position. He leaned his head against the wall where a little bronze dragon head had water spilling out of its mouth. Whatever was in his mind seemed to have vanished for a moment. The only sounds that could be heard was the water flowing freely. Then he took the soap and shampoo that sat by the tub. Slowly he began to actually wash himself with the soap and bath towel.

After about fifteen minutes

He finally got out and dried off. He even washed out his broken glasses which he instantly put back on. With this sensation of being clean, he had chosen to try to get his clothes if they were ready. "Dusty wasn't lying when she said they'll be clean in no time." he said as he pulled the basket of clothes in through the door. He picked up a few of them to examine her work. They were all clean no mud nothing even the shoes looked new except for the bottom part having almost no grip left in them. When he got to the bottom of the basket he found three things. The bag of coins, the bag of gems and he checked his wallet to check if anything had been taken and quickly dismissed it upon seeing that it was never touched then he quickly threw his clothes on and exited the room.

Almost immediately Nurse Blue Heart came towards Joe. "Now that you're all clean, we can begin that checkup. Now follow me. We're going to the infirmary." she said as she took out her clipboard and pen.

"I'm fine I feel alright. I only had a few cuts and brui-" Joe suddenly paused himself in pain. The pain in his chest had suddenly caught up with him. Blue Heart rushed by his side. "No... No... I'm.. I'm alright." He managed to say as he attempted to stand upright.

"Still though it's better to be safe than sorry. Besides what kind of nurse would I be if I don't make sure everypony is healthy?" She asked as they walked.

"I guess that would make sense..." Joe replied as he looked about the halls. Ponies were staring at him as they stood in place. One even took a picture with a camera.

Turning the corner Nurse Blue Heart entered a room. "Now just have a seat over there and we will begin." she said as she got her medical examination tools out.

Joe went over and sat on the little chair. Everything that was in the infirmary looked and had what most current day clinics would have. "This place doesn't look too bad..." he said looking at a few of the things that sat around the room.

"Now first we will check that arm of yours it was covered in blood am I correct?" asked the nurse.

Joe took off the hoodie and let her examine his arm. "Yeah I did have a cut in the mines but, for some reason it disappeared when I took a second look at it."

Blue Heart looked over where the cut had been and found nothing but the very small remains of a scar. "It appears to have been magically healed and these little bruises will need to be given an ointment. Here take this jar and apply small dosages to them." Joe took the rather large jar of red jelly and gently took a small scoop out of it. He looked at the bruises that covered his forearm and put it on slowly.

"Don't worry it doesn't hurt at all. Now are you feeling any other pains at all" smiled Blue Heart seeing that her patient was being highly cooperative.

Joe felt at his ribs and instantly felt the pain. "Yeah actually, my ribs are killing me..." he said as he began to take off his shirt to examine it. He saw what appeared to be two big bruises across his chest.

Blue Heart came a bit closer and inspected them a little better. These are quite serious bruises here. "Let me get a better look." Her horn lit up in a light blue aura. It moved from her horn and then onto Joe's chest. Whoever did this must've had some pretty strong hooves to do so. We're gonna have to have you wearing bandages for a while and from the look of these bruises it appears that you have about four fractured ribs. These will require you to apply ointment every day until it has completely healed." she said as she applied the ointment and wrapped Joe up herself.

"What is this stuff? It's medicine right?" Questioned Joe as he examined the jar for a name. "Product of The Royal Canterlot pharmacy." he read out loud.

"Indeed it is of a rare blend of magical herbs that several doctors out here grow and make a rather powerful mix." she replied as she continued to write things down on the little clip board.

"Hmm... Well whatever this is. It's freaking working." he said as she felt at his arms. He then checked the rest of his body to find any other signs of injuries. He didn't find any so he gave the Its okay sign to Blue Heart and threw his clothes back on.

"Well that seems to be it. Shall we go? Asked Blue Heart heading towards the door.

Joe nodded his head and followed without any objections. As they walked ponies kept staring. "What's their problem? It's as if they've never seen a human." Joe asked out of curiosity.

"That's the thing. I don't think they have ever seen anything like you. It's probably the reason why they have those goofy faces on. "She replied as they followed the same path they had taken before hand.

"Well I have never seen little talking horses before but, I'm not freaking out about it. I already had that settled when I saw the things in the mine." Joe explain.

Upon entering the throne room, there sat the Princess, Shining Armor with several guards, Dusty two Unicorns and a blue Pegasus in a police uniform. The Pegasus seemed to be speaking to Shining Armor and he seemed to be afraid.

"But Captain, he was asleep and I was hungry..." Said the Pegasus as he held his hat in one hoof.

"Oh so you rather go eat pie with your fillyfriend while a potentially dangerous creature could have broken free, like he did earlier?" The captain of the guard said as he put a hoof to his forehead as if he was getting a headache. "Soarin I've told you how many times before. You can't be doing these kinds of things on duty. You're lucky that he didn't cause any serious damage."

"B-B-But sir isn't that it right there? Asked the Pegasus staring continuously at Joe.

"Yes exactly, now keep quiet and listen to what the princess has to say." Commanded the captain.

As Joe walked up Blue Heart stepped back to join those who were watching. Celestia kept her eyes steady as if she was still in a deep concentration. "Your name is Joe am I correct?Now that you are all cleaned up has your mind calmed." Asked the pony leader.

"Yeah it has. You are Celestia right?" Joe replied. "Why am I here?"

"That is why we are here today. To discuss why you are here and if we can trust you at all." Replied Celestia." You helped save the captives at the mine and defeated a Changeling elite almost all by yourself."

"I remember I was there. What happened? The last thing I remembered was this huge ball of light in the night sky and the explosion. Then I woke up in that cell." Joe explained.

"We are aware of those. We were the ones who warded off the Changeling and his troops after he tried to kill you. Then we were able to bring you here. What was the meaning for that? Why did you try to escape?!" questioned Shining as he stepped forward. "Explain yourself."

"Well for that. I was a bit restless. Waking up in a strange place does that to a person." Replied Joe. "By the way where is this Equestria? I've never heard of this place. Is this some sort of circus thing or am I being set up for some sort of prank?"

"I am afraid this is not a joke. You are indeed in Equestria. This land is ruled by us Equines and several other races. Are you... Are you not of this world?" She asked.

"I don't think I am. I would've heard about this place." Joe replied.

"Your situation is quite a strange one. Explain yourself what are you and how did you get here." Asked Celestia as her advisors prepared quills and parchments.

Without hesitation Joe explained everything. The fact that he was a Human from Earth, that he was just a high school student, how he felt sick, waking up, the mines, his bag and then the escape. "The truth is I have no idea of how I ended up here nor how to get back home. Rex said in his letter you are the one who would know what to do." Joe finished explaining.

"That is it then? Your story is extraordinary. But let us check one more thing. We will have your memory explain it. I have a spell that will allow me to see into your very mind and view the truth of it. Please stand up here." asked Celestia as she began to gather her magic.

"Princess! Are you sure you want to do that?! What if his magic taints you?!" Shouted Shining as he tried to bring himself up as well.

"That's it! I keep hearing all this talk of magic. There is no such thing as magic!" Shouted Joe clearly agitated.

"I knew it! Restrain him!" Commanded Shining. Several Unicorns readied their horns and began to fire rings at Joe wrapping him up.

"Hey what the hell?!" yelled Joe as he broke the rings.

"Stop right this moment! All of you at once!" shouted Celestia in her Royal Canterlot voice. Everyone in the room stopped and returned to how they were before.

"Before anything your majesty, I want to know why this creature does not believe in magic." questioned Shining.

"Then we shall. Explain to us Joe why is it that magic is not real." asked the Princess in a calm inquisitive voice.

Joe stood silent before everyone looking at the ground. He didn't know how to explain. He took a long sigh and looked up towards her. "Where I am from there is no such thing as magic. There it is nothing but a bunch of cheap tricks like smoke and mirrors." He responded in a solemn tone.

Upon saying this everyone in the room remained silent. Stuck in a state of disbelief. "That couldn't be possible." said the Princess with a concerned look in her eyes. "There is no such land where magic doesn't exist. Magic can be found everywhere it is in everything, much like a life force. Your world must have some sort of documentation depicting the history of magic."

Joe sighed once more as he thought of the only way he can explain himself. Being the kind of person that he is found himself pondering things he hadn't read about for years. There was no easy way of explaining something that even the greatest minds on Earth couldn't completely explain themselves.

"It's like this way your highness. The only magic I have read about the most happened thousands of years ago. During the fifth century there was. A legend of a man who was trained by a great wizard to become a king by winning a war. The wizard along with a Goddess knew that the continuation of their magical ways were threatened by the religion of Christianity. So in turn the wizard and the goddess crafted a plan to ensure the survival of their magic by bringing rise to this king. But the king failed in keeping his duty he fell by the hand of his own creation. Soon after Merlin himself passed away thus discontinuing the cycle of magic." Joe explained. "But that's hors-... Ahem I mean that isn't possible. If there was magic wouldn't there have been anyone using it today? This story was probably a work of fiction. That whole timeline was never recorded but only made as a legend. Now a days the only thing you can call magic are those shows that people put on in Vegas. But even those aren't real." Joe finished.

Celestia and the audience remained silent. Clearly trying to take in the information that they had just heard. Celestia shook her head as she looked with curiosity.

"That story was nothing more than a brief summary of the tales I learned. Nobody can do magic. Whatever magic that they saw back then were probably the same as what we see today. "Said Joe as he began to stare at the ground once again. His voice echoed throughout the room bringing out the sadness of his voice.

"I see... It could be possible that the magic from wherever it is you are from is sleeping. Resting perhaps due to the war."

"That still wouldn't explain a thing..."Relied Joe still looking at the ground. "Enough of this. What I want to know is how can I go home?"

Taken aback by the question Celestia found herself in question. She never found a need for such a spell. She herself had no knowledge of any world than her own. She gave a sad nod. "I am sorry but there is no easy way of telling you this. I have no idea of how that is possible. She exclaimed. "My scholars may be able to find a spell that can send you back from whence you came but that will take time."

"I guess... We will have to wait and see." said Joe as he sat down with his legs crossed.

"Do not worry, we will find a way. Not now but hopefully soon." Said Celestia. The entire room was once again quiet. The look of worry sat on many faces along with the faces of discontent. Several of the members of the audience were still in belief that he wasn't telling the truth including the Captain of the guard.

"I still don't believe any of this. If your world doesn't have any magic, then how did you get here and how is it that you can break our spells?" Shining asked walking towards Joe.

"I would like to know this as well your majesty. He had no wounds. I could only find a few scars that were magically healed. But, nopony here has any spells that can heal on that level." inserted Blueheart as she stepped forward as well.

"I don't know... I couldn't explain that myself. I don't know It just happened." replied the saddened Joe. "I don't even know what to do anymore... "

"Now human, can you stand up for us please? In order to believe you I must see into your head. We must settle this conflict. This will be the only way to allow us to trust you." She said walking down to Joe. He stood up and looked her straight in the eyes. Celestia could see the anguish in his eyes. Which saddened her. She once again made her horn shine and closed her eyes. She casted a bright white aura over her head and onto the human. "I will now see into your mind." she said as her eyes opened to reveal that they were glowing white. Joe seemed to be doing the same with his eyes. Celestia flew into his mind allowing her to see his entire memory. She learned his entire life in just a few seconds she also learned of his thoughts, his mentality, even of the information about his home. Suddenly, she began to plummet into an area that seem to catch her attention. A soft glow in the center of the mind was present. "This energy... It's immense for one to possess. This is mysterious..." She said aloud as everyone watched on awe. Above Celestia Floated a spectral image of what she was seeing. As she turned to exit she was surprised to see another image. She let her mind wander toward it. She then began to scream. The images she had just taken in were Joe's nightmares they quickly began forcing her out of his mind. Upon exiting she closed her eyes the spell was successful. Several ponies in the audience quickly trotted to her side to see if anything was wrong.

"I saw through his mind. He is telling the truth. "She said as she slowly began to regain her posture. "Joe there are several things I need to discuss with you in private-" she said as she began to open her eyes. She froze upon still seeing the human floating with his entire body glowing. Everybody in the room gasped seeing this. The glowing human floated downwards to the ground. The glow began to slowly subside as Blue Heart rushed over and began to check if there had been any kind of damage done.

She began to shake his body to wake him. "?.. Mr. Joe are you alright. Mr. Joe?!" she began to shout as she began to pat his face.

Joe's eyes then began to open. "What... What happened?" he asked as he shot up unaware of what had just transpired

"I saw everything... We will try to find you safe passage home. W-We will speak of this later. Please, everyone you may be dismissed. Soarin please return our friend to his room." said the princess looking towards the floor. "I am sorry Joe the castle doesn't have any rooms accustomed to your size. We will make the jail your temporary room until we can find a home for you. For now I will need to rest.

"I'm alright with that. I will sleep anywhere." said Joe as he walked out with Soarin. "Princess please can I see the outside first I need some fresh air.

"You do not need my permission do what is needed." Responded Celestia as she sat staring at the ground. "This poor Creature... He has been through so much. Things are gonna be so much harder for him..."

Back to Joe and Soarin.

Soarin led Joe out of the castle to an area outside of the castle. "Here you go will this be enough for you?" asked Soarin cautiously. "You're not going to run away are you?"

Joe took a long breath of air and sighed trying to hide his angst . "Why would I? Would there even be a point? There isn't any thing for me here. But, I gotta admit this place is a bit like a paradise..."he then walked over to a small bench and sat down enjoying the view in silence. The outside of the castle was just as extraordinary as the castle itself. Plants were nice and well cared for, the buildings were nice and formal and the ponies who stared at them seemed to be well groomed and high class. The sight reminded Joe of how regal things looked in the past. Soarin just stood where he was. He began to feel a bit worried that this job was gonna be a bit too much for him so he began to devise ways of trying to get on the humans good side.

"Hey, do you know anywhere a guy could get a glass of water officer?" asked Joe. "I'm feeling thirsty."

"Yea.. Yes I know a place. lemme take you there." Replied Soarin as he snapped back to reality. "Let's get back inside we can get some over in the kitchen." The kitchen wasn't that far from where they were it was just a bit around the entrance. It had two double doors that exposed the busy bodies on the inside and a little window for maid service pickups like a hotel. It smelled of all sorts of confectionary delights that made Soarin drool when he entered. Unfortunately when Joe entered he was greeted with silence and stares as everyone stopped working. "Can I get a glass of water?" asked Soarin breaking the awkward silence in the room. As everyone began to move a young pink unicorn filly came out levitating the glass of water into Joe's hand.

"There you go mister. Hope you enjoy it." she said as she trotted away smiling.

Joe looked at it then drank it down. He set it down on a counter where someone must've taken it cause the second he turned away it was gone.

"Can we please get out of here I'm getting a bit hungry?" asked Soarin as he stared at the counter full of covered food.

Joe nodded his head in agreement and followed him out. "Where can we go now" asked Joe looking around.

"I don't know. Maybe we can head back over to the jail so we can see what they have done.

"Hey Soarin! There you are! I've been looking for ya." shouted a voice from the entrance. "Are you off duty yet cause me and the team were gonna go try out a new flight maneuver and what the heck is that thing?!" The Pegasus was dressed in a blue spandex type of suit and flew over to where the two had been standing.

"Spitfire! I completely forgot!... I'm still on duty I have to watch over this guy and... I'm afraid that I won't be able to go I'm under Celestia's and Shining's orders..."

"Aww it's alright big guy. We can move the practice day. How about you what's your name?" asked the Wonderbolt mare.

"My name?... It's Joe" he replied looking at her in wonder. "What's up with the suit and goggles?"

"Oh this thing? It's my flight suit. Haven't you ever seen us? " Questioned Spitfire. Soarin rushed up to her and began to whisper into her ear. "OH... Well that explains it." she said as Soarin moved away from her. "It's nice to meet you Joe welcome to Equestria. If you need somepony to show you around town you can count on us." she extended her hoof in a gesture to shake hands.

Joe took it and smiled as he shook. "Same here." he replied as they shook.

Backing away from Joe, Spitfire jumped back into the air. "Well see you guys later. I gotta jet and tell the others." she said as she began to fly out of the castle. "Hey Joe you've gotta see one of our shows if you can got it mmkay bye!"

"Well that was random of her. Let's get going then. "said Soarin as he began to walk up the stairs.

"Yeah she's nice. She wasn't scared of me like the rest of you guys." replied Joe. "What did she mean by show?"

"Wait I'm not scared of you... much... And the show she was talking about is the air shows we put on. We do one every month. They are pretty alright." Soarin replied noticing what he had said. As they walked up the stairs a grey Pegasus flew down stairs nearly bumping into them. "Hey Ditzy do you think you can deliver this to The Canterlot Bakery? It's for Cream pie and could you tell her I'm gonna be late? "He said as he pulled a letter out of his pocket and handed it to her. The grey Pegasus gave a stare at Joe then nodded yes as she grabbed the letter with her teeth and walked down the stairs. "Bye Ditzy, I'll see ya when I see ya." said Soarin as he waved goodbye with his hoof. "Now then shall we continue?" Joe asked as he stood farther up the stairs.

Soarin sighed and continued on as well turning corner after corner until the door could be seen wide open and a few ponies could be seen walking out. Joe and Soarin both walked up to the door and walked in. One cell was converted into a bedroom type of setup and a basket that lay on the bed. A familiar face exited from out of another cell and was surprised to see Joe.

"Oh, we set up your room the best we can. We hope you enjoy it." said Dusty as she walked out of the way and bowed her head smiling.

"Wow thanks! This place looks great. I don't know how I'll ever be able to pay you guys back" Joe replied. Joe began to feel at his pockets. "Wait I know! Here you can have some of these." Joe pulled out the bag of coins and handed some of them over to dusty.

She gasped as she took them. "Ahh! platinum and gold bits! Thank you, so much." she gave him a hug as she began to exit the room happily. "Oh yes and I almost that basket arrived for you. It's from the Apples in Ponyville. They must be thanking you for the mines. Any way I'll be going now."

As soon as she exited the room Soarin just began to look at Joe in a confused way. "You have bits?...platinum bits? Where did you get those?!" he shouted in an astonished way.

"Well... They were on one of the Diamond dogs in the mine. I even got this little bag of gems as well." replied Joe as he held em out.

"That's crazy. You're one crazy person. Each one of those bright silver ones have got to be at least worth Three hundred bits. That's a lucky grab!" replied Soarin in an ecstatic tone of voice.

Joe stuffed both bags into his pockets as he walked over to the bed that looked big enough for a king. He sat down and pulled over the basket and opened it. Inside laid a bunch of baked goods, an envelope and a big bottle of what he guessed to be cider. Among the contents of the basket he chose to open the envelope which to his surprise was a little homemade get well soon type of card. It was decorated with little apple and cloud designs. It also seemed that someone went crazy with a bedazzler.

"Whoa... This thing looks... Okay..."Said Joe as he opened the card.

"Dear mister thank you for saving me and my friend we hope you will be alright. Me and my friends would like it if you paid us a visit one day so we may thank you properly." said the card in very poor handwriting. On the side of the writing was a photograph of the two little ponies that he had saved in the mine and another one standing in front of a really big red barn.

"Wow... I didn't expect to get something like this... Is this how things are usually here? Soar-" asked Joe. Soarin seemed to not pay attention to Joe or anything he said. His eyes were fixed onto the stuff that was in the Basket. Joe snapped his fingers and came back to his senses.

"Hey listen. Heyyy! Come on...I guess we can eat em no sense in letting this food go bad." the moment Joe took out the pie Soarin stuck his head right into it and began to eat. "Aww come on! I wanted some of that!"

"Sorry. Mmnmpph couldn't resist. Mmnphh" said Soarin in between mouthfuls.

"I guess these will do." Joe took a bit of the fritters and couldn't help munching it all down. "I see why you couldn't resist. These are the best apple fritters I've ever tasted." he finished before eating more.

After an hour or so

The basket was completely empty of its contents. Only the bottle and the pie tin remained. Soarin sat at his little desk knocked out while Joe lay in the bed staring out toward the window to the evening sky. "I guess this place is great. A lot of the people are friendly they trust me enough to not have me killed. And I've already made friends with a few of them. But, still I don't know if I can take it here any longer. I bet those guys are gonna be wondering what happened to me. I can't let them suffer like that and what about the plans I made. I've gotta get home." Joe thought to himself.

"That's a very good question indeed. From what I can see you mean a lot to your friends. You stayed with them despite the trouble they brought you." said a voice stepping in.

"Princess Celestia!" shouted Soarin as he jumped from his chair and into a bowing stance. "I was just resting my eyes your Majesty *Burp* excuse me..."

She nodded towards him and stepped into the room to where the cell was. "You have quite a courageous spirit, a tenacious mind and an open heart for those who approach you."

"I guess but what exactly did you see?" Joe questioned as he say in an upright position. "And you can read my mind?"

"I simply took in several of your memories and your intelligence and learned from them. I even witnessed your dreams which seem to be a constant dread for you." she replied." my mind is still tethered to yours that is why I am able to see what you are thinking."

"Aside from that have you found anyway to send me back?" Asked Joe in a worried tone. "I'd also like to find where the things I brought with me went"

"That's what I came to tell you. The scholars are working with haste to find a spell that can send you back but, it may take them days before they can. "She replied. "Aside from that I have a theory that you may have come here through a magical break... You have magic hidden within you that you must've never been aware. It's a very strange magic that I have never seen it emits a great force. It also matches the presence I detected two days ago, that must have been when you entered this world through that rift."

"A rift? What the hell is that?" Joe managed to say as Celestia tried to continue.

"There was a magical tear in your universe that took you in. On that day you fell here you were experiencing magical fluxes within your magic, such as the light your arms emit. Your magic knows when you need it that is why you gained strength quickly and without you really knowing. It also explains why you did not get any major injuries nor die from the explosion. From what your world has proven, your world has granted you a gift of magic." Said Celestia as she magically lifted Joe's hand to expose the glow. "You will need to learn how to control it. Your magic may become a risk if it is not."

"So this...magic... How do I do that? "Joe asked as he took his arm away from her magical grip.

"It is best we find that out later. For now you will need to get used to living here for a while. "She replied "I know you may be determined to go home, but please don't lose hope we will find a way. Just keep an open mind." A bell began to ring causing her to sigh. "It is time, I must go." she said as she turned suddenly. Her horn began to glow and a book appeared. "Please read this it explains the history of this land and its people." she finished as she levitated the book to him and exited the room.

Soarin broke his stance and sighed. "Seems I gotta go too pal. I gotta go home and sleep. Besides I have to go see Cream pie."

"Who's Cream pie?" Asked Joe in wonder.

"She's my... Fillyfriend and we've been dating for about 5 months." Replied Soarin as he looked up at the ceiling. "So, yeah. See ya later." and he just like that he left the room.

Joe sat at his bed in wonderment. This was the first time he found himself questioning what he was. This posed many questions that would need to be answered. He threw himself back into the way he laid before and stared back out into the sky as it slowly turned into night.

Chapter 7 :The Talk

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Chapter 7 :The Talk

The morning sun shined upon the castle and all that surrounded it. Without the snow, the plants around it began to grow and flourish. Several guards were already patrolling the castle grounds while the other troops were practicing military maneuvers out in the pasture near the city. Ponies also littered the streets of Canterlot about with their daily routine.

Back in the castle.

Celestia levitated a quill as she magically wrote into a blank book. A dark figure slowly made its way towards her dodging every little thing. finally made its way to right behind her and grew into a much larger size. It leaned back as if ready to strike until Celestia had spoken."Luna. I know it's you." Said Celestia as she continued to write.

"Aww... Come on Tia that still doesn't scare you?" Replied Luna as she returned to her natural form.

"I seriously wonder why father had taught you that.?" Replied her sister.

"What? Come on? It was funny." Luna sighed as she walked over to her sister."What're you writing about?"

"It's a complete copy of what I had seen in Joe's mind. I am nearly finished." Replied Celestia as she continued writing."I find his story rather depressing..."

"What do you mean? It can't be that bad. Can it?" Asked Luna as she watched her sister put down the quill and close the book."What did you see?""

"There are a few things I managed to leave out. I think it would be better to leave those for him to keep in his own mind. i think its better if he were to announce it by his own will. I also learned so much of his world."she sadly replied. "His people are not much different than ours. Yet their methods are rather extreme. Some are soulless while others resolve their issues in the wrong manner. I will show you."

Celestia lowered her horn to her sisters and let her magic flow into her mind.

In the prison cell.

Joe slowly rose from his makeshift bed and yawned. He wore only his school slacks and his black shirt. He sat on the edge of his bed and put his socks and shoes on. "This really isn't a dream..." He thought to himself. He slowly got to his feet and walked out of his cell and towards the door where he was surprised by a familiar pony."Oh. Hey there Dusty. How are you?" Asked Joe.

"I'm fine. thanks for the bits yesterday." She replied with a big smile.

"What're you doing here?" Joe asked in wonder. "Isn't it a bit early? What time is it anyway?"

"Oh it's ten o'clock. Well the princess likes the rooms cleaned by noon." She replied. "I've also come to deliver your breakfast. I figured you'd be hungry. Well anyway I've got to finish my jobs so we'll see you later." She then walked into the cell and closed together door.

"Uhm. Okay..." Joe said to him self with a confused look on his face. "I wonder." He opened up the basket and saw toast, a glass bottle filled with orange juice, blue berry muffins and a scroll. "What's this?" He then took the scroll and opened it.

"Dear Joe, We shall discuss more of your matter of way you can be transferred back from whence you came. As until then our captain of the guard would like to speak with you in the courtyard. Although later today the scholars wish to do an examination later. I hope you enjoy your day." Signed at the bottom of the scroll was Celestia.

Joe scratched at his head and thought to himself. "I guess I can do that." He then put the scroll into the basket and picked it up. "I'd better go find a good place to eat these before they get cold..." He said to himself as he seemed out any assistance from those few ponies who were walking around.

He managed to get the attention of a few before they ran away in fear. After loosing about four ponies attention he gave up and walked over to a nearby balcony to eat his breakfast. Surprisingly it was rather delicious. Some of the best he had in a very long time. He sighed as he put away the dishes into the basket. From his spot in the balcony he could still see the forest where he arrived. The crater of the mine collapse was still visible from far away.

Suddenly a voice rang out from behind him. "There you are!" Shouted Soarin as he quickly approached. "Dang it. I'm sorry I'm late. But where the heck did you go?" He said as he paused to breath.

"Well here."replied Joe as he opened the basket again to pull out the scroll.

"I seriously thought you escaped again or something. I could've gotten in trouble. Thank goodness your not crazy to try it a second time."

"How do I get to the courtyard?" Joe interrupted as Soarin caught his breath.

"Oh it's right down stairs. Take a left after the third set of stairs, there should be a clear door then there you go... Why?" He asked wearing a curious face.

Joe decided that following the scroll was what he might as well do the whole day until he needed to meet with Celestia. "That Shining guy said that he needed to see me. I'm not sure why. Then the scholars want to have a talk or something like that." He rolled the scroll and returned it to the basket. He then turned away from Soarin and walked towards the directions that he had said.

"What? What're you planning to do... Hey! Wait up!" Soarin shouted as he galloped up to the one he had a job to watch.

The both of them descended the stairs and followed the path out to the courtyard. The large white unicorn stood upon the stairs watching as his men practiced their individual training. Unicorns were lifting rocks with magic, the Pegasi flew around trying to practice their ability to fly precisely the direction they choose and finally the earth ponies could be seen pulling massive boulders as a way to build more muscles in their legs.

Soarin watched with an expression of fear. "These ponies are the most scariest ones I've ever seen. They were all enlisted by the military to ensure the protection of Canterlot. But, still they are still quite intimidating." He managed to say.

Joe nodded in agreement towards Soarin then turned over to Shining. "Hey Shining what didya want? The princess said you needed me?" He shouted towards shining from his spot.

The ponies practicing below paused what they were doing and watched their leader as he turned to face Joe. "Today I would like to see this magic of yours if I may? Yesterday was just a fluke this will be a real test." He made his horn glow and formed a shield just like the one he had encased Joe in the day before." Go on now." He commanded.

Joe looked at the bubble and walked over to it. He simply knocked on it and brought his hand to his chin. "I don't know how."

"What do you mean don't know how?" You were able to do all sorts of it yesterday. Why not now?" Asked Shining angrily. "Listen out of every pony I know no one has ever been able to break that shield until you did. I want to know how you did it."

Joe sighed "I would but I don't okay. This is new stuff to me too besides I still would like to know too."

"Hmm... Maybe your abilities are only active when you need them to. Lets try this look down." Said Shining horn glowing and all.

Joe quickly panicked and looked below him to see the dirt churning beneath him. Soarin knew what was coming and backed away. "Jump!" He shouted loudly. Joe quickly jumped up before a ring came up from below him nearly grabbing him.

Joe found himself higher than he normally could jump. He jumped about twenty feet off the ground an towards an open window. He grabbed on to the ledge as he panicked. A certain unicorn had seen him soar towards her check up station. "Mr. Joe!" She shouted startled. Her reaction startled joe as well causing him to let go and fall towards the ground. He landed face first and on his stomach causing his fractured ribs to react.

Soarin and Shining approached the human as he writhed in pain. "That's not cool Shining! Celestia's gonna have your hide for this. He was already in enough pain yesterday." Shining did not say a word at this. He simply stood there stone faced.

"What is going on out here?!" Shouted the angry Nurse Blue Heart. Her eyes switched between the two ponies and the human on the ground. "Mr. Joe are... Are you alright?..." She gently asked.

Joe slowly lifted himself off the ground and sat down still clutching his chest. Slowly panting he said. "Holy! *pant* crap! I didn't know *pant* I could jump that high." Slowly he tried to stand but, Blue Heart ushered him to stay seated.

Shining knowing he wasn't gonna be in as much trouble as he would be if he had killed him. He finally chose to speak. "Your magic allowed you to do that. Look your feet are still glowing red." He explained as he pointed his hoof. All four of them watched silently as the glow began to subside.

"Nevertheless that was still a very risky move Shining. Just what were you thinking?!" Asked Blue Heart still slightly annoyed.

Joe finally got to his legs and tried to jump again. He managed to only jump up two feet. "Come on? Whats wrong now?" He asked out loud.

"Stop it! You might hurt yourself again!" Warned Blue Heart.

"Try focusing your magic into your feet. Visualize it." Cheered Soarin. Shining continued to watch as the human jumped another twenty feet. He then caught the human with his magic and brought him down to Earth.

"That was cool!" Said the astonished Pegasus. What else can you do?"

"Maybe he should try to move that ball over there." Inserted Shining raising his hoof. "Just point and visua-" before he could finish, the ball he had pointed to had been launched high into the sky without any indications that it would stop.

"Now that's scary... " said the Pegasus now hiding behind the nurse.

"What did you do?!" Commanded Shining as he glared at Joe.

"I just tried to move it over!... Whoa that is high." Replied Joe as he continued to watch the ball.

"Okay now lets try to move something that has a bit more bulk." Shining then pointed to a rather big boulder that sat near them."I want you to move this over there."

"I will try. Just make sure you guys stand back a little." He replied. Joe motioned his hand towards the boulder and slowly lifted it up. But as he motioned it to move it took off and smashed into a tree.

Shining face hoofed and galloped over to check the damage. There was nothing more than a splintered tree and a guard paralyzed with fear right behind the tree. "Are you hurt soldier?" asked the captain as he helped him up.

"No sir! Just shaken up sir!" Said the guard as he walked back to the rest of the soldiers.

Joe stood there feeling guilty over the tree. "I think it's better if I don't try that again. Hey Soarin let's. lets go see those scholar people the princess mentioned." He asked as shining was away.

"Sure thing! I think it's time to go." He replied as he went and flew ahead.

"See you later Blue Heart." said Joe as he began to walk away.

"Bye you two make sure you apply that jelly to your ribs. She shouted as she remained where she stood.

With that Joe continued with Soarin to go see what these scholars wanted. Along the way the ponies in the castle still looked a little iffy about his appearance some even a bit angry at his appearance. Soarin took notice of them but refused to say anything about it.

"Hey Soarin? How's it like outside the castle?" Asked Joe as they walked down the stairs.

"Well... Here it's a pretty high class society. Down by the forest is a nice little community called Ponyville. I was there for a show once but, we had to return back to Cloudsdale. That's where I grew up. The city in the sky. Almost all Pegasi are born and raised there." He explained. " I know there are a few more cities out there but , they are pretty far away and I never spent enough time in them to really explore them. Why?"

"I want to see how it is outside is all. I mean if I'm gonna stay here for a while I don't want to get bored with all these walls around me." Replied Joe as he looked at another pony who was taking a picture. They walked until they reached an empty corridor that had three signs. One for the library, another for records and the last was blank. Soarin walked over to the door without a sign and looked in it. Voices could be heard and ponies sitting at a large horse shoe shaped table seemed to be conversing with one another.

"This is the place." Said Soarin as he held the door open. Joe slowly walked in the room, as he did the ponies stopped talking altogether. A lone chair stood at the center of the horse shoe. They all appeared to be Unicorns. The mare sitting at the center motioned for Joe to sit there as she took out a book.

"From what the princess has explained. Your home is a place where the world is void of magic am I correct?" She asked.

"Yes ma'am I am" replied Joe.

Another pony, a stallion rose his hoof and asked. "Your world is also one under constant war and acts of violence is it not?"

"Yeah but, where I live we don't really care about it. If those guys want to waste their time fighting that's up to them."

This answer took the ponies by surprise. The mare at the center opened the book once again. "We thought you were a man of war. This book explains that you have trained and gone into wars plenty of times. Even from childhood and now."

"What do you mean? Is it that I fight a lot?" Asked Joe.

"You fight with these strange black devices." She replied as she held up the book displaying a picture of a pistol.

"Oh that's my airsoft gun. Those are for fun." Answered Joe.

"You kill your kind for FUN?!" Shouted the old Stallion. "That should be outlawed.!"

"Easy! Easy! You don't get it. The one I play with shoot little non lethal plastic pellets while the real kind of pistol fires real bullets to kill things. Now those kinds are illegal." Replied Joe.

The stallion who had shouted remained in his angry position. While the mare continued flipping through the book. "This page here describes some sort of weird magic you possess. But I thought you said that your world did not possess any magic?" She asked bearing a very curious face.

"That... I cannot explain. But it all started a few days ago and only now am I fully aware of it." Joe replied.

"Yeah it's pretty strong stuff. He jumped high into the air and even launched a ball into orbit!" Inserted the only Pegasus in the room.

"Is that true Human?" Asked the mare.

"Yeah it is. I didn't know how strong it was going to be until I actually got to try it." Replied the human .

"Hmm... Then shall we begin the examination proper?"asked the old stallion motioning the human to stand in front of huge white sheets of paper. "Please remove all the objects within your pockets and those glasses."

"Why how does this go?" Asked Joe as Soarin and the other ponies stood and watched behind a big piece of red glass.

"Don't worry this will be easy and painless." Replied the stallion as he stood in front Joe and the paper. "Stand still and hold your arms out please."

Joe did as he was asked and held out his arms. The old stallion charged his horn with a light blue aura. "Now say cheese." He commanded.

"What?" Joe blurted out before he was bombarded by flashes of multiple colors. The flashes lasted about seven seconds and when they finished Joe stood in the same position as he did before while the old stallion sat on the ground breathing hard.

"And done!" He shouted as he stood back up. He then levitated the sheets of paper towards him and examined them. They were now covered in what appeared to be an X-ray, organ layouts, and it also listed out the other human specifics.

Suddenly, Joe's body hit the floor with a thud. The group of ponies including Soarin came to his side. "Oh cud! I'm in trouble." Said Soarin as he began to panic. "What happened?!"

The mare held her horn to his chest and her purple aura went to his neck and head. "He's alright he's just unconscious. She said as she smiled.

"Ha! He probably couldn't handle the scan!" Said the old stallion as he continued to read the documents. "Hey you there! Fly boy! Go get some guards to carry him to his room. We're all done with the examination." He then proceeded to walk out of the room with the rest of the scholars.

A few hours later

Joe slowly began to stir in his make shift bed. He awoke to find that someone had taken off his shirt and replaced the bandages on his chest. "Hello? Blue Heart? Soarin? Anybody?" He called out as he got up to put on his shirt. He slowly got up and felt his head pulse with pain.

"Why hello there. How did you enjoy your nap?" Said a peaceful voice from outside his cell. The two familiar faces of Celestia and Luna stepped in and stood by the door. "We heard about what you did in the courtyard today. It must've been such a sight to see."

Said the elder sister as she began to giggle a little."I think that was one of the first times Anyone has ever attempted that."

"I didn't mean to... It just sorta happened when they told me to try using my magic." Replied Joe as he sat back down. "What happened?"

"You simply passed out. They took photos of you using a spell that can expose ones entire anatomy on several sheets of paper. It's like taking a picture." Explained Luna.

"It reminds me of the first time we tried it on you little sister. You were too scared and ran straight through the doors" Celestia joked.

"What about my bandages? Who changed them?" Asked the human still very confused.

"We had Blue Heart come in and check on you. You've been out for several hours." Replied the princess. "Soarin panicked and told us everything. Even what Shining had done."

"That's good. What did the scholars say? Anything yet?" Asked Joe eager to hear the news.

"It is fine. But... There is a bit of a problem." Replied the elder princess. The scholars have alerted me that the spell required to send you home is rather a tricky one. The spell dates back to before Canterlot was officially created. It was the great Unicorn Star Swirl who had created the spell. But, he never had any real destination to use it with. So he labeled it a failure and it is believed he left it some where within the kingdom." She explained.

"So, what exactly is the problem?" Asked Joe getting back down to sit. His mind still spinning. "Where can we find it?"

"That's the problem before Star Swirl passed on he hid all of his personal spells somewhere here in Equestria. They have been lost for over a thousand years. So, the council has suggested that they begin searching again." Answered Luna as Celestia held her head low.

"So I'm gonna be stuck here..." Joe sadly admitted.

"We will have our best Stallions searching for the spells." Inserted Celestia in an attempt to lighten the mood. "For now we will try to decide where your temporary home will be.

Joe kept his head low. "What if the spell remains lost? What will happen to me? What about back HOME?! What's gonna happen there? What if something happens to my friends and I wasn't there to stop it?!" He angrily responded.

"Please calm down... We will see what we can do to. As for now we have to keep you hidden. The Changeling General was already aware of your capabilities. I won't standby knowing that you would be in danger." Celestia said still in a sorrowful tone.

"We have no real idea of what the Changelings would be able to achieve if they were able to get their hands on you. I fear it would cost us the kingdom and you." Added Luna.

Several knocks were heard at the door as the Pegasus officer stuck head in. "Is everything okay in here? I heard someone yell." He asked with his head half way through the doorway.

"I think it's time that we leave him to rest sister. He has a lot to think about." Suggested Luna as she turned to exit the room.

Celestia raised her head and looked towards the human. She then walked over towards him and placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Please... I promised I would get you home. I intend to keep my word. You are our guest and a friend to our royal family. We will get you home." She calmly whispered.

"Thank you... Your majesty... I'm grateful for your help." Joe replied as he held his head down. " it's just that. I can't stop worrying about home."

"Don't worry you've been through a lot. These past few days may have been rough but that doesn't mean that the rest will be. Now please rest from what Blue Heart has told me you will still need to heal those ribs." She said as she exited the room with her sister.

Soarin entered with what appeared to be another basket. "Here you go." he said just as he put it on one of the little tables. "Nurse Blue Heart said this is for you whenever you need to change those bandages." Joe remained quiet as he sat. Staring at the wall.

Soarin not knowing what to do or say. Just walked over to his desk where he pulled out a pie from one of the drawers. "Hey partner. Do you want a piece? Cream pie made it while you were out." He asked as a way to not be rude. Joe just remained quiet as he got into a sleeping position and threw his covers over himself. "So I take it that's a no then. Suit yourself" Said Soarin as he dug into his pie.

Joe then fell asleep thinking of home. Images of him and his friends kept playing back in his head. Days of when he was in school, when he was home abd just about everywhere else that held meaning to him. Though he had been away for such a short time he felt homesick. He actually managed to fall asleep after thinking for about an hour. Time seemed to fly by as it took little time for it to reach nightfall. Almost all of the ponies including Soarin had left the castle leaving it nearly empty.

He got up from his bed as he walked toward the balcony he had been to earlier during the day. Everything was just just made far more sense than Equestria. There he had friends, he had his regular plans, school and most importantly his own bed. "Suddenly the voice of an old man rang in his ears. "Do not fret. Your path will lead you to what you desire. Patience is the key that will open your door." Said the voice.

"Huh what?" Asked Joe as he looked for the owner.

"Soon you will have the tools you must remain until you are ready." It finished saying. The voice seemed to fade away as the sounds of hooves made their way towards where Joe was. He quickly hid in a corner so they wouldn't be aware of him.

"He has a lot of potential. His levels rival the best of us." Said one of the voices. As they turned the corner it was revealed to be Celestia, the old stallion and the mare that had examined him earlier. "He has a very complex skeletal and organ layout. His kind are very flexible but from the information he provided in the book the amounts of magic he contains is mysterious none of the others like him have any. Also his origin will require almost twice the amount of magic he already contains. The notes Star Swirl had written explained that it could be rather difficult to accomplish."

"It is the best chance we've got to send him back." Replied The princess.

"Where would he be residing for the time being?" Asked the mare.

"I think it is safest to have him stay in the castle for a while until we have word from the others." the princess replied while looking towards the jail.

They continued talking as they continued down the corridor and into another room. Joe left the corner and proceeded down the stairs toward where he had first tested out his magic. He wasn't wearing his shoes yet he walked onto the grass barefooted and sat on the grass just watching the stars. He laid back into the grass so that the whole sky would be able to be seen and his neck wouldn't be sore.

"There is one thing I can be sure of... The sky here looks a whole lot better." He said to himself as he slowly tried to levitate a few pebbles in a circle. They were surrounded in a red glow as each one was launched towards the sky in an attempt to try to learn how to control it better.

Chapter 8:A Regular day off

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Chapter 8:A Regular day off

The evenings in Ponyville are always a sight to behold. Almost every pony enjoys the starry skies that Luna prepares every night. But, this night seemed different the sky seemed to be a little off. The night wasn't as bright as it usually was. On the Apple's apple orchard Applejack and her brother had just about gathered a full days harvest of apples. The CMC were busy playing tag and Granny Smith sat cozily on her rocking chair. AppleJack looked up towards the sky and noticed that on the roof of her farm house sat a ball. "Hey Apple Bloom get over here." She wasn't too happy.

Apple Bloom came galloping over in wonder of what her sister wanted. "Yeah sis?" Replied the little pony as she stood close.

"Y'all gotta be more careful when you girls play." Said Applejack as she bucked the wall of the old farm house."You're all lucky to have all these little toys while other little fillies don't have any themselves." The ball dropped right next to her sister as if she had full control of the ball. "Now get on yer way. Me and Big Mac gotta finish up here." Apple Bloom took the ball with her as she headed back to her friends.

"Hey Apple Bloom! Where'd ya get the ball from?" Asked Scootaloo motioning for Apple Bloom to pass it over.

"I don't know Applejack knocked it off the roof." She replied as she kicked it over to her friends.

"It's not yours?" Asked Sweetie Belle with a confused face.

"Nope. It was just on the roof." Answered Apple Bloom over to Sweetie Belle.

"Well wouldn't it be more funner if we tried to look or who it belongs to?" Asked Sweetie Belle as she held it down with her hoof.

"Yeah that's a good idea. Maybe we can earn some lost and found Cutie Marks!" Shouted Scootaloo thrusting her hoof into the air.

The three of them then galloped over to Scootaloo's scooter which was attached to a little wagon and prepared to leave. Applejack noticed them and walked over to them. "Hey you three. Better make sure you come home before it gets too dark okay?" Asked the older sister." The three each nodded in agreement and then quickly departed from the farm.

Applejack being done with everything decided that she should go and check on her friends in town. But, before she left the thought of dinner popped in her mind. She placed a few vegetables from the little garden they had into a basket and proceeded to go into the house. She gathered pots and bowls and placed them on the stove. She took the vegetables and chopped them up for a soup. As she cooked the sound of something knocking at her roof with a constant pace. "What the hay?" She asked just as the knocking stopped. "Hmm..." She slowly began to continue to chop at the vegetables and waited to see when it would happen again as she eyed the roof. Suddenly she heard the shuffling of heavy hooves coming in through the front door. It was none other than her brother carrying old Granny Smith on his back. She was fast asleep. Applejack sighed as Big Mac brought their grandmother up the stairs. When Mac reached the top of the stairs and into Granny's room she heard the same sound of knocking on the roof. She quickly dashed out the kitchen door searching for whatever caused the noises.

Seeing nothing she trotted back inside to see a very confused looking brother. "Hey do ya know whats causing those noises?" she asked looking at her brother.

He simply shook his head nope. "Why don't ya go check if theres...Shhhh.." again the knocks returned and Big Mac went out the door this time. "Theres nothing out here. I reckon it's just a little wind." Then he came back inside.

"I know wind and that ain't no wind." Applejack replied.

"I'm gonna go check the barns. Can ya watch for Granny until I come back." He asked as he gathered up some things.

"Y'all can count on me." Said the honest pony. Mac then trotted out the door carrying a lantern. His light slowly faded in the coming darkness Applejack couldn't help but feel a bit worried for her brother. The Roof began to once again knock causing her to lose track of her thoughts. She then took the veggies and put them into the pot she had taken out earlier. The pot was then filled with water and put over her stove that had been running earlier to cook. She sighed as she sat in the kitchen waiting for the soup to finish cooking.

In another part of town

Pinkie Pie skipped happily along the roads of Ponyville towards the town library. She waved at the very few ponies that were still out and about causing them to smile and wave back. The sun was nearly down as she finally approached the treehouse unaware of what she would find within. Her hoof gently pushed against the door which was something nobody would truly expect from her. "Heeelllllooooo?! She loudly asked as she stuck her head in. Nobody was there except a pile of books and paper. The whole library was a mess. Suddenly, Spike's claw reached out through a pile of the debris. Pinkie quickly trotted over and dug him out. "Spike what's going on? And where's Twilight? Why does this place look all topsy turvy? Do I smell smoke?"

Spike slowly got to his feet. "Twilights very depressed... When she sent in her last report to Celestia, she never replied. Now I think she's going crazy again." Said the young dragon worriedly. "She's been cooped up in her room for the past few days sending scroll after scroll until I felt sick and she's really beginning to freak me out."

Pinkie held her hoof to her chin and smiled with a devilish grin. "Don't worry I know what would make her all happy again." She happily chirped. "Now give me a second and I'll get everything all set."

A few moments later.

The door to Twilight's room opened up to expose a very disgruntled looking Twilight. Her mane was a mess and she had ink on her coat. "Spike... I need you to send this one maybe she'll respond this Time..." She asked in a tired yet depressing manner. "Spike?" Her voice picking up to its normal tone. The library was clean but very dark. Just as she walked down the stairs it was clear to see that even the books that were covering the floor were put back and organized."Spike are you down there?..." She asked beginning to feel a bit curious.

In an instant, a very bright light and a loud pop surprised her causing her to fall off the last few steps. The lights then flicked on. "Sur...prise?.." Said the pink pony knowing she was in a bit of trouble. Twilight gave her a stern look then a sad one. She then levitated the scroll to spike while she trotted over to a little couch and sat down.

Unsure of what to do Pinkie joined her friend. "What's with the frowny face Twilight?" She asked with a comforting voice.

Spike watched as Pinkie placed her hoof on Twilight's shoulder. Twilight began to give in and lifted her head. "Ever since that day at the Diamond dog mine, the Princess and Shining have stopped replying to my messages." She sadly replied.

"But, what about Luna? She was here a couple of days ago wasn't she?" Asked the Pink pony. "She must've had something to say."

"When she was here she mostly was here to deal with the mayor about the kidnapped ponies. It's been eating at me for a while." Replied Twilight as she let out a sigh.

"What if she's just giving you a vacation for a while? That has to be it!"shouted Pinkie as she bounced around happily.

"Yeah you've been studying a bit too hard Twilight. Wouldn't it make sense to take a break once in a while" chirped Spike adding to the conversation. He handed her a cup of fruit punch that Pinkie had made earlier.

Twilight was beginning to slowly warm up to the idea and got up. "You know what. I think I will take a small vacation... After... I read this" she levitated a book towards herself but Spike worked it free and shelved it. Pinkie cheerfully laughed as she picked up a piece of cake and handed it to Twilight which she began to eat.

A few days later.

It was a bright and sunny morning as everyone in town began to and Spike emerged from their home with a picnic basket. Spike managed to talk Twilight into inviting the girls out for an open picnic as a way to get her mind off of the whole Celestia ordeal. As they walked towards the park they noticed That there seemed to be a small commotion around the park. Three little fillies chasing around other ponies with a ball. Though Twilight found it a bit amusing she let her curiosity get the better of her and went to check what they were up to.v"Hello girls. What's the mission this time?" Asked Twilight.

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom stopped while Scootaloo continued to pursue a blue pony. "We're trying to find out who this ball belongs to." Sweetie Belle happily answered.

"Yeah! Big sis found it on our roof and gave it to me. She was also saying that last night somepony was throwing stones at the house again." Answered Apple Bloom as she tried to catch her breath. "We're also looking for the one responsible for it."

"Hmm..." Twilight hummed to herself. "That ball looks like the ones that the troops play with in Canterlot." She levitated the ball and gave it a better look. It had what looked to be a few weird burn marks and that had to have been frozen at one point." She then floated it back towards them.

"Are you sure Twilight?" Asked Sweetie Belle. She hung her head waiting for a reply.

"Your best bet is finding someone who's been to Canterlot recently..." Twilight replied as she looked for where Spike went off with the basket. Spike began to call for Twilight implying that he was already getting impatient.

"Best of wishes in your mission girls." Said Twilight as she waved her hoof goodbye and trotted along toward Spike.

"Geeze!... Twilight. What took ya?" He asked slightly peeved. "Now the girls should be right over there. Of course the girls were already there with a blanket all set and an umbrella looking over a small pond. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie must've been impatient as they were already swimming around. AppleJack sat by the water with Fluttershy who was surrounded by little woodland animals. Lastly Rarity sat on a beach chair sunbathing with her shades and hat on.

"Oh there you are darling we were waiting quite a while for you two." Said Rarity as she lifted her shades with her magic.

"Yeah sorry about that. I got a bit held up." Replied Twilight."But, here we are." Spike gave a bow and placed the basket on the blanket that was already laid out. As both Twilight and Rarity continued their conversation, Applejack had made her way over towards them.

"Hey Twilight I've been meaning to ask ya bout something. You see there have been these rocks coming from the sky and hitting our house. Do ya think you can help me find out where they've been coming from?" Asked the farmer.

"Yeah sure, do you have one of them on you by any chance?" Replied Twilight with a confused look.

Applejack lifted her hat and pulled a small bag of stones out. "Here ya are." She said as she put her signature hat back on.

Twilight levitated the bag over and pulled out one of its contents. She pulled out a single pebble and closely looked at it. "These are just regular rocks. But... There is a faint trace of some kind of magic..." She explained. "Wait a minute. Hey Spike does this look familiar to you?" She asked her little assistant.

Spike took the bag and began to sniff at the pebbles. "Hmm... They smell familiar but I can't put my claw on it just yet." He said as he examined the stones.

"Ehh... Spike? Do you eat regular stones too?" Asked Rarity lowering her shades."

"Well when he was in Canterlot he-" said Twilight before she was abruptly interrupted.

"That only happened once and you know it Twilight! And no I don't like to eat rocks. They taste like tree bark." Replied spike.

"Wait... You've tried to eat a tree Spike?" Asked Twilight with a slightly intrigued face.

"No! I don't eat TREES... Well anyway these smell and look pretty familiar but, I don't know where I've seen them." Answered Spike Flustered. As he calmed down, he put the stones back in the bag and handed them back to Applejack. "If it's not gonna bother anypony I'm gonna go for a swim." Applejack still seemed a bit worried She took the bag and put it back under her hat.

"I think it's time we get back to actually having a fun day. I planned out our whole day already. Come on Applejack lets go have some fun." Said Twilight as they headed toward the water to swim.

At a rather short distance away

The CMC continued on with their ball mystery. They stalked every stallion, mare and foal that passed them by. A brown stallion trotted by with a small black booklet and a copy of an Equestria daily. "Hey there mister!" Asked Apple Bloom with a smile.

The brown stallion placed the things in his mouth on the ground and answered. "Hi there! Yes um. What is it that you need?" Trotting in place.

"What're you in a hurry for? Asked Sweetie Belle. As she smiled with Apple Bloom. "Are you looking for something? Huh?"

Scootaloo joined in the smiling as she also held up the ball. "Is it this?" She shoved the ball near his face.

"Yeah.. uhm no it's more like someone. It's really important that I find this person." He replied as he picked up the paper. A blurry picture of a two legged creature was on the front of it.

The three little fillies all sighed in disappointment. "Now if you excuse me I will be on my way." He picked up everything and continued down the path.

"Dang it Apple Bloom I don't think we're ever gonna find the owner we've already asked the whole town. Lets just put it into the lost and found bin. It's over at the mayor's office isn't it?" Asked Sweetie Belle as she held her head low.

"Yeah... I guess you're right we already asked every pony in the whole town. Maybe someone will pick it up eventually." Scootaloo answered looking defeated but, still eager.

The three of them got back on Scootaloo's scooter/wagon hybrid that they put together. As they departed the sounds of the little Pegasus's wings buzzing filled the air.

"What else can we try?" Asked the little Unicorn nodding her head.

"Why don't we go see if the mayor needs any help? She must have something to do." Said Scootaloo as she turned into the town square. The scooter whizzed by various little stands, ponies, and nearly smashed into Ditzy. Finally they got to their destination. The three of them got off the scooter wagon and put the ball into a big blue bin. Scootaloo pushed open the door as she led the way inside. "Hello? Mayor mare? We were wondering if you had any jobs for us to do?" Asked Apple Bloom closing the door.

Sweetie Belle pouted as there was no response. "Maybe they're not in. Maybe we should go before we get in trouble." She hesitantly answered. Suddenly, a loud sneeze made her jump into the hooves of Scootaloo who dropped her on the ground.

"Listen... It came from over there." Scootaloo pointed her hoof over towards another part of the room and motioned for the others to follow.

The room was quiet and rather dark during the day. As they slowly snuck around another sneeze alerted the three of them causing them to fall over one another. "Hello? Is anyone there? Asked the voice of an elderly mare.

"Mayor mare? We were hoping to see if you had any jobs for us." Asked Sweetie Belle as she crawled out from under her friends. "Wait your not Mayor mare."

"That's right I'm the assistant. Now what is it you're looking for today?" Asked the under the weather mare. She had a yellow coat of fur and a bluish mane. She also bore a folder cutie mark

"We were wondering is the mayor in?" Asked Sweetie Belle one more.

"Mayor mare? She's not here at the *sneeze* the moment. She supervising a construction project." Replied the assistant.

"Are you okay?... You seem a bit sick." Asked Apple Bloom as she trotted up towards Sweetie bell.

"Oh no worries. its just a cold. It's nothing to be afraid of." Replied the assistant as she filed away some paper.

The three of them turned and bowed their head downwards as they began to head towards the door. "Hey girls! Don't get into any trouble got it?" Warned the assistant pony. She wore a rather cheerful yet modest face

The girls exited the the mayors office still disappointed. "Maybe we should go and see what my sister and the others are up to. I bet they're having more fun than we are." Said Apple Bloom perking her ears upwards. They each nodded in agreement as they climbed onto the scooter and departed.

Meanwhile (back at the picnic.)

The girls had already packed up. Twilight held up her list of stuff to do. Spike carried the basket and some of Rarity's much heavier objects.

"Well that was good and dandy what're we up to now?" Asked Applejack placing her hat back on.

"Next we have the spa appointment. But I think it's better we drop the picnic gear over at Rarity's boutique first. Is that fine Rarity?" Replied Twilight as she levitated the scroll back into her basket.

"Oh, yes that will be quite fine. I think that would be wise. Poor Spiky here seems to be getting a bit tuckered out. She pointed to Spike who really was carrying more than his own weight.

Twilight seemed bothered by something. Though she tried to ignore it the more it pried into her mind. Was the princess purposely ignoring her or was she in trouble. It made almost no sense why she would have cut off all contact with her.

"Hey Twilight! Are you gonna stand there all day we're waiting for you." Shouted an impatient Pinkie Pie. Her voice brought Twilight to her senses as she noticed her friends were already yards away on the path. She focused her magic and disappeared.

"Twilight? Where'd you go?" Asked the pink pony unaware of where her friend went. Suddenly a flash gave her a shock.

"I'm right here Pinkie. Sorry to keep you waiting. Lets go." Replied Twilight leading the way.

It didn't take long for them to reach the boutique and ditch the gear. The day was nearing its end but, it wasn't going to stop their fun. As they trotted their way towards the spa they noticed that there was another big commotion going on by the windmill heading towards the bridge to the Everfree Forest. Mayor Mare was there speaking to the construction crew while several ponies stood in front of the barricades. Feeling inquisitive, Twilight trotted over along with the others and joined the other spectators.

"What's going on?" Asked the little dragon as he climbed up onto the barricade to get a better view.

"It looks like they're fixing up the old windmill." Answered Twilight as she slowly turned her intention towards Mayor Mare.

Mayor Mare was at a work station looking over a clipboard that she repeatedly erased and wrote on. "Are the repairs nearly completed yet?

"We are nearly completed madam. All we have left to do is finish painting." Replied a female pony as she walked back and fourth.

"And what of the furniture are they all accounted for?" Asked the Mayor putting down the notepad.

"Yes madam the furniture along with the appliances have arrived." Replied the worker. She slowly began to approach the Mayor. "Umm if you don't mind Mrs. Mayor. Would you kindly explain as of why we are renovating this place?"

"Well The Princess did not clarify as to why but, we are to be expecting someone and that they will be requiring a temporary home. Also she did not specify when he or she will be arriving so, I find it safer to have it ready for when the time arises."explained the Mayor.

The mare who asked the question nodded her head and returned to her work. As Mayor mare worked The girls and Spike already feeling the time turned to leave for the spa when Twilight noticed several boxes that bore the mark of the Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. "That's strange.., what are these for?" She questioned herself. She closely eyeballed the boxes as a few ponies placed them on a wagon and pulled them into the living quarters. With the boxes out of view she returned to following her friends. She continually shook her head. "I wonder what the Mayor is up to..."

"What is it Twilight?" Asked Spike as he hopped back on. "Didya see anything weird?"

"I don't really know... But I could've sworn I saw boxes from Canterlot. I guess it's nothing really." Twilight held her hoof to her chin in concentration before getting up. They continued on their way towards the spa completely unbothered. Once there they each ordered the same package deal as one another except Spike seeing as the Twins didn't really have any procedures for him other than a mineral bath.

On the other side of town

A mysterious red unicorn appeared out of a rather big yellow flash.

"Ohh... God...I don't think I'm ever gonna get used to that..." Said the unicorn as he sat down with his hooves on his forehead. He had a reddish coat and a saddle bag. He pulled out a small parchment that held a map and legend of the town. "The princess really knows her way around here" he slowly looked at the map eager to reach his location. Calmly, he stood up and stretched his legs. He then proceeded to cross the bridge into town.

Chapter 9: A new Arrival

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Chapter 9: A new Arrival

(Continued from chapter 8)

The day faded as the sun was already nearing sunset. Ponyville remained full of life as usual, except for the Red Unicorn that appeared out of the blue. He had already gotten over the bridge and soon began to near a few familiar parts of town. Buildings were styled in all sorts of shapes and designs. The path through town was full of other multicolored ponies that it would've drove a normal person crazy. "I really have to hurry up and get this over with." He thought to himself. He looked at the center of the map and noticed the round building at the center. "I guess this is the place."

He had reached the Town hall but as he walked towards it he notice a grey Pegasus flying above him. "Excuse me Mister?" Asked the derped Pegasus.

The unicorn looked around looking for the owner of the voice. "Uh... Hello?" He turned once again only to see the door and nobody around him.

"Up here mister." Said the derpy pony. She sat atop the roof of the mayors office. "Have you seen a crazy brown pony running around?" She stared at the red pony as he scratched his chin.

"Nope, I don't think so. Why and how did you get up there?" Asked the red Unicorn.

"Oh, no reason I'm just looking for somepony. And I'm a Pegasus duh, I can fly." She jumped into the air and hovered for a bit until she suddenly fell to the ground. "Umm oops... Sorry about that."

"Are you okay?!" Shouted the unicorn as he rushed to help her up.

"Yeah I am-" her eyes quickly locked onto something and she quickly dashed away towards it.

"Ok... Not weird.." He whispered to himself as he pushed opened the door. Inside he looked around but, nobody was in sight other than that sneezing mare. he trotted over and knocked on the desk. "Hello there I am looking for the mayor, do you think you can tell me where I can find her?"

"Oh yes dear just like I told those little fillies earlier. She's over at the windmill." Said the old assistant her eyes scanning a document. "You must be that new pony moving into the old windmill am I correct?"

"Dang, the princess must've known this was going to happen as well." The red Unicorn thought. He turned his attention back to the old assistant and nodded his head yes.

"Then you're just in time the place should be just about finished. They started working on the place a few days ago."She took her eyes off the paper and looked up at him. "Once you find the mayor she will have you sign these papers and then we will need to complete your identification papers."

The red unicorn once again nodded his head as he brought out the map once again. He found a small part of the map that had been marked by a big red circle. "Thank you. I think I got it."

"Alright we'll see you later then" she waved a hoof and returned to scanning her documents. As the unicorn reached the door a sudden sneeze surprised him. He turned around to see that the old mare wipe her nose with a handkerchief. He opened the door and exited. He then proceeded to follow the map.

At the spa

The girls after having been treated with all sorts of things such as mineral baths, hoof pedicures, and many other procedures. Finally left the Spa. "That was truly Divine. I haven't seen my horn shine like this in ages." Rarity jumped as she celebrated in glee. Pinkie joined in and mimicked almost all of Rarity's actions.

"But Rarity weren't you just here Yesterday? Asked Pinky stoping in mid air then slowly sinking to the ground.

"I gotta admit Twilight that was good and relaxing but, I gotta go and collect Apple Bloom and head on home. I reckon Big Mac is probably done with today's buckin." Added Applejack tying her mane and tail to their usual styles.

Rainbow dash sighed as she got off the massage table and began to pop her back. "Woo... That's just what I needed." She jumped into the air and hovered while Fluttershy just watched as she quietly got off her own massage table and walked over to the rest of them.

Twilight sat happily as she checked her list. "Hey Twilight looks like everyone is done here. Where are we going now?" Asked Spike as he approached. He still wore a towel from a previous bath.

Twilight waved her scroll towards him and exposed the final act. "A sleep over." She announced in a happy manner. She rolled the scroll back up and put it into her saddle. She got up and trotted over to her friends. Her mane flowed thanks to a recent hair treatment. "So who's gonna be joining us for a sleepover tonight?"

Her friends looked at her with some happy yet sad expressions. Applejack was the first to speak up. "I have apple buckin on my list of things. But maybe next time sugar cube." She said as she put her right hoof forward.

"I think I can make it if I feed Angel and the others early today." Whispered Fluttershy as she also put her hoof forward.

Pinkie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash all had the same answer. "Of course we are." With that everyone except Applejack were going.

"That settles it. If we can meet up at the library later, we can get the party started." Twilight then rolled up the scroll and packed it away.

Spike after wiping off the remains of his bath threw the towel aside and picked up an Equestria Daily and began to read. "I'll meet you all later. I have to ask the mayor something. Come on Spike" the little dragon walked over and hopped on while still reading the piece of paper. With that she teleported herself out of the room.

At the center of town

The red unicorn sat near a fountain as he continued to try to memorize the map. Slowly his eyes fixed on several of the buildings that stand out among the others. The town hall seemed to be the tallest building in the whole area. The map also depicted a buildup of tents, areas full of cottages, a few of the shops. He sighed and picked his head up towards the town hall.

Getting up, he caught a glimpse of the grey Pegasi and a few other bunch of the ponies heading towards him. So he chose to run towards another path that was on the map.

Finally making it to the construction site. Mayor mare and the crew were already putting the last of the equipment away. As the construction crew pulled their wagon full of tools away, the red unicorn trotted his way to the entrance and knocked. Mayor mare quickly answered the door. "Oh. hello there you must be the one the princess mentioned please I will need you to follow me to my office. But, why don't you just drop your belongings here."

Remaining silent he did as she said though his mind was not at ease. He placed the saddle bag by the slightly new sofa and made his way out the door and back to following the Mayor

"Now then, I must welcome you to this town. But I am curious to know. When did you start studying under the princess? I thought she only had one student." Asked the Mayor waving a hoof at a pony standing behind a booth. He was unsure of what to say he kept his head low as he tried to think of an excuse. Thinking back he wondered how long ago it was he started. "Well?..." The mayor still waited for a response.

The red Unicorn suddenly remembered what he was doing and answered. "A... Umm... A while now." He stammered accidentally tripping over an apple. Into a bunch of little fillies."Oww..."

"Wow!...Are you alright mister?" A little voice asked.

The Red Unicorn opened his eyes only to see a hoof poke him in his eye. " Yeah im-... Ack!" He quickly got up and rubbed his face.

"Oops! Sorry mister!" The little filly quickly backed away. To her friends. "What did you do Sweetie Belle?" Another voice asked coming closer towards them.

Slowly the Red Unicorn opened his eyes to see a familiar trio. The first thing he locked onto was a big pink bow. "It's... It's you guys from the cave again?..." Suddenly he realized his situation. "Uhh never mind wrong person! I'm new in town soooo... Wait up Mayor!" He blurted out in a panicked then suddenly ran towards the mayor and followed behind her.

"What was that about?..." Asked Apple Bloom scratching her head. She then began to fix up the mess where the Red Unicorn fell. "Hey Sweetie Belle! Mind helping me out here?"

Sweetie Belle hopped over and began helping her friend. "Hey Scootaloo aren't you gonna help us? Or are you gonna stare at them all day? Scootaloo?" She stopped helping and trotted over to her friend. "Hello?... Ponyville to Scootaloo, come in Scootaloo!"

Scootaloo sat there watching The red pony and the Mayor walk into City hall. "Did you see that?..."

"See what?!" Asked Apple Bloom as she picked up the last of the debris.

"He was a Blank Flank!" Exclaimed Scootaloo excitedly. "We can get him to join us and we can earn all our cutie marks together!"

"I don't know about that. He looks pretty busy already. Doesn't he?" Replied Sweetie Belle with a worried expression. "Maybe he's just visiting the town"

"Naww! Nonsense remember, he said he was new in town. So, that means he probably just moved in." Replied the eager Pegasus. "Come on let's tail him and find out!" She then ran towards the hall and hopped up towards the window. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom both copied their friend and listened in.

The Mayor Sat at her desk while the Red Unicorn sat on the opposite side signing a few papers. The Mayors assistant sat at a little desk using a typewriter.

"Now sir, from this document I received from the Princess states that you will be residing here to study under her guidance is that right?" The Mayor sternly asked.

"Yes madam." The Unicorn replied.

"This document also states that you will be requiring a place to practice magic am I correct?" Asked the mayor continuing with her scanning of the document.

"Yes madam. I need a place that nobody uses." He gingerly requested.

"Hmm... How about the field between the Everfree and the Sweet Apple Acres? It measures an acre and a half. Nopony ever uses that spot."

"Yeah that seems alright." He replied putting the quill down and pushing his papers over.

The mayor put a grin on her face as she put the document on the desk. "Good now that leaves one thing. What is your name?"

This question caught him a bit by surprise. The Unicorn hadn't really thought of that. What was his name?..."My name?... My name is..." He looked at his hooves, his mane and then he reached for his chest and gasped. His hoof brushed against a metal object that hung from his neck. He used his hoof to look at it. A pendant that bore a seal of what seemed to be a silver royal looking crest with a red triangle jewel at its center hung there. "My... Name is... Red. My name is Red... Just call me Red."

"Okay Mr. Red. This is the key to your windmill and here are the deeds, and the rest of your paperwork." Replied the Mayor handing him a envelope containing the papers."Within that envelope are the papers to your home and a permit for the field. Please enjoy your stay in Ponyville." The Mayor managed to finish saying.

"Thank you for the help." Red took the envelope and waved goodbye towards them on his way out.

As Red left, the CMC watched him closely as he made his way through town back to the Windmill. He quickly opened the door and stepped in. Quickly he shut the door and locked it to ensure his privacy. He put the keys on a little table that had been set up. Then he plopped himself down on a sofa and sighed.

"How did I end up like this?..."

A couple of days ago...

"Hey! Where did you go?! This is not funny!" Shouted Soarin as he panicked. He galloped his way around the courtyard. "You know how much trouble I'm gonna be in if Shining finds out I lost track of you!" An image of the Canterlot prison formed in his head. He shook the thought out of his mind and jumped into the air flying. He quickly began to scan each open floor for the human.

"What are you searching for officer?" A regal voice suddenly called out. Luna sat outside on a balcony. Shouldn't you be on guard?"

"Well... He wasn't in his room when I came in this morning so I expected him to be someplace around here... And uhh?... Where is Captain Shining and the troops? If you don't mind me asking."

Luna laughed a little as she got up from her seat. "He has been in the library all morning going through spell books. It seems from the lessons he got from my sister yesterday, that he's gotten a knack for magic." She still began to laugh a little as Soarin began to calm down. "Shining decided to bring his men out to patrol. He still seems a bit mad."

"And why is that your highness?" Asked the Officer eager to learn more.

"Joe turned him into a chicken and in front of my sister as well." She broke out into a torrent of laughter."it was rather amusing."

Soarin tried to keep himself quiet but, he couldn't keep the image of Shining Armor as a chicken out of his mind. "Heh. I would've paid to see that." He quietly whispered.

Luna calmed herself down. "Currently my sister has begun giving him another lesson on learning how to control and use his magic freely"

"Okay thank you, your highness I will go check on him anyway." Said Soarin as he hopped into the air and began flapping his wings as he took off towards the Royal library.

Already at the library Joe sat at a window littered with books while reading one. Celestia sat across from him at a table working on a few papers.

Joe smiled while reading each page with his eager mind. There were spells for almost everything. Spells for food, spells for motion, spells for the wildlife, spells for ponies and spells for spells that work on other spells while letting a spell work a spell. Though he appeared content he felt that the castle was beginning to feel rather cramped.

"Hey your majesty?" Asked Joe lifting his head from the book.

"Yes?" She kindly responded. "And I thought I told you that you have no need to refer to me in such a way." She turned her head towards him.

"May I be excused to go practice a few of these outside?" Asked Joe in a polite manner.

"Yes you may but be careful. We still don't understand the full capabilities of your power. For all we know that little accident earlier could have been permanent." Her tone becoming a little more serious."I hope you do know that."

"Yes I do." Said Joe levitating a stack of books into his arms. "See ya later your highness." And with that he left the library.

Shortly after Joe departed, Soarin swooped into the balcony. "Hey Joe! Where are you?!" His eyes fixed themselves on who was currently in the room. "Ahh! Your majesty I'm sorry I thought Joe was in here."

Celestia shushed and kept at her eyes on her work as Soarin continued. "This is a library you know." She said as her quill levitated above the paper. "Oh well, do you think you have a little time for a chat?"

"Yes your majesty." He replied as he sat back up.

"These last few days have been rather lively with our new friend hasn't it?" She put the quill down and turned towards him. "Things will be getting a little more difficult soon... Be sure to not be late next time alright." She levitated the papers into an envelope and in a sudden flash it disappeared. She then got up and walked towards the door.

"Princess? Where is The human?" He asked as he he stood up as well.

"He should be in the courtyard practicing. Be careful though, the Cptain learned that the hard way" she smiled as she finished and walked out. Hearing that Soarin jumped back out of the window and out into the air. Sure enough there was Joe sitting in a spot facing the horizon. He levitated a rock that began to glow and change shape. It stretched and changed color until it turned into the shape of an acorn. He dropped the acorn into his hand and examined it.

"There you are! I could've gotten in trouble if Shining were here." Said Soarin as he sat a short distance behind him.

Joe turned to see the officer then turned back to the acorn in the palm of his hand. "Hey there. Where in the heck were you this morning?" He asked handing the acorn to a little squirrel that scurried over in wonder. The squirrel took it and ate it in delight.

"I was late..." Replied Soarin looking towards the grass.

Joe sighed. "You missed a good show. I accid-" he was interrupted by the sound of another pair of wings flapping in.

"You turned my husband into a chicken." She began laughing as she touched the ground.

"Mrs. Cadence!" Said Soarin shocked to see her out and about. "What brings you out here? Is Shining back?..." He quickly began to fix up his uniform.

"No. No. I've just come to meet him. " replied Cadence pointing at Joe as she still giggled. "Hi there my name is Cadence and I'm pretty sure you know my husband Shining. I've heard a lot about you." She walked over to him and extended a hoof.

Joe took it and shook it. "Hello to you too. You married Shining?" He then let go of Cadence's hoof as she sat next to him.

"Yeah, he's not that bad once you get to know him. He's a really kind guy. He's been like that ever since I met him." She sighed then she turned towards Joe. "I hear that you are the one who helped in rescuing the ponies in the EverFree caves. Did the changeling the hurt you or do anything to you?" Her face and tone of voice turned serious.

Joe thought about it and remembered the look of Culex and his broken face. "He tried to kill me after he mentioned something about his Queen or something?"

Cadence frowned upon hearing that. Joe knew that those were not the words she wanted to hear.

"She's still out there... "She suddenly became quiet but quickly perked up. Well thank you Mr. Joe it's been a pleasure meeting you." She put a smile back on her face and stood up.

"It's been a pleasure meeting you as well Mrs. Cadence." Joe replied with a solemn face.

"See ya later." She began trotting away and waved towards them. Both Joe and Soarin waved back as she trotted her way into the castle. Joe resumed reading his book while Soarin sat there watching him.

After a few hours

Soarin began pacing as Joe focused his magic on a potted plant that had been sitting by him. First it glowed red with Joe's magic flowing through it. It then began to grow and sprout into a bush covered in thick green leaves and a rainbow of different colored flowers.

"That's incredible! I've never seen anybody do something like that." Shouted the highly impressed Soarin. He trotted over and gave it a whiff. "I bet she would've-... Hey do you think you can follow me? I think I want to deliver a few of those to someone." He then began to pick a few flowers

Joe closed his book and stood up. "I guess. I think I need a break my heads beginning to throb." He levitated the rest of the stack of books into his hands and began walking into the castle with Soarin following close with a bouquet of the rainbow flowers. As they ventured past the gate and into the reaches of the city ponies stared with disgust and over pompous faces while several others stared with curiosity. Nopony budged as the human and pony made their way towards a small shop within the city square.

"This is the place! Oh! I hope she's still in there." Shouted Soarin happily and in relief."I can already smell the pies can't you?"

Joe looked around for those who still stared. They did not look all too happy. He then looked at Soarin. "Yeah man. Aren't we gonna head in now?" He opened the door to the shop and lowered his head as he pulled the pony inside.

"Oh my!" Shouted a female voice from behind the counter top. "Soarin! What is that?!" A light brown Pegasus shouted in fright. She had an even lighter shade of brown mane and a pie with a dollop of whip cream on top of it. She also wore a little apron and a chef's hat.

Soarin trotted over to her with a smile and handed her the bouquet of flowers. "Here you go beautiful."

"Oh, my Soarin! These are beautiful!" She shouted in glee and surprise. "Where did you find these?" Said the mare as she gave him a hug.

"My friend over here made them and I thought you'd enjoy them." He pointed towards Joe and winked at him. Joe shot him back the thumbs up and smiled.

"Are you guys hungry? I just made a fresh batch of pies. You guys are welcomed to eat some." She said enthusiastically. She disappeared into the back and suddenly appeared with a coconut cream pie and a couple of plates. She placed them on the small table.

Both Joe and Soarin sat themselves down as Cream Pie cut out a couple of pieces of the pie and placed them onto each of the plates. "Dig in." She happily exclaimed as Soarin began eating. Joe picked up a piece of the pie and bit into it. His taste buds erupted into a flurry of enjoyment as he scarfed the rest of it down.

After twelve or so pies...

Soarin and Joe had made their way back towards the castle with several ponies still eyeing them. "Oh man that was great Did you see that fridge? It literally had about a hundred in there." He jumped up into the air and began to fly. "Oh but her face... I loved the look on her face when I showed her those flowers. She really loved them... Thanks pal. It was all thanks to you."

Joe felt rather happy for the moment. He didn't care about everyone of the ponies giving him a stink eye only that he made one of his only friends here happy. "It was nothing." He replied he looked towards the sun and noticed where it was. "Crap we gotta get to the castle before I'm late. I need to go show Celestia the stuff I managed to get going."

"You mean the spells?" Asked Soarin still in the air.

"Yeah. Hey watch this one I learned it this morning." He stood in a running position as a red glow began to form at his feet. Suddenly he bolted towards the castle with an incredible speed. As he ran by several buildings and stands objects were being blown away by the force of the wind.

"Hey! Wait up!" Shouted Soarin as he quickly flew after the human. They quickly managed to reach the entrance as Soarin collapsed to the ground panting. "I... Want... A... Rematch..." He managed to mutter out in between breaths.

"To bad. We're already here. Maybe next time." Joe got back up and walked into the castle.

"Hey!... Wait up!" He shouted while still on the ground.

"Wow...Soarin... Did I just see a Wonderbolt get his flanked beat? Cause this is just too good." Said a female voice.

"Waaa!... Spitfire what are you doing here?!" Shouted the panicked Pegasus.

"Relax. I was just enjoying the race. I noticed you guys were having fun so I wanted to see what's up." She asked in a casual manner.

"Well it started thi-"

(We already know that so let's just go now)

Joe walked his way into the throne room where Celestia was already waiting for him. As Joe approached her a black fluid like shadow creeped behind him slowly. "Hey your majesty I managed to do a couple of more spells. And they were-" Suddenly, Joe turned around and used his magic to form a bubble around the shadow, it screamed as he floated the bubble into his hands.

"Oh Luna." Celestia tried to conceal her laughter as she watched. "I told you it wouldn't work Luna."

"Oh crap. I didn't know." Joe slowly dropped the bubble and let the princess out. She flowed out as a shadow and materialized back into her original form but rather dizzily.

"It's okay..." Replied Luna as her head continued to spin. "I'm. I. I think I'm gonna go sit down for a little sister." She awkwardly trotted toward the throne and sat down.

Still giggling. "I haven't seen anything like that in a while. That was rather clever." Said Celestia as she walked towards Joe. "Come now I think it is better we talk during dinner."

"That was the spell The Captain showed me... Before he turned into a chicken. I sorta was able to change it out a little." Said Joe as he followed. They continued to talk as Luna slowly got to her hooves and followed as well.

The dining hall was well prepared as the few of the chef ponies placed plates with lids onto the long table and walked back out with the carts they pulled the meals in with. Celestia was the first to sit as the rest followed shortly. Several other ponies such as Shining Armor and Cadence joined as well as a few of the castle staff. Once seated the meals were uncovered to reveal a hearty meal of fruits and salads.

After a brief moment of silence everyone began to dig in along with both of the Princesses. Joe ate rather slowly than the rest of them mostly due to the fact he rather use his fork and spoon with his hands rather than with magic.

"Mr. Joe right now seems like a good time to chat shall we?" Asked Celestia as she used a napkin to wipe around her mouth

Joe picked up a piece of lettuce and looked at it he grimaced and put it down. "Yeah" he replied as he turned towards her.

"As you probably know already. We have been endlessly searching for a spell that can return you home. There have been rumors and other stories that I myself do not remember." She paused for a bit and face the table.

"And? What does this mean?" Asked the human as he listened intently.

"He had secrets that I myself do not know yet... And from under these circumstances, you may be trapped here permanently..." She once again paused and closed her eyes. "It is just a theory but, it seems as it seems." Joe remained quiet as he listened. His eyes focused on the table. He stayed like this until the princess broke her silence. "We mustn't lose hope there is a spell that he did mention while he was still here, he told us it would allow him to traverse the universes." She reopened her eyes and looked around as Luna and several others turned towards her.

Joe picked up his hand and focused it towards Shining Armor. He began to glow red and suddenly flashed into a chicken. Everyone tried to conceal their laughter including Celestia and the guards.

"That's better." Joe laughed. He quickly turned Shining back. "I just needed a little pick me up. Sorry about that Captain."he returned to his quiet state.

Shining's face grew red with anger had his horn glowing at the ready. he aimed at Joe who sat there with his head still aimed at the table. Cadence put her hoof on his back. He looked her in the eyes and sighed as his horn stopped glowing. "I accept your apology." He quickly picked his head back up to Look towards the human. "But the next time you do that I won't be too happy."

Celestia smiled then began to frown when She turned to Joe who still stared at his plate. He gave off a rather melancholy feel of things. She got up and put a hoof on his shoulder. "Don't worry there will be a way." Her horn glowed and a book materialized. It was an old tattered book that simply bore a swirl of stars on the cover. She then levitated it towards Joe who took it. "That was one of the many Journals Star Swirl had written before he passed. I hope it proves useful."

Joe took the book and left without saying another word. Celestia watched as the whole table was unable to say anything until dinner was over. Luna had left to complete her duties of the night.

Celestia sat at a balcony looking towards the moon. She muttered as she opened her eyes revealing glowing white eyes. "What must I do?..." She asked herself as she snapped out of her trance. Her eyes returned to normal and got up. She quickly entered her chambers and passed a mound of scrolls that sat upon a small table near the door. She immediately went towards her book case and popped out a few books that landed on the table. They were as wrinkled and old as the one she had given Joe. As she opened one of the books she levitated a stack of silver bits next to her. It glowed a bright yellow as she manipulated its shape into a molten fluid form and then she fixed herself into a better position as she focused even more of her magic into it.

The next day...

Joe walked the streets of Canterlot unsupervised. He had his hands stuffed into his pockets as he levitated the book Celestia had given him the night before right in front of him to read easier.

He was dead set on reading the book that he was unaware of several ponies following him with looks of disgust. They had been on his tail since he had left the castle early in the morning. The night before had caught up with in a way that shocked him into a constant spacing out. Though the situation seemed grim he chose to not panic as in turn try to stay sane in this world. He sighed in disappointment as he read through the book only to find notes of several spells but no actual ways they could help him. The last known whereabouts that Star Swirl had conducted tests on the spell described were most likely within the Everfree. Both of the princesses had warned of the kinds of dangers that the forest possessed. The thought of having these little sentient horses sacrifice themselves in order to find the spell seemed like torture on his mind along with the idea of never leaving. To make matters worse it seemed half of the town hated him. A memory from this morning flashed in his mind. Shining warned of the town and how many of these little ponies did not like the idea of having anything other than their own kind in town. Joe noticed several of the ones behind him galloping at him horns priming themselves to fire a spell. Joe saw this as a sign that he should've taken Shining's words more seriously. He took the book into his hands as he began to bolt with the dozens of ponies following him in haste.

"I've gotta get back quick! What the heck is their problem?!" He thought to himself as he ran.

"Get it! Don't let it escape!" Shouted one with a net slung around his back. Several of them that were unicorns began to shoot some sort of net like spell while others tried to launch an assortment of other spells towards him. He quickly dodged to the side and engulfed himself in the shield spell Shining armor had taught him. The ponies chasing him began to throw rocks and spells while yelling "It's mine" at each other.

"Wait what?..." He held the shield taking every shot these ponies threw at him. Feeling pressured he manipulated the shield into a cylinder and used his magic to jump through an opening in the top of his shield onto the roof of a building. The Pegasi in the group jumped into the air while the others hoofed it. Joe had to find a place to hide until he could find a way to get out of the town and back to the castle.

Back in the castle.

Celestia paced back and forth as Soarin burst into the throne room panting and breathing heavily. "I...*gasp*... Can't... Find him anywhere! *gasp*..." Dusty and a few of the other servants came into the room as well. Finally Luna came in last.

"Sister I have received news about an incident in Canterlot... You better read this." She levitated a scroll towards her sister and walked away.

Celestia opened the scroll and scanned each line of text. She levitated the scroll towards Soarin and quietly said to herself. "It's already begun..." Soarin got up and was about to leave until Celestia called him back. "Soarin I have a mission for you."

Back in the streets of Canterlot. (Joe)

One of the earth ponies that were tailing Joe passed through an empty alley or so he thought. Suddenly two hands reached out and grabbed him. "Whats you guys problem?!" Shouted Joe as he held the pony by his mane. The pony was clearly frightened as Joe held a blunt object at its back.

"I ain't telling nothing" said the pony in a frightened western accent. He gulped as his captor formed a red shield around him. "Wait! Wait! Wait... Well... There were these two shady looking fellers they had these brown robes or something over them. They had these big glowing blue eyes."

Joe shook the sphere shaped shield."Get to the point... I don't have all day!" He whispered angrily. "Why are you guys trying to catch me?!" He then began to close the shield.

"Wait! Wait!" The pony shouted. Joe slowly opened the shield. "They offered a reward. About Five hundred thousand bits. We couldn't refuse. At first there were only a few of us outside the town but when more of those shady guys showed up again they got all fiery and turned into regular old pony folk except their eyes they were glowing like blue fireflies you know. Just between you and me these guys smell like a bunch of dirty cockroaches."

Joe lowered the shield and set the pony go. "Get out of here." He whispered as he watched the pony go As the pony walked out he slowly looked back at Joe then out the alley. "Hey y'all that feller those guys are looking fer is over here!" He shouted then trotted out and away from Joe.

The human rolled his eyes and dashed out the alley way pushing that one pony out of the way. As the approaching group got closer his feet began to glow red then he suddenly bolted out of there. He ran until he bumped into a group of the regular townsfolk.

"Ahhh! Theres a monster it's gonna eat us!" Yelled a couple of surprised townsfolk. Clearing off his mess Joe managed to get back up and run at a regular pace. But was quickly surrounded by a few of them including two strange ones. Their eyes glowed blue and seemed to have a hiss to their voice.

The two strange ponies began to circle the surrounding ponies and human suddenly one of them spoke. "Do you know how long it took for us to find you? Our general was worried that you were dead."

"Wait who?" Asked Joe as he tried to follow their movement.

"Hey!" Someone suddenly shouted. Joe turned his head to his where the noise had come from. Suddenly he was shot with a green beam that materialized into one of the collars from the mine.

"Crap!" Cursed Joe as he grabbed at it.

Both of the strange ponies laughed hysterically as green flames erupted from their bodies. The ponies surrounding them fled in fear as the green flames began to circle them.

"I think you know exactly who we work for." Said one of them as the flames around their bodies faded revealing a much more shiny outer shell that looked crimson in the daylight. They also wore what looked similar to the armor the royal guards wore. They were Changelings.

Joe struggled as he tried to remove the collar. Just like in the cave it wouldn't come off. Knowing he couldn't do magic, he did the next best thing and picked up a chair. He pointed at them with an angry glare. "I never did anything to you guys. So what's your problem?!"

They chuckled and laughed. "The general still thinks the Queen will enjoy you." The other one interrupted the other. "That or the general will probably have you for himself then kill you."he hissed.

Suddenly, a purple pinkish blast shot them away. Shining along with a few other guards quickly surrounded Joe in a defensive formation as Shining tried to remove the collar. "Dang it! It won't come off... Run you need to get back to the castle!" He shouted as a few more of the changelings showed up but still in pony form. Their eyes glowed blue. Suddenly, the two other changelings turned back into their pony forms and disappeared along with the few that followed. "They're still here! Be on the look out!"

Joe ran as a big purple bubble shield was erected right behind him. As he ran the sense of regret sprung pain in his mind. "They're doing this for me again!" His mind shouted. He quickly ditched the thought as he began to feel exhausted. Without his magic working his body seemed to be loosing energy and his heavy breathing pained his fractured ribs.

Suddenly, the sound of wings surprised him as he turned to see Soarin and Spitfire towing what seemed to be a chariot. "Get on yelled Soarin as he flapped his wings hard. Joe did as he was told and jumped on. The moment Joe stabilized himself the chariot shot forward. As they flew through the sky Joe could see the regular ponies that were chasing him run towards the gate that led into Ponyville, being captured by royal guards. When he turned his head once more he could see the castle gates coming into view as well. Celestia, Luna, Nurse Blue Heart, Dusty and Cadence were already in the courtyard waiting for them.

Just as the Chariot touched ground Joe jumped off but, the moment he did the book Celestia had given him fell out of his jacket. Celestia noticed this and walked over to him. And zapped the collar causing it to disappear from his neck.

"Are you alright?" She asked trying to look into his eyes. Joe remained quiet as he quickly rushed over and gave her a hug.

"I'm... Sorry. I didn't want you or anyone to worry. I know that I have been a burden. It's those things. They've followed me here."

Celestia placed a wing over him."I'm well aware of that. I know what we should do now."

Back in the Windmill (three days later. Present Day)

Red used his magic to pick up a few objects from the saddlebag. Two little bags, two books, a jar of the medicinal jelly, a quill and a ink jar. He placed them onto a little table and sighed.

On the outside of the Windmill sat the mischievous trio as they tried to piggy back each other to see the window.

"Why do I have to be at the bottom?" angrily whispered Scootaloo. "I'm the lightest I should be on top."

Apple bloom being the heaviest shushed towards Scootaloo as Red plopped his head back onto the sofa. "I think he's going to sleep..." She whispered to everyone.

"Well wouldn't it make sense? He must've traveled pretty far." Said Sweetie Belle with her forehooves shaking.

Scoots quickly began to loose her strength as they all fell over. Red heard the commotion and got up. He walked towards the door an looked outside. As he turned towards the window nobody was there. He then trotted back inside and locked the door. The girls then fell out from a small street lamp almost appearing as if they were a part of it.

"I guess we will try another time..." Said Scootaloo with a humph. The three of them trotted back toward the main part of town while Red watched from the second floor window.

"That could be trouble... " said Red as he used his magic to take off the pendant. In a bright yellow flash his body changed into the form of the only human in Equestria. He still wore the same school outfit that he had been wearing in Canterlot and his black jacket. He walked back downstairs to the table where his belongings sat. He picked up a black book and opened it to a blank page. He levitated a quill and positioned them to write.

Day 1 - Ponyville entry 1

"Thank you everyone."

He then closed the book and placed it on the table. He still held the pendant in his hand as he looked at it and smiled "Don't worry everyone." His own words floated in his head.

The memory of his last day in Canterlot played out in his mind.

Celestia moved him towards the group if them as more troops moved out through the castle gates. Just as he walked up to them Dusty approached him with a black Saddle bag with the same design of his jacket.

"Here Mr. Joe after what the Princess told me yesterday, you're gonna be needing one of these." Said the smiling maid.

Joe looked it over and opened one of the flaps. Within it were the two bags he had gotten from the mines. "But, what?... What am I gonna need this for and why are my things in here?" He asked a bit confused.

"For this." Celestia's horn glowed with her brilliant aura. A few scrolls and a silver pendant on a silver chain necklace appeared.

"Put these in the saddle bag and put this on." She smiled. It will give you the appearance of a regular Unicorn.

As Joe took the pendant and placed it on his neck, a light erupted from his body as it morphed into that of a red coated Unicorn. Celestia smiled that it had succeeded as planned.

Joe looked over to where his hands and feet used to be. Then he tried to stand up. As he tried to adjust to his new form he fell over and the pendant fell off. He flashed into his human form fully clothed and quickly got up then he picked back up and held it in his hand. "Let's try that one more time" he said as he put it on. He once again flashed into the pony form.

Celestia levitated the saddle bag and placed it onto him. "This will only give you the appearance of a Unicorn. You mustn't take it off in public for I am pretty sure that if you do the changelings will surely find out where you will be." She explained. "Officer Soarin and Ms.Spitfire will be checking on you often once you are moved into your new temporary home.

Joe really felt puzzled as she said those last few words. "Wait... A new Temporary home? Somewhere?" He asked confused.

Celestia walked over and placed a wing on him. "We need to move you to where the Changelings wouldn't expect you to be. We will be sending you to a peaceful town to the south of here." She explained.

"But... I... Understand." His face lighting up. "I'm fine with that but, what about the magic lessons and the spell?" He quickly looked back at his friends and back at her.

"Don't worry we have that figured out. Luna will be giving you your magic lessons and don't worry about the town. I assure you they are much more welcoming than the ones here. I believe you will like it there." She said as Luna flew down near them.

"She's also going to give you papers declaring that you are her apprentices." The Princess of the night inserted. "It should serve as a decent cover up."

Joe held his hoof at his chin and nodded his head. "Okay..."

"What? Do you think I won't make a good teacher?" Asked Luna dissatisfied

"No that's not it. It's just that I haven't had anybody care this much about me." He said as a smile showed up on his face. But then he sighed.

Cadence trotted up slowly to him. "Don't worry we're all still gonna be up here. " she smiled as she also gave him a hug. So did Dusty and Blue Heart.

"Also I must advise you to try and not get hurt. Take this and remember to administer this to your ribs every morning." Said Nurse Blue Heart as she broke away from the hug. Everyone laughed as Joe placed a jar of jelly in the saddle bag.

"Now let us bid you a minor farewell." Said Celestia as her horn began to glow. "Also I've prepared a journal for you. I want you to log your experiences while you are there. " she smiled as a black book appeared in front of her and placed it into the saddlebag.

"Wait where am I going again?" Joe asked as he stepped away from his friends. "Also where am I going to live?"

"Oh my seems I got a bit too ahead of myself. I will be sending you to Ponyville. When you arrive you will find a map in your bag and a few details. First you will need to follow the map to the Town Hall and you will have to seek out the Mayor." She finished.

"Thank you for all that you guys have done. Joe once again rushed over to her and have her a pony hug before she lit her horn and spread her aura over Joe. "See you guys later." His words echoed as he disappeared in a flash.

Chapter 10: Adjusting

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Chapter 10: Adjusting

(Still continuing from the previous chapter)

Twilight trotted her way towards the Town hall. Her thoughts still focused on the Question of who or what are those boxes for and the for the reason behind Celestia not responding to any of her earlier reports and letters. Tonight she is gonna confront the Mayor what exactly has been happening in Canterlot and here in town.

"Hey Twilight look at this." Spike placed the newspaper on her forehead.

"Canterlot conducts an unscheduled military field training today and succeeded without anypony getting hurt. Sightings of the Canterlot monster increase." Twilight read the headlines without watching where she was walking to.

"What do you think that means?" Asked Spike keeping his eyes on a few of the other pages. "I think this the latest print available. How long has it been since we actually picked one of these-" he continued to ramble.

"Spike you're blocking the way-ay-aha!"she collided into the Town hall startling the Mayor and her assistant.

"Ms. Twilight Sparkle are you alright?" Asked the mayor as Twilight got back on her legs. Spike began chasing after the pages in the air and floor. For some what reason it possessed him to keep looking through it.

"The pages of the newspaper littered the office. "Yes, I'm sorry about this." Twilight replied as her horn lit up with magic. Each of the pages flew together forming a complete newspaper then it floated back into Spikes claws. "I was meaning to come here earlier but, I had to take care of something."

"I can understand that. What can I help you with?" Answered Mayor Mare with an earnest expression. She leaned back into her chair and rearranged a few stacks of folders including one containing the picture of the Red Unicorn.

"Well, I've been wondering. Where were those boxes from? The ones that were going into the Windmill today. They looked like they were from Canterlot." Asked Twilight. She moved closer to the desk where the elderly Assistant was sitting.

The Mayors happy expression turned into a more stern cautious one. "I'm afraid I cannot expose that information to you. The new owner has requested for Privacy during his stay." She paused and cleared her throat. "Is there any other matter I can assist you with Ms. Sparkle?"

Twilight seemed to get her curiosity itching as the mayor explained. "Okay... How about the Princess? Has she sent any info or letters as of late?" She asked changing the topic. "As of late I haven't been receiving any letters from her recently. Do you know if anything had happened I her?"

"I believe she has been rather busy dealing with the remnants of what happened a few nights ago. Only yesterday did I receive just the documents for the new resident. She has not given any other documents since then." Explained the Mayor as she managed to open one of her drawers and place the folder into.

Spike finally losing interest in the newspaper stretched as he walked over to the side of Twilight and stood there next to her. "It's getting late shouldn't we get a few things for the sleep over?" As he said that his stomach started to make a rumbling noise. He brought his stomach over it as he burped and three Scrolls appeared as well as an envelope. "Bleh!... Express delivery..." He walked over and picked them all up. "Hey Twilight check this out there are names written on them. This Envelope is for the Mayor. Hey and there's a Scroll for me!"

Twilight levitated the envelope over to the Mayor and took the scroll meant for herself. She looked at it cautiously even as her magic undid the bow that held the scroll. It unrolled and floated down to her face. "Dear, Twilight Sparkle my most Faithful student. I apologize for my lack of replies for the past few days. As you have noticed, The kingdom recently had its military presence increased around the borders. There have also been Certain developments since we last met. The Diamond Dog mines have been properly taken care of as well as those who were held there have been compensated for their pain. I hope you accept my apology and be expecting things to return to what they were before. Sincerely, Princess Celestia." She rolled the Scroll back up and sighed. "That answered one Question but, I still don't feel right... I think she's hiding something from me." She turned to Spike as he read his Scroll.

Spike read the note then quickly incinerated it with normal dragons breath.

"Spike! What did you do that for?" Asked Twilight slightly annoyed.

"It said that I will be expecting more letters in the future and why she hasn't been sending any." He replied as he hoped onto her back. "But, hey what do you think ever happened to that Canterlot Monster?"

Twilight looked at Spike slightly vexed at his ignorance then at the Mayor who scanned through her letter and put it into her desk. She seemed at the moment satisfied with her current answers but still felt a twinge of curiosity for what had been going on.

"Ms. Sparkle It seems our time here is done. It is time to lock up." Said the Mayor interrupting Twilight's train of thought. The time she had spent there had gone by faster than she thought. Suddenly, a thought had hit her like a bag of apples. "Spike we have to go! The sleep over we still have to get things for tonight!" She yelled as they quickly galloped out of the Town hall.

Later...

Twilight was able to collect on the items needed for the little party. Both her and Spike were walking through the town carrying bags of groceries until a familiar face came along. Applejack was at her cart of apples along with Big Mac and the CMC. Apple Bloom noticed her and waved her over. Twilight who was happy to see her friends, trotted over. "Hey there Apple Jack how did the sales go today?"

"They're alright. Macintosh here finished bucking early and was able to sell a few. He says I can go ahead and join y'all at the sleep over." AppleJack replied. She picked up the last bushel of apples and placed them into the cart. "Care for some apples?"

"You bet." Said spike as he held his bag of groceries open. AppleJack placed six bright red apples along with one larger than the rest. Spike smiled as he grabbed it and began to munch on it.

Twilight grabbed her bit bag and levitated a few of them over to Applejack who placed them into her hat. "Thanks Applejack." Said Twilight as she put the bit bag away. Out of the corner of her eyes she noticed the windmill with most of its lights off other than the upper floor where a pony's silhouette was visible through a window. Applejack watched as her friend squinted her eyes. "Uhh. Twilight what're you looking at?"

Twilight watched as the Ponies horn light up and lift books into the air. "Have any of you heard anything about the Windmill?"

Apple Bloom happily jumped in front of them followed by other two. "Yeah here. We took photos of him." Said Sweetie bell as she pulled a little pink folder from the cart.

Twilight levitated each of the pictures and closely examined them. "Hmmm... Why do you have pictures of him?" Asked Spike as he grabbed one of the pictures as well. "That's a bit creepy."

"He's a blank flanked Unicorn!" shouted Scootaloo. While pointing at a picture. The pictures showed the pony as he walked around the windmill and inside it.

"Now Apple Bloom you know it's not right to do that sort of thing. Why are you going around taking pictures of ponies and their flanks?" Asked Applejack as she scolded her little sister. "This could get you into alot of trouble you know."

Spike's eyes suddenly widened as he noticed something was wrong with the picture. He spat out some of the apple and pointed directly at the reddish splotches. "Twilight look at this!" He dropped the apple and held the photo up to her face."Look at that! That looks like magic coming off his coat."

Twilight looked at the rest of the pictures and noticed it too. As she looked closer, she noticed a dim yellow glow coming off of the necklace he wore. "That's strange... He has no cutie mark, a request for privacy, and last of all that." She once again pointed at the necklace.

"Maybe there's something wrong with the camera they were using." Inserted Applejack. As she looked at the same photo Twilight was focused on.

"That's one thing I'm not to sure about. But that is a probability. Mind if I keep this picture girls?" Asked Twilight as she levitated the rest of the pictures back into the folder except for one. "Well I think it's time we got home the rest of the girls will be showing up pretty soon. She placed the photo into her bag and levitated Spike's bag into his claws.

"Alright then you two we'll be seeing ya." Applejack said as She and Mac put on their harnesses. They waved goodbye as they made their way home.

Twilight seemed to be in deep concentration during the walk home. Who was this pony? What was he doing that he requested privacy? These questions seemed to boggle her mind as more and more possibilities sprouted.

They soon passed through the river. Twilight noticed the light in the windmill still showed the silhouette of the pony with even more books floating in the air. It appeared as if he was still unpacking those boxes. The boxes that she believes are from Canterlot. She looked back until the windmill was out of sight and out of mind.

"Hey Spike? What Exactly did the Princess tell you in the letter? Was it anything urgent?" Asked twilight shifting her focus.

"Spike scratched at his chin as he thought about it. "Well for the first part. The princess said that I will be receiving more mail but, some of that won't be for you. Some will go to the rest of the girls and some other guy. Oh well, that's nothing to be worried about."

"Is that it?" Asked Twilight poking even further into her number one assistant. Spike shook his head no. But luckily they had reached home where a few girls were already inside.

Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity all sat in the kitchen where Pinkie Was already setting up to cook a batch of cupcakes but, with a weary face. Both Fluttershy and Rarity were busy talking to each other. As soon as Twilight and Spike stepped in, Pinkie Pie instantaneously popped up next to them causing Spike to drop a bag of groceries. . "Is it True?! There's a new pony in town?! Where?! What color is his coat?! Does He have a Horn?! No wait wings! Does he have Wings?!" Asked Pinkie almost all at once.

"Calm down Pinkie! I haven't even met him yet. And there's something strange about him." She replied as she levitated the bags of food to the kitchen and her bag towards the closet which also contained a mystery bag. "I was only able to obtain a bare minimum of info from the visit with the Mayor along with why The Princess hasn't been replying to my reports." She sighed as she explained the rest in detail to the rest of her friends.

On the other side of town at the Sweet Apple Acres.

Applejack was already heading out when Rainbow Dash happen to fly in with a small cloud. "Oh hey there RD y'all ready to head onto Twilight's now?" Applejack as she locked the gate towards the house. "Hey what's wrong?"

Rainbow Dash looked edgy while she kept the cloud around. "Have you heard?" She whispered. Looking around.

"Have I heard of what now?" Replied her friend with a hint of suspicion in her voice.

"That Canterlot monster. The ponies in Cloudsdale are saying its moved again and yesterday that Drill in Canterlot wasn't a drill. They were hunting after it." She took a moment to recollect herself as she exhaled. Suddenly the sound of a twig breaking spooked her. Causing her to shriek and fly higher into the air.

Applejack couldn't help but to chuckle as her friend slowly floated back down. "What's wrong? That whole monster thing got you all spooked?" She joked.

Rainbow Dash perked her ears up as her bravado returned. "Nahh... I'm just messing with ya you know. Just conjuring up a little something to bring to the sleep over." She replied but still sounding a little spooked. "Anyway what's this I hear about a new pony in town. Wouldn't have Pinkie been all over that?"

Applejack nodded her head as she began to continue on the path. "I think it's better we let Twilight explain that later. Besides look at the time." Rainbow still holding the cloud flew down by the cowpony and slowly flapped her wings just to stay close.

A little later (at the Library)

Rainbow Dash and Apple jack finally opened the door to see Pinkie tied up with what seemed to be a blanket while next to her were Rarity, Fluttershy and Twilight who seemed to be writing up some sort of battle plan on the chalkboard. "Okay what exactly is going on?" Applejack as she put down her bag. Rainbow Dash floated in on her cloud and stepped off of it.

"Hey Egghead! I thought this was supposed to be a slumber party. I didn't know we were gonna end up joining the hoofball league." Said Rainbow Dash as she flew over to Twilight who continued to strategize. "Fluttershy help me out here. What is all this?"

Fluttershy looked up with her usual semi-expressionless face. "Umm. Well, Rarity started talking about this new pony in town that she had heard about from Sweetie Belle earlier today. Then when Twilight came home she took out a picture of him and explained something about him having a weird aura around him. But, after that Pinkie went insane demanding we go over to invite him to a party, but then Twilight got mad when she picked up some of the food she just bought and tried to head outside. I think she was going to try to go to the Windmill. So, Twilight tied her up using the blanket for that couch. It was all rather exciting if you ask me."

"Uhh... Ooookay... Did you get any of that Applejack?...Applejack?" Replied Rainbow after that rather long briefing.

Applejack seemed to be occupying herself with the Pinkie in a Blanket. "Gimme a sec. I'll be right there." She answered using her teeth to pull out a knot in the Blanket. Suddenly Pinkie came undone spinning like a tornado until she finally stopped in front of her savior.

"Thannnnk...youuuu...Applejack... I think I'm gonna lay down here for a while. Maybe until the planet gets back into orbit." She collapsed and laid there like a dead dog.

Suddenly Rarity held her right hoof up and without turning her head. Twilight answered. "Yes Rarity?"

"Ahem. This plan of yours what were we supposed to be doing again?" Asked Rarity in a calm yet patient manner.

"Like what I said earlier. We have to make sure he's not a threat." Answered Twilight as her aura around chalk dissipated as she placed it down.

"I don't get this Twilight? So we're just gonna bust into this poor fellers home and interrogate him?" Asked Applejack. "Wouldn't it be wiser just to leave him alone? You remember what the Mayor told ya. He wanted to be alone."

"This is different. We're not going to bust in and question him. We're just going... To... Watch him"

"But, Twilight wouldn't it be rude to spy? I mean if somepony was spying on me. I would be pretty mad. Wouldn't you?" Inserted Fluttershy getting up as well.

"Now just hold on a second. I remembered something about no cutie marks. What about that?" Said Rainbow dash rubbing her chin. "Why would he not have a cutie mark unless he was hiding it. There's a spell for that right Twilight?"

"I don't really know if there even is a spell like that..." She replied. She looked around the room and noticed something. It was unusually Quiet aside from their bickering. She spotted the blankets on the Ground and that there were only five of them in the room. "Girls...girls! Pinkie is gone!" Each of the girls turned away from the board and looked around. Pinkie was indeed gone.

Outside. (In the middle of the night.)

Pinkie was wearing a black suit and a pair of goggles slowly crept while balancing several cupcakes on her back. She didn't have time to plan a party but she did have enough time to welcome him to the Town. She slowly made her way over to the center of town.

Suddenly, the sounds of wings flapping and hooves approaching. She quickly gathered up and jumped into the shadows without dropping a single crumb. Twilight and everyone else dressed up in a rather similar style Except for Applejack and Rarity. Applejack still had her hat on while Rarity wore what looked to be like a pony version of what the modern cat woman would wear. It's dark reflective faux leather along with several gems shined in the moonlight.

Twilight looked at them with a face of dissatisfaction. "What? I couldn't pass up the right opportunity to try this outfit. I mean doesn't look marvelous?" Asked Rarity as she danced in the moonlight.

They each slowly snuck around while calling for Pinkie. As they did this, the Pink cupcake totting spy walked the roofs of Ponyville to her advantage. The girls couldn't and surely wouldn't be able to find her.

Twilight looked around unable to see where her friend had gone as they inched close enough to the Windmill that the lights could still be seen. "Where is she?" She asked herself. If Pinkie were to disturb him during this over watch operation. They could lose their only chance to spy on him.

Suddenly, Pinkie dropped down from above her and hung there looking her straight in the eyes. "Hey there Twilight. When did you guys put on costumes?" She loudly asked.

"Pinkie shush he could hear us." Whispered Twilight. Almost as if not hearing Twilight at all Pinkie climbed back up and continued on her way.

"Hang on Egghead I'll get her."said Rainbow Dash taking to the air. "Pinkie comeback here!" She flew by her friend grabbing but failing. Pinkie just Rocketed ahead as she got several feet to the entrance of the windmill. About to bash the door in an invisible shield stopped her dead in her tracks. The batch Pinkie was carrying fell to the doorstep ruining several of them. Rainbow dragged her friend away just in time as the door was opened. Red poked his head out to look for the source of what had caused the commotion only to see a single cupcake that was unharmed. He picked it up with his magic, looked it over and sniffed it. He shrugged. Then took a bite. He saw no one was there and went back inside still eating the cupcake.

Twilight wiped the sweat off her brow "Phew... That was a close one. thank goodness for that shield. But, why was he using one?" She thought to herself. She watched as the Red Unicorn trot upstairs and closed the curtains after a while the light then went off. He seemed to already be locking up for the night until she noticed him through the window by the entrance.

"That Pendant it... It can't be...can it?" Said Twilight as he floated several other books into a bookcase. After several seconds he closed the curtain blocking him out.

The girls walked their way back towards the Library. Twilight held her head down in concentration. Rainbow Dash flew above them all just a few meters as if she gave much of a care. Rarity still danced in the moonlight letting gems glisten. Fluttershy along with Applejack watched over Pinkie pie whose mane straightened out instead of it being its usual puffy Cotton candy like style.

"I failed... I failed... He didn't get a good welcome...why?..." Said Pinkie dramatically. "I couldn't even say welcome... Welcome to Ponyville.

"Aww come on Pinkie you always got tomorrow to try to get him his party. That can make up missing it today." Said Applejack in her comforting tone of voice.

"Yeah. Didn't you notice how much he was enjoying that Cupcake? He smiled when he took that bite." Said Fluttershy placing her wing on Pinkie's back.

Suddenly, Pinkies hair puffed back into her usual style as she locked both of her friends in a lock type hug. "Ohhhh!. I guess you two are right. Next time! Next Time He's gonna get the party he's got coming to him... But first I need his name..." She jumped back towards Twilight to concentrate then to Rarity to dance as well as she did.

In the windmill before the spies.

Joe was going through several of the boxes that were stacked up against the wall. They bore the mark of Celestia's school for gifted Unicorns on the box. He picked up a few of them and brought them to the table. As he undid the seal on the box he opened them to find that these were volumes of Equestrian history and spell books. They looked as if they were brand new.

"The Princess really wants me to learn magic." He said to himself as he looked at the other box and picked it up as well. The box contained several things such as a few blank scrolls. A little puzzle box and a letter. It was addressed to him from The Captain of the Guard." I have included in these parcels a book on offense and defensive magic. you may study them under princess Luna's teachings. but may this be a warning to you, I highly Suggest you use them only when you or the town are in immediate danger." said the letter. "P.S Princess Cadence here. I hope you enjoy your stay there. there are plenty of different ponies there I suggest you make friends with them.

Joe sighed as he placed the letter into its envelope. "I'm sorry Mrs. Cadence. I didn't come here to make some friends I came here to learn and look for the spell that will bring me home." His words felt a little cold denying that bit of advice from a mare such as Cadence. He took out the book, examined it and put it back. He eyed the book shelf by the window.

Suddenly, he stopped and placed the pendant on his neck and changed back into a pony. There were sounds of activity from outside. There were audible shouts and wings flapping. "I better check upstairs. But... Just incase they try to get inside." He thought as his horn began to glow a faint red. He then shot a dim pillar of magic through the roof and it cascaded down making a transparent shield around the whole place. the big shield caused the big windmill to slowly stop to a halt. as soon as his horn stopped glowing He made his way trying to climb the stairs with his hoofs which he was still getting used to.

Once upstairs he closed the curtains and looked through the curtains. There seemed to be a few of them outside probably playing a game... Or something. He turned around and trotted towards the door. Before leaving he made sure the light was out and trotted his way back downstairs. He made his way to the bookcase and used his magic to levitate the boxes of books over to him. He then used his magic to move each of the books into the shelves in order. As he was doing this, the sound of something big hitting against a big sheet of glass caught his attention. It was right out side the door. He placed the cautiously trotted over to the door. It slowly opened and he stuck his head out.

There was nobody there except for a few ruined cupcakes scattered all around the entrance to the door except for one particular one. "Five second rule." he thought to himself as he picked it up and gave it a smell. He shrugged and took a bite. Then he turned around and went back inside.

After finishing the cupcake he turned back to the bookcase and placed the last few books up. He noticed that the curtain next to him was still opened so he closed it. He placed the boxes to the corner and trotted toward the box that had the letter. He levitated his journal and placed the letter in it. Then he looked at the book on spells. It was cover was gold and had big cobalt blue letters on it. It was titled "Offensive and defensive spells: Intermediate level." He flipped open a few pages and noticed Shining's name on a page. It was the high level shield that he had showed him. On one side it showed the picture of the whole town and castle surrounded by it. And underneath the text it showed him inside an alley version. At the bottom of the text it showed a little high lighted area. "If charged regularly the shield will remain unbreakable."

"Not anymore" snickered Joe as he remembered shattering the first one he was in. He placed both of his books, the two bags, jar of medicinal jelly and the pack of bandages into the one box. He then picked up the saddle bag and placed it into a small closet. He turned on a few lights and saw the rest of the room he was in. It looked like a living room but on the other side was the kitchen which seemed a little empty. On the table was a basket of apples. Probably a welcome to Ponyville gift from the Mayor. He grabbed one and munched on it. After a few more bites he threw the finished core into a waste basket. He turned off the lights in the living room and the kitchen. He levitated the box headed up the stairs. He went into one of the rooms and placed the box down. He turned around and explored the rest of the building. There were four levels of the windmill. The basement was accessible through the kitchen. The first floor being the living room. The second floor was where the bedrooms sat. And finally the third floor was the room where the mechanical parts of the windmill's turbine spun a column leading to a power generator down in the basement. This building along with several others around the wide area seemed to be the only ones using electricity.

While looking at the column in the stairway,he instantly remembered that he had stopped the turbine when the shield went up. As he turned around to head downstairs the lights flickered off he then tumbled down a few.

"Oww... " He groaned as his horn lit up. Out side the shield flickered and dissipated. Then the turbine began to glow red with his aura as it slowly started turning again. "Note to self. Don't stop the windmill."

Back on the second floor he entered the first room he saw and turned on the light. "No bed." He complained exiting the room then he went to the room beside it. "No bed." It was the same for the third bedroom. "They didn't give me a bed" he whined "Tomorrow..."He went back down to the living room and threw himself on the couch. He took off the pendant turning him back into a human and placed it on the little table you can pretty much call the coffee table then pointed held his hand out. The first book on the bookcase levitated off the case and into his hand. He began to read the first book of the history of Ponyville.

Back at the library.

Everypony except Twilight entered the living room after going upstairs and removing their spy gear. Twilight stayed in her room as she stood in front of a display case full of what seemed to be from Celestia's school of gifted Unicorns. She looked at her acceptance letter, a picture of her and Celestia, and... a pendant that exactly resemble the one the Red Unicorn was wearing except with a purple jewel within it. She looked at it for a while until Spike came up behind her.

"Hey what's going on Twilight? Everyone is waiting for you." Asked her assistant. "What happened out there?"

Twilight explained what she had found out. "I think he is one of Celestia's other students but, his jewel was red." She finished.

"What's so wrong with it being red?" Asked Spike looking at the pendant as well.

"That's just it, it means he's an apprentice. Since when did Celestia have an Apprentice?" Asked Twilight as she shook Spike. "Celestia never said anything about one. Here look at this." She levitated a picture that they had taken a couple of years ago with Everypony from the castle except for Luna.

"He's not there. Replied Spike. He pushed the picture away and looked at his friend. He spoke in a loud yet non offensive way. "TWILIGHT...LET IT GO. MAYBE CELESTIA HAD HER REASONS NOT TO."

"I can't Spike. I need to know. What if he poses a threat to Ponyville. He has a strong aura. That means he is a pretty high leveled Unicorn." She panicked. "What if he's faking being Apprentice?!" She shouted.

"Okay but, we can check that out later." Replied Spike as he got back up.

"HELLOOOOO! Twilight are you coming down yet! It's getting boring. Shouted Pinkie coming up the stairs.

"Should we tell them what you know? Asked Spike closing the door just as Pinkie was about to poke her head in.

"No... Not yet we need to find out more." She replied towards Spike. "Just give me a second Pinkie. She walked over to the door and opened it letting Pinkie fall into the room. "C'mon Pinkie don't fall asleep yet." She levitated the dizzy pony downstairs and set her with her friends. "So girls what do you all feel like doing?"

After a few hours of Them partying.

All of them sat in a circle around a little lantern to resemble a camp fire. Applejack sat up waving her hooves as she finished her Scary story. "And That's How the Headless pony got her name." Finished Applejack.

"Aww... That was boring. Said Rainbow Dash as she sat up from her cloud.

"But you're the one who told me that story in the first place." Replied Applejack.

"It sounds cooler when I tell it. Okay how about this one." She said as she got up and stood upright. Her shadow resembled that of a bipedal creature.

"Eep!...what about no..." Yelped Fluttershy as she shivered underneath her sleeping bag. She resembled a tucked in turtle.

"Aww...come on this one isn't that scary. "Replied Rainbow Dash. "I got this one from a pony I know in Cloudsdale, who Knew a pony in Dodge Junction who knew a pony in Canterlot who told her this one."

"Okay...maybe one more..." Said the turtle. She popped her head out from her sleeping bag turtle shell.

"Okay then! The story began in the Canterlot gardens where they took care of the little animals... But then, some ponies noticed something was wrong. One day when the ponies who feed the animals came in to feed them, they were all gone. The ponies who came back said that there was a big black creature running away."

"Oh dear... What happened to the animals?..." Whispered Fluttershy as she shook in the sleeping bag turtle shell. "I hope they're alright..."

"Oh but the animals disappearing wasn't enough. The next day the ponies who went to investigate disappeared as well." Said Rainbow Dash hovering above her friends.

"But wouldn't the ponies watching alert Celestia, the guards and the media?" Asked Rarity while she applied a sort of cream to her face."

"That's the thing. The creature broke into the castle and tried to probably capture the princesses. But Celestia capture it and brought it to the courtyard to see what it was. Then sometime later destroy it."

"I don't think the Princess would've done that wouldn't she have tried to communicate with the creature?" Asked Twilight raising her eye at the assumption.

"That's just it somepony said that while the princess tried talking to it the thing used some kind of weird magic or something that overpowered Celestia causing the creature to escape back into the castle."Rainbow jumped over to Pinkie and locked her hooves around her as if she had an octopus wrapping her head. "After that it spent a day hidden in the castle."

"Then what happened to the princess?" Asked Applejack getting closer towards everyone. "You said she got beat."

"We'll, they were saying that the monster messed with her head as she held it. She was out cold for the whole time the creature took its stay." Replied Rainbow as she let go of Pinkie and moved back towards her cloud. "Oh and today they say that the creature broke out and rampaged around the town. That's why the shield was up today just watch somepony is gonna tell ya. Several parts of Canterlot were messed up in that."

"Wait a minute, are you trying to say that this creature. Was able to turnover Canterlot By itself and nobody was able to say anything about it?" Asked Twilight still looking a bit distraught and confused." I know I would've. Seen something about it somewhere."

"Have you even been reading the Newspapers Twilight the evidence is all there." She replied turning towards the closet door. "Hey Spike can you get us the recent issues of Equestria dailies?"

Suddenly, Spike tumbled out of the closet spilling his bowl of popcorn. "Yeah... I guess you caught me..." He replied as he got back up and went towards the kitchen.

"Spike. It's way past your bedtime." Scolded Twilight as she levitated the bundle of newspapers from the young dragon. She read each of the headlines in front of her. "After mysterious events in The Everfree mysterious creature spotted around Canterlot Castle... First evidence of creature." She looked at the very blurry image of the creature. "After strange incident in castle gardens... Authorities refuse to issue reports... Celestia refuses appearance." She looked at the last paper and held her hoof to her chin. "Unexplained military exercises leaves questions."

"But how does that tie the whole pony stealing creature into play?" Asked Applejack taking one of the newspapers.

"Just sit down and let me finish the story." She continued as everyone sat back down on their seats. "Ahem... This morning the same creature was able to cause another rampage but with those pony's who went missing. The creature brainwashed them and some say the princess. It managed to get all the way back to the castle until the princess was able to chase him away and capture those under his spell."

"So... The Princess was able to breakaway from whatever it did? Or was it something else?" Asked Fluttershy as she finally got out of her sleeping bag and sat upright. But, where did the creature go?"

"Oh that's what I was about to get at. Several ponies up in Canterlot say they saw what appeared to be the creature around the forest somewhere around here. Soooo, I'd be on the look out if I were you Fluttershy." She crept up to Fluttershy prowling like a monster.

Fluttershy quickly jumped away and into the sleeping bag where she zipped it up tightly. "Can...can we... Maybe go to sleep now?...but with the lantern on maybe... If you don't mind..."

"Alright that's enough Stories for now..." Said Twilight as she put the newspaper aside. And climbed into her bag.

"Umm... Twilight do you think I can sleep down here for tonight?.." Asked Spike already totting his basket.

"Oh here Spikey Wikey you can sleep over here if you're feeling afraid." Suggested Rarity as she watched the little dragon.

As soon as she had said that Spike dragged his basket over there and tucked himself away comfortably. Twilight sighed and tuckered herself away as well. Everyone went their ways climbing into their sleeping bag except Fluttershy who was pretty much already locked up and Rainbow Dash Who was laying on her cloud. The sounds of the night were calming as everyone one by one fell asleep.

Chapter: 11: Getting used to Living

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Chapter: 11: Getting used to Living

The morning light poured through the windows of the windmill illuminating the living room and kitchen. Sleeping on the couch was the only human in Equestria wearing only his black inside shirt and his boxers. He had his black jacket draped over him as a make shift blanket as it would. On the coffee table were the four first books of the History of Ponyville with several numbered strips of papers inserted with the pages most likely as a bookmarking method and a few spell books from the school.

Joe stirred as a bird chirped nearby. His hand reached out in an attempt to turn off a nonexistent alarm clock. Realizing nothing was there, he slowly sat straight up and rubbed at his eyes. The previous night of reading seemed rather informative with the bookmarks being used as clues and interesting things to see. Joe yawned as he got up and dragged himself towards the upstairs bathroom.

After a few minutes.

He came back down with his hair wet and a more awake attitude. He put on his pants. The uniform shirt and the jacket remained on the couch as he walked towards the kitchen table to grab an apple. He bit into it and kept it in his mouth as he walked over to the couch to put on his shoes. He took a few bites out of the apple after he finished tying each shoe. He finally finished the apple and threw the core into a waste basket. He laid back into the couch and sighed as he looked at the rest of the empty living room and the kitchen lacking food. "Hmm..." He reached his hands down to the side of the couch and picked up the bag of coins. "I wonder what's to grab out there." He asked before he stood up and walked over to the door to head out. Suddenly, he stopped as he did a complete 360 and picked up the unicorn pendant. "That was close..." He thought turning into a pony and grabbed his saddle bag. He placed the bag of bits and a couple of books into the saddle bag as he exited the door.

While he walked away, he saw the sunlight beam onto the windmill as it turned. It looked picture perfect with the view of the forest. The town was active and alive, he quickly made his way towards the main road and began looking for a few indications of a furniture store. The town completely astounded him with the amounts of little shops along with the different aromas floating about. He shook his head as he saw a little stand selling different gemstones that had several low and high prices. He passed a few more store until finally he found one that sold beds and stepped inside. The store was completely full of various exotic and normal looking beds. The prices didn't look that bad and the beds were remarkably softer than the couch he had spent the previous night on. It was only priced at three-hundred gold coins. A clerk noticed Red as he eyed the bed and approached him.

"Excuse me sir, do you require any assistance?" He asked with a fine Italian accent. "This model is a standard twin sized mattress." He eyed the Pendant that hung from Red's neck. "My, my you must be from Canterlot aren't you?"

"Yeah, I just moved into that old windmill by the river." Replied Red as he tried to read the Clerk and his motives.

"It's that pendant sir. It show you are in the teaching of Celestia no? If you are here to study I can give you the student discount." He explained as he led him down the row of beds. Along the path he stopped at a slightly bigger version of the model bed they were looking at earlier. "This bed is the same type that most ponies in Canterlot usually purchase. This one with this discount will add up to the payment of three-hundred gold bits or one platinum bit."

The bed seemed big enough to hold his size weather or not he was pony or not. He shrugged and used out his magic to pull out the sack of bits out. He took out one of the platinum coins which took up most of the space and handed it over. "Seems alright. Am I gonna need to carry this out or will it be delivered?"

The clerk took the Bit and placed it in a sort of coin pouch around his neck. "Thank you very much sir. Be expecting it to be dropped off a little later. We'll have our finest stallions deliver it to your doorstep.

"Okay thanks man" said Red as he returned the sack of bits back into the saddle bag. He picked up the receipt from another stallion at the register, gave another good look at the bed he purchased and walked out of the building and back into the already crowded streets. Along the sides of the building were little street venders selling fruit and other home goods. But, nothing really caught his attention other than the little soap stands. They displayed numerous amounts of soaps from simple shampoo to even clothing. Thinking back to the last time he had a proper bath, he immediately purchased what was clearly needed and placed them into his saddlebag. His stomach started to growl loudly. And the crowds of ponies were growing by the minute. "Holy crap? Is this place always like this?" He walked forward into the crowds as he looked for more things to do.

Along the road, he suddenly felt the sense that he was being watched and ducked into what seemed like a cafe. Red went to a table on the far end facing the door and picked up the menu that read. "The Stuffers cafe." He watched as a faintly familiar grey Pegasus enter through the entrance. It was the same one that he had met the other day but, she was with another Pegasus that had a cyan coat and a rainbow mane. They took a seat three tables down from his own. Carefully, he listened in on their conversation, but then got interested in what the menu had to offer and of course, the menu was vegetarian except for a few egg and cheese orders. "What the heck are hay fries?" He asked himself as the two ponies began talking.

"Now I need you to listen Ditzy. Today we are gonna be moving a few clouds over to the east end of town and we are going to be busting the ones over the square today. We don't want to mix those two now got it?" Explained Rainbow as she watched her friend constantly look around. "Ditzy are you even listening?"

Ditzy still continued to look around and outside the window. "Yeah I got it move the clouds to the North busy with the South or... Is that the other way around?" She asked looking back towards Rainbow Dash.

"Are you okay Ditzy?.." Asked Rainbow Dash with a tone of worry. "If you don't feel up to the job today you don't really need to come out with us today."

Ditzy stopped looking around and back at her friend. "I thought I saw somepony I know trot into here. But, it doesn't look like he's here." She tried to look at the pony across from them but the menu and lamp blocked the view.

"Hey whatever happened with that one other pony you used to keep talking about." Asked Rainbow Dash catching her attention. "That one with all those weird gizmos." With the mention of that one pony Ditzy continued to chatter.

As the two ponies continued talking A waitress arrived and took Red's order of a salad, a couple of grill cheese sandwiches with a sunny side up egg and a large glass of orange juice. As the waitress took the Menu he tapped her on the shoulder. "Excuse me?"he asked. "Are the Hayfries any good? If so, can I get a small order of that?" She nodded as she wrote it down on her notepad. The waitress then took the menu and offered an Equestria Daily to read. Red took the newspaper and positioned it just as he did the menu. The picture on the front caught his eyes as he began reading. "Celestia brings peace back to Canterlot in today's address to the press. Find out what's what in today's summit." The story told a fabricated story of the reasons why there had been disturbances in Canterlot. But, Red knew the truth. It was all because of him and messing those other few days up. Those two changelings caused a manhunt for him, Ponies that lived in Canterlot thought of him as a dirty animal, and the worry he had brought onto those he had befriended there. After reading a couple of pages he lowered the newspaper to see what the two Pegasi were up to. They were still talking. But the Rainbow one seemed to be getting worked up about something.

"Yeah that's not the weirdest thing. Twilights getting all worked up about nothing. She thinks the Princesses are hiding something. I mean look at this. She wants us to keep tabs on that new pony in town."

When she had mentioned that, Red perked his ears as it caught his attention. "Are they talking about me?" He asked himself. He continued to listen in silence as the waitress place a plate of what looked like fries and a plate with a few muffins on their table. They thanked the waitress and began to eat but, still continued talking about their friends. Apparently, now he had to keep his distance from these inquisitive ponies as well if he wanted to keep his cover. What would Celestia herself think of this current situation.

Suddenly, a few platers were placed onto his own table. He became knocked off his concentration as the Waitress delivered his orders. He marveled at how they were perfectly fashioned. Though they weren't as fancy as the food in Canterlot they still were mouth watering. He levitated a few pieces of the Hayfries and ate them. They weren't that bad as he continued to eat them along with his meal.

"It's weird though you know... Would Celestia Ever hide anything from Twilight? I mean sure there are royal secrets but, there has to be a reason for each if em. Look at that whole story about that Canterlot monster for example. Why is it that we had heard nothing about it until now? Huh? I guess it must've been just another creepy story that those ponies up there have been making. I can't believe I actually fell for that one." Said the Rainbow one catching Red's attention once again.

"I don't think that those stories are that true. I heard a few other stories about it." Replied Ditzy. "I don't think they're all monsters I think..."

"Who told you that? That crazy friend of yours again? Well I don't know... If its fake, It's fake. Now if it was real then... I don't know." Said Rainbow Dash using her wing to launch fries in the air them catching them with her mouth. "Are you almost finished with that I wanna hurry up and be done for the day. " she ate her last fry and placed a few bits on the table. Ditzy ate her second to the last muffin and then carried the last one in her mouth as they exited the cafe. Red stuffed his mouth full of the last of his meal, paid his bill and exited the cafe. The two Pegasi had already gone airborn. He watched as the two of them fly off leaving him unable to track them.

"Crap." He said aloud. Hearing those two talk about him really proved that He picked up the saddle bag and secured it a little tighter. He only had a few things left to check. One being the location where he can try his magic and to find out who these pesky ponies were.

Back in Canterlot.

Celestia and her sister watched as a book similar to the journal she had given to Joe just before he had left, light up with the text. "Thank you Everyone" appeared in his writing.

"It seems our friend has made it just as you foresaw. But, now what?" Asked Luna as Celestia took the book and smiled. "When shall we begin his lessons?" They were both in the throne room completing work on a few documents.

"It is just a matter of time before the next step takes effect. For now he still needs to take his first few steps and settle down. His story has only just begun." She replied.

"What of the rest of our friends? They seem to be getting curious. Especially our Twilight Sparkle." Asked Luna.

"This will be a test for all of them. I believe they should learn of each other slowly. We can only hope it goes as well as we believe. This will prove that they are much more closer to being ready." She explained. She picked up a quill with her magic as she responded to a scroll that had appeared through green fire.

"Your Majesties." said the Captain of the Guard as he trotted into the room."The guards have reported that all the Changelings that were in the area seem to have fled. But, they have reported that there may be some still hidden in the area." He explained as he bowed.

"Is that all Captain?" She asked in reply. He nodded no and bowed as his men followed his movements. "So I can assume that we are safe for the moment. As the letter disappeared. "Please remain vigilant on the northern border and the Everfree." She sighed as she stood up.

"I think I will be returning to my chambers. Please call me if you need me sister." Said Luna as she trotted away.

"That will be wise Luna. Please take your rest." Celestia sighed as a white Unicorn mare with a pink mane carried a few folders into the room. She watched as Luna left the room along with the rest of the troops in sync with Shining.

"Princess... this just came in from the scholars." The pony said as her magic levitated a black transparent sheet out of one of the folders. at the top of the sheet read magic while at the bottom it read Joe. Celestia took the sheet and illuminated it with her magic. It showed a human outline but, at the center of the picture glowed a bright brilliant red. It looked to be like a bright red ball of magic with several little ones flowing within it. The entire human outline was filled with all of these little circles that seem to mostly focus on the head, and chest areas. This was stranger than most cases. Regular ponies usually can manipulate their magic by using one singular point of their bodies their horns. But with this human... It was far more complex than she could ever imagine. Celestia levitated a scroll over to her and she began to write a letter in regards to the black sheet. She gave the letter to the pony and she trotted out the door.

Celestia being the only pony in the room took this time to return to her throne and sat down. She closed her eyes and concentrated. A few seconds later she opened them again to reveal white glowing eyes.

In the Ponyville Library

Twilight sat still reading the scroll the Princess had responded to. "Everything looks like its back to normal but... Why do I still feel something is wrong." Thought the purple Unicorn.

Spike being the busy yet lazy dragon he was, sat atop a bookcase eating through a bowl of gems. "Hey Twilight I've been thinking..." He said in between mouthfuls."Remember the first time Pinkie Mentioned that stuff about her Pinkie sense?"

Twilight looked up from her book and at her assistant. "Yeah what about it? She asked still keeping her face in the book.

"I was expecting that you were gonna do that sort of thing again when you heard of that new guy." He swallowed and scooped even more gems out. "That or you were gonna go full crazy again"

"Hey what's that supposed to mean?" Asked Twilight slightly angry.

"Oh nothing. It was just a thought that crossed my mind. I was thinking that this is one of the first times you haven't blown things out of proportion." Said Spike as he lazily leaned back. "I'm still thinking though. What if he is an actual apprentice? What kind of high level spells can he do? I wonder if he had to hatch a dragon?"

"I'm still wondering that too. It's unlike the princess to hide something like this." She closed the book and her stomach began to rumble. "Yeah... I guess we better go and get some food before the shops close down for the day." She got up and used her magic to put on her saddlebag. Spike quickly jumped up onto her back as she levitated a bag of bits into her bag. They briskly trotted their way out the door and towards the town. It was just as it always looked but this time something Pink was afoot. Twilight watched as her pink friend dressed in black use what looked to be a grappling hook to go from rooftop to rooftop.

Suddenly, she looked in their direction and descended right next to them. She pulled the part of her outfit that covered her mouth and looked around. "Hey have you guys seen him yet?" She took out a pair of binoculars and scanned the rest of the area.

"No... Wait who? That Red unicorn?" Asked Spike scratching his head. "Oh man is everyone actually going with this?"he placed his claw on his face in an annoyed way.

Twilight looked at him with an annoyed expression as well until she coughed to clear her throat then she looked towards Pinkie. "I haven't seen him at all today. Have you found out anything yet?"

"I sure did. But, then I lost him when everypony began filling in the streets. First there were pink ones then there were the blue ones and even some green ones! I even mistook Big Macintosh for him. Then I got hungry..." She sadly exclaimed.

"That's alright. Well what did you see last?" She asked raising her hoof.

"Well he likes comfy beds." Giggled Pinkie. "He also ate at the same restaurant Dashie was at. but, after that I ended up losing him." She frowned as she finished.

Spike rolled his eyes as he still sat up on Twilights back obviously annoyed at Twilight for taking her time. Twilight rubbed her chin with her hoof "Hmm. Do you think perhaps maybe Rainbow noticed something?" Replied Twilight as they finally decided to walk into town together. Pinkie shook her head side to side. Twilight then shrugged.

"I've been meaning to ask you Pinkie? What ever happened to your little party plan?" Twilight asked out of curiosity. She looked at her friend who hopped along the path.

Pinkie stopped and slowly landed on her hooves. "The mayor said he didn't want to be disturbed during his, so called studies while he is in town." She mockingly explained. "But that's not gonna stop this Party Pony! HE'S GONNA GET A PARTY WHETHER HE LIKES IT OR NOT!" She stood on two hooves and proceeded to act menacingly with two hooves in the air while breathing heavily. Suddenly, there was the sounds of thunder and the flashing of lightning behind her. The Pegasi were all ready clearing the skies behind them {Conveniently}

Both Twilight and Spike stood still and stared at their friend with gaping jaws.

"What?!... What's wrong?" Asked Pinkie as she got back on all fours and walked over.

"I'm gonna try to forget that I ever saw that side of you." Replied Twilight as she began to slowly trot away. "Can we please continue to get some groceries now?"

In town (following Red)

Red walked down through the town until he came to the exit of the town which pretty much was a large fork in the road. There were two signs that stood out of the rest. "Welcome to Sweet Apple acres." "Danger The Everfree Forest"

"This must be it." He said as he walked between the two signs. The field was really big. It had trees surrounding it making it an almost perfect circle. There were a few boulders and logs in the center are but he could manage them. He took one of the
Books and began to read it. It was another one of the spell books he had in Canterlot. He laughed at some of the spells that were there. These would be entertaining to use. He read one of the spells and his horn began to glow. Suddenly, it shot a barrage of colorful firework like lights Into the air. They exploded in the sky in a flurry of displays. As the lights were going Red pulled out one of the History of Ponyville books and turned it to a bookmarked page. "Ha I knew it. That spell looked familiar." He looked at a picture of a Stallion Unicorn the was performing the fireworks spell but in what looked to be a casino theater. He read the story aloud.m"The original firework spell was created by Ponyville's The great Lulamoon. The great Lulamoon first used this spell when Princess Celestia Finally marked Ponyville's Declaration as an official town." The little passage ended. "Hmm...that's pretty cool. Magic really makes this place entertaining. What else is there? "said Joe to himself as he read through more spells and little bits of history.

"Wait a minute..." he said holding the book up. The book floated into the right looked towards the landscape and noticed a few trees and hills match up with the picture. On the next page was a large red farmhouse. "Would you look at that..." he turned his attention back to the book and his reading.

In town.

Twilight, Pinkie, and Spike continued through town. Until a colorful blur swooped around the town causing cloud after cloud to be swiftly eliminated. Rainbow Dash was busy at work clearing the skies twenty percent faster than the rest of the the crew. Even Ditzy could be seen knocking the clouds out. Twilight's bag was beginning to get full while Pinkie pie hopped with a mouth full of candy laughing.

"That was reallllllly Funny Twilight. Did you see what he did to that Pony statue?" Pinkie asked enthusiastically hopping.

Twilight giggled as well as Spike. "I really don't understand how someone could be afraid of statues. It's just wrong, I can understand if it moved but other than that it would be an awfully weird phobia." She explained it as they stopped along the Sugarcube corner. Spike Jumped off of Twilight and continued to walk off.

"It's funny though since when has anypony ever been afraid AHHH!" Spike jumped in fear as he came face to face with a somewhat terrifying looking Pegasi angel statue that seemed to be glaring at him with its hooves outstretched as if it were to try to grab him. He ran to Twilight and hid behind her shaking. "Holy haystack that was...that was a statue...wasn't it?" Twilight began to giggle as two Ponies hauled the statue away and out of view. "Okay... Maybe some of them are a bit creepy..."

"We'll okay Pinkie we'll be seeing you later." She said as she finished giggling. "If you see Rainbow or any of the others, do you think you can send them to the library if they have any new clues on that pony?"

"Yeah sure thing Twilight. But, if I see him he is gonna GET IT!" She roared as everyone around looked in her general direction. "A party that is." She began to rub her hoof as she calmed down, waved goodbye and hastily made her way inside.

The way back to the Library didn't take very long as it wasn't that far from the town square. Twilight levitated the bags of groceries into the kitchen and called Owlicious out from his perch. "You know what to do Owlicious. Spike I'm going to need you to help me with..." She turned towards the table and noticed a scroll. "What's this?" She levitated the scroll over and unrolled it.

"My dear friend Twilight Sparkle. How has things been since the last time we had visited is all well?
My sister has informed me that there have been several little mishaps coming afoot there. Perhaps we could be of assistance? -Your friend Luna." She read aloud.

"Hmm... Prepare a reply letter Spike." Said Twilight Holding her hoof to her chin. Spike did as she said and pulled out a quill and a piece of paper. " Dear my friend Luna. Things have been fine. It's just that ever since this new pony has moved in, I've felt suspicious of him. The mayor claims he is an apprentice of Celestia and that he is residing her for classes. Is this True? If so why is she hiding these things from us? -Your friend Twilight Sparkle." Spike wrote the last few lines and then Wrapped it up.

"Twilight... I don't think the princesses are hiding anything. I think you're getting a bit too over your head with suggesting something like that." Spike sighed. He held the Scroll out then set it ablaze sending it. "I'm going upstairs. Call me if you need me."

Twilight sat down and levitated a few books off the shelves towards her. "I'm just looking out for Ponyville. " she opened a book but suddenly, dropped it when a scroll returned.

"Perhaps Twilight it will be better we talk while We I mean Me...augh... We really must stop saying we when I mean I. Ahem i will be in town tomorrow handling a few appointments I have in town and I would like it If you would join me for lunch. P.s this spell really does copy everything I say.-Luna" read the letter. Twilight levitated a Quill and Wrote back. "Of course I will. I will see you tomorrow." She rolled the Scroll up and levitated it all the way upstairs. She could hear him grunt in detest then He sent the letter. She sighed as she cheerfully began to read her books.

Meanwhile...

The sun began to fall showing that it was nearly sundown . Red laid in the field after practicing several different spells, he was tired and smiling clearly after having a great time messing with magic. He stayed there watching the grass wave in the wind in a hypnotic rhythm His eyelids slowly began to fall as he fell asleep and began to dream.

Chapter 12: A Dream

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Chapter 12: A Dream

Joe opened his eyes and noticed that he was no longer in his pony form. In fact he wasn't even in Ponyville anymore he was in a jungle. The wind made eerie howls as he slowly sat up and looked around. " Am I...Home?..." He asked himself as he got up and jogged his way through the jungle until he got to a cliff line over looking a small town area and a small beach. "It was all a dream!" He ran down the side of the cliff till he had gotten to a hill that led to the bottom. After an hour of traversing his way through the jungle, he was fatigued. At last he had made it to a highway road and sighed laughing. He sat down right next to it and waited for a car to pass but, after a while nobody came. Something was wrong, there were no cars there wasn't anybody on the roads. It didn't matter as he got up and began walking down the road.

Meanwhile in Sweet apple Acres

Applejack was busy sorting through apples from her days harvest. The apples ranged in different colors and sized yet she could manage to tell indefinitely what type they were. That and the fact they have they're own distinct areas of the orchard. Suddenly, she stopped and perked her ears up. There was a faint humming coming from some where. Slowly she took a lasso of rope and made her way to the door. Once outside she saw a faint glowing and immediately galloped her way towards it. Getting closer, she could hear a hum much like the kind you would get from Celestia when she used her magic to raise the sun. Finally she approached the glow.

"What in the hay?..." She said aloud as she watched in confusion. There laid the glowing body of Red. His face showed that of a relaxed feel. She slowly approached him and nudged him with her hoof. "Hello, uh... Hey fella are you okay?" Suddenly she felt a pulse of magic pushing her away. "Hey!... I better call Twilight." Red still glowing brightly.

Back with Joe

After walking for what seemed like ages he finally made it to a town. "Finally... I made... It..." He said exhausted yet happily. But as he walked towards the buildings, there was nobody in sight. Just the stillness of the concrete buildings and voiceless music playing on the radio. He walked into a store and walked around. Seeing nobody around he took a bottle of water and an apple to the counter to purchase them. Almost immediately he began to pat his pockets for his wallet but it wasn't there neither was his phone. He sighed as he walked behind the counter and checked the store phone. It was still active there was a dial tone. not having his phone with him made it difficult to remember people's numbers so he dialed the number for a cab company. "No answer." Said the automated voice on the phone. Joe sighed as he tried a few more numbers that didn't work either. "What is this?..." he asked as he dropped the phone. He took his stuff and walked out the door. His house wasn't that far from here and with magic he would make it there in no time. He slowly started to run to get the magic acceleration going but there was no glow nor increase in speed. "Okay?..." He looked around the corner and saw a bicycle leaning against the wall. He held his arm out and tried to levitate it towards him. Even that failed. He slowly walked over, got on and pedaled away. The wind licked his face going through these empty neighborhoods and roads. Even the mall was empty and open. Feeling tired he made his way down towards the beach. The bike zoomed through the highway. Out of nowhere, the ground shook and caused him to crash into the sidewalk. Both the bike and him flew into the sand with a thud. Joe laid there with a high pitched noise in his ears and the shock of pain in his ribs. After a while, the pain in his body began to subside. Painfully he turned his head towards the bike and looked at the bent tire. "That's not going anywhere soon..." He groaned as he slowly sat up and grabbed his ribs. The injuries slowly began to disappear as he got to his feet and hobbled his way to a pavilion. "Where is everyone?" He whispered to himself.

"They're all gone." Said a familiar voice behind him. As if an empty town was enough, the old man from Joe's school project appeared with soldiers and dog men behind him. His scarlet suit and cane stood out along with an acorn tobacco pipe hanging from his mouth. "Missed me didn't you?"

Joe got up and faced him. "What're you doing here?..." He asked as the dog men and troops tensed.

The old man turned around towards the army. "Hey! Why don't you guys enjoy the water." He snapped his fingers and the whole group flashed into swimsuits. Their equipment became beach toys, umbrellas, towels and surf boards. The group immediately ran towards the water and began to horse around. The old man then pointed towards Joe. "Let's have a talk." He snapped his fingers again and they both appeared on beach chairs. Joe remained silent as the old man puffed his pipe. "I have learned soooooooo much about you these past few days. It's truly a travesty. A poor little boy just wants to go back to his lonely little house and what? Huh? You could do so much more. Why don't you?"

"I don't have to stay and answer this you know. Now where the hell is everyone?" Joe finally asked. "And why can't I use my magic?"

"Foolish boy, this isn't my home. I don't make the rules here." He said after taking another puff. "Now kid I have a word of advice. I would watch out around Celestia and her group of daffodils. If i were you. She's gonna try to use you and mold you into another one of her tools."

Joe shook his head. "She wouldn't do that. She and Rex promised." He replied getting up and beginning to walk away.

"Hey now listen to me. If things don't work out. Make sure to cause a little trouble and I can help you get home. I have the power to do so." Said the old man bearing a toothy grin. "Anyway I'd say you better get on home before this dream of yours ends."

"What do you mean by that?" Joe asked bewildered.

In the Library

Twilight sat by her window reading up on camouflage spells. "Hmm... That doesn't explain anything." She said closing the book. Suddenly, she stopped as the sound of heavy pounding could be heard from downstairs. "Who could be that at this hour?" She trotted downstairs and opened the door.

"TWILIGHT! You need ta come quick!" Shouted a panicked Applejack. Her main was a mess.

"Wait! What's the matter? What's going on?" Twilight asked stopping her friend.

"It's that feller you keep telling us to keep an eye out for. He's in trouble." Said Applejack worriedly.

"Where was he?" Asked Twilight beginning to become worried herself. "What kind of trouble exactly?"

"I found him out cold in the field. He was all glowy and I couldn't get near him." She explained.

Twilight stood still for a brief moment and thought about what would be a good reason to why he would be there. But, she didn't have enough information to support her claim. She took a deep breath and her horn lit up in her pinkish aura. "Let's go." Twilight spread her aura and in a flash they were out of there.

Spike awoke startled by the sudden teleportation and walked downstairs. To find the door unlocked and Twilight gone. He closed the door and walked up the stairs. "Aww I never get to have any fun..."

Back on the farm.

The flash of Twilight's spell managed to startle Big Mac as he dropped one of the bushels of apples.

"Aww Big Mac I just got through that bunch. Clean that pile up and I will deal with it when I'm done." Said Applejack disappointed at her brother's clumsiness. "Right now I've got something a bit more important to deal with. C'mon Twilight." She led the way out of the barn and down towards one of the orchards where a faint glowing could be seen.

Twilight teleported ahead and looked at him. "Who was this Stallion, why was he here?, and most importantly why was he wearing that pendant.?" She thought trying to nudge him with her hoof. He stirred a little and the magic pushed her away. "I've never seen anything like this." She said to herself.

Applejack slowly approached and watched her friend's horn light up. "What're you gonna do?" She got a little closer towards Twilight who still tried to comprehend what was going on. She felt her hoof knock something over. It was a stack of a couple of books. "Hey Twi look at these."

Twilight took her gaze off the unconscious pony and onto her friends hooves. The books levitated towards her and opened the History of Ponyville book causing a few of the pieces of bookmark papers to fall out. "What the?" She began to read the marked pages and sections. They were all locations of where StarSwirl had been during the Creation of Ponyville. Then she levitated the spell book towards her. "This is from Canterlot. I knew it." She pointed her horn at the Sleeping pony. "Let me try to wake him. Her magic aura slowly floated its way towards Red when his own magic suddenly merged with it. She sat there quietly.

"Twi? Are you alright? What's going on?" Asked a worried Applejack. She sat down as she watched her entranced friend.

In the World within a dream.

The old man was now standing facing Joe. "Ahem, this place we are sitting in isn't real. This was all just a little something your mind cooked up for ya. I came and turned it to out meeting place."

"Why? Why would you do that? How?" Asked Joe seeking answers. Suddenly the ground shook and the old Man put his hand on his face.

"Looks like we have a few guests outside. I will have to ask again next time." He said as he snapped his fingers and his army disappeared. "Same time same place?" His feet slowly began to fade.

"What?" Asked Joe becoming confused.

"Arrivederci!" yelled the old man vanishing completely out of sight.

Joes eyes focused on the horizon that was behind the old man. Out in the water was nothing but white and it was coming closer erasing the water that it came in contact with. Seeing that he began to run. But the faster he ran, the more slower he felt himself become. "No not again." He thought to himself struggling to go faster but failed as he stood still locked in a running position.

"You are strong enough to break out of this. The power of one is strength enough for this feat." Said the same mystery voice Joe had heard days ago.

Deep down within Joe did something flow, a warm feeling and a red glow. His body became encompassed with his own red aura and slowly began to move into a jog. Feeling his confidence rise he began to bolt faster up the road and into another neighborhood. The force destroying the shore still crept after him coming closer. It had already engulfed the small town and the rest of the island. It seemed to be pursuing him as he made his way up a steep hill.

"There it is" he thought to himself. The only place he had not come to since he had gotten here. "Home." The lonely house stood out upon the tall hill. Finally as he stood in front of the doorway he erected a powerful shield around the house. He placed his hand on the doorknob and it turned with a creak. Inside was pure dark and Joe looked back at the vanishing Island. "Why?" He then stepped inside.

Back in the field.

Applejack stood guard as Twilight still sat there motionless. She yawned as the crickets chirped and the cold wind blew. The moon gave of a weak eerie glow over the land. Suddenly a brighter red glow emanated off the red pony and the red glow burst in a sudden flash. Applejack was knocked back in the sudden burst of magic along with Twilight. Twilight slowly sat up while holding her hoof to her head groaning. Immediately Applejack walked towards the Red pony and made eye contact. The red pony immediately grabbed his belongings and galloped away with his hooves glowing red and with a speed that could easily rival Rainbow Dash. She wanted to pursue the pony but, she couldn't leave Twilight alone.

Twilight sat there with her eyes open as if she was trying to process her thoughts. She slowly began to mumble words to herself.

"Hey Twilight are you alright? I saw you take a bit of a fall there." Said Applejack in her reassuring voice. "What happened there? I saw you just sorta sit there."

"Where did he go?" Asked Twilight as she fell out of her little trance. "Hey what am I doing way over here?"

"Phew... You're alright. For a second there I thought you were broken." Sighed Applejack. "That red fellow Ran away before I could ask him anything. He looked pretty frightened when he saw us sitting here. He ran over there." She pointed her hoof into the direction of the town. "I'm guessing he went home."

"I saw something..." Said Twilight recollecting herself. "I sensed Celestia and my brother's magic. I sensed two more traces of magic but, I couldn't tell who's own they were."

"What does that mean?" Asked Applejack. Checking her friends forehead for a fever. Twilight was okay but Applejack was cautious. They slowly made their way back to the barn house to rest.

Twilight sat at the kitchen table using magic to write notes and the other a letter as Applejack prepped a couch for her friend to sleep on overnight.

"I saw sand. A lot of sand and water and trees. But, they looked Tropical." Twilight explained. "I saw two creatures talking near a big stone structure while other creatures played in the water. But, I couldn't make out any of it. They were too far away and powerless to do anything." She continued to write as Applejack took a seat next to her.

"I think you need to rest Twilight. You're gonna end up burning your noggin before you can even send that letter." Applejack continued to watch and listen to Twilight.

"I can't, I have to record it before I loose any knowledge of it." Twilight opened up another scroll and continued to write. "Several stone and metal buildings... Wide tall doorways... Asphalt roads." She continued to write into the night as she spent the night on the couch.

The field (Joe's side)

Joe had awoken as Red. He got up slowly and normally. "I can't believe it was just a dream. And I ended up staying out this la-..." His eyes met with that of a cowpony. He quickly levitated his stuff into the saddlebag and bolted away. "Who the hell was that?" He shouted in his head. "It was probably one of the ones he heard about from the Cyan Pegasus. "They could've caught me."

The Windmill wasn't that far so, he began to slow his pace until he got on the doorway and stepped through the door. The lights came on as he locked the door and threw himself onto the couch. He sighed exhausted and worried of what was going to happen with these bunch of ponies who don't even know him. "Should Celestia be informed? What about that dream?" He thought to himself. "I gotta hurry and find that spell..." He got back up and walked his way to check if anything had changed since this morning. He really needed to clear his head. On the second floor of the windmill was his new bedroom but it still lacked furniture. He walked in a accessed what was needed. "A desk, a bookshelf, and a... Wait a minute!" He walked downstairs and opened the door. Outside sat a wooden bed frame and a box containing the mattress. He levitated both of them inside. But he came back outside to check if there were anything else. Suddenly, he froze at the sight of something in the forest. Two golden glowing beads of what looked like eyes in the distance. "What... The... Fuck... Is that?..." He kept staring at it until it had vanished. Still a little shocked, he went back inside and into the living room. His stomach began to growl in hunger he sighed and walked into the kitchen, picked up the last apple that was on the table and ate it. His stomach still didn't agree. Outside lights could still be seen from the town. "Maybe that Cafe is still open?" The town was pretty alright it has what's necessary to live. Why not enjoy it?. Red walked back into the living room and picked up his saddle bag. He levitated the soap and books. The bag of bits was all that was left. He turned off the lights and went outside. He looked at the forest and saw nothing. He began walking towards the town while checking if anything was following him.

The town was still alive at this time. The stores, little tents and even the restaurants. Red slowly found his way back to the restaurant he had eaten at earlier. The two Pegasi weren't there and that's a bit of a relief. He sat down and waited to be served. But, as he sat he couldn't help but to think of the few restaurants that he actually got to enjoy back home."I need pie..." He said as he picked up a menu. He chose a plate of pasta with garlic bread and a slice of pie. The waitress came and took his order and walked back into the kitchen. Red just sat there waiting. His mind was focusing on the few notes he had taken about Starswirl and on those two ponies. He had been to everywhere in Ponyville in the past but several o those locations changed over the years but there seems to be three places he was always seemed to go to. The Everfree, the town Square, and some old looking castle that must've been taken by the Everfree. That may have made it a bit easier but there are more potential other places he could've been.

After fifteen minutes of thinking, the waitress brought his meal and he began to eat. The ponies he's met the enemies he's met. They all seemed to be somewhat against him. This depressed him a lot considering he had only just met them. Sure it's been a little fun but, what has happened to his world since he disappeared. He gobbled down the pasta. His reflection in his mind showed himself as a pony. This wasn't him, it was just a lie that Celestia had helped him to create. He ate the last piece of garlic bread and wiped his lips with a napkin. Though through everything, he felt more of a nuisance than an actual help to anyone. Even Culex saw him as a commodity. "Is that all I am?" He asked himself. He took a spoonful of the pie and ate it. It was dull compared to Cream Pie's pies. It was beginning to get late as the moon already hung high in the sky. So he paid his bill and decided it was time to make his way back to his temporary home.

The night sky looked a bit more appealing than it did back home though. Instead of continuing on the path he decided to take a walk to a nice looking hilltop that was near his home. It was far away from the town though and it looked isolated with what looked to be a small tree on top. He trotted over and sat down under the branches of the tree. Still the thoughts plagued him, he took off the pendant and stuffed it into his pockets. He folded the saddle bag as well and placed both that and the bag of bits into his pocket. It bulged in his pocket but it didn't matter. Feeling less trapped he laid back a bad looked up at the sky until a cloud slowly began to block his view.

"Hey! Dang cloud." He shouted. He stood up and held his hands up as if reaching at it. The whole cloud began to glow and was shoved out of the way.

"HEY! What's the big idea?!" Shouted a voice from above. Suddenly a dark blur in the air appeared perfectly silhouette on the moon. "What's your problem bub?!" She quickly flew down towards ready to strike.

Joe ducked her and grabbed her with his magic. "Hey what do you think you're doing?!" Yelled the angry cyan Pegasi The red glow turned into a small shield bubble.

Joe walked over and looked at her. "Wait you're that Canterlot monster! I knew they were true!" The cyan Pegasi bucked at the bubble causing her to roll a little bit.

Joe sighed as he walked over and steadied her. "What did I do?" He asked himself. He began to message his head and relax himself.

"You ruffled my house!" She yelled still angry. "Just you wait until I get out of here. I'm gonna... Wait where are you going?" She watched as Joe turned around and began walking away.

"Don't worry the shield will drop once I'm far away. Sorry..." Said Joe putting his hands into his pockets. Going down the hill he could hear the pony yell at him. He felt bad but it was necessary. If he was to be found out, he'd become a target. He'd have to depend on Celestia to bail him out again and he didn't want that.

Chapter 13: Lessons

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Chapter 13: lessons

Twilight Sparkle awoke shortly after the sun had risen to see Applejack hovering above her checking her temperature. "Applejack?... Where are we?...*Gasp* That Red Pony! He, whe-...what time is it?" She panicked. "I need to get this to Spike!" The scroll rested on the kitchen table.

"Twilight are you okay?" Asked Applejack backing away as Twilight sat up. "You were saying all this hoo haa while you were laying there."

"I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine. I've got to go. I'm gonna be meeting Princess Luna today. I need to prepare." She jumped off the couch and into the kitchen.

"But, don't you want any breakfast before you go?!" Asked Applejack pointing at the table where Apple Bloom was eating a plate of hot cakes."

"Twilight trotted over and stuffed her mouth with a couple of slices of toast. "Khanks Crackle phlack! (Thanks Applejack!)" she managed to say as she bolted out the door.

"Heh... That was pretty confusing eh, Apple Bloom?" AppleJack walked over to the kitchen counter to prepare herself something to eat while Apple Bloom nodded her head to the question. "Now where's your brother? He needs to come and eat before it all gets cold."

Back with Twilight.

A trail of Dust littered the air as she ran along the path. The sound of the bell tower rang in her head. "It's already Eight!" She panicked until a Rainbow knocked her off the dusty Path.

"Twilight! I saw it! The monster! It. It locked me up in a bubble the whole night!" Exclaimed Rainbow Dash excited and eagerly. "It really is real!"

Twilight levitated her friend of off her and placed her on the ground. "What are you talking about?"

"The CANTERLOT MONSTER! It's here in Ponyville!" She jumped up and put her face right in Twilight's. "We gotta Catch it!"

Twilight still flabbergasted had a very confused look on her face. "Well how did it look? And what do you mean bubble?... You know what? Well discuss this later. I need to get home and prepare for Princess Luna's arrival."

"The Princess is coming? Perfect! We can tell her about this mess and hunt it down." Yelled Rainbow. "I'm gonna go see Applejack if she wants to help me." Once again she flew off in a rainbow blur.

Twilight feeling relieved trotted quickly back to the town. Until Fluttershy bumped into her. "Fluttershy? Are you... alright?" Fluttershy seemed a little bit woozy and pale.

"Oh... Yeah I'm alright. Just a little under the weather today..." Fluttershy replied rather weakly. She was pulling a cart full of little medical provisions and groceries she must've gotten from town.

Twilight put her hoof on her friends forehead. "You've got a temperature going. I suggest you get some rest when you get home alright. I will see you later if anything." Twilight continued on her way as Fluttershy coughed a little and began on her way as well.

Finally in the town, she trotted her way through the waves of ponies and stands that filled the market place. She galloped over to the the Library and opened the door to find spike sitting at the table with a bowl of cereal and orange juice. "What's up Twilight? Where did you go last night?" He asked as she quickly approached him with the scroll.

"Can you send this for me... You wouldn't believe how hard it was to get here!" She said as she leaned herself on he the table.

"Why you walked? You know you could've just teleported." Spike answered back as he burned the scrolls.

Twilights face turned a bright red as she face hoofed. "Aughhhhh!. Princess Luna will be coming in an hour and the place is still a complete mess." Her horn lit up and she levitated her piles of books off the floor and into respectable stacks."C'mon spike we don't have much time."

Somewhere over Equestria

Luna flew in her chariot of the night but as she was, she was going over what Celestia had said the previous morning. "It has to be one of them..." Celestia's voice echoed through Luna's mind as if she had been told that someone had died. Her mind was heavy with thoughts of what she had to do today. "But, something had caught her eyes as the chariot wobbled in the air. A rainbow blur was darting across the town and then over the White Tail woods. "Curious..." She said as she watched Rainbow Dash end her flight at Sweet Apple Acres. Finally the Chariot landed at the edge of Ponyville. Luna stepped off and turned to the guards. "I will be done by this evening. But, if you can, do you two care to join us for lunch?"

"Yes your highness." Both said in unison. Then they flapped their wings as they prepared for lift off. Luna said her thanks and watched as they flew high and fast into the distance. She trotted her way onto the path leading into the Everfree only to be met by a figure in her mysterious cloak. "Hello there Zecora. Have you been keeping to our agreement?"

"Yes I have Princess of the night. The Red one stays out of sight." Replied the zebra knocking the hood back. "While the others hunt one seeks the truth. Including the one in the big booth."

"I see... I understand, thank you Zecora. Keep your eyes on them. We will be sending what you requested as soon as we can." Replied Luna as she extended her hoof to shake Zecora's,instead Zecora bumped hooves with her.

"I learned that from a little orange sleuth and the rest of her trio of youths."Zecora said before she placed the hood back on and turned away. {god I'm terrible at rhyming} Luna looked at her hoof and watched as Zecora disappeared into the woods.

In another part of the town.

Red sat in his field while reading a golden book with cobalt letters on it. "I don't understand it... How the heck do I do that?" Said the red pony as he put the book down and focused on a boulder. A burst of energy came from his horn and destroyed the boulder. He was unaware why this rock looked so odd.

Inside the Carousel Boutique.

Rarity was working on a dress while Pinkie Pie sat in another area working on a banner.

"Ohh my goodness?..." Said Rarity stopping the sewing machine. she put her hoof on her forehead.

"Are you okay Rarity?" Asked Pinkie looking up from her work.

"I don't quite know" Rarity shook her head. "I feel as if a something heavy was lifted from my back. I don't remember what it was though..." She replied.

(I wonder if you guys will understand that one.)

Back in the field

As Red practiced his magic, three pairs of eyes were watching him from inside a large log. The boulder he had smashed produced a few brilliant looking diamonds that he levitated into the saddle bag that held the spell book.

"Whoa!... Did you guys see that?" Yelled/whispered Scootaloo as chunks of rocks flew over their log.

"Yeah! But I still don't know why you're all worked up about some grown up stallion that doesn't have a cutie mark."said Sweetie Belle a little confused. "And are you sure we should even stay here it seems a bit-" At those exact words and moment a few rock fragments shot straight through the empty side of the log and once in front of her. "Dangerous."

"Aww shucks if you think that was dangerous you shoulda seen it when the rocks were hitting the house. Granny went all commando like. " Replied Apple bloom as she tried to stick her head out of the side and back in as even more rock fragments flew by. Suddenly, the log began to glow red as it slowly was suspended in the air and the three little fillies feel out through the side.

Red just sat there confused at the fact that a dead tree just deposited three horses in front of him. "Ummm..."

The three of them jumped up and stood together trying to crack a smile. "Uh... Hi there my name is-" before Sweetie Belle could finish her sentence, Scootaloo placed her hoof on her mouth.

"We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders and we were wondering why you don't have a cutie mark yet!" Said the Orange filly as she eagerly watched.

"The what and what now?" Asked Red even more confused than he was a second ago. But then he noticed the pink bow and it hit him. "These are those ones from the cave and my first day here" he thought. "Just go with it."

"We saw that you were a blank flank just like us and were wondering if you wanted any help in finding your cutie mark." Said Apple Bloom walking a little closer to them.

"What the heck is a cutie mark?" Red blurted out. "You girls keep mentioning that." He really began to wonder whether or not to stay and face these three or run. Slowly he began to inch himself away.

"A cutie mark is the very thing that a pony discovers when they find out what his or her purpose in life is. Then when they do a little cutie mark will appear on their flanks..." Explained Sweetie Belle. "We haven't gotten ours yet..." She sadly looked at her blank rear.

"That's why we're the Cutie Mark Crusaiders! We work together to find out who we are, and what we're supposed to be!" Yelled Scootaloo trying to look defiant.

"A mark that says who you are?" He replied pondering his thoughts. If they were to some how recognize him he'd be screwed. The two of them would probably notice him and then they'd tell the whole town who he is. "There's only... One... Thing... To do..." He said as his shadow loomed over the three little fillies...

In town

Luna trotted through the town while several of the town ponies bowed. As she reached the town hall. She knocked a few times until the Mayor herself answered the door.

"Oh! Why You're Highness you're here early! Please come in we've been expecting you." Said the Mayor quickening her pace to her desk. She moved a rather large and exquisite pillow and placed it in front of her desk. "Sit here you're highness... Would you like some tea?" She held out a cup of tea on a little saucer.

Luna took the cup with her magic and placed it to the side. "I wish to speak of the safety of the town." She calmly announced. "I am sure you are well enough aware of the high amount of Diamond dogs that have been seen in the Everfree and the rise in Changeling sightings."

"Yes I am You're highness. The security is not as satisfactory as it is in Canterlot but, I believe the young stallions and mares are adequate enough to handle any situation that should arise. We also have the elements in case of anything. I believe that is more than fully capable to handle any threat." Replied the Mayor.

Luna picked up the tea and took a sip. "How about the new Arrival? Has he been of any trouble?"

"Why no. I have heard from several of the ponies in town that he has been studying his magic and of the town." Replied the Mayor.

"I will be giving him lessons today on managing his magic a little later. But first, I have an appointment with one of my friends." Luna said closing her eyes.

"Should we be expecting anything dangerous from Mr. Red?" The Mayor proceeded to ask with caution.

"I would warn you about Pinkie Pie. From what Twilight Sparkle has said, she is plotting against him." A sudden clap of thunder was heard behind her. "Wow there seems to have been strange weather all week."

"Ah yes the Weather teams are preparing the clouds for the spring rains." Replied the Mayor holding up a scroll from the Cloudsdale forecast center. "I believe they begin in a few days." She rolled up the scroll and placed it into her desk.

"Hmm... I guess that is all I have for you today. My sister did not prepare me for anything other than those today. I guess I best be on my way. It's nearly lunch." The princess rose up and began to trot towards the double door exit.

"Wait You're highness! I also have received an on going rumor of a monster In the vicinity." The mayor stood up and recollected herself. "From what the pony who turned in the report stated. That it stands on two limbs like a Diamond dog but doesn't seem to fit any of the diamond dog profiles."

"That could only mean one person..." She thought to herself. I will have the guards on look out for that creature..." She nodded in worry. "Mayor Mare handed over a few stacks of papers.

"Now these are the papers that will be needed to be signed and approved by you or your sister. But seeing as you're here already here... Why not clear this all up now so that we wouldn't have to worry about it later." Said the Mayor with an whole hearted but desperate smile.

Luna sighed sadly as she looked at the high stack of fully written documents. She then levitated a quill and ink bottle over. "I'm beginning to miss the moon..." She sarcastically thought to herself.

A couple hours later at the library.

Twilight sat at the little table with a book, piece of paper and a quill, writing notes on whatever she was reading. Spike was napping in his basket and snored. Twilight stopped writing as the sound of somebody knocking came from the door.

"This is a public library you don't need to knock. Please come in." Twilight said without looking away from the book. Princess Luna wearily trotted in. Twilight turned and looked towards the princess and quickly jumped up. "Princess Luna?!"

"I didn't know... I didn't know my sister had to sign so many papers every time she came here..." Luna said as she came in and laid on the sofa. "Just give me a moment." Her mane was messy so Twilight straightened it up with her magic. She slowly regained her composure and sat up. "So, where shall we dine?"

"I know a place you're probably gonna enjoy you're highness." Twilight nudged Spike to wake up but the work she had made him do all morning seemed to make him heavily exhausted. She tried shouted his name to wake him up but it failed.

"I think it is wiser to let him stay and sleep. I do wish to speak with you in private." Said Luna getting up from her seat with a serious expression. "I have a few things that I wish to speak with you about. But I would rather we did while eating. We're starved." She let Twilight out the door but before she got outside. She used her magic to materialize a bag filled with gems and placed it next to Spike. She then trotted outside and watched Twilight lock the door.

"Let's head over to Sugarcube corner." Said Twilight as they walked side by side. A little down the path She turned towards the Princess but her mind still thought back to the flashes she had gotten from The red pony. "Princess... What exactly has been going on these last few days in Canterlot?" She tried to sound natural.

"Why nothing really it's just the standard drills and... " Luna paused. Twilight stared at her for a short moment until she realized that she almost said something she shouldn't have. "Oh it's nothing... There only has been a little commotion of an unknown creature."

"So the rumors are true!... Is Celestia alright?" Twilight whispered right out of the blue.

Clearly Twilight knew more than she should already. "Was this All Celestia's doing?" Luna asked herself. "Ahem... Yes why wouldn't she be?"

"Oh it's just that I heard something happened between her and that creature. If Rainbow is right about this thing being dangerous. We may have to do something about it." Replied Twilight. "If worse comes to worse. I don't really know what we might do."

Luna looked a bit more worried. "Oh my look at that we're already here. Hey there's our friend Pinkie Pie!" Luna turned the attention to the sweets shop. Her horn glowed and shot a blue bolt of magic into the air. A few seconds later the two guards she was with flew straight down and stood by the doors entrance as if they were actual Royal British guards.

"Wow we got here faster than it should have taken. I wonder what Pinkies been up to?" After dodging that brief discussion they proceeded into the shop. Pinkie Pie was nowhere to be seen and at the counter was Mr. Cake taking an order for a customer. As soon as Mr. Cake saw Luna he panicked and sprang to life. Quickly he pulled aside one of the tables for them and ushered them to sit there.

"Now what will you two lovely ladies be having?" He asked like his life depended on it.

Feeling cocky and a bit power happy she gave her order. "I would like a piece of the Marzipan Mascarpone my sister and Pinkie Pie speak so highly of." She gave a smile as she turned to Twilight who went along with it. "Also please include a few slices for the troops outside."

"I would like what the Princess is having please." Said Twilight trying to not seem like a pain.

"Yes... Yes they will be right out." He looked a bit spooked as he quickly made his way back to the kitchen. "Honey?... We have a big order!" He made his way through the kitchen door and disappeared.

Feeling less troubled Luna turned her attention to Twilight. "Now I'm pretty sure you have been aware of the several stories concerning my sister."

"Which stories?" Asked Replied Twilight remembering the talk they had on the way.

"The ones regarding the current state of Canterlot." Said Luna with a much more serious tone in her voice. "The stories are not as true as they speak. But they do speak parts of the truth."

Twilight saw the seriousness in Luna's eyes and wondered "I don't understand... Is everything alright over there?" She questioned.

"For the moment yes... But there is a small war going on. A war within the kingdom of Diamond dogs." Explained the Princess of the night. "It recently started with what had transpired within the mine where those ponies were being held captive."

"I thought that there were Diamond dogs being used as slaves there as well." Replied Twilight as the time began to drag on.

"The Diamond dogs that were held there were rebels. They oppose the current king." Luna watched as the cakes could be seen running about the kitchen.

"So it's a civil war? Why?" Twilight wondered why the princess would be telling her this.

"Yes but it also will be dealing with the Creature that has been spotted around the kingdom. We believe that the enemy is after it." Luna briefly remembered Celestia's words that morning.

A brief while ago at the castle

"When you arrive there you will need to check in with our caretaker in her preparations for the the rebels and how the monitoring is going. Rex has confirmed that there are still changelings within the area." Celesta said as she watched a crystal orb that rested upon a bronze block. The orb shined with a bluish light that pierced through the darkness of the room.

"What about him? What am I supposed to teach him today? It looks like he understands a lot already from what we have seen." Replied Luna. "It seems he already has mastered the concept."

"Ive been monitoring his progression. He hasn't learned any real manipulative magic yet. Nor the basic teleportation spell yet." Answered Celestia turning to her sister. "It will be vital that he grasps the knowledge of what he's capable of."

"But, couldn't we just try to-" Luna was briefly interrupted by a knock at the door.

"You're Majesties the Chariot you requested for has been prepared for you." Said a Royal guard through the door.

"Now please sister, hear me out... We aren't like we used to be years ago. We won't be able to protect the kingdom by our own means any longer." Celestia looked down on the orb which showed the events of yesterday. "I believe the future will bring change through their hardships. So please Luna we must rely on what is at hand."

Luna strongly disagreed with her words. She nodded her head and silently walked herself out. "I will see you later sister."

Back to the current time.

Twilight watched as the cakes brought out what looked like a mini version of the giant cake that Pinkie had on the train. Luna marveled at the sight as Mr. Cake used a knife to cut a slice out and pass it over to her.

"I hope the wait wasn't that long for you two. But please enjoy this one... I heard what Pinkie did the last time." He said while still being cautious.

As Twilight and Princess Luna enjoyed their meal things were happening within the forest as blue eyes peered through the brush of the Everfree. The eyes watched the the town as they began scanning the ponies that followed the paths around.

Rainbow Dash flew around rapidly as Fluttershy trotted slowly below her. "C'mon Fluttershy you had to have seen it at least once. While you were out here." Said the over confident Pegasus.

Fluttershy seemed to wobble as she trotted with a small bird resting on her folded wings. "I'm pretty sure I haven't seen anything like that... I did see a monkey or two but nothing else." She sounded a little tired.

"I just hope it shows its head again and then I'll give it the ol one, two. He was lucky the last time but, maybe this time I'll be able to catch it and prove once and for all I am prime Wonderbolt material." Rainbow said tenaciously and proudly.

Fluttershy was too busy comforting the little bird that was sitting on her back with a sort of bandage wrapped on one of its wings. "Oh don't you worry Mr. Finch we're not that far away now.

Rainbow sighed even more seeing that even Fluttershy wasn't paying much attention to her. "Hmm... I'm gonna go check Rarity. I know she'll understand what I'm saying. So I'll see you later okay. But be sure to call me first if you see anything." And with that Rainbow flew into the sky leaving Fluttershy all by herself and the little bird.

Back at Sugarcube Corner... (After half an hour of brief explanations and cake)

Both Luna and Twilight had finished their cake and exited through the doors to meet face to face with an exhausted Pinkie pie.

"Pinkie? There you are what have you been doing?..." Her voice slowed after noticing the amount of fatigue that radiated of of the party pony.

"Oh nothing important Twilight. I just finished putting something together." Pinkie replied and yawned. "I think I'm gonna hit the sack I spent all morning watching that Red pony and working on a little project."

"Wait you did what?" Asked Twilight stunned by the reply. Luna's ears perked up at the mention of the color red. "What was he doing?"

"I saw him Blowing things up with his magic and... Oh yeah and there were three little fillies spying on him as well. I think it was Apple Bloom and her friends." Pinkie explained going inside. "Welll see ya girls later."

"Pinkie Pie?... Tired?..." Twilight asked herself but then she remembered the Princess of the night was still with her. "So what shall we do now Luna?"

Luna began trot in the general direction of Sweet Apple acres. "I still have one more errand to do while we are here in town. Guards, I will see you later you may return to as you were earlier. I will be somewhere by the orchard." The guards bowed their heads and did as she said.

Twilight ran up along side her. "Where are you going? mind if I tag along?" She wanted

"I need to speak to someone and I was hoping to do so in private." Said Luna without turning towards Twilight. She clearly couldn't say anything to Twilight just yet.

"Oh... But, I think it would've been ok if I followed you to help with your errands throughout day..." Sadly replied Twilight as she stopped in place.

"I'm sorry Twilight Sparkle but this is a matter that I have agreed to." Luna faced forward and continued to walk ahead. "Oh I must thank you for spending the afternoon with me. I hope to see you later."

Twilight pondered her thoughts for a moment and watched as Luna followed the path towards Sweet Apple acres. "Hmm..." Suddenly she teleported away.

Luna walked down the path until she heard what must've been screaming and quickly galloped over. Her horn was lit and ready. Then she jumped out and saw the three screamers. "CEASE AND DESIST! You... Are under arrest...by... Equestrian...law?..." it was the CMC sitting and laughing in what seemed like miniature wooden airplanes while Red sat there with his horn glowing staring right back at her. "What is going on sir?"

"Luna?... What? Oh, uh this?" Stammered Red as he tried to focus.

"Mr. Red is trying to help us get aviation and piloting Cutie marks!" Said one of the girls as they all made for a straight line and simultaneously landed in order. "Yeah he has a bunch of stories that he told us about where he's from. Like how some Earth ponies use these really big machine to carry them across the land."

"And he even made us these really cool replicas of em!" Said Apple Bloom excitedly tapping her right hoof on the wooden airplane.

"This certainly was not what we expected. To tell the truth I was quite worried when I heard the joyous screaming." Said Luna cracking a smile. "It seems you integrated just fine with the ponies here haven't you. Kids can you go play somewhere else for a bit? I have something important that I need to tell Mr. Red."

"Aww... Will you be here tomorrow ?" Asked Sweetie Belle with a sad little face.

"Yeah don't worry I'm gonna be here practicing. But next time don't hide in the old logs. I don't want to hurt any of you okay?" Replied Red as he looked over at the pile of wood remains turned into fire wood.

Sweetie Belle smiled before turning to her friends and trotting towards the farm. Red's smile turned into a more serious expression. "Hey there Luna what brings you here? Has anyone found the spell or anything?"

"No it hasn't been found... Today will be your first magic lessons and please don't turn me into a chicken... Also I have a bit of news from the Diamond dog kingdom." She paused for a second as the sir around her suddenly thickened.

"Hey what the heck?" Red blurted out as he felt compressed. "What is going on?"

"It's just a small precautionary. It's a weak shield spell that will block any sound from exiting and entering." Luna explained with a faint glow coming from the tip of her horn.

"You've gotta teach me that." Replied Red impressed with her answer. "Now what about the news?"

"Currently Rex and the Rebellion have nearly prepared for their attack as well as Shining and his troops just in case. Also... There are cases of a few Changeling sightings near by." Luna sighed deeply. "We believe they are still after you..."

"Let them come. I'm ready for them if they were to try anything." Replied Red defiantly. "If it's what I need to do to get home I will."

"Now don't get any ideas. I'm aware you are eager to get back at them but, we still don't know how the citizens here would react with that whole Canterlot monster fiasco." Luna wisely replied. "Celestia has told me it would be safer for you to stay here until further notice."

"But I can!-" said Red as Luna cut him off.

"No it's too dangerous. Even for you..." Said Luna staring him in the eyes. Red slowly sat back down and watched his new teacher suddenly teleport a few books in front of her. "These books teach the basic construct of manipulation. A very sophisticated type of magic that takes high levels of concentration. Today you will be learning how to transfer your magic onto another being and objects. Much like how you levitated those wooden contraptions." she changed the subject.

Red levitated the books in the air. "Okay. How do I do this." Red said as he stood up and touched the wall of the shield with his hoof causing it to collapse. his mind still wrapped around the ones chasing him.

"We still don't understand how you do that!" Said Luna still in wonder of how he can dispel shields without trying. "Okay now bring one of those rocks over here." Red did as she said and brought over a rock the size of a baseball. "Now concentrate your magic into it."

"Like this?" Replied Red as the rock began to glow red. "Now what do I do?"

"Think of something. A material perhaps? " Said Luna watching the rock begin to slowly float.

Red closed his eyes as his mind focused on the rock. The rock rose into the space between them and began to change its shape. His face slowly began to show the amount of stress the spell requires. "It's a...it's a... It's a...APPLE!" He muttered under his gritted teeth. The glow around the rock subsided and it dropped to the ground. It was a nice red shiny apple. "Holy crap I did it.!" Red picked it up and checked all around it."

"That's just the first step. Now the one you are holding may just be a rock in the shape of an apple now-" The sound of something crunchy caught her attention. She saw that Red had taken a bite out of it.

"Tastes and feels like an honest to goodness apple to me." Replied Red as he moved it over to her.

She separated it and inspected it thoroughly. "That's amazing! It took me ages to learn this. But how?" She seemed even more shocked when she tasted it."It's delicious! And it hasn't even reverted. We must see how long this transformation will last."

As they practiced a few other spells the apple stayed the same. It had been two hours since they had begun and the apple had already brown at the exposed cores. "I wonder what sis would say when she saw this? Wait!" Suddenly she materialized a scroll and used her magic to write on it. Then she put the two slices of apples in it and it vanished.

At a busy table in the castle.

Celestia was discussing architecture with a few other ponies in front of a miniature model of Canterlot. A scroll appeared and landed on top of the model crushing a few buildings. Celestia smiled embarrassed as the others showed saddened faces.

Back in the field (about 30 mins later.)

The same scroll she had sent appeared without the apple. Luna levitated it over to her and opened it. "I've checked the apple dear sister it's a regular apple. But please do send your letters to my chambers. You chose such an opportune moment this time." Luna laughed a little and sighed. She looked up at the sky and watched as her chariot flew high above her signaling her time was running short.

"So, Luna how has it been since I've left?"asked Red reading through the books.

"It's gotten rather boring to be honest. First Celestia has been much more busier than before and then there is that whole Canterlot monster story. It's been circulating around Equestria. And what is this I'm hearing about the civilians seeing the creature recently?" Replied Luna looking at him suspiciously.

"I felt cooped up wearing this thing. i wanted to stretch my legs...and can I tell you something?" Asked Red as he looked at the pendant in his hoof while it was still around his neck. "I've been having these weird thoughts lately. Like, is any of this for real or not? My dreams have been a bit strange since I've come here." He explained each of his dreams and the strange events that take place in them.

"And there are also these ponies that have been spying on me... I just know it." Added Red looking at the surroundings.

"That sounds rather odd... When you were at the castle it did seem like something was stopping me from looking into your dreams." Luna seemed a bit disturbed at the thought. "We really do hope we can send you home."

The sounds of wings flapping abruptly interrupted the conversation. Luna's guards along with her chariot slowly landed a good distance away.

"It looks like its time for me to depart. We will be back in a few days. With your next lesson. As for now, I suggest you study what you can." Said Luna as she placed her hoof on his shoulders. He looked back at her. She then began to trot over to the chariot. "Fair well my friend."

Red levitated the newly acquired books along with the ones he already had into his saddlebag and began to walk towards the forest.

Something bright flew towards Luna and stopped in a puff of dust. "Princess Luna!" It yelled.

"Oh hello there Rainbow dash. Is anything the matter?" Asked the princess.

"It's that Canterlot monster we've gotta do something about it." Said the walking talking rainbow.

"Here we go again..." Luna thought to herself as Rainbow spoke faster than she could fly.

Chapter 14: impressions.

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Chapter 14: impressions.

The thoughts still haunted Red's mind. "I am different... I've known since I was very little... I just thought it was normal..."His thoughts seemed to have been heard as a familiar yet wise voice came into play.

"What you seek is what you fear. The paths will diverge and the role is yours to bear..." Said the voice. Sounding much like the voice he heard in Canterlot and his dreams. "The road home is for you to follow alone..." The voice trailed off as it vanished into the back of his mind. He shuddered as it ended. Who the crap does this voice belong to?" He thought shaking his head side to side

"What is that even supposed to mean?!" Red shouted as he began to gallop through the forest with his eyes tightly closed. When he reopened his eyes a white rabbit jumped into the path. Causing him to jump over it and crash into a patch of grass. He slowly rolled to a stop and groaned. "Oww... What the heck?" He wondered opening his eyes and rubbing his head. He watched as the rabbit quickly jumped on his stomach and pulled at his mane pointing towards another path. "What? What are you doing little guy?" Red simply asked shaking the grass off of himself.

The rabbit seemed to pout as Red ruffled its head. Angrily and quickly the panicky rabbit ran around Red. It attempted to push him onto the path but gave up due to the major sizing issue.

"Well it's been nice but, I need to be on my way now." Red said aloud as he patted the rabbit's head once again and turned around to trot away. The rabbit jumped up to his back and in a desperate fit yanked off the pendant. In a bright flash Red transformed into his human form. "Hey! Give that back!" His saddle bag hung around his arm.

The flash startled the rabbit causing it to run down the path. Joe reached out his arm and ran along the path.

A little while away at Sweet Apple acres.

Applejack was busy hauling in todays harvest in a large wagon into the barn whilst Big Mac was busy pulling along a row of similar smaller wagons with Apple Bloom and the others on their little wooden airplanes. Curious of where the new toys came from she trotted over. "Hey uh, girls? When did y'all build these little thingies?"

"We didn't build em. Our friend Mr. Red made them for us this morning." Replied Apple Bloom looking towards her.

"Who is this Mr. Red? Is he somepony we know?" Asked The curious Applejack. She felt rather confused on what exactly they were playing with. Suddenly, she heard the sounds of something approaching at breakneck speeds.

Rainbow Dash flew around the barn until she could properly stop and land. "Hey Applejack! Have you been reading the news?" She yelled trotting towards the farmer. Remember the story I told all of you? It's real! It's really real!"

"Wait a what now? What's real?" Applejack asked curious as to why Rainbow would suddenly drop in unannounced.

"The Canterlot monster. I actually saw it and fought it." Rainbow explained this caught the attention of Scootaloo and the others as they listened in. "It was just out there last night out on the hills."

During that night (with Rainbow Narrating it.)

Rainbow Dash sat upright in her bed reading through one of the many Daring Do books that sat on her night stand. "I was just sitting at home when suddenly" The whole house shook as if an Earthquake was going on. "For some reason I knew something was happening." As various objects and Rainbow dash herself fell to the cloud floor. The cloud began to become unstable and misshaped on the outside. "If I didn't do anything my house would've been destroyed." Rainbow managed to stand up after the shaking finally stopped. She angrily jumped from a window and flew up towards the moon. "I saw it. It was tall, had a messy mane and it was itching to fight!"

"Are you sure about that RD?" Interrupted Applejack. "Now I'm pretty sure I've seen you pick a fight with a few fellas that didn't even deserve what ya put them through."

"Hey it's my story! Now let me continue." Rainbow Dash continued. She dived with so much force that the clouds departed and the color of her mane created what seemed to be a nocturnal rainbow in the sky. "But before I could even get to hit it, it trapped me in a ball or something. Then it walked over to me and looked me straight in the eye. And then it said-..." She paused remembering what it was.

Back at the farm.

"What did I do?...Sorry..." Echoed throughout her mind as she repeated what it had said that night.

"Sorry?..." Asked Applejack as Apple Bloom popped up right next to her to listen to the story. "See now maybe that fella might've not been the one that got your feathers all ruffled."

"But then why'd it put me in the ball? That sounds pretty guilty doesn't it?" Rainbow asked snapping back to reality. "And then he ran away leaving me there till morning."

"Well it sounds to me like he was trying to protect himself from getting hurt." Sweetie Belle replied. "What would you have done if someone tried to attack you for no reason?"

"Well I'd probably kick their flank." Rainbow calmly gave her response crossing her hooves.

"Isn't that a bit overconfident?" Asked Apple Bloom eyeing Rainbow. "What if you can't win?"

"How would I know? I need to be there to know it wouldn't I?" Rainbow replied rather flustered. "Now about that monster. I don't think it's safe to have it running around causing trouble we need to catch it!" Her face turned a bit more serious considering what she had said.

Back in the forest.

Joe ran along the path just behind the rabbit until he had seen something on the road. "Whoa?!" it looked like a yellow Pegasi.

As he approached the downed Pegasi the little rabbit quickly hid inside the pony's pink mane. Without thinking he tried to wake it up. "Hello?... Hey?" he poked its side. "Are you okay?" The pony wouldn't respond. The rabbit jumped up and pointed to its forehead. Joe planted his hand on its forehead and sighed. "Its got a fever! How far is the hospital?..."

He gave it a thought and remembered the hospital being on the far end of the town. "The ponies would see me if I try to bring it over there."

Once he turned and checked for the rabbit, he noticed at once that the rabbit had run off down towards another path in the forest. Thinking quickly he used his magic to lift the Pegasi onto his back and chased after it . "Hey come on! Give that back!"

Further down, the path led into a cottage by the river. The rabbit made its way to the entrance and jumped up through the upper portion of the split door.

Joe stood there with the pony on his back worried. Rain slowly began to fall as he stood there thinking. Cautiously he approached the door and slowly opened it to see the little rabbit up on the steps pointing towards a room upstairs. Joe followed it up and saw where the rabbit was leading him. They were in a tiny bedroom, Joe placed the pony on the bed and tucked her in. Suddenly, the sound of thunder could be heard from outside causing the sleeping pony to stir.

As he placed his hand on its forehead she slowly but weakly opened her eyes. But only for a brief moment as she quickly passed out again. Joe noticed and quickly snatched the pendant from the rabbit with his magic. He put it on and changed back into a pony. "Why didn't I just do that in the first place?"

The pony weakly watched as Red trotted downstairs and out of sight. "Who is that?..." Asked the weak pony. She closed her eyes as she returned to her sleep.

"I can't leave her like this..." Thought Red as he paced around waiting for the rain to slow. He walked into the kitchen where a dozen little forest animals stared at him. "Okay?...what is this?" Out of a small crack came a small little mouse that slowly pushed out a small little bowl. Right behind the mouse were a collection of other little animals including several birds coming out of the walls. They all went to these little bowls and dishes. "Dinner?" Asked Red as the same little rabbit from earlier popped out from one of the holes in the walls nodding its head. "Well where do I start?" Red sighed as he levitated a few of the bags of pet food from one of the cupboards. He whistled as he poured the food into the bowls. He plopped up a little cook book on the side of him and levitated a knife that began chopping a bunch of vegetables. As he whistled the birds began to whistle enjoying their meals.

A/N:(I recently have been whistling the tune to yellow submarine while at work. Gets the time moving at work.)

The freshly chopped vegetables went into the bowls for rabbits and the other small creatures. The birds and bigger creatures ate from the kibble and bird seeds that Red set out for them. With all the animals nice and preoccupied, he couldn't help but notice the little jar of leaves and a tea kettle sitting on an old wood stove. Having finished feeding the animals all there was left Is to wait for the rain. He put in a couple of short logs and burned them with matches he found in the cabinet.. He sighed as the room began to heat up. The animals having finished their meals gathered near the stove to warm themselves as well. Red emptied the tea kettle and refilled it with fresh water.

Within a few minutes the tea was done and poured into a couple of cups. He levitated one of them and trotted up the stairs. The pony was still asleep so he left it on the drawer next to the bed. The little rabbit kept his eyes on Red as he returned downstairs. Next he levitated a few chopped vegetables in a pot of water and placed it on the stove to boil into a soup. Upstairs The rabbit lifted the pony's head up onto a position for her to be able to drink some of the tea while it was warm.

Back at the farm.

Applejack continued to work on bucking more trees while Rainbow Dash watched from atop a tree branch.

"Do you know what the weirdest thing was?" Rainbow looked like she was deep in thought. "This morning Princess Luna acted as if she already knew what was going on."

"Maybe if ya can stop telling that story for a moment and help me out here, I can listen to it a bit better." Said Applejack as she bucked the tree where Rainbow sat causing not only apples to fall but the Pegasus as well.

Rainbow screamed as she fell on her face. "Ouch... Okay I get it. Tell me which side you want me to do." She replied getting up. Applejack pointed towards an orchard on top of a hill and Rainbow took of towards it. Apples rolled down from the hill and into a large pile.

After a while, the two had an almost even amount of bushels. "Not bad. I suppose it's time we take a break. Hey RD lets bag this bunch and head in!" Applejack pulled over the empty baskets and began to pick out the good from the bad apples. Rainbow flew over and began to help by scooping them up with her wings. "Hey uh, have you heard of any pony going around by the name Red by any chance?"

"No. Why?" Asked Rainbow pulling away a basket.

"See those little wooden things the girls are playing with? They said that some Red made it for them. He told them that the ponies where he's from use em to fly." Applejack pointed towards the girls and rolled her eyes at it.

"Ha! How's a pony supposed to get anywhere in those things?!" She leaned back and laughed. "The day somepony outflies me in something like that will be the day Fluttershy wrestles a bear." She continued to laugh until she had noticed the oncoming clouds. "Oh no... That rain was scheduled for later today. It's moving in way too early. I bet it's Thunderlane again."

"It sounds weird but, don't you find it strange that everyone's been acting weird after the mines? We had that whole Canterlot monster mishap and now Twilight has us watching somepony that claims he's Celestia's apprentice. What in tarnation is going on?"

"Hey why don't we go see what Twilights been up to lately." Rainbow bluntly suggested.

"I don't know... This morning she seemed a little bit... Off her rocker." Applejack replied. She positioned the hat a little further back. "Well we're gonna need to start moving, especially before it starts pouring." Applejack looked up at the clouds an thought for a little. "I thought you said this won't start till later today?"

"I don't get it either, They should know what to do by know. But still.., I know it's not my fault." She jumped into the air a lightly flew through the air a bit to stretch her wings. "Let's go."

Sure enough at the library.

Spike was sitting outside on the the porch as both Applejack and Rainbow got there. "Hey girls watcha up to?" He asked as if nothing had happened.

"Eh... Spike what're you doing out here? We need to speak with Twilight for a little. Is she inside?" Applejack tried the door to the library but it was locked. "Hey what's going on?"

"I think Twilights upset about something. She just came home and poof I'm out here and the door is locked." Explained Spike getting to his feet.

AppleJack sighed and moved spike out of the way. "Don't worry your little head off we can handle this." She faced her tail to the door and prepared. "I'll have to fix this later." She bucked the door and it swung open.

Rainbow quickly dashed in and looked around. Everything was neat and there was nothing out of the ordinary. Slowly she trotted up the stairs. "Twilight?" She called out but there was no response. As she made it to the bedroom she found Twilight sitting there looking out the window.

"I followed Luna and I saw them." Calmly yet sorrowfully replied Twilight. "I just don't get it... DID CELESTIA REPLACE ME?" She began to panic.

"C'mon Twilight you've gotta get over that. If he was before you, then why did she begin teaching you?" Rainbow asked sympathetically. "I mean maybe he wasn't good enough. Celestia probably saw better potential in you than he had."

"Yeah! Shes right sugar cube. You probably have way more skill than he does." Said Applejack coming up the stairs with Spike on her back.

"I still don't know... Those things I saw. What Luna said." Twilight got up and trotted closer to the window. "She acted as if I did some sort of crime by spying on them."

"Well you do tend to go overboard. Just like when you first moved here. You tried to spy on Pinkie remember? By the way... Where the hay has she been these past few days?" Asked Applejack with her hoof to her chin. "I haven't seen her since the sleep over and it ain't sitting well with me."

"Oh. Pinkie? She has this whole evil scheme thing going on. I don't know much about it. But she's been acting creepy about it." Answered Spike jumping down.

"Anyway! If you're worried about being Celestia's star student then you're going about this in the wrong way. You've gotta show her that you have the determination! The Drive! And the Power to take out the competition and shine as the brightest student she's ever had!" Rainbow shouted as if she were a coach or a drill instructor. Twilight seeming slightly better than she had been a second ago got up and trotted over to her two friends.

"You know what I think I will. I won't stop studying until I'm top pupil once again!" Twilight said confidently.

"That's the spirit! Now let's get out there and show em who's the best Unicorn in Ponyville!" Cheerfully shouted Rainbow Dash.

"But, how?!" Twilight suddenly said aloud. "I don't even know what kind of spells i would need to be studying. What if Celestia were to find out?!" She groaned in worry. "She might punish me for not being up to date." She buried her head in her hooves.

"Aww c'mon now don't be like that. Lets go downstairs and start on some studying." Said Applejack using her head to move Twilight towards and down the stairs.

Back at the cottage.

Red paced back and forth as the soup boiled and slowly turn into a simmer. He took a ladle and tried a little. "Mmm... Tastes alright what do you think?" The little white rabbit jumped up onto the counter and tried the soup. He stopped and gave a thumbs up. "Okay then I will leave this here if you guys are still hungry. This bowl will be going up to the pony." He levitated a bowl of soup and trotted up the stairs. The pony still laid there asleep. He placed the bowl on the night stand and took the empty tea cup.

The rabbit watched as he levitated the pendant of his neck and place his hand on the pony's forehead. He placed the pendant back on his neck and sighed in relief. "The fever is starting to drop. I better get out of here." He trotted downstairs followed by the rabbit into the kitchen. He sighed again as he placed the cup into the sink. He trotted over to the table where his saddle bag sat and pulled out a few pieces of paper. A bottle of ink and a quill levitated out and immediately began to write. "Let's go little guy I have a job for you." The rabbit looked back towards the stairway and back at Red. "Don't worry she'll be fine. She just needs some rest." The rabbit calmed down and jumped onto his back. Red put on the saddle bag and placed his things back inside. He went back upstairs and placed a note on the nightstand. After that he walked straight out of the door. The ground was still wet and the clouds still hovered above the forest. "We gotta make this quick." He quickly began to gallop over the path and into town.

The ponies in town showed almost interests in him as he casually strolled through the streets. A few of the markets were still open and a few were already closing signaling that it was almost sundown. Red stopped by one of them and bought a bright orange carrot. He continued to walk until he got to a really big building. He turned towards the rabbit he levitated the carrot and letter to the rabbit. "This is the place. These are for you. I will need you to go into the hospital and hand this to whoever works there got it?" The rabbit gave a salute and took both the carrot and letter. He hopped his way into the hospital. "Well that's that. I hope everything turns out alright for them." Suddenly another voice entered his head.

"What is the matter with you? You're supposed to be finding a way to get home aren't you? You said it yourself. Not here to make friends." The voice of the old man in the scarlet suit echoed throughout his head. "Why is it that you are still here? If Celestia truly wanted to help you. You'd be home already. Trust me I've dealt with her kind all too well."

"Can't you guys just leave me alone!" Red angrily thought hoping the voice would leave him alone. It seemed to work. Seeing the sun he began to trot back into town. That voice did have a very good point. "What am I really doing here? What am I here? I really need to get out of here..." He slowly made his way to the windmill and shut the door.

Important notice/Question

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I've been doing a bit of thinking and I think I should rewrite most of the story. I'm beginning to think I've dragged out the story a bit too much and it sorta makes it a little dull. So I'm probably going to have to rewrite a lot of the chapters mostly to redo some grammar. That and to try to make it more along the line of a novel instead of an episodic tumblr type thingy.

I could leave it the way it is except for the grammar and removed segments

I could rewrite it only from Joe's perspective focusing only on what the main character is doing. Typically this could remove the scenes that have a pony's point of view

I could entirely rewrite the story with shortened and less detailed chapters

Based on what you guys chose I will take action. Just give me your opinions and suggestions.

Chapter 15: Pre-race distractions

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Chapter 15: Pre-race distractions.

An open journal laid upon a small pedestal with words glowing brightly.

Day 2 - Ponyville entry 2

"I've finally moved in to the windmill and bought a bed. On the way I ended up finding a really good restaurant and tried the Hayfries. But, I can't help but feel that something is wrong."

Day 3 - Ponyville entry 3

"Last night, I had a dream. But, it felt so real. I was back home but nobody was there. I was all alone until this... Character appeared and tried to confuse me. I have no idea how but he's shown up more than once. I'm just gonna try to keep my mind on finding where to go."

Day 5 - Ponyville entry 4

"Earlier today I helped a rabbit and a pony who seemed to be under the weather. I brought her to in guessing her home and sent for a doctor. I am hoping for the best."

The new entries glowed within the journal one by one. Celestia warmly smiled as she read them. Though they were short, they still presented the message of a person being in an alright state. She trotted over to a balcony where she looked out onto the horizon.

"Our friend still seems to be doing alright. But, Twilight and Rainbow Dash seems to be getting mixed reactions from a few days ago." Said Luna stepping away from the book. She looked towards her sister who was deep in concentration moving the sun with her magic. Over in horizon the sun slowly rose and shined upon Canterlot and the rest of Equestria.

Celestia's horn dimmed and the magic faded. She closed her eyes and trotted towards the book. "They aren't quite lessons in friendship but, they are a start. There is still something bothering me in those entries. He also mentioned his dreams but I have never been able to enter his dreams. It's as if his mind is forcing me out whenever I have tried to." The book levitated off its little display and onto a desk with another similar book.

"There are other forces other than our own in play. Those same powers will try to manipulate and control him if he were to ever be discovered or caught." Celestia scanned through the unknown book on the desk. I still believe that Teacher's Archive is still around but, why did he hide it from all of us?" She took a scroll and began to write in it.

"I was too young to remember his face nor the lessons he gave. I'm dissatisfied with myself for that." Luna sadly replied. "I will be waiting for you out there."

Celestia rolled up the scroll and it vanished in an instant. "I hope Spike that you understand and do this job right." She took the book and walked over to a blank area of a wall in the room. Her horn flashed causing a small door to appear on the wall. Her horn glowed as she opened it and placed the book inside. The door closed and vanished without her even touching it.

Outside the door ponies already began to be filing in to do their jobs as well as Dusty. Who happily hummed as she swept the halls. "Hello there you're Majesty. Do you wish to be served?" Celestia trotted over and whispered in her ear. "The scholars you're majesty? But, they're still in the archives looking for any traces of the book and collecting news for you as we speak."

"I understand I will find them then. Do you wish to accompany me?" Asked the princess standing taller than the little maid. "I believe it is time to consult them."

"Yes you're majesty. Also... Has there been any updates on Mr. Joe?" Dusty trotted along side Celestia. "Nurse Blue Heart is wondering as well. She is requesting she does a check up in a few days. Is that fine?"

"Of course, I'm pretty sure he would enjoy the company. I wouldn't want our friend to feel as though he had been left out of anything." Celestia smiled at the idea. "I would've suggested today but, Soarin and Spitfire have already departed to Ponyville."

As they spoke the Captain of the guard still in his armor, stood along the walkways with his wife. "I think it's gonna be okay there hasn't been much sightings for a while. She shouldn't be able to come back. And Celestia had banished her legion to the badlands. The ones we saw were completely different." He explained. Cadence didn't take too well to it.

"I still can sense it. They're after Joe and the rest of Equestria. Im just worried, what would happen if they were to get a hold of him?" Cadence still seemed worried.

"Nothing would happen. I would personally make sure of that. And don't worry he's packing enough magic in him to blast them farther than we did." Shining comforted his wife. Celestia and Dusty trotted their way up to them.

"Hello there you two. Enjoying your day?" Celestia asked overhearing their conversation.

"Cadence is worried about the Changelings return and that their Queen may be back as well." Answered Shining. He took off his helmet and scratched his head with his hoof. "They've been appearing all over Equestria but, there haven't been any sightings of the Queen at all yet."

Celestia smiled. "I'm sure that even if she was to come back, she would find it rather harder to invade than it was last time. Especially under your command Captain." Cadence's worried outlook turned into a smile. "Now of you can excuse us we will be on our way." They continued to trot through the halls.

Dusty stopped in front of them and bowed. "I hope you enjoy your day." She then quickly caught back up to Celestia and continued down the hall.

Over the skies of the Everfree forest.

Both Soarin and Spitfire soared through the gentle sky. On Soarin's back was a basket while in Spitfire's saddle bag were clearly visible books. Though they were weighed down, it did very little to hinder their journey.

"Hey let's take a break over on those clouds for a while. My wings are killing me." Soarin dropped onto the cloud exhausted.

Spitfire gently landed next to him and laughed. "C'mon Soarin we just left Canterlot." She then looked towards the basket. "Don't tell me these three little pies are weighing you down."

Soarin slumped himself down on the clouds. "I think I ate a bit too much before we left. Just give me a few seconds to catch my breath." He took the basket off his back and looked over the cloud onto the river the bordered the forest.

"Now that's just the lazy speaking. I'm going to go on a little further." She jumped over a few more clouds and dove towards the top of the forest.

Soarin sighed as Spitfire glided over the large canopy and towards the town. The town was alive as always with stores, ponies and fragrances.

"Now where did Shining say his house was?" Said Spitfire as she trotted past a few stores. "Hmm that place looks like a place I'd hide" she looked towards the windmill in the distance and began to head towards it. "Oh great fans..." She sarcastically thought to herself.

There were very few of the ponies in the crowd who immediately noticed her and rushed over to her for autographs. They shouted her name calling for her attention. Soarin flew down and hovered above the crowd. "Here grab my hoof!" He reached his hoof into the crowd managing to grab her hoof just in time as the crowd began to overwhelm her.

"Wow. Thanks Soarin. I thought I was done for." Spitfire sighed in relief. They gently landed on a nearby roof.

"No problem right? We've dealt with this whole thing before." Replied Soarin positioning the pies back onto his back.

The sounds of other wings flapping caught their attention. A few of the fans began to fly up after them. "We gotta get outta here and quick! Head for the windmill!" Spitfire exclaimed in panic. They hopped into the air and began to steadily fly towards the windmill.

Once there, both Spitfire and Soaring began to knock on the door. "C'mon! C'mon! C'mon! Open up!" Spitfire yelled. There were sounds of rustling on the inside and a quick flash but just as it ended the bundle of their fans caught up forcing them to fly off yet again.

Suddenly, the door opened and out popped Red's head. "Hello?... Hmm?..." He shrugged his shoulders and went back inside.

A little while away, Rainbow Dash sat on a cloud watching over the town. "What's that sound?..." She turned over on her cloud to see both Spitfire and Soarin heading straight for her followed by a trail of Pegasi. "Woah! Woah WOAH!" She toppled off as the two barreled right by her. "The Wonder Bolts here?! Why?!" She spun out as the other Pegasi knocked her around.

"Quickly get to the windmill!" Shouted Soarin. He began to Flap his wings even harder. Behind him Spitfire quickly did the same allowing them to distance them selves.

Hearing the commotion, Red looked out the windmill and trotted away. He froze and rushed back over to see his friends flying straight towards the door. His horn lit up and almost immediately the door swung open. The moment the two got in the doors slammed shut and a barrier was erected. They winced as the sounds of Ponies bumping into it. "That... Sounds like it hurt... A lot." He turned his attention back towards his house guests. " What the heck is going on? This wasn't what I expected after I received that letter from Celestia."

Spitfire rushed over and gave him a hug. " Jeez its been forever since we've seen ya." she let go of the hug and paced about the room. "Well... It all started out as a regular visit but, we forgot we had fans out here also." She pulled out four books from her saddlebag. "We were asked by the Princesses. To drop these off to you while we were here." The books were again books from the Star Swirl section at the Castle's library. As red looked at the books Spitfire began to walk around the living room dodging a few books and papers. "Hey uh... What's all these for?" She pointed her hoof at the mess of spell and text books leading to the kitchen table.

"Those? That's all my research. I think I'm getting close to finding it." He carefully closed and levitated them off the floor and into a small stack on the table.

"It's been a while. How's it been since you were relocated.?" Spitfire asked finally taking a seat on the couch. "You got a snazzy looking pad, I'm betting you got some decent funds from the princesses and its like you've gotten used to the place already. So tell me what's going on-"

"Hey I got pies!" Soarin interrupted but as he trotted over he tripped over a book flinging the pies into the air. "Noooo!"

The pies floated above him covered in a red aura. "Got em." Red moved then towards the table and placed them down. Using his magic he picked up the few books that littered the room and placed them into the shelves. "Sorry about that *yawn* I've been a little busy."

"Are you alright? You look... Sleepy." Soarin asked watching Red lean against the table.

"I just. I'm okay... Don't worry about me. Now what do you guys feel like doing while you're here?" Red shook himself awake.

Though on the outside of the windmill the various ponies that had chased the two Wonder Bolts slowly left. One specific pony remained and looked through an opening in the window. "What? Would the Wonderbolts be doing here?" She quickly flew up onto another small cloud and watched the doorway.

Back inside, Red levitated a book in front of him while Soarin sat in front of him. "If we're gonna go through town you two are going to need to blend in." He flipped a page and his horn began to light up. "This spell is sorta similar to the enchantment that Celestia put on this pendant. But, it won't last long. I haven't had a chance to try it on anything yet other than a rock."

"I don't think I like the sound of that... Is the spell leathal?" Soarin asked fearfully.

"Naww. Not really it'll only burn for an hour." Red Sarcastically replied. "Now hold still." He levitated a large blanket over him.

"NO WAIT!" Soarin yelled as a warm sensation came over his body. As it faded he stood ready for pain but received none. "I'm okay?! I'm okay!" He looked over his body and sighed in relief. "What did you do to me?" He pulled off the blanket.

"Well... It's sorta like a counter spell for another spell that makes things irresistible. This one makes you less noticeable. Oh, yeah I was joking about the burning thing." Red explained.

"Okay me next." Spitfire eagerly stood where Soarin was and was zapped with the same spell. "Ohh thats tingly." She shook the blanket off and looked out of a window to the rest of the town. "You know what? Even though I've been here on business I've never been able to enjoy it here." Suddenly, someone's stomach began to rumble. "Soarin we just got here. Don't tell me you're hungry again."

"Heh heh... That was me." Replied Red. "Do you think we can grab a bite before we head out?"

"I knew these would've been useful." He cut a piece of pie and handed it over to Red who happily gulped it down.

After a brisk lunch.

The three of them emerged from the windmill but, sneakily as to not attract anymore unwanted attention.

"So where to? We've got this whole town until the evening to hang out today." Spitfire eagerly asked.

"Well there is that place I practice a few of my spells, there's the park, I saw a farm that isn't that far away and then there's that place." He pointed a hoof towards the direction of apple trees.

"Wasn't there a library here dams well? I'm sure I heard something about a library." Soarin interjected. "Or wait I have a great idea. How about a little rematch for the race we had back in Canterlot?"

"There's a library in this town?" Red asked flabbergasted.

"A race alright! Where're we gonna have it though the town is a bit too packed to run through isn't it?" Spitfire asked with a competitive grin. "There aren't any paths we can use around here are there?"

"Wait I did read something about an annual race thing. There is the route for that race they do in the fall. Would that one do?" Red proposed. It shouldn't be in any use right now"

"That sounds perfect. Lets head over there now." Soarin agreed as they casually walked through the town without anyone turning their way. But behind the group one certain pony who slowly followed them through the shadows.

Back in the castle.

Dusty and Celestia moved through the halls looking at the many stained glass windows. As they neared a door, Celestia stopped and opened the door. Inside were brightly colored stained glass panels that were framed with light coming through an empty panel of glass. At first Celestia was hesitant to enter the new hall but, went in anyway followed by Dusty who carefully made sure to close the door. The glass panels as most know represent brief summaries of Equestrian history. Dusty marveled at the sight of the many colors and delightful images.

"They should be beyond these doors." Said Celestia as she stood in front of a big black door. Above the door was a depiction of all four types of ponies. Celestia slowly walked inside where she came face to face with three old ponies including a familiar old Unicorn stallion. He sighed as Celestia and Dusty entered.

"I have rather shocking news for you you're Highness..." Said the old Unicorn. "It is about the human and his conditions."

"What is it Kiesel?" Asked the old mare Pegasus. "I still have yet to meet this marvel of a creature as you described earlier."

"Please explain ." Asked the princess in reply.

"I have noticed a slight difference of his levels of magic from the last few examinations he had while staying here. They have significantly risen over the course of those three days." The old Stallion explained.

"Well he has been doing a little bit of magic training. Is that a possibility of the rise?" Dusty nervously asked while Celestia looked down at her.

"I'm afraid it is much more complicated than that. There is a major difference in the pools of magic that reside within him. There are dormant sources within him that indicate he is well enough stronger than we thought. It is balanced yet a very unstable phenomenon. I have never seen this in all my life as a doctor. His body appears to be absorbing magic as though he were a sponge." He explained even further with his documents. "From watching his progress of magical training it appears to be that he has yet to harness those reserves. He has only been burning through a bare minimum of magic from his surroundings. I'm not sure if he is aware of that either. I believe it would be wiser to keep it hidden until we know if he is a danger."

Celestia stood there heavily in thought considering this was a very informative but discouraging topic. "I will take that into consideration on what may happen next. On another note has there been any updates on the search Sir Glade?"

The Earth pony approached with his notes. "I'm afraid that there has been none you're Highness. We have had no new progress in the location. Though... There has been suspicious activities seen in the Frozen North."

She sighed at those words taking even more discouraging information. Finally the Old Pegasus stepped forward. "You're Highness... There has been talk among the soldiers in Cloudsdale about the Changeling armies in the south. They seem to be regrouping once again."

"Thank you I expected as much from the former Meteor Gal. How goes the Far West leagues?" Asked Celestia going off topic.

"Oh... Heh heh. It's beyond me now. These wings are too brittle to handle any heavy flying. I left the remainder of the team in another's care." The Pegasus replied.

"I was hoping that it doesn't come to any interferences in the search but, it seems that there will be need to keep an eye out for them once again." Said Celestia with another serious tone. "Is there anymore news for today?"

"I'm afraid not you're majesty. We have our sources running at full capacity. There are ponies running through Equestria delivering every bit of news to us. But, there hasn't been any major reports." The old Pegasi explained.

"Wait... There is one thing, The human. Has he been searching as well? How about his magic?" Asked the old Doctor.

"Will there be a problem if he is?" Celestia replied suspiciously.

"If his enormous magical powers were to manifest completely out of his control he could pose as a threat to his current location and to himself." Sir Glade explained. "We are all expecting something great to emerge from this creature. If it is true he could be very useful to us."

Celestia did not take a liking to those words. "He is a sentient being and I aim to send him home. I don't seek to abuse his powers."

"But what about the prophecies?" Asked Dr. Kiesel. "We may need him in the future."

"I have seen them but still... He shouldn't pay for something he has no part of." She stood defiant as Dusty urged her to calm down.

"You're majesty! It is nearly time to meet with your appointments." Dusty folded her hooves nervously stepping further towards the door.

The group of aged scholars stepped back towards what they were doing. Celestia took one last look back at them and exited the room. "You're Highness?... Is what they said true? Is Mr. Joe dangerous? And prophecies?" Asked Dusty confused and curious.

"Those may be true but, I refuse to let something like that happen. I follow my promises to their full extent even if it means something tragic should happen to me." Celestia held her head low.

"You're highness... "Dusty quietly and sadly said to herself. She followed the Princess out of the halls until a whisper caught her ears.

"She's lying..." Said a very echoey voice. It sent shivers up her spine causing her to stay in place. She turned to see nothing but, quickly trotted to Celestia's side.

Back in Ponyville.

Red led the two WonderBolts through the town. Unbothered by the population. "Whoa this is cool! Nobody is trying to follow us." Said Spitfire grinning happily.

"So where is this Whitetail woods place anyway?" Soarin looked around the road and at a few of the stands.

"It should be just passed these few houses" said Red who suddenly stopped. Something grabbed his hoof. He turned his head to see little Apple Bloom wearing a tiny green apron. "Oh hey there."

"Hey Mr. Red, what're looking for today?" She asked as Red ushered his friends to wait for a bit.

"I'm having a day to be with a couple of friends of mine are having a short study break." He replied.

"Okay, mind if I can interest you in buying a few of these grade A apples?" Apple Bloom moved one bushel over.

"Sure. How about I pick it up right after I finish with my friends" Red levitated a few bits over to the little Filly and placed it in the apron pocket. "Keep the change."

"Okay we'll see you later." She thanked him as he began to head off towards Soarin and Spitfire. She gave a quick wave as he turned the corner.

"Apple Bloom! I thought I told ya I was gonna handle the sales today-" Applejack suddenly said as she popped up behind Apple Bloom. But Apple Bloom quickly interrupted her.

"Applejack! I made a sale!" Apple Bloom was pretty excited for her small accomplishment.

"That's great Sugar cube how many apples did they get?" Applejack eyed the bunches of apples in the cart.

"A whole bushel. See he paid me with these." She held up the dark silver coins and her sister carefully looked them over.

Applejacks eyes lit up in shock. "THOSE ARE! PLATINUM!" She hopped once and nearly collapsed onto the ground. "Who? Who bought the apples?!"

"Did... Did I do bad?..." Apple Bloom held her head low in sadness.

"No Thats not it little sis. This is great. It's just that... This is the most money we've ever got in a day? We can fix up the whole farm With these. Who bought the apples?" Applejack held her little sister close.

"It was Mr. Red. He was with a couple of other ponies I couldn't recognize. He said he's gonna be back to pick up the apples later after he's done with his friends." She seemed relieved and happy with her sister's excited reaction.

"That Red guy again?... But, that's Twilight's competition." Her happy expression turned into one of. worry. "I think... I better find out who this feller is myself." She took the bits and placed them into a pouch.

Back with Red a little farther away.

A short distance behind The group , a shadow began to go from rooftop to rooftop keeping itself hidden.

Red, Soarin and Spitfire headed out into a small path and followed it to another bigger yet well kept path. "We're almost there. Just a little bit further."

"Are you sure about that? I mean we coulda gotten there by now if we were flying." Spitfire replied Spitfire as she hopped up into the air and flew above them. "Hey, whadya know? He's right."

"How far exactly?" Asked Soarin before hopping up into the air by her.

"I'd say at least a three-hundred yards yards away." She replied. "Hey, Joe do you think I can head over there to scope out the place to see if anypony is there?"

"Well it's up to you. I brought the book in case we need directions." Replied the Red pony.

"In that case... Hey Soarin I bet ya twelve bits I can beat you over there!" Shouted an enthusiastic Spitfire. First one to the big yellow sign wins."

"Oh yeah you're on!" Soarin quickly sprung into the air and after their friend.

"Now that's not fair..." Red trotted down the path at a regular pace. But suddenly turned when a twig , there was no one behind him. He trotted back towards the path as he heard a very silent "Eep!"

"Hello? Anybody there?" He asked aloud. There was a sign that someone had been trailing them. Something colorful was poking out of a bush immediately catching Joe/Red's attention. He used his magic to move the bush out of the way until he noticed it was a pony."Hey it's you from the road and the rabbit." She Opened her eyes in shock and vanished trotting back down the path they had come. "It was nice seeing you again!"

"Hey slowpoke lets get to racing this thing!" Soarin shouted with confidence.

"Yeah! Yeah! I got I'll be right over." Red shouted back in reply and began heading towards the race.

Chapter 16: Win Win

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Chapter 16: Win Win

The sun beamed down on Whitetail woods as the two Pegasi and red Unicorn lined themselves up at a make shift starting line.
"Okay here's the deal. The first pony to go around the track twice wins. The path has been marked by the orange pieces of cloth that have been tied to several trees. "Understood?" Bellowed Spitfire in a drill instructor type of way.

"So what do I get if I win?" Soarin boasted obviously overconfident.

"Good question... Whoever wins... Gets bragging rights for a week. How's that sound?" Both Red and Soarin nodded they're heads in approval. "Okay then lets get this started with!" They got into positions "Three!.. Two!...-"

"What are you guys doing?" shouted an energetic young voice causing the three to almost trip over. She had wide greyish purple eyes, an orange coat, and a brilliant purple mane.

"Oh, hey there Scoots." Red waved back to her. "You're not with the others today?"

"Hey what're you doing here kid? Shouldn't you be in school?" Asked Spitfire.

"I saw the three of you leave the windmill. I figured that something cool was up. Besides, how could I not notice two of the coolest members of the WonderBolts. So, I snuck out of the fence and followed you guys here." Explained the little Pegasus.

"Uhh... listen Scoots we were kinda in the middle of a very important race." Said Spitfire moving the little filly out of the path.

"A race?! Can I watch?" She enthusiastically began jumping up and down. Spitfire turned her head towards Red.

"Why not? It's only one of em." Red said in reply nodding his head yes.

"Alright!" Cheered the little filly.

"Okay now that that's settled care to do the count down?" Spitfire pointed a hoof towards the large hilltop.

Scootaloo quickly made her way to the top. She held her head up high as she tried to piece together the race path. Red and the others got into position. "Everypony ready?! Okay! Three! Two! One!...GO!" The three of them blasted off down and along the path.

The three of them were neck and neck briefly passing each other. "Ha! Come on I expected better! Than that!" Spitfire sneered taking the lead. Scootaloo cheered as they rounded each turn. Little did they know others were watching.

Back in town

Twilight sat in the library with a frazzled mane. She levitated a rather long and tedious list... That must've been at least ten feet long and probably had every book in the library listed. "That's number eight - hundred and eight... *sigh...* I'm not even half way through." She turned to the other half of the library where the books were neatly stacked on the ground instead of on the shelves where they belong. "Spike? Hey Spike can you come here for a moment? Spike?!" She slowly got up and looked around but nobody was there. "Owlicious? Anyone?" She stood up and trotted up the stairs to her room. "Where are those two?" She looked towards the owl's little perch. She was relieved to see the little horned owl with its eyes closed and gentle breathing. There was a little yellow note on his tail feathers.

"Dear Twilight, I won't be back until later today. The Princess sent me on a few errands in town. Sincerely, Spike"

She sighed and took the note off the owls feathers and balled it. "Hmm... I wonder what the princess needs him to do?" She asked herself. Suddenly she teleported towards one of the telescopes and brought it to the balcony. The flash woke up the owl causing it to fly over to her. "Hey there sleepy head." The owl stretched its wings and turned its head a full rotation. Twilight laughed and looked through the scope.

Across town through the Telescope, she could see Applejack was busy at her usual fruit stand, Rarity was toting around a wagon of fabrics, a line stood in the doorway of Sugarcube corner, and clouds were being tended to. It was a nice day to be outside. She suddenly vanished in a flash. Owlicious hopped his way into the room where he heard the sound of a faucet being turned. Twilight exited from another room brushing her mane. "Owlicious, I'm going out for a while. Do you think you can watch the library?" The little owl hooted back in reply. "Alright I'll see you later." Twilight teleported herself outside. "I hope everyone isn't too busy." She trotted along the path into town to notice several ponies rushing off in one direction. "What's their problem?" Twilight thought. Suddenly, she heard some sort of ruckus coming out of a building near by. It was Sugarcube Corner, ponies were rushing to make orders. Twilight made her way through the entrance to see the Cakes and Pinkie Pie working at incredible speeds baking and packaging baked goods.

"Twilight! Help us!" Shouted Pinkie pulling a baking sheet out of the oven. She set it on the counter and zipped over to the Unicorn. "We need your help! We're getting overrun with Take out orders." She held a stack of little pieces of paper.

"Okay just tell me what to do." Twilight immediately jumped in and began to pack the little pastries into boxes. Pinkie passed them over to the customers all the while Mr. And Mrs. Cake continued to bake. Within minutes the crowd of customers had calmed and left happy.

"I wonder what's got everyone in a rush today?" asked as he dusted off a bit of flour that was on his side then disappeared into a cellar. "Hey honey I think it's better we close up for now."

"What's wrong Mr. Cake?" Pinkie looked into the cellar.

"We're all out of Flour. I'm gonna have to go across town to get some more. How about we call it a day and you girls can have the rest of the day off? Is that okay?" He replied sadly standing there with a few empty bags.

"Okay we'll see you guys later." Pinkie happily said as she pulled Twilight outside.

"Heyyyy Pinkie! Where are we going?"Twilight said as she tried to protest.

"Maybe we can still make it to that race everypony is talking about" she happily relied dragging Twilight along with her.

Meanwhile at the race passing over a cliff side

Spitfire still ran in first place while Soarin and Joe trailed behind her. "Hey why aren't you going all super speed like when we were in Canterlot?" Soarin asked as they ran side by side.

"I don't know... It's harder in this body." Red replied trying to get it work. "I've only gotten it to work a few times." His horn glowed but nothing happened

"Then this race is mine!" He shouted as he flapped his wings allowing him to catch up to Spitfire and pass her laughing. They quickly began to race even faster than before.

"Crap! Gotta catch up to them! " he thought to himself. Both Spitfire and Soarin were already ahead of him using their wings to boost themselves up a hill. "Hey thats cheating!" He began to run faster until he had reached the hill where the two Pegasi were reduced to jogging.

"Took you long enough. *Huff... Huff* We were just taking a small breather." Spitfire laughed even though she was panting.

"That wasn't fair, you guys used your wings." Red questioned though he was almost panting himself. He wiped his brow of sweat

"We're already reaching the starting line for the second lap why don't we make this more of a challenge. Lets make this a No holds Barred! So why don't you take off that little necklace thingy and show us just how quick you are on those two legs of yours." Spitfire challenged.

"Yeah! Loosen up a bit. Nopony but us is out here." Soarin added as he finally calmed. "But in the meantime see you guys at the Finish line!" He quickly dashed away followed by Spitfire leaving Red in the dust again.

Red was about to take off the pendant when he looked down the hill. A crowd was gathering at the starting line. "Dang it! Where the heck did they all come from?!" He stopped just as he reached the bottom of the hill. " I've got to either find a way or power through the crowd... Screw it lets-" he noticed his friends already crossing the line. He quickly began to run after them in haste and passing the finish line as well.

Little Scootaloo managed to climb to the top of a tree and cheered for each one of them. "Go Mr. Red! You can do it!" She cheered along with the ponies in the audience. Until a branch snapped causing her to fall into the hooves of another pony. "Huh?... Oh my gosh?! Rainbow Dash!" She jumped around until she was placed firmly on the ground.

"What's going on squirt? What's up with all these ponies?" Rainbow quickly asked.

"A race between two of the Wonderbolts and they're already on their second lap. Isn't it awesome?!" Scoots said as she waved her hooves in their direction.

"I know that but, these ponies. How and why are the here?" Rainbow questioned in a calm yet rushed way.

"I don't know, they all sorta showed up." Scoots replied before she climbed her way back into the tree.

"I thought they were gonna have a small race not a exhibition." She whispered to herself before flying up to a cloud to watch the race.

Back with Pinkie...

Twilight was being dragged like a bag by her mane as Pinkie continued her merry jog.

"PINKIEEE! STOPPP!" Twilight managed to shout loud enough to stop cause her friend to let go.

"Yes Twilight?" Pinkie calmly asked in reply.

"Why don't we do it this way? Just tell me where we are going and I can teleport us there. I think we can both agree that it would be easier to do that?." Twilight explained coping with her anger.

"You shoulda said so sooner. The race is over in Whitetail woods, that Red pony guy will be racing the Wonderbolts."Pinkie replied. In a flash they were at the race right next to Fluttershy who yelped and fell over in fear. "Oh hey there Fluttershy, fancy meeting you here." Pinkie said as she helped her up.

"Twilight?... What's going on?..." Fluttershy asked still shaken up.

"I was hoping to find out from you. Have you seen him?" Twilight whispered into her ear. "We can use this time to monitor him him and see how powerful he really is."

"Oh umm that sounds like something Rainbow would do. But, is that a really good idea? Fluttershy stammered back a bit at the plan. Twilight then ushered them to follow her to a hill away from the starting line where another group of ponies sat and watched "Can't we just sit back and watch? Please?" She motioned her friends to sit and they complied. From where they were they were still able to see where the racers were. Spitfire an Soarin still led the way while Red was trailing behind them.

Red managed to hold his own without being able to use the intense speed he had in Canterlot but, it still wasn't enough to catch up with the two Pegasi. Suddenly as if on cue, a familiar voice echoed in his head. "Try channeling some magic into your hooves."

"Luna? What?" Red thought wondering where the Princess of the Night was. "Where are you? How can I hear you?"

"We're up in the castle, We've been watching through the telescope my sister occasionally uses to check on the town." Luna replied.

"But how can I hear you?" Red asked once again.

"We are using the mental link my sister made when she looked through your mind." Luna explained even further. "It can allow us to speak to you through our link with our sister. It's a very intricate spell. Now go forth and try to focus your magic."

"Well alright. Here it goes!" Red agreed. His aura of magic glowed brightly as it moved down to his hooves. He tensed and braced for the speed but there was nothing, even though his mind was where it should've been. "What the heck?"

"Oh well it was worth a shot. We wish you well in your race." Said Luna as she ceased talking through the link.

"Dang what do I do now?" He thought as he picked up his speed. He managed to cut through a small portion of the forest to get closer to the two in lead.

A small distance away at the finish line Scootaloo made her way to the top of the tree she had been climbing. "Perfect! I can see the whole race from here!" She looked down towards the base of the tree. She gulped as she took notice of how high she had actually gone. She turned her attention back to the race. Soarin has taken the lead and Spitfire was right behind him. Red on the other hand had just turned into the last turn before the hill, leaving a straight path to the hill and finish. "Go Red!" She happily cheered while rocking the branch. She watched as Red caught up and managed to trail just behind Spitfire.

Just as they began to climb the hill she and Soarin began to flap their wings giving them a boost for the hill. Red still managed to trail right behind them. Spitfire jumped into the lead again as they began the run down the hill.

Red noticed a little orange dot atop a big old tree and simply thought of the only little pony he knew. "What are you doing up there?" he thought. He could barely manage to see the tree through the crowd of cheering ponies. The tree began to lean and creak. It looked like it was going to fall. Suddenly, a shrill scream cut through the cheering. Scoots was going to fall. Red panicked and held his breath as he began to gallop harder and faster past both of his competitors. It wasn't long before he noticed his hooves were glowing red and a red trail had began to emanate from them as well. He passed the finish line and leapt into the air using his magic to snatch the little filly off the tree as it slammed into the ground. The crowd cheered as he placed her onto the ground then collapsed onto the grass panting. Several onlookers checked Scootaloo while Spitfire flew in to check on Red. "Joe err... Uhh, Red are you alright?! What the hay happened?" Soarin asked landing right next to him. Spitfire fanned him with her wing.

"I'm alright. Check on her..." Red said as he pointed a hoof. Scootaloo just sat there still confused as to what happened.

"She's alright. C'mon we gotta get you out of here." Spitfire helped him onto both of their backs. "Jeeez buddy you're pretty heavy."

"Guess what though. Ha... I still won." Red said even though he was exhausted.

A little while away

Twilight and her friends made it to the fallen tree. Where Scootaloo continued to sit and stare.

Fluttershy quickly came over to check her. "Scootaloo?" She asked waving a hoof in front of the little filly.

"That... Was... Awesome!" Scootaloo finally responded. "Did you see that?! He was like Zoooooooommmmm! And then he jumped all the way up there!" She attempted to mimic the rescue and ended up falling onto her face and getting back up

Twilight looked around and approached one of the ponies that were still there. "Excuse me. What happened?"

"Oh you shoulda seen it. This tree here was falling and one of the racers just zoomed in and snatched this little filly right off one of its branches. Then as soon as it was over the WonderBolts came over and carried him away." The pony replied.

"I see... Thank you." Replied Twilight. She walked back to Pinkie and Fluttershy. "You saw all of that right?"

"Which part? Asked pinkie. "The way that red pony passed the finish line and jumped super high and grabbing Scootaloo? Yeah I even saw that weird glow coming off of him."

"I'm aware of all that. I just don't know what kind of spell that was. Where did those three go to?" Asked Twilight as Scoots continued her little role play. "I think I need to go some more research on that."

"I don't think he's that bad of a pony. He rescued Scootaloo." Said Pinkie

"Hey Pinkie? Have you thrown him a party yet?" Fluttershy whispered into the pink pony's ear Pinkie immediately covered her mouth with a hoof.

"Don't worry it's almost complete. The time draws near." Pinkie replied creepily.

"You know you're really starting to scare me Pinkie Pie..."

Later...

At the entrance to Ponyville. Red and the others stopped.
"You guys can let me down now I think I can walk from here." Red motioned them to put him down. "I don't think I will be doing that again. My body hurts..."

"I think it's time for us to go." Spitfire whispered as she noticed a few ponies heading their way. "Dang... We couldn't have a proper vacation day. Maybe next time we can have one over in Canterlot. Sounds good?"

"Sure. I guess I'm gonna pick up a few things and head home. I need to sleep this off. Are you guys alright?" Red replied. He stood on all fours and stretched each of his legs.

"Yeah we're fine. I just wish we coulda had more fun and I can't believe we lost. Hmm... That makes Soarin the slowest out of us since he lost twice." She replied.

"Hey that first time wasn't fair! He caught me off guard." Soarin replied defensively. "Yeah I think it's time to be heading home. The sun is going to be setting soon, I'd hate to be stuck out in the dark."

"See you later Joe." Waved spitfire as she took to the air. "See ya next vacation day!"

"Yeah see ya next time." Said Soarin as he took to the air as well. They waved their hooves goodbye and were gone.

"What a day... Hmm... Isn't there something I'm forgetting?" He asked watching his friends leave. His stomach began rumble. "Oh wait! Apples!" He made his way back through the town.

Applejack was already packing up by the time Red had arrived. "Mr. Red you came back!" Apple Bloom popped up from behind an empty stand pushing out a bushel of apples. "I've got your apples right here." But an elder sister intervened.

"Howdy there Red! It's a pleasure to meet you. I see you've met my dear little sister, I'm Applejack and we're a part of the family at Sweet Apple acres." Explained Applejack as she rapidly shook Red's hoof. "We love to make new friends."

"Friends? err... I'm sorry I've got to get going. But it was nice meeting ya." Red quickly replied.

"Wait, please stay for awhile we want to know a bit more about you. Like, where did you move from? Any friends? Family?" Applejack questioned.

"Well... I'm just staying here until I've found what I am looking for... I'm pretty sure once I've found it I would be out of everyone's hair." Red replied. "Pretty much I'm here all by myself my parents live far. Farther than you'd imagine."

"Well you can always find a friend in us!" Apple Bloom proudly stated. She leaned against her sister. "The Apple family would proudly welcome you."

Red felt cautious of the sudden gesture. Unsure of what to say he nodded his head and used his hoof to scratch his head. "Thanks, I'll remember that." Apple Bloom smiled boldly as Red took the basket and walked towards his home.

The door swung open and Red stepped inside. he yawned as he placed the apples by the entrance and closed the door. His horn glowed red again as a pillar of magic shot up through the roof and surrounded the windmill except for its wooden blades. He plopped the four books he had gotten earlier onto the table. He took the pendant off and placed it on the table as well. The human sat down and began to read. Until he noticed a scroll he hadn't seen before. He instantly jumped up an looked around the room. "I don't know who you are or what you want but I can tell you, I will find you!" He said aloud. He stood still listening carefully for any signs of movement. Suddenly, he heard the sound of something scraping against the wooden floor as it tried to sneak away. The noise had come from right above him. I've got you now!"

The intruder heard him and panicked it quickly ran through the upper floors. It quickly made its way towards one of the windows until something caught its tail and placed it into a ball of magic.

"I told you I'd find you." Joe whispered.

Chapter 17:Friend?

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Chapter 17:Friend?

The windmill lightly creaked as Joe held the orb containing the intruder into the kitchen. He lined up a chair under a light and set it down. "Crap! I've been found out! What the heck do I do?!" His mind shouted. A small purple and green dragon popped out cowering In his seat. "Holy crap a dragon. Rex wasn't kidding." The human thought to himself.

"What?... What are you?... ARE? ARE... ARE YOU GOING TO EAT ME?!" The young dragon panicked as he looked around the room and noticed a Pot on the old iron stove. "Oh what in Equestria?! Celestia! TWILIGHT HELP!"

The human's face grew an entertained smirk on his face. Maybe if you told me the truth of why you are here, I won't have to..." The little dragon panicked and attempted to flee. Joe levitated him back onto the chair. "Hey come on now I'm just kidding." He walked over towards a light switch and turned the rest of them on.

The little dragon sat there still frightened of the being before him. "What are you? You're no pony! Let me go! I... I want to go home... Heeeelp! Heeelp!" He continued to wave around in panic. "Oh please no... I'm a good dragon... I haven't done anything wrong... I'm sure I don't taste too good...maybe a little salty but please..." This made the human laugh.

"Shhh...Don't worry, I was just kidding. Do you want anything to eat?" asked Joe as he levitated an apple in front of him. The little guy took it but didn't take a bite." I just want to know, who are you and what were you doing in here?"

The little dragon still shaken eyed the few gems that had spilled out from Joe's bag of bits. It sat on one of the shelves in the living room. Joe noticed and brought a few of them over. "You want some of these?... Go ahead have some I don't really need them and besides if I did I know where to find more."

"Then why do you have them?" The little dragon asked as he popped a few into his mouth instantly cheering him up. "Where'd you get these? These are awesome." He proceeded to eat even more gems and sit back contently.

"You eat these?" Joe took some and placed them into the palm of his hand. The little guy had seemed to have calmed down. "I got them off of a dog thing in a mine. I... Don't think the Princess would be happy if I told just anybody about it. Now tell me why exactly were you in here?"

The little dragon perked up remembering something. "Well... Princess Celestia asked me to deliver that scroll to the pony that's supposed to live here. But... You aren't a pony." He pointed out.

"That's... Because I took this off." Replied Joe. He levitated his pendant over and put it on. He quickly turned into the Red Unicorn. "Celestia made it for me in Canterlot. She's the reason why I'm here. But maybe I'll tell you the whole story some other time. Let me see that." He levitated the scroll over to himself and read it.

"What is it?" Asked the little dragon in wonder. He ate a few more gems and sat comfortably on his chair.

"It say here your name is Spike and that if I need to send messages, to ask you." The human/Pony replied

"So The Princess really did send you here?" asked Spike. Joe nodded his head yes. "By the way, you haven't answered my Question. What in Equestria are you?"

Outside of the library.

Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy walked towards the entrance of the library. Above them, clouds were being moved into place. "Maybe finally I can find out what kind of spell that was. I think I must've read about it somewhere. Lets head inside it looks like its going to rain." Said Twilight as she further questioned the red Unicorn's magic. The Library door opened slowly as they walk walked through the darkness of the library. "Spike still isn't home yet? Where is that little dragon?"

Suddenly, out of the Darkness two golden eyes opened and stared at them all. Fluttershy being the first to notice yelped and jumped into Pinkie's forelegs. Pinkie smiled while holding up the Pegasus

"Zecora? What are you doing here?" Twilight began. "More importantly, how did you get in here?"

Zecora stood in her cloak near one of the bookshelves. She closed her eyes as the lights were turned on. "That is of no importance my friend. I've come to you in need of a place to stay. May I rest till the day's end? It is dangerous to traverse alone today."

A/N{still a bad with rhymes. *sigh*}

"What are you talking about?" Asked Twilight curious of the zebra. "What's happening in the Everfree?" Zecora rushed up to her and whispered into her ear. Twilight nodded her head in understanding. "You can stay here as long as you need but in the meantime, I'm going to be doing a little research."

"Let me follow you so I may have something to do." Zecora replied as she followed Twilight over to the bookshelves.

Seeing that they wouldn't be much help Pinkie followed by Fluttershy ventured into the kitchen to set a small meal. Pinkie kept her sights on The yellow pegasus as she pulled out pots and a few vegetables to make some soup. Pinkie continued to stare contently making Fluttershy uneasy.

"Uhm... Yes... Pinkie Pie?" Fluttershy asked looking up from what she was doing.

"Do you want to help me with the surprise party?..." Pinkie replied smiling. "I need a few more things to make this work." Fluttershy stood silent after hearing the question. "Well?"

"I guess I can... "She replied quietly. She looked out from the kitchen to where Twilight and Zecora were talking.

"Now tomorrow I have a feeling he is going to be out near Applejacks." She said as she reached over and began to whisper into Shy's ear.

Twilight sat contently in the other room scanning through spell book after spell book. Zecora sat near her looking through another yet similar book. "I've been through these books hundreds of times. I'm pretty sure I must've seen that type of spell before I just don't know where." She announced as she put the whole stack of book back onto the sighed in defeat as Zecora placed her book away as well.

"Perhaps you should search another time my friend. I am running low on time the day is near its end." Replied Zecora. She went over to her saddle bag and pulled out a scroll. "This is for the princess for only through her eyes can it be read with success."

Twilight took the scroll and levitated it onto the library table. "I'll have Spike send it when he comes back. For now, lets just have a quiet evening discussion."

"That sounds divine. Is there anything you wish to ask on your mind?" Agreed Zecora.

"Have you noticed anything strange about the new pony staying in the windmill?"Asked Twilight. She then explained what she had learned about his relation to the Princesses.

Zecora managed a light chuckle. "It sounds to me like you've been bitten by envy. You mustn't treat anyone as an enemy."

"No that's not it... What gave you that idea? I'm just worried that I would end up being replaced." Replied Twilight as those thoughts flashed into her mind.

"I don't think that's what he would be after. Just check with the element of laughter." replied Zecora. Pointing towards the kitchen.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean? Do you mean Pinkie?" Twilight asked wondering what it meant.

"What about Pinkie?" Asked the pink mare herself. She watched as the both Zecora and Twilight jumped up from their seats. "What are you two talking about?" Twilight sighed as she took another a seat by a bookshelf. "Oh are you two talking about that new building going up. I hear its going to be a new pharmacy. Oh, won't that be useful to everypony. We won't have to go all the way to ponyville general all the time. Or that other pharmacy way across town I mean don't get me wrong I like them but the trip is way too far." Pinkie continued her story as Twilight began to lose interest and looked into another book.

Back at the Windmill

Joe had moved the conversation into the living room where he had taken off the pendant and was eating an apple while Spike sat there picking gems out of the tiny sack. "In the end of all that they decided to send me here so I can try to learn how my magic works and to try to find out more of this Starswirl guy. They think he knew a way to get me home." Joe finished.

"Wow... That's deep... So, let me get this right, you are from some bizarro Dimension, you're only here for research on how you can get home, and you run around dressed up as a little pony... That's pretty cool wait till Twilight hears this." Spike said as he got up from his seat.

"No! No one needs to know! I've already caused enough trouble as is for the Princesses I don't need to be a burden to anymore peo-... Ponies. Lets change the topic..." Joe quickly responded.

"Well, what else is there? Hmm..." He asked. He walked towards a little board on the wall that had little bits of string, pictures and maps. "Hey what is this?"

"That's a little thing Celestia has me doing. I'm looking for something important. I don't think Celestia wants me to talk about that. Except for Soarin and Spitfire. They're supposed to come here to check on me once in a while." Joe replied.

"So you're the one who was racing them?! That's awesome!" Spike jumped towards him excitedly. "Oh man Rainbow Dash is going to be way mad jealous if she finds out. That's so cool! Did you win?"

"Uhh... Sorta... Well technically I passed the finish line first and saved that tiny orange pony from the tree. Then they helped get me back here. Speaking of which I'm still sorta tired from the race."

Suddenly Spike freaked out when he noticed how dark it was outside. He began to look around erratically. "OH NO! WHAT TIME IS IT?"

"From the looks of it almost eight. The clock is right up there" Joe pointed toward the little clock that sat on small part of the wall. After seeing what time it was, the tiny dragon's face turn to one of worry. The sound of rain didn't help him much as he began to quickly pace around the room.

"Oh no I've done it now I'm late! Twilight's gonna kill me if I come home in this weather..." Spike yelled. "What am I gonna do?!"

Joe just laughed as Spike gave him an angry stare. "Don't worry I can take you home. I mean it couldn't be that far."Joe answered.

"But what about the time?" asked Spike still worried.

"If any of them ask just say you were stuck in the rain c'mon lets go." Joe replied once again as he slipped the Unicorn pendant back on and opened the door. Once outside he created a roof of magic over them. "See I told ya now which way is your place?"

"Wow that's pretty cool. What book did you get that from?" Said Spike as he followed Red under the cover of his magic. "I live just over there at the library One day you've really got to see that place it's full of all sorts of books." He pointed towards a large tree with windows and a door.

"You live in a tree? A library? What?" Joe replied looking at the giant tree in the distance. "I always thought that that was just a tree all this time."

"Yeah that's how they built it. It was carved by somepony a few hundred years ago way after Ponyville was founded. That's what I heard from Twilight but she's not quite sure yet." Explained Spike getting closer to Joe. He suddenly noticed something different about Joe as a Unicorn. "Hey you don't have a Cutie Mark?" He stared at the red blank patch that rested on Joe's hind leg.

"Huh? Oh those things? I'm not an actual pony remember I don't think those things apply to me. Well, then again that whole explanation of how I have magic still doesn't make sense to me. How does magic stay dormant?" Joe replied. "The same goes for this little pendant thing. I don't get how the heck an enchantment works. Celestia made it to hide me out in the obvious. The last place anybody would really try to look for me."

"So does that mean you aren't an actual student of Celestia? That's the pendant that she gives only to students." Spike poked at the little unicorn head on the pendant making it give a little nod.

"I guess I'm sorta like a student to her. She's been sending me lessons through Luna giving me homework and several books to study. But, it's all only until we find any means to send me back home... Just promise me one thing, don't tell anyone about me. This is between me, you and those guys in Canterlot.

"Don't worry I promise. I'll give you my word as a dragon I won't tell nopony." The little dragon valiantly replied. "But uh... Do you think I have a few more gems the next time we hang out?"

"Sure I don't mind getting a few more. Well here is the place... This is a huge tree." Joe gazed at the sheer size height of the tree. "I really would like to see how exactly this is supposed to be a library. One day maybe..."

Spike knocked on the door and took a deep breath. "Hello is somepony out there? Spike?" The voice sounded rather irritated she couldn't have been alone from the racket coming from inside. " The door opened to show the owner of the voice. "Spike where have you been? I was worried something bad happened to you especially in this weather."

"Oh... Yeah... I got stranded by the uhh... Rain." Spike stuttered as he stepped inside. He looked behind him but nothing was there.

Twilight noticed something weird. There was no rain where he was standing. "Spike how did you get here?" Suddenly she turned her head toward the sky and the roof of magic suddenly faded causing a small collection of water to fall onto her face. She turned her water drenched face towards the dragon suspiciously. "What the hay?"

"I ran over here through the Rain." Spike replied as he disappeared into the kitchen. Twilight looked back outside towards the rainy weather then back in to see Zecora peering out as well.

"Looks like you're staying here as well tonight. I'll go get the extra bed ready." Said Twilight going into the kitchen. Zecora nodded her head and return to looking out the window.

A short distance away.

Joe still wearing the pendant hid behind a bench. "Oh great! That's one of the ponies following me... This just keeps getting better and better." He thought to himself. He looked back towards the library and saw the golden eyes staring at him. He quickly ducked again then began to head home. His mind was riddled by old questions of what to do and then the sound of thunder sounded through the sky. "I better get home before this thing gets bad." The rest of the trip home was no trouble except for the wind picking up a bit. He opened the door and looked around the empty home. The tip of his horn lit up and the small towers of books he had made earlier separated into slightly smaller stacks. The stacks with tiny pieces of paper sticking out of the m floated under the board for Star Swirl while the stacks of regular spell books found their places on the shelve. The living room looked a little bit more tidier than it did earlier today. "Now that that's taken care of, I wonder what else can I do?" He thought to himself. He levitated an apple in front of his mouth and took a few bites of it.

He paced about the kitchen placing the bushel of Apples onto the table. He shut off the lights and then trotted up the steps towards his room. The box for his bed set still laid there prompted against the wall next to a little table that his journal rested on. He sigh as he pulled the frame out and assembled it then he levitated the mattress on top of it. He found a packed pillow along with a blanket tucked inside the box and laid out the sheet finishing the bed. Out of the time he had spent in Equestria he finally had a bed to call his own. "Okay that's done. " he said rather loudly as he jumped onto the bed and took off the Unicorn pendant but his legs went over the side of the bed. He sighed as he levitated a few boxes to compensate the length of the bed. "Maybe it's time for another entry." The journal flew off the table and into his hands

"If anyone is going to be reading this I really find it strange how easy it was to adapt to living in this world. I have to admit the first few days were weird but, that's because I was barely in town. Now that I've actually gotten to see how they get when ponies like Soarin and Spitfire come around. I still don't feel right around everyone here. Even that little dragon he saw me without the pendant and now he knows. What if he tells them about me? I've already screwed up. I'm still worried about what would happen if I'm found out."

The journal floated back to the table he yawned and laid his body flat on the bed. With a click the lights were off only the sound of the Rain and the windmill blades could be heard. It slowly lulled him to sleep. He closed his eyes and began to dream.

Chapter 18:Finding Things

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Chapter 18:Finding Things

It had been a few days since that stormy night with Zecora and the girls yet, Twilight continued to research for any sign as to what this Red pony and his strange spells could be causing. Spike had been disappearing on her much more frequently than before. "What is happening?" She asked herself as she wrote down her theories and then marked then marking them off her other lists. She was sitting at her little desk again looking at several open books and a bag containing the Canterlot books and pieces of paper that she and Applejack had found when they had their first real encounter with the Red Unicorn. On another side of the desk she had a folder of what seemed to be of data that she had collected from monitoring him including brief descriptions of those images she had seen when she tried to probe his mind. "This doesn't make sense." She yanked a few more books from her shelf and then a few newspapers from a chest she had in the corner. "There has never been any article about this so called student but yet here he is out of the blue showing up in Ponyville right after the mine incident and that Canterlot monster thing... Are they connected?" She pondered her theories once again and constantly scratched the top of her head.

But at Sweet Apple Acres...

Applejack was busy bucking apples into big baskets while Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle jumped around in a game of tag. Applejack took a moment to cool down from her work and looked over towards the farm house and the barn. She sighed contently watching her brother and several family members work on the farm house and the barn. But, something caught her attention some sort of noise heading straight for them. She squinted her eyes to see Rainbow Dash gliding down the dirt road of the farm towards them followed by Scootaloo buzzing behind on her scooter. As soon as Rainbow Dash made it to Applejack, she began screaming for her help.

"You've got to help me?! Make it stop... She won't stop talking about him." Rainbow Dash pleaded dropping to the ground.

"What in tarnation are you talkin bout? Who's talking about what?" Applejack asked as the little orange filly pulled up beside her.

"Him..." Rainbow whispered. Not looking in anyone's direction.

"Okay now, who per say is him?" Applejack asked letting curiosity hit her hard.

"She's talking about Mr. Red! He's so cool! He beat the Wonderbolts! He does cool magic! And he even managed to save me from falling with the tree. He's my hero!" Scootaloo happily exclaimed in a Pinkie Pie sort of way.

"I thought I was your hero?... I helped save Equestria... Twice..." Rainbow Dash whispered inaudibly while scratching the ground with the tip of her hoof.

"Oh, him again?. This pony is really starting to sound too good to be true..." She thought to herself then of a wicked idea. "Well whoever this Red fella is, seems to be quite the stallion to beat two of the WonderBolts." She said aloud causing Rainbow's ears to perk up. "I wonder if he's gonna become a Wonderbolt before ya Dash."

Rainbow Dash hopped up and instantly faced her friend with a glare. "There's no way some some unicorn using cheaply done magic would ever get into the Wonderbolts Academy cause one: he can't fly and two-"

Applejack laughed and placed a hoof on her mouth to keep her from speaking. "All right! All right... I just wanted to get your feathers ruffled seeing how mopey you looked a few seconds ago. Looks like it worked like a charm."

"That's not funny. I have a reputation to uphold and if anyone was going to be a Wonderbolt first then that pony is gonna be me." Replied Rainbow with her bravado restored.

Applejack chuckled again. "Why don't you three go to your club house while we finish up here?" The three little fillies nodded their heads in agreement and trotted towards a little area in orchard. "Well now that that's dealt with, is there anything I can help ya with or if ya want do you think you can help me finish up these here apples?"

"I guess I can give you a hoof." Replied Rainbow in her usual laid back attitude. She went towards a few trees that had empty baskets underneath them. "Hmm... Do you think we'll be done here before we have to meet Rarity?"

"Yeah! There's enough time to even pick up Twilight. I'm worried about her again she's beginning to sound like a conspiracist. That's just unhealthy." The farm pony replied. She picked up a basket with her back and put it into a wagon.

At the edge of Ponyville at Fluttershy's cottage.

Fluttershy stood at her little bridge and watched while Pinkie Pie set up a rather larger version of her little blue cannon in an open path I front of her house. "Umm... Pinkie are you sure that's going to work? It might be dangerous..."

"Of course it's going to work I made absolutely lutsley sure that this will one hundred percent work the way it's supposed to work just watch!" Pinkie shouted back. She toyed with a few levers and switches at the back of the cannon until a little timer bell dinged. "It's all set! Take cover!" Fluttershy quickly hid under her bridge with a few animals. Pinkie ran behind a tree as the front of the cannon exploded shooting out tables with food and drinks already on them followed by a big cake on a stand that had a welcome to Ponyville banner hanging right up on top of it. "It worked! I'm mean... Of course it worked or my name wouldn't be Pinkie Pie of course but, then again it technically already is my name. Oh but who cares! It worked! The Insta-Party Cannon worked!"

"Wow Pinkie, that's amazing. This is gonna be for the surprise party right?" Fluttershy said as she popped out of her hiding place.

"Oh it'll be a surprise alright. From what I got from Mayor Mare he's a super defensivy and shy pony. I bet he's gonna get a big surprise from this." She laughed. "All we have to do is wait for when he isn't watching."

"Umm... Why aren't we having it in his house like you usually do?" Fluttershy asked as she looked into the barrel of the cannon.

"Because of the shield he has protecting the place. I can't get in..." Pinkie replied. She jumped onto the table and began to drink from the bowl of punch on the first table. "Better keep this spread from getting wasted." She continued to snack on the food while Fluttershy walked towards the town. "Aren't you going to have some?"

"I think I'm going to go check on Twilight I haven't seen her all day." She replied. She began to walk her way down the dirt road.

Back in the library.

Spike stood on top of a step ladder placing a few books away carefully to not make a sound. Owlicious watched contently as Twilight silently wrote on a chalkboard until she jumped and shouted. "Im done I know how they're all connected!" She pulled Spike off of the ladder and levitated him in front of this web of theories.

"I... Don't get it?" Spike uttered under the pressure of the magic.

"Here look!" Twilight pointed her hoof at one point of the web. "Back a few weeks ago the Diamond dogs in their main capital published an article about having seen some changelings lurking in their forest but then a few days later there was the first few ponies disappearing. Followed by that we had an Earthquake and the unexplainable green flash. It must've been a changeling or something making his way into the Everfree forest. The creature we must've seen in the mine incident must be a changeling, thus explaining why he would've tried to attack Canterlot. Whatever he did to the princesses... It's probably mind control. It's like what happened at the wedding all over again. Except this time, he's hiding in plain view trying to blend in." Spike tried to say something but Twilight interrupted again. "I just need evidence... Spike I need you to help me watch him. Collect whatever you can."

"Twilight! Listen to me! You've got to stop. I'm pretty sure he's not like that. I'm sorry Twilight but, I have a few things I need to do today." The dragon replied causing Twilight to drop him.

"Oh... Ok. Then if anything see if you can. I need to meet everypony later anyway..." Twilight replied a little saddened and surprised that her very own assistant refused. She walked back towards her papers and returned to marking things on the board.

"Okay this side of the library is clean. I will be home after I go check on Something... Why don't you just take a break from that stuff and go to the spa with the girls? I mean look at your mane it's a disaster, your horn has lost its shine, and it looks like you haven't bathed in a while. I bet that's where Rarity is gonna haul you off to the spa right when she sees you ." Spike explained. He walked into the closet grabbing a small bag with a few scrolls in it shifting a few things around. He walked to the door and opened it. Twilight shielded her eyes from the brightness of the sun. "See ya later, Twilight." He closed the door and was gone.

Twilight saw the mess Spike had made and decided to clean it up. "Ha... And he calls me messy?" She said to herself still a little ticked off. She stacked the boxes, hung the few bags, picked up Smarty Pants and gave it a hug, but stopped when she levitated a big black backpack out. "Wait... Where did I get this?..." She placed it on the side and continued to work on the closet until it was properly put away. She looked back and realized who she had gotten it from. "This was from when we had to go to the mines..." She stood there and thought for a moment. "That's it! This belongs to those changelings! Oh! I wonder what they are!" Her mane puffed up in a crazy fashion again clearing a table and laying the bag on top. "I better get some paper to document this." She galloped over to her desks and pulled out a roll. "Now let's see..." She began to tuff on the zipper but it wouldn't budge. None of them did. She put the bag back down on the table and began to point the tip of her horn at the zipper and it began to glow but the sudden sound of her door being swung open broke her concentration causing the spell she was about to use backfire. She flew into a bookshelf screaming.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack stepped in confused of what laid in front of them. "Twilight?... what the hay is going on here? And why are you covered in those books?" Applejack asked digging her friend out.

"Before I was interrupted... I was just about to see what was in this bag but the zipper is stuck and I really don't want to damage the bag or the things inside." Twilight replied levitating the books off of herself and stacking them away.

"Ha! You couldn't get this measly little zipper open? Here check this out. Applejack can you hold the side of the bag?" Rainbow laughed as she bit down on the end of the zipper while Applejack held the bag with her hooves. "Okay and pull" she gritted her teeth and pulled. They both yanked but in vain, the bag's zipper wouldn't budge. "What the heck? Is it broken?"

"Nahhhh you just ain't doing it right. Let me show ya." Applejack suggested. They switched places and tried again.

"So what happened to doing it right?" Mocked Rainbow.

"What are you girls doing in here?" Asked Fluttershy popping up seemingly from nowhere.

"Oh we're just trying to get that bag open... Fluttershy?! When did you get here?" Twilight replied shocked by the sudden appearance.

"Oh... I'm sorry... I arrived about a minute ago. Isn't that the bag Scootaloo found?" Fluttershy walked inside and closed the door.

"Yeah it is but, it's giving us a hard time getting it open. We've tried opening it with conventional means and with brute physical strength but, still nothing. I think it's zipper is broken." Twilight answered.

"Okay I think we need cut this thing open..." She gave the zipper another look "Nah... I give up. I'd end up breaking whatever's inside." Applejack said in defeat. They left the bag and went to sit down.

"Oh well... Maybe we could bring it to Rarity to see if she could open it without having to completely take it apart or we could try to use an opening spell. " Twilight began to lose herself in her theories and began talking to herself, Fluttershy on the other hand or hoof crept up to the bag. She gave a good look at the zipper and began to pull it gently. This time the zipper actually moved.

"Twilight? I got it open. Now what?" Asked Fluttershy turning her head to see Twilight talking to herself. Fluttershy began tapping her hoof to Twilight's shoulder.

"So, what do you think show it to Rarity or-" Said Twilight before she was interupted.

"HEY LOOK! I told ya I could get it open." Applejack announced as she looked over the bag. Twilight shoved Fluttershy out of the way and stood on the other side of Applejack.

"Thanks girls. Now let's see what's in here..." Twilight happily levitated out the contents of the bag. "What in Equestria are these?" She laid them out in an ordered yet careful fashion.

Rainbow Dash picked up a small black box but Twilight quickly placed it back onto the table. "Hey what was that for?" She angrily questioned.

"I don't know if anything here is dangerous yet. So please don't touch anything just yet. " Twilight warned. She pulled out a big clump of wires and began to unravel them. Everyone else watched her untangle about a dozen different size and shape wires. She placed the black objects with the other black objects. The final thing she examined the large blue and black rectangle. "Hey this can open!" She slowly opened the rectangle like a book on its side revealing a collections of buttons and a big black glassy surface.

Thirty minutes later.

Twilight continued to study the strange devices and sighed. On the other side of her was about four rolls of paper and two empty ink bottles. Fluttershy held the bag and closely examined the shape and size of the bag. Rainbow Dash laid on a stack of books asleep while Applejack sat behind Twilight watching and trying to stay awake. Twilight finally put her examinations to a rest. "I think I will continue this tomorrow. I'm going to take them all apart to see what's inside of them and what these strange glyphs mean." She sighed again a she looked at the rolls.

Applejack rubbed her eyes and shook herself awake. "Well what did ya learn?"

"Not much... Whatever they are aren't responding to whatever I tried on them." Twilight replied. She held up a small black rectangle up to Applejack's face. "I think this May be some kind of apple detection device. But, I can't be too sure of it yet."

Apple jack looked up towards he clock and yawned. "I reckon it's time we headed on over to Rarity,s place to see what she needed from us." She popped her bones waking up Rainbow Dash. "C'mon now sleepy head. It's time to head on out of here."

"Five more minutes..." Dash yawned. Applejack picked up a book and held it above Rainbow Dash's head then dropped it. "I get it I get it I'm up... So what happens now with these doohickies?"

"When I get back home I'm probably going examine them even further by disassembling them." Replied Twilight."Is everypony ready? Let's go."

They each exited the library followed by the doors magically closing.

In another part of Ponyville

Joe sat along the side of a small pond not farm from the windmill in pony form using his magic to skip a few rocks across the water. "I wonder what everyone is doing..." He thought aloud as he laid there with a few short trees. He levitated the pendant off a little to cause the enchantment to fade a little off of his hooves revealing his hands. He sighed as he let the pendant drop back to being around his neck.

"You're forgetting who you are is what you're doing." Said the voice of the old scarlet suit man suddenly. "You're beginning to become one of them! Look at yourself."

"What the heck are you talking about now?..." Joe replied in thought. "Why are you guys constantly bugging me?"

The Voice stayed quiet for a few seconds before answering. "You mad?" He asked rather mockingly. "I waste all my effort trying to help you and you still think I'm trying to lead you astray? Let me show you!" In an instant the location changed into that of a white void. The change of scene also removed his transformation as well causing him to stand up.

"Hey! What the heck did you do?" Joe panicked. He quickly erected a shield around himself.

"Hey calm down! Its just like a cinema sit down and pay close attention to this." The man suddenly appeared with a bag of popcorn and a row of theater seats. "Look." He pointed forward towards the air.

Joe felt fuzziness of the strange zone calming and belonging as he lowered the shield. He walked over to the old man but still felt tense and cautious. The area began to clear around them exposing them to the familiar scent and appearance of the Canterlot castle. "Why are we here?" He asked looking ahead. The familiar voices of Rex and Celestia shortly resonated into the castle room followed by the owners. They both spoke but their voices were distant and audible.

"Now, Celestia you must hear me out. My brother and that demon he has brought into the country are puppeteering my people and have already decided a role for that human. From what I could gather from some of the guards was that he poses a threat that could change the fate of Equestria drastically." Rex explained as he pounded his paw into the table in front of them. "I could see it through his eyes. This creature will be a key in their victory. We must find a means to keep it out of their grasps.

"Shall we have it destroyed your majesty? It is the most rational mode of action." Came another familiar voice. The unicorn that had first examined the Human appeared along with two other ponies. Suddenly the scene before them froze.

"See look at that. That is exactly what I wanted to show you. "He pointed at the whole lot of them. "They wanted to destroy you when you appeared on their doorstep. I know they could feel the power you possessed and simply saw you as a threat. They would've killed you!" He explained. "Me on the other hand... Would've accepted that type of thing openly."

Joe remained silent as he heard this old mans words. He looked at Celestia concerned until hearing another yet wiser old man's voice. "Play the rest." It spoke.

"Hey! Shut up you old fool!" The old man in the scarlet suit shouted then threw his bag of popcorn behind them causing it to wobble out of existence. "Let's get out of here. I've shown you all you need to-"

"Play the rest I want to see what happens" Joe interrupted the old man. "I need to know..."he walked up to the Princess in the eyes before actually sitting down.

"Well... If you say so. It's your future." Replied the old man.

The scene continued with Celestia standing with her head high considering the potential options and did not utter a single word. The old man and Joe watched as she looked about the room and more amazingly directly at them. She sighed as the disposition saddened her. "I made a promise to a friend a long time ago to help those who need it most. I understand your worry Rex. I can clearly see that. But to destroy a life before it could completely explain itself? I cannot condone that... No matter what the risk."

"But your highness! If in theory the creature could become a destructive force, what else could it bring to Equestria if it were to become an applicable source... Or... Perhaps what the scrolls predicted. A means of salvation by-" explained the unicorn who was interrupted by a loud stomp of a hoof.

"No I must disagree with that proposition. I intend to understand what it's nature is." She replied. "I rather we keep it under close watch... If it were to become a threat then we will have to remove it."

"Okay that's enough. The only thing that happens next is he explains how you got there yadda yadda yadda, they leave to his kingdom yadda yadda, everyone goes to bed,You wake up in a jail pretty much you know the rest." Yelled the old man in annoyance. He flipped through a script, threw it into the air. "Now can we go? Someone is tapping your face." He then snapped his fingers causing the theater seats to disappear and walked off into the void. "Remember what I showed you! It's important that you do." The old man's voice echoed as the whole white void thing vanished into one black and dark.

Back out of the void

Spike stood above Joe as he slept pulling at the sleeping pony/human's mouth, nose and ears. He examined how real the illusion was and was in awe of it "Hey are you awake?... HEY!..." The tiny dragon whispered. He finally began to tap at the pony's nose to try to wake him but failed. He leaned over Joe's head and prepared to yell suddenly Joe opened his eyes and yelled at the sight. Spike jumped back and held his claw at his heart as if he had a heart attack. "What the heck was that?!"

Joe yawned as he stood up popping his bones. "Hey there Spike... What brings you here? And that was your fault don't touch anybody's mouth or muzzle or whatever while they sleep. That's messed up."

"I just wanted to see if you wanted to hang out today and to deliver this." Replied Spike. He handed a scroll to Him.

He looked at the seal and opened it.

"Dear Red
We will have to sadly postpone our lesson till noon tomorrow. Please take today as a day to enjoy yourself. Dusty and Nurse Blue Heart have informed me of your condition during their visit. You must rest your mind. I also took note of the pendant constricting your magic and physical well being. You should take a day without the pendant soon. Yours truly, Princess Celestia"

Joe read in thought. He had been hitting the books too often lately, he looked back to the windmill and at the scroll.

He pondered his thoughts for a little. Was What the old man shown him valid? Were they actually deciding to kill him off? He had Questions for Celestia to answer. He turned back toward Spike and shook his head. "Yea... I guess. I think it's going to be awhile. I wonder who's coming to give me lessons tomorrow. So, I guess I'm free today. What do you have in mind?

"Well I was thinking it would be cool to see what kind of spells you know and later we could try some hoofball at the park. But, first do you think we can drop this bag over at the library? I had to drop a letter to the mayor and get a few things earlier."

"Sure thing. Let's just head over to the windmill for a bit I need to go get a few bits and make sure it's completely secured before we head out." He replied.

It was a short walk as the two of them made their way over, Spike explained the rules of hoofball and how to play. "So basically it's like soccer. We kick the ball into a goal and that's it?" Confirmed Joe.

"Yeah that's it... What's soccer? Asked Spike

"Its the same sport but in my world and instead of hooves we use our feet. I used to play it a lot in school." Joe answered.

"Hey what did you study exactly in your school?" Spike asked beginning to become intrigued by his stories.

Joe held his hoof to his face trying to name them all."Well I studied stuff like geography, history, math and science. You know the basics but then there was art, sports, drama, automotive, carpentry and cooking. I took them all." He chuckled at the thought. "I'd say the only class that could really grind my gears was Advanced math. It just kept getting more complex. I couldn't stand it."

"Wow, that's plenty. But that's nothing compared to what they teach at school for gifted Unicorns. They teach all of those and more. Especially magic... But one question. What's Automotive?" replied Spike.

"It's a class dealing with cars and engines. It's pretty fun when you know what you're doing." Joe held his hoof up as they reached the door of the windmill. "Now give me a second while I get the stuff set. Once inside a red pillar of magic shot out of the roof surrounding the entire building except the blades. " okay let's get out of here."

"Can I ask another question?" Asked Spike still scratching his head.

"Okay shoot." Joe quickly replied.

"What the heck is a car?" Spike questioned as if he were a student.

"It's like a carriage thing with a motor..." He continued to explain as they walked onto a path.

"Can I ask another Question?" Spike asked once again.

"Oh man... Here we go again..." Joe thought recalling a similar moment he had with three little fillies. The little Dragon continued his grand list of questions as they made their way towards the library.

Chapter 19:New Plan!

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Chapter 19:New Plan!

The sounds of sewing machines and humming filled the noon air around the Carousel Boutique as Rarity whimsically pranced about her work room preparing dresses. She seemingly worked on three at once with ease seeing that it was well in her element. She hummed happily as the last bits of inspiration were beginning to take hold of her creations.

Sweetie Belle on the other hand (or hoof) was preparing her saddlebag in her room throwing a few pieces of fabric and other materials that she wanted to use when she would meet up with the other two members of the CMC. The look in Rarity's eyes flourished as she hummed her dress making song adding one final bow. "Finally! They are complete!" She yelled rather dramatically as if it had been her life that was in jeopardy. "My seasons selection is just about complete all that's left is summer. Now into the next project. Sweetie Belle! Would you come here for a second darling?"

"Yeah Rarity? What's up?" Sweetie Belle stuck her head in through an open doorway.

"I need to get your measures for a smaller version for the younger fillies such as yourself. I know plenty if ponies who would want to match their siblings." Rarity answered immediately after she magically lifted her sister over to her and began getting her measures with a long measuring tape. As she was doing so she heard the sound of someone hopping into the shop and then towards them. They stood there expecting a head to pop in but there was no one in the hall.

"Are you girls getting ready for Nightmare Night? You silly fillies. Thats not for another four months. But I really like the effort here. Look at the little mummy pony." Pinkie Pie amused herself with misinterpretation of what Rarity was in the middle of doing.

"Now Pinkie Pie you don't expect me to work on something that I had finished a month ago? Now please stay in the living room and wait for the others I must finish getting Sweetie Belle's measurements." Rarity replied pulling the tape off her sister.

Pinkie complied by slowly walking herself out where she went face to face with Opalescence who was grooming herself. The little cat began to hiss but Pinkie's hoof was quicker than the cat's claw and began petting her until she broke away running.

"Silly kitty." Pinkie giggled as she spoke. To her surprise her friends had already arrived ready to walk in. They were talking to each other.

"What if we were to happen to find the owner of that bag?" Applejack's voice echoed into the room as the rest of her friends followed behind it. "I don't think he'll be too happy if you take his things apart and you didn't know how to fix em. What're you gonna do then?"

Twilight seemed to be in another world as Applejack lectured her. She mumbled a few words to herself and sat down. Looking just as confused as she was looking at the strange devices.

Pinkie poked her head back into the Room Rarity still was and whispered to her. "They're here." An audible gasp could be heard as several pieces of clothing and things were tossed about the other room as well as Sweetie Belle. Pinkie went back and sat along side the rest of the group. "So what're you gonna be for Nightmare Night?"

"Pinkie Pie... You are still the most Random pony I've ever met." Rainbow Dash replied smiling and laughing.

"I must apologize for letting you girls wait. Let's begin shall we? Now as you all know we won't be attending the Gala this year if you all remember what happened last time." Said Rarity as she stepped out in an outfit that much resembled a business suit except purple.

"Uh Rarity what's all this about?" Asked Fluttershy worried of what Rarity was about to suggest.

"Yeah Rare what's this plan you were talking about?" Applejack added.

"Well... I suggested to the mayor that we should have our own little Grand Galloping Gala this year since not everyone can get to go to Canterlot and attend. And she said yes!" She happily giggled while halo oping her hooves. "But first we need to have ponies that want to attend sign. Oh won't that be exciting? I'm pretty sure I'm gonna need help with it's organizing." Twilight's ears perked up with that last line. "Rainbow Dash, Applejack could you come with me? I need to speak to you in private." She disappeared into the other room.

Applejack looked back towards Rainbow and the others. The two followed Rarity into the room while the others watched them in confusion. Once out of view and earshot Rarity turned and smiled. "I've come up with the perfect plan to rekindle Twilight's sparkle and get her out of this depressing state." Rarity explained.

"How do ya suppose a Gala would be the perfect way to fix Twilight?" Applejack questioned. "We've tried to cheer her up with a party, dancing and even her studying. The studying worked for awhile but then she dropped back like a dill weed."

"Yeah if Egg head couldn't be herself by reading books what good is a frilly dance gonna do?" Rainbow added.

"Well aren't you two a little close minded. You only a small portion of what I have planned. She needs to be given a proper job with a catch. My plan has something she couldn't possibly refuse." Rarity grinned.

"What's that supposed to be?" Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash replied at the same time.

"A meeting with the Princess. Twilight wouldn't dare refuse impressing her Teacher and Royal Leader." Rarity shot back.

"Hey! Yeah that actually sounds like a good idea!" Rainbow jumped into the air. "And if impressing the Princesses doesn't work. We can always ask the Princess to check on her herself."

"Okay that could work. Now let's go explain it to them." Applejack agreed heading out of the little huddle up.

Fluttershy sat by Pinkie Pie discussing things of a party while Twilight sat in the corner sulking and not listening to anything.

"Okay now ponies! If we want this whole Ponyville Gala thing going we're going to have to gather as much signatures by the end of the day. But we need a Pony to help organize a layout and research what a Gala would need with Rare here." Twilight's ear propped itself up as she turned her attention towards her.

"Since this gala will be happening on the day after the actual Gala, Princess Celestia herself will be here to approve the plan and attend as well. So, in the long run we're gonna need somepony to help impress her. Are you in Twilight?" This time Rainbow Dash explained.

"What? The Princess will be coming here?! When?!" Twilight Panicked.

"Well the actual Gala will be in three days. so, it depends on how fast we can get signatures and set up the towns square. We're going to need to provide the food, dance area, and music. The mayor has allowed us the use of the main room of the Town hall. I of course have the decorations for such an event."Rarity flicked her hair and smiled as a huge box floated from out of the other room. Fluttershy and Pinkie made their way over and examined the contents

"Rarity when did you have time to make these? They're beautiful." Fluttershy held a few of them with her hooves.

Rarity levitated a big sheet high above them. "Does this look familiar? I based the designs on the stained windows of the ballroom. I'm sure Celestia would take notice of it." Rarity explained. Twilight once again took notice and took a look herself.

"Yeah definitely! This is gonna be one heck of a party!" Pinkie Pie excitedly shouted and then disappeared into one of the boxes.

"With that being said I'll be in charge of decorating" said Rarity.

"I will handle the signatures!" Rainbow Dash raised her hoof.

"I'll handle the food and beverages." Applejack nodded her head and hat.

"I can do the music..." Fluttershy whispered in.

"I will handle the party games and dances!" Said Pinkie's muffled voice deep down in the box.

"Oh I guess I will be in charge of planning the schedule and the amount of things as well. But... What if I miscount the amount of cups and plates we need?! What if I make one event take place when another should of?! Oh what to do?!..." Rarity exclaimed throwing her hoof above her head in a dramatic performance.

"I can do it Rarity." Twilight finally spoke clearly buying into Rarity's ruse."I can start the planning once I get home and after I examine those things one more time. Also I'm gonna need the number of ponies who will be going to get an actual clue on how many things we'll need for everypony as well as a prime spot for the Princess if she is actually attending."

Rarity showed a look of success to everypony else while Twilight began to examine the banners and cloths. "Oh why thank you Twilight I'm sure we would've been in such disarray without your help. Now, how about we enjoy the rest of the day with a nice lunch and a little time at the spa hmm? Then we can begin preparations for some posters for everypony to see."

"That actually sounds pretty good. I needed a good break from the farm and besides we wouldn't be able to harvest the rest of the apples with the new roof going up today." Applejack responded popping her back on the way out followed by Pinkie who left a trail of decorations." After they all left, Sweetie Belle snuck out with her bag of materials and trotted down another path towards Sweet Apple acres.

Outside the library...

Spike and Joe had made it to the library. Joe stared at the massive tree as Spike opened the doors. "C'mon in I don't think Twilight's here. She's probably with the rest of the girls." Said Spike holding the door.

"It's still pretty amazing. This is one BIG tree! Big enough to fit a small library and I guess used as housing." Joe responded, his gaze still fixed onto the library he felt drawn or you could say pulled into it by a mysterious force.

"C'mon let's head in. I wanna show you the kind of books we got here." Spike pushed Red into the library where he began to look around even more. Spike began to point at several bookshelves and explained them. "This section over here is full of basic magic spells to mid level Unicorn magic and on this side we have a large collection of how to books. Oh, and on this side we have the novel section filled with all sorts of books like fiction, based on true events, adventure and romance. But the sad thing is we rarely get that many visitors that actually come and borrow books. Do you see any you want to take with you? I can carry it back if you want."

"Wow the shelves are actually built into the tree as well." Said Joe completely out of relation to Spike's offer. "Hey are those supposed to be autobiographies?" He ignored what The little dragon had said entirely. A few books floated from the shelves and into a small stack. He contently looked around and pulled out a few different books and added them to the stack.

"Okay while you get some of those I'm going to go grab my ball." He disappeared into the other side of the library.

"Yeah... Be right with ya..." Joe replied as he already began reading into the books he's collected happily content. After a short while! He had begun to question where Spike had gone. Feeling curious of the little dragon's location he looked around the library and focused his attention on a chalkboard until a sudden noise caught his attention.

Spike suddenly appeared with a ball in his claws. He held up the hoofball and kicked it into the kitchen. His eyes locked onto something he hadn't noticed earlier. Something had been placed onto the table. "Hey... What are these?..." He asked himself as he examined a little black device trying to figure it out.

"Hey I didn't know Celestia had her own biography or did someone write this one for her? Hey can-" he paused suddenly at the familiar start up sound of whatever Spike had picked up. He slowly made his way to the dragon who had dropped the object and cautiously tried to pick it back up. He couldn't believe what he had seen until he used his magic to pull it away from the little dragon. "I... I... I can't believe it..." He stammered and turned his head to the table where the rest of his things laid. "I... Thought I lost these to those stupid dogs back in the forest. What are they doing here?" He took off the pendant and began to try each of the devices overwhelmed with relief.

"I think they found that when the Princess issued a search during the time ponies were going missing. I think Scootaloo brought that bag here." Spike held his claw at his chin. He tried clicking the laptop's keys trying to get a similar result like he had with the other device. "Twilight must've taken it out sometime after I left. What are these supposed to be?"

"Most of these are dead. They need to get charged up. Are there any outlets here?" Joe held up the PSP and looked at the charge. "It's at eighty percent... This will last a while." He quickly began to dig through the cords.

"An outlet? Yeah there is one open in the kitchen." Spike rushed towards the counter and moved some bowls out of the way exposing the outlet. He seemed interested in this few bits of technology.

The human walked towards the kitchen counter and placed his laptop on it. He levitated the cord from the table into his hand and tried to plug it in. "Dang it... It's too small. I need to find a way to get this working again." He began to pack everything back into the back pack carefully.

Spike immediately jumped up to try to stop the human."Wait! What about Twilight what she gonna think when she gets back?" Spike questioned. "She's going to get angry when she finds out they've gone missing?"

"I don't think I really care. Why are they trying to hunt me down?" Joe pointed towards the chalkboard with the notes. "I know she's one of those ponies that have been trying to expose me. I saw her that night I fell asleep at the field. Those books are the ones I got from the Castle." He levitated those books into his bag and flung the bag onto his back. He put the pendant back on and transformed in a flash. He sighed and turned towards the door.

"What are you going to do?" Spike asked as he picked up the ball and walked up behind Red as they exited the library.

"Nothing. I told you already I don't want to end up getting anybody else involved." Joereplied as he furthered himself away from Spike turning in the direction of the windmill.

"I'm not talking about Twilight or anypony else. I'm talking about those things in the bag." Spike shot back.

"I'm going to hide them so that no one could find them. Then when the coast is clear and I have the things I need, I could try to figure a way to charge them. " Red replied moving faster and ahead of Spike. "We've gotta get out of here before your friend shows up. Hop on."

"Does this mean we aren't playing hoofball anymore?" Spike asked in an annoyed saddened tone as he hopped on and held onto the backpack.

"Yeah don't worry we can still play. Let's just... Let's just put these away and we can get a few games going." Joe answered going into a gallop through the street.

A little while later they ended up at the windmill. Joe rushed in and Spike followed. They walked into the basement and switched on the light. "This looks perfect." Red said as he levitated an old chest from underneath the stairway over Spike's head and placed it by him. "I remembered seeing this once but I never thought of using it."

Spike popped the lid open and stared into the chest's empty insides. "So how are you gonna use these?" He blew the dust out as Red gently levitated everything in. "What kind of magic powers them?"

The human began to laugh inside. "Let's just say these helped me out in a whole lot of ways. And they don't run on magic. They just run on batteries... Hard to charge batteries..." He shut the lid and placed it back to where he found it. "That's that, now c'mon let's lock up and get out of here."

The two of them made their way out of the basement locking its door and into the the kitchen. Joe pulled off his pendant and returned to being human. His face full of confusion and thoughts of what to do floated in his mind. He pulled a small wooden chair away from the table and sat down with his head resting on the table. Spike hopped onto a chair as well and watched him. Joe raised one hand and pointed his index finger up. "Just give me a second... I need to come up with something to tell the Princess tomorrow." He said putting his hand down. His mind began to float back to what he had seen on the chalkboard. "That's a really close assumption that pony has. She's probably another Egghead isn't she?" He thought aloud."

"Huh? Yeah she is...That sounded like something Rainbow Dash would say." Spike responded.

"Isn't that one the rainbow one that also wanted to hunt me down as well I heard what she said in that little restaurant she's pretty cocky if she thinks it'll be easy to catch me." Joe said with his head still down. Spike motioned to say something by raising one of his claws to protest. "Then there's that thing. Those glowing yellow eyes staring at me everywhere. It was like she was staring into my very soul..." Spike just shot a worried glance.

"Dude... That's creepy..." Spike gave a creeped out stare and winced at the thought. A sudden stream of thoughts began to fill the little dragon's mind when he noticed the small collection of Equestria Daily's resting on the kitchen counter."Don't worry you'll get used to it. Maybe I'll try bringing you to... No wait that wouldn't work how bout!... No that wouldn't work either..." Spike continued to come up solutions but, constantly turned his own ideas down.

Beginning to feel sluggish and looked at the clueless expression on the little guy's face. Joe picked up the ball Spike had brought and began to kick it around the kitchen until he found a solid enough surface to cause it bounce back towards him. "So what's the plan now? Are we still gonna play some soccer or what?" Joe asked while trying to bounce the ball on one of his shoes

"Alright! I thought you'd never ask." Spike jumped from his seat. He grabbed the soccer ball and headed out the door followed by Joe. Joe quickly ran back in and grabbed the pendant off the table then placed it back on. With the glow of a horn the windmill glowed red and the two headed into towards the fields.

Chapter 20:Day one (Off to a nice start)

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Chapter 20:Day one (Off to a nice start)

Warning: Long Chapter... (I don't know if you guys like these kinds of chapters but it's really out there...)

Celestia and Luna trotted through the corridors of the castle in silence, they noticed Dusty trotting along the same corridor cleaning small things and well dusting. They slowly began to near the throne room, when a sudden small burst of blue flames erupted in front of them along with a scroll. "Let me handle that sister." Luna said as her magic instantaneously grabbed the scroll out of the air and scanned the lines of text. "I will be right back. Something has come up in the neighboring kingdom...,You know which one."

Celestia turned towards her sister. "Use only the necessary means. I shall be in the throne room awaiting for further updates." She replied.

"Understood." Agreed Luna as she trotted away with a smile on her face.

"Is everything alright your Majesty?" Dusty questioned approaching Celestia from where she was cleaning a second ago. "Where is Princess Luna going?"

"Oh good evening Dusty. It's nothing of concern. As for Luna, I'm going to be giving her a chance to take care of royal business. It seems to please her better than staying cooped up all day in her chambers." Replied Celestia. Dusty followed her as she entered the throne room. Several of the guards bowed and wished her a good morning as she passed them. Strangely though something sat upon her seat. "Another?" She levitated the weirdly packed scroll up in front of her and pulled its bow. Two purple tickets popped out along with a few pieces of confetti. She held up the two tickets in her golden glow as she read the scroll.

"Dear Princess Celestia I'm glad to inform you that Rarity has invited yourself and Princess Luna to partake in Ponyville's very own version of a Grand Galloping Gala.

-Your faithful student Twilight Sparkle.

P.s I hope this scroll arrived in your study. Spike has been disappearing on me and I had to send this through a teleportation spell."With that she rolled up the scroll and giggled at the reason. Her smile lasted for a while until an aged familiar unicorn showed up.

"Ahem... Excuse me your Majesty?" Said an old voice.

"Good morning , Did you wish to inquire about anything?" She responded using a more concerned expression.

"Yes your majesty. I understand that you had mentally probed this human as you all call it. Perhaps you can educate me on anything you found interesting?" He asked with a rather intrigued hum to his monotone voice. "What have you seen from his memory? What kind of technology, civilization, and their behavior? What did his kind value?"

Celestia simply smirked at his barrage of questions knowing full enough what he truly wanted to learn. "Well... Now that you've mentioned it... I did learn a few intriguing ideas that his world provided me with." She replied continuing the smirk.

"Oh really? Well then to start off, I did see a vast amount of confectionary delights, a beautiful landscape, and several amusing pieces of music. Also out of all the cakes he had seen the double chocolate ice cream cookie cake that was topped with strawberries and the most delicious looking frosting anypony would die for. I must try to have this made." She began. "Their architecture isn't that different from what I can tell but they have some odd looking buildings completely illuminated by tiny beads of lights-"

"Your highness?... Is there anything a bit more technological that I may be able to research maybe weaponry? War strategy? Anything of the sort?" He interrupted.

"I believe that I can only say so much that he would wish to be explained. I do not think he would want to talk about the extremities of his world." Celestia said in reply.

Dr. Kiesel sighed in disappointment. "I understand your majesty. I still must say that he could prove most useful if we utilize him properly." He added before he exited the throne room.

That final remark still displeased Celestia even with her previous answer. Though the idea seemed harsh to an extent it was a worthy plan to consider. "I will be watching you Doctor..." Celestia whispered to herself. She turned her attention back to the scroll from Twilight and returned to her formal posture on the throne and to her duties.

At the fields by Sweet Apple Acres...

Spike watched as Red magically fashioned a soccer goal out of rope and wood. "Hey that don't look too bad. It actually looks like the real thing." He ran his claws lightly against the net. "Very sturdy, nicely knotted and the size is perfect. You know you could make a lot of bits from making things like this. How did you know how to make this?" Asked Spike as he continued to test the goal until he finally kicked the ball in and watched the rope net perform as it should.

"I sorta figured we'd need one so I used a bunch of rope I found laying around and a few pieces of wood I use for small fires." Red replied. As he did a few last touches. "There all done now let's get started!"

"Alright!" Exclaimed Spike as he went out into the wider portion of the field with the ball. He got into a running position and charged his way backtp the goal while kicking the ball about a foot in front of him. He lined up his foot and gave it a mighty kick. The ball flew up a good bit but bounced off the wooden portion of the goal and into a row of bushes. "Oh... Uh looks like I'm gonna need a bit of target practice.

"I've got it." Red yelled as he went over to where the ball bounced to. The ball laid by a tree with a few big baskets underneath it. He levitated the ball up but wondered what the baskets were for. "Hmm..." Looking at the position of the sun he gave up and returned to the field.

"Wow it went farther than I thought it would. It went all the way into the Apple's Orchards." Spike thought to himself.

Red readied himself as he lined himself up for a shot. "Crap... How the heck do I do this? Which legs am I supposed to use?" He asked himself. "Hey Spike quick question. Which leg or hoof am I supposed to use to kick the ball with?"

"Hmmm... I'm not too sure...try your hind legs." Spike replied trying to imitate a pony kicking a ball. "Or maybe you can try it like this." He got on both of his claws and began to buck wildly like a horse.

"I... Think I'm just gonna stick to using my hind legs..." Red quietly replied before he tried stretching his right hind leg as if he was actually going to kick. He took a few steps back then charged into a kick. He missed the first, second and third kick. Out of anger he got up on two hooves awkwardly making his way to the ball and then kicking it as if he were actually a human. The ball flew high over the target, into the apple orchard and back over their heads. "No you don't!" His magic quickly stopped the ball's momentum flat in its tracks as it slowly was lowered back to the ground and away from the open sky.

"What was that?" Spike questioned as he walked over to the ball and picked it up.

"I have a feeling ponies play soccer a bit differently than I do back home. I never had to deal with hooves also I don't want to send any more balls into space." He answered rubbing the back of his neck with his hoof. His hoof snagged itself to the Unicorn Pendant. "Dang it... Not again." He sounded slightly annoyed as his red aura began to glow around the Pendant.

"Hey wait! Are you sure it's a good idea to take that off? What if someone sees you?" Spike warned cautiously looking around.

"It's okay based on what I've seen, nobody ever passes through here and the grass is tall enough to remain hidden. The pendant slowly levitated off his neck and into his hand. "Let's try it this way." He said turning into his original self and popping his knuckles.

"If you say so." Spike passed him the ball and almost immediately he began to bounce the ball with his legs.

"Okay here's one." Joe bounced the ball once more then kicked it straight into the goal. "There we go."

"Nice one! Let me give it a go." Said Spike as took the ball out from the goal and began to make practice shots.

Feeling satisfied, Joe walked himself over to a small hill and laid on it and sighed. He pulled out a little pocket book and began to read up on a few of the spells he had learned. He pointed a finger into the air and a few fireworks sparks flicked into existence. He drew a big red circle that floated into the air and slowly fizzled away. He continued doing this as Spike practiced a few more times.

Not too far away

Applejack and everyone had separated and had gone to do their daily routines before starting on their Gala jobs. One good thing about having fellow Apples work on building a barn, is that when they work together it makes the work go by faster. Applejack stood in awe as a few of her family members were still painting the barn.

She took a large inhale and whistled to get their attention. "Listen up ya'll we got a big job tomorrow so as soon as we're all finished up here, I want all of you to take the rest of the day to right yourselves and be well rested."she said loud enough for them to all hear.

"Hmm... What kind of job sis?" Asked Big Macintosh coming out from the house.

"In a few days Ponyville will be having its Grand Galloping Gala. But this time it's not gonna be all uptight and full of finicky, fancy hoofed, and the most boring group of ponies that they had in Canterlot. This is just all us town folk and Princess Celestia all having a good time. Also we still have a surplus of bits left over from the bits so I'm pretty sure we can cover this." She contently shifted the position of her hat as she finished.

Big Mac had a look of concern but took a little time and eventually nodded in agreement. "Shoot lets do it." He simpler said and every other pony there gave an "Eeyup" in agreement.

"Okay then it's settled. We start tomorrow after breakfast so see y'all around here. I need to go take some inventory and see if we need to get more ingredients." Applejack happily said as she disappeared into the cellar of the house.

On Ponyville's side of things

Rainbow Dash zipped through a number of ponies with a large line of signatures on the clipboard she carried in her mouth. "Good job Rainbow Dash!" Cheered Twilight as she sat at a row of small restaurant seats reading through a small record of ponies in the town. "That's about one hundred and sixty ponies so far. Hey Spike can you fetch me another bottle of ink?... Spike?" Twilight looked around for her little assistant. "Oh that's right. I wonder that has that dragon been getting into?..."

"Okay Twi I've got twenty more RSVPs for ya now what else can I do?" Rainbow Dash suddenly bursted into conversation.

"Wha- Oh yeah, can you bring this to Applejack's? I need to go get another bottle of ink. "Twilight briefly responded trying not to show concern. "Oh and if you see spike could you tell him I'm gonna need his help as soon as soon as possible."

"You betcha!" Rainbow quickly answered taking the small scroll and flew off with it.

"Hmm it can't be helped I need to find Spike." Twilight said to herself as she pulled all her papers into her saddlebag. "I think I should go check over at Rarity's then maybe later check if the Princess answered my invite."

Back at the field

Joe was already switched back into his Red body and playing with his magic by levitating the ball away from Spike. "Try stealing the ball." Yelled Red as the ball circled Spike making him a little dizzy.

Spike spun out but instantly got back up kicking wildly at the ground aiming at non existent balls until he kicked a cyan hoof. "Ouch!... HEY! That hurt!"

Spike'a world stopped spinning and he noticed what exactly he had kicked. "Ra-Ra-Ra-Rainbow Dash?! Wh-What are you doing here? I didn't mean to do that..." He stuttered in shock.

"It's alright. Twilight asked me to look for you because she needed you help with Rarity's Gala." Rainbow answered. She then eyed Spike suspiciously. "Hey what are you doing out here all alone?"

It took Spike a moment to notice that Red had disappeared and his ball had rolled into the bushes. "I was uh practicing hoof ball... Uh Twilight needed me? Where is she at?"

"She's at the town Square want me to bring you there?" Rainbow asked still suspicious of the dragon. "Just give me a second I need to go give something to Applejack then we'll leave." With that she soared into the air and away to the farm.

Spike made his way to the ball to find That Joe had hidden himself under a big bush. "I think it'll be better if you go help out your friend." Joe said overhearing the conversation.

"Why are you hiding?" Spike wondered. "That's just Rainbow Dash."

"I told you before I think she was one of those ponies that were out looking for me." Joe responded levitating the ball into his claws. "Now hurry she might get suspicious and find me."

"Alright Spike ya ready?" Rainbow's voice came from above. She came back in her usual ten seconds flat speed. "Were you talking to somepony?"

"Uh no I was just grabbing the ball." Spike replied. He ran up to Rainbow and hopped onto her back. In a few seconds they vanished towards Ponyville.

Joe sighed as he gathered up some of his stuff. "Now what the heck am I going to do?" He placed the saddlebag by the side and pulled an apple from off one of the trees nearby. He laid back on the little mound of earth he was on earlier. He ate through the apple and threw it into a small pile of debris. The sound of nature echoed all around him but something didn't sit too well with him. Something was headed his way...

A few hours earlier...at the core of the Everfree

"C'mon Sweetie Belle this'll be easy." Said a certain orange filly.

"Yeah there's nothing to be afraid of it's just like walking through the orchards except the trees are bigger and the grass is really really tall and there are creatures running around... *gulp*... We should be still safe though..." Added a little farm pony.

"I really don't think this is a good idea at all." Said the last member of the group. "This could be really dangerous you guys... I think we should turn back."

"This'll be a piece of cake. Those ropes and stuff you got us made a pretty strong net. There's no way some Canterlot monster would be able to break out of it." Replied Scootaloo carrying a small bag on her back. "Besides as far as we know there's only one of it against three of us so getting a monster hunter cutie mark will be a piece of cake."

"C'mon now what if this Canterlot monster is just like those ones from before." Sweetie Belle replied.

*Squawk!* The sudden sound of the forest spooked them into a huddle. Another sound echoed around them.

"What was that?!" Scootaloo cried out climbing to the top of the group.

"Aww no!... It couldn't be..." Apple Bloom whimpered. A loud howl came from pretty close by causing all three of then to get spooked and galloped off. "Don't just stand there! That's Timberwolves a howling! We need to get out of here!"

"Timberwolves?! Ahh!" Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle screamed in unison quickly following Apple Bloom's lead. Right behind them were big glowing green eyes staring at them with violent intentions.

"I thought you said this'll be easy!" Sweetie Belle shouted as their voices faded into the rest of the the Everfree.

Now...

Red approached the entrance of the forest with caution understanding the reason why the Princesses gave caution of why not to enter. the forest looked more like an eerie jungle overrun with foliage. He looked up at the sky and noted the disorder that it was in. The sky over Ponyville was nice and clear while this one was just everywhere. He took another step forward and at that very moment he could feel how Alive this forest really was. "What the heck is this? It feels just like when... Just like when I got here..." He said to himself. The sounds of howling caught his attention drawn to follow wherever it originated from.

"Wow... This place really reminds me of home." Red whispered in a reassuring voice to... Well I guess himself. He took in more of this natural scene and took note of a few well rounded paths that were visible. "This place isn't as scary after all. I really don't get why the heck they'd mark this place as dangerous." Just then the bushes around him seemed to vibrate with what sounded like a really big rubber band being stretched to its limits. Like an ant drawn to sugar he walked over to it curiously wanting to see what was making such a noise

"What is that?" He asked moving closer. He grabbed the side of the bush and gently moved the bush aside. "Aww what?" Instead of finding a little animal a rather large red tulip bud covered in white polka dots sat there. In disappointment he pulled himself away from the bushes. Surprisingly he was being held in place by vines with similar flowers. He was ready to scream but another vine quickly wrapped around his mouth. "NOPE NOPE! NOPE! NOPE!" His mind repeated the tulip bud from earlier slowly began to bloom in front of him exposing a large fang bearing mouth he panicked causing his horn to glow red. He noticed and fired a large beam at the plant eradicating the entire area of the bush and beyond.

He quickly backed away gasping. "Okay I really don't like where that was heading..." He held his hoof to his chest feeling for the pendant and took it off. "Screw that I think it's safer to have less restraint when walking in here." Not to far away the sound of eerie wailing caught his attention and sent chills up his spine. He turned towards it and began walking towards it. Whatever it was was getting closer the pounding of something loud, heavy and quick.

He hid himself along the side as a trunk and watched as a big wolf like creature pass right by him. It's stench filled the area with what smelled like rotten fish mixed with vinegar and old socks. It's body rattled like thin pieces of lumber being knocked together. The wooden wolf glowing yellow eyes pierced the forest as he watched it make it's way towards the tree across from him. "Holy crap! What is that... And what is that SMELL?!" He whispered.

The wolf didn't seem to hear him over its body clunking giving the speculation that it's body is made of wood and it was probably bad at hearing. Suddenly, a makeshift net fell over Joe's head.

"Gotcha!" Yelled a small voice above him. A small familiar trio hid above him in the trees with the orange one smiling victorious while the yellow one still stared in fear at the creature an the other smiles knowing full well who they had captured.

"Shhhhhh!" Joe loudly shushed pulling the net off and dropping it behind him. He looked at them confused unaware that the creature stood about a foot away from him growling loudly and breathing his noxious breath all over him. He slowly backed away in fear. Ironically the net he had carelessly thrown behind him caught his leg causing him to land on his rear. The girls screamed just as the creature nearly bit the human in two but the sound of someone whistling caught its attention. Out of no where a green stone suddenly struck the creature on its head causing it to fall off. "What the? It is made of wood!" Joe exclaimed relieved of the threat. Not soon after he took his eyes off the creature he noticed another not too far away wearing a cloak with it's gold glowing eyes staring back at him.

"What are you doing?! It's a Timberwolf we've gotta get away from here. He's gonna wake up any moment now." Apple Bloom shouted sliding down the tree along with the others. The three fled in fear while Joe followed behind them. Slowly the Timberwolf's head began to assemble itself enough to a point it was able to let out a howl.

The little trio continued to scream as they ran. Pathways seem to merge as the group made their way to a small clearing. The Crusaders panted hard as their legs shook in exhaustion. "I don't know how long we can last this way...*pant* I knew it was a bad idea to come here..."Apple Bloom whispered to the others. Scootaloo surprisingly didn't look too fazed as she was trotting after herself in a circle trying to check her flank as well as everyone else's.

"Aww come on! We caught him didn't we?!" Scoots complained. She huffed her chest out and crossed her forelegs and pouted. She then noticed Sweetie Belle as she sat there sitting in the path as if happily waiting for something. "Let's go home guys we failed."

"Gladly!" Apple bloom agreed already walking off in another direction.

"Wait! We're forgetting Mister Joe he still back there." Sweetie Belle replied. She quickly grabbed Apple Bloom by the tail and dragged her back towards where they had come.

They paused as the sound of quick thumping headed their way. They quickly hid under a small plant. "Hey I've got a plan get that vine over there and-" Scootaloo whispered. Apple Bloom took a position opposite of Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle and laid the vine along the path. They got ready as the thumping got even louder. The moment something moved they pulled on the vine turning it into a trip wire.

"Ouch... C'mon!" Joe yelled sitting himself up from the ground. He noticed the three of them huddled together seemed to have removed the fear of the Timberwolf behind him. "It's you three again..." Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom stared back at him in bewilderment. Until the third one jumped at him.

"I've got you now! You monster!" She bravely attacked. She knocked him onto his back and began to attempt to actually hurt him with her hooves. "Take this! Take that! And that!" She continued her little onslaught.

"Oww! Stop it! Hey!" Joe quickly pulled her off his torso. "That hurts you know!" He held her up like a small sized dog.

"That's not fair!" She shouted still trying to strike him with her hooves. Joe put her on the ground and Sweetie Belle instantaneously incapacitated her from continuing her attacks. "Not fair..." She answered muffled.

"Mister Joe it's you! Thank Celestia you made it out of the cave!" Sweetie Belle happily exclaimed as she grabbed onto his arm. In a tight hug but while still keeping Scootaloo down on the ground. "Where did you go?! What happened to you after we got rescued?" She began assaulting him with questions like how Scootaloo had attacked him.

"Wait wait stop... What are you three doing here?" He asked slightly bothered as to why they were running around in such a dangerous place. "You all need to go home that thing is after us."

They regretted reintroducing that Timberwolf as Apple Bloom screamed in fear. It towered above them as he turned around. It's green eyes stared at him greedily and hungry. Thinking quickly he used his magic to swiftly move the three fillies away. Luckily for them it saved them from the Timberwolf's large tail swatting Joe away. It slowly turned its attention towards the girls.

"Mister Joe help!" Sweetie Belle cried aloud. Suddenly a big tree came tumbling down on the Timberwolf and splintered all over its path. Out of the dust the girls continued to huddle in place as if waiting for their doom. Sweetie Belle opened her eyes to see something red surrounding them and though it were pieces of wood and leaves falling all around. They were amazed to see that the three of them were inside a small dome. The dome slowly dissipated revealing the rest of the destruction that the one tree caused. The Timberwolf was completely submerged under neath the tree.

"What in tarnation happened?!" Apple Bloom asked aloud. Hopping out of their small clean circle they walked their way towards the fallen tree's lower trunk led to. Joe stood there panting and rubbing his head. On the bottom of the tree were his hand prints etched into the trunk splintering out of the outline.

Joe quickly grabbed up the three of them and ran. "It's not gonna stay down we've gotta get out of here quick!" He yelled as the sound of lumber echoed behind them. The worry I his eyes alerted the three of them of the situation.

Just as quick as the wolf did before it reconstructed itself again except this time with the remains of the tree making it larger and it's howl louder.

"Crap..." Joe whispered as the three watched the path behind them. The Timberwolf once again began to gain on them destroying trees and plants alike in its titanic fury. They rounded a corner into a scorched pathway. "Hey I know this place. We're almost out of here!"

Right as they reached the exit, the Timberwolf ceased its pursuit and watched them as they slowed their pace. "Hey it stopped chasing us!" Scootaloo shouted in relief. "Looks like it's smooth sailing from here on out." The other two fillies still appeared scared with their eyes fixed on the last place the Timberwolf stood.

Finally there it was, the exit stood no too far away from them. Immediately the panic that they all felt vanished from their minds. Joe put all three girls on the ground before he collapsed right by them.

Sweetie Belle Immediately rushed to his side. "What are you doing Sweetie Belle get away from him. You saw what he did to that tree he could be dangerous." Scootaloo whispered not knowing exactly what to do.

Apple Bloom watched as Sweetie Belle tried to wake him. Suddenly she gasped in realization. "It's that thing! The thing from that time we got captured. Get away from it!" She shouted in fear. She hopped onto Sweetie Belle's back and pulled her away.

"What are you doing?! Don't you know who this is?" Sweetie Belle retaliated holding Apple Bloom's head towards Joe. "Don't you remember? I told you about him this is him." Apple Bloom seemed to get less tense and more taken by the thought.

"Well I wasn't there so how do I know he isn't just brainwashing you guys like he did the Princess. What if he only saved us because he wanted to cook us and eat us himself?" Scootaloo asked still bearing a confused and untrusting look on her face.

"What were you three thinking?..." Asked the downed human as he turned over allowing him to prop himself up in a sitting manner. "You shouldn't be hanging around in a place like that with those things running around in there."

"Mister Joe! You're awake! Are you okay? Mister Joe?" Sweetie Belle excitedly asked until she had took notice of the glare he was giving her. "Mister Joe please don't be mad... We just thought- ahh!" Joe had quickly gotten up and grabbed her forcing a little scream out of her.

Joe held her in his arms like she was a puppy and ruffled her hair in a playful manner. "I'm not mad at anyone... Now tell me exactly what this little trek was about." He asked making a rather idiotic face. Sweetie Belle looked confused. "Not talking huh? Okay then." He quickly began to tickle the little pony's chest causing her to giggle uncontrollably.

"It was Scootaloo's plan! It was Scotaloo's plan! She wanted to come here to try to catch the Canterlot monster!" She yelled in between laughs.

"It was her idea was it." Joe menacingly asked as he put the little unicorn on the ground gently. "So that's what the little net was for wasn't it?"

"Hey what do you think you're doing you!-" demanded Scootaloo until she slowly noticed what was going on. He quickly picked her up as well and began tickling her furiously.

"She wanted to catch you because she thought we'd earn our cutie marks this way." Sweetie Belle answered. "And we completely forgot about the rest of the creatures running around here. Also Scootaloo was thinking those stories about Canterlot were about you making you somepony evil."

"You guys think I'm evil?" He asked in a funny voice and tickling her until Scootaloo started saying "I'm sorry" in between laughs. The laughter didn't last long as Apple Bloom freaked out again pointing her hoof by where Joe was standing.

In a bush nearby them were the giant glowing green eyes. In an instant motion the Timberwolf clamped its wooden fangs down on Joe's right foot and began to drag him back into the forest. The three little fillies began to pull back on the human trying to keep him from going back.
"Why does this whole forest hate me?!" He yelled through the little match of tug of war. He took a glance at the wooden wolf and quickly got the same thoughts he had with that evil tulip. "Nope!" He shouted holding his hands out as if he was to push his pursuer away. Just like the plant a beam of red energy shot out propelling the creature far over the forest canopy and leaving a large sum of lumber from the larger tree from earlier. Awestruck of what had occurred the three just sat there. "How the heck did I do that again?!" He tried to mimic the same poses as before but to no avail it wouldn't fire again. Feeling disappointed he began to check himself for injuries. "Nooooo! That's not cool!"

Sweetie Belle shook herself out of the shock and quickly ran up to their savior. "Did you get hurt because of us Mister Joe..." She sadly asked feeling a tad guilty.

"The dang thing destroyed my right shoe..." Joe replied holding up what remained of his black Converse he sighed as he slipped the other pair off along with his socks. He then rolled his slacks back like shorts and proceeded to stand. Ok let's go. We better get out of here. I'm pretty sure a few would've noticed that.

"But wait! What about what happened at the cave?" Sweetie Belle asked insisting that he answer it all.

"We'll talk about that later. Let's just get out of here before another shows up... And before I step on something sharp..." Joe responded picking them up again and heading straight out of there.

"Hey what ever happened to those dog monsters?" Asked Sweetie Belle poking her head out over the others. "What happened with the eplosions, the big pony versus dog fight, that big story about Canterlot and do you eat... Ponies?" She shuddered at the last bit.

Joe looked rather confused about this not wanting to tell them the full truth. "Oh uh those guys the princess sent them home. I don't think I'm able to say anything else about that."

"Then do you know anything about a Canterlot monster?" Asked Scootaloo. "Rainbow Dash said that it walked on two legs and could do magic."

"Uh... I don't know anything on that." Joe lied.

"So then is it true about the Canterlot monster being able to eat ponies in one bite?..." Asked Apple Bloom.

This question put Joe in yet another fun little mood. "Oh... You heard about that eh?..." The three of them tensed in his arms. "I bet you want to know the real reason why I came to save you three then huh... But first I need to tell you all a little something." They all audibly gulped in fear while beginning to shudder. He looked down at them menacingly and almost hungrily. "I haven't eaten... In a while and I'm beginning to feel a bit... Famished..."he tightened his grip around them and pulled them a bit closer. "I'm going to take you three all home and then... I'm going to go eat some apples at home." The three instantly dropped their worries and sighed.

"So I guess that's a no... Thank Celestia..." Whispered Apple Bloom to the others.

"Well the real reason was because I felt something pulling me here. I just didn't expect to find you all here. And I hope this is a good lesson for you three to stay out of danger." Joe explained m[

The four of them finally made it to the fork in the road heading to Sweet Apple Acres and Ponyville. "I guess this is where we say bye." Said the human as he pulled them off his shoulders and his neck. He had a sad look to what was left of his shoes and threw them off to the side.

"Aww... Why don't you follow us to the farm? Applejack could probably try to get the rest of the town to like ya if you show them you aren't all evil. I mean you saved our tails more than once." Apple Bloom complained sadly. I betcha once they get to know ya, you'll be somepony famous for all the things you could do." Scootaloo just ignored them as a display of discontent.

"Yeah Mister Joe you'd get a house, a bed and maybe my sister can make you new clothes if you wanted to." Added Sweetie Belle. "Don't you want to have that?"

"I sort of already have something going on and I don't think I can get out of it for a while. Just like what I said at the cave. I'm still trying to find my way home. " he sighed in his reply. The sounds of hooves approaching quickly alerted him. "Crap... I've gotta go..." He said quietly. "You can't say anything about me and what happened with that wolf thing alright? I think that's the Crazy purple Unicorn Spike kept talking about earlier." He pointed down the path distracting them.

"Oh that's just Twilight and Fluttershy probably coming to see Appleja-..." Explained Apple Bloom as they all turned back to see that Joe had disappeared.

"Aww pony feathers... He escaped now how are we gonna prove we caught the Canterlot monster?" Scootaloo finally spoke.

The other two fillies laughed as Twilight and Fluttershy approached them in wonder. "Oh hello there girls. What have you three been up to lately?" Twilight asked happily to see them. "I hope you three haven't been getting into trouble. I wouldn't want any of you to get hurt before the Ponyville Gala."

"Ponyville Gala?" The three asked in unison.

"Wait I think it's that thing Rarity kept talking about. I bet we can get another chance to earn our Cutie Marks helping her out." Scootaloo immediately jumping at the opportunity.

"Yeah that's right we better go find her. But..." Sweetie Belle replied."what about Mister Joe?" She whispered at the end.

"He already said not to say anything. So we gotta play along with this okay?" Scootaloo quickly placed her hoof over Sweetie Belle's mouth to keep Twilight and Fluttershy from hearing them. She quickly turned to the older mares and forced herself to smile innocently.

They quickly bought it. "Alrighty then have fun. We're going to be checking in with Applejack." Twilight said as they continued on their way.

"We'll probably find him again. Let's just go ahead and help Rarity with this Gala thing. I know Applejack and Granny got the baking down without me messing it up." Apple Bloom said as she began trotting down the Ponyville path.

"Next time we see him we'll be sure to get him some help." Sweetie Belle added.

"I'll be sure to bring a bigger net next time." Scootaloo whispered to herself as she followed them to Rarity's.

Back in the field.

Joe quickly patted his pockets desperately searching for something important. "Where the heck is that pendant?! Don't tell me I left it back there..." He panicked. He pulled the innards of each of his pockets to find only a few bits a couple of leaves and a small little net he pocketed during the wooden wolf attack. He finally patted the rear pocket and temporarily felt relief it was there. He pulled the pendant out and put it on transforming him into a Unicorn. "Now to head back home before something stupid happens."

In no time, he was already back at Ponyville's entrance. He sighed as he looked at the decorations that had been put up all over town. "Wow that's different I wonder what's going on here." He asked himself as he walked through the welcome to Ponyville sign. But, something was wrong he could feel the pointy bits of gravel poking at his bare feet. The image of Red quickly flickered as if it were glitching out on a screen. He quickly took noticed and made a dive into the bushes. Luckily the bushes were big enough to hide him as the image quickly glitches out until it was just him sitting there on all four. "What? What and why?" He pulled the pendant out and grimaced at what he had seen. The pendant had been damaged to the point that it was missing its horn and that it's neck was bent at a lethal angle for anything alive except for maybe a sponge, and owl and maybe a few flexible animals. He tried to place it back on his neck. Nothing but a few golden bolts of Celestia's magic sparked from it.

"Tsk tsk tsk the princess is gonna be disappointed with you. She put some very sophisticated magic into that and I'm pretty sure you're gonna stick out like a hedgehog in a balloon factory like that." Suddenly whispered the voice of the man with the scarlet suit.

"Dang it old man.. Even now?" Joe retorted in his mind. "Now is not the time to be messing with my head now get out of there."

"Oh okay... I came out here to help get you out of this little predicament but I guess you don't need my help do you?" The old man replied in a mocking singsongy voice.

"What do you mean? Help me how?" Joe replied loud enough for a few of the ponies to notice.

"Well I remember doing a bit of reading about a temporary shapeshifting spell that could return your disguise but you need to be careful in order to retain the shape and it doesn't last long so you have to be quick." The old man explained. " Wanna try it out now? Before I change my mind." He snickered a bit at the end.

Joe made a small opening in the bush to see that his ramblings caught the attention of a few of the ponies. "Hey are you okay over there?!" One of them asked getting close.

Thinking critically he quickly answered. Yeah!.. Yeah I uh just dropped something! I'm fine!"

"Oh okay just checking on ya." The same pony who first spoke up answered.

"Okay! Okay! Just do it!" Joe's mind yelled. An audible snap of the fingers was heard. In a flash the human fell out of the bush once again as Red.

"Now was that so hard?" Mocked the old man. "Now don't forget be careful you just need to get back to the windmill. Oh yeah and you're welcome." Finished the voice. Before Red could turn and leave another voice came up behind him.

"On my are you okay?" Asked a generous voice. Red turned to see a white Unicorn with a strange purple mane behind him. "Are you a part of the decorations group? If so which one?"

"Huh? The what? Groups?" Red stammered getting up. He noticed the big stack of parchments that she had piled on her back along with an over stuffed saddlebag. The load seemed a bit too much for her seeing that she looked somewhat strained. "I don't think I am part of any yet but I'm willing to help if you need anything." He seemed to forget what needed to be done once he had noticed she needed help. "Do you need any help carrying those? They look a bit heavy."

"Oh yes please that would be quite generous of you. Do you mind if you could help me place these around the town?" She asked seeking a moment of relief.

"Sure." Red answered taking the load of her back and placing it onto himself. "Where to Miss?..."

"Rarity. The name is Rarity and you are? If you don't mind me asking." She answered looking towards the bare walls of the homes and businesses that she had yet to decorate.

"Just call me j-... Just call me Red." He caught himself.

"Why thank you Red. What a peculiar name..." Rarity nodded in thanks. "Shall we begin?" Red nodded yes as he followed her into town placing the banners up as they walked along other ponies who were also setting up various decorations. Some basic and a few frilly.

"Okay now, let's place these according to color." instructed starting before him. He followed the pattern from lavender, violet, rose and to azure until the buildings were decorated in a spectrum between blue and red.

"These are pretty amazing they feel so light yet they look so much bigger than they weigh." He held the last big banner up with magic. "And the designs they look like the ones at Canterlot."

"So you've been to Canterlot?" Rarity asked taking an interest in the topic.

"Yeah... Why?" Asked Red pinning up another banner.

"This whole event is based on the Big Gala that the Princess hosts every year. And Canterlot itself is a marvel is it not. The class, the sophisticated ponies, the glamour they're all alluring." Rarity answered she took out what looked to be tinsel out of the Saddle bag and began to tie bows on the street posts. "How long were you there?"

"Well not too long. The Princesses had me move down here for awhile mostly for lessons-" he suddenly stopped as his body began to shake. "Oh crap!"

"Did I not tell you to make it quick?" The old man's voice echoed in his mind once again. "I leave for a moment to recharge my batteries for this? You need to pull out of there now! Pronto! A.S.A.P! The spell is fading."

He looked at his hoof as it quickly popped into a hand. He panicked and pulled off one of the banners he just hung up. "I think I'm gonna borrow one of these. I will bring it back later I've got an emergency!" With that he gently placed the saddlebag on a nearby bench and bolted out of sight.

"Oh umm... But... I guess I can make another or whenever you're done with it you could just bring it back and hang it back up." She replied as he dashed away. "Hmm Red... Wasn't the pony Twilight stalking named something like Red was he not? Or was he?" Rarity pondered to herself.

Red flashed down the streets with his body slowly regaining its human attribute and to the point that the walkway's gravel were beginning to feel like they were jabbing into his palms and feet. He sped up and covered himself up with the banner like it was a cloak of sorts. With one final flash he was half way to the windmill but his transformation was complete.

"Crap!" The human said hunkering down by a small shop. He was out of bits and in the open without shoes. Luckily though the path ahead leads into the grass and the less populated portion of town. "C'mon not too far now..." He tried to stand up but his height exceeded the banner and exposed his bare feet. "Dang this calls for desperate measures. He tied the poor banner tightly around his neck and bent over trying to awkwardly walk like a pony. "This looks stupid..." He thought to himself making himself look inconspicuous and smaller than he should. Several of the ponies that hung around either just pointed and whispered to each other or just straight out just started laughing.

A little further down the path was a very enthusiastic pink pony with a cart carrying a tower of dry goods and eggs. She happily hummed herself into a frenzy of hopping along the path causing the cart to wiggle. She instantly noticed the walking purple banner and gave it a strong stare trying to notice a face. "Hmm what's this?" She asked watching the thing approach even closer.

Joe took just as much caution as the staring pink pony as they passed each other he passed her just giving a nod of acknowledgment. He continued down the path but shortly stopped to shake the pain of the gravel from his palms. He turned to see that the same pony continued to follow him giving the same wide eyed stare. He continued to walk and she continued to follow with the cart in tow. "Uh yes?" He asked the pink pony.

"You're hiding something... I intend to find out." The pink Pony replied rather sternly. "Do I know you you don't look too familiar... Probably because of that pretty banner Rarity made. I hope she knows you're using it."

"Uh yeah she knows and I'm just heading back home now." Joe replied honestly. He continued on his way but the pony continued to follow making the already awkward walking even more awkward. "So... I'm gonna be heading this wayyyyy... Please stop following me that's very uncomfortable."

"Okie dokie! She replied in a chipper change of tone. But she continued to watch out of curiosity. "I wonder who that was... But then again I wonder what the universe means and how and when we will be able to traverse into the cosmos. *sigh* I love space. Spacccccccccce... Oh well gotta go start the baking."

The grass was a much more manageable terrain since it did not consist of little stones. Seeing that no body was around he began to walk on his own two feet. He quickly made his way past a few of the remaining homes and into the windmill.

He closed all the curtains and took off the Banner carefully folding it and putting it off to the side. He tore his jacket and pants off leaving him only in his boxers and white T-shirt. He also gave a look at the now ruined unicorn pendant and sighed. "I'm gonna be in trouble tomorrow..." He said to himself as he picked up the already worn out pieces of clothes and placed them on the table. He levitated a needle and black thread from the kitchen drawer and began a few repairs on the rips and holes made from today's adventure.

Back at the fork in the road going to Ponyville and Sweet Apple acres...

A certain Rainbow Pegasus flew over scanning the area for anything of interest. "Hey what are those?" She asked herself quickly descending towards "aren't those... Oh my gosh!"
She picked up the objects by their laces and departed at a super sonic speed.

Chapter 21: Day 2 Progress

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Chapter 21: Day 2 Progress

Twilight and Spike eagerly awaited the Princesses's chariot at the entrance to the rather fairly decorated town. The banners of different hues flowed nicely in the late morning followed by the sounds of preparations showed how much anticipation every pony had. For the Town Gala.

Twilight paced back and fourth between the Spike and the Welcome post that read welcome to Ponyville. "I wonder what the Princesses will think of the Gala so far." Twilight announced somewhat impatiently. "I bet Rarity will be pleased to see Princess Celestia's expression when she sees the events that we have planned for everypony." She stopped walking for a slight second. "But what if she isn't? We'd have to come up with something bigger.

"I doubt she would be displeased at all. Rarity did way better than just good. She did an awesome job this one looks way better than the gala they had at Canterlot. It's like a small town chic thing not Canterlot swank."

"I guess you're right there shouldn't be anything to worry about then." Twilight's mood seemed to have lightened up.

Soon the sound of wings beating and then the sound of wheels hitting the dirt. The chariot slowly made its approach to the town entrance. Celestia and Luna sat in admiration of the town and it's decorations. "This is truly admirable." Said Celestia taking note of the town.

"As expected of Rarity's talent. It's so pretty." Luna happily exclaimed. "I bet I can blend into the banners." She whispered to herself in delight.

"Isn't it a bit too early for Nightmare night? We still have a long time till then." Replied Celestia. Twilight and Spike approached and gave a courtesy.

"Princess Celestia, Princess Luna it's so great to see you again. Who's taking your place on the throne?" Twilight asked before embracing the both of them.

"We have both Princess Cadence and Sir Shining Armor taking our place. We have given them very precise instructions as how to handle today's tasks." Luna explained in a slightly entertained expression.

Twilight gave a chuckle as she shook her mind clear of seeing her brother dressed up as the Princess of the night. "Rarity is going to appreciate your input on the the Gala so far we're gonna be meeting her when we're finished with everyone else. Do you and Luna want to have anything to eat?"

"I'm afraid I will have to be absent for that Twilight Sparkle for you see, I have to take care of a small matter of business before I meet up with you three again." Luna kindly replied. "But I do agree to meeting for a snack later.

"Business? With who?" Twilight replied feeling a bit crestfallen. "I thought you were really excited to see the Gala to see if there was anything wrong with it."

"I will be meeting with someone on official business. Do not worry I will not be long." Luna said as she turned her attention to her sister who nodded. With that she trotted along the blue banners almost blending into them and vanishing into the town avoiding other ponies who didn't see her.

"What shall we observe first Twilight?" Asked Celestia breaking Twilight's train of thought.

"Oh... Well we can go visit the rest of the girls and then find Rarity." Twilight explained. "Applejack said she wanted to have you do a taste test on the food she baked up for tomorrow."

"Then we mustn't keep our friend waiting then." Celestia happily grinned at her disciple. They began to chat as they trotted into town as well. Several of the townsfolk instantly noticed their leader walking amongst them and began to bow. "Oh, don't mind me everypony I'm just here to how well everything is going. So please carry on." Just as she said that all the ponies listened and followed her orders. The ponies in the street still created a path for the Princess and her student to walk through. They gave a small laugh and continued on their way to Sweet Apple Acres.

Somewhere else in Ponyville

Luna lurked along side the banners carefully making sure to not be seen. The ponies walking around did manage to stop and watch the Princess of the night try her best to not be seen. "Princess Luna? What are you doing?" A young grey unicorn filly asked while she straightened the banners the princess had disturbed.

She held her mouth out in a fit of embarrassment. " I forgot to cast the spell..." Her mind screamed at herself. "I was uh... Testing the fabric that Rarity put into these delightful banners." She smiled back. "They are quite the fabric aren't they?"

The little filly and the others returned to their activities leaving Luna with a blush of embarrassment. She bowed and trotted her way to the windmill.

The windmill blades spun slowly and peacefully. As Luna approached she could feel the presence of a shield around the building. She placed her hoof onto it revealing a dim red glow. She lit her horn up and created a dark blue glow where her hoof was allowing her to slip through the shield. She knocked on the door but nobody answered. Her horn lit up again as the door slowly opened. The living room was empty as well as the kitchen. Listening carefully she could hear a very small noise coming from the upstairs. She trotted up the stairs to investigate. She heard what seed to be light pieces of scrambled speech coming from one of the rooms. Slowly she nudged the door open to see a sleeping figure in bed moving erratically and constant. "He's having a nightmare. Maybe I can try to get in with it." Her horn glowed casting a bright white flash leaving her immobile as she sat incredibly still signifying the dreamscape spell had been initiated.

Inside the dream.

The terrain resembled that of Equestria yet something strange was wrong with the sky and several homes and buildings lay in ruin. "Oh no! What is this?" Luna whispered to herself looking at the reddish sky. The moon nor the sun were up yet it was as bright as day. "What kind of nightmare is this? It feels almost... Evil..." She took off and soared up looking for signs of life. Strangely there were lights coming from the distance and the signs of a monstrous struggle. Quickly she made her way over a battle scarred land and devastated homes.

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out. "I will not let you continue this anymore!" Another light as bright and warm as the sun flashed beyond the edge of town. Luna quickened her pace as the scene unfolded in front of her. Celestia flew around a gigantic blob of what looked to be black goo. She quickly began firing rays of light at it causing it to shriek and quiver.

"By my sisters nonexistent beard!" Luna shouted shocked at seeing her sister in her condition. Her mane appeared burnt and messy in several areas. The black goo staining her now dirty white coat. This was a sight most displeasing. She called out to her sister but Celestia did not respond. Where was The human? What in Equestria was that thing her sister was fighting? Knowing well enough that this couldn't be her sister she tried to help her and fired her own set of beams towards the creature all the while looking for wherever her student or anypony else could have been.

"I will finish this!" Celestia's horn lit up as a miniature sun formed above her illuminating every shadow. Out of the corner of Luna's eyes she saw the outline of a figure buried within the blob but only for a second as her sister's sphere of energy collided with it shattering the nightmare.

Out back in the windmill.

" PRINCESS LUNA! What the heck are you doing in my room?!" Shouted the now awake human who was now clinging from a support beam on the ceiling. "How did you even get in here?" He asked as he carefully made his way down.

"It's already mid-day did though forget the appointed time of our lesson?" Luna said aloud in her royal equestrian tone. She wasn't particularly mad but confused. "You were having a nightmare so I felt obligated to free you of it."

"A nightmare? I don't think so. I don't remember having a nightmare." Joe replied feeling a bit confused as well.

"The black blob? My sister? You don't have any memory of it?" She asked before turning away contemplating what that could have meant.

"I just remember laying down to got sleep, closing my eyes and boom. I wake up to see a pair of white eyes staring at me." Joe explained stretching and yawning. "By the way... Do you think you can fix this for me and will the spell work the same way? I really liked being a cute little red unicorn."

Luna shook her thoughts on the nightmare out of the way and turned back towards the human. "What did you do to it?! It's completely destroyed!" She stared at the remains. "How did this happen?"

"Remember what you guys said about the Everfree?" Joe asked in reply.

"Yes but I don't see how that could be connected." Luna's curiosity began to peak.

"Yeah there was this big wolf thingy made of trees. It sorta ate one of my shoes and nearly ate three little ponies." Joe briefly explained. "So It broke there."

"We gave you a clear warning of the forest. I don't think my sister would've been so forgiving but, I suppose I can try to fix it. But if not we will have to find my sister and have her place the same charm as she did before." She levitated the broken pendant over to her and it began to spin and glow. After a few seconds it began to slow and came out good as new. "As for the charm." Her blue aura engulfed the pendant for another few seconds and then faded. "It is done. Pretty soon after a few more lesson you could probably achieve a spell like this on your own maybe even to the point you won't need the pendant but until then... Here you go." She placed it into his hands and he plopped it into his pocket.

"Thanks I guess I can go back outside." Joe replied as he turned to exit the room. The two of them made their way down stairs to where Luna poofed up a big spell book upon the table.

"Today we will be teaching you how to teleport. It is the most vital spell pertaining to either escape or reach a location faster." Luna began reading from the book. Just hearing the word "teleportation." Interested him enough to quickly grab a seat at the kitchen table. "First we will begin by learning how to transfer regular no living objects and then the real deals. First focus on this apple." She pulled a perfectly plump apple that rested atop a large basket of apples. "Watch closely." An apple was slowly engulfed by the bluish aura then quickly flashed out of existence and flashed once again reappearing on the table.

"So that's how it looks like when you aren't the one being teleported." Joe exclaimed as he picked the apple up.

"First visualize what or who you would want to teleport then let your magic take a hold of it. Now let's have you try it." Luna placed another apple on the table. "I want you to move it from here to here." She pointed her hoof at the apple and then at an empty spot on the table. He did as said and wrapped the apple in a red aura. "Now teleport it over here." She blinked her eyes and looked where the apple was supposed to go. She saw that the apple was gone but it hadn't appeared where it needed to go. "That's odd where did it go?" She then noticed her student trying to contain his laughter. "What?"

"Look up." Joe replied pointing just above her head. The apple he had tried to teleport had stuck itself to her horn.

She quickly teleported it back onto the table. "I hope that wasn't on purpose." She exclaimed looking somewhat amused yet a bit entertained. "Now try again without any funny business."

"Ok, ok I got it this time." Joe replied calming himself down. He focused on the apple the same way he had earlier and voila it actually appeared on the other side. "Got it."

Luna looked rather impressed at the second attempt. "Now teleport it back to where it was before." She watched as he repeated the process twice before the apple ended up teleporting to Luna's seat and the princess sitting up on the table. Due to the difference in size between the Princess and the table, the table toppled over. But not before the Princess could teleport herself to safety. She gave the human a stare of disappointment.

"Before you say anything. I swear I did not mean to do that. I only had focus on the apple." Joe replied honestly as he picked the table back in its place.

"It seems that unlike the other spells you took so easily to learn, this spell will require additional practice..." Luna replied returning her composure. "Perhaps we should try a different method. How about you try to teleport from here to your living room? I suggest putting the pendant on in case you teleport outside."

He did as she said and put on the pendant. "Yeah let's try it." Luckily for him the pendant worked just as it had before. He began to focus on the living room. He took a deep breath and grunted.

Somewhere outside with Ponyville in sight.

Luna flashed out of a flash and onto her face. The look of confusion was plastered on her face as she looked towards Ponyville. "Perhaps this is going to take longer than I thought it would. Her horn quickly began to glow as she vanished in a flash.

Not too far away, at Sweet Apple Acres.

Celestia took in the aroma coming from the rows of pots that were full to the brim with apple filling that we're going to go into the treats for the Gala. She also took note of the pace Applejack and her farm ponies were gathering apples just for the event. They had a total of four carts that were ready to be wheeled off to town by Big Mac and another stallion similar in size. Granny Smith stood atop a ladder mixing one of the pots with a spoon big enough to be a shovel.

Applejack took notice of her two visitors and quickly made her way over after bucking a few more apples out of a tree. She bowed before the princess. "Good evening your Majesty. I'm sure glad you came on over, we're just about to have a tasting for the pastry filling."

"That's sounds wonderful Applejack. I'm sure they're delicious." Celestia answered while Twilight took note of what had been completed. Apple Bloom poured a couple of bowls for the two of them to sample.

Celestia sampled a spoonful and gave a very satisfied nod. "I believe everypony is going to enjoy those pastries."

"I reckon they are after seeing how much you like em." Applejack replied wiping the sweat off her brow.

"This is a great batch Applejack. Care to follow us to check on the rest of the girls?" Twilight added as she took a spoonful out of her own bowl.

"I would like to Twilight but, I'm gonna need to help Granny Smith finish the cider. Thank you kindly for the offer."

As they spoke Luna appeared before them. "Again?" She blurted out looking where she was before vanishing.

"Princess Luna?" Asked twilight as she was the first to notice the voice but upon seeing nothing her focus returned to the Princess and Applejack.

After about half an hour of sampling

Both the Princess and Twilight walked along the path towards the town. "I think we should see Pinkie Pie next She's been making something that she's been keeping to herself and I saw her with a load of some weird drawings on her her idea board." Twilight explained before she stopped and looked back at the farm. "I coulda sworn I heard Luna's voice for a second while we were back there."

"I do not understand what you are speaking of? I'm certain Luna is busy with an acquaintance at the moment." Celestia replied smiling aware of what exactly was going on.

Back in town

Pinkie pie sat inside her room tinkering on her cannon while humming a tune that Rarity usually would when she worked on dresses. There were all sorts of tools and work material. "The adjustments are just about ready I just need to find the most opportune moment to act." She said to herself as she covered it up with a tarp. Suddenly, three loud knocks came from one of the windows. She opened it up and in came Rainbow Dash with a paper bag in her mouth. She dropped it on the floor and quickly shut the window.

"I need you to bring this to Fluttershy as quick as possible. I need her to track down where its owner is." Rainbow exclaimed stuffing it into a saddle bag. "I think I know who it belongs to." As soon as she placed the saddle bag on her friend's back she opened up the window and rocketed out to where ever she was needed.

"That was weird... But... OKAY!" She beamed a smile brightly as she made her way onto the streets and began her trek to Fluttershy's cottage.

But after two seconds.

Pinkie immediately zipped back to the front of Sugarcube corner. "Oopsies almost forgot." She began setting up a massive white board. As soon as the board was completed she quickly rushed inside the little sweets shop and emerged with a variety of sharpie markers in her mouth. The sound of a million squeaky markers attracted the ears of many of the ponies walking and working around town causing them to turn there attention towards its owner. Finally she was finished, she threw another tarp over it and left an even tinier white board with "For Twilight and most royal guest on it. Pinkie stood there a moment to admire her work and then just as earlier zipped away towards her friend's home.

Back in the Windmill

Luna's mane appeared messy in some places while parts of her fur were ruffled. Sitting across from her was Joe who seemed virtually unscathed by this lesson. He busied himself by repeatedly teleporting an apple from one spot to another.

"Okay I have a conclusion. You can probably teleport anything that is within your field of magical range. You just need to will it, You could move living creatures. That's interesting very interesting. The only thing that can't be moved is you for some unexplained reason. Maybe it's due to your magic or it could deal with something all together. But I think it could still be useful to you. You just need to practice a bit more." Luna exclaimed as she levitated a scroll and quill that were magically writing for her. "Perhaps we should try this one more time before I must leave to meet my sister."

"Celestia is here? In Ponyville? Then who is on Royal duty?" Joe asked confused and very intriguingly. "Can I see her?"

The image of Shining with her hair style flashed into her head and she giggled. "I don't know if we will be here long but we will be here on the night of the Town Gala but, it's up to you if you want to go."

Joe paused for a while before answering. I don't know... There are some very questionable characters running around here and I wouldn't want to end up breaking this pendant again. If anything... I will try to see the two of you."

Luna smiled at her student before looking at the clock. "Well, our time today was short but, I'm afraid it is time for me to meet my sister." She exclaimed before she got up from her seat. "Be sure to keep practicing and maybe you may one day be able to teleport yourself. In the meantime, I have labeled down a few repair spells in that book. Be sure to have a look at them. You may never know when you may need them. But, farewell for now."

"Alright thanks for the lesson today. Tell Celestia I said hello." Joe exclaimed. Luna smiled as she nodded and teleported away. "See you later." He sat there alone with an apple in hand and a large book in front of him. He looked up the basic Reparation spell and wrote it down in his pocket note book for later. He sighed before he turned his attention to the coffee table in the living room. On top of it lay the blue piece of fabric from the day before. Joe put the pendant on and left his home with the banner on his back.

Somewhere near Fluttershy's cottage.

Pinkie Pie hopped faster than she usually would along the path with the bag Rainbow had given her. She hummed a little song. Just like a few of her friends, she had a little tendency to hum for a short bit until she heard a chorus of little birds and the melodic singing voice of Fluttershy. The small group of birds sang in a similar tone as Fluttershy making what sounded like a song for a waltz.

"HEY FLUTTERSHY! RAINBOW DASH ASKED ME TO DELIVER SOMETHING TO YA!" Pinkie screamed at the top of her lungs causing the small chorus to flee. Flutter turned to her Pinkie who was pretty far away and then to the little spot where her birds used to be. Her face turned to one of disappointment when the birds failed to return as she turned to see Pinkie up close and staring directly into her eyes. "Da show said to give this to you." She pulled out the paper bag and placed it slowly on the ground in front of Fluttershy.

"Thanks?... But, what is it?" The shy Pegasus asked as a tip of her wing slowly opened the bag and pulled out its contents. She yelped as she pulled her face away and covered her face with her hooves.

"What is it Fluttershy?" Pinkie asked concerned of the bags contents.

"It smells... Stinky..." Her voice was muffled due to the hoof on the nose she continued to open the bag and spill it's contents. A very worn out pair of shoes fell out. One being severely damaged and the other somewhat fine. "They're shoes... A really big pair of shoes." There was a ball of paper in one of the shoes that had a poorly drawn butterfly on it. Pinkie completely ignored the odor and pulled the paper out with her teeth.

Pinkie cleared her throat and read it out. "I found these out by the Everfree I need you to help me track down the monster. I know these belong to it. So, just have a dog or something trace it. -R. D." Pinkie read aloud but in Rainbow Dash's voice. "That sounds fun! Wait a sec!" She quickly yelled before taking off towards where she had come from. Fluttershy sat there with a confused yet interested gaze set on the shoes she poked the perfectly fine looking one around as if trying to get a response. She poked at it until a small white paw placed itself by her head.

"Wynona?" Fluttershy quickly asked turning her face towards the farm doggy.

"We needed a doggy didn't we? And don't worry. I bet Applejack isn't gonna notice she's gone.

" I... I... I guess this is okay then." She held the still good shoe with her wing and lowered it to Winona instantly began to smell the odd shoe. "Okay Winona I need you to help us find whoever owns these shoes. Do you think you can help us?" Winona shook her head. She took a pointed stance facing town before making a mad dash towards town. "Pinkie quickly! After her!" Fluttershy commanded immediately following the farm dog with Pinkie in pursuit. She trailed slowly behind them.

Back in town

Red made placed the banner he had borrowed the day before. The banner matched with the rest of the other banners that had been placed up. He looked around the rest of the town which was decorated in elegant little ribbons. "Lucky thing this place can control the weather." He whispered to himself. He walked around a little until he spotted a small group that was making their way towards him. He quickly hid behind a banner.

"That was odd Mrs. Cake said that she ran off somewhere." Asked a certain Unicorn walking along the path.

"I did enjoy the detail she had used on those event schedules." a familiar voice exclaimed. It was Celestia, Luna, and Spike's purple friend. "I'm impressed with you and your friends productivity. To have this much done in such a pace would put some of Canterlot's finest to shame."

"Well... It's quite something now isn't it your highness." The white pony from yesterday suddenly intervened into their conversation. "I wouldn't wish to toot my horn but, I couldn't have done it without all of my friends helping with the setup. It's thanks to them that it is being done this quick."

They looked in her direction to notice what looks like a grand outdoor dance floor set into the town center. It was decorated similarly to the rest of the town but the difference was the lighting, it had far more colors that did quite well with the blue giving it a royal blue accent. "Indeed this is such a impressive feat. How did this idea come to mind?" Luna walked away from her sister and towards the dance floor. "Also why did you chose blue?"

Rarity turned away with a triumphant excited style. "Well now that you've mentioned it, I came up with the idea after seeing how the color blue at times is depressive. I thought about how a good distraction could keep one self from focusing on those depressing matter. I find this Gala to be a more uplifting take on the color." She explained masking one of the reasons she wanted Twilight and the others to help.

"Bravo. That was a very interesting way to put it. I can count on this being one must be at event." Celestia said aloud as she walked towards the little fashionista and put her head by her head. "I am also thankful that you thought of Twilight's health as well. It was smart to use my presence as an excuse to get her outside." She giggled as she pulled her head away. The young Unicorn's face turned to one of confusion and worry covered up with a forced smile.

"Why, thank you your highness... This will indeed be a Gala for everyone's enjoyment." Rarity stammered in reply. "Now shall we treat ourselves to some lunch. May I suggest the Glass Horseshoe?" She pointed towards a fancy restaurant that was within walking distance.

"Hmm... How about that one?" Luna pointed to one that had the had the Sign that read "The Stuffers cafe"

"Greasy... Foods..." Rarity's thoughts moaned in anguish. "But it is the Princess's choice after all..."

"So how about it Rarity? Let's go eat at the cafe." Said Twilight as she motioned her hoof towards the cafe.

"Yes... Let us go then." Rarity led them into the cafe while Celestia stayed behind.

"I know that you are there." Celestia said as she turned towards a banner with a large obvious lump. "I see you are getting used to living here."

Red made his way out of the banner to face her. "Hey there... Celestia." He replied pretty embarrassed that his hiding spot sucked. "Yeah I've sorta gotten used to the place. But, I haven't gotten any closer to finding the Spell and frankly... Some of the ponies here sorta make it a bit harder in trying to find it."

"How so?" She asked as of she already had an idea.

"Well... There was a small weird group of them and I think they're out to get me!" Red explained. "I've just been trying to avoid them. Especially, this pink one." Celestia placed her hoof on his shoulder.

"Do not worry about them. I do not think that is the entire story. But, do not worry I know there will be an answer to where the spell is. As for now, maybe you should enjoy the event coming up. We are going to be there. It's gonna be a party." Celestia spoke tenderly and comforting.

"I guess if you put it that way. But I'm still going to keep my distance from them and maybe I'll go I just don't know..." Red replied.

"I must go now I need to rejoin them." She happily ruffled his mane and turned towards the cafe. "Until next time."

"Okay I'll be waiting." He finished before he got up and fixed his mane.

"Also Luna has left a letter in the book it is from Rex. Our friend has been rather busy. Good bye for now." She vanished into the cafe leaving Red in the center of the path.

He sighed unsatisfied of his little meet with the Princess. He looked at the cafe but decided he wasn't hungry at the moment. He turned and began making his way towards the path to the fields.

About half an hour later.

Red was just about there when the smell of something sweet cooking. It was coming from the orchard near by. He continued to walk until the sound of something running came from close by he turned his head to see a small dog run up to him and sit in front of him. "Oh hello there." He began to pet the tired little dog.

"Now I've got you!" Came a voice from somewhere. Hooves hit the unpaved path at a rapid pace. Something pink blazed its way as it approached the Red unicorn.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Red shouted as he began bolting away from it.

"Hey! It's you!" The raving pink pony cheerfully shouted as she pulled a cannon from her mane. "I've got something for you!" She continued to gallop on two of her legs while holding the cannon above herself.

Red galloped as fast as he could keeping the pink pony at bay. His hooves began to glow red giving him a much needed boost in speed leaving his pursuer behind. He sighed in relief as the pink pony vanished from sight.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome! A fine welcome to you! Welcome, welcome, welcome!-" The pink pony sang aloud as she managed to match Red's speed giving him a shock and bewildered expression. He quickly began to gallop even faster.

"Wait! How about if I try this." He said to himself. His horn began to glow as well as the tenacious pink pony. She continued to sing even as she suddenly, flashed out of sight. "Yes that did it!"

Back at the cafe

Twilight, Rarity and the Princesses sat contently suddenly, a red flash appeared. "Hi girls!" Pinkie quickly greeted her friends when she landed and continued to dash out the doors along the same path she had been on earlier.

Somewhere else on the path...

Fluttershy exhaustedly walked on the path calling for both Pinkie and Winona. She continued to call out their names until she sat down for a break. "Those two are probably halfway to Canterlot by now..." Suddenly, the sight of a red blur caught her eyes as it streaked along the path. Behind it was another blur, a pink blur...

"You again?!" Red shouted obviously freaked out by what the pink pony could accomplish in so little time. "That shouldn't even be possible! Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!" He continued to gallop nearing the timid pony. Fearing a collision, he slammed his hooves into the ground as brakes. He slowly came to a stop right in front of her. She suddenly, shrieked pointing behind him to see Pinkie Pie failing to stop on her own. They collided and tumbled around. When Red opened up his eyes, he was face to face with the barrel of the cannon and a pink pony standing behind it.

"Let me welcome you to Ponyville with the Insta-Party 2000!" Pinkie shouted in an overexcited rage and readied the trigger mechanism.

"Pinkie I think you're too close! Don't do It" Fluttershy warned but it was too late. Pinkie had pulled it launching a table directly at Red... He managed to quickly zapped the table before it smashed into his face. Pinkie stood there dumbfounded and then panic.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no!" She jumped up onto the cannon as it began to vibrate. A little red light began to blink near the top and Pinkie's face went into a full on red alert expression. She jumped down and began to desperately try to pull the cannon barrel away from them. "I can't stop it! The oven is jammed and the frosting is expanding!" Red quickly pushed it away with his magic and erected a shield around it. "Hit the deck!" Pinkie buried her head in the dirt. They waited in anticipation for an explosion. The cannon shook as it's barrel aimed itself at the sky. It suddenly fired, cake batter oozed from the top like a volcano.

Both Fluttershy and Red stared at the mess in disbelief. Instead of an explosion it was just a messy froth of failed pastry. He lowered the small shield and sighed. Now that the immediate danger was gone he turned his attention to the pink pony. He plucked her from spot. "What was this abo-" Red began before the cannon suddenly went off one last time. Seeing nothing come out of the barrel he looked back at the saddened pony. "You've got some explaining to do..." He sighed placing her down next to the other one. "I... I just wanted to find-" he muttered as something smashed atop his head. He lumbered forward. "Why does this keep... Happening... To me?" He quickly dropped down unconscious and covered in fruit punch.

Fluttershy and Pinkie stood there confused by the scene before them. Fluttershy shook her head and walked over to the unconscious unicorn. Pinkie sat her rump down and began to sob and wail. "I failed agaaaaaaaaiiiinnn!..." Her tears poured like a broken water pipe.

"Pinkie I need your help. We need to get him back to the cottage." Fluttershy commanded trying to throw the downed pony over her back.

"But, I..." Pinkie tried to begin again but started to sob again with a straightened mane.

"Pinkie I really need your help and... And you could probably have a do over." Fluttershy replied trying to balance Red on her back."

"A do over?..." She momentarily stopped crying allowing her hair to poof into its usual shape. "Why didn't you mention that earlier." She threw Fluttershy and the unconscious unicorn onto her back. She quickly bounced over the path and into the tiny cottage.

Out by the Ponyville entrance.

The Chariot that Celestia and Luna had rode in, was parked and ready for take off. The group of two Princesses and unicorns neared the row of royal guards and prepared to say their goodbyes. "This truly has been an excellent outing. Rarity I trust that this gala will be one of many future gatherings to come. As for now we must leave you both to continue the great work. I am eager to see how Princess Cadence and Shining Armor are handling the kind of days we usually go through." Celestia smiled as she stepped onto the chariot.

"This will be the talk of Equestria just you wait and see your Highness. " Rarity replied. "Thanks to Twilight and everyone's help, this will be one for the record." Rarity clapped her hooves and beamed a delighted smile.

"Your joyous attitude excites us. Maybe I shall aid you with a sky suitable for the event." Luna said as she rubbed her chin in concentration. This made Rarity even more enthusiastic as she envisioned photographers, her friends, and a few celebrity ponies admiring her work and praising her. She stood plastered in her little moment of fantasy.

"Thanks for visiting today Your highnesses. Can't wait to see you when the gala starts." Twilight waved at the sisters as they flew off into the dying light of the day. Luna had begun lowering the moon causing the skies to darken even further. Rarity finally snapped out of her little euphoria to realize that the Princesses had since departed and that it was getting dark.

"Where are the Princesses? They were here just a few moments ago." Rarity questioned getting up and started to walk along side Twilight.

"They left. You were too caught up in whatever you were thinking about that you didn't get to see then off. But onto a more important note... This is going to be the Better Best Night Ever!" Twilight began to cheer as they happily made their way into town.

Back in the Cottage about half an hour later.

Fluttershy carefully applied a roll of bandages around the Red unicorn's head and then plopping it down on the pillow of her sofa. She then placed a cold pack onto his forehead while, Pinkie continued to banter on about a do over party. "I hope we didn't hurt him too bad. From the look of this he's going to be just fine." Fluttershy said aloud.

"Were gonna need streamers, cake more punch bowls." Pinkie sat writing up a list.

"Pinkie pie?.." Fluttershy turned her attention back to the unicorn. Her eyes rested on the little pendant. "Her mind suddenly flashed to when she had become ill and he and Angel took her home. She used her wing to lift the pendant above his head and off his neck. A sudden flash caused her to back away and watch as another form took shape on the sofa. There lay the same creature that had taken care of her when she got sick. "Oh my..."

"Hey who's this?! Where did that Red guy go?" Pinkie suddenly interrupted. "I haven't given him a party. Let's make it a double welcome! We can have cake! Loud music! Hundreds of ponies! Did I forget about the cake?!"

"No..." Moaned the creature while he still lay on his back. I don't... I don't want a party..." He brushed his hand against his forehead feeling the bandages. His vision was fuzzy he took a moment to notice he had his glasses on and was laying in a familiar place. His eyes focused onto the two in the room. His eyes instantly shot wide as he noticed his pendant that still hung from the Pegasi's wing. Their shocked expressions matched the amount of panic that he began feeling as he looked at his hands knowing full blown that the jig was up. "Crap..."

Chapter 22: Day 3 The eve of the Gala

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It was the day before the gala and the girls finally got through the last of what they needed to do for the day. Rarity paced back and forth awaiting her friends to emerge from her makeshift dressing room to admire her work in action. "Are you girls ready yet?" She called hoping the ponies on the other could hear her.

"Hold on will ya, this dress is a lot trickier than trying to catch... Oh wait a minute I think I got it now." Applejack responded through the other room.

"You know you could just come in and check on us." Added Twilight.

"I simply cannot, I rather see my work in all it's glory!..." Rarity stood with all four hooves planted on the ground and her chest puffed out. "But... maybe a little peep won't hurt." She stuck her head into the curtain slowly, then she threw the rest of her body through with extreme giddiness. Her eyes nearly turned into saucers when she saw how well the outfits worked with their color palettes. "They came out better than I expected! They look absolutely ravishing."

"I don't see what would get you so excited about these." Rainbow cut in clearly unimpressed. "These look just like our Canterlot Gala outfits."

"I don't think a pony like you would be able to notice the little changes I've made." Rarity shot back as she pulled Fluttershy to her side. "I apologize Fluttershy but, I need to borrow your body."

"My b-b-b-body for what?" Fluttershy backed away towards the wall. Rarity immediately pulled her back using her magic.

"Oh hush now, I didn't mean it like that. Now take notice. I used your old outfits and gave it a much longer skirt. It provides more hoof room to prance about the dance floor and still look positively gorgeous." Rarity took a moment to breath before turning and levitating a chalkboard from another room. "And if you look at how the removal of the elegant over bearing shoulders, creates a suave flow and compliments your manes. And now if you could loo-" she paused as three light knocks could be heard from the living room.

"Coming!" Pinkie shouted as she sprang straight out of her dress.

"Excuse me? Is Miss Rarity around?" Called a female voice from outside.

"Pinkie, please be a dear and let whoever that is in." Rarity began hanging up Pinkie's outfit for the oncoming event.

"Oh why hello there Pinkie Pie, I've come to see miss Rarity to purchase a gown for the gala." The mayor stood at the entrance as well as a few other mares and stallions stood behind her.

"Looks like I've got some last minute shoppers to attend to. I shall See you tomorrow at dawn." Rarity bided them adieu and tended to her shoppers.

The group shortly made their way out of the building through the lines of ponies that had begun to accumulate around the the little shop. It was already evening and the day had already begun its transformation to dusk.

"That was fun! I can't wait to see how well tomorrow goes! See you girls later I've got a date with two shortcakes." Pinkie happily hopped around the group and then into the preparing town.

"I've gotta go too, I need to help Big Mac haul the baked goods, cider and apples to the mayor's office." Applejack gave a quick look back at her friends before she turned towards the path leading home. "See ya all bright and early tomorrow."

"I've got to go too... I need to bring the birds to the DJ for their last recording session and then prepare them for the opening ceremony. See you tomorrow." Fluttershy began to walk down the same path as Applejack before turning onto another path. She waved until she was out of sight.

That left just Twilight and Rainbow Dash. "Alright Sparkle, what do you think we can do now?" Rainbow looked eager to do anything. "Just as long as I don't have to deal with-" suddenly, the sounds of thunder in the distance and wings pounding caught her attention.

"Rainbow Dash, we need your help with this cloud system!" A light grey Pegasus mare swooped in and landed close by the two friends. "It's a category three and it's coming from the Everfree. It came unexpectedly."

"Okay get the rest of the weather squad I'll go ahead and start on it." Rainbow turned over to Twilight who had a look of concern. "Sorry Twilight I gotta go take care of this I'll be back as soon as I can after this."

"Okay Rainbow Dash I understand." Twilight replied pulling out a scroll from her saddlebag. "I've done everything on my list so, I'm gonna head home now and check on Spike." With that Rainbow nodded her head towards the grey coated Pegasi. Both of the Pegasi took off simultaneously leaving the purple Unicorn to walk home by herself. "Maybe Spike is home now..."

Inside the windmill...

Joe laid on his couch wide awake and staring at the ceiling while Spike stood in front of the bookshelf arranging books and notepads. "Are you gonna lay there all day or are you going to tell me about what happened? What in Tartarus gotten you so shaken up?" Spike asked turning his attention towards the human.

"They know..." He replied not turning his head away from the ceiling. "Two of them... I've already failed to stay hidden."

"Wait who knows? How?" Spike turned away from the bookshelf and took a seat on the armchair.

"The Pink one and the Yellow one. They ambushed me yesterday and tried to shoot me with a cannon... A freaking cannon man." He rubbed the top of his head for a bump that used to reside there.

"I think you had a run in with Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. I know them, they're actually friends of mind and not bad ponies. I think you can trust them." Spike jumped up smiling.

"You don't get it. They know I'm not a pony." Joe quickly responded.

"Ohh..." Was Spikes only response as he sat back down.

"After they knocked me out, I woke up at some little cottage in the woods and-"

The scene shifted back to the cottage.

"Crap... Crap... Crap crap crap crap... I couldn't even do this right..." Joe panicked and jumped off the couch. Still feeling dizzy, he scooted himself back until he felt a wall behind him.

"Hey why don't you want a party?" Pinkie bounced over and looked him in the eye. "I throw the best parties here in Ponyville. Right Fluttershy?" There was no answer. "Fluttershy?" She noticed the pink tail sticking out from under the couch and went over to it. "C'mon Fluttershy you should at least say hi. You're gonna look bad in front of the new-" she quickly went up to their guest. "What are you?"

"Uhh?..." Joe responded with a confused expression.

"The new Uhh... So at least come on and say hi or something." Pinkie excitedly pulled Fluttershy out by the tail.

"H-H-HH-Hi..." Fluttershy stuttered out barely audible words before retreating behind Pinkie.

"So you don't even want a single party? I've never met anypony that didn't want to party... Well except for Cranky but that's cause he was very cranky. But then there was that one time..." Pinkie began talking to herself and forgetting all about what was in front of her. Seeing that she was distracted Joe saw his opportunity to snag his pendant that the Pegasus had dropped. His red aura wrapped around the little thing and slid on over into his palm. "-Which brings me back to the topic at hand why don't you want to have a welcome to Ponyville party?" Her attention returned back to her target. He did not answer yet again. "C'mon you can tell me."

Joe sighed as the mare got closer. "I just don't want one... I don't really want anyone to know I'm here." He answered with a confused expression. "Where am I?" He thought as he looked around and quickly noticed he was here before. "This is her place." Even the rabbit was there watching from the window sill. He turned his attention back to Pinkie.

"Not even a house party?" Pinkie held her head low. "How about a small picnic or something?" She looked very close to crying.

"I just can't have anybody know what I am. I'm really sorry." Joe honestly replied clutching the pendant hard.

"But can't you just wear that little pendant thingy to look like a Unicorn? That way everypony would just think you were a pony too." Pinkie pointed at the hand with the pendant in it.

"I just don't think I can. I just can't have one." Joe tried to stand up but smacked his head on one of the empty birdhouses. "Ouch." He patted the bandages and pulled them off. There was a small amount of dried blood from earlier. "Hey, how long was I out?"

"About twenty minutes." Fluttershy quietly hid behind the sofa.

He smelled his jacket and noticed how sticky he was. "I really need to get home. It's getting late."

Suddenly, Pinkie's eyes lit up signaling that she had just gotten an idea. "Well since you don't want a party now, why don't you at least come to the Gala tomorrow? There's gonna some tasty food and dancing and the Princesses are going to be there. Besides you can wear a cool suit and all sorta of things."

"But I don't-" he was interrupted.

"No! No No! You're going. You're not leaving until you Pinkie promise that we'll see you there." She had an excitable grin on her face.

"Pinkie promise?" He sighed holding his pinkie out like he was ready to do a regular pinkie promise. "I don't think you have enough digits to do it."

"No not like that you silly willy, like this." She did the motions and recited the words. "Cross My Heart, Hope to Fly, Stick a Cupcake in my Eye! Now you do it."

Joe began to make the motions as Pinkie did them as well. "Cross My Heart, Hope to Fly, Stick a Cupcake in my Ey-oww" at the last part he literally poked his eye. Just as they finished, the sounds of wings flapping and knocking at the front door broke the mood.

"Hey Fluttershy? Did Pinkie give you the stuff? Fluttershy?" Came the voice of the Rainbow one.

"Oh crap. I've gotta go now! That's one of the ones that's been following me around."

Pinkie showed the zipped lips motion as she pointed for them to go into the kitchen. "I'll keep her distracted, Fluttershy you show him the back door." She went to the front door and answered it. "Oh high there Rainbow Dash."

"Oh there you are. So, did ya give Fluttershy the stuff like I asked ya? And where is she ? Is she home?"Rainbow dash tried to force the door open but, Pinkie's hooves kept the door from opening. "Well are you gonna let me in?"

"Well you see Fluttershy is actually in the bathroom right now." Pinkie shot back as sweat beaded on her forehead. Behind her Fluttershy helped Joe to the back door leading him outside. He threw the pendant on causing the bright flash to make its way into the house.

"What was that?! Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash let go of the door letting Pinkie close it. She popped in through the window to find Fluttershy walking out of another room with the sound of a flush behind her.

"Oh hi there Rainbow Dash." Fluttershy put on an innocent look as her friend looked her over.

"What was that just now? I saw a bright light?" Rainbow seemed troubled.

"A bright light?... I didn't see anything." Fluttershy replied feeling rather uneasy.

"I coulda sworn I saw something... Nevermind, did you get those weird boot things? Rainbow quickly changed the subject. Outside, Joe had gotten some distance from the cottage and sighed with his head low to the ground.

Back in the Windmill.

"Either way I'm screwed..." The human finished placing his arm over his head.

"Stop being such a drama queen. You can trust them." Spike replied throwing himself back onto the armchair. His eyes floated back towards the books on his shelf. "You've got some books that we don't even have at the Library yet. The Princesses must really see a lot of potential to give you the latest stuff." He quickly changed the subject. "Tomorrow is the Gala, you really should go."

"Like I have a choice... The pink one made me promise." Joe replied rather sadly.

"I've gotta go, it looks like Twilight's gonna be home soon and we've gotta rest up for tomorrow. I'll bring a few more books over for you after the Gala so see ya there." Spike picked up a few scrolls and put them into his bag and headed towards the door.

"Take care." The human let out before sighing and watching the door shut. The room was quiet except for the lulling sound of the windmill. He attempted to fight the urge to sleep by sitting up. With a few blinks he closed his eyes. When he opened it again he was in the white void. "Oh great this again."

The sound of a party favor being blown snapped him out of his sleepy daze. He turned his head to see the scarlet suited man sitting in the armchair spike was just on. "Congratulations you've once again exposed yourself to ponykind."

"C'mon man I'm not in the the mood." Joe replied turning his gaze away.

"What are you talking about? This is great, you know that! You're the great Canterlot Monster, the very same one that infiltrated the Royal Castle and had performed a curse on everypony's great leader... Says the post in the papers." A large newspaper appeared behind him. The newspaper lined up just enough so that it looked like just having him sitting on the couch was the main headline. The human refused to change his expression. "Fine... Onto something serious then." Giving up, he slumped himself back in defeat. "I've come to give you a warning." Joe turned his head to listen. "There is something coming your way and there's no way you can stop it."

"Stop what?" The now curious human thought aloud.

"There is an event coming. An event that will try to change everything. This event could very well endanger your well being and the lives of others." The old man softly spoke.

"What the heck are you talking about?" Joe tried to stand up but found it quite difficult to do so. "Why do I feel so heavy?"

"I thought it would've been better for you to remain seated. I can't tell you when and what this event is nor when it would be. Take my words to heart when I say this. You're never going to be safe... Not for a long time." The old man's face gained a more impeding tone. "Not all of the ponies in this world are good, not at all. Some will try to many ways to ensure whatever they want happens... Unless you side with me."

"So that is what this is about..." Joe began struggling to make himself move. His hands were the first to be free followed by the rest of his body. "I'm going out." He stood up and put the pendant on. Once transformed, he shook his head and walked into the space.

"Going out to where exactly?" The old man placed a kazoo in his mouth and tooted out a tune. "I guess I'll speak to you later then." He continued his time watching the now unicorn walk out. His hoof reached out until he pushed against something large. "Well lookie there. He found his own way out of here." He walked through the doorway and shut it.

Outside.

Red walked slowly away from the windmill without any thoughts on what to do. He began to walk aimlessly into the streets. Spike had gone home, he had already practiced magic at the field, the windmill was cleaned, already got groceries in the kitchen and thankfully no one was following him at least to his knowledge. He walked quietly along the grounds for the gala.

While on the way to the library

Twilight walked in silence as well, going over a scroll. "Tomorrow is gonna be so fun... But... Why do I feel like it isn't?" She stopped and stared along the path feeling unease towards what's in store for them tomorrow. She approached the Library but, did not enter. Sure enough Spike was home, the lights were on and the aroma of something cooking was in the air. "I just need a walk, clear my mind a bit how about a little bit of star gazing. Let me just..." Her horn lit up and one of her telescopes floated down and gently tucked itself into the saddle bag. "Spike wouldn't mind if I just left this here." She pulled out a piece of paper wrote a quick message and slid it under the door. She sighed and began to walk her way through the town.

Everyone trotted through town adding last minute decorations and getting whatever they needed for tomorrow ready. The ponies faces were filled with glee and nothing was going to ruin the gala. She confidently made her way through the town unhindered by the still awake town.

Along the gala area.

Red continued to walk around and examined the rest of the area. "Bluish, purplish, dark bluish, bluish again." He continued to repeat the patterns of the color scheme until he came up to a board that listed the events. "The Pink one made this didn't she." He looked at the little picture of ponies heads lined up with a few of the events including Rarity, Applejack, the Pink one, the Yellow one, and the Rainbow one. There were even little heads for the Princesses since they were attending. "This has to be one hell of an event to put so much effort in." He whispered to himself.

"Yeah we did!" Shouted a voice right beside him.

"Ahh! What the heck?!" The sudden shout caused him to jump at least a story high. His hooves latched onto a street light above the board.

"Hi!" Pinkie sat right below him watching the rest of him dangle.

"It's you! What was that for?" Red hopped down and landed right beside her. "Your name was... Pinkie right?"

"Yeppers that's me." She quaintly replied. "I was just heading home from the store. I just needed to get a few more ingredients from the store since we ran out of frosting. But why are you here? Does this mean you're going?"

"Yeah... I guess it does. I made a promise and the Princesses." Red hesitantly replied. "I just hope everything goes according to plan."

"Alrighty then. I've gotta get this baby formula right back to Sugar Cube Corner. See ya tomorrow!" She beamed a smile as she galloped away.

"I'm so dead." Red sighed as he got up and walked away too. This time, out to the park.

Along the gala area.

On the path to Sugar Cube corner.

"Yes! Everything is going according to plan!" Pinkie's inner voice shouted. She bounced with a bag of groceries on her back. Several ponies were turning their lights on for the evening. She approached the door to sugar cube corner and opened it. Inside was a cart prepared with a banner and a few party supplies. "All that's missing is the cake." She threw herself into the kitchen and began her work.

Outside (briefly passing Sugar cube corner)

Twilight continued her walk briefly humming a song to herself. Her mind was full of thoughts on what events she and everypony else were going to do once the gala started. She continued to walk without focusing in the path ahead of her. Soon enough, she was already walking into the park until she was stopped by somebody she was unlikely to meet there. She froze as something wet brushed against the side of her fore hoof. She slowly turned her eyes to her side to see a brown furred farm dog sniffing at her hoof. "Winona? Why are you out here so late? Applejack is probably looking for you." She gently petted the farm dog with the same hoof she had been sniffing earlier. "Hmm... Do you wanna watch the stars with me tonight?" Winona happily barked and wagged her tail happily. The two of them walked a short while until they had reached the top of a small hill. It took only a few seconds for her to set the telescope up and take a look through. "I'm all set... And the stars should be all out pretty soon." She stared up at the darkening sky as Winona curled up next to her.

Inside the darkness of the forest.

Two creatures could be seen wandering through the thick brush. Their bodies as well as their blue eyes shined in the thinned light of the evening. They smiled as they entered a small secluded area. A small green ember erupted from one of their horns creating a small ring of fire exposing what looked to be a pony hidden by a grey hood.

"This is the last place we tracked him to." One of them hissed.

"Good... Once you've successfully locate the human, capture it and bring it to the meeting spot. That is your top priority." The pony stared at them with an angry expression. "Raff, Riff... Do not fail me. If you do the general will be quite disappointed so, if you wish to return to the hive I recommend you to not fail. Do I make myself clear?" The two nodded in unison. The flames slowly died out as the Two Changelings faded into the dark of the evening.

Back in town.

Red marched his way towards the one area of the town that was probably the least busy. Looking up at the sky he noticed the stars emerging from the darkness and decorating the sky.

He didn't travel too far into the park, only far enough until he found himself a comfortable spot to sit, think and examine the night sky. "At least they look the same... A little more clearer on this end but the same." The moon slowly rose from behind the mountain containing Canterlot creating a wonderful silhouette. "That's cool... This reminds me of when me and everyone were back home at the beach." An image of the past popped into his mind. "We were sitting at the beach waiting for the New Years fireworks. The moon was right behind the island's old watch tower. The fireworks shot up right behind it. The view was just spectacular... But, after that fireworks were banned on island after the Governor's favorite car got all burnt up." The memory soon faded as he pulled a small book out. "Maybe I can." His horn lit up as he held the spell book in front of himself. He grunted after a small stream of multi colored lights erupted from his horn giving a small display. "That'll do for now." The lights spread out and began exploding I to smaller shinier lights. He sat back and enjoyed the lights as the entire spot was lit up.

On the other side of the park.

Twilight silently observed the constellations and mentally noted which ones were out. "Taurus, Orion Ursa..." Her voice became lower and barely audible as she listed them out to herself. The evening was nice a calm until her vision was abruptly obscured by sparks of light. "What?" She took her eye off the scope and looked for the source. Far off in the distance was a bright warm light. She focused the lens a little bit better until the clear silhouette of somepony sitting in front of the display. "What is that?" The silhouetted pony continued his little display until the last sparkle fell. She continued to watch him even though a few minutes had passed. He just laid there and put his head under his hooves. "Him again what's he doing here." She watched him leave the area with his head low to the ground. She dismissed his departure and continued her stargazing. She cleared her throat and returned to naming each constellation. After a while she looked at the spot once again and noticed that the red pony left something there. She quickly packed away her telescope and made her way over to investigate. Once there's she found a black book but some of the writing made no sense. Other than that, the rest of it was mostly spells and notes. "This must belong to him. I wonder what kind of language is that? Time for some research" A certain Princess of the night watched from above.

The next day.

The sun eagerly sat above everything without a single cloud in sight. The ponies in town were happily laughing and talking as they set all their little stands, tables and decorations. A group of five ponies approached the library. "I can't wait to see Twilight and and Spike in their outfits. Yet I wonder why we haven't seen them yet..."

"Maybe they're getting ready still?..." Fluttershy whispered at the back.

"Or maybe while getting ready Twilight got the dress dirty and they went home to clean it up." Said Pinkie pie as she took a breath from hopping around in her dress." At the very idea Rarity gasped loudly and ran towards the library.

"Twilight! Twilight are you in there?! Twilight! The material needs to be run under lukewarm water post haste!" She banged on the door loudly and rapidly. She didn't even stop to notice that Spike had opened the door and that she was pounding away at his face. "Somebody get this door open!... Oh! Spike..." She stopped when she noticed her hoof go through where the door was and that Spike had moved back enough not to get pummeled.

"Hi there Rarity." He calmly replied as She levitated him up and dusted him off.

"Well don't you look rather dashing in that suit. Sorry to barge in like this but has anything happened to Twilight and her outfit? "

"Nope, nothing bad... Except that she's... Well... You should see for yourself." He opened the door to expose twilight standing at the living room writing on a chalkboard. Rarity walked in with the others.

"Twilight? Why aren't you ready? The Gala is going to start." Rarity scolded.

"I know I'm almost done here I just got through reading through right different languages and I think I've found one that's close to this one." She had a enlarged image of some of the words. On the board. The journal lay on the little table with a large magnifying glass. "They look very close to how the symbols on that bag had." She threw herself into the closet as she searched for it. "Spike where is the bag with those unidentified devices at?"

"They uhh... They should be in there." Spike gulped as he made his way out the door. "I've got to go check on something I'll see you all at the Gala. Bye!" He quickly made his way away from the Library.

"Ohh... Come on where is it?" Twilight groaned from within the closet. Suddenly she was levitated out with Rarity's magic.

"Twilight as your bestest friends and fellow Elements of Harmony it is our job to ensure that chain of friendship remains beautiful. We can't let our friend be eaten away by curiosity and overthinking. Besides I do believe it's almost time for the Princesses to arrive." Rarity explained as Twilight levitated before her upside down.

"Yeah Twilight! You've been like this for the longest time and we're worried about you." Explained Pinkie. Everypony agreed in unison.

"But!..." Twilight tried to say something before Rarity Whisked her away towards her room by levitation.

"This is for your own good." Rarity explained as she and Twilight made their way upstairs. Everypony watched as they disappeared up the stairs. Twilight voiced her disapproval but at the same time the sounds of a tub filling could be heard, then finally the sound of a very loud splash.

Meanwhile At the windmill...

"Spike hammered his little claws on the shield that surrounded the place. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon open up already. Suddenly the shield gave way and was despelled. He quickly made his way through one of the open windows and found the living room empty. "Joe! Where are you? Hey Joe?" He paused for a moment to notice the state of disarray the living room was in. "Geeez what happened up here?" He continued to search the entire upper floors only to find that nobody was in there. But as he came down the stairs he noticed an extension cord. "That's odd..." He began to follow the lengths of extension cords that ran from the top of the stairs down into the basement. Inside was a very dim flickery light and a light hum of some kind. "Hello?" He said aloud as he continued down the steps. As he came even lower he found exactly who he had been looking for but asleep hunched over the old chest. On the side of the chest was the end of some little black box with a tiny green light glowing on it. He gently tried to nudge him awake but hesitantly. The human's head slowly rose as he yawned. "There you are for a second I thought something happened up there. Now listen I think Twilight's gotten a hold of one of your notebooks."

"I did it... I stayed up most of the night but I fit it! I finally managed to get it to charge! It's slow but strong enough to charge them." He opened the chest to show the charging indicator and the sound of the laptop fan both in working order. "Once this is done I could charge up the rest of the stuff and finally be able to use them again." He lifted the screen up I see a bright light start up but quickly die out. "Looks like it'll need a lot more time to charge." He closed the lid and stood up. "Now what was all the noise upstairs about?"

"It's Twilight! I think she found one of your books! She came home last night with it." Spike brushed off his coat to keep it clean.

"Book? Last night?" He grabbed at his back pocket to check for something. "Crap... My book of favorite spells... I dropped it when I was hanging out at the park..." He shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "I guess it's ok for now I wrote those out in English and it's not too important. For a second there I thought she had found one of that Starswirl guy's own."

"I guess that's fine then... I'll grab it from her when she isn't looming over it." Spike sat down on the steps. "Today is the Gala, are you gonna join?"

Suddenly the image of Pinkie Pie popped into his mind making him cringe. "Yeah... I have to I made a promise with somebody and the Princesses are coming." He walked towards the stairs allowing Spike to walk up them first. "What's with the suit?"

"My friend Rarity made it for me. She makes almost all the latest fashions of clothing around here." Spike gave his jacket another brush. "Maybe Rarity could hook you up with one."

Joe made his way to a window and looked out. "Would ya look at that..." Several ponies were in fact in various sophisticated looking outfits. "But aren't they all usually just walking around in the buff?"

"Sorta, sometimes they wear em to events or to look like something I guess." Spike explained.

"I don't get it... Sorta..." Joe gave a look at his jacket and shrugged. "This is good enough." He got up and looked towards the kitchen. I think I'm gonna grab a bite to eat. Want an apple?"

"No thanks I'm waiting for the banquet. Spike picked up the few books that were placed in certain spots around the room.

"Suit yourself." He reached into that bushel that he had gotten a few days ago. Only one apple remained. He sighed as his stomach growled. "Looks like I gotta grab some groceries later. I guess I better make use of today." He sighed and turned to where the living room was."hey what time is the Banquet?"

"It starts at lunch." Spike's voice radiated from the living room.

"Yeah I think I'm going..." Joe walked back into the living room to find it completely cleaned up. "Dude, that's creepy. You clean way faster than I do." He walked over to Spike who had his head buried in one of his books.

"You have some really bad penmanship. I think I know why Twilight was having a hard time decoding your sticky notes. Aren't you using your magic to write?"

"Nope. That spell is a bit too 's what happens when you constantly switch between a quill and then a pencil." He began walking up the stairs and took off his jacket. "I need to go wash up before I head out so I guess I'll meet you there. Thanks for cleaning the place up though I'll be sure to grab you something cool after this whole Gala thingy is done with."

"Alright see you there!" Spike happily agreed as he made his way out the door and back towards the library.

Back in the library.

Everypony sat downstairs awaiting the two Unicorns that had disappeared upstairs. Finally Rarity made her way down with her head hung low. "I've done all I can..." She then set herself down on one of Twilight's library seats. "And voila... " she perked her head upwards with a smile as Twilight made her way down wearing her dress and her hair and face similar to Rarity's. Everyone gasped as they poked between the two.

"Thanks Rarity but I think you went a bit too hard on the make up... And the hair." Twilight exclaimed as she tried not to stumble.

"Nonsense, you look wonderful." Rarity got up and trotted on over to the rest of the group.

"I look like you..." She pouted before turning and going to her chalkboard.

"No, no,no none of that now. Were going to party hardy today." Pinkie pulled on her tail to the rest of them and then through the door. The rest of the crew followed them through the door and out into the finely dressed street. Twilight's eyes squinted while the rest of the girls enthusiastically began to chatter away with each other and lead each other down the path to the center of the gala.

Out in the Everfree

Zecora prepared herself infront of a brass mirror. She turned and ventured out of her home. Outside was odd, the trees were still and it was quiet. She continued on her way through the forest.

Along the path she noticed that the usual wildlife had completely vanished, but she could feel the eyes that gazed upon her. Suddenly...

A/N:Kinda been hella busy

Chapter 23: Wanna Dance? Part 1

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Chapter 23: Wanna Dance? Part 1

The town was alive with celebratory sounds and music as the Gala commenced. Ponies all along the street were either dancing or mingling amongst one another. Twilight and the others walked along the elegantly decorated streets and smiled as the sights of ponies enjoying themselves was present all around them. "Wow Rarity, today really looks it's going to be really great. But, what time exactly did the Princesses say they would be arriving?" Twilight asked taking a sip of a small glass she had suspended in the air by her head.

"About that... The Princesses sent notice that they will be a little late due to a little bit of royal business that will need to be attended to right away. The same goes for Shining Armor and Princess Cadence." Rarity explained sighing deeply. "But the letter did say that they are going to attend as soon as they're available."

Twilight nodded her head. "That's alright. I'm happy just spending the day together with you all. And that makes me happier than anything."

Everyone nodded happily as they got up from their seats. "Alrighty! Let's get our party on everypony!" Pinkie cheered loudly her way into a bunch of ponies who began to cheer as well.

"Pinkie wait this isn't really one of those parties... Well not yet at least." Applejack followed in pursuit to capture her. "I'll be right back y'all." She quickly vanished into the crowd and was gone.

"Well what can we do now?" Fluttershy asked before turning to the rest of her friends.

"We've got a a few events scheduled for later but right now it's only lunch nothing won't start till around one. But there are a few minor events that Pinkie help set up we can go to." Rarity explained offering up something to do.

"I guess we can. What's first?" Twilight smiled.

Somewhere by the borders of Equestria

Shining and a few other soldiers walked through the streets of a small village. A white Pegasus soldier quickly descended by the crowd of them. "Any new developments? From the North?" Shining questioned as the soldier saluted them.

"As of now, nothing sir the homes to the North are all deserted as well. All their belongings and homes seemed to have never been bothered. The stores proved to give us only one good lead. The last time there were any activity was no more than two days ago midday." The Pegasus produced a receipt for a few vegetables that displayed the date and time stamp. "Here is the proof sir."

"This makes no sense... How could an entire village disappear without a trace this fast? This village is far too big to have been captured. Not to mention there aren't any signs of struggle . Could they have migrated? No, they would've informed the Princess. Plus they would've taken their belongings... We're gonna need to inform the Princess." Shining muttered to himself then turned towards the rest of them. "Has there been any updates of the south?"

"We should be expecting them anytime now. Dip out you have any clue sir?" One of them asked.

"I'm not too sure but-" Shining was quickly interrupted. A single Earth pony quickly made his way over.

"Sir we found a civilian. Down in the southern half of the village." He exclaimed as he saluted.

"Are you sure?! How many?" Shining approached him. "Where is he?"

"Only one sir and its a she. She refuses to leave her home." He pointed himself in the direction he came.

"Was she exhibiting any cases of injury, starvation or illness?" Shining questioned expecting a rather grim display. He shook his head as they all followed the Earth pony.

"Not exactly sir. I think it's better if you see her for yourself." The pony finished as he sped up his pace. The amount of homes and buildings around them seemed to shrink as they were replaced by hills and massive boulders. The entire group minus the Earth pony who had led them there. "This is her home sir." The house's appearance was like the ones in the village except this one was gray and looked as if it were chiseled out of a large boulder. The outside was decorated with piles of rocks that had been separated and categorized by color and shape. In the front of the house were two burly Earth ponies that were members of the Royal Guard trying to open the door by force . The group approached the house and were immediately intimidated by how big the door was compared to their bodies. Like the house, it was also made out of stone. "When she answered the door, she looked completely fine and healthy. She looked to be by herself but... I can feel an ominous presence emanating off of her..." The Earth pony backed up behind the rest of the other soldiers.

Shining Armor took a deep breath as he approached the door and tapped at it. "Excuse me, I am Shining Armor the Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard. We wish to speak with you. Do you think you can come in and ask you some questions?" He was met with the sounds of hooves gently yet slowly clop towards the door. The door slowly yet gradually opened wide enough to let them in. As it opened a people maned Earth pony with a gray coat of fur pushed the door to the side with one hoof. She was wearing a very plain grey dress that went well with her coat. Several of the Earth ponies that had just arrived, jaws nearly hit the dirt seeing how easily

"May I help you?" The owner of the house answered in a deadpanned tone. The tone of her voice was gray and apathetic sending shivers down all their spines. "I'm busy studying."

Shining shook his head side to side and turned his attention to the mare in front of him. "Uh, yes... If it's alright with you, we would like to come inside and ask you questions about the last two days."

She remained silent for a few seconds before she sighed and answered by nodding her head. "Just be sure not to disturb any of the art pieces." She walked back inside and lead them inside. Shining along with a few guards followed her while most of the Earth pony guards stayed behind looking at the door contemplating how she opened it. The mare led them through stacks and mounds of rocks until they reached a single black couch and a coffee table. "Please sit." She made her way to a desk and looked through a microscope at a rather small rock. "is it okay if I work while you ask questions?"

Shining looked towards the other guards who had taken seats by him and they shrugged. "I suppose that would be alright. Could we have your name please?"

"It's Maud. I'm moved out here a couple of years ago to study Geology. " She replied.

One of the Unicorn guards levitated a school and quill and used his magic to write a report. "Ahem... We would like to know what exactly happened here."

"What happened to what? I've been here studying this pile of silt trying to determine what type of rock they came from. Has something happened?" She replied in the same deadpanned tone.

"You don't know?... The entire town is GONE? You're the only pony here. Are you telling me that you've been here the entire time?" Shining replied dumbfounded by her blunt response.

"Yes. Well nobody comes over unless they're selling something." She answered as she took down notes of her own. "Lime stone..."

"Has there been any activity that you've noticed in the last two days?" Shining asked once before he started rubbing his forehead in confusion.

"Well... There was this one weird pony with a shiny black coat of fur, bug wings and fangs. I answered the door but he quickly backed away and hissed. He left and I returned to studying. He looked like a big black bug."

"Then it was them... Thank you,that's all the information that we will be needing. We shall prepare a carriage to bring you to safety." Shining's tone turned rather serious quickly and got up. "Let's go men we've got to get to Canterlot-"

"No, I think I'll be just fine here. I need to finish these studies." Maud refused shocking the whole lot of them.

"But mam we can't risk them coming back to try to get you." One of the guards said in reply. It was the Unicorn who had taken notes that answered her back. Maud turned around and looked towards him causing the guard to hide behind the scroll.

"Are you sure Maud?" Shining asked once more looking concerned.

"Yes. I'm busy studying for an exam I need to take. It's very crucial that I finish every bit of work I have here so I can go back home."

"I understand... Let's go." Shining turned away from her fearless gaze looking rather intimidated. The rest of the ponies followed him as he made his way through the pile of rocks. The Earth ponies still by the stone door trying their best to close it. They immediately stopped and followed Shining and the others out. Maud watched them all leave as she closed the door with her hoof.

Back in town

Pinkie and Applejack walked back along the path to where the others were. "We should go see the ballon carts or the crepes those look fancy and yummy!" Pinkie proclaimed loud enough to disturb the ponies walking by them. Enough to cause then to jump out of the way.

"I don't think we should be so hasty yet, we still need to find the others." Applejack replied scanning through the different groups all around them. "If ya hadn't ran off like you did we'd probably have solved that question earlier."

"Yeah I guess but this is just SO EXCITING! Twilight is out of her house, the town is alive, and the plan is going all according to plan!." Pinkie grinned as They turned onto the main part of the street.

"Yeah I guess so, but once we find em we're sticking together till the days over got it?" Applejack explained as they came to a stop.

Suddenly, Pinkie began to furiously vibrate through he tail to her mane. "Ohhhhhhh.... I wonder what that means..." Pinkie struggled to keep herself from vibrating as the two crossed the street and finally met up with the others waiting on the other side.

"Hey what took you guys? We've decided on the art expo." Twilight proclaimed taking a brief break from the walk. But, from down the main path they could here a commotion quickly making its way towards them at a high speed. A red and brown blur shot right by the six of them heading in the direction of the hospital.

"What was that?" Rarity shouted as everyone braced themselves from the tailwind the blur caused. The ponies around them continued to bicker about The blur and what it did to their manes. The entire group looked at each other with concern and confusion as Rainbow Dash suddenly, took off flying and nearly leaving her outfit behind.

"Rainbow? What in tarnation are you doing?!" Applejack shouted attracting her attention.

"I'm gonna see whatever that thing was. I'll be right back!" Rainbow shouted back shakily flying in the same direction as the blur.

"Dang it Rainbow... We're supposed to stay together today...." Applejack's expression turned into a displeased frown. "The nerve of that one..." She whispered to herself. She sighed and turned to the rest of them. "Well... Should we follow her?" The group nodded altogether and began to follow in pursuit... Except Rarity.

"These outfits aren't meant for strenuous activity! So slow down!" She followed but carefully so that her hooves did not slip out of her hoof slippers.

Earlier...

Red walked through the town of well dressed ponies. All the while looking at his bare unclothed self. "I don't think those really make a difference without pants..." He smiled knowing that he was fully clothed underneath the enchantment that provided his pony form. He sighed to himself as the thought of having to face the pink pony again bored into the back of his head. He continued down to the diner only to find out that it was closed and the streets were full of ponies bantering about outfits and the appetizing pastries further down the street. Suddenly, his stomach reminded him of not having breakfast. He quickly made his way over to the table and out popped three little troublemakers.

"Mr. Red it's you!" A certain orange filly rocketed out from the little trio to face him. "We knew you'd be coming out today I just knew it." She was uncomfortably close to him that he backed away.

"Yeah... I'm just out to grab a bite and see what everybody is doing. After I'm done I'm just gonna head home to do a bit of research, maybe see the Princesses if I can. Nothing special."

"Grab a bite huh? Well you're just in luck. My Sister and Big Mac are tied up at the moment so it's just us and Granny out here watching the food for later." Apple Bloom pointed towards towards the old mare dressed in a very old looking gown. The kind that you'd see in movies that take place during dark ages. She snored rather loudly as she slept. "The food her is for later but if you wanted we could get ya some." She ducked under the table and popped back up on the other side. She picked up one of the food coverings to unleash the baked goods aroma that the red unicorn quickly picked up on. The look on his face looked like he really wanted it.

"I wouldn't want to get you three in trouble though..." Red shook the scent trails away and looked at the empty tables. "I think I can wait till then."

"Are ya sure? That didn't stop Sweetie Belle..." Apple Bloom replied before Sweetie Belle gave her a swift kick.

"Yeah C'mon Mr. Red they're yummy!" Sweetie Belle straightened herself out and trotted herself up towards him too.

"No it's okay... I'll just try to find a place that's still open." Red replied turning the offer down. "So, I'll see you girls later." As he turned to leave Granny Smith tapped on Apple Bloom's back.

"Mr. Red catch!" Suddenly, she threw a small paper bag that Red quickly levitated in front of himself. "Granny Smith say's it's okay.

"Don't worry sonny boy I can see how hungry ya are. It won't matter none if they're just missing a few." Said Granny as she looked up from her seat.

"Thanks Granny, I owe ya one!" Red finished before turning away.

"Since you put it that way..." She began to lightly giggle. "Ya can marry my oldest Grand daughter!"

"What?!" Red immediately shouted. "I don't think I'm ready for that kind of thing yet!" He quickly took off with a worried look on his face. Granny continued to giggle and laugh.

"You don't really mean that do you Granny?" Apple Bloom asked looking worried and confused.

"Of course not Apple Bloom. It be a cold snowfall in Tartarus if I let any of you go just like that." Granny Smith sighed as she slumped back into her chair. "You gals are gonna take a while as well so don't be rushing to grow up either."

Back with Red

"Geez old lady!" He said to himself as he levitated the bag of goodies over to his side. "I know she was joking but still, that was awkward..." He levitated a pastry out and took bite out of it. "Hey this is good though." He continued to chew as he looked for a place to sit and eat. The crowds of ponies showed no signs of letting up. "Screw this..." He began to head out through the entrance of Ponyville and towards the wilderness. "Oh man! I can't wait till they actually open up the banquet. He looked around to make sure nobody was around and slipped off the pendant. He quickly turned into his true form and continued to eat pastries. Using his magic he pulled out his journal and a quill. "It's been a good while since I last updated this... " the book opened up and flipped itself through blank pages until he finally got to one with words. "Okay, let's see..." The quill and book floated into a writing position. He pulled out the last of the pastries and finished them off.

"Today is the day of the Gala thing. I think if I am going to participate, I should just come around when the Princesses come around.... And if that Pink one comes around I might be doomed... I hope she doesn't do what I think she might..."

A sudden sound caused him to drop the book and get up from where he was sitting. "What the hell was that?" He placed the pendant on and slowly came out of the little hiding spot expecting to see Pinkie Pie ready to pounce him. Instead a few meters in front of him was... A zebra? A Zebra in a dress in the middle of a forest? "What's next a drag-... Oh wait..."

The zebra groaned as she completely dropped onto the dirty road. He galloped towards her and tried to wake her. "Hey are you alright?" She did not respond. "Why does this keep happening to me?..." He levitated the zebra onto his back and dashed off into town at a high speed. He sped through the crowded streets being careful to not drop her.

The hospital doors opened as he stepped inside. "Is anybody here?! I need help! Someone's been hurt!" It took a few seconds before some body actually came out. A nurse quickly came rushing in with a stretcher.

"Please help get her up here! Miss Zecora is that you? How did this happen?" The nurse questioned checking over the downed zebra.

"I don't know. I found her outside by the town entrance. She was crawling her way into town." Red answered worriedly as they wheeled the zebra through the halls. "Doctor! Doctor! We've got one injured zebra. She has several lacerations to her front hooves and several burns along her side." Suddenly a stallion wearing a top hat emerged from one of the rooms. He threw off the top hat and rushed over to check.

"Bring her into the prep room these wounds need to be cleaned up." He suddenly paused and looked over some of the other injuries. "We need to bring her into X-Ray her shoulder looks like it may have been broken and it's beginning to swell." He pointed to her left shoulder and continued on his way another nurse came out and took the place of the others.

"Sir you can't go any further. Now I need you to calm down and tell me what exactly happened." The nurse brought out a pen and notepad. Red gave her a shocked look. "What is it sir?"

"Nnnothing..." He immediately brushed off the thought and returned to explaining to her.

After five minutes...

"Thank you very much the authorities will be coming shortly. They're going to have to ask you a few questions and then you can head back to the party. The nurse handed the letter to a small unicorn colt who then teleported it away. "The doctor said she's quite a lucky mare for you to have found her out there. Who knows how long it would have been until somepony actually found her with the Gala going on." As she finished the light above the prep room shut off signaling that the treatment was over. "Oh speak of the devil looks like he's done. I need to go check on them and we'll inform you on her condition. Please wait in the Waiting room." She quickly left and entered the emergency room.

Red sighed and wandered into the halls. "I can't believe they have actual pens here. I've been using hose quills for so long... I've really gotta remind myself to ask her where she gets them."

As he left for another area, Rainbow Dash entered through the main entrance causing the few of the ponies that were actually there to stare at her. Rainbow scanned the faces in the room for a nurse. She galloped towards nurse Redheart as she filed away a few papers. "Excuse me. Has anypony come here in a rush?"

"I don't think I have the authority to release that information unless you are an immediate acquaintance of the pony you are visiting." Redheart explained. Tucking a few more folders away.

"Aww cmon. I know they came in here in a rush. I just wanna know who they were. So I'm just gonna do a quick run through." Rainbow said before she jumped up and hovered a bit higher than Nurse Redheart' counter.

"Oh no you don't." She jumped up and bit down on apart of Rainbow's dress to pull her down. "Am I going to have to call security?" She put herself in front of the Pegasus keeping her from going any further.

"Rainbow Dash? Where'd you go? Girls she's right here." Twilight said from the door before she and the rest of them let themselves in."Rainbow Dash what are you doing?"

"They won't let me in to check who that was." Rainbow replied before her and Redheart stopped and turned towards the group.

"You were going to just fly in unannounced. That's breaking the rules." Redheart shot back. The two of them began arguing once again.

Twilight rolled her eyes and sighed. "Rainbow just tell her who you think might have been the one that was brought in."

"I thought I saw that Red guy carrying Zecora in. Was it them?" Rainbow answered through her gritted teeth. Redheart immediately stopped and looked through the listing on the counter.

"And that was all you needed to say. It appears Zecora is listed here." Redheart announced making them all gasp in shock.

"WHAT WHY? Applejack responded with heavy concern.

"The nurse and doctors that had checked on her said that she had bruises and minor lacerations on her body. They also had to forcefully remove her dress that had been heavily damaged already in order to get work done on her." She read the report aloud causing Rarity to dramatically land on a very plush pillow.

"Rarity get off of there. You don't want to get sick do you? Are we able to see her?" Twilight asked as Fluttershy helped Rarity up.

"Unfortunately no... She actually hasn't woken up yet and the doctor request she be left alone for the moment. The doctor currently has her in the ICR until she does"

"What happened to her?" Twilight asked prompting Redheart to check the rest of the report.

"It doesn't say other than that she was brought in by a stallion." She concluded by putting the file away and walking out from behind her counter. "It also said that there is an officer on the way to get information from the stallion once he arrives."

"Do you think we can talk to him? The six of us would like to ask him about what happened." Twilight calmly asked using her magic to stop Rainbow from sneaking off. Into the waiting room.

"I suppose so if he allows it but... I thought you said there were six of you." Nurse Redheart led them in.

"Yeah there's six of us. There's me, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pink-..." Her hoof pointed to each of them as she spoke but froze when she noticed they were a pony short. "Where's Pinkie Pie?" Just as she asked the question sounds of commotion erupted from the area they were headed.

A soon as they arrived Red jumped out of an open window. Pinkie was in pursuit of him but, nbefore she could jump out an aura of pink and blue wrapped around her. "Oh hey there girls. What's up?" Pinkie asked casually as they let her down.

Rarity was the first to ask. "What are you doing Pinkie?"

"Aww you let him go... I was just saying hi" She answered before Nurse Redheart interrupted them.

"That was the stallion that brought in Zecora... " She sadly said before turning to Pinkie. "Please behave yourself. There are very delicate patients here and we can't have you exciting them. I need to ask you to leave for the time being."

Outside

Red walked along the path back into town. "Aww great she found me already and it isn't even lunch yet..."while he wasn't looking, he bumped into a pony. "Whoa sorry bout that."

"Oh well look who it is. It's the little pony that wrecked my cart. You thought I wouldn't find ya now didn't ya. The big brown stallion exclaimed angrily all of a sudden. He walked up close enough to Red to give him a push with his chest.

"What?... What are you talking about?" Red quickly asked in a confused manner. As he backed up a little.

"My cart! Don't you recognize it? Your the Punk that Just Vandalized it!" The brown stallion shoved red on over to it and pointed out the broken sections. "Look at this do you know how long it took me to build this thing? How much hard work I've gotten done with it? I mean look at this; The wheels are ripped clean off, the entire left side of its covered in paint, and the harness has fallen off." Immediately Red's horn lit up and his magic began to lift the entire thing in the air. "Hey whadya think you're doing?!" The brown Stallion asked in anger.

"I think you've got the wrong person buddy but the least I can do for you is this. Now I've got to go." Red replied as he put the fully repaired cart on the ground and ran off.

"Hey don't think this is is over buddy!" The brown stallion yelled before turning back towards his cart. "Oh hey... Not bad." The pony then perceived to check out his cart.

Not too far away

Red continued on his way passing by a few other ponies that eyed him suspiciously. "So this is that ruffian that ruined the tapestries on the West end of town."one of them had said.

"I think he's the same pony that ate all the treats that Bon Bon had put out earlier too" said another. Before long, he was receiving suspicious glances from almost every pony that he had seen earlier.

"What the heck is all their problems?" He asked himself before turning into path Of the windmill. As he walked closer to home he noticed the one tapestry and the messy area they had mentioned earlier. It was covered in odd muddy hoof marks and had a few crude doodles on it. "That's messed up." His horn lot up and managed to clean it up a bit. "Now that looks a bit better." The blue piece of fabric still looked messy but better than it did earlier. "Somebody's gotta do something." His horn lit up as a whole bunch of the trash that had been knocked out of the trash bins glowed red and returned into the bin. After cleaning the mess he quickly made his way to the windmill and slammed the door. He made his way up to the top floor and looked out of the highest window. The ponies seemed to be still partying. "Everything looks alright... How're things getting all messed up?" As he watched the party seemed to be moving up towards the Mayor's office leaving part of town empty. He sat there watching as he levitated his journal towards him. Before he could write a single sentence, a loud noise from outside caught his attention. A Earthpony mare wearing a dress ran through the streets followed by a red stallion. She bashed into a few of the tables as she tried to knock things into the red stallion's path. "What the heck?" He immediately dropped the journal and bolted down the stairs. Once he saw them, he began to gallop after them.

The mare looked afraid but why wasn't she screaming for help? She ran into a alley way and vanished. The red pony walked into the alley knowing the mare was in there. Red stopped and crept up to the alleyway to try to get a better look at what was happening. As he approached a bright green flash lit up the alleyway. Red immediately ducked out of site and watched as the mare walked out with her dress completely clean and smiling. "Wait what? They didn't have horns? Where did the flash come from?" She walked out as two more red stallions walked into the alleyway. She turned into the direction of the party and galloped towards it. The two ponies that had gone into the alley looked odd. "Their faces... Do they look like me?" He whispered to himself. He hid himself as he watched them drag an awful looking bulb of green goo and inside was the same mare from earlier. He anxiously watched as they turned into the corner to see him sitting there. They dropped the bulb of goo and rushed towards him hissing. Red jumped up and trapped them into bubbles. The two doppelgängers raged within the bubbles and started smacking against the walls of it violently knocking them into each other. Small cracks began to form where they were colliding.

Red quickly grabbed the bulb with his teeth and quickly dragged it far enough from the two Doppelgängers and to not be seen taking off the pendant. He quickly began to spit the green goo that had gotten stuck in his teeth. "Oh god.., why didn't I just use magic?..." He looked towards the green goo and grimaced as he tried to poke into it with his fingers. "So warm... Gross..." He reached in and grabbed the mare by her hoof and slowly pulled her out. Joe watched as the green goop slopped to the side and the pony lay beside him motionless. He shook her until she began to wake up and kick with her hooves. She panicked and began to use hear hoof to try to claw away at her muzzle. Joe grabbed her forehoof and tried to see if there was something on her mouth. The instant he touched it, it felt as if something like a thin film and vanished. She immediately screamed and ran off. "You're welcome!" Joe began to wipe the slime off his arms and put the pendant back on.

Back at the Hospital

"I'm fairly certain she will be fine in a few hours. Why don't you girls go ahead and go back to the party. When The Princesses and the royal guards arrive they'll take care of whoever did this to her." Said Nurse Red Heart as Twilight and the girls walked out of Zecora's room. "We will try to inform you if she wakes up before then."

"What do yo mean try?! You have got to tell us ASAP! We gotta find that Red guy and then we'll find that pony who did this!" Rainbow Shouted angrily and stomped her hooves but immediately stopped as soon as Red Heart shot her an angry glance.

"Thank you, for your help Red Heart. Sorry about that." Twilight whispered as she pulled Rainbow out of the way. "We'll be leaving now." She walked the group out until Rarity pulled her to the side.

"I'm sorry Twilight... Today was meant to help cheer you up. I didn't think something like this would end up happening." Rarity apologized. "It's just that you looked like you needed some time to keep your mind off of this whole other student business."

"It's alright you didn't need to go through this much trouble just for me. I'm completely fine when Princess Celestia and Luna get here we will find out exactly what is going on and we'll find whoever did this to Zecora. Now let's go and find out what's been happening. Maybe we will bump into that red guy and get his story." Rarity nodded and followed them outside.

"I'm gonna go on a Pony hunt I'm going to see you guys later!" Rainbow Exclaimed as she jumped into the air but, Applejack roped her down. "Hey what the big deal?!"

"You can't just go and harass anypony thinking that they were the ones who had gone and done it. I mean look at what happened earlier, if Pinkie hadn't gone and spooked the poor fella I'm pretty sure he woulda told us straight out." Applejack explained while Pinkie tried to get away. "No ya don't." She roped and tied the two hyper ponies together. "Now I need you two to behave." Pinkie Pie rapidly nodded her head yes while Rainbow just crossed her forehooves and sighed. "C'mon Rainbow you gotta..." Rainbow continued to cross her hooves and sigh. "Hmm... Fine... I guess I get to drink that barrel of Granny's good ol Apple cider I've got hidden at home."

"You've still got cider?! And you weren't going to share?!" Rainbow asked giving Applejack her full attention.

"Yeah I was going to share it with y'all after the Gala but seein as somepony won't cooperate I guess I'll be saving it." Applejack replied.

At those words it looked as if Rainbow was arguing with her self. "Okay I'll listen..." She growled as Twilight and Rarity caught up to them.

"What are you all doing?" Twilight asked finding the situation a tad odd since two of her friends were tied to each other's back.

"Nothing we were just thinking of funtastic things to do today." Pinkie smiled. "I mean just look at this!" She pointed at herself and Rainbow as she forced a flip and landed with Rainbow on her back instead of the other way around. "Tadaa!"

"Okaaaay... But I don't see how that's gonna make the situation feel any better." Twilight replied as she levitated the rope off of them. "Rarity, what's the next event for today?"

"It should be time for lunch and I am feeling a bit peckish. Shall we go?" Rarity replied as she pulled out a little list of events. "Is anyone else hungry?" Everyone else nodded and voiced their agreement.

"Okay let's go ahead and get to the buffet area." Twilight lead the way as they went through the crowd and towards the buffet.

Something Different

by BlackWingsRed

Chapter 1: Life as it was

Chapter 2: Taken

Chapter 3: Taken Part 2

Chapter 4: The Great Escape

Chapter 5: What?

Chapter 6: Explanation

Chapter 7 :The Talk

Chapter 8:A Regular day off

Chapter 9: A new Arrival

Chapter 10: Adjusting

Chapter: 11: Getting used to Living

Chapter 12: A Dream

Chapter 13: Lessons

Chapter 14: impressions.

Important notice/Question

Chapter 15: Pre-race distractions

Chapter 16: Win Win

Chapter 17:Friend?

Chapter 18:Finding Things

Chapter 19:New Plan!

Chapter 20:Day one (Off to a nice start)

Chapter 21: Day 2 Progress

Chapter 22: Day 3 The eve of the Gala

Chapter 23: Wanna Dance? Part 1