Chapter One - Shadow and Light

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The gentle rolling hills and clover strewn meadows surrounding Ponyville gave way to rocky slopes and jagged mountain peaks as Twilight flew west. She had come this way a few times before, merely to pivot and return to the safety of her castle. With each trip, she ventured closer to the brooding mountains and whatever discovery lay beyond. Her current destination unclear, tonight she journeyed on, driven toward the unknown.

The soft glow of moonlight reflected off the mountain peaks, glinting like the sharp teeth of an enraged beast. The pull of her own curiosity couldn’t adequately account for the craving she felt drawing her toward the other side, just barely out of reach. Each night, she approached the pass. Each night, she turned back as insecurity overcame the desire to explore. Not this night. Nothing could deter the drive she felt coursing through her wings.

Propelled by a sudden surge of will, Twilight scaled the snow-capped peaks and rolled out over the top. Looking down over the western lands beyond, hazy clouds hovered over a deep valley brimming with an ancient and forgotten forest. The promise of pleasant discovery sank in the squalor of murk and decay below. The dark forest, bordering on swampland, stretched as far as the eye could see with only the smallest sliver of the distant ocean glistening on the horizon under the assault of a rising storm.

Fear, uncertainty, and doubt clouded her mind. She struggled with the thought of turning back, but her wings had plans of their own. With each labored flap, they pushed forward into the gloom.

A fetid stench hung on the air. Twilight sucked in a breath and held it against the unpleasantness of the putrid smell. The valley reeked of death—or something worse if that were even possible. Unchanged for miles stretching to the sea, the brackish mire held the land in a grip of malaise and sorrow. Nothing could survive in this place, at least nothing that didn’t share an affinity for the foul and decrepit.

Off in the distance, a bolt of lightning flashed from an overly black cluster of storm clouds. Instead of the peal of thunder that should normally follow, Twilight heard a deep roar tumble across the treetops toward her. Her mane stood on end as she tried to backpedal her legs against her uncooperative wings.

Another flash of light struck the ground. The cascading roar grew louder.

Trees and dirt fell away as a roiling mass bubbled up from the tangled forest ahead. Shedding the earthen coating, a veritable wall of brackish sludge rose up from the ground. Fully exposed to the elements, this beast of pure nightmare belted out a roar that rippled through the air.

Twilight tried and failed to arrest or even slow her approach. Her wings pushed forward with a mind of their own. She readied her magic as best she could and petitioned in vain to alter course.

The beast lashed out at the clouds with flailing appendages, tentacle protrusions launching volley after volley of its own grisly composition.

Twilight gasped as she watched the creature strike back at the thunderclouds.

Nearly on top of the conflict between Earth and Sky, she heard a voice call out: “Turn back!” The armor-clad form of Princess Luna galloped across the night sky, flying straight at Twilight from out of the cloud bank. “The legends are true. We must warn Canter—” One of the creature’s projectiles struck the back of Luna’s head, and she dropped from the sky. Her body shimmered and disappeared from sight into the haze of swamp below.

“Princess!” Twilight reeled from the unexpected encounter. Gaining partial maneuverability, she rolled to the right and then back to the left as the creature turned its attention on her. The first shot missed by mere inches. A second volley missed by a hair. Clumps as small as a pebble to larger than a pony followed—the sky filling with random missiles originating from the swamp monster.

She suddenly froze as a melon-sized blob threatened to make contact with her muzzle.

Bolting upright, Twilight opened her eyes. Panting, she swept a clump of sweat-soaked mane from her forehead. She lit her horn instinctively and scanned the room. Spike lay peacefully tucked into his basket bed in the far corner. Owlowiscious gave a reassuring hoot from his perch near the window. It was all just a dream—a vivid nightmare. I’ve never had one feel so real before. Twilight caught her breath. Her mind kept on running. Why was Luna there? What did she say? I don’t recall ever needing her help to overcome a random nightmare before. I wonder how much time she spends doing that in general. I’ll have to ask her about it later.

Shaking her head, she laid back down against her pillow. I really need to lay off the after-dinner snacks. Sunrise wasn’t too far off, and she needed all the sleep she could get. She closed her eyes and managed to stifle her reactionary thoughts. With any luck, a few minutes of unimpeded rest might help to compensate for the jarring nightmare experience. It’s all in my head, she repeated over and over as she worked to calm her nerves and quiet her thoughts. Without too much resistance, her body gave in, and she drifted back to sleep.

Morning came, and with it, another list of tasks to check off. Twilight rolled out of bed and dragged her aching body to the bathroom. A cold shower and a brisk brush of mane, coat, and tail later, she stepped out, ready to face the world. First on her list was a hearty breakfast of warm oat mash. The bland meal set the tone for what she hoped would be a completely normal day—with the one exception of hosting a Royal Book Fair in memory of the Golden Oak Library that evening.

Feeling refreshed, Twilight left the kitchen with her faithful assistant in tow. Spike scratched away at a particularly long scroll as he trailed behind. He hurried to keep pace with her as he took to recording the myriad tasks that came with keeping an entire castle in working order, along with finishing the preparations for their first ever royal event. The parchment unwound down the hallway behind him as he scanned the first few lines near the top. “I can’t believe how big this place is. It’s going to take all day to get everything ready.”

“It’s certainly different.” Twilight kept her pace as she measured her steps in steady rhythm, clip-clopping across the crystal floor. “It reminds me a lot of Canterlot Castle, minus all the ponies, of course.” Her days growing up in the shadow of Princess Celestia right at the heart of the bustling capital drew a sharp contrast and parallel to her current abode. Given the recent loss of the Golden Oak Library, the Castle of Friendship still felt empty inside. Only time and newly minted memories could help fill the gaping hole in her heart.

Spike sighed as he scanned down the items on his checklist. “How am I ever going to keep up with all the chores?”

Twilight broached a smile as she considered her cleanliness-obsessed friend. “No worries. Celestia said she would send over a contingent of the Royal Guard and Household to help keep this place running smoothly.” Twilight sidled up to the adjacent wall and stuck out a hoof. She felt along the sparkling crystal surface, smooth as glass under her touch. “I don’t think we’re in too bad a shape just yet.”

“Well, that’s a relief! My dusting checklist alone is already over ten yards long.” Spike stuck his quill behind his ear and began to wind up the trailing scroll.

“Oh, Spike. You don’t need to make a big deal about the chores right away. There’s more important things to do right now—like making sure everypony is ready for the Golden Oak Memorial Book Fair tonight.” Twilight tapped her hooves on the floor, striking up an excited and awkward dance. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are coming, too.”

“That’s right!” Spike held a claw in the air and recited his reply as if reading from a script. “We’ve got a lot of shelves to fill in order to replace the books that were destroyed with the old library, and we could use all the help we can get.” His enthusiasm dropped, and he let out a heavy sigh. “I sure do miss the library—our old home.”

Twilight paused. “I do too, Spike.” She closed her eyes and drew up a memory of the old tree. She could never forget the sturdy trunk or the thick, leafy boughs that provided her shelter when she first arrived in Ponyville. That tree was her refuge, a place she shared with her friends. It wasn’t just a library—not to her.

Opening her eyes, she met the reality that they no longer lived in that warm and cozy tree. Stark walls and nearly empty rooms of common size and shape ran like a phalanx to either side. Her new castle resembled a tree on the outside, but there was nothing at its core that gave it a similar spark of life.

“I’m going to go see how the preparations are coming along outside.” With a tap of her back leg and a swish of her tail, Twilight set her stance and broke into a trot toward the grand staircase leading down to the main entrance.

“I better get back to work too...” Spike gathered his scroll and set off in the opposite direction.

Descending the spiraling staircase which spilled out into the Grand Foyer, Twilight lifted her head, taking in the sights of castle above and around her. It certainly doesn’t feel like home yet, but I’ll do my best to put a little ‘Sparkle’ in it soon enough. She giggled to herself as she pulled back the main doors with her magic and trotted out into the light of the midmorning sun.

The grass of the de facto castle courtyard shimmered with the remnants of morning dew. An already well-worn path bisected the meadow leading off into town. The castle grounds buzzed with activity, and Twilight’s friends busied themselves in event preparation even without her direct supervision.

“Heya, Twilight! It’s good to see you found yer way out here to lend us a hoof,” Applejack said with a wave from across the field. She hauled a cart loaded with all sorts of baked goods toward a pair of empty banquet tables situated on the west lawn. Piled inside were practically every kind of apple treat a hungry pony could imagine. Pies and cakes, fritters and dumplings—all for the waiting mouths and stomachs of those willing to donate an old book or two to the cause.

Rainbow Dash swooped up next to Twilight before she had a chance to make it halfway down the castle steps. “Yeah, Twilight, could you tell Pinkie that this isn’t supposed to be a castle-warming party? We need you to help focus her energy more on the books and less on the party.” She pointed an accusatory hoof toward the target of her frustration.

“Well, no pony said we can’t have a castle-warming party along with the book drive,” Pinkie Pie said peering out from behind a banner she was attempting to hoist up a set of flimsy poles.

Twilight hopped down the steps and continued over toward her. “It’s okay, Pinkie. I think having a party is a great idea, especially since we’re trying to remember the happy times we all shared at the old library.” She fired up her magic, and a purple glow enveloped the party banner. The sheet lifted up the length of the poles and wrapped itself into position. The word PARTY, emblazoned in big block letters and entirely too much rainbow glitter, filled the span.

Pinkie responded with a huge smile and fleeting hug. “Great! Now all I need are some streamers, and cake, and punch, and…” Her voice trailed off as she bounced away to gather all the supplies she was going to need.

Rainbow Dash threw her hooves in the air and flew over to help Applejack, grumbling to herself as she helped to unhitch her friend from the cart’s harness. Twilight shook her head, tossing off Rainbow’s concerns. The setup was coming along nicely and there was no reason to believe that the event wouldn’t go off without a hitch. Pinkie could add all the flair she wanted, and the book drive would be an even bigger success for her efforts.

Spotting Fluttershy off in the distance, Twilight trotted down the path heading into town to check on her progress with the entertainment. A mixed group of animals formed three tight rows facing their pony conductor. Fluttershy brushed back a lock of her pink mane as she tried to coordinate the assortment of clucking chickens, bleating goats, hissing snakes, and buzzing bees before her. The bear on the back row looked bored to tears, but kept the bass section rumbling along, its lone member.

As Twilight approached, the beastly chorus gave up a surprisingly melodic tune considering the unusual assemblage. “How’s it going, Fluttershy?” she asked with a hint of apprehension.

Fluttershy recoiled at hearing Twilight’s voice, turning slightly to see the pony who had just snuck up on her. She nearly dropped her baton, the concert practice continuing unabated. “Oh… hello, Twilight. Not as good as I would have hoped. I don’t know if we’ll be ready for the fair. The music just isn’t coming together with the proper feeling of donate a book today. Maybe I should rethink the snake solo in the middle?”

A twisted coil of scales rattled a defiant warning.

Twilight reared back. “Ahhh… alright. I trust you know what you’re doing.” She glanced over the random assortment of beasts and had to wonder if Fluttershy really did know what she was doing. No matter. It would all come together in the end, and she trusted that her friend wouldn’t let her down. She slowly backed away as the snake spat out a final, spiteful hiss.

“Oh, yes. I hope so. Thanks for letting us perform tonight. We sure don’t want to disappoint anypony.” Fluttershy tapped the baton to her opposite hoof as she tried to regain the attention of her motley chorale.

“Not a problem. I can’t wait to hear your, um… choir perform. Keep up the good work!” Twilight trotted on past the animals and their frazzled conductor and continued down the path in search of Rarity.

A bit dusty and winded after trotting halfway across town, Twilight finally arrived at Rarity’s boutique. The refined and delicate scrollwork that wound its way up the building’s façade stood out from the other buildings in Ponyville. Poofy trappings in the proprietor’s signature purple color waved in the breeze as they dangled from the gables and dormers above. The immaculate detail Rarity put into every one of her creations displayed brilliantly in the decoration of the shop itself.

Twilight knocked politely before opening the door and slipped inside with the chime signaling her arrival.

“Who is it?” came Rarity’s muffled, sing-song voice from the back room.

“It’s me, Rarity. I’m here to make sure everything is ready for the Golden Oak Book Fair tonight.”

Rarity called back through the sound-dampening curtain, “Oh, dear me, I don’t know how I’m going to be ready in time. I have so much left to do!”

“Uh…” Twilight said, shaking her head. “As far as I can see, the decorations look great, and I thought you said you sent out the invitations days ago. What exactly do you have left to do?”

“Oh yes, I took care of the invitations for the fair ages ago. Well, at least days ago…” Rarity slipped backward through the crack in the red velvet curtain separating the main showroom from the changing area. She wore a floor-length gown that sparkled with the gleam of a thousand, tiny purple gemstones. Each of the gems caught a glimmer of light as she spun free of the hanging fabric barrier. “Right now, I’m trying to put together a new ensemble for my grand entrance this evening.”

Twilight gave a knowing sigh before composing her reply. “Okay, it looks like you’ve got everything under control then. You’ll be sure to look fabulous in front of all those dusty old books.”

“Dear, sweet Twilight, one does not simply look gorgeous by standing next to something else that isn’t. But, you know, that does give me an idea!” Rarity’s voice lilted on the word with a melodic vibrato. “I know just what what to wear—vintage librarian! Oh, this is going to be so chic! I can’t wait to show off my tousled mane and librarian attire. Twilight, you’re such a great friend to help me make these important decisions. What would I ever do without you?”

Rarity tore off her elegant evening gown and tossed it aside before striking an inquisitive pose to consider her friend’s state of undress. “But wait… What are you wearing tonight?”

Twilight paused a moment to consider. “Well—I hadn’t really put much thought into it. I guess I’ll wear my crown… and that’s about it, I think.”

“Oh, Twilight. You really need to get into the spirit of things. Take it up a notch! Surely it would help with the donations if you were to wear something that shouts royal fashion!” Rarity struck a pose and levitated a selection of embellishments from the shelves in a parade of fashion statements before her. “Perhaps a lovely sash or some mane and tail accessories? At the very least, you should consider formal hoofwear a must.”

Twilight smiled at the sight of peacock feather tail highlights bouncing along in the assorted display. “Alright, Rarity. I’ll see what I can put together. I haven’t had a lot of practice with hosting events like this, but I guess some fancy attire could be in order. Thanks again for sending out the invitations to your friends in Canterlot. I hope they can donate some older books to help give a proper depth to the new library."

Just as Twilight finished speaking, Spike burst through the front door. The doorbell launched from its hanger and flew across the room. Out of breath, he held up a scroll bearing the royal seal. “Twilight! I have an urgent message from Princess Celestia.” The bell hit the floor near the back room and rattled to a stop.

Twilight drew up a hurried gasp. “She didn’t write to say she isn’t coming, did she?”

“I’m afraid so.” Spike cleared his throat and read, “Ahem… My dearest Princess Twilight, it is with a heavy heart that we must decline your invitation to attend the Golden Oak Book Fair tonight. Princess Luna has fallen ill, and I must remain in Canterlot to see to her care. Please accept our humblest apologies for the late notice. I will see to it that our donation from the Royal Archives arrives as soon as can be arranged. Your friend, Princess Celestia”

Twilight stared at the floor as she took in the message. Her thoughts bounced around in her head, searching the parallels to her nightmare from mere hours ago. Could it be a coincidence? Was it more than a simple dream? What if it’s real?

Spike looked up from the note and scratched his head. “Guess that means we’ll need to set up a few more shelves in the new library if we’re getting a shipment from the Royal Archives.”

Twilight broke from her rationalizations. “That’s not what I’m afraid of, Spike. If I’m right, we’ve got a much bigger problem to deal with. We all need to get back to the castle right away.”

“But what about the book fair?” Rarity sputtered. “I still need time to put together my coiffure magnifique.”

“We may have to cancel the fair altogether,” Twilight said, carefully weighing her options. “I’m calling an emergency meeting of the Council of Friendship!”

Chapter Two - Secrets

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“You can’t be serious.” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Why go and cancel the fair because of some monster you saw in a dream?”

With everyone assembled in the throne room, Twilight paced back and forth in front of her seat. “It wasn’t a regular dream. I’m sure it’s much more than that.” She repeated herself once more to try and bring her point across. “I’ve had the same vision every night for the past week. Each time, I fly closer and closer to the mountains, but never cross the peaks. Last night was different. Something drew me in.”

“Can’t this wait until tomorrow?” Rarity hunched over in her chair and caught her reflection in her newly polished hooves. “I was so looking forward to tonight.”

“So was I.” Twilight turned and sat down on her throne. “If my hunch is right, we’ve got a huge problem that we need to deal with. Princess Luna fell ill after fighting some kind of monster in my vision. She might know more about what’s going on, so we need to go to Canterlot and talk to her first. From there, we’ll have to figure out our next move.”

“But what about the party?” Pinkie Pie rested her head on her hooves, scrunching up the corners of her mouth into an awkwardly forced smile.

“This is more important, Pinkie.” Twilight rapped her hoof on the arm of her throne. “We could be facing a crisis of Tirek proportions.”

“Not another Tirek.” Rainbow Dash sunk backward into her chair. “We just got done fighting the last one.”

“Tug your bridle, sugarcube,” Applejack said straight-faced. “We don’t know anything for sure. Maybe we could just write a letter to the Princess and ask her to clarify things. There’s no need to go off on a wild pegasus chase just yet.”

“I know what I saw, Applejack. It felt real—much more than just a simple dream. Luna suddenly falling ill can’t be a coincidence.” Twilight reached up and adjusted the crown on her head. She still hadn’t gotten used to wearing it all the time and only brought it out on special occasions. Her first official meeting in her new castle, with all the Element Bearers of her court gathered to discuss a potential crisis, certainly qualified. “I’m not sure exactly how it works since this is my first one, but as a princess, I can’t ignore these kinds of visions. It has to mean something. I have to do something, I just know it.”

Fluttershy raised her hoof in the air, politely indicating she had something to say. “How about you go to Canterlot and talk to the Princess, and we stay here and handle the book fair? That way we don’t have to cancel the event and disappoint all my little animal friends—they’ve worked so hard getting ready to perform.”

Twilight rose from her chair and paced out to the middle of the room in serious consideration of the notion. “That sounds like a good idea, Fluttershy, but are you sure we should do that? From what I saw in my vision, it’s going to take more than magic to stop this threat. We might need all the Elements of Harmony to bring it down.”

“Now you’re talking.” Rainbow Dash flapped her wings and rose up on her hind legs. “Let’s go find this monster and blast him back to Tartarus with our Rainbow Powers. Easy peasy, and we’re home before dinner.”

“Not so fast, Rainbow. We need a plan. Our Rainbow Powers should only be used as a last resort.” Even with the Element pendants returned to the Tree of Harmony, Twilight held that she and her friends still possessed a potent magic ability. A situation culminating in the use of their recently realized Rainbow Powers required serious consideration. “We’ll need to work together, but I think we should get some direction first. I guess it’s okay if you guys stay here and take care of the fair. I’ll go to Canterlot and find out everything I can about this threat. We definitely need answers, and we need them fast. As the Princess of Friendship, it is my—”

Twilight stopped mid thought when her horn began to glow and the entire room began to shake. “Hey, I didn’t cast any spell. What does my crazy horn think it’s doing?” Her wings fanned out and she lifted off the ground. The strange sensation from her dream returned: she wasn’t in control anymore. In her head, an ethereal voice spoke directly to her: Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, please accept this humble gift. May it help you find the answers that you seek.

“I don’t know, Twilight, but could you please m-m-make it-t-t s-s-stop?” Rarity’s chatter echoed the general feeling in the room as everything around them seemed to be shaking apart. They all rocked noticeably back and forth on what should otherwise have been perfectly stationary crystal thrones. Their cutie mark symbols on each chair began to glow, starting with a deep golden hue, and then all six emblems blazing to life, bursting with a fiery eruption.

Twilight’s eyes glowed white. A loud boom followed by a series of cracks split the air, punctuating a deep rumble from below. A section at a time, Twilight’s starburst symbol on the throne room floor sunk into the ground, each segment dropping a little farther down than the last.

Once the final section dropped into place, the room stopped shaking. Slowly recovering from the experience, Twilight descended and came to rest at the top of a large spiral staircase descending into the dark. The ponies gasped at the sight of a secret passageway having just opened up before them.

Pinkie Pie hopped off her chair and dove to the edge of the steps. “What do you think’s down there?” She stuck her head over the lip and squinted into the darkness. “Hello?” Her voice echoed down the stairs.

Rubbing her horn and flexing her wings, both back under her own control, Twilight didn’t take long to decide her next action. “I don’t know, Pinkie, but we should probably find out.” The voice in her head fed her curiosity while remaining innocuous enough to blindly trust. The thought of danger lurking in the heart of her own castle crossed her mind only briefly before being summarily dismissed. “Let’s go take a look, girls.”

The others lined up and followed as Twilight led the group down the winding staircase. Golden sconces flamed to life with every alternating step, lighting the way ahead. Coming to the lower landing and finding herself in another room directly below the open throne room above, Twilight’s eyes grew wide. Her smile slowly broadened as it stretched from ear to ear. She twirled about as she stepped fully into the space below and shouted back toward the group still navigating the stairs. “It’s a library!”

The ponies all continued to file down the passage and eventually spread out into the new, surprisingly cramped space. Pinkie batted a hoof at some dust bunnies floating in the air beside her. “Wow, just look at all these books. And look at all the dust. I don’t know if there’s more dust than books, or books than dust. Do the books create the dust or does the dust attract the books?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “The world may never know.”

Fluttershy coughed, holding a hoof over her mouth. “I guess we won’t need all those donations from the book fair after all.”

There were a lot of shelves; there were a lot of books. So many shelves and books, in fact, that the outer and inner walls were completely covered from floor to ceiling—every surface overflowed with all sorts of dust-covered tomes. A long stone table provided a workspace in the center of the otherwise literary zone. Glass beakers and assorted laboratory equipment garnished the slate.

One exception to the floor-to-ceiling shelving loaded with more books than Twilight could currently count was a giant pedestal on the far wall opposite the landing. Draped on a chair in front of the stand were a star-splotched robe and hat rimmed with tiny golden bells. With the joy of a thousand birthday parties rolled into one, Twilight succumbed to the rush of jubilant discovery. “This can’t be possible!” she shouted.

The group fanned out to inspect the ancient trappings. Rainbow Dash poked at a dust-filled beaker while Applejack wiped down a stack of books. Pinkie Pie made shadow puppets of bats and spiders in the sconce light, which frightened an unsuspecting Fluttershy. With a nudge from Rarity, Pinkie changed course and brought out the butterflies and birds. Fluttershy smiled sheepishly at the change in wildlife and crossed over to help Applejack.

Twilight felt drawn to a small book that lay closed on the ancient stone lectern ahead. Reflecting on the condition of the room as she approached the stand, she marveled at the amount of dust coating every surface except the one tiny book. The entire castle had only recently materialized, yet this room seemed to have been left to the ravages of time, undisturbed for what looked like a few centuries in the least. The singular article felt out of place in the room that itself begged the same question. She asked herself, where had all of this come from?

Excitement building to a fevered crescendo, Twilight reached out and lay a hoof on the cover of the dust free book, examining the title written in flowing golden script: Origins of the Alicorn Race, by Starswirl the Bearded. She took a step back and ran her other hoof down the fabric of the robe draped over the chair next to her. Turning her head back over her shoulder, she called out to her friends, “Girls, I think we just found the long lost study of the greatest pony wizard to ever live!” A collective gasp sprung from the entire group. Coughing followed, owing to the unhealthy amount of dust in the air.

It didn’t take long for the ponies to recover from their initial shock. They all hurriedly gathered in around Twilight as she prepared to peel back the cover of the mysterious little book. Though free from dust, the musty old tome still looked rather delicate. Aside from Twilight’s gentle prodding of the cover, the book began to shake, somehow taking on a life of its own. She drew back immediately.

Caught in an unnatural fluorescent green glow, the book floated up from the pedestal and hovered in mid-air. It shuddered and twitched. A bubble in the binding slowly ballooned out from the spine. The lump floated around the cover as it grew, eventually splitting in two. Two bubbles, still just protrusions from the cover material itself, chased each other as they grew, then reared back and collided. Instead of reforming a single mass, they hinged at the base, elongating even more, becoming less like a pair of bubbles and more like a mouth on an angled pony muzzle.

The strange looking mouth protruding from the small glowing book, still floating in mid-air, began to speak. “Who goes there? Identify yourself!” The group took a step back in surprise. Fluttershy joined Rarity in taking more than one.

Twilight relaxed her gaping jaw, cleared her throat, and responded. “M-My name is Twilight Sparkle… uh… erhm… I mean to say, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends...” She pivoted about and gestured to the five other ponies holding position in a rough semicircle behind her.

The pony-muzzle-faced book didn’t respond right away. It pivoted to the left and then back to the right. Twilight surmised it was inspecting everypony present in some way. After a few moments, it delivered a welcoming reply. “Princess Twilight Sparkle—you may proceed. May you find the answers that you seek.”

The book slowly descended to the stand and the glow subsided. The eerie looking book-mouth absorbed back into the cover. Twilight looked back over her shoulder at her friends with an expression of bewilderment. In return, she got looks of confusion mixed with outright fear. From Pinkie she got a huge smile and an encouraging nod.

Applejack took off her hat and held it in front of her chest. “I’ve seen some pretty amazing things in my life, Twilight, but that has got to be the weirdest thing I ever saw.”

“You got that right. A talking book—who saw that coming?” Rainbow Dash added.

Rarity raised a foreleg in question. “Twilight, do you think it’s safe? I mean, books don’t normally talk or ask for identification, now do they?”

Twilight paused and thought for a moment before responding. “It says right here that this book was written by Starswirl the Bearded, the greatest Unicorn wizard in pony history. It’s probably just his way of making sure the only ponies that read it are the ones he wanted to—a magical lock of some sort—kind of like the one on my diary.”

“You have a diary?” Rainbow Dash said, snickering in the background.

Still cowering behind the group a bit, Fluttershy whispered, “Are you sure you’re sure? That doesn’t sound like the kind of thing we shouldn’t be sure about.” Fluttershy looked visibly shaken by the whole talking book ordeal. She clung to Rarity’s mane throughout the entire exchange.

Twilight attempted to calm her fears, while at the same time trying to reassure herself that she wasn’t also afraid. “It’s okay, Fluttershy. There’s no need to fear. I’m sure that we were meant to find this book, and that whatever Starswirl wrote in it will help us in some way. Let’s take a look.” Twilight spun her head back around to the front and proceeded to pull back the cover. She turned to the first page and began to read as the others sat in rapt attention.

“Origins of the Alicorn Race, by Starswirl the Bearded. Written in 20 A.U., or more formally, the year twenty, After Unification.” Turning past the title and diving into the content, the ink practically leapt off the yellowed and wavy paper:

“Not long after the three pony tribes overcame their differences and joined together to create the first unified pony nation in more than eight centuries, Brightwing, a Colonel in the 4th Air Battalion of the Royal Pegasus Air Force, journeyed to the new Equestrian Capitol, Canterlot, to act as the Pegasus Ambassador to the High Pony Council. Commander Hurricane believed the task should fall to one of his subordinates, as he himself was still thawing from the aftermath of recent events. It was in that capacity that Colonel Brightwing first met the Unicorn, Una.

“Una was an aspiring mage, invested in postgraduate studies at the newly established Canterlot Academy of Magic. It happened that the two met, rather by accident, during an official tour of the facility undertaken as part of the ambassador’s official obligations. Una had been preparing to demonstrate a difficult and powerful spell that could potentially deliver water from a terrestrial source directly to the new Rainbow Weather Factory in the Pegasus city of Cloudsdale. It would have been a major breakthrough in Unicorn magic sciences had she succeeded—the resulting magic effectively eliminating the need for Pegasus wing-power to aid in the weather making process. Unfortunately for her, she miscalculated the spell trajectory.”

“Well, duh,” Rainbow Dash said, interjecting on the story. “It’s not like you can just replace wing-power with magic. Everypony knows that.”

“Be quiet, Rainbow,” Rarity said, chiding the interruption. “We’re trying to listen to the story.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow and continued.

“Caught up in the watery vortex and flung far from the Academy testing grounds, Una found herself plucked out of the sky by Ambassador Brightwing himself. The funnel had tossed the poor Unicorn many leagues from the city, and even though Brightwing was known to be an impressive flier, it is unknown exactly how he was able to manage the rescue in time. Regardless, they both returned safely to the ground. Instead of immediately flying back to his official duties, Brightwing walked the many leagues back to the city, all the while engaged in deep conversation with the rescued Unicorn. They quickly became the best of friends—an inseparable pair from that day forward.

“The two ponies would, at first outward glance, seem to have been complete opposites. Brightwing’s coat was entirely white with an impressive golden mane and tail. Una’s coloring was black as pitch, a rarity given the standard pony color types. Her tail shone with a glossy reflection that almost made it seem clear instead of opaque. Still, while some of the younger generation would be quick to overlook their tribal differences, old rivalries remained a prevailing force among the elders. The idea of having a Pegasus and a Unicorn together, as a couple, remained quite the oddity.

“Beside all of that, the most remarkable distinction to be had with the pair happened to be that their cutie marks were both the same! In all of pony history, there had never been a recorded instance of two ponies with a singular cutie mark design. Their marks both depicted a single tree with two main branches forked in the middle—only one variance separated the two: Brightwing’s cutie mark was black, and Una’s was white. It was, perhaps, a foregone matter that the two should meet and fall in love, fate driving their union.”

Twilight paused for a moment, glancing over to the facing page, and closely examined an included drawing of the pony pair. Their cutie marks stood out quite plainly. The sight of the tree emblazoned on both their flanks was an image she wasn’t soon to forget. She turned the page and continued reading.

“Some would say that their love was destined to be; others remained hesitant. During the period of tribal strife leading up to the great migration, it was completely unheard of for two young ponies of different races to share a bond, and especially unheard of for one such pair to be married. The entire kingdom came to celebrate the momentous occasion of their wedding. Once Brightwing and Una exchanged their vows, they embraced in their very first kiss as husband and wife. In that moment, something magical occurred. The two simply vanished. No pony knows where they went or what happened to them while they were gone. Neither participant ever shared much in the way of details of that period of time when they went missing.

“They reappeared the following day, floating down from the clouds in a shower of sunlight creating a rainbow across the heavens. Sure enough, both Ambassador Brightwing, the Pegasus, and Una, the Unicorn, now each had their own distinct sets of wings. Not only had Una grown a pair wings, Ambassador Brightwing had now acquired an impressively long Unicorn horn of his own. The pair had become the first known Alicorns ever to exist, a feat that has yet to be replicated by any unnatural means attempted.

“All the ponies in the land cheered and sang, laughed and hugged. The love of these two young Alicorns brought the ponies of Equestria together in ways nothing else ever could. A motion was made and a High Council vote was taken. Ambassador Brightwing and his lovely bride Una, being the first two Alicorns in existence, were made King and Queen over of all Equestria. Nopony could think of a better way to represent the bond that was formed by the coming together of the three pony tribes, the union of our three tribal traits, than by entrusting the greatest governing power in the land to those who had demonstrated an ability to embrace the notion and live as ‘one’. The previous Unicorn King wasn’t all that excited about the change in governmental powers, but he got over it soon enough. His daughter had a bit rougher time with the transition, however.”

“I had no idea royalty could be voted out of office,” Rarity said, visibly disturbed by the notion of democracy intermingling with monarchical rule.

Rainbow Dash raised a hoof to her muzzle. “Shhh! We’re trying to listen to the story.”

Twilight couldn’t help but smile. Shaking her head and rolling her eyes at the pair, she continued reading.

“The new King and Queen’s magical prowess soon became stuff of legend. Their power grew stronger than even I could imagine. Una was no longer my student, she was the teacher. Brightwing himself, not being able to use Unicorn magic until his glorious transformation, quickly became more of a wizard than even I.

“Una spent much of her time with Brightwing discussing their transformation, and I quickly followed her lead in trying to soak up all the information I could. But alas, there was too much that I simply could not comprehend. I tried for years to recreate the magic that led to their transformative event. Even with the help of the young King and Queen, my master spell never came to fruition. There seemed to be an element of their transformation that none of us truly understood.

“In the years that followed, they had two daughters. The firstborn, white and majestic like her father, her countenance beamed like the light of the sun. The second daughter, dark and beautiful like her mother, had a reflective glow about her that shone with the intensity of the fullest of full moons. The two sister foals were named, respectively, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna, the amazing Alicorn trait manifesting immediately in both of them.

“Shortly after the birth of their second daughter, King Brightwing and a small group of royal guards left on a mission to the far western regions. An ancient evil had risen up in the old valley and the duty of protecting the kingdom fell to our young leader. Brightwing kept only the Queen’s and my own council on the matter taking with him only those he considered to be his closest friends. The royal guard that rode out consisted of two blazingly fast Pegasi, two powerful Unicorn wizards, and two incredibly strong Earth Ponies. He would risk no more, even to face such a dangerous foe. They were never seen or heard from again.”

As Twilight paused between paragraphs, the momentary silence was shattered by a crunching noise. Spinning around, she found Pinkie Pie two hooffuls deep in a box of popcorn.

“What?” Pinkie said. “The story is finally getting to the good part.”

Under Twilight's glare, Pinkie put the box down, grinning sheepishly. Sighing as she rolled her eyes, Twilight turned back to the book and began reading again.

“With the passing of the following lunar cycle, Queen Una also quietly left the castle. She slipped away under the diminished light of a new moon and traveled alone, only entrusting her secret with me. She commanded that I stay behind and look after her daughters. Should anything happen to her, she ordered that I commit to their defense, whatever the cost.

“That was the last I ever saw of Queen Una. Some believe that King Brightwing was killed; others believe he was captured. Most tend to agree that Queen Una was somehow able to communicate with her husband across the great distance and knew that he was lost or in trouble. Heartbroken, they felt, she left the castle in a futile search only to succumb to the Kings’ fate herself. All the kingdom ever knew for certain is that neither of them ever returned.

“Only I know the truth.

“To this day, I continue to raise the young princesses myself. I haven’t lost hope that the King and Queen will one day return, but I cannot be certain of when that day will be. I know for a fact that their mission was a success, but the princesses must never be told what fate befell their parents. In time, they will either forget, or else the King and Queen will return. Until then, the foals will grow and remain safe with me in Canterlot. I sense that they have a higher purpose that awaits them, and I cannot deny the world their promised blessings.

“I now seal this book and all the records pertaining to the King and Queen of Equestria along with it. One day, when the time is right, it may be beneficial for some future purpose to learn of this and understand a small part of what I alone know. I admonish whoever is found worthy of reading these pages to prepare yourself, for the time may be close at hoof. The great evil sleeps, for now. It shall not remain as such forever. Seek out the King, and may the blessing of the Royal House shine upon you.”

“Starswirl the Bearded, High Wizard of Canterlot.”

Twilight closed the book, and the back cover bubbled to life. A smaller version of the previous muzzle quickly appeared from the binding. “Prepare yourself for the journey, and may this knowledge serve you well, Princess Twilight Sparkle.” The mouth sank, once again, back into the cover.

Twilight rounded on her friends, magically levitating the book in tow. “We all need to go to Canterlot and speak to the Royal Sisters, immediately.” The other ponies nodded in unison as they turned and charged up the stairs into the throne room above.

Chapter Three - New Directions

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The group spent the rest of the morning packing for their trip to Canterlot. Twilight wasn’t sure how long they would be gone, but given the circumstances for their visit, she wanted to be prepared. Her mental debate over whether or not to send word to Princess Celestia regarding what they had found went back and forth. She didn’t want to alarm her, but the information they had discovered was certainly relevant. Starswirl’s warning gave her pause, however. Why would he not want them to know about their parents? She thought it best to leave out the details and send a short message informing the Princess only of her intent to visit. The rest could be discussed directly once she arrived.

Twilight went about packing, multitasking dictation to her faithful assistant, always eager to help. “Spike, take a note. To the Princess: Dear Princess Celestia, I wish to inform you of a major discovery found here today in Ponyville, the details of which, I feel, would best be shared horn to horn. We are set to arrive on the evening train. I hope Luna is feeling better. Your faithful friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

“Got it, Twilight! I’ll send it right away.” Spike tossed the note in the air, consuming it a split second later in a blast of dragonfire. “What else can I do?”

“Actually, I have a big favor to ask of you.” Twilight took a break from stuffing things into her already overflowing saddle bags. “I need you stay here and watch over the castle. That secret library is pretty important, and I can’t allow anypony else to know about it until we have a chance to talk to the Princess. Can I trust you to stand guard and not let anypony near the throne room while I’m gone?”

Spike saluted. “You can count on me, Twilight!”

“Good! I need to go check on the others and see about getting everypony on the next train to Canterlot.” Twilight levitated her saddle bags over her back and cinched down the strap around her belly. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Take good care of the castle for me.” She spotted one final item lying on her bed—the book she had found in the secret library. Grabbing hold of it with her magic, she quickly levitated it into her pack and broke into a trot heading out the balcony door.

“Travel safely, Twilight—and come home soon.” Spike waved as Twilight ran out the door, spread her wings, and jumped into the air.

Flying the short distance across town, she watched Ponyville going about its day as if nothing had changed. Not that anything had changed for them, but for Twilight it felt odd to be involved in yet another mysterious adventure, and no pony the wiser. As far as everypony else was concerned, it was just a day like any other.

Closing the distance, she caught sight of her friends already boarding the train for Canterlot. She glided in for a landing on the depot platform. As she came to a stop, Rarity’s dulcet tones greeted her arrival.

“What do you mean it won’t fit?” Rarity stomped her hoof.

“I mean, you’ve got too much luggage, miss.” The train conductor shrugged his shoulders in a gesture of defeat.

“Why, that’s impossible. It simply must be brought aboard.” Rarity stomped another hoof. A pile of crates and boxes and bags piled up higher than the train itself lay at the edge of the platform.

“I’m sorry, miss, but we just don’t have room for all your, umm, stuff.” The conductor took a nervous look at his watch hanging from a chain draped around his neck.

“I’ll have you know, this isn’t just any old stuff. It’s my traveling collection, and I need it all loaded on that train, right away.” The pile tilted to the side threatening to topple as the train engine spit a puff of steam in the air.

Applejack poked her nose in. “Rarity, what in blazes ya’ need all that… umm… stuff for? It’s not like we’re heading out to fashion week or nothin’. We’re just goin’ to Canterlot to talk to the Princess.”

Rarity dropped to her haunches in a pout. “I guess that would make sense to you, Applejack. As for me, when I travel, I must plan for any and all occasions.” She turned up her nose. “What is it that you brought?”

“Well shucks. What do ya think I packed?” Applejack patted the bulging saddle bag hanging from her back.

Rarity heaved a sigh tossing her head along with her shining purple mane from side to side. “Wait. Let me guess… Apples?”

“Don’t that sound a lot more sensible than packin’ a bunch of clothes you probably ain’t never goin’ to wear?” Applejack spun a hoof around the brim of her cowpony hat. “The only accessory I need for travelin’s this here hat.”

Fluttershy’s whisper barely reached an audible level. “I packed a sweater. It gets chilly up in the hills of Canterlot. Perhaps you could bring a scarf or something like that. Just, maybe, not everything you have right there.”

Rarity tossed her hooves in the air and signaled over to the exasperated conductor. “Oh, all right. Just load those two bags there and send the rest back to Carousel Boutique. I guess I’ll have to manage without my full ensemble.”

The conductor replied as cordially as he could. “Right away, miss. I’ll get one of the attendant ponies to transport this …uhhh… luggage back to your place.”

On the other side of the platform Rainbow Dash fussed over a slow-poke Pinkie Pie. She watched, hovering, as Pinkie hefted a pair of overloaded saddle bags onto the train. “Come on, Pinkie. We gotta go.”

“Almost… there… don’t… leave… without me…” Pinkie inched her way onto the train—her saddle bags straining at the seams to hold together.

“Pinkie, we’re not leaving without you, but could you please hurry it up?” Rainbow tapped her hoof against a footrest of nothing, still hovering above the scene.

Applejack sauntered over and injected herself into their conversation as well. “Well, missy, some of us had to pack for this here trip—unlike you.”

“What can I say? I travel light!” Rainbow Dash flexed her wings. The obvious lack of any saddle bags meant she had spent no time at all in preparation for the journey. “No saddle bags for this flyin’ filly! By the way, what’s in yours, Pinkie?”

Still struggling with the pair of overloaded packs, Pinkie grunted and continued to lug her bags onto the train. Rainbow glared and shook her head. “C’mon. It’s just a simple trip to Canterlot. Am I right, Twi?”

Twilight looked up from her last minute inspection through all her items packed neatly away. “I don’t know if that’s all this is. My plan for now is to plan for whatever.”

“I’ll agree with you there, Twi. Fail to prepare, and prepare to fail. That’s what Granny Smith always says.” Applejack hopped up the train steps and swung her apple-filled packs into the storage compartment.

“Who says I’m not prepared? I’m prepared for anything. Me and my awesomeness are all I need.” Rainbow Dash darted in after her.

Rarity and Fluttershy approached. Twilight nodded to the conductor and along with the trailing members of her group, boarded the train. They all settled into their seats as the train whistle blew and the car lurched forward. Twilight sat a few seats apart from the rest, hoping to get some time alone to reexamine Starswirl’s book.

The ride was mostly uneventful. Applejack passed around some apples. Rarity distributed new traveling cloaks which she insisted hadn’t been thrown together at the last minute earlier that afternoon while they were all supposed to be packing. Fluttershy gazed out the window and tried to identify all her wild animal friends as they began their climb up the mountain. Twilight pulled out the book and gave it another read.

In a few hours, the group arrived at Canterlot station. Twilight fit her packs and stepped from the train. A trumpet call sounded the greeting from the Sergeant of the Guard and his entourage. “Princess Twilight. We’ve been expecting you.” Surprised by the unexpected welcome, she backpedaled a few steps and toppled over a struggling Pinkie Pie. In their discombobulated state, the Sergeant reached out a hoof to help them both up.

“Thank you, sir.” Twilight gave a quick salute to free the other guards from their lingering greeting. “It seems my letter made it to the Princess then?”

“It most certainly did. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are waiting for you in Princess Luna’s chambers. Please allow us to escort you there immediately.” He turned to head off toward town.

“It’s very kind of you, and I know you’re just doing your duty, but I know the way. I think my friends and I can manage, if that isn’t too much trouble.” Twilight wore her crown, but didn’t feel like exerting her royal presence any more than necessary. The military escort was a bit much, and she wanted to keep her visit as quiet as possible.

“As you wish, Princess!” The Sergeant saluted once more and took his leave. The other guards saluted and stepped aside as well. Opening their wings, they took off into the sky to resume their patrol.

Twilight hopped down off the train platform and made her way past the gates and on into the lower city. Her friends followed while chatting amongst themselves and taking in the sights of the capital. Pinkie Pie brought up the rear, her packs dragging along the ground as she walked. Regardless, they strolled quickly through the main square and pressed on toward the East Tower.

As they got closer to their destination, Rarity pulled up next to Twilight. She whispered, keeping the conversation private. “Twilight, dear, I’ve been meaning to ask you something of a personal question.”

“Of course. What is it, Rarity?” Twilight wasn’t expecting the chance inquiry, still bogged down in thought over the contents of the spellbound book.

“Well, it’s hardly my place to ask, but why don’t you wear your crown more often? I mean, I see you have it on now, but why don’t you wear it around Ponyville? It’s not like you stop being a princess when you’re at home.” Rarity bit her lip perhaps having crossed a line with her observation.

Twilight blushed. “I hadn’t really thought of it like that. I guess I’m still not used to this whole princess thing. Crowns take a lot of getting used to, and they come with a lot of responsibility. I’m not sure if I’m ready to carry that around with me wherever I go. I guess I feel more comfortable with my friends when I’m not trying to be a princess.”

“I can’t begin to say how lovely you look wearing your crown. It’s just so… so royal. I wish I could wear one like it too, but nevertheless I am so very grateful that you are our princess.” Rarity patted a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder.

“Thank you, Rarity. You’re an amazing friend. I don’t know what I would do without you.” Twilight tugged at the hem of her new cloak. “I should also thank you for my traveling cloak. I forgot how nippy it is up here on Canterlot Peak.”

“You’re ever so welcome.” Rarity blushed. “I had one more question, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all, Rarity. Go ahead.” Twilight adjusted her crown a bit, now fully conscious of the weight she bore sitting atop her head.

Rarity hesitated another moment before continuing. She lowered her voice back to a whisper and continued. “I noticed you were reading that Alicorn book back on the train. You don’t intend to show it to the Princesses, do you?”

“Why wouldn’t I? The book is about them.” Twilight internally debated the topic without letting on that the decision was still up in the air.

Rarity’s hushed voice crept back to normal volume. “Well, don’t you think that book was sealed for a reason? Starswirl himself said that he didn’t think the Princesses should know anything about their parents or their mysterious disappearances. I’m not sure if I want to know what happened either.”

“I hadn’t thought about it like that… Maybe you have a point. Starswirl was a great Unicorn, but he didn’t always have the answers. I guess I’ll have to trust in my heart and see what happens. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna should know that their parents may still be alive—at least I’m pretty sure transformed Alicorns can live that long.” Twilight pondered the thought of finding the Royal Sister’s parents. If found alive, they would retain the title of oldest living ponies—and maybe even more than that.

“I hope you’re right, Twilight. I wouldn’t want to get their hopes up too high though. The opposite might be true as well.” Rarity lowered her head and continued on as normal.

“Agreed. We’ll just have to trust that the Princesses are wise enough to use this information properly. Maybe we can discover the truth about their parents and fill in that huge gap in pony history.” Twilight stared up at the dimming spires of the East Tower. The sun would set soon, and they needed to speak to the Princess before she retired for the night.

The pack of ponies slowly made their way up the winding staircase of the tower. Pinkie Pie struggled to bring up the rear with her overloaded saddle bags bulging and bouncing with every step. After a dizzying climb, they finally reached the top of the stairs which emptied out into a grand hallway. Princess Luna’s private chambers were straight ahead. The guards at the door saluted as Twilight passed between them. The other ponies filed along in turn as they all crowded into Luna’s bedroom.

“I’m so glad to see you all.” Celestia’s voice was a welcome sound. “I’m so sorry that we couldn’t come to Ponyville this evening, but as you can see, Princess Luna is already doing much better.”

Luna was more subdued yet equally welcoming. “Hello, Twilight. I see thou hast brought thy friends with thee.”

Twilight was a bit more enthusiastic with her greeting. “Princess! I’m so glad to see you’re doing well.” Twilight bowed her head as she directed her words toward Luna who lay tucked under black-satin sheets atop an enormous princess-sized bed. “I was so worried after what I saw last night. At first, I thought it was just a dream, but then I got Celestia’s note, and I didn’t know what to think anymore. It’s so good to see you’re okay.”

“Princess Twilight, I must humbly thank thee for coming to visit and offer my gratitude for thy courageous service in our time of need.” Luna bowed her head, clutching her hoof to her chest.

“But Princess, It’s really not that—” Twilight started to reply, but Luna cut her off.

“Thy vision called to me as well, and I charged forward without thinking of the consequences. My careless actions may have cost thee precious time. Thou art correct to worry. A being of legend has risen up—taken form once again in the old country. If thou and thy friends cannot stop it, I fear for all of Equestria.” Luna fell back on her pillow and stared up at the ceiling, taking in labored breaths.

Celestia walked over and gave her sister a pat on the mane as she levitated a damp cloth across her brow. “Take care, sister. You shouldn’t exert yourself just yet. Allow me to tell the tale of the Smooze.”

“The what?” Rainbow Dash cocked her head to the side, freezing her lip in a snarl like a question mark.

“Is this the part where you pull out a history book and show us some monster that we never knew existed where if we don’t stop it, all of Equestria is doomed?” Pinkie Pie panted as her tongue lolled to the side of her mouth.

Celestia glanced back at Pinkie with a puzzled look. She shook her head slightly and very slowly answered, “Yes.” The others stared awkwardly at Pinkie while Celestia continued. “Although, I had hoped to allow your event to continue this evening before summoning you all here.”

Twilight lifted her head slightly, questioning her years of study under the watchful eye of her mentor. “So, the creature from my vision has a name? Why haven’t I heard of it before?”

“You have, but you may not remember where you came across it.” Celestia stepped back from the bed and levitated a decrepit and abused book off the nightstand. “The story is written in only one place, the very oldest history book in the kingdom.” In her magic aura, the book floated toward Twilight. “When you were still very young, I read you the tales from the old country. You used to adore the stories of Dream Valley and our pony ancestors from long ago.”

Twilight took a deep breath as she came to recognize the cover. “That’s my old book of pony tales!” She took hold of the book in the transfer of magic. “How can they be true? I thought those stories were all made up—nothing more than foal tales.” She lifted the cover and flipped through the colorfully drawn pages filled with prancing ponies dancing in the meadows surrounding a stately white castle.

Celestia chuckled. “You’d be surprised how much truth can be found in the stories we tell our young. The tale of the Smooze is one of the oldest recorded, but it rarely gets told. Considering the recent visions concerning the monster, it bears another look—don’t you think?”

Twilight found the page where the story began and scanned through the rest. “I remember now. Trolls used dark magic to conjure a creature of earthen blight. It destroyed the ponies’ castle and threatened to bury the whole valley with its corruption. In the end, it was defeated by the Flutter Ponies.”

“Um, what’s a Flutter Pony?” Rainbow Dash flapped up behind Twilight taking up the view of the book over her right shoulder.

“It is a sad truth that not everything you read in history books is accurate.” Celestia took hold of the book once again. “We may be able to take the bulk of the story as fact, but I believe the part about the Flutter Ponies is a bit contrived—a superfluous bit of fluff invented by an overzealous and imaginative author drawing the minds of young foals away from base facts. The story also mentions a power described as The Rainbow of Light, and says that the beast overwhelmed the Rainbow with ease. That said, we really have no idea how the beast was actually defeated, only that it was.”

“I think I know somepony who knows the answer to that, perhaps a few more as well.” Twilight reached into her pack and pulled out the small book. “We found this in the castle, Princess. I think you should take a look.”

Luna sat up again in her bed, taking particular interest in the item presented. Celestia took a few steps forward as Twilight passed the book toward her. The golden glow of the Princess’ royal horn reached out to accept the gift. Before her magic could take hold, foreign energy enveloped the book in a powerful green glow, halting its forward progress.

The book-pony sprang to life once more. “Identify yourself!” the voice commanded. Celestia took an alarmed step back. Twilight took to worrying if she hadn’t made a huge mistake. The book hovered between the princesses, waiting for a response. The other ponies looked on, but didn’t say a word.

Celestia stood up confidently and addressed the book. “Starswirl, we’ve had enough of your games. Tell us what we need to know and stop pretending that you alone shall decide what’s best for us. We’re not your little fillies anymore.” She stomped her hoof, and now it was the book that took a figurative step backward.

“I bend to your will, Princess. Please accept my humble apology.” The book sailed over to the bed and settled into the covers. The mouth absorbed back into the binding and the book opened itself to the first page.

Twilight sat in awe of her mentor as she pored through the book with her sister. She could barely make out a tear that briefly surfaced in the corner of Celestia’s eye as the latter gazed at the wedding picture of her parents. With the swipe of a foreleg, the tear vanished before ever completely forming. Luna shook her head as she read. Judging from her look, the story of her parents must have been something she had never truly known given her tender age. Everypony else sat reverently and waited for the sisters to reach the end of the tale.

Celestia raised her head when she finished, still looking down at her sister. “I’m afraid this story leaves us with more questions than answers.”

Luna looked up at Celestia. “There is only one way to find out for sure.”

“I know, sister.” Celestia turned back to face Twilight. “I’m afraid we have no choice.”

Chapter Four - Rainbow Falls

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“All right! Let’s get out there and give that Smooze a taste of Rainbow Power!” The excitement had built up over the course of the night, and Rainbow Dash couldn’t contain herself any longer. She somersaulted into a backflip kick before punching out a quick right hook followed by a southpaw uppercut toward her invisible foe.

The gang congregated in the throne room, waiting for Celestia and Twilight to arrive. The weight of the mission hung over them all like a blacksmith hammer waiting to strike an anvil. Last-minute preparations were underway as those who actually came prepared checked over their gear. Pinkie shimmied under the strap of her partially lightened bags. Fluttershy stowed her sketchbook and debated putting on her sweater. Rarity combed through her mane and adjusted her traveling cloak so that it laid properly against her neck and down her back. Applejack nervously paced back and forth, toting her load of apples.

“Good morning, my little ponies.” Celestia’s greeting rang through the hall. “I trust you all had a restful sleep?” She walked briskly toward the throne with Twilight following closely behind. Once seated, she faced the group.

Twilight hung back with her friends. Looking around, she nodded her head. “It won’t be easy, girls, but I know we can do this. The Princess is counting on us.”

“I can’t think of any ponies I trust more to handle this dangerous assignment.” Celestia bowed her head. “I wish I could go with you, but I am needed here. My sister is still recovering from her close encounter and if anything, she has proven that Alicorn magic has little effect on the Smooze. I must leave this mission to you and take comfort in knowing that the Elements themselves will guide you on your quest.”

“Wait a minute. Did I miss something?” Applejack tipped her hat and crossed glances at both Celestia and Twilight. “When did we get directions all mapped out?”

Twilight chuckled. “It was right under my nose the entire time. The map to the old country is drawn in the back of the story book. I’ve been flying to Dream Valley every night for the past week and didn’t even know it.”

“I took the liberty of having the Royal Cartographer create a copy so you could take it with you,” Celestia added. “A full-detail map of Equestria only goes so far as Rainbow Falls. Once you reach the other side of the mountains, however, you may find that a map will do you little good. The old country is a wild and dangerous place where no pony has safely ventured since the time of the Great Migration.”

“Let’s get a move on then.” Rainbow Dash zipped from pillar to post. “All this talking isn’t getting us there any faster.”

“Calm down, Rainbow.” Twilight glared up at her. “The train won’t leave without us.”

Rainbow Dash snaked her neck back and forth. “Uhgh. Why do we have to ride the stupid train? Wouldn’t it be faster to just fly?”

Pinkie’s hoof shot up in the air. “Ohhh, ohhh—will you pull my chariot? I want to fly super fast!”

Applejack planted a hoof in her own forehead.

“We’re going to stick together, Rainbow. The success of the mission depends on it.” Twilight turned back to face Celestia. “You can count on us, Princess. We won’t let you down.”

“Spoken like a true leader.” Celestia smiled and bowed her head. “May the light of the sun and the moon shine through the darkness and illuminate the path ahead. Now hurry, my little ponies, destiny awaits.”

The train rolled steadily down the tracks, wet under a light rain. Twilight stared out the window as she contemplated her latest vision—the one she hadn’t told her friends about yet. In the short time she spent with Celestia, she had come to understand the importance of her task. What she didn’t understand was why the vision had come to her in the first place.

Last night, her flight continued. In a completely different direction than before, she soared out over the Everfree Forest. Hovering above the Castle of the Two Sisters, she heard the mysterious voice whisper softly on the breeze. Trust in your friends—the words echoed in her head even now.

Celestia was quick to help her analyze the new information and concluded that the Elements were key to defeating the Smooze. Noting the failure of the Rainbow Power from the story, the next logical conclusion came that the Bearers of Harmony would bridge the gap in place of the fictitious Flutter Ponies. Twilight, having nothing else to go on, agreed with her assessment. Watching out the window as the meadows gave way to hills building toward their destination, the train drew closer to the mountain town of Rainbow Falls. Once she scaled the pass above and dropped into the old country beyond, she would find out just how accurate that assessment was.

Twilight flopped back into her seat as Rainbow Dash’s reflection appeared over her shoulder. She smoothed out the map which she still held, nearly forgotten in her daydream. “According to the map, Rainbow Falls is right on the edge of what used to be called The Black Mountains. The Shadow Forest is on the other side.” Party trivia in any other situation, the details needed to be shared given the relevance to their mission.

“It’s also right on the edge of Equestria,” Rainbow Dash added with a flip of her hoof. A golden horseshoe showed in prominent contrast against her pale blue coat. “I don’t know of a single pony, or griffon for that matter, that’s ever tried to fly over those huge peaks west of town. It’s just too high! The air’s too thin, and your wings would freeze solid in seconds.”

“Then I guess we’ll be the first to see what’s become of Dream Valley—at least, the first in over two thousand years, if what Celestia says about our pony ancestors is true.” Twilight looked out the window taking in the sight of the great mountain peaks towering above the village on the cliff ahead.

Rainbow Dash joined her by the glass. “Do you think the Smooze made them leave?”

“I’m not sure what I think, Rainbow. Up until yesterday, I didn’t even know this creature was real.” Twilight folded up the map and pushed it back into her pack tucked beneath her seat. “Going off tradition, the Windigoes were what drove our ancestors out. It’s why we celebrate the events of Hearth’s Warming Eve. Maybe the Smooze started the division that led up to the Great Migration. I can’t say for certain, but I sure can empathize with the loss of their home—it’s a pretty big deal.”

“That makes sense.” Rainbow Dash sat back in the seat opposite Twilight. “Any idea what we’re supposed to do once we get there?”

Twilight shrugged her shoulders. “I guess we can try using our Rainbow Power, but I’m not sure if that will work. The book says the Rainbow of Light was practically useless in the original struggle. I asked, and Celestia told me that we don’t need the necklaces from the Tree of Harmony to call on the Elements of Harmony anymore. She said ‘the spark of the Elements resides in each one of us’, but I don’t even know if I understand what that means. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens. I’m not really sure we have another option.”

“Sounds like my kind of plan.” Rainbow Dash smiled awkwardly. “We’ll figure it out when we get there.”

“Somehow I don’t think it’s going to be that easy.” Twilight returned the smile and settled down into her seat. Sunlight flickered through the window as the train climbed the hill and passed through a series of winding tunnels. The flashing light drew her back into the nightmare where Luna’s attack only served to enrage the beast. We might not make it home.

A little before dusk, the train pulled into the Rainbow Falls station. Arriving to the end of the line, the girls unloaded themselves and their packs from the passenger car. Two fidgeting ponies met them on the platform—the Mayor of Rainbow Falls and her assistant.

“Princess Twilight, how wonderful to see you again.” The Mayor extended a hoof in welcome. “I received word from Princess Celestia that you would be joining us today. How wonderful to receive a visit from our newest princess—even on such short notice.”

“Thank you for the welcome, Miss Mayor,” Twilight replied. “I only wish it could be under better circumstances. We’re just getting started on our journey and this is only as far as the train could take us.”

“What do you mean, Princess? This is as far as the train can take you… Right here’s as far as you’d ever need to go.” The mayor cocked her head to the side and glanced over at her assistant. The younger pony just shrugged her shoulders.

“Unfortunately, that’s not quite accurate.” Twilight raised her sights and pointed to the looming peaks hovering above the town. “Our destination is on the other side of those mountains. We’re traveling to the old country.”

“Are you certain, Princess? No pony has traveled beyond the western border of Equestria in as long as I can remember—at least no pony who has ever returned to tell the tale.” The mayor bit her lip and gingerly raised a hoof to her cheek.

“No problem, Miss Mayor,” Rainbow Dash interjected. “We’ll find a way to fly over those peaks and make it to the other side and back in no time.”

“I’m afraid that just isn’t possible, Miss Dash.” The Mayor tried to suppress a chuckle. “The wind shear from those cliffs and canyons is much too great—that is, if you don’t pass out or freeze to death from the altitude. I would have thought a Pegasus of your renown would have known that already.” The scowl she received from Rainbow Dash made her rethink her remark. “I’m afraid there is only one way to cross over the mountain—the King’s Road.”

“Hold up there.” Applejack stepped forward. “Did you just say what I think you said?”

“What do you mean?” the Mayor asked.

“You said, ‘the King’s Road’—correct?” Twilight asked.

“Yes,” the Mayor confirmed, “that’s exactly what I said. The path starts right over there at that cave.” She raised a foreleg and pointed over at the cliff face.

Fluttershy spoke up and asked, “Why exactly do you call it the King’s Road, Miss Mayor?”

“No one really knows for sure,” the Mayor replied. “It’s just what we’ve always called it. No one ever uses it. The fact is, there’s nothing on the other side we care to see. Once, a young colt took up a dare to travel up the pass as far as he could. He came galloping back down before he got more than a hundred yards past that sign. We have a number of local tales to share, all more fantastical than the last. I’m sure you’d have little trouble finding somepony to regale you about the numerous monsters that are said to dwell on the mountain as well. Superstitious nonsense, if you ask me, but it keeps ponies from venturing over the pass and makes for an excellent boost in tourism revenue.”

Twilight stared over toward the cave and squinted to read the words on a small signpost hung at an odd angle just outside the opening. It read: BEWARE—King’s Road—DO NOT ENTER!

With some relief, Twilight said, “Well girls, I think we’ve found the trail. Let’s get some rest and put our things in order so we can get a nice, early start tomorrow morning.”

“I’ve made arrangements for your stay at the Cliff Lodge Inn.” The Mayor turned and motioned aside to her assistant. She smiled back over her shoulder. “Follow me, Your Highness, and we’ll get you and your friends situated.”

Her assistant galloped on ahead.

Gathering up their packs once again, the group headed off into town. The scattered rain had cleared, but a seedy mist still blanketed the village as a hundred lovely rainbows arched across the sky above. With the easy part of their journey behind them, Twilight took comfort in having the foresight to reshoe in fixed gold hoofwear before they left. The diversion to the farrier’s shop in Canterlot may have cost them most of the morning, but there would be a lot of walking from this point on, and they could do without a lot of needless wear and tear on their delicate hooves.

Accommodations in the mountainside village weren’t hard to come by for a princess. For the common pony, a stay at the Cliff Lodge Inn meant reservations months in advance. The local tourism industry kept up a steady year-round business, and with that kind of waiting list, it had to be good. With the recent qualifying events for the Equestria Games and the ongoing Trader’s Exchange, comings and goings had picked up dramatically in Rainbow Falls.

“I tell ya, it just ain’t true.” Applejack tipped her hat and rocked back in her chair. The gathering of locals and tourists alike drew all the attention of the lodge to the visiting royal gallery. A hearty debate on the reality of the local fiction raged on.

“I seen it plain as day,” a crusty old local sneered across the table.

“Ain’t no such thing.” Applejack slapped her cider mug on the table. “Chupacabra’s don’t exist—same with The Olden Pony and the Pony of Shadows. Chimeras on the other hoof… those are real, just not from around here.”

“Then how about the dragon that lives on the mountaintop?” The rumors were flying fast and furious. To ensure the continued tourism interest, the locals kept pushing the idea that there was always more to see, even if they had to make it up as they went. The pony tales grew with each retelling, and Twilight’s group was getting an earful.

“Too cold. Dragons can’t handle the snow.” Applejack was shooting them down as quick as they came. “Plus, there’d be a ring of smoke around the peak plain as day.”

A mare in the back poked her head over the crowd. “I’ve seen a yeti on the mountain!”

“Doubt they’d come this far south, ma’am.” Applejack took another swig of her drink. “Yeti population likes to stay up north around the Crystal Empire.”

The merchants sat at odds with Applejack while the tourists drank in the drama. There seemed to be a lot happening in Rainbow Falls, but the truth wasn’t high on the list of attractions. Luckily, Applejack was there to debunk the local myth machine separating fact from fiction.

The Mayor sat in the far corner of the room nervously discussing with her assistant the impact the back-and-forth would have on her small town’s economy. Twilight had already had her fill of dragons, trolls, and practically every other threat known to ponykind all wrapped up in a local twist. While actively trying to ignore the main conversation, she could plainly hear every word they spoke. She excused herself from the larger group and made her way over to the pair. The tall tales only added to Twilight’s stress and she wanted to maintain focus on her mission, but the politics of the matter required some royal attention.

Catching sight of the Princess, the Mayor quickly changed her tune and re-plastered her fake smile across her face. “Princess Twilight, I just want to say how pleased we are that you decided to stop by today. Should we plan for an extended stay, or will you be leaving soon?” Her assistant bit her lip and tried to avoid eye contact while hiding behind her notebook.

Twilight cut right to the point. “You all know what you’re selling is a lie. Rainbow Falls is a wonderful place and you’re going about this business all wrong.”

The Mayor’s jaw slacked, and her reply got stuck in her throat.

“Look, I don’t have time to deal with this right now, and my friends and I will be leaving first thing in the morning.” Twilight brought a hoof to her mouth suppressing a yawn. “How about you try and figure things out by the time we get back, and we both forget today ever happened?”

The Mayor weakly nodded. Her assistant lowered her notes and replied, “Yes, Your Highness.”

Twilight tipped her head in a parting gesture and made for the stairs. It was late and she wanted to get an early start. The main debate had settled to a dull roar, but still had a while to go before it burnt out for the night. Slipping deftly from the common room, she climbed the steps to the guest floor and sought out the quiet of her royal suite.

The wooden sign on the door swung freely on an interchangeable nail. This royal suite probably exchanged duties with the honeymoon hideaway or the anniversary apartment whenever the occasion called for it. Regardless, the bed looked solid and the view didn’t matter. All Twilight wanted was a few hours to rest up before she had to face the task ahead.

Sleep was a luxury; she paid a hefty ransom for the chance. Lying in bed, soaring through her unrelenting vision once again, Twilight focused in on the voice. Trust in your friends.

She tried to answer back, “I do. I trust my friends completely.”

The conversation stalled. The other side replied with the same cryptic response. Trust in your friends.

“Worry not.”

Twilight turned in the direction of the latest voice.

Luna swooped up behind. “My apologies for meeting thee here once again. I would normally ask thy permission—”

“Princess Luna!” Twilight let out a sigh of relief. “I’m so glad to see a familiar face. Are you the one that’s been calling to me in my dream?”

“No. It is not I who calls to thee.” Luna’s mane blocked the glow from the moon behind. “I hear the voice as well and am curious as to the source.”

“Do you think it could be the Elements of Harmony? Is that even possible?” Twilight chewed on the idea. Celestia thought it might be possible for the Elements to display some form of sentience.

“I cannot say for certain.” Luna shook her head. “The voice is familiar, but I fail to place it.” She looked up and smiled. “I want thee to know that I trust in thee and thy friends. The night can be a lonely time, but the stars glow brightest when beset by darkness. Take courage, Twilight Sparkle! Thy friends stand by thee and give thee reason to shine.”

“Thank you, Princess.” Twilight waved as the world around her faded back to black.

The next morning, the ponies woke, rested and ready for their journey ahead. Applejack sorted out the apple rations and distributed them around the group. Pinkie declined hers, saying that she was all taken care of. They donned their cloaks, made sure their new horseshoes were all tight to the hoof, saddled up their packs, and headed toward the cave that marked the head of the King’s Road.

The early sun peeked through the morning fog. Only the Mayor and her assistant came to see them off while the rest of the town availed themselves of another hour to sleep. Twilight took the officials aside to share a few parting words.

“Thank you for your hospitality,” Twilight said. “I really do appreciate it.”

“You’re… welcome,” the Mayor replied.

“Please don’t think I’m mad.” Twilight gave a little smile. “I understand ponies are trying to make a living. All I ask is that you do it in an honest way. Sell anything you like, just don’t lie about what it is you are selling.”

“I-I don’t know if I can do that, Princess.” The Mayor lowered her head. “I know it’s wrong, but it’s hard to stand up to some ponies, even with the truth.”

“Then you let me know if you have any trouble,” Twilight said as she spread out her wings. Reining herself back in with a giggle, she added, “I’ll be sure and send Applejack to take care of them.”

The Mayor smiled. “I’ll do my best, but if you don’t make it back—”

“We’ll be back. I promise.” Twilight bowed her head and the pair did the same. Her promise may have well been another lie, but it gave her a small piece of assurance that if the Mayor could hold up her end of the deal, she would find a way to keep hers. Rejoining the others, she waved a final goodbye and turned to enter the cave. The Mayor and her assistant waved nervously as the group embarked.

Plunging into the darkness as they made their way into the cave, Twilight fired up her horn so they had some light to help guide their steps. After a few hundred yards, the passage opened up to a narrow trail that continued on up the mountainside. She led the way, followed closely by Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity. Applejack and Pinkie Pie trailed behind.

The ponies huffed and puffed as they plodded along, climbing higher and higher into the pass and the ever thinning atmosphere. The green grass and brightly colored flowers of the lower elevations gave way over the course of a four hour’s climb to a solid sheet of ice covered in a blanket of snow. They stepped gingerly, pulling one hoof from the icy pack before plunging it right back into the frost again and again as they continued their climb up the ancient path.

Rarity slowed her pace and eventually came to a halt. She shouted ahead, “H-How much f-f-farther do we have to keep c-c-climbing?”

A few snow flurries danced in the air as Twilight turned her head and yelled back toward her team, “I don’t know, Rarity. It can’t be far, but I don’t know for sure. I thought we were there after that last rise we passed, but there was another hill waiting on the other side.”

“We have to keep going,” Rainbow Dash hollered above the beating of the winds. “If we stop now, we’re going to turn into pony-cicles.”

Fluttershy, speaking mostly to herself and the shivering pony next to her, said, “I’m sure glad I brought my sweater, and I’m also glad you made these cozy traveling cloaks, Rarity.”

“W-w-why thank you, Fluttershy. I just wish I had b-b-brought my mane warmer as w-w-well.” Rarity tugged her cloak in tight about her flank. A layer of frost broke off and fell to the ground.

Rainbow Dash scanned the path behind them. “Has anypony seen Applejack or Pinkie Pie?”

Twilight pitched around, realizing for the first time that not all of her friends were there with her. A loud roar came echoing down the canyon pass. She flipped back to face ahead. Just as she did, she caught sight of a white, furry creature double the size of any pony barreling down the trail toward them. The resounding roar hit her again.

The reverberations echoed out louder and louder off the canyon walls, the beast quickly descending upon the chilled and tired ponies. The flash of white fur floated across the snow as the monster charged down the path. Twilight turned back toward her three friends and shouted, “Yeti!”

The ponies turned and galloped down the path as fast as their tired hooves could carry them. Both Twilight and Rainbow Dash tried to open their wings, but their feathers were bound in a cocoon of ice outside the warming wrap of their cloaks. Fluttershy had tucked her wings up under her sweater and failed to unsheathe them in the heat of the moment.

Rarity found her hidden stash of emergency panic and bolted down the path, flailing and screaming at the top of her lungs.

In no time, they met up with both Applejack and Pinkie Pie. “What in tarnation!” Applejack hollered at the thundering herd barreling toward her.

Twilight yelled ahead, “Run Applejack! Run Pinkie Pie! Run! It’s a yeti!” She slid past the two stunned ponies as Rarity, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash crashed directly into them. The snow packed hillside dumped a load of fresh powder on their heads as they struggled to get back to their hooves. It took them a moment to collect themselves before they could attempt to dig out from under the fallen drift.

“Now wait a second,” Pinkie grumbled as she popped her head out of the snow. “No one said we were starting a game of freeze tag.”

“Pinkie, this isn’t a game!” Rarity cried as she frantically shook the snow from her back. “Please remove your hoof from my mane and look behind us.” The ponies worked to untangle themselves from their frozen mass of hooves and hair. Twilight stopped and scanned back up the trail in the direction they had come. The beast was still hot on their tail and nearly on top of them.

Twilight rounded and took up a defensive stance. She lowered her head and aimed her horn up at the beast, calling up her magic beam spell. Nothing happened. She reached up to check her horn. A thick layer of ice encrusted the entire length. Feeling helpless without her magic, she jumped toward her friends, trying her best to shield them from the fury of the yeti about to rain down on the pile of frozen ponies.

“Not so fast, mister!” Pinkie yelled. She reached back into her pack and pulled out a small object about the size of a cupcake. She wound up and threw it at the yeti. The projectile found its mark—unfortunately, that mark was the wide open mouth of the rampaging beast.

Twilight braced for impact when, surprisingly enough, the beast stopped dead in its tracks. Its jaws snapped down on the small object and began to chew. Several more crunches later, it swallowed. The yeti looked up with a gleam in its eye, its tongue lolling to the side of its half open mouth. At least three rows of razor sharp teeth layered into the open maw.

Pinkie yelled, “Can’t be angry on a full tummy!” She loaded up another round and reared back to throw. “I’ve got plenty more where that came from!”

“Pinkie, stop!” Twilight shouted. “Hold on a second. I think you did it.”

“Did what?” Pinkie Pie looked down at her hoof and then back up at the beast on the path above.

“You stopped the yeti,” Applejack said, pointing up at the beast. “I think it’s calmed down now.”

The yeti sat back on its hindquarters, still wagging its tongue from the side of its mouth. Two massive paws hung close to its chest. It seemed to be begging for more.

“What did you throw at him?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Yeah, Pinkie,” Applejack added, “what have you got in yer pack that would stop a rampagin’ yeti plum cold in its tracks?”

“Oh, this?” Pinkie bounced a blue rock between her hooves. “It’s what I always take on long trips. Pie family rock candy!”

“You mean ta tell me, you’ve got both yer saddle bags loaded up with rock candy, and you’ve been haulin’ it all over creation this whole time?” Applejack asked.

“Yep! I never leave home without it!” Pinkie tossed one of the smaller rocks into her mouth and chomped down hard. The sound of cracking rock once again echoed through the mountain pass.

“No wonder you’ve been laggin’ behind this whole trip. I’ve been tryin’ to stay back with ya so ya didn’t get lost. I didn’t figure you’d try an’ haul a pack full of rocks all the way up here.” Applejack slumped down on her haunches.

“They are not rocks! It’s candy—rock candy. I should know—my family runs a rock farm.” Pinkie offered a few pieces around. “It’s always good to travel with your favorite snack.”

Relieved, Twilight stepped forward, declining the offered snack. “Well, Pinkie, I’m sure glad you did. That yeti must love your rock candy as much as you do. Maybe you should give him a little more so he doesn’t change his mind and try and eat us again.”

“Okay, Twilight,” Pinkie said. “I’m happy to share my nummy, nummy rock candy with our new yeti friend.” Pinkie dove into her pack and began tossing bits of her precious cargo over to the yeti. With each volley, he chomped down on the treat and waited with a wide open mouth for the next. Happily, he sat and chomped as Pinkie delivered his mid-day meal.

After taking on half a bag worth of candied rocks, the yeti waddled on over to Pinkie and proceeded to lick her mane like it was an oversized cotton candy second course. “I think I’ll name him George,” Pinkie declared before turning to ask the creature himself. “What do you think, George?”

“George good!” the yeti shouted. The rest of the ponies gave a collective gasp, but Pinkie kept right on playing with her new-found friend.

Twilight cleared her throat. “Ummm… George… I guess… How do you do? My name is Twilight Sparkle and these are my friends…”

Their new yeti friend smiled a big, toothy grin. “George like friends. Friends give George yummy rocks.”

“Yes… George… you see… we’re trying to get to the other side of this mountain. You… you wouldn’t happen to know how far that would be, would you?” Twilight remained cautious about talking to the hairy beast. One moment it was about to swallow her whole, and the next she was having a conversation with it.

“Hummm… this top. George live at top. You come from down there.” George pointed back down the path the ponies had climbed, their hoof-prints now frozen in the snowy trail below. He then gestured back in the other direction, slightly past the point of their first encounter. “Other side, over there.”

Rarity levitated a mirror out of her pack and tried to put her mane back together. Applejack helped Rainbow Dash who was straining to fish a shivering Fluttershy out of the collapsed snow drift. “You got any place where we could start a fire and warm up our friend here?” Rainbow Dash tossed a foreleg over her shivering friend. The chatter of Fluttershy’s teeth was louder than the chomps on the rock candy from before.

“Me take you home. You follow George to cave.” The lumbering yeti moved quickly over the snow packed path, tromping down the powder as he went. Hiking through his footprints made the trek much more bearable for the tired and frozen ponies.

The sun eventually broke through the clouds as the frosty bunch plodded off toward George’s cave at the summit.

Chapter Five - Diversions

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With most of the day gone and a slippery downhill trek ahead, Twilight was thankful to take a few moments refuge in the small cave of the mountain-dwelling yeti, George. Together with Rainbow Dash, she hovered just outside the cave entrance, staring down the other side of the mountain pass. The forest below hung in a state of sickly repose, resigned to a fate of total decay.

Twilight consulted her map. “That has to be the Shadow Forest. It’s the same as in my dream.” She pointed in the direction of the infestation of dark green overgrowth in the valley below, spreading out for as far as the eye could see.

“Sure fits the name.” Rainbow Dash peered out over the span. “It’s even more dark and gloomy looking than the Everfree Forest back home.”

Twilight put away her map and floated back toward the cave. “Well, the Smooze is down there somewhere. I just hope we’re ready to face it.”

Rainbow Dash shook her head in agreement and followed. “You got that right. Let’s see if the others are warmed up and ready to go.”

The early afternoon sun shone through the opening of the cave. Applejack had gotten a nice fire going. Rarity continued the failing battle with her mane, combing out the snow and twigs recently embedded. Pinkie Pie stood on a stool, braiding George’s head fur into an intricate basket-weave pattern.

Once Fluttershy was sufficiently thawed, her conversation with George extended to a new level of familiarity. Always one enamored with exotic creatures, she flung the questions rapid-fire. “How old are you? What do you normally eat? How many teeth do you have? Can I count them? Do you have any friends?” Her last question seemed to strike a chord.

“Before ponies, George all alone.” The yeti hung his head, scooping it up in his tent-polling paws. “No one come to visit but nasty Trolls.”

“Oh, dear.” Fluttershy rushed to his side. Reaching gently through his mangy fur, she pet him with calming strokes. “There, there. You don’t have to be alone anymore.”

“So George,” Rainbow Dash began her questioning. “What’s the big deal chasing us down the mountain?”

The yeti sandwiched between two loving ponies grunted a reply. “George afraid ponies try and steal rocks. Trolls always steal rocks. Ponies never try before, but now ponies friends.”

“What do you mean, Trolls always steal your rocks?” Twilight asked.

“George eat rocks. Trolls steal from rock garden. George no like Trolls.” The beast frowned sympathetically. “George show you garden if you want.”

Pinkie squealed with delight. “I would love to see your rock garden, George! My whole family farms rocks too. I bet there’s a ton of things we could talk about—I can’t wait to tell Maud all about this. Maybe she can come visit too.”

Applejack nodded. “Since we’re all friends now, I reckon Rainbow Falls would love to have a yeti visit once in a while as well.”

“I hate to heat and run, but we’ve got bigger problems to tackle.” Twilight backed away and opened up to the larger group. “I promise we’ll come back when our mission is complete, but we really need to get going.”

“But look how sad and lonely he is.” Fluttershy’s doe eyes mirrored the set from George as they both stared back at Twilight. “We just barely got here. Can’t we stay the night and leave tomorrow?”

Twilight approached and laid a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy brushed back a tear as she dove into George and gripped him in a bear-strength hug. George reciprocated up to the point where Pinkie held out another piece of rock candy. He quickly forgot about the fawning Pegasus and turned his full attention to the offered treat. Twilight held out her hoof, drawing Fluttershy away from her yeti friend. “I promise—once we’re done with the Smooze.”

“George help ponies down mountain.” The yeti hopped to his feet. “Rock garden on the way.”

“Well, I guess that settles that then.” Twilight gathered her pack and helped Fluttershy with her cloak. “Let’s pony up, girls.” Following their leader’s example, everypony else fell in line.

Leading the way down the mountain slope, George cleared a path through the snow. The trek down the slope wasn’t nearly as tough as climbing up the east face had been. The gradual descent felt like a walk in the park compared to the nearly straight upward slog from the morning. It also helped that Pinkie had lightened her load considerably by feeding George nearly all her rock candy.

Within an hour, the snowy path had given way to mountain flowers and tall waving grasses. To the right side, a boulder- and rubble-filled patch meant they had arrived at George’s rock garden. Limestone and granite blocks lined the perimeter, with marble and igneous formations within. Pinkie Pie took off into the maze relishing in the elegant array of neatly organized rocks.

Fluttershy gave George another hug. “I’ll be back soon, and if I find those mean old Trolls, I’ll tell them to stop stealing your rocks.” George smiled and hugged her back.

They waved farewell as George retreated up the path. If all went well, they would see him again. If not, Twilight feared, the villagers of Rainbow Falls would have another tale to tell about the beast on the mountain and how it devoured a princess and her whole group of friends.

The verdant rolling hills didn’t last long, and soon they stood on the edge of a dark and gloomy wood. The air smelled of mold and decay. All around them, the plants bent and bowed to the strange sickness. The path ahead was broken and overgrown with hundreds of years of traveler neglect. Roots and fallen limbs crisscrossed the trail, making it hard to see more than a short distance.

Twilight gathered her courage and set about laying out her plan. “Alright girls, we have nothing to fear as long as we stick together. The map says this is the way we should go and the path leads straight into the forest.”

Rarity raised a hoof and shook a bit of muck from the crease of her shoe. “Twilight, are you sure this is such a good idea? Perhaps one of you lovely Pegasi could just fly up over these trees and have a looksee. Let us know what we’re getting ourselves into before we blindly forge ahead.”

Rainbow Dash was quick to reply. “Sure thing! Wouldn’t want you wandering off the trail in the wrong direction.”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea you two.” Twilight took stock of the road ahead. “Those tree branches are incredibly thick. If somepony were to fly above us while the rest of the group stayed on the ground, they could easily lose track of where we were. Not to mention, we need to stay together so we’re ready if the Smooze attacks.”

Applejack backed her up. “That’s right. We all need to stick together. No pony should be flyin’ off on their own. We don’t have any idea what else could be lurkin’ out there in that spooky forest, neither.”

“This place looks more dangerous than Froggy Bottom Bog.” Fluttershy took a deep breath to refresh her courage and squeaked, “I think we should stick together, too.”

“Alright then,” Rarity relented. “Lead the way.”

They headed off once more, quickly disappearing into the gloom of the Shadow Forest. The path quickly fell away into the jumble of roots and rocks. Various ferns and other overgrowth choked the view ahead. The ponies tried their best to stay close, one abreast the other, but gradually fell into a single file line.

Twilight led the way, her horn lighting the path ahead at least as far ahead as the next bush or root down the broken path. Rainbow Dash was right on her tail—she sometimes rose up a bit as she poked into the lower canopy to try and see if the path showed any sign of clearing. Fluttershy and Applejack followed next behind the leaders as Pinkie Pie hummed a little tune, bouncing along behind.

Rarity was not enjoying herself in the least. She had words with a number of branches that slapped back in her face and quite a few fallen logs she was made to scramble over. Her traveling cloak looked more like a bird’s nest with all the tears and scuffs—twigs poking through in numerous spots.

After what seemed like hours of trudging along the barely visible path, the forest opened up into a small clearing. Twilight called the group to a halt and the ponies came to a stop in the open space. The grass may have been greener than back under the shrouding canopy of the trees, but it failed to entice anypony to eat it. The lingering smell and general malaise made them sick to their stomachs even thinking about foraging for food among the local flora. The open sky above looked darker than when they had entered the forest, yet there were no clouds to be seen. Twilight could tell it was getting dark and they needed a place to bed down for the night.

“My aching hooves,” Rarity wailed. “These silly horseshoes feel like bricks.”

“Well, be glad ya’ have ‘em.” Applejack looked up from digging the muck out of her own shod hooves. “Your poor little tootsies would be all but worn off by now if you didn’t.”

Fluttershy’s tummy grumbled louder than she normally spoke. “Twilight, do you think we could take a little break? It’s quite a bit past my usual dinnertime.”

Twilight pulled the map from her pack and tried to make sense of their current position. “I don’t see why not. In fact, this place seems as good as any to set up camp for the night. We can try and get our bearings and head out again come morning.”

“Finally!” Rarity flopped herself down on the softest patch of grass she could find. Her hooves lolled to one side and gave an involuntary twitch.

The rest of the company set about making camp. Applejack got a small fire going and set some apples in a spit to roast. Pinkie Pie laid out what remained of her rock candy and cheerfully offered to share it with the others; they all politely refused. The rest gathered leaves and fern branches and formed small beds to settle down on for the night.

It wasn’t too difficult for them to fall asleep, what with the excitement and grueling travel of the day. Thanks to Applejack’s expert camp cooking, their full bellies weren’t much of a hindrance either. The odd noises of the old forest made it a little difficult for Twilight to get comfortable. Pinkie Pie’s snoring was also not helping. She rolled over and back again trying to settle down.

Applejack whispered over, “Twilight, you awake?”

“Yes, Applejack. What is it?” Twilight stared up at the stars in the cloudless sky, dim and somewhat obscured by a thin layer of fog.

“Well, I was just wonderin’—seein’ as we made it to this here Shadow Forest and all—what are we s’posed to do now?” Applejack’s question was obvious—the same as Rainbow Dash from earlier. They had set out from Canterlot without knowing much of their actual destination other than the mysterious foe they sought. The old country spanned a large area. Following the path through the Shadow Forest was the only logical option at the moment.

Twilight whispered back, “That’s what I’m worried about. We’ve made it all the way here, but I still don’t feel like we’re any closer to a solution. I almost wish the Flutter Ponies were real so I could ask them what to do about the Smooze.”

“Even if they were real, I wouldn’t trust ‘em for advice. It don’t look like they managed to contain this Smooze thing all that well. Least they didn’t finish him off for good. Isn’t that the whole reason why we’re here? To finish the job they messed up?” Applejack kicked out her hind legs and rolled over on her back.

“I don’t know if that helps, Applejack. I think it would be better if I knew for sure that our powers will be enough to vanquish the Smooze. Now I have to worry about the problem coming back in a thousand years or so, even if we do defeat it.” Twilight let out a sigh. The leaves of the nearby trees rustled in the gentle breeze—night settled in around them.

“At least you’ll have some first-hoof experience for the next go around,” Applejack chuckled. “I reckon I’ll be long gone by then.”

“Thanks. You’re a big help.” Twilight rolled to her side and sunk her head into the pile of fern fronds of her makeshift pillow.

“Try and get some rest, darlin’. I reckon we’re goin’ ta need you at yer best tomorrow. G’night.” Applejack rolled over and shut her eyes.

Twilight spoke to herself. “You’re right. I just wish I knew more about what we’re supposed to do out here.” She rolled over and within a few minutes they were both fast asleep.

“Leave my friends alone!” Fluttershy’s cry shook the camp awake. Twilight raised her head and tried to roll over. Her legs wouldn’t budge. Taking immediate inventory of the camp in the dim glow of the passing moonlight, she wasn’t the only one in trouble.

Up on her hooves, Fluttershy stared down a few hundred Star Spiders scattered in every direction. On the edge of the clearing, barely past the tree line, a humungous eight-legged creature locked multiple eyes with the pony. The muffled voice of Applejack yelped from within a silken mound next to Twilight. Rarity’s cries followed from across the way. Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be seen. Pinkie giggled and rolled on her back, tiny spiders skittering across her belly. “Hee hee hee, that tickles!” Her legs were all tangled in the webbing.

“Call off your swarm and release my friends or I’ll… I’ll…” Fluttershy dug in her rear hooves. The hair of her mane lifted off her neck.

“Or you’ll what?” The giant spider swayed forward into the brighter light of the clearing. The star pattern on her bulging abdomen added to the glow. “Do not presume to threaten a queen in her own domain when you are clearly in the wrong, little pony.”

“You can talk?” Fluttershy broke off her Stare, falling back a few steps. “We’re so so so so sorry. We didn’t realize this was your home. Please let my friends go and we’ll leave right away—we promise.”

“Silly pony. You stand on sacred ground, the last place in the valley left untouched by the influence of the Smooze—the Star Shrine. How can I let your intrusion go unpunished?”

Twilight didn’t like where this was heading. Her horn sparked to life and the silken spider threads fell from her torso. Three shots of magic melted the others from their cocoons. She sprung to the fore and faced down the creature. “We don’t want any trouble. Tell me what you’ve done with my other friend and we’ll be on our way.”

“Interesting.” The spider’s clacking mandible tapped out a shaky beat. Skittering around the clearing, the tiny spiders retreated to the safety of their queen. “The night grows dark and another Alicorn makes her way into the forest. Does this bode well for my children? Perhaps if you share the reason for your journey, I shall forgive you your trespass. Why have you come here?”

Twilight gathered with her friends, still scanning the dark for any sign of Rainbow Dash. The spider queen relaxed. Getting the nod from the others that they were okay, Twilight stepped forward to answer the Queen. She bowed her head and bent her knee. “Your Majesty, we’ve come to the land of our ancestors to seek out a threat seen in vision. We mean no disrespect and humbly ask your forgiveness. It was not our intention to trespass on your land.”

“And what of this vision? I assume you speak of the creature.” Through the queen’s legs, Twilight caught sight of another cocoon hanging from a tree limb. “How will you overcome the beast? Shall you fare any better than the others?”

“I don’t know, Your Majesty. All I ask is that you let my friend go.” Twilight debated using her magic and making a run for it. “We only want to help.”

“My children hunger and food is scarce with the return of the Smooze.” A hundred clacking jaws echoed her sentiment. “Why should I deny them a meal when you blindly march to your death?”

Somewhat overshadowed, Fluttershy stepped out in front. “If you’re hungry, we have some apples that we can share.” She walked over to Applejack’s pack and opened the flap.

“You would willingly share your food with us? How rare indeed.” The spider queen’s fangs glistened in the moonlight.

“Fluttershy, stop.” Applejack dove to her side. “We need that food, and we’re not going to let ‘em eat Rainbow neither.” Turning on the spiders, Applejack prepared to charge. “Give us back our friend!”

“No.” Fluttershy stood her ground. “They’re hungry and we have to do what we can to help.” Gathering a few apples in her hooves, she flew over to the spider swarm. “Here you go. Now please, don’t eat my friend.”

Twilight stepped up to the saddle bags. Taking hold of another few apples, she joined Fluttershy. “We both want the same thing. Fighting gets us nowhere and in the end, we’ll all lose. If we’re going to defeat the Smooze, we’ll need all the help we can get.” She dropped her load near the queen. The little spiders quickly gathered up the fruit and skittered off into the forest.

“If you have come to battle the beast, I shall give you my blessing. The forest yearns to be rid of its blight. We can do little to assist, but we shall allow you sanctuary for the night.” With a clacking of her jaw, the spider queen drew back. Her little ones obeyed her order, releasing the final cocoon from the tree and hauling it over to the waiting ponies. “Do not underestimate the foe. The Smooze will grant you no stay. Strike first, or suffer the consequences. Farewell, little ponies. I hope we meet again.”

With a confirming nod of her head, Twilight’s horn went to work and dropped the strands in a flash. Rainbow Dash lazily yawned and stretched out her hooves and wings. “Hey Twilight. Morning already?”

“Not quite.” Twilight stepped back knowing that Rainbow was good to go. The spider queen and her brood disappeared back into the forest. “Let’s all try to get some sleep. It looks like we’ll need everything we can get for tomorrow.”

Chapter Six - The Native's Wrath

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Twilight pulled out the parchment and laid it in front of the ponies. “Alright team, the map says we’re here.” She pointed to the forested part of the drawing. “Rainbow Dash and I took a look above the clearing this morning, and by my calculations, we’re almost to the middle of this valley. It looks like there’s a large hill right in the center. I’m not sure if that’s where our journey will end or if we’ll need to continue on to the other side of this place. From what I remember from my vision, the Smooze was still quite a ways away from our current position. Nevertheless, we need to keep our eyes peeled today. If you see anything that looks important, just call it out.”

The ponies all nodded. Twilight nodded back. “Let’s finish getting ready and head out.” The group loaded up their gear and made their way to the far end of the clearing where the not-so-beaten path began again. Their order unchanged, Pinkie Pie trailed along behind, once again humming another bouncy tune. It wasn’t long before everypony was back in their normal marching rhythm.

The way had become more difficult. It seemed as though no pony, or no anything for that matter, had come along this particular path in a very long time. At times, they had to help each other as they navigated a particularly broken section of the trail, or had to climb over a fallen tree. Those without wings struggled to keep pace.

Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie came to a stop as they examined a large tree that had fallen across the path. “Why does this tree have to be in my way?” Rarity whined. “Couldn’t it have fallen over there instead?”

“Maybe you could just levitate it on over there, sugarcube?” Applejack paused while trying to refrain from letting Rarity’s whining get the better of her.

“Don’t be silly, Applejack, it’s far too large for me to do that. I know my limitations. However, I must take a moment and fix this shoe…” Rarity turned sitting back on her haunch in the middle of the path and began digging at her left rear hoof. The muck and mud had thoroughly caked over her golden horseshoe, and it was beginning to look like she was wearing a pair of muddy, brown boots.

“Hey Rarity, you mind lendin’ me a hoof over here?” Applejack grunted as she attempted to lift Pinkie’s back end over the fallen trunk. Pinkie Pie struggled to reach over the log in order to pull herself up. “Today would be nice…”

Rarity looked up from her grooming and suddenly found herself muzzle-to-nose with a tan, wart-skinned creature who had silently approached the group from behind. He was sparsely dressed in drab muddy rags holding a garden hoe in both hands. A second, taller companion in equally poor attire stood to his left holding a small rake with eight bent tines.

Rarity let out a scream. “Aaahhhhh! Trolls!” She bolted upright and stumbled back into Applejack and Pinkie. Applejack lost her footing, still carrying the teetering Pinkie Pie on her shoulder. They spun together like a pair of ballerinas as Applejack tried to regain her balance. Applejack danced around until she planted her hoof on a cluster of mushrooms and her leg slipped out from under her.

Pinkie, along with Applejack’s favorite hat, launched into the air. Pinkie’s squeal carried a short distance in every direction, but the forest quickly absorbed her cry. She landed a stone’s throw from the trail in a clump of plush ferns.

Applejack collapsed into a ditch to the side of the main path. She looked up just in time to see a net, along with a hefty tree branch, falling from above.

Then, everything went dark.

Twilight held Applejack’s head with tender concern. “Take it easy. Nice and slow.” Her voice seemed to echo in Applejack’s ears as the latter groggily lifted her head.

“Ouch!” Applejack exclaimed, raising a hoof to her head and poking around to inspect the damage.

“Stand back everypony!” Fluttershy called. “I can handle this.” Fluttershy glided over from the other end of the room holding a damp cloth in her hooves. She laid it over the bump on Applejack’s head and wrapped a bit of string into a bow to keep it secure.

“I’m so glad you’re finally awake!” Twilight said as she released her grip on Applejack’s neck.

Still groggy, Applejack responded, “Oww, that hurts like all get-out. H-how long was I out?”

“Most of the morning, it seems. You got a nasty bump on your head when you tripped that trap.” Twilight stepped back from the bed giving Applejack some room to breathe. “We had the local witch doctor check it out—he said you’d be fine and not to worry about it too much.”

Applejack slowly swung her head around as she gradually familiarized herself with her surroundings. Her friends huddled around the foot of the bed with an open window to her right. The faucet on the sink to the far left dripped over a pile of dirty dishes next to a flat-top iron stove. A low cabinet with rusty hinges and a shelf with a solitary potted plant rounded out the rest of the furniture. She turned back to face Twilight. “Yer not makin’ any sense, Twi. What doctor? And what’s this about a trap? And how’d we all get here in the first place. And where is… here?”

“Hold on. One question at a...”

“Let me handle this, Twilight,” Rarity interrupted. “I want to apologize to you, Applejack. I’m sorry I panicked and knocked you over. I feel absolutely terrible that you were hurt as a result of my carelessness.”

Out of nowhere, Pinkie Pie shouted, “Did you see my amazing backflip somersault?”

Applejack whipped around to face her. “Pinkie? What in Equestria are you talkin’ about?”

“Oh you silly… We aren’t in Equestria. Now, out of Equestira, I’m saying I must have gotten some major air—you gave me a perfect launch!” Pinkie did an impromptu demonstration of diving and spinning through the air.

“She’s right,” Twilight agreed. “You must have tossed her completely clear of that trap.”

Applejack shook her head. “I’m still a bit confused here. Where exactly are we, and what was it that spooked ‘ol Rarity?”

“Oh, sorry,” Twilight apologized for the apparent confusion. “I guess you still haven’t been properly introduced.” She gestured away and the cluster of pony faces surrounding Applejack opened to reveal a group of short, but sturdy, miniature troll-like creatures.

“Trolls!” Applejack jumped from the bed and made ready to defend herself and her friends.

“No silly… Grundles!” Pinkie replied with a chuckle.

Applejack’s shocked expression melted to confusion once again. “What do you mean, Grundles? What’s a Grundle?”

“They are, Applejack,” Fluttershy replied, pointing at the small gathering of little people across the way.

Pinkie Pie burst into song as she bounced around the room:

“Far away and long ago, there was a little town
Where Grundles lived and worked and played until the sun went down.
Together with their pony friends, they always saved the day
The trolls were never happy that the Grundles got their way!”

“Pinkie!” Applejack scolded. “What in tarnation is that awful song yer singin’?”

“Don’t worry, Applejack. She’s been singing those same four lines since we got here. You learn to block it out… eventually.” Rainbow Dash stuffed her hooves back in her ears.

Rarity slouched back onto her haunches and brought both of her front hooves up to cover her ears as well. “Apparently, she remembers it from one of her granny’s lullabies that she sang to her as a foal. The Grundle’s state of attire is nearly as deplorable as that song, and I’ll be saddled before I let that stand.” She groaned as Pinkie led into a second verse. A patch of clothing lay across her lap with a needle and thread hanging out.

Twilight continued undeterred. “Anyway, what I meant to say was, these are the Grundles. They certainly aren’t Trolls. This one here is their king.” Twilight indicated a rather plump Grundle with a large mushroom cap atop his head. His clothing looked only slightly less ragged than the others they met on the trail. A few pieces looked they had recently been stitched back together, and a large part of the pant leg resembled the fabric of her traveling cloak.

The King stepped forward and bowed to Applejack. “Sorry for trap,” the fat little man apologized. “We no think we catch pony in it. It been long time since ponies leave Grundleland.” Thick, bristly-brown hairs poked out from under his cap with another cluster growing straight out of black mole on his chin. His cheeks were red and rosy; his smile warm and inviting.

Applejack relaxed. She started to reach up to tip the corner of her hat in deference to the creature that addressed her before realizing it wasn’t there. Scanning the room, she spied it sitting on the far bedside table and went to retrieve it as she spoke. “Ahh shucks, it ain’t nothin’. I’m sure you didn’t mean to have me fall into that there trap o’ yours. Sorry to say, but you do look a lot like the Trolls from my picture books back home.”

“Grundles and Trolls cousins. We no like dem much.” The Grundle King’s lip curled into a bit of a snarl. “They no welcome here.”

“Well, thank you for takin’ right good care of me. I sure am glad we didn’t run into any Trolls out here.” Applejack picked up her hat and spun it around as she placed it on her head.

The King straightened up and adjusted his mushroom crown. “Princess pony, now that friend awake, I take you to pony tree.”

Applejack fell into position with the others around Twilight and whispered in her ear. “Sorry if I missed it, Twi, but what’s this talk about a pony tree?”

Twilight whispered back, “It seems as though they have something they want to show us. I have no idea what it is, but we’re about to find out.” She turned back to the King and gave a forced smile. Whispering aside, she continued. “Play along—their whole town looks like it was pieced together from George’s rock garden. Rarity spent most of the morning repairing torn clothing and used the material from our traveling cloaks to patch up the rest. I think we’ve earned their trust, but we don’t want to upset them.”

Applejack nodded. “Gotcha.”

“Ponies follow Grundle King. Me take you there now.” The portly King waddled out the door and kept on plodding down the lane as he paraded the ponies through the middle of town. Gundles of all shapes and sizes stopped what they were doing to stare at the pony crew as they passed. Pinkie waved and smiled at everyone as they went.

The Grundle King led them past the last little huts in town, through a barely standing stone archway, and straight up a small hill beyond. As they came over the crest of the rise, the ponies gazed ahead in wonder. A large ring of stone held up by six towering columns materialized in the distance. A single black-bark tree stood in the center of the shrine.

Twilight continued walking toward the structure in the center of the hilltop, perplexed by how unique it was. The stone matched the striation of the village huts, but didn’t seem nearly as worn. The giant tree at the center intrigued her the most. The other trees and brush of the Shadow Forest seemed to cower, yet surround the base of the hill in most every direction. The only open path was the one leading back toward the Grundle Village.

The King came to a stop a good hundred paces from the shrine. He cleared his throat. “This sacred pony shrine. Only ponies go in. Grundle King not stay. You tell King when all safe. Good luck with Smooze!” The portly King hurriedly waved goodbye and took off running back toward the village.

“Wait, what?” Twilight did a double take snapping from the King and back to the shrine. “The Smooze is here?”

“Where do you think you’re going?” came Rarity’s shocked response. “Aren’t you going to show us the pony tree?”

The King continued to wave over his shoulder without looking back. “King take ponies up hill. Ponies fix tree while Grundles hide. Come back when Smooze all gone.” He picked up the pace and double timed it back down the hill toward the village.

“Well, that was weird.” Rainbow Dash folded her forelegs and hovered above the rest. “It sure doesn’t look like any monster from that storybook. It’s just a tree.”

“He may have good reason to be scared, Rainbow. Look at that!” Twilight pointed over at the stone columns. Becoming more unmistakable with every step they took toward the stone circle, large statues resembling pony warriors arrayed in various battle stances came into focus beneath each stone pillar.

The group continued forward and came to a stop near the great tree at the center of the circle. Twilight lifted a hoof and pointed in the direction of the far stone columns. A large pony statue in full battle gear stood holding a spear. Glancing over to the next column stood another pony statue in the same armor regalia, but this one holding a shield. One by one, she scanned the statues—six in all, each with its own version of pony in a different battle pose.

“This is something, right?” Rainbow Dash asked while taking a closer look at a posing Pegasus. “Please tell me you remember this from your dream.”

“I know it fits somehow,” Twilight affirmed. “This ancient pony shrine has to be important. Maybe it’s the key to stopping the Smooze.” She inched closer to a nearby Unicorn statue. “We just have to figure out how.”

“The poor tree must be sick. It’s got a bunch of gooey sap leaking out all over the place.” Fluttershy lifted her hoof to the trunk intending to wipe off a bit of the foul goo.

“Fluttershy, no!” Twilight’s warning came too late.

Fluttershy reached up and swiped a hoofful of glop from off the trunk. Her eyes went wide and turned a dark shade of green before dancing back to flame red. She stumbled back from the tree and fell to the ground. Her friends rushed to her side. Applejack threw open her pack and fetched her canteen. Pouring some water from the container onto the cloth that she tore from her head, she wiped the goo from Fluttershy’s hoof. When she finished clearing the sludge, she tossed the cloth away. As it hit the ground, It burst into flame incinerating the bandage.

Fluttershy coughed and came around. “Wha… What happened?”

“Fluttershy! What were you thinking?” Twilight ran a hoof through Fluttershy’s mane. “You should never stick your hoof into strange substances like that. We have no idea what that stuff even is!”

“I’m sorry, Twilight.” Fluttershy blushed. “I just wanted to see what was hurting that magnificent tree.”

“What makes you think that stuff is hurting the tree, Fluttershy?” Rarity walked up to the trunk and tried to get a better look.

“Well… just look up there.” Fluttershy raised a hoof and indicated in the general direction above them. The bottom parts of the tree were oozing with the purple goo. The leaves of the lower branches were all yellow and brown with many of them having already fallen to the ground. Further up, however, the leaves shone bright gold, contrasting with the shiny black of the bark itself.

From the other direction, Rainbow Dash shouted, “Hey everypony! Check this out!“ Rainbow Dash hovered in front of one of the pony statues to their right. A twenty-foot-tall stone Pegasus statue stood rearing up on its hind legs. Its wings spread wide to both sides, and it looked ready to charge into battle. Rainbow Dash flew up next to the statue and tried to imitate the dramatic pose. Her own wing stretched out and brushed up against the stone wing of the pony statue.

There was a spark—then a crack of splitting rock.

Rainbow Dash suddenly burst into Rainbow Power. Beams of light sprang from her mane and tail and extended out from each hoof. Her wings lit up in multi-colored bands as she reared back and gave out a triumphant sounding neigh. All five of the other ponies looked on in shock. After momentarily losing control of her reflexes, Rainbow Dash floated away from the statue surrounded by a Rainbow Power bubble. She looked down at the group. “Uhh, I think I broke it.”

Chapter Seven - The Royal Guard

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Rainbow Dash slowly floated down and away from the statue. She landed back over by her friends and the Rainbow Power bubble around her dissipated as her mane, tail, coat, wings and hooves all returned to their regular color pattern.

A small fissure appeared in the stone wing of the Pegasus statue. It continued to grow until it became a visible crack. The crack continued down the wing and onto its back where it spread to both tail and mane. The entire statue crumbled as the fractures spiderwebbed to every part of the stone pony. Chunks of it began to give way and fall to the ground.

“Rainbow!” Twilight shouted. “Didn’t we just get done telling everypony not to touch anything?”

“Sorry,” Rainbow Dash replied. “I didn’t mean to break it.”

“That’s odd,” Rarity remarked. “It looks like there’s something there!” Large chunks of stone peeled away with entire blocks liberally falling to the ground. Rarity’s keen eye sorted through the rain of debris. “It looks like…”

“A pony!” they all shouted.

Rainbow Dash took off from her spot and darted over to the crumbling statue. A regular-sized stallion poked his head out of the stone sarcophagus. The body leaned to one side and started to fall as the rock surrounding it gave way. Rainbow swooped in and snatched him up before he managed to crash into the pile of rock accumulating on the ground below.

Struggling mightily, she managed to fly over and deposit the stallion on the ground next to the group. The whole team gathered around the Pegasus lying on the ground near the base of the great black tree.

The pony was draped in armor from crest to flank. The insignia on the chest plate and crest was unlike anything Twilight had studied in all her Equestrian military history research. A large emblem of a standing black tree graced his flank plate. On the opposite side, a white tree cast the negative.

Rarity reached over and unfastened the helmet straps, releasing the plumed headgear that covered the stallion’s muzzle and mane. “Let’s give the poor thing have some air. He looks like he could use it after being stuffed up in that big statue for who knows how long.”

Applejack shrugged. “Good luck with that, Rarity. Do ya think he’s even still alive?”

“Of course he is, silly,” Pinkie Pie giggled. “You can see him taking breaths when his chest goes up, then down, then up, then down, then…” Pinkie Pie demonstrated with her hoof, indicating the slow rise and fall of the ponies’ ribcage while inadvertently giving him CPR compressions in the process.

“That’s good enough fer me, then,” Applejack said. “Let’s hope he can talk as well. We need to find out why he was inside that statue in the first place.”

Fluttershy reached into her pack and pulled out her water canteen. “Let’s give him something to drink. He’ll probably be a little hoarse.”

Pinkie replied with a near deadpan response. “Of course he’s a little horse—we’re all little horses.”

“Pinkie,” Rarity corrected, “that’s not what Fluttershy said. What she meant to say is that this poor, handsome, young stallion might need some refreshment before he is able to speak.”

The muscular pony, having just been freed from his stone confines, listed side to side, an exhausted moan escaped his mouth.

Twilight backed away to inspect the other statues in the circle, counting off each one in turn. Earth pony, Unicorn, Pegasus, Earth, Unicorn… and then him… That’s six… two of each race! She cantered back to the rest of the group, still trying to revive the Pegasus stallion. “Girls, I think I’ve got it. These must be the lost members of the Royal Guard that set out on that quest with King Brightwing. That’s the symbol of the King and Queen on his flank plate!”

“Whatever do you mean, Twilight?” Rarity asked. “There’s only one pony here and he’s not even awake to answer any of our questions. Even so, if he was a member of the King’s Royal Guard, that would make him nearly two thousand years old. No pony can live that long—only Alicorns.”

“No, Rarity. Take a look at the statues. All six guards are here. There are two of each race of pony—two Earth ponies, two Pegasi, and two Unicorns. They must have been trapped and preserved in stone all these years.” Twilight spun around indicating all the statues in the surrounding alcoves.

Fluttershy wiped away the water that spilled down the stallion’s cheek. “Are you absolutely sure? It sounds pretty awful to me to be stuck inside a stone statue for that long.”

The ponies took another look around them. Their gazes floated from one pony statue to the next. The concept of some creature being trapped in stone for a long span of time wasn’t foreign, it just didn’t seem right for a pony. The Royal Pony Guard of King Brightwing certainly could have experienced a similar fate to that of Discord. The question was, why?

Rarity gazed up at the statues. “You’re right, Twilight. I see it now. They are all here.”

“Now we just need to bust ‘em out.” Rainbow Dash looked ready to attack.

“Sounds like a plan, Rainbow,” Applejack nodded. “Let’s get to it.”

“I’m already on it.” Rainbow Dash shot over to the next closest statue. She flew up next to it and gave it a kick in the side. The thud from her golden horseshoe meeting the solid stone surface reverberated through the shrine. She waited a moment. Nothing happened. She tried again, this time kicking the stone statue twice as hard. Still, nothing.

“Hold on there, Rainbow,” Applejack chided. “Don’t dent yer hooves or nothin’. Let me show you how a real apple buckin’ champ gives it a go.” She sauntered over to the next statue in line to their right, which happened to be an Earth pony. She hopped up, spun around and gave it a flying roundhouse kick to the foreleg.

Another spark—another crack.

Applejack burst into a sparkle-confetti-like blast of color—her Rainbow Power highlights exploded from her body in every direction. The kick sent a splintering crack straight up the leg of the tall pony statue. It passed through the body and went all the way down the long tail behind.

She stepped away from the crumbling statute as Twilight flew up to help extricate the large pony who was quickly becoming exposed from the rocky prison. Twilight barely managed to hold the stallion as the last bits of stone broke away beneath his hooves. Rainbow Dash flew over to assist. Between the two of them, they managed to bring him safely down to the ground. Applejack helped Rainbow Dash and Twilight drag him over next to the first one as her rainbow markings shimmered and disappeared.

Rarity and Fluttershy tried their best to make the first guard pony comfortable. He had not opened his eyes or said a word at all. He did, however, take a strained sip of the water that Fluttershy poured from her canteen. Given the doting care of the two nurse-ponies, he seemed to be making some progress in coming around.

Applejack pulled the second pony guard up alongside the flank of the first and Rainbow Dash quickly unfastened the strap holding the plumed helmet on his head before carefully sliding it off. Fluttershy sat back and put her hoof to her mouth, trying not to breathe in too much of the dust that had been generated in the process of the two statue collapses.

Rainbow Dash flew back toward the second statue and scratched her head. “This one here doesn’t seem like it’s ready to fall apart just yet. Maybe I need to let my Rainbow Power kick recharge a bit. I’ll try another one.” She flew off toward the next statue in line.

“While you do that, I’ll take a whack at this one here that you say is uncrackable.” Applejack motioned over to Rainbow Dash, taunting her. “We can have a little contest to see who can bust open the most statues—I’m a-bettin’ it’s gonna be me.”

“No way, Applejack. That last one was just a fluke.” Rainbow Dash flew up next to another statue and pounded her hooves into it.

Applejack trotted up next to the statue that Rainbow Dash had tried just moments before. She gave her back leg a big apple-bucking windup before delivering her signature buck. This time, it didn’t quite work out as she planned. Thud “Owwww!” Applejack bellowed.

Twilight engaged, “What’s wrong, Applejack?”

“Well… I may have underestimated the buckin’ necessary to bust up this here statue. I’m thinking I’m gonna’ take a little sit down over yonder and rest my hoof a bit.” Twilight watched as Applejack, limping slightly, made her way over to a small patch of grass and laid down, gingerly tucking her back hoof up under her left flank. Rainbow Dash was still attacking the Earth pony statue on the other side of the shrine.

Twilight cupped her hoof to her mouth and shouted over in the direction of Rainbow. “Have you made a dent yet, Rainbow?”

“Not… Just… Yet… Yaaaahhhh!” Rainbow let out a wail as she kicked with everything she had. She still had not made so much as a scratch in the diamond hard surface of the statue. Twilight trotted over to see if she could help.

“There has got to be an easier way to break these statues,” panted Rainbow Dash. “I mean, that first one just fell apart when I barely brushed it with my wing.”

“Hmmm….” Twilight pondered for a moment. “The one over there fell apart when Applejack bucked the leg….” A few more seconds passed, then—a sudden realization. Her ‘ah ha’ expression was short-lived as she unfolded her wings and leaped into the air. She swung around to the front of the shrine close to where Rarity and Fluttershy continued to administer to the two rescued stallions. She hovered in front of the face of the statue that Applejack and Rainbow Dash had both just tried to crack. The image of a tall, dashing Unicorn mage stared back at her. “Let’s see if this works.”

Twilight floated closer until she was mere inches from its head. She tipped forward and tapped the horn on the statue with her own. The same audible crack reverberated around the structure as Twilight burst into her Rainbow Power mode. Once again, the statue began crumbling and another pony stallion began to sift its way out of the rubble. She grabbed the third pony and gently lowered him to the ground as her rainbow markings faded and disappeared. Eagle eyed as ever, Rainbow Dash recognized the need and hurried over to help. Together they hauled the young pony mage over by the others.

Twilight took stock of the situation and addressed the group. “Okay, we’ve got one Earth pony, one Pegasus, and one Unicorn. So that means, we have one of each race left. Rainbow Dash… Applejack… I think you both know what to do. We each need to match up with a pony of our own race and make contact with the part of us that makes that particular race special. Pegasi with their wings; Earth ponies with their legs; and Unicorns with their horn. You two take care of those statues over there and I’ll take care of the Unicorn on the other side.” She gestured to her friends and then over at the remaining statues.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack both scooted over to their nearby statues while Twilight flew around to the second Unicorn on the other side of the shrine. Once Twilight arrived at the second Unicorn statue, she flew straight up and leaned over just like before, touching horns with her target. She waited. Nothing happened. She tried again. Still nothing. She dropped back down and eventually returned to the group on the other side of the ringed shrine enclosure, unsure of what was wrong with her purely rational deductions.

Nurse Rarity and Fluttershy continued to tend to the stallions in their care. The three stallions were laid out side by side like a battlefield triage camp. Twilight glanced around wondering where Pinkie Pie had wandered off to.

Rainbow Dash came flying up, a little out of breath. “No luck. The thing won’t break. I dusted off the entire wingspan on that statue and I still got nothin’.”

“Mine too,” Applejack added as she trotted up beside Rainbow. “I gave ‘em a small buck and a big buck or two, but it ain’t budgin’.”

Twilight stared back at them both. “I guess I don’t feel so bad now. I wasn’t able to break my statue either.”

Just then, they all heard a loud pop and crack from across the way. Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash turned toward the noise and were greeted with a rainbow-fied Pinkie Pie sparkling in a disco-party-like ball of light floating toward them doing somersaults as she came. The Earth pony statue above her started to crumble into dust.

Rainbow Dash flashed ahead and pulled up just in time to catch the pony inside. With Twilight on her heels they carried the hefty pony back to terra firma. Applejack joined in and between the three of them, they were able to drag the fourth body over with the rest. Pinkie’s rainbowfied glitter ball diminished and soon faded back to normal. A few pieces of rainbow glitter flecks continued to float away, but eventually, they too, burnt out.

“Pinkie, what were you doing over there?” Twilight questioned her directly.

“Oh… just playing a game of patty-cake with my new statue friend.” Pinkie pantomimed the actions.

Twilight stuck a hoof to her head. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why were you playing with that statue?”

“Well, you were all having fun with your own statue friends and I didn’t want to be left out. So I went over and found my new statue buddy here and we played a game. I think he liked it.”

“Pinkie, do you know what this means?” Twilight looked over at Pinkie who just turned her head to the side. “This statue breaking isn’t just tied to our pony race. We can only do a single statue—maybe it’s linked to our elements as well!”

“Wow!” Applejack exclaimed. “That seems kinda complicated. Are you sure this is makin’ some sort ‘a sense?”

Twilight responded, fully reassured of her position. “Of course, Applejack. It all makes perfect sense. All these ponies were King Brightwing’s friends—maybe they bore the Elements of Harmony for the ponies of their generation.”

Applejack scratched her head under the brim of her hat. “If you say so, darlin’.”

Twilight turned to the others. “Rarity. Fluttershy. We need the two of you to help break the last two statues.”

“Alright, Twilight.” Fluttershy looked up from the guard she was giving a sip of water to and laid the canteen by his head.

“Just tell us what we need to do.” Rarity broke away from running her hoof through the mane of the Unicorn next to her.

Applejack shooed them off. “You gals go and take care of those statues with Twilight. Pinkie and I‘ll stay here and keep watch on these fellers.”

Rarity and Fluttershy worked their way over to the last two pony statues with Rainbow Dash and Twilight showing them what needed to happen. First, Fluttershy flew up and brushed the wing of the second Pegasus statue. A spark, a crack, and one rainbow-fied Fluttershy later, guard pony number five joined the growing group of stallions laid out on the near side of the big black tree. Fluttershy’s Rainbow Power highlights slowly faded back to normal as well.

Rarity stared up at the Unicorn statue towering above her. “Twilight, how am I going to be able to climb all the way up there? There’s no way we can touch horns with me all the way down here and it all the way up there.”

Twilight brushed aside her concerns. “Don’t worry Rarity. I’ve got it covered.” Twilight’s horn began to glow. Rarity gave a little yelp as she was encased in Twilight’s magic glow. Soon she was floating up near the tip of the horn on the statue above. The uncomfortable little pony looked like a helpless kitten being carried off by its mother—precariously held up by the scruff of her neck.

Rarity leaned over and made contact with the horn. The sparks flew as Rarity’s Rainbow Power shone forth. Her own magic now holding her aloft, she was able to slowly glide back down to the ground before it all faded back to normal.

“Twilight!” Rarity scolded. “You really need to warn a pony before you try anything like that again. I certainly wasn’t prepared to take an unscheduled flight.”

“I’m sorry, Rarity. I thought you knew that was the only way to get you up there.” Twilight gave a little chuckle aside. “I didn’t think you would have liked it if Rainbow had carried you up top instead.”

“No, you are correct. That would not have worked for me. I much prefer the levitation spell.” Rarity’s stern expression faded into a softer smile. “Just warn me next time before you try it.”

Twilight flew up and helped Rainbow Dash carry the sixth pony down. Together they hauled him over to the group with the others.

Applejack called out to them as they rounded the bend. “I think the first one’s waking up!” The ponies hurried over to the rest of the group and set the sixth stallion down next to the others.

The first pony they had rescued blinked his eyes. He looked up at the mares and began to speak in a rough and scratchy voice, “What have you done?” His head wobbled and he slumped over, obviously still exhausted following his confinement.

Chapter Eight - The Spell of Harmony

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The tree suddenly burst into flame. The ponies scrambled for cover. Twilight tried to keep a level head. “Pair up and grab a guard! Move them away from the tree!” They each grabbed hold either pushing or pulling and making two trips to bring the six guards clear of the ring of stone. Just as they all made it clear of the structure, the tree simply exploded.

Shards of black wood flew in every direction, some pieces still coated in the sticky purple ooze. The ponies managed to stay clear of the main trajectory of the blast. Twilight managed to spot, out of the corner of her eye, an object expelled along with the main force of the blast from out the top of the stone structure.

“Is everypony okay?” Twilight spun around making a frantic headcount.

A random chorus of affirmations echoed in response. Each of the ponies got back on their hooves as they tried to regroup on the side of the grassy hilltop just a few yards away from the now smoldering ruins of the shrine.

“Sweet Celestia!” Rarity declared. “That old tree nearly blew us to pieces.”

“Best! Party! Cannon! Ever!” Pinkie Pie bounced up and down as she did a little dance around the pile of guard ponies now laying on the grass beside them.

Rainbow Dash folded her front legs and gave a disapproving scowl. “I don’t think that was meant for a party, Pinkie. That explosion could’ve hurt somepony.”

“I agree,” Applejack set her stance and wheeled around to catch sight of the smoldering ruins. “How in blazes do ya think that happened, Twi?”

Twilight replied, “I have no idea, Applejack. The only tree that I’ve ever seen explode like that was the Golden Oak Library! It must have been some kind of powerful magic.” She spun her head and looked out over the surrounding forest scanning for any activity. “Maybe it was the Smooze—we need to find a better place to hide.”

“Maybe it has something to do with that…” Fluttershy motioned with her head and pointed a hoof toward the sky. Twilight followed the indication locking in on a brownish-green pony flying through the air, making a beeline straight for them. A purple beam of magic light burst from its head bearing down on the group.

Without even thinking, Twilight raised a protective shield around the entire bunch of ponies, absorbing the blast. “Take cover!” she yelled.

Rainbow Dash took off into the sky. Rarity and Fluttershy raced, and half rolled, down the side of the hill toward the Shadow Forest tree line. Applejack dug in her back hoof and charged forward, narrowly avoiding a second blast as it scarred the ground just to the right of where she stood. Pinkie Pie continued to bounce around the pile of guard ponies that were now starting to show more signs of coming awake. Twilight took to the skies as well bringing her own horn’s magic to life. She flew toward their attacker and charged up her energy beam letting loose a powerful blast of her Alicorn magic. “Take…. THAT!”

Twilight’s horn blazed white as the energy poured out toward the oncoming pony. The solid beam of light shot toward the target. When the beam made contact with its mark, the brownish pony fell back, dazed by the force of the blast. Twilight pulled up. “You will not hurt my friends, whoever you are!”

The assailant, visibly impaired by the counterattack, gave out a fading half-groan, half-roar and fell backward spiraling toward the ground. Twilight could hear the distant sound of snapping limbs and a hard thud as the pony dropped through the tree canopy and connected with the ground. She turned back and swooped down toward the grassy hilltop.

The rest of the team gathered their wits about them, shaking off the tension of both explosion and battle together, regrouping near the shrine. Rarity and Fluttershy gingerly made their way back up the hillside. Pinkie Pie stopped her dance and smiled back at her captive audience.

Rarity stammered. “Is—is it gone?”

“Sure looks like it,” Applejack replied.

“That… was… so… awesome! Hooray, Twilight!” Rainbow Dash cheered and did a flip in mid-air.

Twilight looped around and came in for a landing. “Is everypony alright? Was anypony hit?”

“We’re right as chocolate rain!” Pinkie replied. “And look—in all the excitement, these guys finally woke up from their nap.” She stopped prancing around long enough to point a hoof in the direction of the guard ponies.

The girls gathered together and converged on the six young stallions who had now risen from the ground. The disheveled guards were roughly shaking out their manes and adjusting their armor as the mares approached.

What seemed to be the leader of the squad addressed them. “Tell us who you are and why you have broken the spell.”

Another guard chimed in. “Answer quickly now! We don’t have much time!”

Twilight’s friends held their ground as she, herself, took two steps forward. She replied with as much of a regal and authoritative voice as her young princess self could muster. “I am Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria, and these are my friends—Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. Who, might I ask, are you?”

The lead guard looked somewhat confused as he turned his head from side to side gathering the silent input of his companions. They all shared a somewhat puzzled look. He slowly bowed his front leg and dipped his head with the rest of them echoing the gesture. “A thousand pardons… Your Highness. We stand ready to serve at your command.”

Twilight was taken aback. “Ehhh… That doesn’t answer my question. Could you please tell us who you ponies are and where you came from?” Twilight tried to remain calm, putting a certain air of princessiness in her question. She didn’t want these ponies to doubt her royal position, but it made her a bit uneasy addressing the military types.

The first guard stood back up and replied, “We are the Royal Guard of King Brightwing of Equestria, and we stand ready to serve, Your Highness. Please forgive my rudeness. I did not see your wings and you wear no crown—I was not aware there were other Alicorns in Equestria.”

Twilight reconsidered a search through her bags. It wouldn’t do much good to pull out her crown at this point. “That’s quite alright. My friends and I are just curious what all of this is about. Why is there a pony shrine in the middle of the Shadow Forest? Why were you all encased in stone?”

The lead Pegasus guard stepped forward and saluted. “Your Highness, we set out from Canterlot on a mission with the King. That mission was to ascertain the origin of a particular disturbance in the western lands. Begging your pardon, Princess, but are you not familiar with our quest?”

“Not to disappoint you and your friends here, but I’m sorry to tell you that according to our records, you all left Canterlot a little less than two thousand years ago.” Twilight scanned the faces of her friends behind her. They ranged from shocked to scared to downright dreamy-eyed.

Once again, the guard pony bowed his head, this time more from dejection than in deference to the royal that stood before him. His compatriots mumbled incoherently to one another as they shook their heads in disbelief.

The Pegasus guard raised up once more. “If what you say is true, then our mission would seem to have been a success. Although, it stands to reason that circumstances may have changed. When we arrived in this place, we discovered a horrible evil had been unleashed. A great battle was fought against this dark foe. We engaged the creature for many days and many nights. However, the fight did not go well for us and we were forced to fall back to this very hill in order to regroup for our ultimate defense. That… is when it happened.”

“What exactly do you mean… I’m sorry… I don’t even know your names.” Twilight held a hoof to her chest, trying to be somewhat polite given the circumstances.

“My apologies, Your Highness.” The Pegasus bowed before Twilight. Rising back up, he barked out his command. “Corps—sound off!” Each of the stallions stood tall and saluted in turn.

“Sir Firemane.”
“Sir Lighthoof.”
“Sir Thunderhead.”
“Sir Tincture.”
“Sir Earthquake.”
“Sir Rumble.”

The last two gave out a bit of a snort as they pawed at the ground with their massive hooves. Rarity’s shied away, batting her lashes at Sir Firemane.

“I appreciate the introduction, Mister Lighthoof, Sir. Still, what did you say happened…” Twilight drew back in shock covering her mouth with her hoof. She stared down the line checking off her mental list.

Applejack approached and laid a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “What’s wrong, Twilight? You alright?”

Twilight held out her hoof pointing at the line of stallion guards. “You’re… the Flutter Ponies! You defeated the Smooze!”

Sir Thunderhead was quick to correct her. “Flutter Corps, Your Highness.”

Twilight shook her head letting the pieces fall into place. “No wonder I’ve never heard of you before. Starswirl covered it all up!”

Sir Rumble dropped his salute. “Covered what up, Princess? Our designation was bestowed by the Queen herself. The ‘U’ in Flutter stands for Queen Una.” He swung his massive hoof and beat it against his chest. “We are the Flutter Corps—sworn to protect the Royal House of Canterlot and defend the Kingdom of Equestria from all threats both foreign and domestic.”

“That rascal!” Twilight stomped her hooves and danced around in a circle. “He hid the truth right under my nose. The story was altered and turned into a foals’ tale. How dare he change history!”

Sir Lighthoof fell back in line with the others. “I’m not sure what you mean, Your Highness. What was changed?”

“Never mind. It doesn’t matter now.” Twilight rolled her eyes and waved off the question focusing back in on the current issue. “You were saying something happened here? What was it?”

Sir Lighthoof nodded his head. “It happened right here. King Brightwing ordered us to hold this ground as he wove his master spell. It was to be our final stand—the King carried the hope of all of Equestria on his shoulders. His Majesty stood at the top of the hill, just there where those ruins are now and began his incantation in defiance of the beast.

“The enemy came upon us and we rallied to his side. We parried blow after blow as the spell grew and the King’s magic expanded all around us. Soon we were engulfed in a blazing ball of light. The next thing I recall is walking up here on this same hillside with all of you. Does that answer your question, Your Majesty?”

“So, you’re saying you have no idea what happened next?” Rainbow Dash tossed her hooves in the air and spun around.

Rarity gave her a look. “Hush, Rainbow. Don’t interrupt.”

Sir Lighthoof continued, “On the contrary miss… err… Dash I believe it was… There is one more thing. As the King’s magic engulfed us all, I remember he called out the name of his beloved, Queen Una. However, as you say, that is the last I remember of that day, two millennia ago as it were. I am sorry, but it seems the memory of our battle beyond that moment is a bit cloudy. I am certain, however, that the King’s spell was successful and the creature was vanquished—how else would we be standing here with you now if it wasn’t? Come to think of it, have you seen the King?”

“Yeah… About that.” Rainbow Dash spun around behind Twilight and nudged her forward. “You tell him, Twi.”

The rest of them looked away or turned to face the ground. “Uhhh… that’s a definite, maybe,” Twilight hedged. “Could you give us a moment?” She turned and glared back at her friends. They shrugged as she shooed them back away from the guards so they could talk privately.

The girls all huddled close together. Each had a puzzled yet curious look on her face. “Well, girls,” Twilight whispered, “what do you think? Was that pony we just fought really King Brightwing?”

“Well, it did seem to be an Alicorn.” Rarity scowled as she examined her chipped hoof.

“I’m not so sure about that,” Applejack countered. “If that was King Brightwing, why’d he attack us?”

“That’s a very good question, Applejack.” Twilight quickly gauged the response of the others. “Perhaps we should hold off on mentioning that part to the guards just yet.”

“Twilight, didn’t that old book say that the King was a white pony?” Fluttershy asked. “Wasn’t he supposed to have a golden mane and tail as well?”

Twilight replied, “Double right, Fluttershy. The picture that I studied in Starswirl’s book showed King Brightwing and Queen Una just before their transformation. The King was definitely white with a golden mane and tail. I don’t think we can readily assume that pony was the King.”

“Maybe he just had some of that ooey-gooey ooze stuck to his coat?” Pinkie reasoned. “That tree sure didn’t like that awful mess. It turned all its leaves yellow and brown—like the color of chocolate… hmmm… sweet, sweet chocolate…”

“Pinkie!” Twilight scolded, still using her whisper voice. “This is no time to be thinking about chocolate… But you do have a point. Maybe that ooze has something to do with this. Let’s ask the guards about that.” Twilight and company broke their huddle and came back over toward the six stallions.

Stretching and yawning and trying to work out the soreness of having been encased in stone for nearly two millennia, they remained roughly where she had left them. Twilight posed her question. “Sir Lighthoof, there used to be a tree in that shrine over there. It recently exploded, but before it did, we saw it was covered in a purplish goo. Do you have any idea what that could mean?” Twilight pointed toward the shrine as she levitated a piece of the former tree’s bark off the ground, still dripping with the ooze.

With a look of shock mixed with fear, Sir Lighthoof exclaimed, “It can’t be! We must take action now! Which way did the King go?”

Twilight paused and glanced back at her friends before she continued on. “We just encountered a pony that may have resembled King Brightwing. Shortly after the tall black tree in the shrine over there burst into flames and exploded, he was knocked into the woods. I think he may be wounded. It didn’t seem like he matched the description we have of the King, though. Would the purple sappy sludge on the tree be a cause for concern?”

Sir Lighthoof stomped at the ground. “That bile is what remains of the horrid creature. If it has infected the King, we may all be in grave danger. We must seek him out immediately and give whatever aid we can muster.”

“Wait a second,” Rainbow Dash cut in. “Are you saying that goo made the King go all nuts? I think we deserve to know what ooof—hey, quit it.” She caught a short jab in the side from Rarity’s hoof.

“That’s enough Rainbow. Please do try and be polite with the nice stallions. Tee, hee, hee.” Rarity giggled under her breath remaining engaged in trying to force eye contact with Sir Firemane.

“My apologies, Princess,” Sir Lighthoof replied. “It seems the Spell of Harmony has been broken. The creature must be free again. We should seek out the King immediately—I fear it may already be too late.”

“Hold up there,” Applejack cut in. “If the King’s in danger, doesn’t that mean we’re all in danger?”

“Yes, milady. If the King has been infected by the creature, then I fear we may already be too late. We must find him with all possible haste.” Lighthoof stared at the girls and waited for a response.

“So let me get this straight,” Applejack began. “Purple goo monster.”

“Yes.”

“King casts a spell and turns into a tree.”

“Yes.”

“Y’all spend two thousand years as Hearth’s Warmin’ decorations.”

“I guess...”

“Goo infects tree.”

“It seems.”

“Spell’s broken.”

“I believe so.”

“King’s in trouble.”

“Most certainly.”

“I guess that about sums it up,” Applejack concluded.

Twilight looked up. “What did you mean by, Spell of Harmony?”

Sir Lighthoof shook his head. “I don’t believe I understand your question, Your Highness. Spell of Harmony was all the King mentioned when he spoke of it. He said it would take all of us together in order for it to work. I trust that since we six are no longer permanent fixtures of that shrine, and the tree you speak of, which clearly manifested in the mark of the King himself, no longer stands—I can assume that the Spell of Harmony no longer holds the creature at bay.”

“Well that certainly clears things up,” Fluttershy said. “Can we hurry home now and tell the Princess what we found? I really don’t like it out here.”

“No, Fluttershy,” Twilight gently replied. “We need to see this through. We need to find King Brightwing and do what we can to help him.”

“Excuse me, Miss Fluttershy.” Sir Tincture interrupted. “You speak of another Princess—are there more Alicorns where you come from?”

“Oh, not a whole lot.” Fluttershy shied away. ”There’s just Princess Celestia and Princess Luna—oh, and Princess Cadance too.”

Sir Lighthoof hopped back on the conversation train. “The Royal Foals are alive?”

“Well, duh.” Rainbow Dash flapped her wings dismissively. “They’re Alicorns. They’re like, immortal. Celestia raises the sun, and Luna takes care of the moon.”

“How interesting.” Sir Firemane ran his hoof through his mane, much to Rarity’s delight. “I had no idea such control could be managed by a single Alicorn. The High Wizard Council always handled the movement of celestial bodies with three or more mages at a time.”

“Maybe we’re getting a little off track here.” Twilight turned around and indicated to the group the direction they needed to go in order to find the fallen pony. “I saw the King fall from the sky in the woods about two hundred yards in.” She started to walk toward the tree line. The knights tried to follow, but took only a few steps before the first collapsed to the ground. Fluttershy pulled out her cloth and set about tending to the fallen stallion.

Sir Lighthoof seemed to be near collapse himself. “Princess Twilight, I fear our group is not able to sustain travel at present. I fear our time spent encased in stone has weakened us significantly. The effects of our interment should wear off in time, but we cannot wait any longer. I must ask that you and your friends go on without us and seek out the King. My deepest apologies, Your Highness. Please leave us, and we will tend to ourselves. You must press on without our added burden.”

Twilight nodded and turned to her friends. “Looks like we’re on our own, girls. Let’s head out.” She turned back to Sir Lighthoof. “Take care of yourselves. We’ll find the King and bring him back here.”

Lighthoof gripped his flank and bowed his head as the girls turned and trotted off into the forest in search of the fallen King.

Chapter Nine - The Return of the King

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It wasn’t long before Twilight and her team found themselves deep in the tangle of roots and brambles, approaching the spot where she calculated they would find the King. Without a path to follow, they had to rely on Rainbow Dash flying above the tree canopy to guide their way.

Twilight used her magic to clear the growth ahead, blasting fallen limbs as needed. She raced against an unknown clock, determined to reach King Brightwing as quickly as possible. With the containment of the Spell of Harmony broken, the Smooze could strike at any moment and nothing would be worse than being stuck without the pony who knew the spell that could save them.

From up above, the familiar voice of Rainbow Dash filtered through the branches. “Just a little further, everypony. I think I see the fallout up ahead. Ahhh…” Rainbow Dash ducked. A magic beam narrowly missed striking her square in the muzzle. Her rainbow colored mane received a new stripe of brown with the smell of singed hair to go with it. “Hey, no fair. Pick on somepony your own size!”

Dash quickly darted down through the thick tree branches below and reunited with the rest of the group. “This dude doesn’t seem too happy to see us. Better expect heavy resistance.”

Twilight’s determined gaze met her stare. “That’s what I was afraid of. Everypony stick close to me. If he tries to blast us again, I can use my shield to protect us.” The ponies huddled in tight as they made their final approach toward the crash site. Twilight used her magic and blasted away the last barrier between them and the fallen Alicorn King. She could clearly make him out now—his black tree cutie mark plainly visible at close range.

Brightwing called out to them in a strained, tortured voice. “Stay back! Come no further!”

He shuddered and his eyes glowed red. His voice changed. A deeper, raspy sound was heard. “I serve the Smooze. We shall destroy you all!”

The ponies took a step back, unsure what to make of this new development.

“What in tarnation?” Applejack scratched her head. “What do we do now?”

“This is worse than I thought. He’s almost totally infected by the Smooze. There’s purple goo all over his hooves. Look!” Twilight pointed over toward the Alicorn lying in the tangle of roots beneath a twisted tree. He lay on his side, broken and bleeding from his fall. The aftermath of the altercation in the sky had taken quite a toll.

The girls stood watching the King writhe in pain, convulsing under the vacillating influence of the Smooze. It was obvious that one of his wings was broken; the humerus bone lay exposed against his flank. In the tangle below, at least one leg, and possibly two, was broken as well. He struggled to right himself, failing to gain purchase of the ground with his slick hooves and mangled legs. His eyes cleared and his voice slipped back into its previous tone. “Stay back, my little ponies! I do not wish you harm. Run! Save yourselves!”

Twilight called back to him. “King Brightwing, is that you? We’ve come to help!”

The King continued to struggle, clearly fighting a dangerous battle within as well as without. Twilight watched his coat color randomly shift between a greyish white and a brownish black. His mane and tail phased between a regal gold and pond slime green. The colors would fade and reappear as different parts of him struggled to maintain control.

Brightwing’s eyes flared red once more and the strange voice returned. “You have already lost, little ponies. The Smooze cannot be stopped. Prepare yourselves for destruction.” A maniacal laugh followed. The ponies all looked at one another, clearly at a loss for what to do next.

“Come on, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash urged. “We have to do something.”

“I don’t know, Rainbow,” Twilight replied. “If we get too close, we may become infected by the Smooze as well. We need a plan.” She weighed the limited options. A direct approach would be dangerous; the wounded pony could attack at any moment. She couldn’t just blast him again, seeing as she might hurt him even more than she already had. She already felt terrible for having shot him out of the sky. Time was running out and she had to act soon.

The King’s voice cleared and he shouted his warning once more. “My inner light dims. Save yourselves! I am lost!” A small trickle of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.

Twilight continued to debate her prior actions. When she blasted him with her Alicorn magic, it was to save her friends. It had to be done. What if she had fatally wounded the King before being able to help free him from the influence of the Smooze? She would never be able to forgive herself. What else could she do? Running through her options again, she finally settled on an answer.

“Light!” Twilight shouted, now fully sure of her chosen course of action.

The rest of the girls stared at her waiting for the rest of the declaration.

Pinkie Pie hopped up and down. “Ooh, ooh, me next… uhhh… Lollipops!”

The entire group gave her a blank stare in return.

“What?” Pinkie lowered her head. “Aren’t we just randomly shouting out the first thing that comes to mind?”

“No, Pinkie. We’re trying to help King Brightwing.” Twilight pulled Pinkie in close with the rest of the group.

“Oohhhh… Got it!” The stares turned to collective head shaking.

“Go on, Twilight,” Applejack urged. “You got an idea?”

“Yes, Applejack. As a matter of fact, I do.” Twilight’s smile was about to burst.

“Well then, what is it? Does it involve having to get our hooves dirty mucking about with all that awful purple goo?” Rarity flashed a semi-polished hoof in front of her face.

“I say we just charge in there and wrestle that thing down.” Rainbow Dash looked ready to bolt.

As she tried to slowly back away, Fluttershy struggled with words. “I’m not sure we can help. That Smooze ooze isn’t something I want to mess with again.”

“No, girls!” Twilight exclaimed. “The answer is light! We need to use the Rainbow of Light from within us to help heal King Brightwing.”

“Yeah! Let’s blast that Smooze thing with our Rainbow Power!” Rainbow Dash surged with excitement.

“Rainbow! That’s not what I mean.” Twilight put a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder, trying to keep her enthusiasm contained. “Yes… we need to use our Rainbow Powers, but we need to do it in a way that we don’t hurt King Brightwing. We don’t want to just blast him to bits. We need to recharge his spirit with the light of our friendship. Giving a little bit of ourselves, we can help him overcome the darkness of the Smooze.”

“Oh, yeah… right.” Rainbow Dash blushed.

Fluttershy submitted to the task, nodding her head with confidence. “Alright, Twilight. He does need our help, and it’s the least we could do after coming all this way.”

“Okay girls,” Twilight said, “you all know how this works. Let’s do this! Hooves together!” The girls formed a circle and one by one put a hoof to the middle.

A colored beam of light shone from the tip of each pony hoof. As the colors swirled together in the middle of the group, a small rainbow sprouted up. It grew as it began to wrap around them enveloping the group in its glow. They each transformed into their Rainbow Power forms as the small rainbow light continued to swirl around them. Gently they started to lift up and float a few inches off the ground.

Twilight’s eyes clouded over as she focused on the energy of the spell they had conjured. She willed the tiny rainbow toward King Brightwing who continued his struggle of mental and physical torment. The rainbow obeyed. It arched across the short distance between the group of ponies and the fallen King.

The ponies watched as their magic wrapped about the King, lifting him up into the air. Focusing on the goodness within, they willed the evil of the Smooze to leave while the battered body of the King began to heal from the inside out. The rainbow whirled around him, spinning so fast that the ponies couldn’t tell where it began and where it ended. The sphere it created grew brighter and brighter until it exploded in a burst of sparkling rainbow light.

King Brightwing, restored to his former white and gold glory, hovered in the small clearing ahead. The King’s black cutie mark stood out in stark contrast to his milky white flank. He slowly descended and folded back his enormous wings so they rested once again at his side. The King bent his foreleg and deeply bowed his head. “My little ponies, thank you for saving me. I am forever in your debt.”

Twilight and her friends gathered in front of the King, still bathed in their rainbow-fied colors. They each bowed in turn, and Twilight spoke. “No, your majesty. It is we who owe you a great debt of gratitude.” Twilight bent a knee and bowed her head low to the ground as their Rainbow Power began to subside. One by one, the colorful highlights faded away as each pony returned to their normal, albeit amazing selves.

Brightwing cleared his throat and addressed Twilight directly. “Princess Twilight Sparkle, you are a most amazing pony.”

Twilight raised a hoof in surprise. “But your majesty… I… I don’t believe we have ever met. How do you know my name?”

The King drew back a big smile and coughed a little as he began to chuckle. “My dear little pony, I know exactly who you are. My dearest Una, who you know as The Tree of Harmony, has told me all about you. You are the smartest, most amazing pony in all of Ponyville. You and your friends have come to the aid of my daughters more times than I can count. For that, and much more, I can never thank you enough.”

Twilight’s head felt ready to explode as all the cogs came together and kicked into overdrive. Understanding poured in as she struggled to contain her thoughts. New ideas flooded every corner of her brain with a million questions bubbling to the surface.

Applejack mumbled, “But that means…”

Rarity gasped. “Sweet Celestia….”

Rainbow Dash could barely contain herself. “Ohmygoshohmygoshomygoshohmygosh….”

Pinkie Pie’s mouth erupted: “SothatmeanstheTreeofHarmonyisreallytheQueenandthattheKingisherewithusandthetreefromtheshrinewasreallythekingandthetreescantalktooneanotherandCelestiaandLunahaveamomandadadanddotheyknowtheyhaveamonanddad?Anddotheyknowthey’realive?AnddotheyknowabouttheSpellofHarmony?Andcanwe….”

Once again, the entire group turned and shouted, “Pinkie!”

Pinkie chuckled, “Oops, sorry. I must have said that out loud.”

Twilight continued with her questions. “I’m afraid I still don’t fully understand, Your Majesty. How did Queen Una and yourself become trees? Why did you transform here in the Shadow Forest with the Queen all the way back home in the Everfree? Is it all linked together?”

“We must be quick with the questions,” Brightwing replied. “Suffice it to say, the two forests share a magical bond. Queen Una and I were able to use that bond to communicate and devise a plan that my guards and I put into action. The spell required the complete commitment of all involved—even my beautiful Una. When the time came that we had no other option to save our home from certain destruction, I made the decision to enact the Spell of Harmony. Our Alicorn magic aided us as we bonded with the Earth in a way no pony ever dreamed of. The Queen and I both transformed as the price of solidifying that bond. The magical link we created helped us draw on the strength of the Earth combined with the spirit of the skies. Our magic translated into the spell that successfully contained the corruption of the Smooze. We knew from a very early age that our cutie marks were not particularly random and that something special would come of the tree symbols on our flanks.

“My guards and I formed the barrier that kept the Smooze contained. Una, using the Rainbow of Light, provided the grounding force to anchor our resolve. The spell has held for nearly two thousand years. That is… until today.”

Twilight shrunk back in shame. “Your Majesty, I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I didn’t mean to break the Spell of Harmony.”

“Do not trouble yourself, Princess—it was not your doing. The power of the Spell of Harmony waned from the moment the Rainbow of Light was released from Una’s care. Ever since the High Council bestowed the Rainbow Locket on my Queen at our coronation, she guarded its power with her life. Knowing that the time had come for her pass on that gift, she sacrificed that portion of her magic in order to assist you in your defeat of Lord Tirek—yes, I know about that as well. When she did, the anchor that held our spell in place was broken—so too was the bond that we shared to communicate. The Smooze was then able to lay siege to my defenses, and I began to fall further and further under its control. I tried to reach out to Una, and then my daughters. The influence of the Smooze proved far too strong. Even in my dreams I was cut off from the outside world.”

“I had a vision! I was shown this valley—the Smooze as well. Luna was here too.” Twilight looked up at King Brightwing. “I think Queen Una helped guide me here all along. It was her voice that spoke to me in the vision. She was the one that revealed Starswirl’s study. I don’t know why it took me so long to put it all together.”

“You are a smart one indeed, Princess, but we don’t have much time. The Smooze is awake and it will be here shortly. It is a creature crafted by dark magic, and it feeds on everything that is good in the world, corrupting and twisting all in its path. The monster has grown more powerful through the centuries, far beyond the designs of the Trolls that created it. Feeding on my own magic, I fear it may now be unstoppable. We must prepare. I sense its presence grows near.”

Twilight sniffled as she wiped a tear from her eye. “I’m so happy that we found you, Your Majesty. Won’t this be wonderful? When we get back to Canterlot, your daughters will be able to finally meet their father after all these years.”

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I’m afraid that won’t be possible.” Brightwing’s expression turned sour.

Twilight looked puzzled. “But, Your Majesty. Why not?”

Brightwing avoided the question entirely and quickly changed the topic. “I sorry to have to cut you off, but I fear we have more pressing matters we must attend to. Can you tell me what has become of my friends? I could feel their strength being torn away from me just before I lost control.”

“Of course, Your Majesty. We helped free them from their statues. Unfortunately, they were in no condition to travel, so we left them to recover near the shrine while we came in search of you.” Twilight pointed back in the direction of the hilltop.

Brightwing nodded. “Please lead the way. There is no time to lose.”

Chapter Ten - The Last Defenders of Equestria

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Six little ponies, with their new friend in tow, made their way back along the blasted path. As they broke from the trees, Sir Firemane waved back from the top of the hill. He signaled to the rest of the knights and the two groups met up half-way down the slope.

“All hail, King Brightwing!” The knights saluted their king as he half trotted and half glided over to greet them. He quite nearly crashed into the lot of them. Instead of engaging in hoofshakes or salutes, Brightwing set into a giant group hug with the entire bunch. They knocked each other around a bit as they exchanged smiles, stomped their hooves, and shouted in celebratory neighing. It warmed Twilight’s heart to see a group of friends that hadn’t seen each other for a very long time coming back together with their esteemed leader. More tears welled up in Twilight’s eyes as she looked on.

The happy reunion didn’t last for long. King Brightwing soon gathered them all together to lay out plans for the next stage of the battle. “My friends, our foe awaits us. He will not rest. He does not sleep. His only goal is to devour everything that is good in all the lands that surround us. He will stop at nothing until every last pony in Equestria has fallen to his gloom. We cannot let that happen. We must hold this hill.”

The knights chanted, “Here, here!”

Fluttershy squeaked, “Yay.”

“So what’s your plan, Your Majesty?” Twilight asked. “We aren’t really soldiers, but we’ll do our best to help however we can.”

King Brightwing replied, “We don’t have much time. The beast could be upon us at any moment. We must fortify our defenses and prepare for his attack. Let’s get to work everypony!”

They trotted up the hill and fanned out across the pony shrine, everypony working to help clear the statue bases of fallen debris. They had to be careful to avoid the purple goo that lay about the ground following the explosion. Twilight and the other Unicorns, including Rarity, worked to levitate the ooze out of the way and pile it into a fire pit that Applejack lit just outside the stone ring shrine.

The large Earth ponies, Earthquake and Rumble, helped pull the larger pieces of rubble out of the way and clear the area around the center dais. The Pegasi hoisted the stones into a makeshift barrier to fortify their position as well as scout the horizon scanning for any activity from the foe.

As close as they were to the Grundle village, Twilight didn’t see a single one of them appear for even a second as she worked to prepare for the Smooze attack. As much as they might be friends, she had to believe that the Grundles were even more afraid of the Smooze, or perhaps it was the pony shrine come to life that kept them away.

Brightwing noticed her gazing off toward the silent village. He signaled to his team to continue with their work and walked over to her. “They proved to be valuable allies during the first two incursions of the Smooze. Perhaps we can convince them to help us now a third time. We’re going to need all the help we can get. Come with me, Princess. Let’s go talk to the Grundles.”

Twilight fell in next to the King as he walked toward the village. Given her limited exposure to the Grundle King and his lack of interest in facing the shrine, the prospect of garnering their help seemed improbably remote. “The Grundles seemed pretty scared to me, but I guess we can ask. If it’s true that they helped in the past, our history books aren’t as accurate as I thought. Could you tell me what happened before? I’d really like to hear it straight from you.”

“Certainly.” Brightwing continued toward the village. “The first attack happened shortly before I was born, so I’m hardly the expert when it comes to that. My involvement was with the second attack, which occurred long after we ponies left this valley. I can tell you only what I have heard secondhoof about the origin of the beast along with the first attack on Dream Valley.”

“Anything you could share would be very much appreciated.” Twilight skipped ahead, trying to keep pace with the King. “Starswirl took quite a few liberties in covering up your mission, and now I’m not sure what parts are real and how much is make believe.”

“Very well.” Brightwing slowed his stride as they neared the village. “As the story goes, the Trolls used their strongest magic to create the beast in the heart of their volcano to the north. Their jealousy fueled the monster and formed the core of the spell that brought it to life. The ponies of Dream Castle, together with their friends, successfully fought off the attack with the power of the Rainbow of Light. Unfortunately, it also led to their downfall.”

Twilight shuffled down the path leading into town. “How did that happen? Shouldn’t they have all have come together against the monster?”

“Quite the opposite. Before they could act, the Smooze had already destroyed their home. It also destroyed the homes of many others before it was finally forced back into the Troll’s volcano. Control over the power of the Rainbow of Light’s magic caused friction among the pony tribes. Not only did they struggle with building a new home, they couldn’t decide who should govern the amazing force contained within a simple locket.” Brightwing passed through the stone archway at the edge of the Grundle town. “I was born shortly after, in the foothills of the mountains to the east where the ponies sought to rebuild. However, they never fully realized their plans for Paradise Estates before the Windigoes entered the picture.”

Twilight thought back to the previous day. Her trip down the mountainside led to the amazing rock garden in the foothills. The stone blocks around the perimeter formed a weather-beaten foundation for what she could only consider to be the footings of the King’s forgotten birthplace. She turned up to Brightwing standing in the middle of the road leading through the heart of the Grundle village. “What happened to Dream Castle? Why didn’t the ponies just rebuild their old home?”

“Generosity.” The King turned on his heels. “The ponies felt sorry for their friends and turned over the ruins of their old home in order to help those in need. Some felt it too much to give up. Others felt it wasn’t enough to repay the debt. Call it what you will, in the end, the ponies moved on. Still, it seems that kindness remains a hallmark of the Grundle’s friendship to this very day.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight spun around searching the silent huts for any signs of life. “How can you tell? It looks like they’ve all gone into hiding.”

“Isn’t it plain to see? The very fact that the Grundles remain here to this day says a lot. We find ourselves in the midst of the legacy of that ancient pact of friendship even now.” Brightwing spun around, reveling in the moment. “Look around, Princess, and behold! Dream Castle—in all its once and future glory!”

The quiet town came to life in the King’s burst of magic. A glittering trail of light traced the ruined stone blocks and pillars filling in the outline of an old castle far lost to the ravages of time. Twilight watched in awe as the walls rose around her in spectacular golden trappings. The archway framed the portal of the western wall and golden writing swirled across its span. The elegant script, long ago worn from the stone shone brightly in the revealing magic glow: Isn’t the world a lovely place…

Twilight bowed her head, realizing just then the significance of where she stood. Recalling the stories from her youth, the line stood out as part of the motto written across the archway to the gates of Dream Castle—her ancestor’s ancient home. The entire Grundle village had been built on the ruined foundation of the castle destroyed by the Smooze so long ago. The pieces of the past came back to haunt her as she stared down the pathway past the glowing arch and up the hill beyond. The castle gardens would have stretched all the way to the top and even a bit further beyond.

Brightwing approached. “My magic shows only the echo of the fortress that once stood here, a proud emblem of the distant past from a time of peace and friendship long forgotten. I’m not old enough to remember Dream Castle as it was before the Smooze attacked, but I do remember Paradise Estates. This entire valley looked a lot different before the Trolls brought their destructive magic of hate and envy upon us.”

Twilight hunched down in the grass at the edge of the path and picked at the blades. The ebbing light of the castle echo sank in magical strands all around. “Why do some things have to destroy what others have worked so hard to build?”

“Because they don’t know any better.” Brightwing took up a spot next to Twilight. “That shouldn’t stop us from continuing to build them, however.”

“It hurts to lose something that means so much, though.”

“Time can heal those wounds. Light will prevail in the end. Our ancestors knew that—I think you know it too, Princess.” The Kind’s gentle gaze shone down on Twilight.

Twilight shook her head and poked at the ground. “That doesn’t make it any easier, Your Majesty.”

“No, it doesn’t. It’s hard letting go. It’s hard moving on. I lost my parents when I was very young—they didn’t survive the migration. But that helps me cherish the time I was able to share with them even more.” Brightwing placed his hoof over top of Twilight’s. “The world is a lovely place, Twilight Sparkle—you just have do your part to make it so and keep the light within you burning bright.”

Like a dagger splitting the tender heart of the moment, Rainbow Dash’s voice reverberated around the hill and echoed down the path into town. “Incoming!”

Sir Thundercloud called out as well. “Hostile on the horizon!” As the sun dipped down in the west, the horizon blazed an odd shade of purple.

Brightwing turned back to Twilight. “Twilight, this is it. I need you to listen very closely. We don’t have much time left.”

Twilight sat in rapt awe. “Yes, Your Majesty. How can I help?”

Brightwing laid a hoof on her shoulder. “I’ve been thinking very hard about this and I’ve made my decision. I need you and your friends to leave. You have to escape.”

“What?” Twilight recoiled.

Brightwing held on and hugged her gently trying to calm the frazzled princess. “Hear me out. If things go badly for us here, I need you to warn Canterlot. You must take your friends and leave. You must go now.”

Twilight broke off standing up to pace before the King. “But King Brightwing, we can’t just leave you here like this. You need us now more than ever. You even said yourself that the Smooze was more powerful now than before. It’s going to take all of us working together to defeat it.”

Brightwing stood as well. “That’s just it, Twilight. My guards and I know what is at stake here and we are more than willing to lay down our lives in the defense of our great nation. I fear this may be our last battle, and we must do our part to stop the Smooze, whatever the cost. You must take your friends and go—go now!” Brightwing looked nervously at the coming storm. A purple wave approached from the western edge of the forest. “A king’s duty is to defend his kingdom. A princess must look to her ponies and keep them safe.”

“What about our Rainbow Power? Can’t we be of some help with that?” Twilight pleaded with the King.

“I have taken that into consideration, but you must understand. The Rainbow of Light is a powerful magic, but it can only be used to heal and restore that which has been corrupted. The Smooze is a being of dark magic—there is nothing there to heal or restore. When the magic was first used against the beast, it merely drove it back. Not less than a quarter century later, it was back and more powerful than before. We cannot risk history repeating itself. The harness of the Spell of Harmony must be restored. My knights and I are prepared to make that sacrifice, and I cannot ask you to be a part of it. You must return to Canterlot and warn my daughters. We will remain here and work to put the spell back together. I hope it can buy you enough time to think of another plan or perhaps summon reinforcements should we fail.”

Twilight bowed her head. “I-I understand, Your Majesty.”

“Give my love to my daughters and to my beloved Una,” King Brightwing added. “Now hurry, you don’t have much time.”

Twilight ran, the tears now flowing freely down her muzzle. She wasted no time in rounding up her friends to give them the news. “Grab your packs, girls. We need to leave and warn Canterlot.”

“What do ya mean, Twilight?” Applejack demanded. “We can’t leave now, not when they need us here the most!”

Rainbow Dash shook her head in outright objection. “Yeah, I can’t abandon our friends. What kind of messed up Loyalty is that?

“Can’t we use our Rainbow Powers to help fight?” Fluttershy countered.

“Twilight, dear, Fluttershy does have a point,” Rarity said. “Didn’t we come all this way because of our special power?”

Rainbow Dash nodded in the affirmative. “Yeah, Twi. We’ve got Rainbow Powers! All we have to do is line up and blast that goo monster back to the pit it crawled out of. Nothin’ to it!”

Twilight took a moment to consider her friend’s reactions. “We do have an amazing power, but King Brightwing doesn’t think it can be used to destroy the creature. I’m inclined to agree—we aren’t even sure if the Spell of Harmony will be enough to stop the Smooze this time around. The beast has been feeding on the King’s magic for quite some time and it may have grown too powerful. We can’t take the chance of failure leaving Equestria unprepared. We must do as he says and warn Canterlot before it’s too late.”

“If you put it that way, I guess there isn’t much we can do here.” Applejack turned to look out over the forest. “But if we’re getting, we better get while the gettin’s good. That thing’s gaining ground fast.”

“I don’t like it,” Rainbow Dash kicked at a stone which ricocheted off the barricade fortification and shot straight back at her. “Why does it always have to be like this? Why can’t we ever get easy assignments from the Princess?” She locked eyes with Twilight. “Why can’t I stay and fight?”

“Because life isn’t fair, Rainbow!” Twilight turned away, shocked by her own sudden outburst. “Someponies have to stay and fight and someponies have to warn the others. We have our orders. The world is a lovely place, and we all have to do our part to keep it that way.”

No pony could argue against warning Canterlot should the King and his knights fail to stop the Smooze’s advance. The girls gathered up their packs and quickly took their leave of the shrine. The Smooze, not more than a few hundred yards away, crashed in waves of black and purple goo as it advanced through the forest toward the shrine on the hill. Twilight knew they had to get out now, or there would be no chance of escape for them later. The battle lines were drawn, and they needed to be far away when the fighting began.

The parting was bittersweet—Pinkie Pie took it the hardest, however. Having just made seven new friends, she had to leave them and would probably never see them again. It was difficult to find a reason to smile about that—especially since she hadn’t been able to throw them a party yet.

The girls turned back and gave their new stallion friends a final farewell wave as they reached the edge of the hill’s slope and started to descend down the path toward the village. Even before they reached archway of the Grundle village, they could hear shouting and clanging of metal from behind.

Rainbow Dash couldn’t help herself any longer. She flew up into to the air to get a look at what was happening back at the shrine behind them. Twilight swooped up to join her. Both the ponies had visible tears falling down their faces. Twilight placed her hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “Rainbow, it’s best that you not look. It’s what they wanted. We have our orders and we need to get back to Canterlot as soon as possible.”

“I know,” Rainbow Dash wiped a foreleg across her face. “But I can’t stand the thought of running away from a battle when I know the fate of Equestria hangs in the balance.”

“I know, Rainbow. I know.” Twilight turned back and joined the others just making their way past the broken stone wall with the crumbling archway leading into town.

Just through the gate, Twilight came to a full stop. The entire Grundle town blocked the path ahead. Swarming out into the streets, the King stepped forward from the group. “Princess pony, we heard you talking to King pony. Grundles want to say sorry. We forget about friends and want to change that. We do what we can to fight Smooze. Grundles help friend ponies.” Four dozen or so little bodies in a patchwork of expertly repaired clothing, holding nothing more than gardening tools and the odd sling fed with rocks pulled from the masonry of their dilapidated homes, stood ready to assist.

Taken aback by the unexpected show of support, Twilight couldn’t find the words to express herself. She suddenly fell forward as an explosion rocked the ground, sending shockwaves crashing through the air. The force flooded over her, throwing her into the crowd. She quickly righted herself and spun around to check in the direction the blast had come from. All she saw was Rainbow Dash speeding up the hill and back into the melee at the shrine.

“Rainbow—No!”

Her protest fell on deaf ears.

Chapter Eleven - The Evolution of Harmony

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Together with the explosion, Twilight’s scream alerted the others. Shedding all princess demeanor, she sped off after her friend. The ponies turned and ran toward the hill following in Twilight’s wake with a lumbering pack of Grundles plugging along behind.

Tears whipped from Twilight’s face as she tore through the air. Flying right into the thick of the battle, she bore little thought for her own safety. “Rainbow! What do you think you’re doing?” The small speck of blue sprinkled with a dash of color sat glued to the forward battlement, crouching under the massive creature hovering above. A tidal wave of sludge threatened to crash down on them at any moment.

“It’s not too late. We have to help!” Rainbow Dash grunted as she tossed a softball-sized rock over the fortification wall, a large part of which had already been destroyed. The gaping hole in the wall offered no reassurance that the battle was going well. The rock flew across the battlement and made a plopping noise as it struck its intended target. The solid sheet of purple-black goo gathered mass and rose high above the wall only a few yards from the shrine.

Just inside the stone ring, the pony knights rushed toward the statue bases. King Brightwing took up position in the center of the structure and began reciting his intricate spell.

“Rainbow, we have to go! It’s not safe here! Come on!” Twilight flattened herself against the battlement and begged Dash to move.

“You go, Twilight. You have to warn the Princess. I’m staying here to help them fight.” She tossed another rock over the wall.

“Rainbow Dash! A few rocks isn’t going to stop that thing! We have to get out of here now!” Twilight tugged at Rainbow’s shoulder, but succeeded in pulling her only a few feet back. She gave up pulling and flew around to push.

Through the crack in the wall, Twilight caught sight of another volley. “Incoming!” She shoved Dash away just as a spout of purple ooze shot through the hole toward them. The goo splattered on the column behind, quickly dissolving the stone as it dripped down its length.

Twilight charged her horn and spun around to deliver a blast of Alicorn magic directly at the creature. The beam stretched out from her horn and connected with another volley of goo heading straight for her. The projectiles cancelled each other out.

Rainbow Dash glanced over at the column, now half eaten through by the acidic ooze. “Maybe you were right, Twilight.” She grabbed a hold of Twilight as the panic sunk in. “Maybe this was a bad idea. Help!” She yelled in terror as the attack continued, purple goo flying everywhere.

Twilight rolled down the line; Rainbow Dash held on as tight as she could. Across the lip of the battlement, her Alicorn magic laid out covering fire, deflecting the attacks meant for her friends. The monster wasn’t letting up. Rainbow clung to her back, still unsure of which direction to fly. All around, the sky filled with purple projectiles whizzing through the air.

Twilight wrung away from Rainbow’s grasp, allowing both more freedom of movement. “Pull it together Dash—we have get out of here!” Still firing her horn blasts at the oncoming barrage, she surveyed a path of retreat. “Follow me! To the left!”

Rainbow obeyed and dove to her left. Twilight led the retreat, shooting down stray missiles as they went. Banking at the edge of the structure, she turned toward the village side of the hill and kicked into overdrive. Applejack and the rest were just cresting the hill on the far side.

Twilight screamed, “Everypony back!” With Rainbow at her side, she shot past her friends and came around for another pass. The ponies retreated far enough back down the hillside that they could just make out the ring of stone from the top of the shrine in the distance. Twilight took up a holding position just above the others as she looked back toward the shrine and the continuing battle engaging King Brightwing and his knights.

The spell was almost complete. Twilight could tell they were close by the ball of light that was beginning to grow around the King. The knights had taken up their positions on each pedestal and were busy parrying the blows being delivered by the Smooze. The creature loomed over the shrine dwarfing the structure with its height and breadth. The ever-growing mass blocked the light of the late afternoon sun casting a dark shadow on the ponies below. A veritable rain of purple and black glop fell down upon the shrine. And then, the unthinkable: the spell collapsed.

King Brightwing took a direct hit. He fell to the ground as the knights rallied to his side. There was little they could do—the Smooze overtook the entire structure and brought the ring of stone crashing down upon them all.

“No!” Twilight cried out in a wail of despair.

“What happened, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked. “Are they alright?”

Rarity poked her side. “Fluttershy, dear, you do know you could fly up there and take a look for yourself, do you not?” She pointed to her own obvious lack of flying equipment and continued, “As you can see, some of us don’t have that option.”

Applejack called up to Twilight. “What do you see, Twi?”

Twilight shouted back down. “It’s the King…. I… I don’t know what just happened. It doesn’t look good. The whole shrine—the spell—everything just collapsed.”

Rainbow Dash flew in circles chewing on her partially worn golden horseshoes. “What do we do? What do we do? Twilight, we’ve got to help them!”

Twilight flew down to join the rest of her friends. “All right, everypony. Here’s the plan!” Twilight stomped her hoof to the ground. “We have one shot at this and we’ve got to make it count. We have to use our Rainbow Powers to try and stop that thing. If we don’t do it now, we probably won’t get another chance. It’s now or never, girls! Hooves in!” She thrust out her front leg and the rest closed into formation. The girls formed a circle once again and one by one put a hoof to the middle.

The familiar magic sprang to life as the ponies’ rainbow-fied markings burst from their coats, manes, and tails. A small rainbow formed in the center and zipped around them furiously as the entire group of ponies floated off the ground. They gained some air and began to drift towards the beast and the now goop covered ruins of the shrine. A few stunned Grundles drew back in surprise.

The rainbow energy crackled around Twilight as she lined up her shot. “Here we go!” She raised her horn and released the blast. Colored bands arched under and over before collapsing straight down the middle making a direct shot at the Smooze. The monster shuddered with the impact from the blast tearing into the blackest parts of its core.

The rainbow light ray faltered and then dissipated completely. The six ponies floated back down to the ground. Having traveled half the distance to the shrine, they stared up at the towering view of the wall of purple sludge that stood before them.

The Smooze bubbled and churned. It lurched to the left and then back to the right—the small pony shrine below sat smashed and broken, a scene of complete disarray. The pony guards strewn about the ground struggled to move with little hope of recovery. King Brightwing lay just to the left of the center area, completely covered in purple sludge and utterly motionless.

The beast let out a terrifying roar.

What could only be described as a mouth opened wide in the near-facing side of the gelatinous glob. It coughed, and a small bit of brightly colored phlegm spewed forth from the opening. The tiny rainbow flopped onto the ground and faded away in the dirt. Twilight watched in amazement as the creature seemed entirely unfazed by their rainbow attack.

Applejack joined her in staring, dumbfounded. “Well, I certainly didn’t expect that to happen.”

Rainbow Dash landed. “Right there with you, pal. That thing just chewed up our rainbow and spit it out like an old piece of gum.”

Pinkie Pie, true to form, gave her assessment. “At least it was rainbow gum. I love rainbow flavor.”

“Pinkie, this is no time to be thinking about gum!” Twilight scolded once again. “We need to think of a new plan, and fast! Fall back!” The Smooze paused its advance, but didn’t seem like it would stay that way for long. The girls made their retreat and once again found themselves right back where they started—albeit still rocking their rainbow-fied looks.

Twilight looked around at her friends. “Does anypony have any other ideas?”

“I-I-I don’t know, Twilight,” Fluttershy stuttered, “but our friends might have some.”

Rarity pointed back up the hill. “I don’t know what they think they’re doing, but it probably won’t end well.” The girls turned and watched as the simple Grundle army charged up the hill. Rocks from slings, pitchforks and rakes, everything they had to give flew toward the beast.

From the tree line, another rumble approached. The Star Spider Queen and her brood burst from the forest and began to scale the north slope. Webbing flew through the air as they pressed their attack on the creature. The Queen yelled out to the ponies. “Forward all! Keep up the attack!”

Applejack resolved, “There’s no turnin’ back now. We gotta go help our friends!” She held and waited for acknowledgement. “Twilight, you with us here?”

Twilight, still trying to come up with a scenario that didn’t end in their deaths, turned around and faced the ruins. “I don’t know, girls… I just wish Princess Celestia were here. She would know what to do.”

As if by just speaking her name, Celestia’s voice rang out on the breeze. It was soon joined by the voice of Luna, and then by a third, somewhat familiar voice. Twilight’s ears stood up as she recognized all three voices assaulting her thoughts. The Princesses, together with Queen Una, the Tree of Harmony, chanted a soothing melody. Words repeated in sequence, over and over as Twilight soaked it all in. Trust in your friends and create new magic together.

Twilight shouted back to the group. “New magic!” The rest of her companions stared back in wonder, perhaps thinking their fearless leader had finally knocked her last screw of sanity loose. They stood in silence, waiting to hear what was coming next. Twilight shook her head and came around. “Girls, I have a plan! We need to use our Rainbow Power!”

“But Twilight,” Rarity replied, “we already tried that and it didn’t work.”

“Yeah, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash chimed in, “we gave that thing everything we had and it spit it right back in our face.”

Twilight’s smile grew, the plan materializing in her head. The ponies could see that something had clicked. Either this was going to be another crazy suggestion or something really amazing was about to happen.

Twilight calmly stated, “No girls, I mean, we need to use our Rainbow Power!” Her friends stared back, with only Applejack daring to ask the obvious question.

“All right, you’ve gotta start talking straight with us. What exactly do you mean by our Rainbow Power?”

“Simple. Up until now, we’ve been using the Rainbow Power from the Tree of Harmony: the same magic that failed to stop the Smooze over two thousand years ago. What we haven’t tried is the Rainbow Power that comes from within each of us! The Elements of Harmony!” Twilight pulled a hoof to her chest and tapped the area near her heart.

“And how exactly is that different?” Applejack was still confused.

“Easy. The Light that resides in each of us comes from the friendship we each have for one another. It’s the same thing that drew us together in the first place when we were able to unite the Elements of Harmony without even having the gemstones around our necks. The Magic of Friendship is inside of each of us! We just need to let our light shine!”

Fluttershy stood up as tall as she could and spread out her wings. “So how do we bring out the light inside us, Twilight? Tell us what we need to do.”

Twilight drew closer. “It’s easy, Fluttershy. I just needed a little reminder was all. Princess Celestia gave us the key a long time ago. Do you recall what she told us right after I became an Alicorn? The key to creating new magic…”

With a good deal of urgency in her voice, Applejack spoke up again. “Okay, Twilight, enough beatin’ around the bush. That monster isn’t goin’ to just sit there and wait for us all day. Go ahead and tell us.” The Grundles had run out of ammo and were in full retreat down the slope. The Star Spider flank drew back as well with the resurgence of the beast.

Twilight gazed around at all her friends—each of them waiting not-so-patiently to hear what she had to say. “We figured it out a long time ago—it’s the magic that brought us together. It’s the same magic that made me an Alicorn Princess. It’s new magic that’s crafted by all of us each and every day. It’s the Magic of Friendship!”

“So how are we supposed to tap into that?” Rainbow Dash glanced nervously over her shoulder.

Twilight straightened up. “We need to dig deep and really show this Smooze what our friendship truly means. Celestia and Luna—even Queen Una, King Brightwing and all his friends too—all of them are counting on us. We need to draw on the Charity, Compassion, Devotion, Integrity, Optimism, and Leadership of true friends! We need to focus on our light within and make a stand, just like the King and his friends did for us. Just like the Grundles and the Star Spiders too. The Magic of our Friendship is stronger than any monster!”

“We can do it!” Pinkie Pie jumped in the air.

“For our friends!” Rarity tossed her mane and twirled her tail.

“We can’t give up!” Applejack threw up her hat, spun around, and let it fall back on her head.

“Yay!” Fluttershy shouted in the loudest voice she could muster.

Rainbow Dash did a double flip in the air. “This is going to be so awesome!”

“Together with the Rainbow of Light and the Elements of Harmony that live in each of us, let’s see what kind of new magic our friendship can muster to defeat the Smooze. Let’s do this for Brightwing and his friends, and for everyone else that’s counting on us as well. Hooves together, girls!”

For a third time that afternoon, the ponies formed a circle as each of them cast in a hoof, calling upon the Magic of Friendship as Celestia explained following Twilight’s ascension:

The Integrity of Applejack who stood firm against the lies of the world.

The Optimism of Pinkie Pie who looked to the bright side of facing down a ferocious yeti.

The Compassion of Fluttershy in sharing with those in need.

The Charity of Rarity in giving of herself to clothe an entire village.

The Devotion of Rainbow Dash in supporting her friends to the very end.

The Leadership of a Princess in standing up for what’s right and refusing to let it be destroyed.

The Rainbow Power from the Tree of Harmony, already present in their current forms, joined with the magic that radiated from the core of each pony. The tiny rainbow once again sprang to life, this time joined by the cutie mark emblems of all six mares. Each pony poured the essence of themselves into the soul of the spell.

The orb of energy surrounding them grew bigger and brighter than ever before. Twilight guided the crackling ball of light into the air. As she moved them forward, the ponies continued to concentrate on one another and what their friendship truly meant. She maneuvered the group into position, the purple beast straight ahead and closing fast. Steadying herself at last, she drew up and cast her spell drawing on the new magic of friendship she paralleled from Starswirl’s unfinished spell:

“With all of us together
Friendship lights our way.
Let past and present tether
As darkness becomes day!”

A blazing beam of white light shot out from the group of ponies and struck the beast dead center mass. The Smooze recoiled with the impact. Its roar was quickly silenced as the beam of white-hot light tore into it and passed straight through to the other side. It continued on toward the shrine and engulfed the entire hilltop. The creature and all its ooze melted away under the onslaught.

The energy surrounding Twilight and her friends shone with the brightness of a hundred suns. Their friendship glow filled the entire valley from the mountains to the east all the way to the ocean at the west. Not a single spot of darkness escaped the light drawing back as a rainbow streaked across the sky.

Twilight struggled to carefully settle the group down and collapsed as the magic faded around her.

Chapter Twelve - A King's Duty

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The last rays of sunlight disappeared beyond the horizon. Normal colors of the sunset shone true in their mix of yellow and orange, and even a hint of red. The monstrous Smooze had dissolved away to nothing, taking with it the decay and blight of the land. All signs of its existence vanished with the healing power of the Rainbow of Light washing over the valley. The last bits of the arcing rainbow in the sky faded with the setting sun. The ponies came to rest at the edge of the hill slope, their rainbow features fading with the sun.

Applejack knelt down and cradled Twilight’s head as she came around. Twilight blinked once and took off like an arrow, flying at top speed toward the ruins. She arrived at the shrine in seconds and reverently approached the tree. The entire structure was exactly as it had been when she’d first arrived. The pony statues were back in their alcoves. The giant black tree laid out its handsome golden leaves in a sparkling canopy above. The only difference: no purple ooze anywhere to be found.

Rainbow Dash caught up with her first. “Hey there speedy, you gotta’ wait for the rest of us.”

Rarity approached and pointed upwards, “Oh, Twilight. The tree! It’s so lovely!”

Twilight turned toward her friends as tears of joy mixing with tears of sorrow rolled freely down her face. “They’re all here—back where they belong.”

“Well, would you look at that,” Applejack said as she pulled the hat from her head. “Isn’t that somethin’?”

Pinkie blurted out, “Yay! Time for more patty-cake games!”

“Pinkie!”

Pinkie chuckled. “Oh, right…”

The ponies stood in wonder at the sight that lay before them. Brightwing’s Tree of Harmony stood proudly at the center of the shrine once again. The pony guards fanned out around the ring—each of them giving a salute toward the middle. Twilight could just make out through the helmets that each one had a big smile on his face.

Twilight sighed. “Well, girls, I believe our job here is done. Time to head home.”

“What?” Fluttershy’s wings popped open.

“Now hold on there a second.” Applejack pointed around at all the statues. “Are you sayin’ we’re just goin’ to leave ‘em here like this?”

“Yes, Applejack. I am.” Twilight bowed her head and closed her eyes.

Applejack’s jaw dropped a bit. “Well, that don’t make any sense at all. We just melted the Smooze. Do we really need these ponies to stay frozen in stone for who knows how many thousand more years?”

“That’s just it, Applejack. We did just melt the Smooze. But that’s no guarantee it will never return. Hate and envy, darkness and fear—they all still exist in this world. For as long as that is, we need good ponies willing to stand up and defend our way of life. We all have to do our part. King Brightwing made that very clear.” Twilight wiped her eyes, drying what tears she could. A gentle smile spread across her face. “The Magic of Friendship set things this way. I think it’s what they wanted and all is as it should be.”

Applejack held her hat tight to her chest. “I had no idea friendship was that complicated. But what about the Princesses? Can’t we try and move ‘em all closer to Canterlot?”

Twilight looked up and took in the wonderful sight above her. The sleek and shiny black trunk branched out as it rose up into smaller limbs bursting with golden leaves, climbing higher and higher into the sky above. Closing her eyes as a gentle breeze washed over the hilltop, she could just make out a whisper of a voice as it floated down through the leaves above.

“Thank you, Twilight Sparkle.”

She turned back toward Applejack. “I think he’s right where he wants to be. He’s with his friends.”

“I hadn’t thought of it like that.” Applejack paused and held a hoof to her chin. “What about Queen Una?”

Twilight closed her eyes again as she recalled the image of their own version of the Tree of Harmony that lay rooted in the cave at the base of the Castle of the Two Sisters. Another message echoed in her head.

“I thank you as well, Princess.”

Twilight responded to the both of them. “Thank you, Your Majesties.” She made a small curtsey as she bowed her head toward the great tree before turning back again to Applejack and the others. “I think she’s fine with this too. I’m pretty sure the link they shared has been repaired. I don’t think we could ask for more than that.”

“I sure am glad I’m an Earth Pony.” Applejack kicked at the dirt. “I don’t know what I’d do if I had to deal with all this magic stuff all the time.”

“I have a feeling you’d do just fine.” Twilight smiled at her friend. “We’ve all made some pretty amazing magic together.” She motioned to all her friends to gather in close. Nestled beneath the great tree, she hugged them all as one, savoring the moment together. It was good to have memories like this for when times got tough. She didn’t know if or when she would ever need this one, but she figured it was good to have regardless.

From out of the gathering darkness, a reserved visitor skittered through the shadows. “I humbly ask your permission to approach your most sacred shrine.” The clattering mandible of the Spider Queen clicked and popped as she bowed her forward legs just outside the ring of stone.

Twilight turned and bowed to the Queen. “It would be my honor, Your Highness.”

The giant spider moved up past the pillars into the heart of the circle. “Please, Princess of Equestria, call me by my true name—Queen Skalla of the Stars.”

“We are extremely grateful for your assistance today, Queen Skalla of the Stars.” The rest of the ponies bowed together with Twilight in addressing the Spider Queen.

“I cannot accept an honor that is not mine to receive.” The Queen bowed low to the ground as her brood scurried from beneath her legs in a procession of reverence, each little starred arachnid bowing and retreating behind the Queen once more. “It is we that owe you a deep debt of gratitude. I regret my ever considering the consumption of your band. We will never forget your kindness and courage. The forest is healed and the sickness of the Smooze is no more. Ask us any favor and it is yours without question.”

Twilight smiled as she watched the little creatures scurrying past. “Queen Skalla of the Stars, as a Princess, the only favor I could ever ask is for your continued friendship.”

“It is yours, for now and forever.” The star emblem on the great spider’s abdomen glowed in the light of the newly risen moon. The added light illuminated the presence of a number of curious onlookers off to the edge of the shrine.

Twilight turned and beckoned them forward. “Come out, Grundles. There is nothing to be afraid of here.”

“Spider Queen not eat us?” The Grundle King stepped out from the shadows.

“Not tonight and not ever.” Twilight walked over and shook the King’s hand. “I want us all to remember today and how we came together as one. We had a purpose: to overcome the Smooze. By the magic of our friendship, we have done just that. If I could take one thing away from this whole experience, it would be the hope that Dream Valley will once again become the place that it was before the Smooze came to be.”

“Ponies always welcome in Grundleland.” The portly King bowed as best as he could manage. His mushroom cap flopped to the ground. With a bashful smile, he reached down to pick it up, but Twilight was quick with her magic and swiftly deposited it onto his head.

“Any friend of Equestria is a friend to the Star Nation.” Queen Skalla tipped her head. “If you wish, we will assist you in rebuilding your village, King Grundle. The mountain quarry is far and your people are free to traverse our land in peace.”

The King bowed to the spider, this time holding tight to his crown.

“There’s probably one more thing we need to iron out with that.” Twilight stifled a giggle, trying not to break the mood. “Nevermind. We’ll talk about it later. As for tonight, I think we should all get some rest.”

“Our home is your home, Princess pony.” The Grundle King waved his hand and his subjects ran off toward the village to prepare.

“I take my leave, Princess. Give my regards to your fellow Princesses. I hope to see you again.” Queen Skalla bowed and crept back into the shadows with her brood.

“Girls,” Twilight said, turning back to her friends, “let’s hit the hay.”

The next morning, Twilight rose from her bed, refreshed and ready to face the road home. She gathered her pack along with the rest. Her friends were just as anxious to start the long trip ahead. Yet, one matter still needed attention, and she wasn’t sure how she would address it.

Passing out of her hut, she walked up to the Grundle King and the entourage gathered to set them on their way. “King Grundle, I’ve been trying to think of a way to fix a problem, but I’m not sure I can without your help. We need to find a way for you and your people to share the rocks at the ruins of Paradise Estates with our yeti friend, George. Would you be willing to come with us so we can try and find a solution?”

“No problem. Grundle King do whatever Princess pony ask.” The King nodded to his group and they raced off to gather their equipment. In two shakes of a pony’s tail, they returned with packs on their backs and pickaxes in hand.

“Let’s head out then.” Twilight checked in with her friends. “Girls, it’s time to go home.”

Getting back on the path, the group fell into line as the road crossed into the forest. This time around, the trail was much easier to travel, flat and obstacle-free for the most part. Sunlight filtered down through the bright green leaves of a proud and ancient forest free from the malignant influence of the Smooze.

With all the positive changes evident in every aspect around them, she felt obliged to change the name of the valley back to its previous moniker. No more would this place be known as the Shadow Forest—from now on, Dream Valley would be a place where ponies could feel at home.

They made good time, exiting the forest a little after noon. Rainbow Dash promised she could fly up the pass and bring George down without any trouble, so Twilight let her go. Dash took a few bits of Pinkie’s rock candy with her just in case there was any convincing that needed to be done. About the same time the group reached the garden, George and Rainbow came flying down the pass.

Twilight held firm as George approached. The Grundle King cowered behind, not quite convinced that George would be receptive to their presence. The yeti slowed his approach, confused by the small Trolls that his pony friends had brought to his garden.

“Why you bring them here? Trolls steal rocks. George no like Trolls.” George sat down, momentarily placated by the crunch of Pinkie’s candy rolling around in his mouth.

Twilight pulled the crouching King out from behind her. “George, I want you to meet our friends, the Grundles. They aren’t Trolls and they didn’t know they were stealing your rocks. They were just trying to fix their homes and build a few new ones.” The Grundle King waved a cautious smile at the yeti.

“Why they not ask? George no have problem taking rocks if Trolls ask nice.” Another crunch of the candy deflated the tension between the factions.

Twilight took an elbow to the Grundle King prodding him into action. “Ask him nicely for his rocks,” she whispered.

The King stepped forward and bowed to George as he might have greeted a visiting royal. “Master Yeti, Grundle King ask permission to use rocks. We trade whatever we can.” The King’s assistants stepped forward and emptied a few packs of food in front of George.

George leaned down and sniffed at the vegetables. With a quick snatch of his tongue, he gobbled up part of the offering. “Hmmmm. George like. Grundles take rocks. George eat Grundle food now.”

Applejack burst out laughing. “I can’t believe it. After all that, the answer was that simple? Well I’ll be…”

Twilight made a face at Applejack. “We could use more problems like that, Applejack. Sure beats the Tireks and Smoozes of the world.” Turning back to the King, she shook his hand. “King Grundle, I think you can take it from here. Keep the food coming, and I’m sure George will be more than happy to share his rock garden with you.”

The Grundle King bowed to Twilight. “Thank you, Princess pony. Please come visit Grundleland again real soon. Grundles like having pony friends.”

The King signaled to his men which quickly gathered enough loose rocks to make the repairs they needed and were on their way in minutes. He waved from the path leading back into the forest and Twilight and her friends waved back. George also waved and smiled a toothy grin.

Applejack shook her head and patted the yeti on the back. “Come on George, we’ve got a mountain to climb and a town to turn upside down.” The ponies gathered up what was left of their gear and trotted off up the pass.

It took the rest of the day to scale back up the snowy mountain pass and down the other side. Pinkie Pie offloaded the last of her rock candy to the insatiable George along the way. He made the crossing a breeze, and by nightfall, the entire group marched their way past the stunned tourist crowd milling about in the Rainbow Falls market square. Quickly overcoming the shock of seeing the Princess alive, they fell in around George clamoring to get a close-up view.

The rest of the evening went by in a flash with the locals snapping pictures and setting out a whole new line of yeti-themed bric-a-brac. Applejack found the mare from earlier and gave her heartfelt apology for not believing her story. She even offered to take a picture with the three of them together to commemorate the moment.

The mayor approached Twilight, relaying her gratitude along with a message that Celestia would be waiting for them back in Ponyville. It took some doing to separate the crowd from George, but they finally found a bed and settled in for the night. After a tiring journey, they had no trouble falling asleep. Twilight found the lack of visions especially refreshing.

The morning rolled around and the ponies parted ways with George. Surprisingly, the locals were just as sad to see him head off up the mountain path. Twilight and her group made sure to catch the morning train and soon found themselves in very familiar territory.

Pulling into the station at Ponyville, they all hopped off the train and headed straight for the castle, eager to meet up with the Princess once again. As she passed through town, Twilight found it odd that all the shops looked deserted. It was like the entire town had gone into hiding—similar to the Grundle village prior to the vanquishing of the Smooze. It soon became apparent the reason for the complete lack of ponies in Ponyville proper—everypony was waiting for them just outside the castle doors.

Cheers rang out as the six heroines humbly trotted up the narrow passage separating the exulting chorus to either side. Princess Celestia stood on the castle steps with Princess Luna by her side.

“Princess Twilight,” the familiar voice of Princess Celestia rang out above the crowd, “I knew you could do it!” The voice of the Princess carried over the cheers of the other ponies as Twilight ran to greet her mentor.

Twilight dove into her mane as she wrapped her front legs around her neck. “Princess Celestia! I’m so happy to see you again! You won’t believe what happened to us!” The hug lasted for a bit and then Twilight came down to all fours again.

“I’m pretty sure I already do, and I am forever in your debt, Princess.” Celestia took a step back and bowed her head extending a foreleg out in front of her.

“I, as well, Princess.” Luna did the same, adding a bit of a flourish.

Celestia rose up. “Thank you for saving our father…”

Luna did likewise, completing the phrase, “…and reuniting us with our mother.”

The two Alicorn sisters bent at the front knee and bowed once again, more deeply than before. Twilight and her friends, who had now all gathered on the landing of the castle stairs, gazed around at the gathering of ponies. The entire population of Ponyville, and even some from Canterlot and other towns close by, bowed down before them.

“How did you know?” Twilight wondered aloud. “We only discovered the truth about the Tree of Harmony just the other day.”

“Well, Princess,” Celestia giggled, “you aren’t the only smart pony in Equestria.”

“I was able to spend some time to focus on the vision combined with Starswirl’s story,” Luna added. “My sister and I were able to put the pieces together and decided we should take a closer look at the Tree of Harmony.”

“When we arrived at the Tree,” Celestia continued, “we discovered what had happened. Our minds were opened and a link formed between us. Though you fought miles away, it was as if we were there by your side.”

Luna passed down the line nodding to each pony in turn. “We saw you all in that darkest of moments and sought to lend thee our strength and support. It was the least we could do to help given the circumstances.”

Celestia placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Just a small reminder was all you needed. That set you back on your path and you took it from there. We’re so proud of you, Twilight. You are an inspiration to us all!”

The cheers from the crowd began again. Twilight blushed as she turned and waved to the rest of those gathered. She turned back to her friends who also bowed to her. This time she didn’t just return the bow, she ran to her friends and grabbed them all in a giant hug as they fell into a giggling pile.

Spike peeked out from behind the castle door as Twilight’s head poked up from the pile.

“Spike! Where have you been hiding?”

Spike replied cautiously, “Ummm… I was making sure that no pony got into the library…. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“Oh, Spike! You silly dragon you! Get over here and give me a hug!” Twilight got up and ran over to her assistant, giving him the biggest hug of the day. “You’re such a good friend, Spike, and that’s all a pony like me could ever wish for.”

—End of Book One—

(Illustration by crayon-chewer)

Illustrations by:

AssasinMonkey: http://assasinmonkey.deviantart.com/

Crayon-chewer: http://crayon-chewer.deviantart.com/